I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt;
open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psalms 81:10
I was probably just craving chocolate. Again.
But when Lysa Terkuerst asked the question; What does temporary satisfaction look like, 1 well, the words just rolled out; chocolate cake!
My answer to her second question; What does REAL satisfaction look like, followed suit; an arduous, and lengthy recipe from the chronicles of Betty Crocker!
I was roused this morning by a cryptic, 4 a.m. text message from my sister-in-law, currently vacationing in Italy,
"Hey, my mom is in the hospital. May have to have surgery. Could you check on her? Since you work there."
There isn't anything that could have kept me from her bedside, I LOVE this women. It was an honor to be summoned.
I had also received a text from my daughter-in-law, "Would you be able to babysit tonight?"
Our daughter added her contribution to my day. She and her husband had impulsively signed with an agent to list their house last week, "Can dad be here by 8:00 to work?"
Add another urgent demand placed on the day. sigh
There was a least 2 weeks of work to be done.
Because my husband is the handy man of the family, and because we essentially go everywhere together, I knew there was sure to be a task waiting for me as well.
Then there was my aging father who had called just the other night inquiring about my weekend. He is slowing down and struggling to manage all his responsibilities and assets.
"Are you free to take a drive to the lake house? I need to get moving on listing it and the two hour drive is getting difficult for me anymore."
I would be remiss if I neglected to share the magnitude of this request.
You see, my father and I made a similar trip 2 years ago. My brother refused to get in the car with dad and chose to drive himself that day. Feeling torn between the two, I ultimately climbed into the car with dad.
It would be an understatement to say that I saw my life flash before my eyes that day.
At one point, dad decided a little music might be in order and so with one hand on the wheel he reached for the CD, turned on the CD player, fumbled with the volume, and took his eyes dangerously off the road to cast a sheepish grin in my direction.
He then proceeded to sing Down by the River as we swerved all over the road 6 ways to sundown.
Needless to say, I wasn't in a big rush to go Down by the River with dad real soon.
The day began to look a little like Betty.
I wanted to stay home and eat cake. (Morning coffee, Bible study, blog, email friends, read, walk, pray, chat with friends some more, read, lounge by the pool, pray...I think you get the idea-CAKE).
The Lord had a different plan for me, I need you in the kitchen today and here's the recipe- it's called,
"Hey, my mom is in the hospital. May have to have surgery. Could you check on her? Since you work there."
There isn't anything that could have kept me from her bedside, I LOVE this women. It was an honor to be summoned.
I had also received a text from my daughter-in-law, "Would you be able to babysit tonight?"
Our daughter added her contribution to my day. She and her husband had impulsively signed with an agent to list their house last week, "Can dad be here by 8:00 to work?"
Add another urgent demand placed on the day. sigh
There was a least 2 weeks of work to be done.
Because my husband is the handy man of the family, and because we essentially go everywhere together, I knew there was sure to be a task waiting for me as well.
Then there was my aging father who had called just the other night inquiring about my weekend. He is slowing down and struggling to manage all his responsibilities and assets.
"Are you free to take a drive to the lake house? I need to get moving on listing it and the two hour drive is getting difficult for me anymore."
I would be remiss if I neglected to share the magnitude of this request.
You see, my father and I made a similar trip 2 years ago. My brother refused to get in the car with dad and chose to drive himself that day. Feeling torn between the two, I ultimately climbed into the car with dad.
It would be an understatement to say that I saw my life flash before my eyes that day.
At one point, dad decided a little music might be in order and so with one hand on the wheel he reached for the CD, turned on the CD player, fumbled with the volume, and took his eyes dangerously off the road to cast a sheepish grin in my direction.
He then proceeded to sing Down by the River as we swerved all over the road 6 ways to sundown.
Needless to say, I wasn't in a big rush to go Down by the River with dad real soon.
The day began to look a little like Betty.
I wanted to stay home and eat cake. (Morning coffee, Bible study, blog, email friends, read, walk, pray, chat with friends some more, read, lounge by the pool, pray...I think you get the idea-CAKE).
The Lord had a different plan for me, I need you in the kitchen today and here's the recipe- it's called,
"If you love me feed my sheep."2
and
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?"3
Real satisfaction isn't the cake, it's the call to follow Christ and feed the world.
Life isn't all about the cake, pleasure and indulgence.
Sometimes it's all about the recipe, the tedious, but oh so rewarding journey.
Often I am amazed at how many scriptures refer to our mouth.
Yes, He longs for the words of our mouth to be pleasing in His site Psalm 19:14
He wants to teach us when to speak and when to be silent. Ecclesiastes 3:7
WE are commanded to confess Jesus with our mouth Romans 10:9
I will praise the Lord, my mouth will continually praise Him Psalm 34:1
But oh, how He longs to feed us with word manna. That heavenly bread that nourishes our soul that moves our feet and impels our hands for glory.
I am equally curious about the numerous references to hands and feet.
Ginny Blankenship, one of the P31 authors shared the following insight from John 6 and the feeding of the people with 5 loaves and 2 fish:
"While Jesus used 5 loaves and 2 fish, He has given us our own 5's and 2's to use in blessing others. We have 2 hands and 2 feet. We have 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot. With these we can reach out to others through our actions and show them God's love. We can be His hands and feet in this world and He can use our small acts of obedience to provide sustenance, love, compassion, and to provide for the physical and emotional needs of so many-all we have to do is open our eyes to the opportunities and be willing to use our 5's and 2's to say Yes to God. Are you ready?"5
The Lord has spoken; I need to balance the scales of consuming with cooking. It's time to take what I have learned from his word, the years of ingesting and savoring truth, and feed his world.
People are hungry. And I want to feed them. They need cake. :0
Life isn't all about the cake, pleasure and indulgence.
Sometimes it's all about the recipe, the tedious, but oh so rewarding journey.
Often I am amazed at how many scriptures refer to our mouth.
Yes, He longs for the words of our mouth to be pleasing in His site Psalm 19:14
He wants to teach us when to speak and when to be silent. Ecclesiastes 3:7
WE are commanded to confess Jesus with our mouth Romans 10:9
I will praise the Lord, my mouth will continually praise Him Psalm 34:1
But oh, how He longs to feed us with word manna. That heavenly bread that nourishes our soul that moves our feet and impels our hands for glory.
I am equally curious about the numerous references to hands and feet.
Ginny Blankenship, one of the P31 authors shared the following insight from John 6 and the feeding of the people with 5 loaves and 2 fish:
"While Jesus used 5 loaves and 2 fish, He has given us our own 5's and 2's to use in blessing others. We have 2 hands and 2 feet. We have 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot. With these we can reach out to others through our actions and show them God's love. We can be His hands and feet in this world and He can use our small acts of obedience to provide sustenance, love, compassion, and to provide for the physical and emotional needs of so many-all we have to do is open our eyes to the opportunities and be willing to use our 5's and 2's to say Yes to God. Are you ready?"5
The Lord has spoken; I need to balance the scales of consuming with cooking. It's time to take what I have learned from his word, the years of ingesting and savoring truth, and feed his world.
People are hungry. And I want to feed them. They need cake. :0
Father,
I want to be;
an instrument of your peace
a reflection of your love
a messenger of your truth
the radiance of your glory.
I want to be;
an instrument of your peace
a reflection of your love
a messenger of your truth
the radiance of your glory.
And all God's people said...
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 4
AMEN
***
1. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN Say Yes TO GOD, pg. 139
2. John 21:17
3. James 2:14
4.Psalm 51:15
5.http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/2013/09/14/yes-to-god-week-6-prayer-praises/
2. John 21:17
3. James 2:14
4.Psalm 51:15
5.http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/2013/09/14/yes-to-god-week-6-prayer-praises/
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