99 Days of Summer; As Richard and I planned or "vacation" for this year, and decided we
would make it a "stay-cation" as we did several years ago, we decided on
an option a little different than last time. Rather than Day Trips or
activities, we decided to treat our house like a vacation home or cabin.
We didn't make the bed (that is so hard for me), we didn't cook with
the food in the freezer and pantry (we
bought things we would not normally make, like lobster and clams), we
ate cookies in bed, we spent time in our backyard, we slept in and
stayed in bed reading and talking for hours, we ate at restaurants in
our town that we had never tried before, we got dressed up and splurged
on a nice dinner out, we acted like tourists in our own town. In order
to fully enjoy this type of a vacation you have to set your mind to
thinking like you don't live in your house. Shut doors to rooms that
you wouldn't have in a vacation home, the office, sewing room, etc.
Stop the mail like you would on a regular vacation. Eat foods you enjoy
on vacation and don't fix for everyday meals. We always buy snack food
on trips, but rarely at home. Act like you are on vacation and you
will be. There are several advantages to this type of vacation: 1) No
travel time and you begin to unwind much faster 2) The money you would
spend on gas and hotels can be spent on lasting purchases. We used what
would have been the cost of one day on the road to purchase a new
blender/food processor and the cost of another day on a TV that needed
to be replaced. It was great for the budget. 3) You can help the
economy of your own home town. I highly recommend trying this type of
vacation.
Word for Today, Lean: The Lord has really been speaking to my heart
since listening to the message from Sunday. This is a quote from that
message: "If you are weary and burdened, you have either taken upon
yourself things that the Lord has not intended, or you are fighting
against where He has placed you and the plan He has for you." (HT:
Richard Grom)
This is what the Lord has spoken to my heart regarding this topic:
1) We live in a fallen world, and even though I am a believer in Jesus as my Savior, the choices of others will still impact my life even when they are not God's perfect will for me.
2) God has established a way for me to be able to go through those situations and for me to learn from them.
3) He has allowed me the choice of being yoked to Him in a way perfectly fitted for me that allows Him to carry the burden of the weight in any situation.
4) Just as the eyes of those that came against Israel could not see the spiritual battle that was raging around them, neither can we. I cannot imagine how much worse any situation would be, no matter how bad it looks through my human eyes, if I could see the part Jesus is carrying.
5) I cannot choose what comes into my life, but I can choose to let Jesus carry the bulk of the load, as His yolk for me is intended to do, and, like the younger ox that is is yolked to an older, wiser ox, learn from Him.
6) We will never NOT have a battle, but we will ALWAYS have a choice in how we will walk through it.
One of the action words Jesus uses to teach us is "to trust." This is translated from the original Hebrew, "to lean on." As we willingly wear the yoke God has designed to fit us perfectly we are able to rest, to lean on it, as we tread through whatever comes our way. The younger ox didn't get placed in the yoke with the older ox and just stand there while the older did all the work. He had to follow him, imitate what he was doing, and learn to do the same, or he would have been greatly injured as the other ox pulled him along. He learned to trust the wisdom and strength of the older ox and as he "leaned on" him, he grew stronger with each step he took. He learned when the older ox stopped to stop, not plow on ahead. We will find rest as we lean on Jesus even as we tread through the grain of this life. And just like the ox grew strong, so will we. And, just as the ox ate the reward of his labor, so will we. We must take our eyes off what we are walking through and trust the One that is leading us through it.
"He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever (leans on) the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16: 20
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he (leans on) You. (Lean on) the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength." Isaiah 26: 3 - 4
This is what the Lord has spoken to my heart regarding this topic:
1) We live in a fallen world, and even though I am a believer in Jesus as my Savior, the choices of others will still impact my life even when they are not God's perfect will for me.
2) God has established a way for me to be able to go through those situations and for me to learn from them.
3) He has allowed me the choice of being yoked to Him in a way perfectly fitted for me that allows Him to carry the burden of the weight in any situation.
4) Just as the eyes of those that came against Israel could not see the spiritual battle that was raging around them, neither can we. I cannot imagine how much worse any situation would be, no matter how bad it looks through my human eyes, if I could see the part Jesus is carrying.
5) I cannot choose what comes into my life, but I can choose to let Jesus carry the bulk of the load, as His yolk for me is intended to do, and, like the younger ox that is is yolked to an older, wiser ox, learn from Him.
6) We will never NOT have a battle, but we will ALWAYS have a choice in how we will walk through it.
One of the action words Jesus uses to teach us is "to trust." This is translated from the original Hebrew, "to lean on." As we willingly wear the yoke God has designed to fit us perfectly we are able to rest, to lean on it, as we tread through whatever comes our way. The younger ox didn't get placed in the yoke with the older ox and just stand there while the older did all the work. He had to follow him, imitate what he was doing, and learn to do the same, or he would have been greatly injured as the other ox pulled him along. He learned to trust the wisdom and strength of the older ox and as he "leaned on" him, he grew stronger with each step he took. He learned when the older ox stopped to stop, not plow on ahead. We will find rest as we lean on Jesus even as we tread through the grain of this life. And just like the ox grew strong, so will we. And, just as the ox ate the reward of his labor, so will we. We must take our eyes off what we are walking through and trust the One that is leading us through it.
"He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever (leans on) the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16: 20
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he (leans on) You. (Lean on) the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength." Isaiah 26: 3 - 4
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