35 Cents of Time

There I am Sunday afternoon after church thinking about the laundry.
"I have to wash clothes today."

Today came and went and the laundry didn’t get done.

There I am Monday after VBS thinking about the laundry.
"I have to wash clothes tonight."

Tonight came and went and the laundry didn’t get done.

So Tuesday rolls around and after VBS I thought about the laundry.
"I have to wash clothes tonight."

Again, tonight came and went and the laundry didn’t get done.

Wednesday. Wednesday it will definitely get done!
"I have to wash clothes tonight."

And still the laundry didn’t get done.

So now it’s Thursday. One day before the ‘end of the week.’ The day before payday. With the laundry (already) in the car, I say "I have to wash clothes tonight." After days of procrastination, this day was different... this time I actually made it to the laundry mat after VBS!

It’s almost 10pm; we are all exhausted from our busy day. My daughter fell asleep while our (now) 3 big loads wash. Time to dry finally!

1st load, 32 minutes. 2nd load, 16 minutes… I’ve used all my money. How am I supposed to dry the rest of my clothes?? I send my son to scramble for change in the car where he finds $1 hidden in a compartment. My 3rd load, 27 minutes. But I still have to figure out what to do with my 2nd load because it won’t be dry after a mere 16 minutes.

With 10 minutes to spare on my 1st load, I decide to take the clothes out and put the 2nd load in for the remaining time and practically burn my hands while removing the 1st load from the dryer.

The 1st load was burning hot. And the remaining 10 minutes completely dried the 2nd load.

Now this sounds like a simple story of utilizing a really good dryer and juggling around to get the laundry done. But there’s one detail in the story that stuck out to me.

How did a typical 30 minutes of drying become sufficient to completely dry TWO full loads of laundry? Only by God’s provision!

In all the times I’ve been to that laundry mat. In all the times I’ve used the dryers, I’ve never had my clothes come out in such little time and so scorching hot.

I went there with limited means to clean the clothes. And I left with more than I could physically supply. Thank you Jesus!

There are times where God intercedes in our lives in a grand way and we praise Him for the "big" things. But more times than none, God provides in the most obscure ways, in the tiniest of details. Do you take notice of these subtleties? Do you thank Him for ALL He has provided?

* The gas tank that’s on "E" but somehow got you back and forth to your destination.


* The laundry mat dryer that dried 2 loads of clothes with the time needed for just one load.


* The kind gesture or words from someone during a private personal battle that help you get through it.


God is present in our everyday lives (Acts 17:27-28; Colossians 1:17). He provides for His children so we can flourish. It is through our Almighty Father, Jehovah Jireh – God our Provider (spiritually, emotionally and physically) that we are able to press forward in abundance.

Philippians 4:19
19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:28-33
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So what started out to be an extremely long day... work, volunteering, and late night laundry... ended with a subtle reminder of how wondrous our Lord is. His provision was a gentle embrace; a touch from loving hands. Yet another praise before my day ends.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High; (Psalm 92:1)

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

With Him there are no limitations!

Take A Step Back

I packed her bag and put her lunch together at night. My alarm clock was set for 6am and the plan was to leave the house by 7am. All was in place for the morning. Tomorrow would be my daughter’s 1st day of summer camp.

At 5:40am, she came into my room bright eyed & bushy-tailed, asking me to help her get ready for camp. I told her she was a little ahead of herself and sent her back to bed… in which she climbed into mine instead (lol). Needless to say, I don’t think she actually slept as I did. I believe she lay in bed with her eyes on the clock, waiting for the 1st sound of my alarm. She was so excited to start summer camp! She saw the camp’s activity calendar & saw all the wonderful things they have planned for the kids. Swimming, field trips, and activities of all sorts… she couldn’t wait!

Before getting upset at being woken up early, I took a (mental) step back and smiled at her excitement. I took joy in her smile. I savored the moment.

With that joy; with that plethora of wondrous emotion, it made me think about how our Father sees us, how He takes joy in us.

There are many times, as parents, that we must take a step back to let our child find their own path… take that first step… ride the bike without training wheels for the first time… or even see them fall and hope they have the courage and will to get back up. I believe God sees us in the same light.

He’s given us instruction. He’s informed us of how He wants us to live our lives. And He takes a step back. He’s always within arm’s reach but there’s enough space to allow us to make the decision… shall we stumble and falter to the world’s ways or shall we rise above the challenges of the flesh and glorify our Lord in every aspect of our lives?

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Read God’s Word. Understand it.
Live it. Put it into action in every aspect of your life.

1 Peter 2:1-2 tells us to "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,"

Romans 12:15-21 reads "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in the mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us to "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

With the guidance and love our Heavenly Father has provided, we should be able to make right decisions and flourish not only on Earth but beyond our years of life. In return, He will smile upon us as a proud parent smiles at their child’s accomplishment.

John 14:21
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Wait and See

by Brandon Heath

Five Senses

Taste – to sense the sweet taste of Christ’s Word in my life
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103)

Touch – to feel the Holy Spirit working within me
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

Sight – to see His works impacting my life
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength" (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Hear – to hear His word within me in order to grow spiritually
"He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches." (Revelation chapters 2 and 3)

Smell – to take in the sweet smell of God’s wondrous Word
"I have been paid back everything, and with interest. I am completely satisfied with the gifts that you had Epaphroditus bring me. They are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God." (Philippians 4:18)


We dwell in a tangible world but we can use our senses in a spiritual light.

To fully embrace God’s grandeur... the blessings of our senses.

Friends

This is an email I received from a very good friend.
Thanks for sharing this!

I love you & thank God for having you in my life!!

Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer

My daughter has had 6 surgeries on her right ear in 4 years. Within the past year alone, she’s had 3 of them… in Aug, Nov & May. She’s been through a lot physically and yet she hasn’t lost faith. She continues to believe that God will heal her of her ear problems and she will live a joyous, healthy life. During these times, I’ve asked friends and family to pray for her, played a healing CD for her, and asked my church to pray for her as well. Her last surgery was a success!! For the first time ever, Veronica has normal hearing!! Thank you Jesus!!!

… 5 months later we encounter a problem… she has a bad infection in her left ear… in her “good” ear. So far she’s been every week to the doctors, 3 weeks in a row, ear drops and a change of antibiotics. We pray that this doesn’t turn into the trouble we had with her right ear. Although she is brave and full of faith and reassurance, it is very difficult to grasp the fact that she has fallen ill again. And so we continue to pray. And so this article is written.

We know our God to be merciful and compassionate. We’ve read countless stories of His healings and miracles. We know that God is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer. So the big question that has been asked is, knowing that He heals, why are some still plagued with illness?

The first thing we have to acknowledge is that God can and does heal. “for I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). God’s will is to heal our physical body. He doesn’t want us to suffer with sickness and disease. One thing He asks of us is faith… faith in Him; Jehovah-Rapha. We might try to understand why but we must always remember that His ways are higher than ours. And in understanding this, we accept that God has full authority over all sickness and can choose to heal whenever and whomever He chooses. We must also understand that sometimes God allows us to have sickness so that will we look to Him for His strength and power. The sickness can teach us a valuable lesson about our faith.

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Let’s read that again… "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Do you hear how divine that is?! Our Lord is His strongest in our weakest moments. He does not leave us to wallow in our pain. He does not leave us to cower in our affliction. Instead, the Lord says that His grace is sufficient and far more than we can ever hope or imagine. He will free us of our ailments if we fully surrender ourselves to Him.

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71)

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure." (Romans 5:3)

Why are some still plagued with illness? I know for my daughter it is because God uses these medical problems to strengthen her. It has drawn us closer not only to one another but also to God. We have experienced and learned so much in this time and one thing is for certain… we will only receive God’s mercy if we surrender to Him. We pray a little longer. Pray a little louder. Pray more often. We continuously thank God for all He’s given us and for being with us at all times, regardless of circumstance. We thank Him for bringing us through this storm, directing us to safety; steering my precious daughter to a healthier life.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
How beautiful these words are. How dear we hold them.

Thankful

THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.


FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.


FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.


FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.


FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.


FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.


FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE


FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME


FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.


FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION


FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.


FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.


FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE PLENTY OF CLOTHES TO WEAR.


FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.


FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE!!!.