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Thursday, July 1, 2010 Email Email   Facebook Facebook TwitterTwitter   Print Print
 
Time with God
by Charles R. Swindoll

Exodus 3

 

I was raised to believe in the importance of a "quiet time." To the surprise of some, that concept did not originate with the late Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators, but with the Lord Himself.

The Scriptures are replete with references to the value of waiting for the Lord and spending time with Him. When we do, the debris we have gathered during the hurried, busy hours of our day gets filtered out. With the debris out of the way, we are able to see things more clearly and feel God's nudgings more sensitively.

When David wrote, "Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD" (Ps. 27:14), he was intimately acquainted with what that meant. When he admitted, "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry" (40:1), it was not out of a context of unrealistic theory. The man was hurting, in great pain.

Time with God? Who experienced its value more than Job after losing it all? Remember his confession? What makes it even more remarkable is that he stated it while surrounded by those who accused him: "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:10-12).

That's it! That is exactly what occurs when we remove ourselves from the fast track and keep our appointment with Him who made us. What great thoughts He has for us, what insights, what comfort, what reassurance!

And the best part of all is that such divine breakthroughs come so unexpectedly. Though you and I may have met in solitude with God morning after morning, suddenly there comes that one day, like none other, when He reveals His plan . . . and we're blown away.

Understand, those phenomenal moments are the exception, not the rule. If God spoke to us like that on an everyday basis, burning bushes would be as commonplace as traffic lights and ringing phones. Fact is, never again in all of time has the voice of God been heard from a bush that refused to be consumed with flames. You see, God is into original works, not duplicated recordings.

But never doubt it: He still longs to speak to waiting hearts . . . hearts that are quiet before Him.

Keep your daily appointment with God. 
It's the one meeting you can't afford to miss. Don't be late!

  

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

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July 1

Romans 12:3
By the grace given me I say to everyone of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Thoughts on today's verse

Pride does go before a fall! It is not easy to balance the two truths: "I must not be prideful, but I must understand just how much God values me." Satan can use our self- denigration, the worthless worm syndrome, to discourage us and keep us from using our gifts for Kingdom work. On the other hand, pride takes God out of the picture and attributes our contribution to God's Kingdom to us and not to God.

Prayer:

Holy Father, as your child, redeemed at the cost of Jesus' life, I know I am loved and valuable to you. I know you have given me abilities and gifts to use for your glory and to bless your church. But Father, I do not want to ever think that my abilities are somehow mine alone. I know you have given me the gifts, abilities, and experiences that have shaped me, so please empower me to your glory. But Father, I never want the glory that is achieved from your gifts to puff me up or turn from me the realization that I am what I am, I have what I have, and I do what I do, because of your grace and your generous gifts. May I ever be your humble but valuable child at work in your Kingdom. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.
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July 1, 2010

 

My Mother's Hands

T. Suzanne Eller

 

"Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)

         

Devotion:

She held out the soft white blanket scalloped in pink ribbon. "I'm not sure I want to give it to her," my mom said. The stitches were a bit looser than my mother's past handiwork, but I could see love in every crocheted inch.

 

I held her hands in my own. Her once slender fingers were bent and swollen at the joints. I imagined her holding the crochet needles and weaving the yarn in and out for hours, days, until the blanket was complete. It is an heirloom for her first great-grandchild, one created with pain and love.

 

I think I take my mother's hands for granted. They have caressed my cheek. They have made me wear a coat (even when I protested that I was a mother of three grown children). They have dialed the cell phone she loves, and hates, so she could talk to "her Suzie." Her hands have penned cards that showed up in my mailbox saying "I love you."

 

There's an old 70s song that says, "Time keeps on slipping, slipping, into the future." There is truth in those lyrics. I see the passage of time in my mother's hands. I also see it as moments pass into hours and then into days in a whirl. Life is always busy, like this month when the white board on the refrigerator lists church events, speaking engagements, dentist visits, showers and weddings and graduations, as well as other details like pay the bills, mow the lawn, clean the house.

 

Recently I realized that my mother was moving further down on that list. A week passed. A month flew by. The phone calls came. "Hey, Suz, just calling to say I miss you."

 

One day I received an e-mail from a friend. Her mom was sick. For the next few weeks I prayed, reading every update. One night I read the e-mail from my beautiful friend that expressed her love for her ailing mom, and prayer for strength to say goodbye. Suddenly it hit me how little time I actually devoted to my mother. I held the e-mail and wept. The next day I made a date with my mom. She was like a girl; she laughed on the phone as we made plans.

 

I pray that I have many more opportunities to hang out with my mom, but more than that I pray that I don't take her for granted.  

 

Life most likely won't slow down. But as I devote time to worthwhile endeavors, I don't want to forget that in the grand scheme of things, holding my mother's hands is one of the most priceless investments I'll ever make.

 

Dear Father, thank You for my loved ones. Life gets so hectic, and sometimes it's hard to slow down long enough to show them how much I care. Please help me to slow down and recognize what is of little value so that I can invest in people with immense value. In Your precious Name, Amen.

 

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

The Woman I Am Becoming by T. Suzanne Eller
The Mom I Want to be: Rising above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future by T. Suzanne Eller
Visit Suzie's blog where she will give away a copy of The Mom I Want to be: Rising above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future, co-written by Suzie and her mom.
The Overwhelmed Woman's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents by Julie-Allyson Ieron

Application Steps: 

Love tokens:

 

1. Write. Leave a note in an unexpected place.

 

2. Give. Spend time with no strings attached (help work in the garden, go to lunch, sit and chat).

 

3. Touch. Especially if your loved one is older or widowed and they are not touched in positive ways any more. (Massage their hands. Hold their hand. Touch their face or hair.)

 

4. Affirm. Tell them one encouraging thing that you believe about them.

 

Reflections:

Is there someone you need to spent more time with?

 

"The most important thing that should totally absorb our lives down here is the practice of real love. Why? Because love lasts. Love will be the only thing that matters in eternity." ~Jill Brisco, author of Love that Lasts.

 

Power Verses:

John 15:12b, "Love each other in the same way I have loved you." (NLT)

Matthew 6:21, "Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (NLT)

 

© 2010 by T. Suzanne Eller. All rights reserved.

 

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

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