A WeakDay Devotion: Sin Foundations

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The WeakDay Devotion originated as encouragement for a dear friend who was having difficulties with her job.

It is especially for my family, firends, business people, students, pastors, teachers and a myriad of pre-, new and long-serving Christians who want more Scripture with their devotion than many of the regular devotionals offer. it is also written to be short so you can get on with your day, but filled with a new idea from God's Word that is practical and applicable. You can also have it sent directly to your email box every day - just send me an email (DarleneRichard@gmail.com) and I will add you to the distribution.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sin Foundations - Opportunism

"But Laban said, 'it is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the first-born. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.

"And Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years." Genesis 29:26-30

Laban was an opportunist and did not care about Jacob's feelings. The minute he saw Jacob's love for Rachel, he plotted as carefully as Jacob and Rebekah did to steal the birthright. Yet, we see that Jacob was also learning from his past and took responsibility to serve the required seven years again. Unlike Esau who began to eat the dry crust of his bitterness.

Take care with love, especially His! Your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: ANY PRAYER UPDATES TODAY? Please send updates! For any of you who wonder if prayer is worth taking time for, just page through previous entries and see the hand of our loving Father in action!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for: Isaac and his family are finally home in Manila. They've returned to the continuing effects of the typhoon Ondoy. Isaac's Dad (84 years old) after a heart attack. PB needs a heart-kidney transplant and is still waiting in the hospital.

PHILIPPINES: Monsoon rains crippled (2 of 4) Manila's airport terminal. Most of Manila is flooded. Worst flood since typhoon Ondoy (the worst in their history). See here: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/21/world/asia/philippines-floods/index.html

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS: Elina, that our Father would give her peace in her storm. Scott for mental and physical healing, God focus and ability to think clearly. Deepak needs our prayers for his situation, asks that we remember the two young sons of Melanie Karunaratne - who just passed away.

Raven - her cancer has spread to her lymph nodes, bone scan came back ok second time around, lungs are still iffy, but the spots are too small and too close to blood vessels to safely biopsy right now - looking at four rounds of chemo, then radiation, then pill. Chemo starts this Thursday (15 Aug).

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING: Heidi has now been awarded full time work. John, Patti's husband is recovering well after his second knee surgery. Tarrega is home recovering after a heart procedure.

Adrian is home but in much stress and discomfort from the treatment - still very weak and unable to eat properly. Thank you all for praying for him.

Betinna's husband, Jim (with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) got to go out from the hospital for the first time for his birthday! She thanks everyone for their prayers. PNS is feeling better and needs our prayers as he continues to look for a job and that he will continue to grow in strength.

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: David R doing well through complicated health challenges. Tim (my little brother) with CPRD, needs financial help and satisfying work. For Audley and Beverly’s situation and his new endeavour. For Carlton still suffering from horrible infections and pain in his bones. For Nancy who is growing stronger and for Fred as he cares for her. For PJ

ONGOING JOB RELATED: Barbara (sister-in-law) has had a few very promising job interviews. Pray the Lord has one of these positions for her. Be with Hans as he struggles through changes in his life – that he'll cling securely to the Lord and that there will be an unexpected, satisfying job in his chosen field for him. Please pray for a new project for me and the wisdom of my next steps.

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray for Milo as he studies in Germany till February and for his mom, Sabine as adjusts to this time away. Pray the Lord’s hand is dramatically apparent in the lives of all who receive and read this devotion...that His mighty works would be worked out in each life for His purposes in surprising and wonderful ways!

Carla & Paul K for good results from their business plans. Please pray for Deborah as she deals with a difficult situation. Give her focus and comfort for her hurting heart as He brings about His will in this situation.

For Linda and Ian. For Rob and his daughter. For Reg. Pray for Annette and her career adventures. Pray for wisdom for my brother as he deals with an important matter. For David K, in his studies and Matthew K as he grows up. Elaine and Jim back in Hong Kong.

PRAY FOR THE WORLD: God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His children there and for the many nations and individuals suffering from global financial mismanagement. Pray for the Catholic Church and that the new Pope will always put Jesus first.

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Background of WeakDay Devotions

Over eleven years ago a dear friend couldn't find a job. She's brilliant, skilled & experienced -- but simply couldn't find a position to suit her. After about eight months of struggling & searching, she was hired to work with the Sydney Olympics but six months later the role turned feral. She was discouraged as she pulled herself into work each morning.

Then it became apparent they were trying to "move" her out. She struggled. At least once a week she would be on the phone to me or be sitting on my balcony talking/crying her heart out. I found myself being a sort of Christian coach/mentor for her.

One morning after my quiet time, something I learned seemed relevent for her, so I shared it with her in an email. She wrote back that it indeed helped. Next morning the same thing happened. Again the Lord used it to encourage & strengthen her. The next morning nothing seemed good to send, but I searched till I found something I hoped would strengthen her. The Lord used it. Each week day morning from then on I would get up early & write her a note of encouragement.

A month went by & another friend sent me an e-mail expressing their own frustration with a work situation. I sent them a copy of the e-mail I'd sent my friend that very morning. They were encouraged & asked me to include them each morning. After a couple of weeks both wrote to me to say they'd been sending the email to others & would I just add theses new names each morning. They also suggested I ask others if they'd like to be included. I did & many asked to receive it. One day, I was asked to do a radio interview with Gordon Moyse ("An Ordinary Christian"). He had heard about the morning "WeakDay Devotions" & wanted his listeners to know more about them.

Almost every week day morning since that first e-mail, I've written a fresh word of encouragement for (by now) an untold number of people around the world. It was originally mostly business oriented, but has grown to be more general in nature with Christian business people knowing it is the little personal details of their walk that need a boost anyway.

Within the distribution list now are Christians or pre-Christians (Catholic & Protestant), some are Jewish, some have not made a decision about what they believe, yet. There are several pastors; a Catholic priest, a Jewish teacher and a Christian Web page creator (and pastor) who distributes select ones to his readership. There’s even a pastor in the USA who uses them as part of his daily radio program.

Many who receive them forward them to others & they ricochet around the world. They're used as morning devotions between friends at work in the USA, Argentina, the Philippines, New Guinea, Hong Kong & places I don't even know about yet.

The Lord is using these meek & meagre "presents to Him" for His own purposes in the lives of others & I'm constantly surprised & humbled at the encouragement I've found in my own personal time with the Lord because of their ministry to me!

If you'd like to have them emailed directly to you each day, just send me an email. I'm open to comments, suggestions & criticisms.

Again, it's almost always only one screen long, so you don't have to take too much time with them, they always come marked "Urgent" so they can be found more quickly. Finally, the distribution list is "blinded" so everyone's privacy is assured (although I pray for everyone I send to & know them all much better now).

Every day is different, some days are very short -- sometimes only one verse or two, but there's always a Bible verse (I always use the New American Standard Bible translation, unless otherwise indicated). There are also times when there is a suggestion for something special as an assignment. I've also written a variety of series, such as: The Ten Commandments, Forgiveness, How to Know God's Will, Fasting, Unmet Needs, etc.

Stay close to His Word.
Your servant and friend in Christ.... Darlene

The First Devotion

"And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee." Psalm 9:10

From George Muller's Autobiography:

"I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.

"The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God; searching, as it were, into every verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word; not for the sake of reaching on what I had meditated upon; but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this...that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer."

Have a wonderful day resting in Him....love, your servant and friend in Christ...D

Another style: The Princess & the Pea

[Jesus teaching] "'And why do you look at the spec that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?'" Matthew 7:3

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." James 2:10

"So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!" James 3:5

"Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.'" Matthew 13:31-32

Ever notice how it's the little things that get under your skin and grow out of perspective? Think of the time you spend looking for a misplaced file or phone number. What about when you're late and get a red light or someone pulls out in front of you in traffic. Or how about when you get a paper cut or have a hang nail? How about forgetting someone's birthday or when you lose your glasses or keys? Any of these things can make us "lose our cool". As Christians we must be ever vigilant to how the little things can stumble our walk and witness with Christ.

It reminds me of the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea (where a prince looked for a gentle and delicate princess to help rule his kingdom. He arranged a test of all the fair maidens. He had a stack of mattresses placed one on top the other and each "princess candidate" was invited to spend the night in the castle. The Prince became discouraged because no one seemed to respond to the test until one morning a lovely woman complained she could not sleep, as the mattress was too lumpy. Unbeknownst to her (and all the other candidates) the Prince had placed a single pea under the bottom mattress. No one else had been sensitive to the little things. Of course they lived happily ever after. In our Christian walk we need to be that sensitive to the little things that stumble us! Take care, your servant and friend in Christ – Darlene

A WeakDay Devotion

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sin Foundations - Opportunism

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Background of WeakDay Devotions

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