Do not try to prove you are better than others.

"Do not try to prove you are better than others." Philippians 2:3a  WE

"Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]."   Philippians 2:3 AMPC

Sadly my tendency to want to prove that I am better than you carried over into my life following the Messiah.

But now, by His grace, He has pointed it out, so soon and very soon, by His Spirit it will be defeated.

I wonder if the challenge is to see that the body, believers working together is indeed better than any one follower of the Lord.

I wonder if the call is to truly see the body and your place in it, and to completely and totally give up the unworthy ends of self-exaltation.

I wonder if the most prevalent idol of all is self.

Thank you Lord, when You reveal sin, we repent, You forgive and You begin the process of replacing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with the tree of life.

I rest in You, I trust in You.

Lamentations, Oh Lord We Are Not Ready

"Because of thirst the infant’s tongue
    sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
    but no one gives it to them."
 Lamentation 4:4  


It does not say there is no bread, but it does say "no one gives it to them."


"With their own hands compassionate women
    have cooked their own children,
who became their food
    when my people were destroyed."
Lamentations 4:10


How can we even comprehend this? 
Lamentations, starts with "How?".
That is the question through out the
book.


Oh Lord, help us, enable us, to pour out
the entire contents of our alabaster box of
mercy on those around us, especially the next
generation.  Help us to freely give.  Help
us to travail for the proper preparation
to be given them.  Because Lamentations
is about to be replayed.  Oh Lord, we
are not ready!

Loving, Willing, Joyful Surrender

Get to know how faithful He is.
Surround yourself with people whose story is, "He found me in a pit and pulled me out."
Trust His love.
Cry out for His mercy.
Surrender willingly.
Surrender joyfully.
Surrender to love.

Keep Your Eyes on ME

Beautiful, eternal, timeless, ultimate truth, demonstrated by my daughter at our dining room table.


She had just gotten a baby guinea pig, named Augustus, she was holding him at the dining room table and he was very nervous because our old cat Sheba was circling the area, thinking the guinea pig looked a lot like, fresh lunch! 


Patience, my daughter, held the guinea pigs face very close to her face and said,


"Look directly at me, focus on my face, don't look at the cat!"


There is our solution, our scriptural, very simple, but very high and very effective calling.  Fix your eyes on Jesus and in beholding Yeshua you will be changed into His image, don't waste any time looking at the enemy and his schemes.  Lord You said, "Seek My face."  We respond, "Your face Lord we will seek."


Ever.


Always.

I Can't fill in the blank, You can!

Couldn't fall asleep today, despite the fact that I was very tired and typically I drift right off to sleep.  Many needs were on my mind and I have no resources to meet them.


This is the place of faith.


This is a very uncomfortable place.  A place that feels like, you aren't much of a man, you can't provide for your families needs, you are falling short etc., etc.


Looking forward to the day when the accuser of the brethren is cast down, but for now, I will agree with my accuser on the Way.


Yep, I sure can't provide for my family, yep I sure am at the end of my resources, yes indeed eeeee
I can't (fill in the blank) but my faithful loving Father can, and He loves it when I realize the on going reality of my emptiness and the contrast of His abundant life.

Don't Be So Hard on Them

Rachel, David, Ezekiel, Aaron, Moses, Judah, as the day had some time for just relaxing and discussing different Bible characters, the thought has come to me, "Don't be so hard on them." 

Some of them their lives were prophetic, they were being weighed down with meaning and events that were overwhelming from any perspective.

Some of them had their worst day ever preserved for all time, to be dissected and analyzed.

Basically just give them the same mercy He gives you.