On the last day of my fast, I was looking forward to eating. I was also a little concerned about it. If you look up fasting on the internet, you'll find all kinds of warnings about coming off a fast. Well, apparently those warnings must be for long fasts, not 5 day fasts. The only issue I had was a shrunk stomach so I couldn't eat much. I had some rumblings in my intestines too. They grumbled for lack of stuff to push around, then grumbled for having stuff to push around! (Aren't we all a little like that!?) Now that my fast is over, I can say that I feel good about it.  I don't know that I made any startling revelations or that some bright "aha" light went off. But I did accomplish a fast - where I had to depend on God to keep me from being mean - God who completely made the fast possible. I don't have a job. I don't have a better road map for the future. I don't have any "callings" on my life. I'm sure God has plans for me but a...

I'm feeling hunger pangs still today. My mood is much better. Is it the devotional I read and wrote a book review about? Did going to Bible Study last night help get rid of the funk of yesterday? Is it that the fast is making me more in tune with God?  Or is it just a new day? I don't know. I really don't. I'm trying to make sure that I'm not testing God through this fast.  I'm not trying to get Him to give me some big revelation. I'm not trying to "unlock" some power as some authors seem to promise from fasting. I'm trying to de-clutter my thoughts so that I can understand and hear. Will fasting do that? Seems that it can. But my guess is it doesn't always. I am hungry. To be really honest, I was hoping to hear about that appointment I think I told you about where I'd eat today. That hasn't happened. I do have an appointment on Monday morning though. I'll eat before that. I'm going to an awards dinner on Friday.  I...

Day 2: I'm not having any trouble fasting yet. I've been hungry but not REALLY hungry. I'm drinking juices and tea. The hardest part is not taking a bite when my 18-month-old grandson offers me some of his apple . That's hard to say, "no" to, let me tell you. I had to go to the grocery store earlier on day 2. That wasn't bad. There were several things that I nearly picked up but would have gone bad since I'm not eating! Fortunately I remembered the fast BEFORE I bought it. I fixed my husband lunch and supper. He's been very appreciative.  Fixing meals hasn't been difficult except for not being able to taste test to see what it needs. He just has to add whatever seasonings it requires after it's cooked and on a plate. At one point on Day 2, I got really hungry. It didn't last long, just until I asked God to take it. I haven't changed anything I'm doing. I'm still walking the dog and going to work out (in the same amounts a...

Monday, March 21. I decided after I went to bed last night (march 20) and got back up because I couldn't sleep, that I would begin my fast at that moment and end it either Thursday (depending on an appointment I might have) or Friday when I am attending an awards dinner with my husband. (It would be really rude to not eat then.) I thought it might be a good idea to more fully participate in the fast by meditating on the goings-on of the day.  So this is my attempt at that.   I'm posting this after my fast is over so that I am not drawing attention to myself as the pharisees did in the Matthew's account. Matthew 6:16-18: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; an...

A couple of things I've learned this week: 1) I haven't spent time thinking about the humanness of Jesus and what that means. 2) I have been asking for God's will - but attaching some strings. Let me explain. Jesus was human. He bled when his skin was cut. He sometimes got dust in his eyes like everyone else if the wind was blowing a lot. He got angry. He got hungry. He doubted (think of the Garden, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me...." Jesus says twice in Matthew 26 ). My normal focus on Jesus is that of being supernatural. - able to resist Satan even after 40 days without food and water in Matthew 4 - or able to pray for his killers while hanging on the cross in Luke . I put Jesus on a pedestal, and rightfully so, but I miss the rest of the story by only looking at the divinity of Jesus. We don't know how much Jesus kept himself from knowing. (As God, He knows everything but on at least on occasion Jesus said he didn't kn...

  Thirty-one Days of Drawing Near to God: Resting Securely in His Delight By Ruth Myers / Multnomah Books I hope you don't mind if I use my blog to give book reviews and get free books.  If you mind, you can skip this post. NOTE: "This book, Thirty-one days of Drawing Near to God , was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group." I chose to review a book by Ruth Myers because I was very touched when I used 31 Days of Praise several years ago as a daily devotion.   I thought 31 Days of Drawing Near to God would enhance my relationship with our God and Savior. This book did not disappoint. As she did with 31 Days of Praise , Myers opens the book with a brief history of her relationship and growth in Christ. While this section is not needed for the devotional part of the book, it adds to our understanding of her perspective and opens the reader’s eyes to alternate ways of seeing God. The author mentions aspects of her life that prompted s...

It has occurred to me that some people have such a difficult experience with childhood that they cannot accept that God, the Father, loves all of us and that His love is a good thing. Recently I watched a movie that caused me to think that there may be people who don't like the idea of eternal life. The movie is " The Soloist " with Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr . There is a scene where the camera shows a lot of street people - the homeless, the lost, the mentally unbalanced, drug users, gang members - congregated near the LAMP communit y, a place that helps such people.  The camera pulls back to reveal the side of the building that says "The wages of sin is death.  The Gift of God is eternal life." (I may have the quote wrong but that is close.) It made me wonder if these people, people with really difficult daily struggles, want eternal life. I supposed it would depend on whether they think of eternal life as an extension of this life, or something bett...

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. (1 Peter 2:19) When we suffer, ok, when I suffer, I generally complain and grouse around, making certain others know I am suffering - and unjustly so. I want others to feel my pain, to attempt to make me feel better, to join my suffering-bandwagon.  But that is not the Biblical way of handing things.  " When they hurled their insults at him (Jesus), he did not retaliate when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:23) What can I do to create a more Biblical response in my suffering?  Which itself is almost a silly question because I so seldom suffer, really suffer. Oh, I have my moments, even a day here and there but I have had an extremely blessed life.  Yet, when I do suffer, I can't seem to handle it right. I lose sleep. I whine and whimper. And much of my "suffering" is nothing compared...

In the last day or two, I read a couple of devotionals that make me wonder. One is : The Sanctuary for Lent 2011   By Robert V. Dodd / Abingdon Press Small enough to carry in your pocket or mail to every member of the congregation, this booklet of daily devotions will enrich your experience of Lent and help you and the members of your church grow closer to God. Every devotion includes a suggested scripture reading and a closing prayer. A reading is provided for every day and Sunday in Lent and for Easter Sunday. Without actually saying it, Lent 2011 posed the question: "am I implementing what I learn in scripture, or am I learning the content of the Bible just for the knowledge?" Since the comments hit me, I have to meditate and pray about this. I can name examples where I have taken lessons learned and made them part of who I am. I wonder if I'm doing enough. I wonder what lessons I've learned but have not implemented. Perhaps the answer lies in th...

Ezekiel 45: 18-20 ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In the first month on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar and on the gateposts of the inner court. 20 You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.' This passage is about coming back to God through the temple sacrifices - through the law. I don't remember the specific circumstances.  That isn't even important for what I want to talk about. Part of the instruction given here is " for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance ". There are no examples given or further explanation. None are really needed for us to understand. The more we learn, the more we understand how far...

John 12:1-7 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.   4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.     7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. It was intended. I sometimes wonder about the choices I make and how they ...

John 14:12-13   I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. Do you wonder about this passage? Jesus said that anyone who has faith in him will do even great things than those that Jesus did because Jesus will assist from the right hand of the Father.  Or at least that's the way I read it. The only thing is that we have to ask for help and blessing from Jesus in Jesus' name and have faith in Him. I wonder if this has ever happened - that greater things have happened. If it hasn't, it's because we haven't asked. If Jesus said it, He would make good on the promise. Of course, the request would have to be within the will of God and bring glory to God. To be honest, I can't think of anything greater than what Jesus did.  I mean the miracles.  Of course th...

Walk to Emmaus I made my walk a few years ago. This past weekend, I was privileged to get to work one. I was blessed and blessed and blessed, along with amazed and astounded watching people change and God work. Anyway, I am several days behind reading my devotions and writing posts to this blog. I had several ideas yesterday but didn't have time to sit and write them. Today, I am unable to pull any of those ideas out of my head.    One of the Lent devotions I am using is called Journeying Through Lent with Matthew by Andrew D. Rogness. Journeying Through Lent with Matthew: Daily Meditations By Andrew Rogness / Augsburg Fortress  In this devotional, meditations for each day between Ash Wednesday and Easter focus on passages from the Gospel of Matthew. Using this book as a guide, readers will work their way through the entire Gospel, probing its meaning. Reflection questions and a prayer with each reading encourage readers to consider the passage's significance for...

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you . ( Exodus 16 :4a) The people of Israel called the bread manna. (Exodus 16:31a) The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan . (Exodus 16:35) The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.  ( Joshua 5 :12) One of my readings recently included the passage Joshua 5:9-12. The reading was in the UpperRoom devotional. The writer noted that after the manna stopped the Israelites had the freedom to fail. He also noted that the 40 days of Lent can remind us of the 40 years in the desert. What I noticed was that as soon as the Israelites stopped depending on God for food by eating food from the land, God no longer provided for that need. I'm wondering. What needs do I have that I try to provide for my...

Philippians 2: 5-7 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:   6 Who, being in very nature God,    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature of a servant,    being made in human likeness.  I bet you never thought of humans as being the same thing as servant. I didn't either until I noticed that is what Paul insinuated or even stronger, that humans were nothing ....but servants. He said that Jesus made himself nothing because he came in human likeness which is the very nature of a servant.  Most of us don't like the idea of being a servant. Some of us can stand to serve others for a short period of time. Some can do it for longer periods but I'd say that most people would prefer NOT to be a full-time all-the-time servant. But Paul said that when Jesus came, He became human, in the nat...

How often do we think God hasn't answered our prayers? I wonder if He has answered them but not the way we expected. He may answer prayers that are outside the box of our thinking. How often do we pray for specific answers, answers that we deem reasonable or safe, answers that fit comfortably inside the box of our thinking?  I read Joshua 10 today. This is the story of the sun standing still. Talk about outside the box!! In this case, Joshua was the one thinking outside the box. He specifically asked God that the sun and moon stand still - to make the day last longer. And God granted it!! Which part is more astounding. that Joshua thought to ask the sun and moon to stand still, or that God granted it?  I can only imagine how pleased God was to receive such a request. To have someone with so much faith that he could ask God such an outlandish thing! Dear God of Everything, I am so sorry that I limit my prayer request to those things that seem relatively easy, things t...

I've been wondering about fasting for quite some time now. I've fasted a few times for a day or two and once for a week. I had no expectations so experiencing it was interesting. I had a headache for a day or so. Since I was fasting as a spiritual practice, I found it relatively easy to do.  (You know. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13 )  There were a few discomforts. Strange taste in my mouth. A deep chill.  (I had to wear sweaters when under normal circumstances I wouldn't have to.) No one ever asked me why I was grouchy - which is my usual symptom when I'm hungry. My husband didn't even notice and he always knows when I'm grouchy and needing to eat. He was not aware I was fasting. It was a private thing between me and God. There were perks. The biggest was that I was constantly thinking of God. I was working at the time so thinking of God frequently at work was a real plus. I don't remember why I had decided to fas...

I sometimes have to go back to basics of Bible study.  I get caught up with chapter, verse and headings then forget, that while that is helpful for study, it is not part of the text. Oftentimes, I read a passage and don't pay attention to the context. I may start at the beginning of a chapter, or after a heading. I found this today. I have a note to read and reflect on Hebrews 6. I opened my Bible to Hebrews 6. The first word is "Therefore".   I recently heard that when you hear or read the word "Therefore" you should understand what it is there for....do you get it?  Why does chapter 6 start with "therefore"?  Therefore what? So I have to read the end of chapter 5 to understand why it says "therefore". I bumped into this the other day too when I noticed that the 5000 were fed (a miracle), then Jesus walked on water, then they asked for another sign or miracle in what it appears to be in a two day period of time. Until the other day, I h...

....... Give careful thought to your ways . Haggai 1 :5 ....... Give careful thought to your ways . Haggai 1 :7 Fight the good fight of the faith . 1 Tim 6:12 These are great guidelines, don't you think? I needed them a few months ago. I had an event that I needed to evaluate. I have done that. I believe I fought the good fight of the faith and that I wouldn't change my ways on this issue even knowing what I know now. Actually, I feel proud of the outcome. People will be served who were not going to be served. Haggai is the prophet God uses to warn us to give careful thought to our ways (see 1:5 and 1:7). Paul instructs Timothy to fight the good fight in 1 Tim 6:12. If we give careful thought to our actions before acting, we will be able to fight the good fight of faith. This goes hand in hand with think before you speak. That is not always an easy thing to do. I often open mouth and insert my foot, inflicting all kinds of needless pain and regret. I'm pretty sure I...

John 6:22-30   The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone..... Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that...

God does not need us, but He does want us.   Yesterday I wrote about the affect our sin has on God - it doesn't. Then today I read a devotional from Encouraging Words for Women .  Encouraging Words for Women     By Darlene Sala / Barbour Publishing The author notes that while God does not need us for anything or need anything from us, He wants a relationship with us. (See page 190-192, For His Own Sake) She discovered this when she read Isaiah 43:25:  “I, even I, am he who blots out    your transgressions, for my own sake ,    and remembers your sins no more."  What other reason would there be for God to blot out our transgressions if not for His own sake? Since He is God, Creator and Sustainer of the universes, "for His own sake" has to mean because He wanted to. He sent Jesus to die for our sins because He wanted to....Wanted to what? Forgive us? Wash us clean?  Why would our state of cleanliness or filth m...

Job 35:6-8 If you sin, how does that affect him [God]?    If your sins are many, what does that do to him [God] ? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him [God] ,    or what does he [God] receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,    and your righteousness only other people. Have you thought about how your sin affects God?  On some level, I know that God doesn't like it when I sin. It is abhorrent, a slap-in-the-face to God. I hadn't thought about it to understand that the reason God doesn't want me to sin is for me and other people, not for God.  God doesn't need me.  God's plan will be made complete with or without me because God has no needs, certainly none that people can meet.  But God cares about me and about you. That's why he doesn't want me to sin. God knows the ramification of my sin. He knows how I will feel when I sin. The shame. The embarrassment. The physical...