Gleanings for August 2

HEAR AND DO

Today the devotion will be from the November 23, l986 Journal:

“Good Morning Lord—again—we have been communing in the spirit and in the understanding. Through Your Great Love, You speak!! Hallelujah.

This morning the devotional book by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, gave me some “delicious” food for thought—could possibly call it food that brings lasting nourishment, something to challenge my daily actions.

“He mentions a number of things we must guard against: “Take heed to thy spirit that you deal not treacherously” he says it is so easy for our minds to become distracted from God.

We must stay in a “quiet mood before God. Beware of the cares of this world.” Another thing that can distract us, he says is: “the lust of vindication”-- I must explain myself to people and get them to understand why I am doing certain things.

“The following paragraph is worth noting:

“When we discern that people are not going on spiritually and allow the discernment to turn to criticism, we block our way to God.

“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize but that we may INTERCEDE.”

“Dear Lord, let this be a renewed commitment in my life—not to worry about what others are thinking or doing but to be in tune with YOU!!!

“It is vitally important for me to ABIDE IN THE VINE, to be sensitive to the needs in others lives, but not critical.

“Deliver me from a critical spirit, thank you for forgiving me for times I have been unfaithful in that area of life.

“I thank You for giving me a “clean sheet” to begin this new day. I want to put aside any and ALL things that block fellowship with you—I put that “under the Blood of the Cross”. This day CAN BE a day of walking in Victory—with You!”

The thoughts in that meditation should help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the One Who will help us to walk in the LOVE that we wrote about yesterday. When God’s love is central in our lives, a critical attitude will have to leave.

Jesus told a parable about the farmer who planted seeds and how those seeds fell on different kinds of soil. Some seed fell on “thorny” ground. .In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4 verses 18 and 19 we read:

“The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News but too quickly the message is crowded out by “the cares of this world”….so no crop is produced.” (That is from the New Living Testament)

Let us “take heed” to the Good News and as we do we will find:

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH!!