“Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Mark 10:52, NRSV
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
“Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Mark 10:52, NRSV
thedailylily.com 
Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
– Isaiah 40:31 (NRSV)
Sara, I believe this was one of my grandmother’s favorite scriptures. I just read the footnotes for this verse from one of my Bibles (NLT), and can see why this may have been one of her favorites. I know she had many scriptures from His Word that she loved. Read with me: “Trusting in the Lord is the patient expectation that God will fulfill his promises in His Word and strengthen us to rise above life’s difficulties. Do you believe God loves you and wants the best for you? Can you relax, confident that His purposes are right? Are you convinced that He has the power to control all of life, and your life as well? Though your faith may be struggling or weak, accept His provisions and care for you.”
Thank you, Tammy for posting the footnotes. Gave me a pop quiz that I may have failed or marginally passed. And, that’s not good enough. Sometimes my soul feels about like the largest organ of body, the skin. At times cold weather with hot heat makes the skin crack, draw, shrink and look about like a shed skin. About the time the skin needs tender care with lots of lotions and at times it needs inner care as well, like water.
Q. “Can you relax, confident that His purposes are right? Are you convinced that He has the power to control all of life, and your life as well? Though your faith may be struggling or weak, accept His provisions and care for you.”
A. No, skin and soul too dry. Preaching, Prayer and Praise good but something more needed. What? Needs water (word) for the inner. Why were you there? Focusing on the people and situation while slathering my outward with lotions from the lip bottle.
Thanks, Grandmother, Alice. May her children both, natural and spiritual drink from the well she dug for new generations.
Yes, I pray all Grandmother Alice’s generations do, as well as all others.
Psalm 119:1-8
119:1 Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD.
119:2 Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart,
119:3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.
119:4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
119:5 O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
119:6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
119:7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances.
119:8 I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.
Hebrews 9:11-14
9:11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation),
9:12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,
9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
Mark 12:28-34
12:28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”
12:29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
12:30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
12:31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
12:32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’;
12:33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ –this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
12:34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Sara I have really been trying to think on what you wrote above dry ‘skin’. Jesus spoke about dry skin in Matthew 9:17 , Mark 2:22 and Luke 5:37. Whatever kind of old, dry skin it was, He said not to put new wine in it because it couldn’t hold it. So,thinking that if my skin is cracked and dry with no inner care or water like you wrote about, then I won’t be able to hold anything new the Lord may want to do. Apparently those old wineskins just burst, fell apart with wine spilling everywhere and no thirsty person nearby even got a drop to drink…it was all wasted.
Lots to think on in what you wrote.
Debi, interesting thought you have given to prime the mind to think anew. I might have so focused on the drinking and preserving the good wine that I short changed the process of preparation. An ancient proverb states, “An unbalanced load will not reach its destination.”
The wisdom stories on skins and proverb on a balanced load give properly fitted glasses for understanding that good preparation is essential in my spiritual journey as well as proper care for wine skins and body skins. Whoa! First, I pause on the wine skins got old, 2, our skin gets old, and, thirdly, there is new holders for both with the right preparation. With due respect to The Holy Spirit, I feel like he just challenged me to a round of chess!
As I read all the scriptures you share Sara they seem to reinforce and reinforce “Read, Pray, Pause-go”.
Wait, learn, seek, keep eyes fixed, love Him…all seem to precede being able to go, run, walk.
I thought part of what I read this pm from Oswald Chamber’s Utmost for His Highest related to somewhat of what I understood the above scriptures to say…
“The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front— to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to Him— to carry out His plans.”
To summon up my understanding of Debi and Oswald…you gotta know the plan! Sounds like a Kenny Rogers song, you gotta know when to hold, fold,know when to walk, run…but please don’t try to count your money while sitting at a table! …
Also, look, see, observe, Keep…. with our eyes on the Prize of the high-calling of Christ….. like Oswald says Jesus out and up in front. The cross before us the world left behind us, our angel(s) beside us. Selah!
In reading MG’s quotes that ring in my head from scripture and song which I learned early in life and carry with me, I am reminded of how my ways of thinking in a mind with some age on it might just try to make it conform to my definition of living. But, do I always think, live and move in His glorious resurrection. In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Consistently immersing myself in scripture, prayer, thought and doing is time well spent even when I feel the challenge to try to dip the spilled wine or milk back in broken containers.
Before I read Sara’s scripture shared above, ” In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28″, I had read one of my am devotionals from Sarah Young’s ‘Jesus Today’. She used the same verse in what she wrote and said “Praise will get you victoriously through this day. When you worship Me, you connect with Me in a powerful way that transcends time and circumstances. I live in your praises, and you live and move and have your being in Me. Praising Me draws you into the depths of My Presence, where you can glimpse My Power and Glory.”
Now when I read that, my aging mind wanted to spin the old way I have known….singing praises. Then I read what Sara wrote, “Consistently immersing myself in scripture, prayer, thought and doing is time well spent even when I feel the challenge to try to dip the spilled wine or milk back in broken containers,” and I knew I was traveling in an old wine skin. “I am reminded of how my ways of thinking in a mind with some age on it might just try to make it conform to my definition of living” hit home. But thinking on, “Consistently immersing myself in scripture, prayer, thought and doing is time well spent even…” gives me an expanded view and understanding so I can hopefully move in Acts 17:28 a little better. Thanks Sara, I think I am getting the picture a little clearer of “Read, Pray, Pause-go”.
Debi, I love both devotionals; Oswald and Sara Young but haven’t read either for the last couple of years really due to using my digital readers and I have their books. But, when I read about your connection from your study of SY to a scripture the same time it showed in my being I believe God smiled and gave His approval of thanks for listening, hearing, seeing, believing and doing. I love hearing; “God Winks” stories. When we are living in Acts 17:28 we are so close to The Father’s Heartbeat we joy in the glorious moments with Him and not have to be out seeking new thrills to satisfied out itchy ears.
The thoughts of, “…Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” (Mark 10:52, NRSV) I think this is what happens when we totally connect to Spirit. We follow and the WOW of Acts 17:28 becomes the norm.God loves our Praise when we see Him in our dance. I hope all my believing friends look for a find beautiful moments of God Smiles today and each day!
Sara,so true….as Jesus woos us, the Bride, with little love signs all along the way. A license on the car ahead of us; a cute puppy dog that delights us on our way to the store; a love song on the speaker in a shop…..oldies like, “Only You”, or My Funny Valentine” etc. Sure they are secular but the titles speak to our hearts and we know He’s thinking of us and sending a message of ‘I love you’.
Recently, I was praying over a concern and I said something to the effect of how we needed GOD in this situation and I heard Him say to my heart. ‘I’m right here! I’m right here!” it was kind but firm. I think the Lord wonders why we won’t believe just what the Word of God says. ” I am in you and you in ME. I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ I wonder why some of us can’t handle that Truth? I am not criticizing bcz I know that I have been there many times. But in these last days, He’s urging us to get in an intimate relationship with Him like the 5 Wise virgins. If we want to make the Bridal ceremony we had better heed what the Word is telling us.
And the reward for heeding the Word is ”out of this world!!!”
MG, “Heed what the Word is telling us…. Wonder why…and can’t
handle that truth…” I would say one reason is truth seems awfully cloudy at times when it’s coming from so many mouths with opinions enough to sink a ship.
Yep, Sara….Loose lips sink Ships, Right?
That’s what I’v heard. Love just might rescue a sunken ship. Sure takes a lot of common sense to navigate thru and around the storms. Now my question;,why does one have loose lips? I have also heard the phrase diarrhea of the mouth.
Personality quirk, perhaps? Hmmm
Where is that (personality quirk) in God’s Word? I’m lost in this. I thought we were to heed God’s Word in beginning of conversation. Sounds more like gossip, backbiting, jealousy, and enjoyable actions on the part of a disobedient quirk. I would have trouble blaming this horrible behavior on a personality quirk. Guess we are back where I thought; interpretation of scripture is muddy, merky which I referred to above as cloudy.
Open My Eyes, Lord, I want to see You….
I too want to see ”YOU” but if ”YOU” don’t appear in the way that think YOU should appear or manifest, I miss , misjudge , misinterpret or mistreat ”YOU” Jesus said, ”For I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was naked, I was……and you did NOT give me…..And I will say….When, Lord did I see YOU….such & such and did not give you…..?? And He will say as you did such & such to the least of these MY BRETHREN you did it unto ME.” I believe that goes not only for charitable acts but how we treat or assess or regard one another.
In thinking about your question Sara, “why does one have loose lips? “…one scripture I found this am on the tongue was:
“Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.” Proverbs 13:3. That said to me that it must involve self-control. Self-Control is a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22). And if the Spirit is in the driver’s seat there won’t be a loose throttle. But that seems to involve in making choices.
Last pm, Oswald Chambers devotional had this to say which seems to relate:
“The Lord does not give me rules, He makes His standard very clear, and if my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without any hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love some one else in competition with Him, viz., myself. Jesus Christ will not help me to obey Him, I must obey Him; and when I do obey Him, I fulfil my spiritual destiny. My personal life may be crowded with small petty incidents, altogether unnoticeable and mean*, but if I obey Jesus Christ in the haphazard circumstances, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God, and when I stand face to face with God I shall discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed. When once God’s Redemption comes to the point of obedience in a human soul, it always creates. If I obey Jesus Christ, the Redemption of God will rush through me to other lives, because behind the deed of obedience is the Reality of Almighty God.”