Devotion #14

Hi, Everyone.
Thank you to those who are taking the time to read these devotionals. I appreciate it, and I enjoy hearing from you.
Today's devotional is from my personal journal dated April 22, 2007.

     The Lord used my husband to direct me to His Word today. This morning Chris asked me, "What do you want to put on, for church today?"  Chris likes to iron, so he irons for both of us. God bless him!
     I know God is leading me to focus on a phrase, when I hear that phrase and it reverberates inside me. It's rather hard to explain, but that's what happened when I heard Chris say, "put on." I went to my _Strong's Exhaustive Concordance_, which led me to Ephesians 4:21-24.
     Ephesians 4:21-24 says, "If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."
     That seems so simple:
          Put off gluttony and put on disciplined eating habits.
          Put off overeating and put on feasting in God's Word.
          Put off indulging my flesh and put on the mindset that I must offer my body as a living
          sacrifice.
     If this is about changing my appetite from overeating to feeding on Jesus, from gluttony to discipline, from laziness to exercise, it feels so scary to me, even though I want it so badly because, let's face it, I've failed at it over and over.
     In taking that fear to the Lord in prayer, He confirmed that it is, indeed, a total change in my makeup as a person, and that He is the only one who can do that in me. He promised the power of His grace, to change my nature and to break old, destructive habits. If I cooperate with Him, it shall be accomplished.

Today, consider that which you need to "put off."  What do you need to "put on," to accomplish presenting your body a living sacrifice?

Blessings,
Mary

Hi Mary,

I just wanted to say Thank You   for the devotionals that you post each day.  I just found this message board yesterday and began slowly reading all of your past posts as well.  I especially appreciate your own study on gluttony.  It certainly rings true for me as well. 

I have said that I want my food addiction to become my God addiction.  I will transfer the time and energy that I have previously put into food toward my Lord.  He tells me that I can not serve two masters, but sadly I think I have tried to do this for many years.  My God is worthy of so much more from me.  And still, when I ask His forgiveness He is faithful in washing me clean.  What a loving, merciful Savior we have. 

He has led me to have this surgery next Tuesday and I will cling to Him to keep me safe.

In peace I will ie down and sleep, for you alone will keep me safe.  Psalm 4:8.

Thank you again for sharing your own intimate time with the Lord with the rest of us.

In Him,

donna

Hi, Donna.
I praise the Lord that He led you to this forum and to my devotionals. The first devotionals were posted on the Main forum, so if you want to find them, they're there, as well as on my profile blog.
It's exciting that you're having surgery in just a few days. God will be very close to you, never fear. "He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guide you in all your ways."

God bless you, as you continue to look to Him. Please let us know how you're doing.
Blessings,
Mary

Mary, Thank You for sharing these devotions with all, God has given you a special gift. As like the previous post I just found this yesterday and I delighted in it.  

You're quite welcome, rosielocks.  
Thank you for letting me know that you're reading them. It encourages me.
Blessings,
Mary

MARY,
YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE WONDERFUL WOMAN.  YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCRIPTURES MAKE ME FEEL ASHAMED OF MYSELF.  I WISH I KNEW AS MUCH AS YOU DO.  THE DEVOTIONALS ARE VERY NEEDED BY ME.  I WANT TO LEARN AS MUCH AS MY BRAIN CAN ABSORB.  YOU TEACH IN A WAY THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.  I AM JUST A SIMPLE LAYMAN PERSON.  THANK YOU!!!  MAY GOD BLESS.

ALWAYS,
JOY

Oh, Joy...please know I am not a Bible scholar. I do love the Word and have a hunger for it, but that's God's doing, not mine. I get frustrated because I have trouble memorizing scripture, or if I memorize a verse, I can't seem to remember where it's located. That's why I depend on my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
I love that God is using these devotionals in your life. He gets all the glory; I deserve none. I do appreciate your kind words. It encourages me to know that there are those who are reading them (daily, hopefully). I doubt that each devotional will speak to each reader, but it has been my experience that the Holy Spirit can lift even one word and use that word to speak to someone's heart. He's wonderful, like that.
Thanks, again.
Blessings,
Mary

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.

MARY,
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HEARD OF THE BOOK.  I ASSUME IT IS LIKE A REFERENCE BOOK?  IT SOUNDS VERY GOOD.  WHERE CAN I FIND IT AND DOES IT COST MUCH?  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING PATIENT WITH ME.

JOY

Hi, Joy.
I use my Strong's almost as often as I pick up my Bible. Most Bibles have a small concordance at the back, to help you find a verse with a key word.
The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance lists every word in the Bible (except for articles, such as "a, an, the"), and list the Hebrew word (for Old Testament) for each word within each verse, along with it's definition(s), and it does so for the Greek (for New Testament).
I have found that verses leap off the page in new, wet ink (so to speak), when I make use of the Strong's. For example, one of my favorite verses says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
I wanted to know how to delight myself in the Lord, so I asked Him, "What does that mean to You, Lord?" I realized I had never looked up the word "delight" in the Strong's, so I did that. The Hebrew word for "delight," for that verse in Psalms means "to be soft, pliable." Isn't that amazing! All we have to do to delight in the Lord and have Him be delighted in us is to be moldable to Him and His Word!
You can get Strong's at any good bookstore. I love to shop on-line at www.christianbook.com. My husband wishes we owned stock in it. ;)  If you click on the following link, you can see the different copies of Strong's. http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntk=k eywords&Ntt=Stron27g+Exhaustive+Concordance&action=Search&N= 0&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1. I know it's a long link, so if it doesn't work, just copy and paste it at the web address bar at the top of your internet page. There is a search at christianbook.com, as well, where you can type in the title or a key word.
One thing you need to know is that Strong's goes with the King James Version of the Bible. What version do you use? There is a Strongest Concordance, which goes with the New International Version.
Anyway, it's the best $20 (or so) I ever spent. It has revolutionized my quiet time.
Blessings,
Mary