Enough? More? Ample Provision!

Last night Bev and I drove over to our local diner (you gotta love those NJ diners) to eat.  For a reasonable $10, they serve soup, salad, main meal, and dessert! Yes, that's all in the price of the meal.  As always, I was tempted to eat it ALL, but my better sense said, "Jerry, if you do, you will have indigestion all evening." So I gave the soup to Bev, ate only about half of my dinner, and had the dessert boxed to take home. American consumers demand these large meal portions because they perceive it as 'getting their money's worth.'  Eating establishments from McDonalds to fine restaurants are serving portions that are double the size of those served 30 years ago!  Our eyes have learned to want more food than we need or even more than most of us can consume in one meal. Our over-consumption has become America’s number one health risk.

It's hard to know what is 'enough' isn't it? How much food should we eat? How much money do we really need? How big does our house need to be? 'More is good' and 'bigger is better' are concepts woven into our American lifestyle, but are they really true? The Bible calls us to 'contentment.'  We read that "godliness with contentment is great gain." In The Message we read: "A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough." (1 Timothy 6:6-8) One of the most difficult disciplines of the Christian life is learning how to be content and when to set a limit on consumption. Most of us expand our need to fit our available resources. Instead of choosing a reasonable lifestyle and capping our spending, we just grow our appetite for more, better, bigger, newer, faster!

When God took the Israelites out of Egypt and was leading them to the Promised Land, He promised to be their complete resource. When they had a need, all they had to do was ask!  For their daily food He gave them "manna" - literally bread from His hand. Every morning He provided and they found white flakes on the ground, which they prepared as their food. There was a principle attached to His provision of manna – the principle of enough. They were told only to gather what they needed, not more. He told them  “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away." (Exodus 16:19-21, NIV)  Even with this miraculous provision of food, they were soon unhappy and complained that manna was boring.  “Give more and different food,” they whined.  "The Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt, and the people of Israel also began to complain. "Oh, for some meat!" they exclaimed. "We remember all the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic that we wanted. But now our appetites are gone, and day after day we have nothing to eat but this manna!" (Numbers 11:4-6, NLT) It was never enough!

Disciple, the Lord has promised to meet all of our needs (and more) when serve Him faithfully.  He will even give us the desires of our heart, when our heart is full of the Spirit and aligned with His will. Are your appetites sanctified?  Are you contented with what He provides and where He leads?  We honor Him before our world when we readily and joyfully say: "Yes, Lord, I joyfully receive what You've  provided."

Find the joy of contentment!  Put the American sin of over-consumption to death and choose thankfulness for each day.

Are you willing to let God satisfy your desires, to accept what He provides each day as 'enough?'

Here’s a word from the Word for us today.

"At the moment I have all I need—more than I need! I am generously supplied ....

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches,

which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever. Amen."

(Philippians 4:18-20, NLT)

________________

You're my supply, my breath of life,

Still more awesome than I know!

You're my reward, worth living for,

Still more awesome than I know.

You're my sacrifice of greatest price,

Still more awesome than I know.

You're my coming King, You are ev'rything,

Still more awesome than I know.

All of You is more than enough for, all of me,

For ev'ry thirst and ev'ry need,

You satisfy me with Your love,

And all I have in You is more than enough.

More than all I want! More than all I need!

You are more than enough for me.

More than all I know! More than all I can say!

You are more than enough.

Enough © 2002 worshiptogether.com songs | sixsteps Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) | (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Chris Tomlin | Louie Giglio

CCLI License No. 810055

Today's miracle

Today’s miracle

Everyday needs a miracle. Surprised?  Isn’t knowing the Lord, being kept in His mercies, and having the assurance of eternal life a miracle?  If we define miracle as ‘a divine intervention’ then our salvation is a daily miracle! Yesterday’s grace is not enough for today. Our encounter with God last year cannot sustain us now. We need a daily miracle, an ongoing outpouring of the Holy Spirit to keep us faithfully fervent. I awakened this morning with a groan and my wife inquired, “What’s the matter?” My answer? “The mountain is high!” Like everyone, there are deadlines and demands that drain my strength. I need my daily miracle of mercy. I live by this promise that "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." (Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT)

After all the amazing experiences of God’s miraculous power in their deliverance from Egypt, we might think that the Israelites would have never felt the slightest twinge of fear again. Who can stand against us? We are the people of God led out by His Mighty Hand they sang for about a day! "The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord." (Exodus 14:9-10, NLT)  "But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." (Exodus 14:13-14, NLT)

The sight of Pharaoh’s armies and chariots erased the memories of all the wonders of the Lord God’s power. They needed a miracle. How would they receive it? “Just stand still… stay calm!” That’s another way to say trust and obey. We know their story. They moved ahead towards the impossible, facing the sea, hemmed in by soldiers ready to herd them back to slavery. Then, Moses held up his staff, the wind of the Spirit blew, and a highway appeared in the Red Sea!  And, why did God do this for them? "All Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!” (Exodus 14:18, NLT)

Disciple, the genuine daily walk with the Lord demands a daily miracle! IF we have no need to come to Him with our empty cup and ask Him to fill it up, I believe we are choosing to live too safely, too much at home in this world, too accommodating of our sins. Those who desire to overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil quickly come to know the limits of their intellect and determination. They soon realize that ‘unless the Lord builds the house, those that labor, labor in vain!”  So, we must wait on Him and then move ahead, trusting for our miracle in the moment.

Here’s a word from the Word. Tuck it into your memory and live by His strength.

"God’s Message: “Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight.

He’s like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows.

“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God.

They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers—

Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season." (Jeremiah 17:5-8, The Message)

_____________________

We are called

To be prophets to this nation

To be the Word of God

In every situation

Change my heart

Change my heart today

Who'll be the salt

If the salt should lose its flavor

Who'll be the salt

If the salt should lose its flavor

Change my heart

Change my heart today

Lord take all my lies

And all of my greed

Let me be a sacrifice

For those who are in need

Change my heart

Change my heart today

Lord without Your power

It's all just good intentions

Lord without Your grace

Who could find redemption

Change my heart

Change my heart today

Lord loose the chains of oppression

Lord set the captives free

Lord fill my heart with compassion

Shine Your light shine Your light

Shine Your light through me

Work a miracle in my heart

Work a miracle in my heart

Work a miracle in my heart

Oh Lord today

Miracle In My Heart
© 1998, 1999 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Brian Houston

CCLI License No. 810055

With His Mighty Hand

The American Revolution is celebrated in the United States as a victory.  The crown of England notes it as a defeat. George Washington is our hero, England’s traitor. The same incident in history looks very different to various people. The same is true in our personal history. We tend to celebrate some events and try to forget others. In my own life, I thought that 1987 was a disastrous year when it was happening, but 23 years later, I see it as a pivotal year when God used choices, my own and those of others, to radically change my heart! God sees His work, our choices, and works towards purposes that we cannot see as it’s happening. How differently our history reads in Heaven! I am quite certain that my life will make much more sense to me when I read God’s account of it.

In Exodus, there is a year that was tragic for the Egyptians, transformative for the Israelites, and tumultuous overall! Moses, under the commission of the LORD, returns to the land and challenges the status quo by telling Pharaoh that God said, “Let my people go!”  For Egypt the loss of their work force would be an economic disaster, so the answer was a resounding, “No!”  Then we read of an escalating battle that appears to be a match of wills between Moses and Pharaoh.  Plague after plague befalls Egypt, bringing suffering and destruction to the country and her people. What is happening from God’s point of view is the birth of a distinct people that would be His own.  The LORD confronts, in the plagues, the various deities of the Egyptians, proving them impotent by His Mighty Hand.

At the moment of the final plague, God not only challenges the Egyptians. He also asks the Israelites to act in faith.  The firstborn of every household is under the curse, doomed to death. Only a sacrifice of a lamb, done by faith, will protect the accursed. "Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down." (Exodus 12:22-23, NLT)  It is time for the Israelites to choose, to respond with faith and become participants in the plan of God!  Those who did as He told them to do, found safety and preservation. The Passover became the signature celebration, a moment of identity for covenant people of the LORD.

Disciple, what is the Lord asking of you today? Does it seem senseless or difficult? He is writing history and the Scripture says that it is written for His glory and ultimately for our good. In a passage full of promise, we are told that "He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:27-29, NIV)  How will you view history – as a disastrous experience of God’s judgment or as a delightful journey from slavery to freedom? Obedience is paramount! Receiving His grace, walking in faith, and letting His purpose emerge- that is the call He places on our lives.

Years after the events of Exodus what happened made sense and the summary of it all is written thus: "So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey." (Deuteronomy 26:8-9, NIV)  My prayer is that God will find each of us faithful so that we, too, will be able to celebrate history as the unfolding of His gracious purposes. Will you trust and obey?

Here’s a word from the Word. May the truth of it fill your mind and heart with peace today.
"The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand." (Isaiah 14:24, NIV)

______________

O Lord our Lord

How majestic is Your name

Your words are true

Your mercy does not change

All Your promises are precious

Reviving our faith

Every one of them

Will be fulfilled one day

We will run

We'll run and not grow weary

We will rise upon the eagle's wings

In the presence of the Lord

Our spirits will soar

Till we one day gaze upon our King

But my foot had almost slipped

O Lord I'd almost lost my way

'Til I entered the house of the Lord

And heard Your sweet Spirit say

Oh all Your promises

Are yes and amen Jesus

Your promises are true

All Your promises

Are yes and amen Lord Jesus

We'll keep running after You

All Your Promises © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing | Vineyard Songs Canada | ION Publishing (Admin. by Music Services) | (Admin. by Music Services) | (Admin. by Vineyard Music USA) Andrew Smith

CCLI License No. 810055

On a first name basis

Once upon a time being on a first-name basis really meant something. When Mr. Schaller, the banker, said, “Just call me George” it implied that the relationship had become personal, crossing over from a formal business connection. In days past, when another person indicated you could use their first name in conversation, it spoke of trust.  Today, everybody presumes the right to address us with our first name almost from the moment of introduction. But, even with our abandonment of formality, we still know when we have really reached a ‘first name basis’ with another. Instinctively we know the difference between the assumed intimacy of first name address and the genuine heart to heart warmth and caring that really provides a first-name basis relationship.

Do you really know God on a first-name basis? You can, but do you? When you turn to Him in prayer, does a formal attitude keep you from spilling your heart, or does your love for Him and His Presence near you invite you to pour out your longings, confess your failures, and share your joys?

Moses was called by the LORD to go back to Egypt to free Israel from slavery. When he obeyed, things got much worse for the people. Pharaoh heard Moses’ request and laughed at him. Then, he doubled the workload on the Israelities, leading them to turn on Moses with fury! "The foremen said …  “May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!” (Exodus 5:21, NLT)  Where did Moses go with this? He turned to the One who had sent him and the passage reveals a deep intimacy. Take a look. "Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!” And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the Lord.’ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them. “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment." (Exodus 6:1-6, NLT)  This man enjoyed an amazing privilege: "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." (Deuteronomy 34:10, NIV)

“I am Yahweh”!  Moses knew the Name of God, the Name that means “I am the Present One.”  Unlike the patriarchs who only knew Him as God Almighty, a descriptive but impersonal name, Moses enjoyed a first-name basis.  In short, when Moses was going through a tough time, God assured him with His Name and the personal relationship they enjoyed. When troubles come, when confusion overtakes us, when life doesn’t make sense; what a difference it makes when we feel the Presence of Yahweh, the LORD, embracing us. If He is more than God Almighty to us, more than the fearful One in heaven; when He is our Father, our Friend, our Comforter, but most of all the Present One – we can go through, stand firm, and know peace.

Such intimacy cannot be forced or assumed. It grows from genuine worship, from waiting on Him, from a heart committed to holiness.  He grants us the privilege of knowing His Name, we cannot demand it. Disciple, Jesus promises us true intimacy. In John 15, 16, and 17 He spoke at length about the relationship that the Spirit’s coming creates, that He would not simply be with us, but actually live in us. This is what it means to be filled with the Spirit!  It creates a first-name basis relationship with the LORD of glory, the King of Heaven. What could be more wonderful than that?

Do you know Him that way? Is He more than “God” to you? Does the Almighty have a Name to you?

Love Him and let Him love you. Then, you will live in times of trouble with steady faith, with holiness and hope, drawn from the One who is Yahweh – “The Present One.”

________________________

With all of my heart,

I hunger for You,

All I want and all I seek

Is true intimacy.

With all of my heart,

I hunger for You,

All I want and all I seek

Is true intimacy with You!

Here I stand, waiting Lord,

Touch me now like never before!

Let me change and be transformed,

True intimacy is what I'm longing for.

Intimacy is the longing

Of my heart Lord,

Of this heart.

True Intimacy

© 1999 Song Solutions Daybreak (Admin. in the US & Canada by Integrity Music, Inc.)

Eoghan Heaslip

CCLI License No. 810055

What was, what is, what will be!

Nostalgia tempts me. During my 54 years on this earth I have enjoyed many blessings of the Lord. Bev and I visited Lancaster, PA over the weekend, staying at a resort we visited a few times when our kids were little. Walking through the area with the swimming pool that they loved to play in, I could almost hear echoes of their voices: “Daddy, look at me.” It was bittersweet to walk through a place that held so many good memories, but they are just that, memories; life has moved on. I am not suggesting that we should forget the past all together. It is the fertile soil from which the present grows, after all! However, the people who live most productive and emotionally healthy lives do not spend a lot of time looking back!

Like every living person I have my share of regrets that reside in yesterday. There are more than a few choices I made then with all sincerity that are now clearly wrong. But like Paul, my focus is not what was, but what is and what will be! My prayer is that God will show me how to live today as I advance toward tomorrow- be it here on earth or in His heaven! Remember Saul who became Paul?

In his early years as a Pharisee, he hated Believers in Christ and worked to destroy the Gospel message and those who followed Jesus. But God, in amazing grace, met him on the road to Damascus. Saul believed that day and was changed. The transformation was so profound, he even took a new name! Had he lived in perpetual regret, he might have faded into obscurity, making tents in some Roman town, sorrowful 'til death for his persecution of those who loved the Lord. Or, he might have settled down to pastor the church in Ephesus, where his message met with great success and tried to hold onto a moment of triumph. But, he didn't do either of those things. Why? He tells us. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV) He knew what he was called to do and kept at it – faithfully. He left the sins in the grace of God, celebrated the triumphs, and anticipated the glorious future.

That's the road God wants us to travel! We cannot, we must not, try to erase the past or to rewrite history. We cannot let nostalgia take us hostage. When we awaken each morning, our declaration is "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24, NIV) We grow deeper in the things of the Lord as He shows us new challenges, new places for service, and presents us with new opportunities.

Disciple, in our youth we tend to live too much in the future. As we age, we are tempted more and more to live in the past. God works in the present! He is the Lord of this day. I leave you with this word from the Word, Jesus’ appeal to his friends to see what God was doing right now. “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:34-35, NIV)

What is ripe for harvest right now in your life? Are your eyes open to what the Spirit is doing today?

________________

Father, I confess that change is difficult.
In the familiar there is a certain comfort.
I slide easily back into the habits and patterns of my past.
Don’t let me spend too much time gazing back
with fondness or regret!

Make me aware of this day,
the day You have made just for me.
Keep my vision clear and help me to
engage myself in the process of 'becoming...' -
to invite an ongoing transformation
into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
I pray this in His holy Name. Amen.