PASSAGE: Joshua 10:12-14 ~ "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
'O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.'
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its
enemies,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.'
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its
enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!"
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!"
LESSON LEARNED: My sweet friend, Connie, referenced this Scripture in her Simple Woman's Daybook, yesterday, and it got me to thinking about how much I needed to hear that.
We serve such a big God! THE God. And this same mighty God Who loved Joshua so much that He answered his incredible prayer loves us, too. Joshua was a man who fully loved and trusted the Lord; he knew that God is God and there is no other. God loves us the same way. And in His love for us, He has graciously given us talents and desires that are meant to be used.
In his book, Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado says, "The longings of your heart are not incidental, they are critical messages. The desires of your heart are not be ignored, they are to be consulted. As the wind turns the weather vane, so God uses your passions to turn your life. God is too gracious to ask you to do something you hate."
What talents and desires has God put into your heart? What passions? They are there for a purpose. The same God Who prepared Joshua to be such a man of faith that he prayed to God to stop the sun in the sky, is the same God Who has been preparing us to bring those passions to fruition. Have you thought about what those desires are preparing you for?
Life has a way of 'getting away with us,' so if you haven't thought about it for a while, then reading this is no accident! He's already promised that if we ask, seek and knock that the door will be opened for us (Matt. 7:7-8)...so ask...seek...knock! And when the Lord confirms the direction for you to use your talents and desires, then do it.
He's waiting for your prayer and He'll move heaven and earth...and maybe even the sun...to see that you accomplish His purpose!
We serve such a big God! THE God. And this same mighty God Who loved Joshua so much that He answered his incredible prayer loves us, too. Joshua was a man who fully loved and trusted the Lord; he knew that God is God and there is no other. God loves us the same way. And in His love for us, He has graciously given us talents and desires that are meant to be used.
In his book, Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado says, "The longings of your heart are not incidental, they are critical messages. The desires of your heart are not be ignored, they are to be consulted. As the wind turns the weather vane, so God uses your passions to turn your life. God is too gracious to ask you to do something you hate."
What talents and desires has God put into your heart? What passions? They are there for a purpose. The same God Who prepared Joshua to be such a man of faith that he prayed to God to stop the sun in the sky, is the same God Who has been preparing us to bring those passions to fruition. Have you thought about what those desires are preparing you for?
Life has a way of 'getting away with us,' so if you haven't thought about it for a while, then reading this is no accident! He's already promised that if we ask, seek and knock that the door will be opened for us (Matt. 7:7-8)...so ask...seek...knock! And when the Lord confirms the direction for you to use your talents and desires, then do it.
He's waiting for your prayer and He'll move heaven and earth...and maybe even the sun...to see that you accomplish His purpose!
Come and Join Nancy of A Country Mom and I if you are not already participating! We are digging into the Word and sharing what we are learning each Wednesday! All you have to do is share the passage you have read that morning, share your heart on what He is teaching you, follow others who are doing the same and comment on their blog:) Let's learn from the Lord and each other!
Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><
Kim, what a timely message for me. For the past couple of years I have felt so stiffled and lost much of my passions and desires. Even though we have been in a pastorate and busdy I have still felt as if life has been "sucked" out of me. I know it is because I have not been free to share some of my deepest passions and desires. I needed to hear this. God is concerned about us and he-himself placed those passions and desires inside us. So much of what you have shared is exactly what I wrote in my personal journal today. Thanks for the confirmation. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteDearest Kim...I love that part about how God uses your passions to turn your life....that is SO TRUE! I am so blessed to have listened to others who recognized my passions before I could!! THESE special people in my life, if it were not for them, what I am doing now, I would have never done. THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT TODAY! And you are familiar with MENARDS??? WOOOO HOOO!! We are in Minnesota!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely and blessed evening dearest, Anita
Oh Kim, thank you for this posting! This is such an encouraging word for me today! Thank you dear one!
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