Today was a catch up day as far as my devotions go. I hadn't written in my journal for over 10 days. I spent time checking the status of my Luke scribbles. On my walk, I concentrated on looking for letters from God in the 'non-beach' portions of the journey. I had no focus for the day, so I took all the letters I found and put them into my phone app for Quiddler that also has an anagram portion. Here are some of the key words that I discovered:
AHOLD AVOW FLAW FLOW FOLD
HOLD LOAD FAD FAX HOW LAW OLD VOW
Now, what in the world is God trying to tell me through these messages? Is there a FLAW in this system? Should my messages FLOW one to another? Do I need to carry another's LOAD? Is God sending a FAX to me? HOW in the world do I interpret this? The LAW of the Lord is perfect.... OLD Testament? Is there a VOW I should take?
Hmmmm....maybe God wants me to VOW to HOLD another in prayer, to carry their LOAD HOWever long it takes. Perhaps a reminder to focus on my two prayer challenges..... (Unnamed - that's between me and God!)
This could be a VERY interesting means of interpreting God's word........I chose one of the words, LOAD, and did a Bible search, just in The Message translation. The best verse for today's idea?
Psalm 55:22-23 MSG
Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.
THURSDAY, July 10 DON'T HOLD BACK
This morning I picked a different one of my three words, HOLD, and did a search through The Message. I found HOLD to be used 282 times in this translation, with several different meanings and interpretations. So....let's consider what God is telling us through this God-Text!!!
Joshua 10:25 MSG
Joshua told them, 'Don't hold back. Don't be timid. Be strong! Be confident!
1 Corinthians 15:58 MSG
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.
Don't hold back! This reminds me of the challenge to pray bold prayers, to be confident in our actions and words for God. When we hold back, we are immediately left with regrets. What if I had done this? Why did I let the crowd rule me? Why didn't I trust God? If we feel the urge from God to act, ACT! With confidence and assurance that God is with us all the way.
Hmmmm....I am missing many of the letters necessary to write out today's whole message. I wonder if I will find some C's, K's, N's and T's today!? (In the non-beach letters?) In the meantime, the beach version.....
FRIDAY, July 11 HOLD TIGHT!
Joshua 23:6-8 MSG
'Now, stay strong and steady.... Hold tight to God, your God, just as you've done up to now.'
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 MSG
Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.
Mark 10:22 MSG
The man's face clouded over.....he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tightly to a lot of things, and not about to let go.
Today I am still exploring my word, HOLD, but just a little different meaning. To what should we hold tightly? God, our convictions, our faith, to relationships even. But not materials things!! And therein seems to be a problem with our society. How quickly we seem to toss people and convictions aside while grasping tightly to our proof of wealth, the evidence that we have 'made it'.
I have discovered that God writes much better letters on the beach! It is harder to read God's handwriting in the woods and forest! So I shall keep to my beach writing for the most part right now!
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| Photo quality suffered here. I messed up. :( |
SATURDAY, July 12 VOICE
Proverbs 3:6 MSG
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Off to the beach this morning with open eyes for a word from God! It was a low, low tide so I was literally just wandering to see what I might see. I again put all the letters into my anagram program and several words leaped from the screen. Devotional fodder for a few more days!
When I realized VOICE was one of my words, the first thing that came to my mind was from Handel's Messiah, "The voice of him who crieth in the wilderness..." - John the Baptist text. But in a scripture search I didn't even get to the New Testament. I found this Proverbs text and it matched somewhat the theme of Patsy Lewis' book: find God in everything!
How do we hear God's voice? How do we recognize it? (Letters in the sand?) How can we BE God's voice in our world today? How can we be sure we are speaking on behalf of God and not ourselves? So many questions....perhaps the answers lie in listening to the one who will keep us on track. SUNDAY, July 13 VOICE of GOD
Deuteronomy 4:12 MSG
God spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but you saw nothing—no form, only a voice.
2 Peter 1:19 MSG
We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it.
We cannot see God in a visual form we understand. Yet we are made in God's image, so we should see God in each other, right? Well, many find that difficult. The Bible has very few recorded instances of actually SEEing God (burning bushes and pillar of fire perhaps!)
But hearing the VOICE of God? Those references fill the pages of Scripture! Verses of glory, majesty, and power. Verses of compassion and mercy. Verses of retribution and forgiveness. But always the voice of God trying to make the relationship with God's people work.
We do well to heed Paul's word to focus on God's voice, wherever and however we perceive it.
MONDAY, July 14 LIVE JOY
Psalm 97:11 MSG
Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
Wow. I think I truly heard the voice of God yesterday....in the voice of John Hubbard, guest pastor at Bandon Presby. John had begun his sermon and I was mildly tuning out (confession time!) as I began to ponder my words for today. I hadn't yet found a scripture I liked. Mere seconds after I had written LIVE JOY on my bulletin, John's thunderous voice penetrated, "Is Jesus aLIVE in us today? Is JOY present?" Needless to say, I looked up. I listened. God WAS speaking!
Some bits and pieces of John's message as I interpreted them:
- The Gospel Message, as God intended, is a joyful demonstration of the freeing grace of God. Celebrate that freedom!
- The JOY that we have was given by God - it cannot be taken from us!
TUESDAY, July 15
Psalm 119:105 VOICE
Your word is a lamp for my steps;
it lights the path before me.
This is another one of those passages that I can't help but sing as I read the scripture! It was one of the preliminary scriptures from last Sunday's service. I realized that I could 'text it' using just the three words.
WORD: Scripture, Voice of God, Instruction, Lessons
LAMP and LIGHT: Sources of illumination, direction, and guidance.
Together our message becomes one of hope. God is our lamp, our headlight on the path of life. God's Word steers us straight. What is our job? To bear the light, to spread the light to others. Yesterday morning I found a man creating labyrinths on the beach. It seems to me that perhaps he was sharing the light that glowed within him. He was helping us see another way to read the Word. What ways do I find the Word? In what ways am I a lamp, do I share the light of God in me?
WEDNESDAY, July 16 TRAVEL
Exodus
33:15 MSG
“Moses
said, ‘If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right
now. How else will it be known that
you’re with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not?
I am traveling home to Baker City from Bandon after
an even four weeks of time helping my mom receive visitors at the beach. People have been arriving and departing,
travelers of summer. It seems
appropriate then to consider the word travel.
Perhaps another message from God?
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