The Right Place at the Right Time

This wasn't in my plan for today.  The old saying "Strike while the iron's hot" holds true.  Sometimes you just can't plan inspiration!  It just happens and when it does you gotta take action (if you want to take advantage of it that is!).

At the onset of this year I wanted to stop being so random in my devotional time.  So I chose the One Year Read through the Bible plan- with one exception- for me it's a Two Year Read through the Bible plan! :)  I can feel like super Christian and do the whole thing in a year, but how much would I actually be taking in and applying to my everyday life?

With that as my premise I just want to say God is doing something in these daily Bible reading times.  Most noteworthy has happened this past week.  For starters in the plan there are selections from the O.T. and N.T. to read each day plus a Psalm & Proverb.  Within a 24 hr. period God emphasized how He takes care of His own.

I read in Genesis of the account of Abraham pleading with God to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 50, and God told him he wouldn't destroy the cities for the sake of 50 people.  So Abraham gets brave and bargains for 45, then 40, 30, 20, and finally he bargained for the sake of 10.  All of which God reassured him He would not destroy the cities.

The people of these two cities were so wicked and far from God that God told Abraham,  "I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.  I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard.  If not, I want to know."

In the end the people of the city of Sodom want nothing but evil.  God sends angels to warn Abraham's nephew Lot and warns him to get his family out of there because God is going to destroy the city.  Lot tries to tell his son in laws about it, but they just think it's a joke and pay no attention.  Just before dawn the angels urge Lot and his family to leave the city now because at dawn the city is going to be destroyed.  In the end it is only Lot and his wife and 2 daughters that leave the city unscathed by God's judgement.

Next I read in Matthew and Jesus is talking (it's in red letters).  "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.  Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  Look at the birds.  They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?" (Matthew 6:25-26)  I  think that passage speaks for itself!

Finally I get the awesome privilege to teach Children's Bible Quizzing in my local church.  The kids make it all worth while.  They aren't afraid to ask the really tough questions and I have grown so much just from "teaching" them when in actuality they are teaching me!  Anyway, the passage we went over on Wed. night was in Genesis and it's the section that pertains to the life of Joseph.  When God strategically places Joseph as second in command to help save many lives from starving during a 7 year famine.  God gave a warning through a dream that Pharaoh had and God used Joseph to interpret the dream and devise a plan to take care of the people of Egypt. In fact the Bible says that people came from all over the world to get food in Egypt because the famine was so great.  Here's the part that jumped out at me! "As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops.  During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities.  He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore.  Finally, he stopped keeping records  because there was too  much to measure." (Gen. 41:47-49)

Ok, so Jesus points out that birds don't store up and yet God takes care of them.  He also says that we are much more valuable to God than the birds. Here in Genesis, Joseph is storing up grain, we humans have the capability to plan ahead for the future.  Birds not so much.  Either way God takes care of us.  God let Joseph know enough in advance that they needed to be saving the grain and so they did.  People literally were kept from starving to death because of it.  And then there's Lot and his family.  They were only 6 people out of a possible population of  600-1200 people!  I'm not a mathematician but that's like less than 1% of the population that God took care of!

Simply and honestly here's my take away, God will take care of us.  Even if it looks impossible He will take care of us!  He is so worthy of our trust!  He is able to move the events and people in our lives in such a way to put us in the right place at the right time in order for His plans to succeed.  Some may say it's coincidence, but I know there have been too many times in my life when things worked out in such an unbelievable way that the only explanation was that it was God!

 There you have it!  My inspiration for the day.  I hope this is an encouragement to someone today!

For Such A Time As This

    Every morning my husband wakes up first, and when I do finally come out of my deep slumber because that's the best sleep I get all night is right before it's time to get up!  I ask my husband the same question, "What time is it?". Well similarly I have a question about time and it's just the beginning of 2014, I am already wondering, "Will this be the year?"  Our time, right here, right now is the time God has put us in. To borrow a phrase from Esther, "For such a time as this".  This concept of where God allowed me to be born geographically and historically came to my mind early on in 2013 as I went with Ron Gay and a team or volunteers to Guatemala on what is known as a  Work and Witness trip.

  Through the Church of the Nazarene, local churches can assemble teams to go to where there are missionaries or foreign congregations that are in need of either Medical support, Construction  or Evangelistic type needs.  It is short term, around 10-15 days, but those 10-15 days can change your life!  Our team went to help with construction needs and to do some child evangelism (that's the part I do, don't ask me to paint or use any type of extender poles or to stand on a ladder- you can ask my husband about it!)

  Going to Guatemala was an eye opening experience for me, because as we went to the village I saw people living so poor and needy and yet so content.  I could go on and on, especially comparing our "needs" and theirs but that would be getting off my original topic.  Seeing these people made me question, "What if God in His sovereignty had me born here in Guatemala?".  What if instead of having a beautiful home with carpeted floors I lived in a shack with dirt floors and instead of having running water, I had to use an outhouse?  Or, what about those nice long hot showers I take on a cold day?

  My son was studying the book of Acts in Children's Bible Quizzing  at the time I was preparing to go to Guatemala. In studying with him I saw the apostle Paul declare that God chooses the time and place we are born! Act 17:26 (NIV) says, "From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands."  (That whole passage Acts 17:16-34 is powerful, if you get a chance look it up and really think about what what is happening and what Paul is saying.  It will blow you away!)

  Well fast forward through the year of 2013 for me, as I'm sure for you it was a year of ups and downs and things that weren't planned on happened.  Some good, some bad and some that make me very sad.  At year end a friend went home to be with the Lord.  She left behind 5 boys ranging in age from 6-12 years old.  She was a single Mom and had been fighting Leukemia for the sake of her boys she fought long and hard over the past 4 years.

  As I sat in the memorial service different people shared how she had touched their lives and the events in her final weeks and days on this earth.  The rather morbid thought came to mind, when it all comes down to the end what do I want people to say about me?  I hope and pray that I live out my days helping to build the Kingdom of God ( and I don't mean construction wise- if you know what I mean, because I'm not good at that!)

  So back to my opening thought, "Will this be the year?"  Our time, right here, right now, is much like the times were when Jesus came to the earth as a baby.  "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light"  Are not the days growing darker?  And in the midst of that darkness shines the Light of Jesus!  We live in an exciting time when prophecies about Jesus' return are lining up and drawing us closer to the day when our Lord returns!  So could this be the year?  I don't know.  All I know is when He does return I want to be found busy shining that light and being used for building His kingdom!  

Happy New Year!  I close with the words from this song by Josh Wilson that hit me right between the eyes yesterday!