Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics by Brian Littrell singing … I Surrender All … poignantly singing of how we must overcome our selfishness and our desire to control, giving all our cares to Jesus.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Numbers 1:15 [NKJV] … 15 If You [God] treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!”
… Moses was in a God-sized downer!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Numbers 11:1-15 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… The weight of the world’s circumstances can weigh so heavily to be overwhelming … even to a stalwart like Moses.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 145:8-9 [NKJV] … 8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, … slow to anger and great in mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.
… David’s song of gratitude to a loving God.
Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NKJV] … 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.23 They are new every morning; … great is Your faithfulness.
… Remember … if things are downers today, God’s mercies are new tomorrow!!
Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
… Yes, ALL THINGS!!!
Reference Passage : … 1Peter 5:6-7 [NKJV] … 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
… No matter how bad things seem, we can always take our cares to the ONE Who cares for us.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, used a personal confession of a time of selfishness to illustrate that we all can have God-sized “downers” in our life. The ODB author writes … The years of weariness caused by chronic pain and frustrations with my limited mobility had finally caught up with me. In my discontent, I became demanding and ungrateful. I began complaining about my husband’s caregiving skills. I griped about the way he cleaned the house. Even though he’s the best cook I know, I fussed about the lack of variety in our meals. When he finally shared that my grumbling hurt his feelings, I was resentful. He had no idea what I was going through. Eventually, God helped me see my wrongs, and I asked my husband and the Lord for forgiveness.
Longing for different circumstances can lead to complaining, and even a form of relationship damaging self-centeredness.
Ever been in a God-sized downer, like the ODB author, which had you mired in selfishness and grumbling at almost everything? I can imagine others, like me, saying, “Yeah, … been there, got that T-shirt!!” And perhaps some reading here are wearing that t-shirt right now. … Well, don’t feel like you’re all alone; because some really great giants of the faith had their God-sized downers too.
In today’s highlight passage, Moses (he’s pretty much a Bible biggie, wouldn’t you say), prayed to have God take his life he was so depressed about God’s grumbling people. And you may remember that Elijah and Jonah [see 1Kings 19:4 and Jonah 4:3] also prayed to have God take their lives in really big downer moments in their lives. And I’m sure down the road of their lives, all of these men of God were glad that God doesn’t say “YES” to every one of their prayers.
My fellow Christian, I know that Romans 8:28 is a tough truth to take at times, isn’t it? But it’s either true or not; and if it’s true [which it is!!], even the God-sized downers are for our good; and I pray we can see that clearly today and go with an attitude of gratitude instead of a t-shirt with labels us as God-sized grumblers.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for ALWAYS being there with your mercies, which are new every morning!!
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that you help me have an attitude of gratitude today … and tomorrow. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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