HAVE IT YOUR WAY?

Posted on April 2, 2014 by randscallawayffm
How’s that working for us? 

“You rebuke those cursed proud ones who wander from your commands.” Psalm 119:21, NLT

God hates arrogance even more than we do and will deal with proud people in His own ways. It is not up to us, no matter how annoying this is to us. Our focus is to make sure it isn’t US who are the proud, arrogant ones who are willingly and willfully ignoring God’s commands. Pride is at the core of disobedience and leads to thinking we are above the law code of integrity. And that brings the cursed life. Cursed with pride.

“You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed, and who stray from your commands.” Psalm 119:21, NIV

This gets leaders into trouble, cursed if you will, every time. “Well, because of who I am and what I’ve done, I don’t have to…or I don’t need to… or I have done enough to prove how important I am, so it’s okay to do…” Yikes! But this is the attitude of the arrogant. The kings of the Psalmist day had this kind of “I can do anything” arrogance.

Do you feel cursed? Do you feel things are just not falling into place? 

Sometimes we can be so humbled that we are proud to be humble! There, I said it. Out loud. This is not abundant living, either! ONLY reading God’s Word and not venturing out to live it to the full is a humble pride. Not allowing God’s Word to change the way we think and behave is a type of humble pride. Judging others for what they are doing is a type of humble pride, thinking you have it all together because of all the scriptures you know well. None of us has it altogether. “All have sinned and fall short…” as Paul puts it in Romans. 

This is not abundant life living. The writer of this Psalm is trying hard to follow all of God’s commands and looks around to see others not doing so and is struggling to stay true to God’s Word himself, it seems. But he finds comfort in God’s Word, even hungers for it, like we talked about yesterday, and stays focused on God’s rich commands that give life.

“And those who think they know so much, ignoring everything you tell them–let them have it!” Psalm 119:21, Msg

Well, okay then, the Message version brings out the cry of the Psalmist’s broken heart, pleading with God to take care of the arrogant. We should all do the same. Then move on in God’s Word and stay focused and excited about how God is changing us, one verse at a time.

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Dear Heavenly Father, Your Word speaks volumes to us this morning. Again. We know You hate pride and arrogance more than we do and You will take care of it, in Your time, in Your way, to benefit Your Kingdom and bring You glory. Thank you for saving us from ourselves and all sin, for constantly being with us, and for giving us direction through Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for pointing out any offensive, prideful ways in us. Cleanse us, Lord. Make us white as snow, with no pride to show. In Jesus Name, Amen
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RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY!

Posted on April 1, 2014 by randscallawayffm
Just Jesus and me…eating and talking together…
“My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous!–insatiable for your nourishing commands.” Psalm 119:20, Msg

I didn’t know what the next verse was this morning, but I awoke with a strong desire and an excited anticipation for what was next in continuing walk through the longest chapter in the Bible! It is amazing how God talks to us, pulls us in with His Holy Spirit and prepares us before we even get to the next stop on the journey, isn’t it?

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I put together my coffee and cheerios as quickly as possible this morning so I could get this next verse! And this is what I read, “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.” (NIV version). I smile. Thank you, Lord for knowing me so well. I do love to study, meditate, and converse with you over Your Word, Your commands. Where else would I get perfect direction, comfort, and correction but from a loving Heavenly Father who knows everything and everyone on the planet and beyond? And You care for me.

Yes, dear Lord, “I am overwhelmed continually with a desire for your laws.” (NLT) I have 3 versions of this verse sitting in my lap as I study every way to say it out loud. I am convinced that Your Word draws me closer to YOU, that’s why I am humbled before Your throne as I reverently read Your love letter to me. I want to know You more! I want to emulate Your personality, your character and most of all, learn to love like You love. Unconditional love. 

YOU, Lord, have put this desire in me. I asked for it. You delivered. I’m Yours. All that I am, the good and the bad. Teach me to now to WALK Your Word with the same overwhelming desire that I have to read and understand it. And maybe, just maybe I can help someone else can know You more, too! By the power of Your Holy Spirit, In Jesus Name, Amen.

 
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JUST A STRANGER HERE…

Posted on March 31, 2014 by randscallawayffm

So, don’t get too comfortable…

“I am but a foreigner here on earth; I need the guidance of your commands. Don’t hide them from me!” 
Psalm 119:19, NLT

As I meditate on this verse of our journey through Psalm 119, written by someone who struggles to stay focused on God and His law, it seems, but has the desire to be all that God wants him to be, I am beginning to understand why he calls himself a “foreigner”, a stranger in the land.

We just got back form a vacation, traveling from Fort Wayne to Myrtle Beach. As we stopped at various towns to fuel up and take care of our comforts, the “locals” knew we were “not from around here.” We dressed differently. We talked a language with a different dialect. But we still smiled at each other (mostly) and everyone knew we were just traveling through. 

Sometimes, as we travel through places we’ve never been before, we need direction and guidance, because “we’re not from around here” and don’t know the way to get back on the road to home. Have you ever been in that situation? We have. We either pull out the map to find the right road back to home, or we stop and ask someone.

“I need the guidance of your commands” says the Psalmist. We all do. We are all strangers on this temporary journey call life on earth. We are not home…yet. So, don’t get too comfortable where You live. Always live expectantly for the next and last stop on the journey. We live in “tents”, says the Apostle Paul which means we are very temporary. In the blink of an eye, we will be directed Home, our Heavenly, permanent, home, where we will need no more direction for we will be living forever in perfection! Hallelujah! 

But until that time comes…ask for directions! Stay in the Word, our heavenly preparation, by the One who loves us most! Hold fast to your salvation through Jesus Christ as Lord of your lives! Follow God’s Word as if Your life and the life of your dear family depended on it…oh, wait, it does! 

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Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Jesus who said he was going back to “prepare a place for us, rooms for all of us, who believe. I believe and I love you back with all my heart, mind, body and soul. Bless this day with all we need to glorify Your Name. And don’t ever stop directing me “home”.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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OPEN MY EYES!

Posted on March 30, 2014 by randscallawayffm

“Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.” Psalm 119:18, Msg

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” NIV

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law.” NLT

Dear Heavenly Father…simply OPEN MY EYES, my heart, mind and soul to wake up to what Your Word tells me. OPEN MY EYES to Truth while the world keeps telling me the opposite of who to be, what to strive for and how to treat others. Help me to know the miracle of Truth that sits before me, just waiting on me to absorb it, meditate on it, make it a part of me, flowing through every fiber of my being, so that I live it habitually…without thought of doing anything else but what Your Truth tells me and Your Holy Spirit shows me. 
Yes, Open my eyes, that I may see…
In Jesus Name, Amen 

And I’m singing in awe and gratitude…

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Refrain 1:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.

Refrain 2:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

Refrain 3:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my heart, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

By Clara Scott, 1895

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Yes, Lord, I see your wonder working power living and working through me. There is power in the blood!

The miracle of your Word is that everything false truly does disappear and Your Truth leaps off the page and into focus for our lives. For every situation. Amen. Thank you.

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BE GENTLE, LORD, BE GENTLE!

Posted on March 28, 2014 by randscallawayffm

“Be generous with me, and I’ll live a full life; not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road.” Psalm 119:17, Msg

We want to learn, Lord. We desire the benefits of Your love to us. We pray, “Lord, break my heart of those things that break Your heart”, however we also ask You to be gentle and patience with us. And You are. Thank you!
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Dear Heavenly Father,
My life is in Your hands this morning. I give you my heart, mind, body and soul. My eyes are on You, seeking Your path, plan and purpose. I will move ahead when you beckon me with just the nod of Your head or the invitation of your hand to follow You. My focus on you is intentional and expectant. We love you, Lord. Your ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Your Word guides. Yes, be gentle with us as Your Holy Spirit works through us. Full life, abundant life, is what we desire with You, giving You praise and glory, all along the way. In Jesus Name, Amen

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FORGET? NOT A CHANCE!

Posted on March 27, 2014 by randscallawayffm

“I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it.” Psalm 119:16, The Message

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There is nothing we have said or done that God will not use for His glory to accomplish His purposes through our lives. Everything, simply everything, good and bad, is used and not wasted. He will use it to continue to direct our paths, teach us through our mistakes and use all we have learned for the “next thing” He will do in and through our lives. And there will always be a “next thing”.

For that reason His Word is so important, so delightful, so incredibly predictable of His goodness and love toward us. He is FOR us. He is on our side! He continues to speak to us…through His Word. 

We must not forget His Word for He speaks life to us through His conversation with us! I take joy each morning in meditating on every morsel of Truth. Don’t you?

I recently developed a new relationship with a Godly woman who is also an author. We were “roomies” in Haiti so I got to know her well. We served, side by side, as we ministered together. I am now reading her book, Faithprints, an incredibly enriching book by the way on the power of God working through us to others…secretly. As I read, because I KNOW the author, I hear her voice speaking the words in print to me.

Do you know the author of the Bible? Do you know Him well? Do you have holy respect for the author? The more you know HIM, the more you hear HIS voice leap off the pages of His Word to you and give life to your heart, mind and soul. 

Dear Heavenly Father,
Yes, I relish everything You have told me about life. You taught me about Your “lay down your life” kind of love…the greatest love. I delight in our conversations together, where I pray and talk to You, then you come to the garden of my heart and speak volumes of life into me through Your Word. You know me better than I know myself! Thank you for salvation, provision, protection and lessons learned. I will not forget all You’ve done!
In Jesus Name, Amen

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PONDERING…

Posted on March 26, 2014 by randscallawayffm

PONDERING…

“I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it.” Psalm 119:15 The Message

There is not enough pondering in this world. We jump from life event to life event without giving quality time to reflection. We can learn so much more with pondering. I love to ponder!

I love to think about what God thinks as we travel through this journey on earth, which is so temporary, so brief. I repent of wasting time by not taking time…to ponder.

Dear Heavenly Father,
In the beginning was You and only You. And then You simply said “let there be…” and there was and it was good in Your eyes. Then You created us to love You back because You first loved us. Some of us do and some of us don’t. As for me I do love You back, I repent of the lack of pondering when I rushed full speed into the pull of life. I now revel and reflect with carefulness, thinking about how You’ve done it…and continue to do it…for eternity. And I thank you.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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HOLY CONVERSATION!

Posted on March 21, 2014 by randscallawayffm

HOLY CONVERSATION!.

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HOLY CONVERSATION!

Posted on March 21, 2014 by randscallawayffm

HOLY CONVERSATION

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that i might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11, NLT

“I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart, so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.” Psalm 119:11, The Message

God’s word is treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safe but in our hearts, and those whose hearts are fed with the bread of life, should with their lips feed many. We feast on God’s Word, meditate on it’s meaning and direction, cry out for wisdom, insight and understanding for we know that it is our sword that defeats the foe but also it is a delicate, powerful tool to heal others.

How do you feel when you have worked hard to put enough money in a savings account in your bank to “fall back on” in hard times? There is a security in knowing you have banked for an emergency, to help someone, or to simply enjoy a vacation someday.

To bank the word of God in our hearts, joyfully and expectantly, carries even greater meaning. When sin attacks, we are ready and delighted to pull God’s Word out of the “bank” of our hearts to protect us. When someone needs encouragement, we go to the “bank” and there is God’s Word that washes over a tormented soul, or heals like a precious oil over the hearts of needy people.

But the Psalmist is most delighted in hiding the word in his heart, banking it for protection from a bankrupted life that only sin can cause. His love for the Word of God and his dedication to remember it and live by it is a theme that is repeated over and over (vv. 11, 15-16, 24, 34, 44, 47, 55, 60, etc.) as we shall see.

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These are the lessons for us in this great psalm. The Word of God is sufficient to make us wise, train us in righteousness, and equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17). The Scriptures are a reflection of God’s nature and from them we learn that we can trust His character and His plan and purposes for mankind, even when those plans include affliction and persecution. Blessed indeed are we if our delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law we meditate day and night (Psalm 1:2).

And I’m singing…
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.

When I feel afraid,
And think I’ve lost my way.
Still, You’re there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear
As long as You are near;
Please be near me to the end.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.

I will not forget
Your love for me and yet,
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus be my guide,
And hold me to Your side,
And I will love you to the end.

Nothing will I fear
As long as You are near;
Please be near me to the end.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
And a light unto my path.
You’re the light unto my path.

By Amy Grant

Dear Heavenly Father, this song is my prayer, that Your Word would indeed by my guide, my light as well as my delight so that Your Presence is felt and so that others my know You more through me. Your Word. I speak to you in prayer. You answer back through Your Word. Thank you for this Holy conversation. 
In Jesus Name, Amen

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RELAX, BUCKLE UP, WE’LL GET THERE!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by randscallawayffm

RELAX, BUCKLE UP, WE’LL GET THERE!.

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