Tag Archives: Kate Montaung

When I can’t keep myself…

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When I can’t keep myself…

In the book of 2 Kings 4:1-7 we read of a widow who had been left with much debt after the death of her husband. This was a dark picture of the day that she lived in: a widow struggled to even survive on her own. There was no Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. She relied on family and friends to make ends meet.

This woman had two sons but because of the amount of debt left by her late husband, the creditors were threatening to take her sons as slaves in payment.

She takes her dilemma to the prophet Elisha who immediately asks her what she had in her house and she replied that she only had a small jar of olive oil remaining. Period.

That’s all Elisha needed for his miracle and he instructs her to go borrow from her neighbors as many empty jars as she can get. He even encourages her in her quest by saying, “Don’t ask for just a few.”

Bring back as many as all three of you can carry and then go borrow some more!

The widow and her sons do as they are instructed and Elisha says, “Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” The sons begin to bring her the jars and she starts pouring oil from her original jar into the empty vessels.

When all the jars were full and no more empty ones remained…the oil stopped flowing.

Not one minute too early or too late, it stopped flowing when all the jars were FULL!

This woman could not keep herself. She had exhausted all attempts at paying off the creditors on her own and was in danger of losing the only two things she had left, her sons.

But when we are at our lowest and cannot keep ourselves…God shows up in HIS time, right ON TIME.

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Psalm 50:15. “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

Surely she was being whispered about, of course her neighbors questioned what she was to do with so many empty vessels. But her faith in Elisha’s God kept her pressing forward, anticipating a miracle. In so doing, she had plenty of oil to sell to pay off all of her debts AND enough left over for her and her sons to live on. Olive oil was a necessity, used for so much more than just cooking. Its importance and monetary value was not lost to Elisha or his God.

How do you need to be KEPT today?

  • Is it enough to know that the God of the universe knows where you are, every minute of every day and even the numbers of hair on your very head?
  • Do we trust Him enough, resting in His promises that He will never leave us or forsake us?
  • Or do we fret, like normal human beings, that everything is crashing around us and we will soon be defeated?

God wants to show us His keeping power! He loves to love us in the most precarious of situations. And when we rely on Him, trust in Him and get to the point that we KNOW He will be there regardless, we have turned a corner in our relationship. The love of God will keep you even when you feel as if you cannot keep yourself. His strength is perfect and all you need. Let Him overwhelm you today.

So, ask big!! Get plenty of vessels so the Lord can fill them and KEEP you by His might power, no matter your situation.

Kingdom2

 

 

 

Here!

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Today’s #FiveMinuteFriday could be my shortest post ever but it is packed with good stuff. Be blessed and check out some of the other takes on the word prompt Here.

Back in the day…the teacher took roll call.

Brian?

Here.

Pamela?

Here.

Tina?

Here.

Timothy?

Present. (You always had a wise guy in the class.)

Nannette?

Here.

Julie?

(Silence)

Is Julie not here today?

“She’s sick!”

Julie was absent. She wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

Paul said when we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. (2 Corinthians 2:5, 6) Yet, we know that Christ dwells IN us, He is always present, He is always here with us. The Apostle Paul knew we had a work to complete, a job to do, a purpose in this life that had to be fulfilled before we could go on to our reward in the next life.

“But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.…” Philippians 1:23, 24

We desire to be with Christ, He is the reason we were created! But to bring Him glory it is necessary, for the sake of others, that we remain here…for now.

here

We can’t afford to be absent in anything we do or say for the Kingdom. We must be on guard and sensitive in the Spirit to what is going on around us. The only way to do that is communication with the Savior!

He will call our name one day, we will stand before Him in judgment.

Nannette? Here, Lord! Here I am!

What a glorious day that will be! But until that day comes, we must go on about our Father’s business, declaring the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial, resurrection, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of His soon return. Our mission is to let others know that even in this life there is hope, joy and perfect peace in our circumstances.

We must be willing to say, “Here am I, Lord, send me, use me, work through me until you return for your Bride, the Church.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Be blessed today as you pray for doors to open to tell others about Jesus. He will use you…here!

Kingdom2

 

DF cover side viewDo you have your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional? You can get it here on Amazon in paperback or for your Kindle! Fasting is always a good idea and this book is great for ANY FAST. Don’t wait until your New Year’s Resolution to fast…

 

 

Sharing with Faith Filled Friday, Grace and Truth

The Perfect Ten

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It’s #FiveMinuteFriday of a different kind for me! This is simple but oh, so good. Hope you enjoy my take on “Ten”.

All three of My Three Sons have played the same part in a church Christmas play over the course of ten years or so. It was one of my favorites the very first time I heard it and I have never tired of it. Angels Aware has some of the best stick-with-you songs ever!

When my youngest, Korey Ross, now 23, played it about twelve years ago, he had strep throat. Had to leave practice the day of the first performance to go to the ER for meds. How he ever pulled off the lead with a temperature and strep is beyond me but he did it. Memories!

The Perfect Ten is a wonderfully simple rendition of The Ten Commandments in rhyme. In the play, ten children stood in a line and held up placards with their number on it when it came their turn in the song. So adorable because some of them would have the numbers upside down, inside out or just couldn’t quite get it to where it needed to be. Of course you pick the littlest ones for this song for sure audience approval!

But the message was never lost. Take a look at the words:

Number one, we’ve just begun, God should be first in your life (Matthew 6:33)
Number two’s the idol rule, those graven images aren’t right (Romans 1:23)
Number three God’s name should be never spoken in jest (Deuteronomy 5:11)
Number four the Sabbath’s for our worship and for rest (Isaiah 58:13)
Number five we all should strive to honor father and mother (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Number six don’t get your kicks from killing one another (Matthew 5:21-26)
Number seven life is heaven when you’re true to your mate (Romans 7:2)
Number eight don’t steal or break these rules for goodness sake (1 Cor. 6:9, 10)
Number nine don’t be the kind who goes around telling lies (Proverbs 12:22)
Number ten don’t covet when you see your neighbor’s house, or wife (Romans 7:7)
That’s the list that God insists we stay away from these sins,
That is why we memorize commandments one through ten!
The Perfect Ten, The Perfect Ten, they’re just as good as they were way back when
The Perfect Ten, The Perfect Ten, let’s say them once again…

They are perfect because they were God-breathed, God-inspired and written by the finger of God!

Many say that the Old Testament is not for us today. Of course we no longer participate in animal sacrifice, thank goodness, but these rules, these guidelines and commandments are still to be taken seriously in our walk with the Lord.

Enjoy the song and dwell on the verses today as we strive to be more like Jesus and share Him with a lost and dying world! And if you were ever in Angels Aware, what part did you play and do you remember the songs??

 

Sharing with Grace & Truth, Fellowship Fridays, Faith Filled Friday, Dance with Jesus