Rejoicing In The Dark
Whenever you feel discouraged and in the dark...
Rejoice that you are in the process
of being developed
by God
Photographers develop film in the dark
and
before the photo appears beautiful
for the enjoyment of many
at first
it looks like
the complete opposite
of the expected vision
aka
a
NEGATIVE
>j<
Blessed Torture
Before the delicate piece of art
became a valuable object of desire
it was first an ugly lump of clay
spinned around, smacked around and molded by the master potter
many times
then,
just when it thought this torture was finally complete...
thrown into the fire
then teased with release
and
moments of refreshing air
only to be thrown in again and again
each time hotter and hotter
many times over
then,
just when it thought this torture was finally complete...
stroked over and over again with prickling bristles
soaked in smelly gagging liquid chemicals
then left all alone for a la...la...LONG time to dry
then,
just when it thought this torture was finally complete...
The same sa...sa...SLOW process was repeated
many times
producing layers upon layers upon layers
of increasingly shiny protection
until
the master potter could see His reflection
indicating it was now
FINALLY complete
and ready for it's intended purpose
and destiny
&;-)
“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it,
saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does clay talk back to the potter:
'What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!'
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
Isaiah 45:8~10
O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
We are all the work of your hand
Isaiah 64:7~9
But who are you, a mere man,
to criticize and contradict and answer back to God?
Do you for one moment suppose
any of us knows enough to call God into question?
Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it,
saying, "Why did you shape me like this?"
Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right
to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers
and another into a pot for cooking beans?
Both especially designed and carefully crafted
to show his glorious goodness
Romans 9:20~22
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Prayer
...is no substitute for action
It is no secret
that I have personally experienced
fifteen la...la...LONG years !!!
of survival by miraculous solutions
mostly recieved at the midnight hour
undeniably resulting from prayer
most of the time without availability of human assistance
other than the power of effective prayer partnership
including many who are also overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated
with their own life challenges, financial struggles and trials
understandably leaving them without energy
to even take action for themselves
but at least are always in prayer agreement,
providing encouragement, positive thoughts and best wishes
always hoping in confidence and faith
for a miracle
in every circumstance
However, after so many years of
"barely getting by with prayer and miracles" mentality
there is a risk of gradually slipping into accepting mere survival
instead of taking action to utilize resources
that many times God has made available all the while
but without our obvious realization due to lack of clarity and confusion
resulting from exhaustion and/or depression
and/or oppression and obstacles from "you know who"
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy life,
and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows
John 10:10
Resulting in my additional version of the truth in this signature from
www.ROCKofAfrica.org
"Sympathy is no substitute for action."
- Dr. David Livingstone, pioneer missionary to Africa
"Prayer is no substitute for action"
Jesus went near the pool,
the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and learned that he had been in this condition for
...sa...sa... SO LONG, lol
He asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
"Sir," the invalid replied,
"I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.
While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
Then Jesus said to him,
"Get up!
Pick up your mat and walk."
At once the man was cured;
he picked up his mat and walked.
John 5: 1~9
Aka
Stop just lying there feeling sorry for yourself
and do something with what I gave you
to improve your situation !!!
and
Don't leave your mess behind
expecting someone else to take care of it
lol
Thank God for your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love,
and your patient endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
God not only loves you very much
but also has put his hand on you for something special.
When words before our God and Father came to you...
aka PRAYER
...it wasn't just words.
Something happened in you.
The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
1Thessalonians 1:2-4
aka ACTION
Just as the body is dead without breath,
so also faith is dead without good works.
James 2:26
James 2:14-26 (The Message)
Faith in Action
Dear friends,
do you think you'll get anywhere in this
if you learn all the right words but never do anything?
Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?
For instance,
you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say,
"Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!"
and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup
where does that get you?
Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
You can no more show me your works apart from your faith
than I can show you my faith apart from my works.
Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God,
but then observe you complacently sitting back
as if you had done something wonderful?
That's just great.
Demons do that, but what good does it do them?
Use your heads!
Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two
and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works"
when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar?
Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners,
that faith expresses itself in works?
That the works are "works of faith"?
The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence,
"Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action.
It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend."
Is it not evident that a person is made right with God
not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot.
Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape
that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God?
The very moment you separate body and spirit,
you end up with a corpse.
Separate faith and works
and you get the same thing:
a corpse.
I have also been personally blessed
to observe and experience the manifistation of such
overwhelming answers to prayer and examples faithful works in action
demonstrated each week at our church Lifegroup
aka
< 3 FAMILY <3
http://www.rockharbor.org/content/contentpage.aspx?pageid=139
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
View past present and future Complete Daily Prayer/Devotional Messages Here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InspirationNetwork
