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 45 Archives
Year 5; Day 310 Freedom Through Christ
Sometimes I wonder if stuff (like thoughts and making connections) is going on under the surface of your brain and then something seems to pop up randomly...only it isn't random at all. Yesterday afternoon I was watching something on my tablet and all of a sudden, I thought about Lazarus. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. They were all friends of Jesus. Lazarus got sick and the sisters called for Jesus. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days. Jesus went to the cave and had them roll the stone away. He called in a loud voice for Lazarus to come out which he did. His hands and feet were bound in linen strips and a cloth was around his face. He was alive but not very thriveable. I immediately thought about the maples in our yard that were all planted at the same time but did not all thrive the same either. To be raised from the dead wasn't all that was needed. Lazarus needed to be freed from what bound him. And the maples didn't all handle their planting the same. We can be bound like Lazarus and fail to thrive like our red maple except that isn't what God wants for us. He wants us to be free. Free from what binds us. Free to thrive. Today is Monday. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Sometimes I wonder if stuff (like thoughts and making connections) is going on under the surface of your brain and then something seems to pop up randomly...only it isn't random at all. Yesterday afternoon I was watching something on my tablet and all of a sudden, I thought about Lazarus. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. They were all friends of Jesus. Lazarus got sick and the sisters called for Jesus. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days. Jesus went to the cave and had them roll the stone away. He called in a loud voice for Lazarus to come out which he did. His hands and feet were bound in linen strips and a cloth was around his face. He was alive but not very thriveable. I immediately thought about the maples in our yard that were all planted at the same time but did not all thrive the same either. To be raised from the dead wasn't all that was needed. Lazarus needed to be freed from what bound him. And the maples didn't all handle their planting the same. We can be bound like Lazarus and fail to thrive like our red maple except that isn't what God wants for us. He wants us to be free. Free from what binds us. Free to thrive. Today is Monday. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Year 5; Day 310 Freedom Through Christ
Sometimes I wonder if stuff (like thoughts and making connections) is going on under the surface of your brain and then something seems to pop up randomly...only it isn't random at all. Yesterday afternoon I was watching something on my tablet and all of a sudden, I thought about Lazarus. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. They were all friends of Jesus. Lazarus got sick and the sisters called for Jesus. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days. Jesus went to the cave and had them roll the stone away. He called in a loud voice for Lazarus to come out which he did. His hands and feet were bound in linen strips and a cloth was around his face. He was alive but not very thriveable. I immediately thought about the maples in our yard that were all planted at the same time but did not all thrive the same either. To be raised from the dead wasn't all that was needed. Lazarus needed to be freed from what bound him. And the maples didn't all handle their planting the same. We can be bound like Lazarus and fail to thrive like our red maple except that isn't what God wants for us. He wants us to be free. Free from what binds us. Free to thrive. Today is Monday. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Sometimes I wonder if stuff (like thoughts and making connections) is going on under the surface of your brain and then something seems to pop up randomly...only it isn't random at all. Yesterday afternoon I was watching something on my tablet and all of a sudden, I thought about Lazarus. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. They were all friends of Jesus. Lazarus got sick and the sisters called for Jesus. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days. Jesus went to the cave and had them roll the stone away. He called in a loud voice for Lazarus to come out which he did. His hands and feet were bound in linen strips and a cloth was around his face. He was alive but not very thriveable. I immediately thought about the maples in our yard that were all planted at the same time but did not all thrive the same either. To be raised from the dead wasn't all that was needed. Lazarus needed to be freed from what bound him. And the maples didn't all handle their planting the same. We can be bound like Lazarus and fail to thrive like our red maple except that isn't what God wants for us. He wants us to be free. Free from what binds us. Free to thrive. Today is Monday. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Year 5; Day 312 Do You Want To Get Well?
Near a gate in Jerusalem there was a pool called Bethesda. A great number of blind, lame, and paralyzed people would gather there. It was believed that when the waters were periodically stirred, the first one into the water would be healed. There was a man who had been an invalid for 38 years by the pool. His problem was that he couldn't get into the water fast enough. He had no one to help him and someone always got in ahead. Jesus stopped by and learned of this man's situation. Then He asked the man a peculiar question. "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6) Wouldn't everyone want to get well? Maybe. Maybe not. The man had been an invalid for probably most of his life. It is what he knew. It was familiar. He had his spot by the pool. Maybe some neighbours to chat the time away. He either made a living as a beggar or someone supported him. Life could be worse...he could have had leprosy. He knew what to expect...there were no surprises. And then Jesus came along and gave him a possibility--an option--a choice. Apparently the man was open to a new life because he obeyed instantly when Jesus told him to take up his mat and walk. On a spiritual level, we are all faced with that same question; "Do you want to get well?" It is a question we all must answer. Today is Wednesday. Christ's redemptive work on the cross is offered to all...but do we want it?
Near a gate in Jerusalem there was a pool called Bethesda. A great number of blind, lame, and paralyzed people would gather there. It was believed that when the waters were periodically stirred, the first one into the water would be healed. There was a man who had been an invalid for 38 years by the pool. His problem was that he couldn't get into the water fast enough. He had no one to help him and someone always got in ahead. Jesus stopped by and learned of this man's situation. Then He asked the man a peculiar question. "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6) Wouldn't everyone want to get well? Maybe. Maybe not. The man had been an invalid for probably most of his life. It is what he knew. It was familiar. He had his spot by the pool. Maybe some neighbours to chat the time away. He either made a living as a beggar or someone supported him. Life could be worse...he could have had leprosy. He knew what to expect...there were no surprises. And then Jesus came along and gave him a possibility--an option--a choice. Apparently the man was open to a new life because he obeyed instantly when Jesus told him to take up his mat and walk. On a spiritual level, we are all faced with that same question; "Do you want to get well?" It is a question we all must answer. Today is Wednesday. Christ's redemptive work on the cross is offered to all...but do we want it?
Year 5; Day 313 Our Invisible Thread
I made a wall hanging in quilting. Hopefully it will be a gift. The top has many different colours which poses a dilemma. When I go to sew (quilt) the layers (top, batting, and backing) together, what colour thread do I use? The backing is not a problem because it is a plain colour and I can match it with my bobbin thread. To solve my colour issue, I decided to try invisible thread. If it is used properly, it is just what it says...invisible. However, even though the thread isn't seen, its effect is. The layers are held together with unseen stitches. Quilting is still done even though the untrained eye may never see where or how. Because we serve an invisible God does not mean all He does is invisible. Many things invisible make themselves known in visible ways. We know about gravity because of how it affects things on Earth. The sunrises, sunsets, seasons, waxing and waning of the moon, tides, and the positions of the stars all make visible the rotations, orbits, axis, and pathways of an invisible orderliness. Everyday we are surrounded by and take advantage of the invisible made visible...air, electricity, thinking, prayer, God. "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible,...all things were created by him and for him...and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16,17) He is our invisible thread. Today is Thursday. Invisible but not unknown or unfelt or unexperienced.
I made a wall hanging in quilting. Hopefully it will be a gift. The top has many different colours which poses a dilemma. When I go to sew (quilt) the layers (top, batting, and backing) together, what colour thread do I use? The backing is not a problem because it is a plain colour and I can match it with my bobbin thread. To solve my colour issue, I decided to try invisible thread. If it is used properly, it is just what it says...invisible. However, even though the thread isn't seen, its effect is. The layers are held together with unseen stitches. Quilting is still done even though the untrained eye may never see where or how. Because we serve an invisible God does not mean all He does is invisible. Many things invisible make themselves known in visible ways. We know about gravity because of how it affects things on Earth. The sunrises, sunsets, seasons, waxing and waning of the moon, tides, and the positions of the stars all make visible the rotations, orbits, axis, and pathways of an invisible orderliness. Everyday we are surrounded by and take advantage of the invisible made visible...air, electricity, thinking, prayer, God. "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible,...all things were created by him and for him...and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16,17) He is our invisible thread. Today is Thursday. Invisible but not unknown or unfelt or unexperienced.
Year 5; Day 314 The Impossible Made Possible
The time is drawing closer when our son and family will be visiting us. It is still slightly surreal that the whole family is coming at the same time. I can't say it is an answer to prayer because I never prayed it. It never crossed my mind to do so. It would be too expensive...the logistics too complicated. It wasn't a desire I had. It was a desire I didn't know I could have. It was an unthought, unexpressed, unwished desire. But God knew. He gave me something I didn't know I could have. Hannah prayed desperately for a son. Eventually her prayer was answered and she had Samuel. She promised to give him back to God and she kept her word. Samuel grew up in the house of the Lord. God answered Hannah's prayers for a son but then He gave her five more children...more than her heart's desire. Little girls often pretend to be a princess but Jewish Esther actually grew up and became a queen. I don't imagine David fancied himself a giant-slayer, a military leader, or a king but his shepherding skills and love for God made him all that and more. We say that with God nothing is impossible but only He can imagine the impossible and then make it possible. And I am thankful. Today is Friday. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) Even desires you didn't know you could have!
The time is drawing closer when our son and family will be visiting us. It is still slightly surreal that the whole family is coming at the same time. I can't say it is an answer to prayer because I never prayed it. It never crossed my mind to do so. It would be too expensive...the logistics too complicated. It wasn't a desire I had. It was a desire I didn't know I could have. It was an unthought, unexpressed, unwished desire. But God knew. He gave me something I didn't know I could have. Hannah prayed desperately for a son. Eventually her prayer was answered and she had Samuel. She promised to give him back to God and she kept her word. Samuel grew up in the house of the Lord. God answered Hannah's prayers for a son but then He gave her five more children...more than her heart's desire. Little girls often pretend to be a princess but Jewish Esther actually grew up and became a queen. I don't imagine David fancied himself a giant-slayer, a military leader, or a king but his shepherding skills and love for God made him all that and more. We say that with God nothing is impossible but only He can imagine the impossible and then make it possible. And I am thankful. Today is Friday. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) Even desires you didn't know you could have!
Year 5; Day 315 The Difference of a Day
I read an article a few days ago about the difference a day can make. One day your situation, circumstances, prospects can be such-and-such and the next day totally the opposite....for good or bad. I went to church one Sunday, heard a sermon on divine appointments, and came out with a new perspective. One day I was a teacher by profession and the next day I was retired. One day I had a hip that was riddled with arthritis and the next day I had a spanking new metal one cemented in place. Several Bible characters come to mind. One day David's doing what he's always done...looking after sheep. The next day he is facing Goliath and wins! For 40 years Moses is a prince. Then he murders a man and becomes a fugitive. For 40 years he hides out in the desert and then one day he sees a burning bush that changes his life for the next 40 years. For hundreds of years the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt and then one day they left enmass, slaves no more. One day we can be laughing and the next grieving. One day lost and the next found. We need to live our times with thankfulness for the good and with encouragement when they're not. And over it all with hope. Because one day, if we know Christ, "...we will all be changed---in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51,52) Today is Saturday. A day can make a big difference!
I read an article a few days ago about the difference a day can make. One day your situation, circumstances, prospects can be such-and-such and the next day totally the opposite....for good or bad. I went to church one Sunday, heard a sermon on divine appointments, and came out with a new perspective. One day I was a teacher by profession and the next day I was retired. One day I had a hip that was riddled with arthritis and the next day I had a spanking new metal one cemented in place. Several Bible characters come to mind. One day David's doing what he's always done...looking after sheep. The next day he is facing Goliath and wins! For 40 years Moses is a prince. Then he murders a man and becomes a fugitive. For 40 years he hides out in the desert and then one day he sees a burning bush that changes his life for the next 40 years. For hundreds of years the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt and then one day they left enmass, slaves no more. One day we can be laughing and the next grieving. One day lost and the next found. We need to live our times with thankfulness for the good and with encouragement when they're not. And over it all with hope. Because one day, if we know Christ, "...we will all be changed---in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51,52) Today is Saturday. A day can make a big difference!
Year 5; Day 316 Asking for Wisdom
I listened to the second sermon by Tim Dilena in his "Extra-ordinary" series. He defines extra-ordinary as ordinary plus one extra thing = extra-ordinary. In this message he looked at the mental aspect of living and wisdom in particular. One aspect of wisdom is knowing what to do next or knowing the next step...not necessarily all the steps, but the next one. Jesus was so in tune with the Father that He never made a false step. He never made an error in judgment or did anything out of vain glory. He obeyed in every way. Jonah knew the next step. He was told to go to Nineveh. He disobeyed and had three days to think it over in a fish's belly. Saul/Paul thought he knew the next step. He thought he was pleasing God by persecuting Christians. He wasn't. So on the road to Damascus he received a course correction. Actually it was a life correction...one he could obey...or not. And Paul had to wait for three days in Damascus before he got the next step. It seems to me that wisdom is more than just knowing the next step. It is also carrying it out...obeying...like Jesus. "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52) We can grow in wisdom too. Today is Sunday. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) That could be our daily "one extra" for our "extra-ordinary".
I listened to the second sermon by Tim Dilena in his "Extra-ordinary" series. He defines extra-ordinary as ordinary plus one extra thing = extra-ordinary. In this message he looked at the mental aspect of living and wisdom in particular. One aspect of wisdom is knowing what to do next or knowing the next step...not necessarily all the steps, but the next one. Jesus was so in tune with the Father that He never made a false step. He never made an error in judgment or did anything out of vain glory. He obeyed in every way. Jonah knew the next step. He was told to go to Nineveh. He disobeyed and had three days to think it over in a fish's belly. Saul/Paul thought he knew the next step. He thought he was pleasing God by persecuting Christians. He wasn't. So on the road to Damascus he received a course correction. Actually it was a life correction...one he could obey...or not. And Paul had to wait for three days in Damascus before he got the next step. It seems to me that wisdom is more than just knowing the next step. It is also carrying it out...obeying...like Jesus. "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52) We can grow in wisdom too. Today is Sunday. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) That could be our daily "one extra" for our "extra-ordinary".