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Abundance Flows From Dependence…

I entered another powerful moment during some meditation time this week while going through Jesus Calling. The small devotional thought did a good job of reminding where abundances not only comes from, but what it is. We equate abundance with stuff, things & wealth…when it is really far beyond such tangible and temporal things. Take a moment and slowly chew on the following:

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Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe Proverbs 29:25

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

Living in dependence on Me is the way to enjoy abundant life. You are learning to appreciate tough times, because they amplify your awareness of My Presence. Tasks that you used to dread are becoming rich opportunities to enjoy My closeness. When you feel tired, you remember that I am your Strength; you take pleasure in leaning on Me. I am pleased by your tendency to turn to Me more and more frequently, especially when you are alone.

When you are with other people, you often lose sight of My Presence. Your fear of displeasing people puts you in bondage to them, and they become your primary focus. When you realize that this has happened, whisper My Name; this tiny act of trust brings Me to the forefront of your consciousness, where I belong. As you bask in the blessing of My nearness, My life can flow through you to others. This is abundant life!

*taken from the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young*

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Sometimes It’s Quiet

Quiet patches of journey are a common traveling companion. This awareness grows the longer a person walks with God. Stillness of voice, however,  does not mean absence of presence. But in a culture where bigger is better and greater amounts of something mean happiness, what are we to do with quietness of God?

The movement from constant divine voice to stillness punctuated with presence is truly the movement from sight to faith. God desires that we grow into people who walk by faith and not by sight. As we grow in our trust and knowing of God, we too are growing in our faith, depending less upon the signs and wonders of younger belief.

Moses’ God-journey began with burning bush, but he didn’t spend the rest of his life trying to get another one. God slowly weaned him from the visual to the austere. Next it would be signs before Pharaoh, then a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire culminating with a journey into the dark…Mount Sinai. The mountain was shrouded in darkness as Moses’ encounter with God deepened.

Moses journey ended strangely. Not allowed to enter the promised land, alone atop Mount Nebo, Moses died and was buried. Pretty obscure, no signs, no burning bush, however, the presence of God was there. You would think the funeral service for Moses would be a pretty significant event for the nation of Israel. They had escaped bondage and slavery and finally after 40 years of wandering, found their way home.

Yet the scene for Moses’ death and burial lack the expected pomp and circumstance generally afforded to those who walk intimately with God…in fact God alone officiated Moses burial. I can only imagine the conversation the two of them had there.

The following thoughts are from the book Jesus Calling and help when the voice of God seems quiet…

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   When I give you no special guidance, stay where you are. Concentrate on doing your everyday tasks in awareness of My Presence with you. The joy of My Presence will shine on you, as you do everything for Me. Thus you invite Me into every aspect of your life. Through collaborating with Me in all things, you allow My life to merge with yours. This is the secret not only of joyful living but also of victorious living. I designed you to depend on Me moment by moment, recognizing that apart from Me you can do nothing.
   Be thankful for quiet days, when nothing special seems to be happening. Instead of being bored by the lack of action, use times of routine to seek My Face. Although this is an invisible transaction, it speaks volumes in spiritual realms. Moreover, you are richly blessed when you walk trustingly with Me through the routines of your day. 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… Colossians 3:23

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Look to the LORD and his strength;  seek his face always. Psalm 105:4

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When you walk in the quiet or the unknown, you are not unknown, and the silence sings with Gods presence. Be encouraged that the quiet patches are normal, and it means that God is moving you from glory to glory, and that you are transitioning from sigh to faith.

Monty

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Interruptions

This morning I was reading from the book, “Jesus Calling” and I happened upon the following meditative piece. It was a good reminder about our busyness and the divine disconnect that happens when we don’t stop, pause and reflect. Have a great Sunday, Monty

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I Am training you in steadiness.
Too many things interrupt your awareness of Me.
I know that you live in a world of sight and sound,
but you must not be a slave to those stimuli.
Awareness of Me can continue in all circumstances,
no matter what happens.
This is the steadiness I desire for you.

Don’t let unexpected events throw you off course.
Rather, respond calmly and confidently,
remembering that I Am with you.
As soon as something grabs your attention,
talk with Me about it.
Thus, I share your joys and your problems;
I help you cope with whatever is before you.
This is how I live in you and work through you.
This is the way of peace.

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They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 112:7

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

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Sunday Night Quotes 4/1/2012-Love


The focus for tonight’s list of quotes is “Love.” In so many ways, our culture has lessened, or cheapened the concept/definition of love. We easily say we love pizza and our kids in the same sentence, yet the depth and reality of what we mean is very different. So tonight, pause, think, and ponder. What is love?

Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.
~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~Lao Tzu

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. ~Mother Teresa

If you could only love enough, you could be the most powerful person in
the world. ~Emmet Fox

Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.’ ~Erich Fromm

Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. ~Khalil Gibran

Love is always bestowed as a gift – freely, willingly and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love. ~Leo Buscaglia

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. ~Aristotle

“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”       ~Matthew 15:11-12 (Message)

1 Corinthians 13:1-10 (Message)

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.