THIRSTING

         

                           …thirst for God, the living God.  Psalm 42:2

Do you know what it is like to be really thirsty, parched,  in desperate need of water?  Our experiences seem nothing compared to those who live in lands with little or no available drinking water.  Yet, sometimes we can truly thirst and we know how that feels.

Recently I had a medical emergency and was not allowed to have water until a certain test was performed the next day.  I was so thirsty, finding myself to be so desperate that I was actually begging for a swab to just wet my lips.  The nurse felt so sorry for me - wanting to give me what I craved - water - but was unable to because of the doctor's strict orders.

I will always remember that night, in torment, tossing and turning, trying to accept the thirst, patiently (or not so patiently) waiting.

I wonder if I thirst for God in the same way?  Is there a craving for Him?  A sense of desperation?  A desire for Him above all else?

The entire experience has opened my eyes to understand a bit more about what thirsting for God means.  It also opens my eyes to realize what Jesus must have felt when, on the cross, He cried out, "I thirst".

May we say with the  psalmist, "As the deer pants for streams of water so I long for You, O God."  Psalm 42:1

SEEING RIGHT SIDE UP

And He (Jesus) caught the blind man by the  hand and led him out of the village, and when He has spit on his eyes and put His hands upon him, He asked him, Do you see anything?

And he looked up and said, I see people, but they look like trees walking.

Then He put His hands on his eyes again, and the man looked intently and he was restored, and saw everything distinctly - even what was in a distance.
                                    Mark 8:23-25

Are we looking at things right side up?  Are we looking at things from God's perspective?  In this world, sometimes it is difficult to see things clearly.  We allow our fears, hopes, anxieties and dreams to shape what we think we see. 

Because our thoughts can mislead us, we need to take those thoughts to God so we can SEE right side up, so we can think His thoughts about a matter.

What helps us think right side up?
Be still before God.
Take our thoughts and emotions to the Throne of God.
Listen to His still small voice which will speak into our hearts and give us peace.
Read His Word for instructions and comfort and…all we need to know.
Obey what He gives us to do.
Trust Him implicitly.

Jesus may need to touch our eyes many times to keep us seeing right side up, but let's go to Him as many times as needed for seeing aright.

Heavenly  Father, Please heal my 'sight' so I can see with Your eyes, think Your thoughts and act accordingly.  In Jesus'  name.  Amen.

'Reflections of God's Glory' copyright 2013 Dawn Ulmer   deu49097@yahoo.com

BE DOERS OF THE WORD

And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to.  If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself.  For if you listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law - the law that set you free - and you do what it says and don't forget what you have heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  James 1:22-23

Recently, at my place of employment in a business banking customer care center,  some training was required for a group of us which would increase our skill sets.  In-depth training was provided.  The manual was full of details to be able to do the tasks to meet the customer's  needs.  We were to use our computers to practice what we read in the manual.   Well, that was great for everyone else who had access to the program.  Due to some glitch, I did not have access.  So, while waiting for the access, I studied that manual, underlined, highlighted and added tabs all week.

When it was time to start taking live calls, I just then received access  to the system.  I found that no matter how hard I'd studied that manual, it was rough navigating since I'd never had the hands-on practice.  After four weeks, I am just now feeling more comfortable at 'doing'.

Through this experience, I was able to catch a glimpse of one of the ways God works in our lives.  He has given me the scriptures to see what is expected.  I can read, underline, study and tab and try to make them a part of my mind and heart - yet without DOING in order to practice what He tells me, learning is incomplete.  I need to hear and DO to be able to make the skills mine.

For example, God tells  us in His Word that we are to forgive those who hurt us.  Just reading that, I can nod my head in agreement.  Yet it isn't until He sends someone along who REALLY hurts me that I must take that nodding of the head in agreement and turn into real, honest hands-on DOING.  It is only in the DOING that a particular quality is added to my life.

How about you?  About what has the Word been speaking to you?  What lies in your pathway which needs the DOING to make it yours?  Let's do it! 

Heavenly Father, please help  me to HEAR what You are telling me and then empower me to DO it.  In Jesus'  name.  Amen.

'Reflections of God's Glory' copyright 2013 by Dawn Ulmer deu49097@yahoo.com

I CAN'T - I CAN

                                                                I Can't
I (Jesus) am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit for apart from Me (Jesus) you can do nothing.                                John 5:5

                                                                 I Can
                   I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.               Philippians 4:13

Have you ever reached a point in your life when you felt like you  could not go one more step?  Maybe it is because of a physical or emotional challenge. You have run out of steam and cannot  keep going …  one more minute.  You are at the end of yourself.  You find yourself saying, "I can't".  You realize that apart from God and His strength you can do nothing.  Your own strength will not get it done.

God hears us when we cry out and admit "I can't"  in our own strength.  Then when we cry out for His help, that's exactly when He steps in to turn the "I can't" into "I CAN".  He knows we are only made of dust and we need all of the help He is so willing to provide to each of us.

I love this scripture from Psalm 18 beginning at verse 6:
In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.
He heard my voice, my cry to Him reached His ears.
Then the earth quaked and trembled; the foundation  of the mountains shook…
He bowed the heavens and came down.
He reached from on high, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.
He brought me forth into a broad place…
He delivered me….

Heavenly Father, thank You for, so many times,  turning my life from "I Can't" to "I CAN"….  Because of Jesus.  Amen.

'Reflection for God's Glory' copyright 2013 Dawn Ulmer  deu49097@yahoo.com

EVERY WORD

       For out of the fullness - the overflow, the superabundance - of the heart the mouth speaks.

                      The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things,
                    and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things.

  But I (Jesus) tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle 
                                                               word they speak.

      For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be 
                                                        condemned and sentenced.
                                                               Matthew 12:34-37

It is always disconcerting, at work, to be invited to a call listening session.  A small conference room is set up for five customer service representatives, also allowing room for five team leaders and the group leader.   Filing in, a seat is taken, the conference call is prepared  to include those in leadership positions from Pittsburgh, Ohio and Michigan.  A call is chosen from a recent phone interaction with a customer.  Everyone is prepared to listen, with pens in hand.

If the call chosen is yours, you  hold your breath as all ears intently listen to every word - the tone, the pace, the pitch, the content…every detail is listened to and analyzed.  One hopes that a GOOD call is chosen, a strong call. As the tape rolls, you wonder WHAT you said?  How would it measure up to the requirements placed upon us?

This entire evaluation and coaching situation reminds me of how God is recording our every  word.   He hears the actual words we use, the tone, and the motive and intent behind the words.  How careful we need to be with every word we say.

                                          Death and life are in the  power of the tongue. 
                                                                  Proverbs 18:21

God is listening…. 

Heavenly  Father, please set a guard at the door of my lips so that the words I utter may bring honor to You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

REAL LIFE

…the godly…even in old age will still produce fruit;  they will remain vital and green.  They will declare, "The Lord is just!  He is my rock!  There is nothing but goodness in Him.."     
                                                                                                                            Psalm 92:12-13

A visit to the greenhouse in early spring is always a delight.  This year seemed to be the year of the Ranunculus.  Everywhere I looked, I saw perfection in those blossoms, buds and leaves. 

The Ranunculus had been grown from bulbs and now were a vision of perfection, at the height of their glory.  Of course they were, they were grown in a greenhouse where conditions are ideal.  The lighting, humidity, temperature , soil, fertilizer and watering schedule were perfectly suited to grow them to perfection.

Of course I adopted a few and brought them home to conditions which were not so perfect.  The temperature was not perfect.   The lighting was different.  The watering schedule  was not as precise…and they began to show signs of being in a world which was not all that perfect.

We, too, are in a world where all is not perfect.  Even before and during birth, we experienced the stresses and strains of being human in a broken world.

As years passed, we broke our bones, we experienced illness, we get older, good and not so good memories are housed within our minds.  When we look  at ourselves today, we know clearly that we have been 'through it' in so many ways.

Yet God, in His wisdom, only allows into our lives that which was and is for our ultimate good as we've matured and grown in our spirits, souls and bodies.  He knows the perfect conditions to grow…each of us. 

We can trust that He knows just what He is doing.  We can say with the Psalmist:

There is nothing but goodness in Him!

THE LIGHT

Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world.  If you follow Me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."                   John 8:12

A friend of mine took the photo which is above.  Also being a follower of Jesus and a long time reader of 'Reflections', Fred asked if he could send me a photo around which to write a devotional.  Of course, Fred. 

He sent the photo.  I began to ponder, thinking that Fred may have seen and thought differently than what I was thinking.  I didn't want to trample over what the Lord may have been showing him, so asked him to please share his thoughts.

He did:

1.  The little plant was able to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles by following The Light.

2.  Rising above worldly things , the little plant rose above the other plants on the swamp floor - again, by following The Light.

3.  By following The Light, the little plant was experiencing life in a way that the other plants in the shadows below the boardwalk could not even imagine.

As we follow The Light - Jesus - my prayer to the Father for each of us is:

May we overcome seemingly impossible obstacles by following The Light.

May we rise above worldly trials, tribulations and 'things' by following The Light.

May we have a life  in which we experience Life in a way which we cannot even imagine, it is so good.

Thank you, Father, that You have only good planned for us as we follow The Light.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

               'Reflections for God's Glory' copyright 2013 by Dawn Ulmer deu49097@yahoo.com
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                                        Thank you to Fred Johnson from North Carolina