A WeakDay Devotion: DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

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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.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

“Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come near to me.’ So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down …

Elijah had run 17 miles to get here to rebuild God’s altar “Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, ‘Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.’

"And he said, ‘Do it a second time,’ and they did it a second time. And he said, ‘Do it a third time,’ and they did it a third time. And the water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.

“Then it came about at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may KNOW that Thou, O Lord, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again.’

“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on the faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.’” 1 Kings 18:30-39 selected verses

This passage of the Bible would be one of my very favourite. I always find myself standing up and wondering how anyone who SAW such dramatic miracle could ever doubt again. Yet, there was no long term effect on the straying, defiant Israelites.

Philip Yancey made a great comment we can all think about: “If God consistently sent lightening bolts in response to bad doctrine, our planet would sparkle nightly like a Christmas tree.[1]” The smell of smoke would surround us all and THAT is the reason our Father God sent His Son, His only Son to take those lightening bolts for us!

Take care, your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene (who prays for you each morning).

PS: My statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (also you will find a series of beginner Bible studies there.). Also, you can find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’. (Also, there is an android ‘Goggle Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone.)

COVID-19

Please pray for all those involved in making critical decisions during this time of pandemic. Pray for those who have lost loved ones, those who contract the virus, the healthcare workers, those on the front line and for all those feeling afraid, lonely or confused. Pray all are wise, patient and take precautions to contain the effects. For practical information, please visit https://newsaboutcovid19.blogspot.com/

Latest Statistics

· 23,958,200 reported cases

· 61,679 in serious condition

· 820,237 reported deaths (some related to pre-existing conditions)

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES

· President Trump – just lost his younger brother and needs prayer that God would give he and his family private time to grieve without interruption or disrespect.

· Peyton - eldest granddaughter of Jeff and Rachael. Pray for this lovely woman of God as she goes off to college, that she remains safe and strong in her beliefs and convictions and continues to encourage many with her loving faithfulness to the Lord.

· Tracey’s Mom – still hospitalised. Pray for her health carers, her loved ones and that she will rest and be safe.

· Kim’s Mom and Dad – have now been relocated to a nursing home to be cared for. Pray for them both and for their family and the wisdom of their health carers.

· Ray’s Dad – (Ray Senior) doing better with the challenges of cancer treatment. Pray the Lord will touch his heart so he reaches out for the only hand that can save him.

· USA – Pray the Lord will demonstrate His power in unexpected and uniting ways during these times of unrest and confusion. Help hearts settle and rest in Him alone. Let the truth of God’s Word and ways overcome the drive to destroy our founding, Bible-based values. For Christ-centre, Bible-based revival in the USA and religious freedom for Christians wherever they may be.

· Hans – a dear friend in Germany, responding well to immunotherapy for lung cancer. Thank you for continuing to pray for his healthcare providers, his patience and wisdom. Pray he is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will support him through this journey. Pray for his Mom (age 83) is unwell herself, that their time together will be filled with extraordinary good memories and lots of love.

· Scott – Pray for him. He has found some temp work but with a family of four, he needs to find something stable to provide. Pray for his wife Kristy, that she remains patient and prayerful. Pray he soon reaches out for the hand of our loving Heavenly Father so he recognises God is working in all this for the best outcome for them all.

· Penne – recently widowed after 43 years, the last ten of which she was her husband’s full-time caregiver. She suffers mental problems from a childhood experience and has reached out to Patti (who asks for wisdom and patience). Penne has ‘disowned’ all her family, and although a believer, does not attend fellowship for support. Please pray for her peace of mind and God’s guidance.

· USA President Donald Trump – As Christians it is our responsibility to pray for our leaders and know that God has a plan for the USA through this man. If you doubt the importance of his appointment, just look at the baseless antagonism against him. Surely Satan is NOT happy and means to thwart God’s plan. Pray someone helps President Trump and Melania to understand the true meaning of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray they will both have an insatiable hunger to read God’s Word for themselves. Pray God sends a Bible-Believing Christian to regularly disciple them in the Truth. Pray God shuts the mouths of the false prophets who regularly circle around them.

· Isaias and Judith (Ambassadors for Christ the Philippines) – carrying on their fruitful ministry in the Philippines, despite the many challenges they must daily work with, including the impending threat of China claiming their country. Pray for those who lead, administer, work, teach and contribute to the ministry. Pray our Father continues to keep these servants strong, in good health, safe and supported and that they keep a balance in their lives. They need funds badly now. Please go to this link o learn more or/ and contribute - email Isaias Catorce at icatorce@gmail.com

Pray for those in full-time service

During this time, when the entire world is struggling to understand this new ‘plague’, it is critical for us to uphold our Christian leaders. They will be needed everywhere. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones who are fragile health wise. It is important to protect them in practical ways and most important we must pray even more for them that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.

Pray for the World

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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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