A WeakDay Devotion: Seemingly Insignificant

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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.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Seemingly Insignificant

"'Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labour has born a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel.

"'And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.

"'And this One will be our peace.'" Micah 5:3-5a

God is not fooled or surprised by our wandering away from His love, and He waits to welcome us home as the father of the Prodigal son...to rush to us and embrace us. That is His desire ... and it is our heart's desire if we listen to our hearts.

It is the time of the year to remember God's remarkable plan that started innocently enough with prophecy throughout time and culminated in the birth of a seemingly insignificant child, in a seemingly insignificant town. Isn't God neat to remind us how critical the seemingly insignificant is!

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.'

"And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathered together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.

And they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'" Matthew 2:1-6

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: Fion's father had a stroke last week and has had surgery. They're unsure of the prognosis yet, but he's a man who loves the Lord. Pray for his recovery and the family.

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING: Barbara (sister-in-law) has been hired by a wonderful company. It has been a five year struggle for them. The role will begin in January!

PaulNS finally landed a wonderful project, start date 23 January. Please pray God's would let him begin before the end of the year. He has been an amazing emotional support for me during my time of need.)

Carlton (painful bone infections) is feeling a bit better finally.

NEW PRAYER REQUEST: Sergio has had a very important job interview on Tuesday. Please pray for him.

Patty, who lost her three year old daughter four years ago has sent a most amazing letter of thanksgiving. She is not 100% but says she is around 85%.

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: Adrian is still having chemo one day a month, his pain is debilitating, but he's still praising his heavenly Father for each new day.

David R losing his eyesight due to macular degeneration. I hope to go home to see him before he can no longer see me. Raven - began chemo for her cancer. For Audley and Beverly’s situation and his new endeavour. For Nancy who is growing stronger and for Fred as he cares for her.

Continue to pray for Scott for mental and physical healing, God focus and ability to think clearly. Pray for the two surviving sons of Melanie Karunaratne in New Zealand.

ONGOING JOB RELATED: For PJ that he may find projects to fill his needs.

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS: Continue to pray for those working in the aftermath 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!

Isaias & Judith who head the efforts of Ambassadors for Christ in the Philippines, need strength and encouragement as they work with other ministers recovering and serving after one of the world's worst typhoons in history. Their financial needs are so great please consider contributing...just click on Ambassadors for Christ link above.

Carla & Paul K for good results from their business plans. For Linda and Ian. For Rob and his daughter. For Reg. Pray for Annette and Lyle and their wonderful family. 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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Monday, December 23, 2013

Seemingly Insignificant

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Background of WeakDay Devotions

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