Good Friday morning! The day is here already? Monday must have been a holiday for us to be at Friday already. My front door has been a busy place as of late. Sales reps and estimators for roofs and siding come by almost daily. I'm making a pile of estimates on the kitchen table. When I think I have enough, I'll pray over them and ask for God's guidance. Ack! What about God's help to determine when I have enough and which contractor to call? What if the one God wanted is not even in the pile because I haven't asked for his guidance? I often catch myself in this way: I think for some reason that I have enough intellect or wisdom or whatever to decide some issue up to a certain point, and then I will call God in when the going gets tough. I don't seem to recall anywhere in the Bible that states that anyone must wait until he is stuck in it up to his neck to call upon the Lord.
To be a bit graphic this morning. If a person sets out to commit adultery, and he or she is in the bedroom with the other person, and the clothes are off, and the sexual excitement is flowing...and you can see that it might already be too late to call upon the Lord at that point. Not that the Lord could not stop the sin in its tracks, and by that point it is sin as we know from the words of Jesus, but by that point the sinners are too far gone in their passion to listen to the Spirit. The two sinners needed to call upon the Lord for guidance when those first temptations appeared, far before the bedroom scene had arrived. We like to think "I got this" right up to the point that we have already fallen into that pit of sin.
You can imagine that the Devil likes it when we go out strong in our own strength forgetting to call upon the Lord right from the start each and every day. If you pay attention, you can even feel that little tug on the feet as the rug is about to go flying out from under those same strong feet, sending all of us who are strong in our own strength crashing down once more. At least when we fall we end up in the right position to look up to God; the one whom we should have been looking to from the start.
This morning, I am not strong in my own strength, or wise in my own wisdom. My own effort with only my own ability accomplishes nothing. However, my effort given to God for His purposes accomplishes much. Like the boy's lunch in John that fed so many our sacrifice to God will go far if we will submit to God's will right from the start. We must call upon the Lord when things seem to be under control, because once the situation is beyond our control the Lord may just wait until we have fallen completely. It isn't that the Lord cannot pull us out at that point, only that when we are in it up to our necks we might feel all warm and cozy in the muck of sin. A false feeling it is, but we have all been there before.
Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ!
Bucky
Prayer Request!
Mission to the Congo! After many references in my devotional, Burt has felt the call. He only missed by a continent or so. The missions team is actually going to Poland this time. Take a moment each day to pray for the spreading of the Good News of Christ in Poland.
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