A WeakDay Devotion: AUDLEY'S PERFECT ILLUSTRATION OF REPENTANCE

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Recently finished a new Kindle entitled “Genesis & Discrimination”. It is a very powerful collection to challenge your thinking. Also, consider: Secrets of a Deeper Life in Christ , A Missing Psalm, Forgiveness. I hope putting these together in this new format will be a blessing to many more & will help support this ministry.

By Email Too

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.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

AUDLEY'S PERFECT ILLUSTRATION OF REPENTANCE

Click this link or cut and paste it into your browser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO5nWZD8Tt0

or search YouTube for: I Repent by Steve Green with Lyrics

“Then He began to reproach the cites in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God.

“’He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.’

“And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, but we will serve the Lord.’ And Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.’ And they said, ‘We are witnesses.’

“’Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’ And the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice.’”. Joshua 24:19-22

I met Audley McLean many years ago in Buffalo New York. He loved the Word and it was always good to spend time fellowshipping with him. As a favour to me, he used to attend the first home Bible study I ever led.

It was after the Upstate New York Billy Graham Crusade flooded the city with new-baby believers. As one of the Crusade counsellors, I was responsible to lead a neighbourhood group of these new people through a lesson plan and workbook.

One night, as I reviewed the basics of accepting the Lord, we came to the word ‘repentance’. I asked what it was? Audley jumped up from the couch and shared a memorable illustration.

Without a word, he marched confidently into the other room. From there, with his back to us, he spoke of how we are walking in our own way before we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour ...

Then Audley sort of jumped to turn full around and face us. His wonderful smile lit up the room now, as he explained that when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, repentance means to turn completely away from our old sin ways and begin walking in a new way. It is not about what we say we are sorry for or say we will do but what we do!

It is clear we all harken back to what once was. We retrace old, familiar pathways from before. Sometimes, we wonder why the Lord even allows this. Yet, our loving Saviour wants each of us to choose THIS day whom we will serve and walk accordingly.

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

PS: Please pray for this ministry. This is the 20^th year of endeavouring to serve others in His name to offer a smattering of Scripture daily. Find my statement of faith by clicking (or cut and paste this link into your Web browser): https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com You can find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for “WeakDay Devotion” (Also, there is a “Google Blogger” App you can download to read them on your phone.)

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS

· New: Patti’s best friend – her father just passed away. He was about to celebrate his 93^rd birthday and was a WW II Veteran. She had a week of precious time with him and shared: "He is Home on the 4th - precious liberty!" and that he was looking into her eyes as she sang hymns to him. She lost her Mom (88) in January had been travelling to care for them for the last four years (a four hour trip each way). Pray for her comfort and hope at this time.
· UPDATE - Robin age 52, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and had a series of five-days of radiation treatment last week (as a follow up to her lumpectomy). It is the first of the six week series. Pray for her strength and for those who are supporting her now.
· Simon Flinders (my pastor) and family – are now on long-service leave. Please pray for the refreshment and strengthening of family bonds and that the family enjoys time to focus on the love of their Saviour and all the gifts and blessings He has provided them.
· BABY VIVIAN – Passed away after being born prematurely (25 weeks). Please pray for her parents as they walk through this valley.
· Jen – my sweet friend in the UK, doctors found a blood clot. She must rest. Her heart is troubled though, as her precious companion dog, Honey, is also growing very frail.
· Doris (my second Mom) - now 100 – has rallied and is back to her enthusiastic-for-the-Lord self. Pray for Patti, her daughter, as she remains so faithful in sacrificing time and making the effort to always demonstrate God’s love to her precious mother. Doris (and her husband, Owen, now waiting for Doris in Heaven) both prayed faithfully to bring me to the foot of the Cross.
· Paul –Has not had paying work since 2010. Please pray for his ongoing resilience and that the Lord would allow him to be successful with a role. I know the Lord is watching over him because of your prayers. Most of all, pray his heart melts enough for the Truth to touch him where it hurts. Pray for my wisdom and patience as he continues to stay here.
· USA – that the Lord would demonstrate His power in an unexpected and uniting way during these times of unrest and confusion. Help hearts settle and rest in Him alone. And let the truth of God’s Word and ways overcome the drive to destroy our founding values.
· Sergio – lost his job and is now looking again. He was recently diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes. Was living with his brother, but has been asked to move out, leaving him homeless.
· Toron – finishing his high school studies needs your prayers for continued strength, focus and confidence, especially with maths.

PRAY FOR THOSE IN FULL-TIME SERVICE

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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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