Rindy's Devotional Tidbits
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The Spiritual Cafe is pleased to share her daily facebook thoughts. It is our hope that her reflections will be a service to you on your spiritual growth journey.
Week 4 Archives
Year 5; Day 22 Opportunity...To All
It was nice to see some of the discussion in private and in Facebook comments on yesterday's post. I am still thinking and pondering on the post, the comments, and Galatians 6:10; "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..." As we have opportunity...to all people. There are no conditions or exceptions listed, no requirements on the receiver's end. I was thinking about the various opportunities Jesus had to do good and how He did it. When He healed the man with the withered hand (Luke 6:6-10), Jesus didn't ask him first if he would promise to get a job or only use the hand for good. He didn't ask him how it got withered or if the man was in any way responsible. Jesus had an opportunity to do good and He did. Ten men with leprosy called out to Jesus to have pity on them. They were all cleansed of their disease. But only one came back to say thank you. Did Jesus unheal the other nine for their ingratitude or thoughtlessness? No. We are told to do good as we have opportunity to all people. That's it. That man on the median in yesterday's post was out in the cold. He didn't look warm and cozy. He didn't have a chair. I am pretty sure he was hungry. I don't know his circumstances. Maybe he is lazy or unreliable. Maybe he was just going through a hard time and didn't know where to turn. Maybe he was taking advantage or maybe he has been taken advantage of. There are ways to do good besides giving cash. We could have some gift cards to McDonald's or Tim Horton's or Subway to pass out. Somebody gave the man part of their lunch. I am sure median man (actually there were two but one was just standing hunched over...maybe they took turns walking by the cars) would have taken a scarf or a pair of gloves. All I know is I felt something as I watched that man go for that half sandwich he had been given. An opportunity doesn't have to be large...it just has to be for good. A smile, a touch, a pat, a hug, a helping hand, a coffee, a gift card, a half a sandwich. Today is Sunday. As we have opportunity to do good to all people...do it...and leave the rest to God.
It was nice to see some of the discussion in private and in Facebook comments on yesterday's post. I am still thinking and pondering on the post, the comments, and Galatians 6:10; "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..." As we have opportunity...to all people. There are no conditions or exceptions listed, no requirements on the receiver's end. I was thinking about the various opportunities Jesus had to do good and how He did it. When He healed the man with the withered hand (Luke 6:6-10), Jesus didn't ask him first if he would promise to get a job or only use the hand for good. He didn't ask him how it got withered or if the man was in any way responsible. Jesus had an opportunity to do good and He did. Ten men with leprosy called out to Jesus to have pity on them. They were all cleansed of their disease. But only one came back to say thank you. Did Jesus unheal the other nine for their ingratitude or thoughtlessness? No. We are told to do good as we have opportunity to all people. That's it. That man on the median in yesterday's post was out in the cold. He didn't look warm and cozy. He didn't have a chair. I am pretty sure he was hungry. I don't know his circumstances. Maybe he is lazy or unreliable. Maybe he was just going through a hard time and didn't know where to turn. Maybe he was taking advantage or maybe he has been taken advantage of. There are ways to do good besides giving cash. We could have some gift cards to McDonald's or Tim Horton's or Subway to pass out. Somebody gave the man part of their lunch. I am sure median man (actually there were two but one was just standing hunched over...maybe they took turns walking by the cars) would have taken a scarf or a pair of gloves. All I know is I felt something as I watched that man go for that half sandwich he had been given. An opportunity doesn't have to be large...it just has to be for good. A smile, a touch, a pat, a hug, a helping hand, a coffee, a gift card, a half a sandwich. Today is Sunday. As we have opportunity to do good to all people...do it...and leave the rest to God.
Year 5; Day 23 Who Am I?
Yesterday afternoon I watched a movie---a documentary, I guess---called "Finding Vivian Maier". The narrator of the movie went to an auction and bought one of three boxes of negatives. When he viewed them, he realized he had something special and tracked down the other two boxes and bought them. There were over 150,000 photographic negatives all taken by a Vivian Maier. The narrator was so intrigued, he decided to try and find out who this woman was. She had no family, was never married, and carried her life and all that was dear to her in boxes and suitcases. She worked as a nanny. As I watched the narrator document his journey to discover who she was, I couldn't help but wonder about myself. What if I died and all that was left behind were people who knew me in work circumstances and my possessions packed in boxes. This woman was an artist in photography. She threw nothing away. She hid things inside of things inside of things...a coupon inside a letter inside an envelope inside a pocket. Her possessions and keepsakes spoke to a trauma in her life. Some of her pictures spoke to a darker side to her personality. She had an extraordinary eye for capturing an expression, an emotion, an arrangement in time. She was not always spoken well of by her former charges, now grown up. What about me/us? What are we leaving behind? What clues as to who we are? Would a complete stranger discover we were Christ-followers by going through our stuff, by sifting through our lives? What would they find if they checked out our Facebook site and read our emails? How about the books on our shelves? Any titles to indicate Christ or a desire to grow in our walk? What about our possessions themselves? Vivian was a packrat and saved everything. Do we save everything...every offense, every hurt, every detail of the past? Or would our possessions show a few treasured momentos and signs of new plans? Vivian carried a lot of emotional pain that came through in some of her pictures and her treatment of the children under her care. Do we carry a lot of baggage or have we let the love of God through Christ do a healing work in our lives? What would people say about us if interviewed? Would our lives reflect the call of Christ, "Come, follow me..."? (Matthew 4:19) Today is Monday. What are we leaving behind to tell our story?
Yesterday afternoon I watched a movie---a documentary, I guess---called "Finding Vivian Maier". The narrator of the movie went to an auction and bought one of three boxes of negatives. When he viewed them, he realized he had something special and tracked down the other two boxes and bought them. There were over 150,000 photographic negatives all taken by a Vivian Maier. The narrator was so intrigued, he decided to try and find out who this woman was. She had no family, was never married, and carried her life and all that was dear to her in boxes and suitcases. She worked as a nanny. As I watched the narrator document his journey to discover who she was, I couldn't help but wonder about myself. What if I died and all that was left behind were people who knew me in work circumstances and my possessions packed in boxes. This woman was an artist in photography. She threw nothing away. She hid things inside of things inside of things...a coupon inside a letter inside an envelope inside a pocket. Her possessions and keepsakes spoke to a trauma in her life. Some of her pictures spoke to a darker side to her personality. She had an extraordinary eye for capturing an expression, an emotion, an arrangement in time. She was not always spoken well of by her former charges, now grown up. What about me/us? What are we leaving behind? What clues as to who we are? Would a complete stranger discover we were Christ-followers by going through our stuff, by sifting through our lives? What would they find if they checked out our Facebook site and read our emails? How about the books on our shelves? Any titles to indicate Christ or a desire to grow in our walk? What about our possessions themselves? Vivian was a packrat and saved everything. Do we save everything...every offense, every hurt, every detail of the past? Or would our possessions show a few treasured momentos and signs of new plans? Vivian carried a lot of emotional pain that came through in some of her pictures and her treatment of the children under her care. Do we carry a lot of baggage or have we let the love of God through Christ do a healing work in our lives? What would people say about us if interviewed? Would our lives reflect the call of Christ, "Come, follow me..."? (Matthew 4:19) Today is Monday. What are we leaving behind to tell our story?
Year 5; Day 24 Searching For A Motive
I had to go back and watch "Finding Vivian Maier" (on Netflix) again. This woman had an incredible talent behind a camera. She captured moments in time...all kinds of moments...thousands upon thousands of moments...and kept it all hidden and unseen. There were 700 rolls of coloured film and 200 rolls of black and white film undeveloped that she never saw. When John Maloof acquired her negatives and later a storage locker of her possessions, he used them to try and get to know Vivian. She saved receipts and coupons and letters. She had suitcases full of cassettes and 16mm film. She saved and collected newspapers in stacks from floor to ceiling until floors sagged. She saved and recorded and collected life in as many ways and means as possible, yet shared very little of it. A requirement of each employer who hired her as a nanny in her later years was to give her a room with a large padlock...no one was allowed to enter. Clues as to what motivated Vivian might be found in her belongings but no one will know for sure. Her life left a trail of questions and sadness for those who had contact with her. As I have thought about Vivian, several verses came to mind. In John Maloof's quest to find Vivian, he only had what was left behind. Only the Lord really knew her heart. Only He knew her real motivations. "...Man looks at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart." (I Samuel 15:7) I don't think anyone will ever fully understand or answer all the "whys" of Vivian's life. It is a reminder to me that we never fully know what is going on in someone's life. We mostly see the outward and not the heart. We need God's wisdom to be more discerning. The other verse that came to mind is found in Matthew. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matthew 5:14,15) For nearly all of Vivian's life she kept her talent hidden. God doesn't want that for His children. He wants our lights to shine. Today is Tuesday. I never met Vivian, but I shall not soon forget her.
I had to go back and watch "Finding Vivian Maier" (on Netflix) again. This woman had an incredible talent behind a camera. She captured moments in time...all kinds of moments...thousands upon thousands of moments...and kept it all hidden and unseen. There were 700 rolls of coloured film and 200 rolls of black and white film undeveloped that she never saw. When John Maloof acquired her negatives and later a storage locker of her possessions, he used them to try and get to know Vivian. She saved receipts and coupons and letters. She had suitcases full of cassettes and 16mm film. She saved and collected newspapers in stacks from floor to ceiling until floors sagged. She saved and recorded and collected life in as many ways and means as possible, yet shared very little of it. A requirement of each employer who hired her as a nanny in her later years was to give her a room with a large padlock...no one was allowed to enter. Clues as to what motivated Vivian might be found in her belongings but no one will know for sure. Her life left a trail of questions and sadness for those who had contact with her. As I have thought about Vivian, several verses came to mind. In John Maloof's quest to find Vivian, he only had what was left behind. Only the Lord really knew her heart. Only He knew her real motivations. "...Man looks at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart." (I Samuel 15:7) I don't think anyone will ever fully understand or answer all the "whys" of Vivian's life. It is a reminder to me that we never fully know what is going on in someone's life. We mostly see the outward and not the heart. We need God's wisdom to be more discerning. The other verse that came to mind is found in Matthew. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matthew 5:14,15) For nearly all of Vivian's life she kept her talent hidden. God doesn't want that for His children. He wants our lights to shine. Today is Tuesday. I never met Vivian, but I shall not soon forget her.
Year 5; Day 25 Not While Sleeping
I have found in January that there has been a fair bit of reminding and re-emphasizing of principles from different sources. It happened again yesterday at our Beth Moore "Breaking Free" Bible study. She said how one day her husband called her into the room to watch a commercial that was just for her. The commercial said that when you went to bed at night, to put these pads on your feet. And during the night, while you were sleeping, these pads would pull out, draw out, remove your stress, your anxiety, and (this is a big one) your cellulite. All this while sleeping!! Wouldn't that be something!? Who would want to get up? You could just sleep away your stress and get younger looking too. No carry-overs from the night before. No build-up of emotion. No worries or concerns to start the day. No effort or struggle or requirements on our part. While it sounds wonderful, I am pretty sure it is mostly wishful thinking mixed with quackery. That isn't how life works. And then Beth made a statement that went into my brain in neon lights. She said, "Jesus is not going to change your life while you're sleeping." Even as I was laughing, I knew that was a statement of truth. It would be nice if we could tape some Scripture to the bottom of our feet and while asleep they would do their work...forgive...be compassionate...pray without ceasing...self-control. The list is endless. But it doesn't work that way. Beth's statement reminded me of a message I heard Chuck Swindoll give just a few weeks ago. He was talking about rules for running the Christian race. "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:1,2) Throw off. Run. Perseverance. Race. Fix our eyes. Those are hardly sleeping words. Other verses use words like endurance, contending, struggle, fight, pressing on. Then Chuck said that while God has a pre-determined race for each of us, it is our responsibility to prepare for it (throw off, persevere, fix our eyes). It doesn't happen automatically. Today is Wednesday. "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on..." (Philippians 3:13,14) That doesn't happen in our sleep!
I have found in January that there has been a fair bit of reminding and re-emphasizing of principles from different sources. It happened again yesterday at our Beth Moore "Breaking Free" Bible study. She said how one day her husband called her into the room to watch a commercial that was just for her. The commercial said that when you went to bed at night, to put these pads on your feet. And during the night, while you were sleeping, these pads would pull out, draw out, remove your stress, your anxiety, and (this is a big one) your cellulite. All this while sleeping!! Wouldn't that be something!? Who would want to get up? You could just sleep away your stress and get younger looking too. No carry-overs from the night before. No build-up of emotion. No worries or concerns to start the day. No effort or struggle or requirements on our part. While it sounds wonderful, I am pretty sure it is mostly wishful thinking mixed with quackery. That isn't how life works. And then Beth made a statement that went into my brain in neon lights. She said, "Jesus is not going to change your life while you're sleeping." Even as I was laughing, I knew that was a statement of truth. It would be nice if we could tape some Scripture to the bottom of our feet and while asleep they would do their work...forgive...be compassionate...pray without ceasing...self-control. The list is endless. But it doesn't work that way. Beth's statement reminded me of a message I heard Chuck Swindoll give just a few weeks ago. He was talking about rules for running the Christian race. "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:1,2) Throw off. Run. Perseverance. Race. Fix our eyes. Those are hardly sleeping words. Other verses use words like endurance, contending, struggle, fight, pressing on. Then Chuck said that while God has a pre-determined race for each of us, it is our responsibility to prepare for it (throw off, persevere, fix our eyes). It doesn't happen automatically. Today is Wednesday. "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on..." (Philippians 3:13,14) That doesn't happen in our sleep!
Year 5; Day 26 Not Unnoticed
It continues to amaze me how you can read a passage of Scripture dozens of times over the years and something can still speak to you as if it were the first time reading it. At Bible study, Beth Moore was reading the story of the woman who had been suffering from a bleeding disorder for twelve years. Jesus had been asked by the ruler of the local synagogue to come to his house as his only daughter was dying. "As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him." (Luke 8:42) No bodyguards. No safety zone. No personal space. No stone-proof mode of transportation. He was "almost crushed" by the crowds. Somehow this woman who had spent all her money on doctors to no avail, somehow, she was able to push her way through until she was right next to Christ...within touching distance of His garment. Twelve years of failed remedies, wasted doctor visits, and no results had not been able to totally defeat this woman. "She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped." (verse 44) This woman wasn't looking for attention. She wasn't demanding Jesus notice her or deal with her specifically. But Jesus noticed. He noticed. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked." (verse 45) Who touched Him?? He was in a crush of people. But this touch was different. This was a touch of faith. This woman believed if she could just touch his garment , she would be healed. Jesus felt power leave His body as she was healed. And He noticed it. "Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet." (verse 47) That phrase, "...she could not go unnoticed..." jumped out to me. We are not unnoticed to Christ. We are not invisible, invaluable, insignificant, or inconsequential. Our needs matter. Our desires matter. Our sufferings matter. Even in a crush, He noticed a touch. She didn't grab onto His arm. She didn't yank at Christ's clothing. She reached out in faith and touched the edge of His garment. Today is Thursday. She could not go unnoticed. Neither will you.
It continues to amaze me how you can read a passage of Scripture dozens of times over the years and something can still speak to you as if it were the first time reading it. At Bible study, Beth Moore was reading the story of the woman who had been suffering from a bleeding disorder for twelve years. Jesus had been asked by the ruler of the local synagogue to come to his house as his only daughter was dying. "As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him." (Luke 8:42) No bodyguards. No safety zone. No personal space. No stone-proof mode of transportation. He was "almost crushed" by the crowds. Somehow this woman who had spent all her money on doctors to no avail, somehow, she was able to push her way through until she was right next to Christ...within touching distance of His garment. Twelve years of failed remedies, wasted doctor visits, and no results had not been able to totally defeat this woman. "She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped." (verse 44) This woman wasn't looking for attention. She wasn't demanding Jesus notice her or deal with her specifically. But Jesus noticed. He noticed. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked." (verse 45) Who touched Him?? He was in a crush of people. But this touch was different. This was a touch of faith. This woman believed if she could just touch his garment , she would be healed. Jesus felt power leave His body as she was healed. And He noticed it. "Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet." (verse 47) That phrase, "...she could not go unnoticed..." jumped out to me. We are not unnoticed to Christ. We are not invisible, invaluable, insignificant, or inconsequential. Our needs matter. Our desires matter. Our sufferings matter. Even in a crush, He noticed a touch. She didn't grab onto His arm. She didn't yank at Christ's clothing. She reached out in faith and touched the edge of His garment. Today is Thursday. She could not go unnoticed. Neither will you.
Year 5; Day 27 Content vs Discontent
Sometimes the Lord can put a seemingly random (to us...not Him) thought in your head that He wants you to consider. Yesterday I was doing some of my Bible study homework. I had just finished a lesson on the glory of God...what it is and what it means to believers. It made me want to learn more. It made me discontent. I have been raised in the faith and Scripture and yet for all those years, how deep is my relationship really? How much of the invisible God do I make visible to others? How much have I actually availed myself of what God has to give? Paul says, "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11,12) And the secret Paul learned to contentment? "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (verse 13) Paul was talking about how he had learned contentment and peace in various physical circumstances (travels, prisons, house arrest) with help from the Lord. Sometimes I think we carry over the lesson of physical contentment to the spiritual. We become satisfied in and with our spiritual life...content...pot bound...stagnant. When it comes to the spiritual we are to be the opposite of content. We are told to hunger and thirst and seek and look and press on. Our satisfaction comes from learning and finding and growing...only to have it self-perpetuate into more hunger and desire and wanting to know. There should never be a spiritual contentment because that implies there is an end to what God can teach us...a limit to what He has for us...a measured amount to God's abilities. But that isn't what Scripture teaches. "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) What a huge statement! How do I/we access that unlimited treasure? "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29) Seek. Look. Find. Today is Friday. "My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8)
Sometimes the Lord can put a seemingly random (to us...not Him) thought in your head that He wants you to consider. Yesterday I was doing some of my Bible study homework. I had just finished a lesson on the glory of God...what it is and what it means to believers. It made me want to learn more. It made me discontent. I have been raised in the faith and Scripture and yet for all those years, how deep is my relationship really? How much of the invisible God do I make visible to others? How much have I actually availed myself of what God has to give? Paul says, "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11,12) And the secret Paul learned to contentment? "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (verse 13) Paul was talking about how he had learned contentment and peace in various physical circumstances (travels, prisons, house arrest) with help from the Lord. Sometimes I think we carry over the lesson of physical contentment to the spiritual. We become satisfied in and with our spiritual life...content...pot bound...stagnant. When it comes to the spiritual we are to be the opposite of content. We are told to hunger and thirst and seek and look and press on. Our satisfaction comes from learning and finding and growing...only to have it self-perpetuate into more hunger and desire and wanting to know. There should never be a spiritual contentment because that implies there is an end to what God can teach us...a limit to what He has for us...a measured amount to God's abilities. But that isn't what Scripture teaches. "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) What a huge statement! How do I/we access that unlimited treasure? "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29) Seek. Look. Find. Today is Friday. "My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8)
Year 5; Day 28 Available, Touchable, Reachable
I have been thinking about the woman with the bleeding disorder. Despite twelve years of disappointment and failed results, she reached out and touched Jesus' garment in faith believing she would be healed. Beth Moore emphasized how touchable Jesus was. He mingled with the crowds. He spoke and taught crowds. He was nearly crushed by crowds. But He was never too busy for the individual. I thumbed through some of the Gospels last night looking at the accounts of various healings. Often Jesus reached out and touched people. He didn't have to. Some people were healed just by His speaking. Some were healed even though Jesus wasn't even in the same location. But often He reached out. He touched a leper and he was healed. He took a widow's dead son by the hand and he came back to life. He touched the eyes of a blind man who then received his sight. He held children in his arms. Christ made Himself available in His ministry. He was accessible. I don't for one minute think if I asked for an appointment to see the queen I would get one anytime soon. Yet I can talk to the Lord anytime, anywhere, in any situation. Beth made the statement that great healing can flow from wounding. If that woman had not had her bleeding condition, would she have reached out in faith to touch Jesus? Would she have been so determined? Would the lepers have called out so persistently to Christ if they had been healthy? Sometimes it takes a wound, a hurt, a desperate need to drive us to reach out...to cry out...to seek. And He promises to be available, touchable, reachable...through faith, through prayer, through His Word, through the witness of believers, through the indwelling of His Spirit. I am not on a first name basis with any world famous person. But the Creator of the universe is my heavenly Father and His Son is my Savior. And they are available and reachable always. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) Today is Saturday. I am most grateful that I serve a reachable, touchable, available God.
I have been thinking about the woman with the bleeding disorder. Despite twelve years of disappointment and failed results, she reached out and touched Jesus' garment in faith believing she would be healed. Beth Moore emphasized how touchable Jesus was. He mingled with the crowds. He spoke and taught crowds. He was nearly crushed by crowds. But He was never too busy for the individual. I thumbed through some of the Gospels last night looking at the accounts of various healings. Often Jesus reached out and touched people. He didn't have to. Some people were healed just by His speaking. Some were healed even though Jesus wasn't even in the same location. But often He reached out. He touched a leper and he was healed. He took a widow's dead son by the hand and he came back to life. He touched the eyes of a blind man who then received his sight. He held children in his arms. Christ made Himself available in His ministry. He was accessible. I don't for one minute think if I asked for an appointment to see the queen I would get one anytime soon. Yet I can talk to the Lord anytime, anywhere, in any situation. Beth made the statement that great healing can flow from wounding. If that woman had not had her bleeding condition, would she have reached out in faith to touch Jesus? Would she have been so determined? Would the lepers have called out so persistently to Christ if they had been healthy? Sometimes it takes a wound, a hurt, a desperate need to drive us to reach out...to cry out...to seek. And He promises to be available, touchable, reachable...through faith, through prayer, through His Word, through the witness of believers, through the indwelling of His Spirit. I am not on a first name basis with any world famous person. But the Creator of the universe is my heavenly Father and His Son is my Savior. And they are available and reachable always. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) Today is Saturday. I am most grateful that I serve a reachable, touchable, available God.