As for me and my household

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

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Joshua 24:15

“But if serving the LORD
seems undesirable to you, then choose
for yourselves this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods your forefathers served
beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land you are living.
But as for me and my household,
we will serve the LORD.””

Today was very long with church business and planning meetings. We got a lot accomplished but have found that we will need to add an additional meeting each month to get beyond the business at hand and on to things like vision and purpose. Even on days when I am tired from meetings I am thankful for the God that I serve and that I am given the privilege to be a part of building His kingdom. Much like Joshua we need to at times stand up and say if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you and you would prefer to return to your old life - so be it. Me and my family we are going to keep serving the Lord.

We saw a great video while at the Navigate conference about building an plane in the air.  In it they say "were not just building planes, we are building a dream". Sometimes it feels like the task at hand is impossible and we seem to be forever trudging up hill through mud. It is slow going and it is easy to wonder why God may have chose you for such a task. It may be a personal transformation that seems beyond you to overcome. You make two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes you look around and find that you are some how stuck in the same old ruts and ways and you wonder if you will ever manage to get free from the entanglements of the old life. What I love about the bilding a plane in the air video is that its kind of ridiculous it appeals to a heroic sense of adventure. "There's not a lot of thanks up here" - they say but its the smile on a child's face that is "all the thanks I need."

Why do we do the things we do? Why do we bother to try to tackle things that are hard. Why do things like go back to school, its hard, it takes away time from the family. Why do we work long hours, and volunteer at church or in our communities. Why do we go the extra mile for a friend in need? Why do we do those often thankless task that need to be done. Why do we make sacrifices for our family or friends?  It is important to remember why. It helps us keep going on the days that are hard.

It is easy when things get hard to forget the "why". Sometimes we need to re-evaluate because it can be easy to just succumb to the pressure of the urgent and to forget about the things that are important. In the case of my church leadership team we are having to add another meeting to tackle things like visions and direction, to be strategic about how to communicate culture. We have in our hearts a kind of church we want to see become strong and vibrant. We will need to be prayerful and purposeful to get from where we are today, small and struggling to thriving. We look around and see so much need but sympathy alone is not enough. How do we become more kingdom focused. The word says to seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto us. I wonder about that sometimes when I feel frustrated trying to make financial ends meet. Here I am serving you Lord and it seems like it is always a struggle financially. I wonder where is the part about all these things being added unto you.  So today I have gone back to see what all those things are.  I've pasted the passage from Matthew 6 below and I will mark all the things that the Lord promises to add to us if we seek first His kingdom.

Part of that seeking first his kingdom seems to be deciding not to worry.

Dang it I'm guilty of that one all too often.  Most of the time I can reel it in but some days it gets the best of me. Help me trust you more Jesus.



Do Not Worry

    25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;

or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food,

and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow

or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

   28 “And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.



It looks like its about food and clothes and physical needs. We are not to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear. But don't miss where it says not to worry about your life, or tomorrow. Those two kind of cover a much bigger bunch of needs and concerns. Like how to pay the bills and all the things that concern us in our daily lives.
So today let us remember to seek first the kingdom, to choose not to worry and to remember as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Its not always easy but its worth it.  I sound like the guy building the plane in the air but I can look back on the difficulties that I have faced in my life and see that they have indeed molded and shaped me for greater service.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
We choose to give you our concerns and our worries. We choose to trust you. Help us to not look back to the old life with yearning but to remember that we have chosen to follow you step by step, day by day. You know our needs and you are able to take care of the things that concern us.
 

Travelers

A Devotional By Margot Cioccio

Nicole, Margot and Tonia on the way to Navigate

Philemon 1: 20 
“Yea, brother, 
let me have the joy
of thee in the Lord: 
refresh my heart in Christ.”

So I am on the airplane and I am reminded of a song by Carolyn Arrends called Travelers. I heard her in concert, tell the story behind the song. She found herself stuck in an airport with all the other travelers. She talked about how it became harder to tell the Saints and the Sinners apart the longer people were made to wait.

So I’m on the airplane and my patience is being tried by a yippy little dog a few rows ahead. Someone  should have given the poor thing a benydril.
We are 15 minutes into the flight and it is still barking, poor thing. Thankfully I just remembered that because of my sons insistence that I took a bunch of my cd’s and put them on my computer in i-tunes. Whoo hoo I have headphones in my purse. Ta da no more little barking dog.

I think most trails are kind of like the barking dog I can focus on it or I can remember to connect to God. In this case I needed headphones and a little pre planning to have what I needed to pull this off. I think our daily quiet time spent with the Lord does little things in us to prepare us to cope with the trials that we face. I know mine is pretty lame today after all Paul was beaten and flogged within an inch of his life. I have little room to gripe. My quiet prayer time, may not seem terribly significant or eventful each and everyday. There are days where I spend most of my time reading His word and others where all I can manage is to sit and share my thoughts and listen for his voice speaking quietly to my heart.

So next to me my friends are busy with the things they brought to entertain themselves as we travel. One has her i-phone and is playing a word game. The other is re-taking a test we all took in preparation for the training conference we are on our way to attend.
I am of course working on writing. I have about 2000 words a day to reach my goal of 50,000 words by the end of November. So far at day number four I am on track. I am getting better at this daily writing thing. It was much harder at first and lately it is becoming something that I find myself looking forward to doing. Six months ago the thought of being able to keep up with this kind of writing schedule seemed impossible.
I could write long letter and notes to various friends with out too much difficulty.
So this writing journey has caused me to stretch and grow and what was hard in the past is becoming a habit.  I’m still not sure where it will take me exactly at this point my short term goal is the 50,000 words for November and then a little longer term goal is to complete 365 posts for this devotional. I’m not sure what is beyond that. I have heard that writers often struggle with developing the daily discipline of writing. I can see how this journey is helping to form and establish that discipline in my life.

Well they are now coming by with the drink cart. What refreshment do I want and need at this time. The song in my ears is talking about how we can become drunk on the things of this world. This world has all that I could want and nothing that I need. This world has nothing for me and this world has every thing.  Seem fitting, we are barraged by so much stuff from the world around us, offering to entertain us, numb our pain, to distract us with the urgent over the important.

I am enjoying the connivence of the concordance in my new i-phone. It as helped to make the job of writing much more efficient. So I took a moment to look up a wee bit of spiritual refreshment to go a long with my airplane refreshment. I found Philemon 1: 20 that says. “Yea, brother, let me have the joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my heart in Christ.” It is from a story about a slave named Onesimus. Paul meets this guy while in prison. He writes to the owners of this slave who are personal friends of his and he asks that they would receive this slave Onesimus back as a brother. He is hand carrying a letter from Paul in which he asks that they would treat him in the same way they would if it were Paul himself coming back to them. Paul say I am sending him back to you but it feels like I am cutting of my right arm in doing so. There are people in our lives who in their absence can feel like a missing right arm. Paul is a man of honor and does not want to do anything behind the backs of the owners of this slave and so he sends him back to make things right. The verse from Philemon 1:20 say Do me this big favor, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good.   It reminds me how as a Christian we need to be reaching out to bring others up in the faith. Paul sets a wonderful example in this by taking this runaway slave and discipling him. He talks of him as if he is a son in the faith. I think there are people we need to sort of adopt into our life and they become close like family. In so doing we model hopefully how to walk day by day in the Lord. Helping them to become solid in the foundations of the faith and how to be led by the Holy Spirit in daily life. There are some folks like Onesimus that need to be encourage at some point to go back and make things right in various situations in their life.  We are to extend not only hospitality to travelers but also to help others much like Paul helps Onesimus. He disciples and trains him in the things of the Lord but he also speaks up on his behalf regarding the change that he has witnessed in this man’s life. He offers to even pay for the damages that Onesimus may have occurred in his previous state of unbelief.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Refresh us and help us to refresh other travelers who are on a journey to know you. Help us to open up our lives and let others in. Help us develop and grow so that we may in turn refresh and help others to grow. Remind us that we are all travelers on a journey to know you more.

The Kingdom of God is like...

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

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Luke 17:20-21
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees 
when the kingdom of God would come, 
Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does
not come with your careful observation,  
²¹ nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or 
‘There it is,’ because the kingdom 
of God is within you.”


It was brought out in one of the sessions at the Navigate conference that I attended that Jesus was a master at shaping culture. He was on a mission to help us to better understand what life in The Kingdom looked like.

Almost every parable Jesus tells is shaping and reinforcing the values of the kingdom.
Matthew 13 is a good example of a variety of example stories given for kingdom living.

The Kingdom of God is like..... in the parables and stories that follow are examples of Jesus reinforcing the culture of the Kingdom. Pretty cool I had not really considered the great importance of the parables before this. I knew they had life lessons but I did not fully connect the dots that in telling those stories Jesus was communicating how he wanted us to begin to function and live as his followers and citizens of the Kingdom of God. 

So in Matthew 13
...like an man who sowed good seed but while he slept an enemy sowed weeds. - hows that handled?
...like a mustard seed - the smallest becomes the largest
...like the yeast or leaven in bread - a little permeates the whole loaf
...like a treasure that man finds hidden in a field - what does he do?
...like a merchant looking for choice pearls - when he finds one how does he respond?
...like a net, that was casts in to the sea, when pulled in the good and the bad is sorted
Matthew 18
...unless you become as little children ... you can’t enter the Kingdom of God

Luke 17 ...the kingdom of God is within you

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 gives some good things to begin to live into.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but might before God to the casting down of strongholds) 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every though into the captivity to the obedience of Christ.

All these things help us begin to realize that God does not do things the way we have always done them in our carnal life before accepting and believing in Jesus. He holds out to us the example of his own life. I see him reaching out to the broken, the outcast, the forgotten, the demon possessed, and a bunch of guys that needed purpose and a reason for getting up in the morning. I think it is interesting that all those guys were willing to die for what they believed. Almost all of them were killed and martyred. Presumably they were given the opportunity to deny him at that point and live but they are rock solid even in the face of torture and looming death.

Jesus poured into them his way of life and the principles of the kingdom in the Sermon on the mount and in the many stories he told and by how he lived and walked among them. He promised he would raise from the dead, he promised to send the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them and us into all truth. He delivered all he said he would do. They were secure in their belief, had it been mere folly these people would have chosen life over the cruel deaths most of them faced.

What does this all mean to you and I?
It means we need to begin to allow the Lord to transform our lives. 
Perhaps you will take the time to read through some of those The Kingdom is like... passages and consider how you might apply those truths to your life.

This is how we do life in the kingdom: In the kingdom of heaven we forgive, we go the extra mile, we race to the cross when we mess up, give sacrificially, we pray for others, we turn the other cheek. we die and we get life. Those are just some of the things that come to mind about how the culture of the kingdom works.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Would you give us great insight as we seek you in your Word, help us to see some ways that we can become more allow the culture of your Kingdom way of living to be more evident in our lives. Thank you for your Holy Spirit leading and guiding us into all truth. We ask for your wisdom as we read these passages about the Kingdom. Help us to be doers of your word and not just those who hear but choose not to respond.

(PS. Sorry I'm running a bit late in getting this posted today. Thanks for your patience)

Do You Have a Chip on Your Shoulder?

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

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Matthew 26:46-49

Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
 ⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, 
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. 
With him was a large crowd armed 
with swords and clubs, sent from the 
chief priests and the elders of the people.  
⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal 
with them: “The one I kiss 
is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ 
Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, 
“Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.


I was going through a little study this morning and the topic was about "Having a Chip on Your Shoulder". You know the pent-up anger or moodyness that can show up at unexpected or at in-appropriate times and generally has nothing to do with the present situation. It is from some wounded place and the scars that have been left. Some of those scars can become so hard that they are like bone chips that work thier way to the surface. As a teenager I had a massive chip on my shoulder regarding my parents divorce. I was angry and dissapointed with them both and at the same time loved them both. I could not understand how if I could love them both, why they could no longer love each other.  That chip spilled over into many of my relationships. I could desperatly want emotional intimacy and at the same time not let anyone really know me much beyond the surface. Some relationships helped me take down some of the walls only to later build them back up higher and wider.

For a long time my mental image of myself was of a princess trapped in a tower, just waiting for the prince to come and free me. Sadly most of the princes that I've met are trapped in thier own mythic prisons. I've realized through the years that if I want out of my tower I need to start removing the bricks and stones that I have used to create it. Really the only prince who truly has the power to help me change is Jesus. He does indeed ride into the final battle astride a white horse. He does indeed come to set the captives free. So for every prince trapped in a dungon or princess trapped in a tower there is hope. The journey to freedom sometimes seems very long but I have learned to keep my eyes and heart focused on the Lord. Others will dissapoint me but He will never leave or forsake me.

For me trusting the Lord is pretty easy. I just look back and remember all the time that He has helped me in the past and I know he will help me in the present and in the future. The hard one for me has been to trust people. I have had to make an effort to let people in. I've come to accept that they will likely disappoint me at some point. I conversely am likely to disappoint the people in my life at various points. We can choose to live lives in lonely isolation or we can forgive when we are hurt, ask the Lord to heal us and decide that deep friendships and emotional intimacy out weighs the inevitable risks of being hurt by those same people. Jesus after all was betrayed by a kiss.

I have a guitar student, a little 10 year old boy. He loves all the old 80's musicians like James Taylor, The Beatles, and Simon and Garfunkel. I try very hard when picking music to choose age approprate music. I really like Simon and Garfunkel but some of the stuff they sing about with a great beat and a catchy tune in my mind is kind of questionable for 10 year olds. One example would be the song Cecillia Your Breaking My Heart. I have moved to allowing my students find and choose their own music. So one of the songs that we have done recently is I Am A Rock by Simon and Garfunkel.
I found myself smiling as this delightful child sang his heart out and had no clue about what the song meant. So I started asking him questions. What is one word that you could use to discribe the person in this song? Lonely he finally answered.  Does this person sound like they might have been hurt by someone important to them? Yes he answered. Do you think he is choosing to deal with that hurt in the best way? He has chosen to be locked up in his room with his books and poetry where no one can touch or hurt him again?  The discussion led on to me asking if he knew the word forgiveness. I got to in that moment plant a seed of  biblical truth in the heart of a child. Forgiveness is the better way to respond when someone hurts you. It does not mean that what they did to you was right. You however keeping them caged up in your heart and memeory really only torment yourself.

So today in thinking about the subject of chips on the shoulder. I find myself wondering what other scar tissue might the Lord want me to deal with in the near future. I know I have plenty to choose from. I've learned to let some things rest until the Lord brings them to my attention. I have found that he does not always fix things in the order that I think he should. Quite often there are deeper wounds that he goes after and he leaves the one that seems urgent and on the surface to me, and goes after the deeper things. I have learned to trust Him as the Great Physician. He who formed my inmost parts and knew me in my mothers womb also knows how to deal with the damage I have sustained and sometimes brought upon myself by not doing things His way.

I have learned through the years that there is indeed an enemy of my soul and he does not shoot at us with nurf bullets and he also will manipulate and use well meaning people but misguided people to be his hands and feet to inflict pain and damage. To help reinforce wrong behavior and ways of dealing with our pain. Our society has created a self centered, look out for number one, mentality that is contrary to how Jesus does things in His kingdom. The last will be first, and seek first the kingdom, give and it shall be given unto you, are just a few examples of how backwards God ways are to those of the culture we live in. Every day we must choose to pick up our cross, to crucify our flesh and carnal nature and put on Christ. I want to be his hands and feet, an ambassador of a far better kingdom and way of living.

So I look at the scars and the broken places that the Lord has healed and I am often thankful for them because he pours his Spirit through them so often when I am praying or encouraging others around me. It is through my brokenness that God seems to minister the most strongly to others in need. I am surprised how many people are taken aback that I understand the pain they are feeling. It seems that most of my scars have turned into compassion and understanding for others. I have had to choose to live in the real world rather than the safe virtual world of the tv- watching reality shows. When I have had a choice of paths to take, I have chosen in most cases the more difficult one. Why you might ask? are you a glutton for punishment? No, but I have discovered that on the more difficult path I get to see Gods wonder working power in an astounding way. I have had the privilege of walking side by side with Jesus. It is an adventure of being led by His Spirit through my days that I would not trade.
My reason for getting out of bed in the morning is that I get to spend all day with Jesus. Some of the things we walk through together are hard and difficult but He is the best guide. He knows how much danger and excitement I can stand. Its generally more than I realize. In the process He has helped me to see my weakness and to find my inner strength in Him.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for walking with each of us on our particular journey. I pray that you will allow us to experience life to the full today. That we will choose to trust you to help us take down walls and remove the chips from our shoulders and heal the wounds of our heat. Make those scarred places areas of our life that are rich with compassion and mercy for others. Allow us to be your hands and feet and your ambassador to the broken and hurting world today. Help us get our eyes off our own problems and to be instead your instrument of blessing to bring living water and hope to others.
 

Salutations and Greetings of Peace

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

2 Timothy 1:2 

To Timothy, my dearly 
beloved son: 

Grace, mercy and peace, 

from God the Father and Christ 
Jesus our Lord.





Have you ever notice the greetings the beginning of the many letters in the New Testiment. It seems to be quite common to start a letter with an opening like the one in the verse above. Perhaps you just breeze past the greeting and move on to the meat of the letter. I have found that how people open, and end letters is often very important. What is the first thing you would say to a friend you had not seen in a very long time. How would you end a letter to that friend. I don't think these bible guys just tossed out these salutaions in a light manner. 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." I think it must be significant that all these letters the opening is about Grace, Mercy and Peace from God.
Here are a few other examples, there are probably more if you go hunting.

Philemon 1:3 (NIV1984)

 ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Titus1:4 (NIV1984)

 ⁴ To Titus, my true son in our common faith:
   Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

1Thessalonians 1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

2 Corinthians1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus  Christ.
The Hebrew word associated with peace is Shalom. I thought this definition was interesting. "One meaning is "Whole", another could be the actual verb "Pay" usually in command form. The conjugated verb has other spins that are worth noting, such as: "Hishtalem" meaning "it was worth it" or "Shulam" as "it was paid for" or "Meshulam" as in "paid in advance." Hence one can jokingly say that, "when it's paid-for then there is peace," as in PEACE HAS A PRICE." 

So what jumps out at me in the quote above found at Wikipedai is we become whole when we accept that Jesus has paid the price, that He is worth it, that He paid in advance. We we come to that realization of what He has done for us it takes us to a whole new understanding of peace.

It strikes me that it not just the writers aim to just lightly wish Grace, Mercy and Peace upon the reader. It reads to me more like they are imparting some sort of blessing. Genesis 12:3 says "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Jesus when he first sent out the disciples told them not to take any thing with them and to go into a town and find a place to stay. If they were treated well they were to cause peace to remain upon the house. If they were treated poorly they were to shake the dust from there feet as they were leaving.  This blessing of peace seems to be a bigger deal that perhaps we have understood.

I generally walk in a pretty high level of peace and when I am disturbed it is a sign to me that something is out of order. The other night I was troubled about a number of things it was late and I needed to go to bed. I realized I was just laying there worrying - which I have found to not be a very fruitful activity. So I got up and went to the other room to pray for a while. I one by one, talked to the Lord about the things that were troubling me. I admitted that I really did'nt know what He was wanting me to do but that my heart was to do things His way. When I don't know how to pray, I often pray in my prayer language. Nothing in my circumstances changed - what did change was my troubled spirit found rest and peace in God the Father. The following day I was pretty sure what things I needed to adjust. I took care of those things and God's peace returned. I think peace is a great indicatior of the Holy Spirits leading. In Isaiah 55:12 it says "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;"
It is one of the indicators that I look for in deciding the direction to proceed. Quite often I will wear and idea for a while to determine the level of peace within it. Granted you can't always tell everything - many things do require a step of faith to be taken at some point. When I wear an idea its kind of like trying on clothes to find one that is the right fit for me. It could be a lovely out fit on someone else but it may look hiddious on me. Which is why we try on clothes before we buy them.  The mirror or the opinion of a friend is often helpful at such time.

When I hold up my spiritual mirror is the what is reflecing back to me the peace of the Lord? Do the people around me measure and feel my peace or are they having to deal with me being all stressed out.  I have learned make myself sensitive to shifts in my level of peace and to quickly take what is concerning me directly to the Lord.

I think the writers of these letters are letting us know up front some things that are very important that should become more and more evident in the lives of believers. Over and over they list three things Grace, Mercy and Peace.  They are I think deserving of a little deeper digging to descover if they might contain some deeper insight that has gotten lost in translation or due to the changes of culture.

"The Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

I would have to agree with Martin Luther King Jr.  I think we can fall in to the decieving peace of complacency when we should be moved to action. To be at peace does not imply that one must be a door mat and let everyone walk all over you. Roosevelt was famous for saying "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far," Which reminds me of the movie Sahara when the enemy looks like they have won but then the battle turns and the heros think it is their own puny efforts that have somehow changed the tide. They come out cheering the victory until they turn around to see they have been backed up by a massive army lined up on the ridge above them.  God is like that for us. The enemy would love to have us be continually harried and harrassed. We can think that we have won the battle on our own until we turn around and realized it is God who has had our back in the spritual battle.

I would love to hear some of your insights on this subject. You can e-mail me directly at princessmargot@hotmail.com or post a coment below. Thanks for reading and following along.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your peace. Let it rest upon us now. Help us to gain a greater understanding of what the concept of Shalom or Peace is in your mind. Your ways are so much higher than ours. So lead us Lord to discover some treasure in regards to this idea of peace as we go through our day.

Go to the Ant...

A Devotional by Margot

Hebrews 6:12  

"That ye be not slothful, 
but followers of them 
who through faith 
and patience 
inherit the promises. 

Several years ago as a homeschool mom I found out about NanoWrimo. (National Novel Writing Month) The goal is to write 50,000 words for your novel in one month. You silence your inner editor and just write with abandon. Editing comes later. They have a young writers version that my younger son Cai will participate in again this year. He as an 11 year old is shooting to write 9000 words this month. My older son Niah is going to try to do the adult word count this year. They will write "Novels". Cai is calling his the Paradox and Niah has not got the name figured out yet. I've decided to participate as well, but I won't be writing a novel. I estimate that I already write about 25,000 words to do this devotional each month. What I'd like to do is, up my word count and build buffer of posts ahead. I may or may not actually hit the 50,000 but if I manage to get some posts ahead it will make getting through the holidays a bit easier. Three years ago I managed 30,000 some of what I wrote was the original buffer at the beginnings of this devotional project.  So there you have my "why" for taking on one more thing in my already busy life. 



I do have to say no to some things. I was asked to participate in a recovery ministry and did go to the first meeting. I like what they are doing and I know it will help a lot of people but I realize that my schedule is too full to really commit to being involved at this time. So last night I sent a note to the leader letting them know I would not be able to participate. There are a lot of good things out there to do but sometimes they are not meant for us but for someone else.  I have found that there are times when if I fill the need to do something the real person who was supposed to do does not rise up to take the opportunity.


Today I decided that the next two week don't really work for me to have my mosaics at the Farmers Market. This weekend I'm at at conference in Minnesota, and next week is the folk music festival that my family has enjoyed going to other years.  I found myself increasingly troubled and realized I needed to adjust some things.Today took down the mosaic display talked to the manager who was fine with my decision.



I have to constantly evaluate the things I take on to do to decide if they really fit into my bigger goals, calling and purpose. I have to ask the Lord is this something you want me to be doing or am I just doing stuff to keep busy to avoid dealing with my heart.  I admit sometimes that is the case and God is gracious to allow me to time to slowly process in my busy state. It sometimes takes me a while to put my finger on what the underlying issue is that I am avoiding dealing with.


I had an interesting discussion with one of my coaching allies about the defining the difference between laziness and tiredness because you need rest. She had an interesting place to draw the line. Laziness was the result of the fear of doing something. Tiredness on the other hand was a sign that you need to rest.


I did a concordance search on laziness or slothfulness and found quite a number of passages.

This first is one of my all time favorites. Some of the others I like as well. I know that there are some of you reading who have been hurt by people who have called you lazy. Perhaps you were paralyzed by a fear of some sort.

 Proverbs 6:6-11

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 

9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.



Proverbs 10:26

As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,

so it the sluggard to them that send him.


 Proverbs 15:19

The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns;

But the path of the upright is made a highway.

It seems that originally the concept of sloth evolved from a word called acedia and was considered one of the 7 deadly sins.  The following is an excerpt from an article at Wikipedia that I found interesting
"Sloth
Main article: Sloth (deadly sin)

Over time, the "acedia" in Pope Gregory's order has come to be closer in meaning to sloth (Latin, Socordia). The focus came to be on the consequences of acedia rather than the cause, and so, by the 17th century, the exact deadly sin referred to was believed to be the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts.
Acedia
Main article: Acedia

Acedia (Latin, acedia) (from Greek ακηδία) is the neglect to take care of something that one should do. It is translated to apathetic listlessness; depression without joy. It is similar to melancholy, although acedia describes the behavior, while melancholy suggests the emotion producing it. In early Christian thought, the lack of joy was regarded as a willful refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world God created; by contrast, apathy was considered a refusal to help others in time of need.

When Thomas Aquinas described acedia in his interpretation of the list, he described it as an uneasiness of the mind, being a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and instability. Dante refined this definition further, describing acedia as the failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's soul; to him it was the middle sin, the only one characterized by an absence or insufficiency of love. Some scholars[who?] have said that the ultimate form of acedia was despair which leads to suicide."


As Christians we are called to not be sluggish, but to imitate those who by faith and patience inherit the promises of God.  Hebrews 6:12 It is the growth of virtue or Christian character that puts and end to laziness. I think it is interesting in the passage above that it is thought to be a result of the absence or insufficiency of love.   I suppose the lack of love would lead one to not care and to become apathetic or lazy or slothful. Good news if this is something you struggle with. We serve a God who is LOVE and He wants to reach in to that deep place in your heart and bring the healing you so desperately want and fear at the same time. He want to set you free but it will take a step of faith to believe that He indeed loves you and truly wants to help you and set you free from your present bondage.  There are likely some things that God has called you to do or be, or perhaps that gifts that you have left un used.  It may be fear that keeps us from using them, self doubt, unbelief, a feeling that we don't deserve such favor in our lives. If that is the case seek God and repent for burying your talent whatever it may be. Ask God to help you begin to use it to bless others, to extend the influence of His Kingdom.


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I pray you will pour out your love into those deep places of hurt. To help us to forgive the harsh words that others have spoken over us. Help us to forgive those who have un-named us and caused us to become apathetic. Help us to begin to grow in virtue and character that the sin of slothfulness or laziness would be a decreasing thing in our life. I pray for those who have been called lazy and as a result have gone over board to prove those words as wrong. Even in the most seemly productive there may be a bitter root that drives one on and on to exhaustion. Above all give us each wisdom to deal with the sin in our own lives and to desire to develop character and virtue in our lives. Not that we would by being better win your favor but out of thankfulness for all that you have provided.

Do You Know Your Bible

A Devotional By  Margot Cioccio

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Philippians 2:12-13 NIV84

  

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, 

as you have always obeyed—

not only in my presence, 

but now much more in my absence—

continue to work out your salvation 

with fear and trembling, 

¹³ for it is God who works in you 

to will and to act according to his good purpose. 

I had an interesting day Sunday. I had fun singing old 80's folk songs with a guy who came to our feeding, who called himself Shadow. Told me his dad was Cat Stevens. Said he was never raised by Cat Stevens because he'd gone off to become a monk. He sure sang and played guitar like Cat Stevens. Vocally he had the same unique Cat Stevens sound. I don't really try to sort out the stories I hear. I generally take them at face value and leave it at that. What I can say for sure is that he was a delightful person and I had the honor of sharing a few songs. I must have prayed with 8 or more people during our service usually its one or two most weeks. I had several people ask me theology 101 questions after the service and during the feeding and I was able to answer them.

One was a guy had been asked by someone when it was that he had gotten saved. In his mind he equated that with when did God make you perfect. I got to explain that they were asking "was there a day that you decided to begin your journey of salvation with Jesus". That is the day that God begins the process not the day of perfection. He was having trouble reconciling the idea of obedience is better than sacrifice from 2nd Samuel with another in James salvation not being by works. It is not ever our good works that make us some how more or less acceptable. Certainly, the Lord has prepared good works for us to do, but those good works are not what save us. They are more a response to an inward change and out of thankfulness we find ourselves wanting to do things more like Jesus. What saves us is not our obedience or good works but Jesus who obeyed and went to the cross and became a sacrifice for our sins. Our righteousness is filthy rags - you just won't be able on your own to make yourself clean enough for a Holy God. We are to be holy like He is holy, but it is not the measure of our cleanness that somehow tips the scales. It is the decision to believe and follow Jesus. Salvation is an on going thing. We must work it out and walk it out day by day as we are lead by the Holy Spirit.  Its a process and a journey.


Taked to another guy about love and hate and realized that he was drunk and his reasoning was circular and I finally told him I agreed to disagree with him. That we were not getting anywhere with our discussion because neither was going to budge from the positions we held. He seemed to be ok with agreeing to disagree. I'll talk to him again.

I have been often asked during our feeding the question "Do you know your bible?" Generally what follows is an attempt to prove you don't with some little known Old Testament story. They are always surprised that I do know my bible and am able to talk to them about it.  The real question is are you really a believer? Or you just another person dishing out a salvation message and not knowing much beyond that message.  The folks on the street don't see that much difference between people who say they are believers and those who are not. I think also they have had to hear a salvation message to get a meal or a coat so many times that they are pretty jaded to it all. After all how many times does one need to get saved to get a coat or a pair of socks. They will tell you anything you want to hear. Most of them can quote all the verses having to do with getting saved. Which is why we find it frustrating when churches from the suburbs sweep in on high to do their yearly good deed. If you want to do something for the inner city poor and homeless, don't just come do your Lone Ranger good deed. Make the effort to work with the ministries that are already down in the inner city. We could all use some help. The majority of Lone Ranger groups never contact us they are not really down here to minister to the poor but to some how ease their own conscious and to some how get the boy scout badge in heaven for serving the poor. There was one group that came down so their folks could practice sharing the gospel. They really didn't care about the homeless it was a training experience for their congregation. Most do their good deed and go home to their cushy churches and we never see them again. Generally these folks bring a meal and some stuff to give away as bait for those who will listen to a salvation message. They make notches in their belt for all the people who got "saved" and go home patting themselves on the back for bringing people into the kingdom. Which makes our work down here that much harder. Down here you have to earn the right to be heard. It can take months of being kind getting to know some of these folks before they will open up and have a real discussion. Even then they have so much pain, brokenness that it is a long long journey to freedom. That life transformation is really helped if there are people who will commit to walk beside them and encourage them. It is most often two steps forward and one step back. They will do really great for a while and then sabotage themselves because they just don't feel they deserve a better life. This is a harvest field that is ripe but takes some real work to bring into the kingdom. I'll stop there on that subject - we need harvesters but don't come unless you can really want to come to know and love these folks because they will see right through you other wise.

All total we fed 154 people yesterday with a very small team. It is God who works in you 

to will and to act according to his good purpose. I know that God is transforming me - as I step by step, day by day work out my salvation. It is a journey of following and walking with Jesus to know Him more. We've had people ask if we've had any special training to work with the poor and homeless. The answer is no - anyone who has been a Christian for more than a year and is spending time in the Word has the training manuel - its called your Bible.
You may not be called to work with the inner city homeless and poor. We are all called to Go and make disciples but that is more than preaching a salvation message.
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. If you have not yet read the book Radical by David Platt I would highly recommend it. Heres a brief summary of the book that I found on Amazon "What is Jesus worth to you?

It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily...

But who do you know who lives like that? Do you?

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus."

Prayer:

Dear Lord,
Help us to work out our salvation, to realize it is a process of picking up our cross daily and following you. That cross is not the cool little emblem around our necks. It is putting our flesh, our carnal nature to death every day and deciding to do things your way. Work in us to will and to act according to your good purpose. Lord thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to lead and guide us on this journey. Thank you for this day and help us be a living Bible to the people who cross our path.