October 31

“The literal translation of ‘an horrible pit’ (“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit...” Psalm 40:2) is an horrible pit of noise.”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S. 10/12

Eugenia goes on to talk about the noise around us, but what I thought about immediately was the noise within me.  All the noise of my old thoughts running through my head.  In fact, one night this past week I woke up suddenly and “heard” my thoughts.  I wasn’t dreaming, I was thinking in my sleep.  It rather startled me because in a sense I was “talking” to myself like I often do during the day, only now I wasn’t aware of what I was saying.  What if it was all negative?  Who knows what I was telling myself in my sleep!  It made me realize just how important it is to relinquish all control in my life to God--to no longer resist Him.  I may be able to delude myself into thinking I have control over my thoughts, but as soon as I go unconscious there is a whole other realm of my mind that has it’s own free will!  I can only imagine the effect it has on my life after spending 7 hours or so indoctrinating my mind with whatever it wishes!  None of us can ever have perfect control over our lives and at this point in my life I realize I don’t want that kind of control anyway.  I’ve not always made the best decisions for myself it turns out.  Instead, as I quit resisting God, my thoughts will be God’s thoughts.  This is true freedom.

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”  John 15:15

September 6

“At times people will not respond as they should to the message God speaks through you.  Don’t become discouraged; it is a reflection of their relationship with God.  You are God’s servant.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 9/3

Blackaby always finds the right words to pry open my heart--and why wouldn’t he!  He’s one of those servants he’s talking about.  This is why his ministry has far-reaching results.  His ministry is God’s ministry because he knows he’s merely one of God’s servants.  The media today overlooks men like this and instead chooses to bring to our attention the men who have their own “ministries”.  These men are not God’s servants.  They may have the “talk” and do good things and have a great following, but they do not have a servant’s heart, and certainly, are not one of God’s servants.  However, before I go off on these people who make God look bad, I have to turn the spotlight on myself.  Do I do all things “as unto the Lord”?  Just because I don’t have the media following me around highlighting my life doesn’t mean I, too, can’t do great damage to God’s image.  Do the people I’m serving know that I’m serving God?  One way they will know this is by how much patience I have with them.  Another way they will know is if I give up on them and go find someone else to “serve”.  Thank you, Lord, for this reminder that it is You that I serve and because of Jesus Christ I can serve You as a friend.

“No longer do I call you servants [slaves], for the servant [slave] does not know what his master is doing but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”  John 15:15