A WeakDay Devotion: Exercise: You, then Jesus

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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.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Exercise: You, then Jesus

"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in righteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." I Corinthians 13:4-7

"Several years ago someone challenged me to replace the word LOVE in this passage with my name. --And for years that was my problem with this paragraph. It set a standard I could not meet.

"No one can meet it. No one, that is, except Christ. Does this passage not describe the measureless love of God? Let's insert Christ's name in place of the word LOVE, and see if it rings true."*

Give this exercise a try and see how it touches your heart. Most of us have been taught we are supposed to love like this, but this is agape love and that is a love that only God offers. And he offers it first of all to you.

Take care with love, especially His! Your servant and friend in Christ, who prays for you each morning, Darlene

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:

· Adrian who was once a tri-athlete with a full life, has been in and out of hospital many times since Christmas. After a full bone scan they discovered additional serious issues with deteriorating vertebrae in his neck and lumbar region from the cancer.

On 2 February he will be hospitalised again to undergo a serious procedure to establish the ongoing effect on his spinal nerves and a prognosis. In the meantime, his pain is so serious he is unable to care for himself adequately, but has no one to help him through this.

Please pray for the constant care of the Lord to help him through this difficult time. Do not grow weary in your prayers for him. You do make a difference!

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING:

· Pray for Patty and Doris (who just had her 96th birthday. She was like a second Mom to me)

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS

· Greta - niece of Hans is in hospital for hand surgery. She was accidently bitten by the family pet dog.

· Hans - needs wisdom and courage to guide him during this time, some emergency funds and a reasonable job.

· Isaias & Judith are grass-roots missionaries within the Philippines. They work tirelessly and also care for their own family. His aged father has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is easy to presume the quality and the cost of health care is the same around the world, but it is not. Right now these dear friends need extra prayers. You may even feel led to make a donation to their ministry: Ambassadors for Christ --look for Isaias Catorce.

ONGOING PRAYERS

· Buddy and Susan Smith and Kevin and Sandy Currell - ministers of grace and salvation in Australia.

· Fion as he supports his ageing parents and manages a heavy load of challenges.

· Bettina to give her strength and wisdom.

WIDE PRAYER ISSUES

· Pray for calm, true Christian revival and a return to founding values in the USA.

· France - the aftermath of a world-stopping tragedy.

· For the tragedy unfolding in Niger and other nations where thousands are being killed regularly by Islamic radicalists. For those in Nigeria as Boko Haram (which means Western education is forbidden) stomps into new areas.

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS

· Phil (the man who has let Adrian stay in his home) for understanding, empathy, compassion and gentleness.

· My brother, Tim with COPD (cardio-pulmonary artery disease), that he has patience and wisdom to manage his health and the limitations to his breathing and to cope with the limitations.

· David R as he manages his macular degeneration and a host of other health challenges.

· Audley's and Beverly's (stroke) situation and his return to the ministry.

· Nancy who continues to grow stronger after her life-threatening head injury and for Fred as he cares for her.

· BG that his blinding headaches will finally stop.

· Chester as he continues to struggle through a host of medical challenges and poor care with dwindling funds and few friends to help. Give him energy, strength and resolve as he deals with a worldly system that has abused him.

· Those affected by the first outbreak of Bubonic and pneumonic plague since August 2010, on the island of Madagascar. Last stats 40 dead, 119 confirmed cases.

· Those affected and those working to stem the devastation of Ebola in West Africa (Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mali) and in other countries, as the disease continues to spread. As of yesterday there were over 7,000 deaths from Ebola. 570 healthcare workers have been affected and of those, 324 have died.

· Those in Europe gearing up to fight a new strain of Bird Flu.

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH ONGOING JOB RELATED CHALLENGES

· Paul N-S - as he continues his search for work.

· Michael, a man who is humble and without a home or a job who needs a chance to get his life back to normal.

· Deepak - that his work efforts begin to bear fruit as he is on the road travelling, promoting his business.

· Me - One of the proposals has now been put on hold. Need a new project. Would appreciate your prayers.

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS

· That 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!

· Jen, needs the watchful care of the Lord in her life.

· Louise desires healing in their family.

· Linda and Ian. Rob and his daughter. Reg. Annette and Lyle and their wonderful family. Thanksgiving for their practical support over the years.

PRAY FOR THE WORLD:

· For revival in the USA to continue.

· Birgit who is in Germany.

· For the many individuals in Singapore, China, Russia and India who read the WeakDay Devotion. (This year the WeakDay Devotion blog is being read by many people in these countries! God is mysterious!)

· The Catholic Church and that the new Pope will always put Jesus first.

SOMETHING NEW FOR PRAYER WARRIORS

· Elaine and Jim started a new ministry in Hong Kong and have some great news for those with a gift and heart for prayer: An online church with a Prayer Room. New visitors need to register for a login and password and will receive an email confirmation. The room is open 27/7. Go here to learn more: https://www.thelittlechurchworld.org/prayer-room

*A Love Worth Giving is copyright protected since 2002 by Max Lucado. . All rights are reserved, including translations. The ISBN is 978-0-8499-4831-2 (repackage). I encourage you to secure a copy and follow along. I quote carefully and respectfully from his wonderful book.

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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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Sunday, January 25, 2015

Exercise: You, then Jesus

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Background of WeakDay Devotions

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