for thought and meditation

[Markopolo]

Morning... 34f and heavy rain.. power is finally back on..

Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (2)
By Oswald Chambers

I am already being poured out as a drink offering… —2 Timothy 4:6

Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life may appear to be the same, but the difference is taking place in your will. Once you have experienced the crisis in your will, you will take no thought of the cost when it begins to affect you externally. If you don’t deal with God on the level of your will first, the result will be only to arouse sympathy for yourself.

“Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:27).

You must be willing to be placed on the altar and go through the fire; willing to experience what the altar represents— burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose— the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in or directed toward God. But you don’t eliminate it, God does. You “bind the sacrifice…to the horns of the altar” and see to it that you don’t wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What fire lies ahead in your life?

Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.

have a blessed day!!!

[Boaz]

Good lesson . Letting go our inner inclinations to self serve . It's in the trying , reaching the realization of commitment and discipleship and putting it in our daily lives . We are constantly tested by the nature of ourselves , our inner compulsions to the will of GOD . Even Paul described he felt the same self serving thoughts as we all do but it was belief and conviction that came first . Conviction is not the 'normal' response for us , we make that decision .............comes down to choice .

[GhostHawk]

This one hit close to home.

I believe I am just finishing exactly what you described.

10 days before christmas I fell in the shower, reached for the shower curtain to twitch it into place. Reached too far, both feet slid, I did a full body fall, like a falling tree. Landed on my left shoulder. We have a small bath, cramped even. I missed the toliet, missed the marble topped vanity that would have cracked my head like an egg. Missed everything.

I did almost break the ball off my shoulder joint. In the x-rays it looked like a cheese ball that had a knife cut 3/4 through it. So still attached at the bottom. Sore as heck, nasty bruises. But basically they put my arm in a sling and said go home and heal.

I have been quiet here since then because I could only type one handed. So unless I had something vital to say, I did not say it.

I did not ask for prayers in part because I knew the Lord was with me. And I had a pretty good idea that I was supposed to go through this alone.
I have been through the fire, and the pain. Been purified, washed away all dross, everything unessential.

As a result of this fall we were unable to get out of this winter. And the Lord is telling me "Stay close to home Bill!"

I don't know why, not up to me to question. It is up to me to follow and serve.

So I am killing two birds with this post. Letting all my brothers know what has been happing with me.
And verifying that yes, sometimes we are poured out as an offering. We are put through the fire, to cleanse, purify, make righteous.

Between the fall, bouts of colds and flu that my wife and I have swapped back and forth. Well it has been a long hard winter in one respect. But we have hardly been out of the house since Christmas. Ohh and my wife got put through the same fire I went through. Different source, same process.

The good news, we are both still very much alive, if feeling our age. Both still very much in love with each other, and supporting each other. And closer than ever too our Lord.

Praise the Lord that the local grocery stores deliver. A small order might have a fee but a 100$ order cost us nothing.

If I have learned anything in this process it is this. Trust in the Lord. Trials and tribulations are coming, be ready. Physically, mentally, and above all spiritually.

No man knows the hour of the Lords return in glory. So we need to be ready, every hour. Every day.

Love you, peace be upon you. Bless you brothers. Believe it or not you did help me through this. Just by being you, doing what you do.

[Pine Baron]

"I did not ask for prayers"...well you got 'em anyway. Everyday brother, everyday.

[GhostHawk]

Pine Baron I could feel yours coming in brother. They felt so good I guess I felt like I did not need to bother anyone else.

On the good news side, we got out today and had supper out. We were headed for chinese, circled the block 5 times, never found a parking spot.
Ended up at my favorite family diner which serves a mean mushroom & swiss burger basket.

Life is good, rocky at times, but good.

[Boaz]

My prayers are added to Pine Baron's . Hoping for you and your wife a quick return to your regular routine . Be well brother .