WRITING A DEVOTIONAL

WRITING A DEVOTIONAL

Back in 2003 after having spent the year before reading Sarah Ban Breathnach's book "Simple Abundance" I took her suggestion to heart and wrote my own daily devotional. Each day I took a line or two from one of the various spiritual authors from the last three centuries I was reading and wrote my own thoughts on the subject. I then looked for a scripture that illustrated the truth that had been revealed to me. What follows is the result.

"Our greatest bondage is to have our own way; our greatest freedom is to let God have His way." Warren Wiersbe

Friday, November 4, 2011

November 4


“Faith in man and faith in God are precisely the same thing in their nature; the difference consists only in the different persons believed in.  Faith in man links us to and makes us one with mere humanity; faith in God links us to and makes us one with divinity.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 10/14

So whom do you trust?  I think we all want to trust in a higher being--at least until we start to feel uncomfortable because we can’t see what’s going on.  That’s when we climb up over the fence that’s blocking our view to take care of things ourselves.  Then when we take matters into our own hands we are trusting ourselves and anyone else we may need along the way to help us take care of the matter.  Meanwhile, we may delude ourselves into thinking we are still trusting God because we continue to pray about it and seek God’s will.  But you say, “Wait a minute here....are you saying I should just sit back and do nothing?!”  No, I’m not.  However, if you take a look at my example you will see where the first mistake is made:  what you do at the first sign of feeling uncomfortable.   Some of us run to the refrigerator to eat.  Some pick up the phone to garner sympathy from a friend or chew someone out.  Or we use our credit cards even though we know we can’t pay it off at the end of the month.  The list is endless.  Every one of those scenarios is a fence that we’re trusting to support us as we climb over feeling uncomfortable.  When will we realize that God puts those fences there so we’ll turn to Him?

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Proverbs 3: 5. 6  

2 comments:

  1. OH I love the ideal of FENCES in front of us to allow us to stop. and turn to God. I used t be a real fence climber.. gotta get to the other side, I thought, and do it, do it, do it.. and now.. I am learning to yes, pause.. stop even, and listen to God... I tis always the right thing to do.. and now I now that without doubt. Still I am sure I still climb once in a while.. but gosh falling off is not much fun . Thank you for this lovely post reassuring post. of how we learn to TRUST GOD not man...

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