Come Into The Deep End... with ImHisServant (3)

[burn97]

The Lord Is My Shepherd: part 12
​

You Prepare A Table Before Me
In The Presence of My Enemies
' God is the shepherd who guides, the Lord who
provides, the voice who brings peace in the storm. '

At this point in the psalm, David's mind seems to be lingering in the high country with the sheep. Having guided the flock through the valley to the alp lands for greener grass, he remembers the shepherd's added responsibility. He must prepare the pasture.
This is new land, so the shepherd must be careful. Ideally, the grazing area will be flat, a mesa or tableland. The shepherd searches for poisonous plants and ample water. He looks for signs of wolves, coyotes, and bears.
Of special concern to the shepherd is the adder, a small brown snake that lives underground. Adders are known to pop out of their holes and nip the sheep on the nose. The bite often infects and can even kill. As defense against the snake, the shepherd pours a circle of oil at the top of each adder's hole. He also applies the oil to the noses of the animals. The oil on the snake hole lubricates the exit, preventing the snake from climbing out. The smell of the oil on the sheep's nose drive the serpent away. The shepherd, in a very real sense, has prepared the table.
What if your Shepherd did for you what the shepherd did for his flock? Suppose he dealt with your enemy, the devil, and prepared for you a safe place of nourishment? Suppose he, in the hour of your failure, invited you to a meal?
What would you say if I told you he has done exactly that?
You see, he has called us to himself and invited us to take a permanent place at his table. When we take our place next to the other sinners-made-saints . . . we share in God's glory. May I share a partial list of what awaits you at his table?

You are beyond condemnation (Rom 8:1)
You are delivered from the law ( Rom 7:6)
You are near God ( Eph 2:13)
You are delivered from the power of evil ( Col 1:13)
You are a member of His kingdom ( Col 1:13)
You are justified ( Rom 5:1)
You have access to God at any moment ( Eph 2:18)
You will never be abandoned ( Heb 13:5)

You possess ( get this!) every spiritual blessing possible. " In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world." (Eph 1:3) This is the gift offered to the lowliest sinner on earth.
Who could make such an offer but God?
​

 

[cristianna]

Excellent post!!!!

 

[Maharg]

Great word - thank you!

 

[Criada]

You are beyond condemnation (Rom 8:1)
You are delivered from the law ( Rom 7:6)
You are near God ( Eph 2:13)
You are delivered from the power of evil ( Col 1:13)
You are a member of His kingdom ( Col 1:13)
You are justified ( Rom 5:1)
You have access to God at any moment ( Eph 2:18)
You will never be abandoned ( Heb 13:5)

You possess ( get this!) every spiritual blessing possible. " In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world." (Eph 1:3) This is the gift offered to the lowliest sinner on earth.
Who could make such an offer but God?

Praise God!!!
Thanks for posting this - very encouraging!

 

[cristianna]

​

Time to Lose Weight ​

By Tracie Miles​

​

Psalm 38:3-4, “There is no soundness in my flesh, because of your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head, like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” (NKJ))

Devotion:
New Year’s Resolutions: You thought about them. You made them. You promised yourself you would keep them and then you broke them. It’s a useless activity that most women engage themselves in at the beginning of each new year. Usually about this time of year is when I begin to feel the need to make new New Year’s resolutions for the year in progress, since I have already failed to keep the resolutions I made just a few months ago.

This year when I began my annual re-evaluation process of resolutions, I began asking myself, “Do I really want to set myself up for failure by making promises to myself that I know I probably will not keep due to my desires or lack of willpower?” My honest answer was, “No!” My normal resolutions are important, such as getting in shape, losing weight, eating healthier, and balancing my checkbook better, but these things seemed to pale in comparison when I considered the goals I could set that would affect my eternal life, not merely my earthly life.

There are always going to be things we want to change, fix, or improve about ourselves, but the most important resolution we can make each year is to enhance our walk with Jesus. Unfortunately, walking with Jesus every day will not help shed any pounds from our physical bodies! But better yet, we can shed a different kind of weight – the weight from life that burdens our hearts. Such weights include unforgiveness, stress, worry, sin, and guilt. If these feelings are constant in our every day lives, the weight of these emotions can have detrimental affects on our physical bodies, including headaches, weight gain, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and the list goes on. These weights can also crush our spirits, and eventually put a strain on our relationship with our Savior. Drowning in worry and other destructive emotions separates us from the peace that Christ intended for us to have.

When our hearts are weighed down with burdens that we have not lifted up to heaven, the fruit of our life can become spoiled. How can we be encouraging and uplifting to other people, when we do not feel encouraged and uplifted ourselves? How can we teach our children to forgive others and love them, when we are harboring anger and feelings of unforgiveness in our heart? How can we witness to people in need of a Savior, when we aren’t calling on the Savior in our own hard times? So you see, when we are lugging around all that extra weight, it not only affects our physical and spiritual health, but it can also impact those around us.
If you have been feeling burdened, discouraged, lacking in confidence, or unworthy in any capacity, take a moment to consider what is weighing down your heart. Is there someone who needs your forgiveness? Are you wasting time fretting and worrying about circumstances in your life, which you have no control over? Are you frustrated about a seemingly hopeless situation with your spouse, children, boss, friend, etc? Dear sister in Christ, LET GO OF THOSE THINGS!

We don’t always have control over things that happen in our life, but we do have control over our own choices. We can choose to be weighed down by burdens, or choose to lift them up to Christ and free ourselves from the bondage of stress and worry. Are you ready to start losing some weight today?

Dear Lord, open my eyes to the things in my life that are weighing heavily on my heart and soul. Forgive me for not releasing those things to You. Give me the strength to let go of those burdens and not ever pick them up again, knowing that You are in control and will carry all of my weights for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.




Reflections:
Take some time to reflect on the things that are weighing on your heart today.
Spend time in prayer, releasing those burdens to the Lord.

Am I harboring negative feelings towards someone, souring my heart?

Are my actions towards those I love a reflection of the peace and love that I hold in my heart through Christ?

Has my physical health changed as a result of allowing myself to become consumed with stress and worry?

Power Verses:
Psalm 68:19, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (NIV)

Matthew 6:27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (NIV)

Psalm 121:1, “I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?” (NIV)

 

[brachah]

hi

 

[Hisbygrace]

Life is not always easy, but with God watching over us we can have peace in every situation.
Because Christ lives we can face tomorrow!!

 

[Maharg]

This is a fantastic and very timely word - thank you

 

[Criada]

Excellent post - thank you.


This is something very relevant to me at the moment, as God has been highlighting a forgiveness issue dating back to childhood which has been holding me back.
I went to an all girls' boarding school, where I was badly bullied, ad extremely unhappy. None of the female staff helped me - possibly they didn't even know what was going on.
I thought that i had "got over" this long ago! However, a few weeks ago , God showed me that my long-term problem with women's meetings - which I had justified in many ways,- dated back to this fear of all- female groups. He told me that I needed to forgive those involved - which I have done. The fear has gone! And last week I went to a women's meeting at church for the first time ever - and enjoyed it! He has set us free - but sometimes we hold onto the things that had us bound!!

God bless you all.

 

[Maharg]

I went for a walk to talk about this with God this evening, and He revealed that I'm being too burdened with work and not giving enough time to my relationships, so I'm trying to put this right now. Thanks again for the timely word.

 

[cristianna]

This is a fantastic and very timely word - thank you

I'm glad you found this beneficial Maharg. Isn't it lovely how God picks and chooses the topics so they all mean something to all of us?

Excellent post - thank you.


This is something very relevant to me at the moment, as God has been highlighting a forgiveness issue dating back to childhood which has been holding me back.
I went to an all girls' boarding school, where I was badly bullied, ad extremely unhappy. None of the female staff helped me - possibly they didn't even know what was going on.
I thought that i had "got over" this long ago! However, a few weeks ago , God showed me that my long-term problem with women's meetings - which I had justified in many ways,- dated back to this fear of all- female groups. He told me that I needed to forgive those involved - which I have done. The fear has gone! And last week I went to a women's meeting at church for the first time ever - and enjoyed it! He has set us free - but sometimes we hold onto the things that had us bound!!

God bless you all.

Oh Criada this is WONDERFUL news! PTL!!!! I'm so excited for you!!!!!

 

[woman.at.the.well]

Today's topic:​

May 15, 2007
The Waggle Dance​

READ: John 4:27-36​

Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. —John 4:29​

How do bees lead one another to nectar? Scientists say it’s all about the “waggle” dance. The theory was regarded with skepticism when it was first proposed by Nobel Prize-winning zoologist Karl von Frisch in the 1960s. But now, researchers in the United Kingdom have used tiny radar responders attached to worker bees to support von Frisch’s theory. They’ve confirmed that the bee orients its body toward the food source and uses the intensity of its waggle dance to signal the distance to other bees.
The woman who met Jesus at Jacob’s well also found a way to lead the rest of her community to what she had found—living water (John 4:10). They were drawn to discover why this woman with five ex-husbands and a current live-in was saying, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did” (v.29).
As the crowd was on its way, the One who on other occasions had called Himself “the bread of life” (6:48) was telling His disciples that His food was found in doing the will of God (4:32,34).
Jesus is living water and food for our soul. Joining Him to do the will of God and finish the work He has given us to do is the ultimate source of nourishment. —Mart De Haan
Keep your witness bright and clear,
So the world may see and hear
God’s salvation far and near,
That others too may know Him. —Hess
When you have found food for your soul lead others to the Source.​

So how about it InDeepers? How's your Waggle Dance doing? ​

I know I could improve GREATLY in this area! ​

 

[Maharg]

I'm very blessed to be in the role of RE teacher and have a semi-willing audience in front of me throughout my day! It's not always that I have opportunity to speak about Christianity, but I love it when I do have the opportunity.

What I do need to work on is my life showing Jesus' love and care. I can get over-burdened with work and not spend enough time with God, and I must get the blalnce right, as we were discussing before, it is in heaven where we must build treasure.

So my waggle dance is ok, but could do with a bit of life in it! Life from God

 

[RuthD]

 

[cristianna]

Great post!

I'm with Maharg on this one too. I seem to like two-stepping instead of getting all jiggy with it. I really need to evaluate areas in which I could be more productive. Thanks for the eye opener!

 

[Smileyill]

I generally do well in my "waggle" dance, but I used to struggle with it. Still, I don't see many results because of it, so maybe I don't do as well as I think.

 

[Maharg]

I'm very blessed to be in the role of RE teacher and have a semi-willing audience in front of me throughout my day! It's not always that I have opportunity to speak about Christianity, but I love it when I do have the opportunity.

What I do need to work on is my life showing Jesus' love and care. I can get over-burdened with work and not spend enough time with God, and I must get the blalnce right, as we were discussing before, it is in heaven where we must build treasure.

So my waggle dance is ok, but could do with a bit of life in it! Life from God

By the way - RE means Religious Education - keep forgetting I need to translate things for people of non-British nationality! Sorry

 

[Criada]

My "waggling" has improved greatly of late, but I still have a long way to go!!

Bless you all.

 

[jenrenee]

I agree - I'm okay with it, but could definitely improve...

 

[cristianna]

The Pineapple Principal
By Lysa TerKeurst


With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27 (NIV)

Devotion:
Let’s face it; a pineapple is only sweet to eat if you know how to get inside it! For years I didn’t have a clue about how to cut up a pineapple. I would walk by the produce aisle looking at the fresh pineapples with such longing. I wanted what was inside it; I just didn’t know how to get beneath its tough outer skin. I had visions of me slicing and dicing, dripping with sticky juice and so completely mangling the fruit that not even the dog would be tempted to partake.

But one day I watched a friend accomplish what I thought impossible. She didn’t miss a beat as she sliced and diced a pineapple with ease. First she cut off the top and then the bottom. Next, she sliced the cylinder into four equal pieces. She then slid the knife along the back edge to cut off the skin and along the pointed center to cut off the hard core. Laying the long wedges down on the cutting board, she chopped them into bite size pieces and viola! Fresh cut pineapple was served. Watching her gave me courage to try it on my own. And, finally, I was able to help myself to the yummy fruit.

This might sound strange but learning to cut a pineapple became a real life lesson for me. More than just the skill of wielding the knife around a tropical fruit, I learned that I had bought into the notion that there were just some things I couldn’t do. I was challenged by the thought that I might be missing out on a lot in life simply because I had talked myself into thinking it was impossible.

Mark 10:27 reminds us that with God all things are possible. When we ask for God’s help, we dedicate our endeavor to Him. We admit that in our strength this would not be possible but we proclaim that God can accomplish anything through someone who is willing. We put God’s courage into our heart with His truth. We retrain our minds by taking the words “I can’t” out of our vocabulary.

What is blocking your path to a victorious life with God? Do you sometimes struggle with being a good steward of the time and money God has entrusted to you? Do you struggle making healthy choices with diet and exercise? Maybe your struggle is your temper? Whatever it is, the first major lesson can be found inside this pineapple principle…no more “I can’ts”! Everything about our lives should proclaim, “With God all things are possible!”

Oh, and the next time you see a fresh pineapple, buy it! Cut it open and let its fruit inspire you that there is sweet victory on the other side of every conquered challenge.



Dear Lord, to say I can’t about something is to deny your power that surely resides in me. I am a child of God which means, I am a conqueror. Help me to walk in that truth. Show me where, how, and from whom I am to get educated on this challenge in my life. Give me the courage to face it honestly and bravely. I want to taste sweet victory, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Reflections:
Faith plays a significant part in achieving victory over struggles and temptations. If you’re struggling to master victory over sin in a particular area of your life, examine where you faith is at. Are you relying on yourself or on the Lord? With faith you can move those mountains!



Power Verses:
Psalm 44:3, “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you have loved them.”

Matthew 17:20, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Luke 1:44-46, “Blessed is she who has believed what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”

Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”