Armageddun Loc: The show me state

LORD OF THE HARVEST

"Ask The Lord of the harvest......to send out workers into the harvest field."
Luke 10:2

"The church exists by mission as a fire exists by burning."
---Emil Brunner.....

Anytime the Bible gives a name for God, we can know that the name is descriptive for His character. When Jesus calls God "the Lord of the harvest." He is not describing something peripheral to God's nature. The harvest is at the very core of God's heart; it is who He is by nature.

We often struggle on how to pray in accordance with God's will. The prayer in this verse is a sure thing; if we pray that The Lord of the harvest will send out workers into His field, we know we are praying the intent of His heart. We do not have to weaken our requests, as we often do, with the disclaimer, "if it's Your will" at the end of our prayer. No, it is God's will---without a doubt. We can be sure of it.

We often want to spend a little time with God but have very little to do with His harvest. That is a concept as absurd as a farmer's family wanting very little to do with the crops. A farmer's life revolves around his fields; so will the life of his family. God's work revolves around His harvest; so will the work of His family.

Have you struggled with God's will for your life? Have you questioned where He would have you invest your energy? Wh**ever He has you do, you can be sure of this: The harvest will be an integral part of your relationship with Him. It is impossible to know The Lord of the harvest well without getting involved at some point with the harvest itself.

Perhaps your involvement begins where this verse does---with the asking. The first step in God's work is prayer. And rather than telling His disciples to pray for converts, Jesus' instruction is first to pray for workers. He would be silly to bring new sheep into the fold without a prior increase in shepherds. There must be more workers.

This is one of Jesus' most direct commands. You cannot follow Him well without obeying it.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Zemirah is recovering slowly from her fall. She has the staples taken out of the cut on her head and has had her wrist operated on. She has had a heart echo test and is awaiting further surgery on the 31st of July. She appreciates the prayers. We should continue to pray for her total recovery. Thanks to all.

bahmer

Will do thanks for the update.

Rose42

Thanks for the update. I was going to ask for one and praise the Lord she is on the mend.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Amen

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Most of the devotional readings I post here are from Dave Degere from Facebook.



THE BURDEN BEARER

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"He rides at ease whom the grace of God carries."
---Thomas a Kempis...

Life can be a huge burden. We often refer to it as a "rat race"---an ever-busy condition that never really accomplishes anything of significance. We may feel caught in a trap of meaningless activity that helps us survive for the moment but does not lift us to any higher meaning. For that, mankind looks to religion.
Religion, too, can be a huge burden. It places demands on us that are clearly higher than our ability to accomplish. It places ideals before us that our earthbound souls long to embrace but can never really reach. It keeps us striving, in the strength of our flesh, to attain to the depths and the promises of the spiritual realm.
This is why Jesus came promising the provision of the Father for all of our needs and the gifts of the Spirit to give us direction and the ability to accomplish God's will. This is why the One who demands that we take up our cross and follow Him and who upholds every tiny stroke of the law can come to us and say: "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (v.30). Our Source of existence and the Light of the World never told us to get wrapped up in our anxieties, to eke out an existence, or to strive in the strength of the flesh. He only told us to come to Him with everything, and He would fill us with Himself. What He has demanded of us, He Himself will fulfill.
We get caught up in the folly of self-effort. We think our provision is up to us, so we struggle. We think our righteousness is up to us, so we strain. We think our Spirituality is a work of human willpower, so we press on even harder. All the while, Jesus says to us: "Come to Me." He will give us rest.
Faith and complete dependence on Jesus are to precede obedience. When we strive for obedience first, we are overwhelmed with our inabilities. Remember that the frail body with which you try to bear your burdens is filled with the incarnate God. Take His yoke and let Him lead.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Thank you, so much, Armageddun,

for your request for prayers on my behave, - after I fell backward in my home on 17th of July, - lost balance when I leaned over to pick something up from the floor, while supporting myself by holding onto walker with one hand, struck back of head on edge of computer table (six large metal staples in back of head at emergency room) brain intact - according to scan. Ha!

One glance at wrist told me that was worthless for crawling, so I shuffled/crawled over to cell phone recharging on a stand 4' away, and was able to reach 9/11.

I crawled through living room, dining room, vestibule, to front door (blood streaming down both shoulders), and was able to reach up, and unlock deadbolt just as ambulance personnel came running to front door w/long steel tool to force way in, if necessary.

In after thought, it was all rather dramatic, though I remain calm during a crisis (through the grace of God), and pretend to be calm through the following nervous breakdown which occurs later.

Staples were removed on 7/30.

1st scheduled surgery on wrist, was 24th, my birthday, and the 2nd was yesterday on 7/31st.

I've been successfully on hydrocodone for pain, since 7/17 fall.

Know that wh**ever the situation you place yourself into, you are loved, in Jesus.

Again, my thanks for your prayers.

bahmer

Take care Zemirah we all love you and are praying for a speedy recovery in the Lords name. Just take your time and wh**ever it takes we are all with you. Bruce.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Zemirah Update: She has three major breaks in the right forearm, requiring bars and pins and also required bone grafts - I think that's what Surgeon Wickstrom called it, in his post-op description, after the event, which is apparently routine... (crumbled bone that once belonged to someone else, which was donated when they died), which she finds rather grim, but makes it heal faster.

Once again, she says thanks for the prayers and thoughts. We need to keep our good friend covered and supported with prayer for a total recovery. Gladly she has some family with her.

bahmer

Amen and Amen thanks for the updates will keep her in my prayers.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

GRATEFUL FOR GRACE

"Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Luke 17:17-18)

"Gratitude is found in hearts that take time to count up past mercies."
---Charles Jefferson...

Nine lepers accepted the generous gift of Jesus and walked away without saying "Thanks." What were they thinking? Were they resentful that God had allowed them to get leprosy to begin with? Perhaps so. They were possibly brought up to believe that their Salvation from God was a birthright, an inherent part of their genetic relationship to Abraham. If so, leprosy would have been an unwelcome intrusion on their rightful status in the kingdom. Rather than being humbled by it, they were perhaps even angry with God over it. They would have seen Jesus as only giving them their due. Thankfulness is difficult to express when one starts with an attitude of entitlement.

But the Samaritan gave thanks. He likely had been brought up to believe that Samaritans are outcast, rejected by God's people and alien to His kingdom. Perhaps his leprosy was outward evidence of the sinfulness that he knew to infect his heart. He would have understood His cleansing to be an amazing gift of grace. He shamelessly---and appropriately---expressed his gratitude by throwing himself at Jesus's feet and praising God with a loud voice.

How have we responded to our healing? When God cleansed us of sin, did we accept it politely, as though we were entitled to it? Many of us who were raised in the church think of Salvation this way. We see it as an obligatory gift---like children who expect, or even demand, a certain level of Christmas generosity from their parents. Gratitude for something we take for granted is difficult.

Those who have truly known their diseased condition are often shameless and persistent---even embarrassing ---in their gratitude. And this is exactly the attitude Jesus commends. He welcomes remembrance. More than anything, it reflects a genuine understanding of His grace.

bahmer

Amen and Amen

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Zemirah sent me pictures of her before and after surgery. The Doctor must be highly sk**led because the after picture shows the equipment he had to put in her arm to bring it back. I am glad she was able to post in her own words what she has painfully experienced. God is the Master rebuilder of not only our soul but our body. Please join me in continuing to support her with our love and prayers. Hallelujah what a Savior.

bahmer

Amen and Amen

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

HARVEST EYES

"Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." John 4:35

"People matter so much to God that everyone warrants an all-out search." ---Bill Hybels....

The contrast between Jesus and His disciples in this passage is stark. Jesus is busy telling a sinful woman of eternal t***hs. The disciples are focused on their physical needs. Jesus sets off a spark and sees a whole town ablaze with spiritual hunger. The disciples are obsessed with their daily bread. Jesus was ready to minister to people. The disciples were ready for lunchtime.

Don't we see a similar contrast in our own lives? Sometimes we can be outward focused, seeing people's needs and trying to meet them. More often, we are just trying to get though the day, feeding ourselves and our families, and trying to earn enough to pay the bills. We get caught up in our own agenda and neglect the more urgent needs of a hurting world---perhaps not in principle, but certainly in practice.

Jesus urges His disciples to look beyond themselves. He tells them to thrive on a different kind of food---the will of God and His passion for people who need the gospel. They are to be outward focused, filled with vision. Their ambition should be to see the the gathering of the kingdom of God, not just to get through the daily grind.

We tend to neglect the eternal purposes of God and hone in on the peripherals of life. But life isn't about going into town to shop (John 4:8) or about lunchtime (v.31). Those are necessities of sustaining life, not its substance. The substance of life is eternal, and we can invest it in either the kingdom or in the world. Jesus points us to His kingdom.

Are our eyes filled with visions of harvest? Do you understand why we are here? Do not be distracted by the daily routine or by the needs of the hour. Learn to recognize moments for reaping. Jesus has given us a mission and told us to have a vision for what's going on around us. Focus outward, not inward. Lift up your eyes and look at the fields. It's harvest time.