Prayer of Jabez- Deep Down in Me

     Ever since I read the book, The Prayer of Jabez written by Bruce Wilkerson, 1 Chronicles 4:10 has become one of my favorite verses. 
     Below, I attempted a poetic prayer along the lines of Jabez's request. 

      Deep Down in Me

Plant your truth down deep in me

 To live a life of faith that all may see.
Keep me humble, bowing, on my knees;
  Soothe my soul, O Lord, please!

 

As I totter on the rugged edge
  I ask, a protective wedge.
Transform my sinful ways, deeds, desire-
  Deliver me from the fire.

Plant your truth down deep in me

  For victory, surrender, glee;
Keep me strong- away from sin;
  Your strength and love within.

As I struggle giving mercy

  I ask, a pardon- forgiveness from thee;

Transform my weakness, human fault, jealousy-

  Guard me zealously.  

Let me not cause harm or hurts;

 Keep away power the evil one asserts.  

Give me a gospel to honor you;

 Make me thoughtful through and through.

Plant your truth deep down in me;

  Set me free.
Bless me Lord with what abounds
 Until your trumpet sounds. 
                      Mary Crisp Jameson –

 1 Chronicles 4:10 

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,
“Oh, that you would bless me indeed,           
And enlarge my territory,                                   
That Your hand would be with me,
And that You would keep me from evil,              
That I may not cause pain!”                               
So God granted him what he requested.

 

 

 

 

Get There From Here

     “Get There From Here” is a slogan often given by advertisement agencies.  However, while traveling this past week I found myself saying, “Can’t Get There From Here.”   Honestly! We couldn’t.  We had left our motel to fulfill one of the items I had on my “bucket list” of things to do and was attempting to return to the motel.  However, there was a special football game in town at the Cardinal Stadium.  The stadium just happened to be within a block of our motel, and our return to the motel was at the same time the game was getting ready to start.  In order to accommodate the participates, (appeared to be the whole town and more) all nearby streets were either blocked or closed.  Every time we attempted a turn we were redirected the opposite direction onto a nearby street.  We even tried returning to the interstate and going toward our street in a different direction.  There was just no way to get there!
     Actually getting back on the interstate was the worse possible thing we could have done.  We were left with only the option of staying on the interstate headed toward Indiana. If we exited to head back toward Louisville, KY we would end up in the lane of traffic backed up for miles trying to get to the game.  Staying where we were resulted in miles of unforeseen construction.  Finally, out of construction, we took the nearest exit announcing "places to eat."
     Where were we?  At this point, it didn't really matter.  We were hungry, ready to eat, and wait patiently for the traffic to clear.  Embarrassed but laughing, we asked the waitress, "What town are we in?"  As it turned out we were in Clarksville, IN about twelve to fifteen miles away.  The next funniest thing about the situation was the fact that we got to actually watch the game on the television screen from our restaurant seats and then select the right moment to hit the road. 

     Are you lost and  “Can’t Get There From Here?”  If so, it may be time to “Let Go and Let God.”  Psalm 23 tells us, “The Lord is my shepherd…He restoreth my soul…He leadeth me…”

     When we find ourselves on a street that doesn’t go anywhere, we can cry out to God.  Psalm 142, "I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.  I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble.”

     Sometimes, we have to stop and let the red light turn green.  Then, as in our case, when our second attempt at reaching our motel turned into a calm success, we can rejoice as quoted in Psalm 66, “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye land.” 

     I much prefer the slogan “Get There From Here With God’s Help!”

LABOR DAY FOR GOD

     It’s Labor Day in A Friendly Shade!  What better time than now to review what the scriptures say about labor.

     From the beginning of time when Adam and Eve first sinned, man was given a requirement to work.  “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.”  Because of the people in this great land who are willing to work and who are willing to put God first, a prosperous nation has risen.  This is the perfect day to say "Thank you" to all those willing to work in the job positions we are so blessed to have available, and to those who are talented enough to create new industry that provides jobs in the workforce.   
     The following are just a few of the scriptures given regarding our requirement to work.

   

Genesis 2:15  And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.

Genesis 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou return.

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. 

Proverbs 14:23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. 

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 

1 Timothy 5:18  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

     Not only are we given a requirement to work for our livelihood, but our work should be a work for the Lord.  Our work may not be able to seen with the naked eye, but God knows what is in the heart and He sees all.
     Being able to look back on the day and know we treated someone well, prayed for someone, did a good deed, gave of our wealth to the needy, or just performed some simple act to show a labor of love for God is a very rewarding fulfillment.

John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 

Acts 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.  

     God, in His awesome wisdom and love did give us a reprieve from labor even by His own example.  “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”
     I believe we all need to be reminded of these instructions, especially myself.   Our day of rest should be the perfect day to read and think on God’s Word and use the time to praise and honor Him. 

Exodus 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Exodus 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exodus 12:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

#1 Best Seller

    “A Friendly Shade” often finds me reading a good mystery/romance novel.  The one I just finished was listed as “The #1 New York Times Bestseller,” and it was described as “Engaging, quirky characters, a captivating setting, intriguing plot, witty dialogue, and sizzling romance.”

     I don’t know if I would classify it as a “Number 1” best seller, but I do know a book that has been in circulation much, much longer and has been read by many more people, and I would definitely classify it as the “Top #1 Bestseller” in all of history.  This book draws the reader back to it time and time again.  There is no end to how many times you can read this book and keep coming back to read it again. 

     I would further describe the various stories in this is book as “Engaging, quirky characters, captivating settings, intriguing plots, witty dialogue, and sizzling romance.”

     Let me defend myself.  Within the pages of the Bible there are quirky characters.  By definition, quirky is "out of the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion; an unusual habit or way of behaving."  That would describe Noah.  Out in a desert land where there had not been rain, we find a man building an ark.  The people scoffed; they laughed and thought him a fool.  I am sure there was some witty dialogue among the scoffers and those who passed by as Noah sawed, hammered, and nailed.  The plot gets thicker as he marches animals of every kind into this huge completed boat.  Then the rains fall.  No longer did the people remaining outside the ark scoff and laugh.

     We also find Moses who followed God’s instructions when, time after time, the Pharoah agreed to let the Israelites go and, at the last minute, changed his mind.  The intrigue builds higher when the Pharaoh’s army charges after the Israelites.  Moses holds his staff and the waters of the Red Sea divide.  What a miraculous event!   

     Envision the scene with Jonah!  Think about the setting.  Here was a man thrown overboard into the sea and got literally swallowed by a huge fish.  Remarkably, after Jonah repented and decided to follow God, the fish spit him out onto the shore. 

     What about the setting of the story about the fiery furnace and the lion’s den?  Engaging! Captivating! Intriguing!

     I cannot leave out the sizzling romance.  Remember David and  Bathsheba?  Herein, not only lies romance but deceit and murder. A man after God’s own heart created a story line for repentance.   

     Samson and Delilah created a story of what should have been romance and true love, but it was filled with betrayal.  

     Image the romance that must have occurred over the span of fourteen years as Jacob worked for Laban in order to marry Rachel.  Again, after the first seven years, there is deceit when Leah is disguised as Rachel and Jacob marries her instead,  and then he is forced to work another seven years for the hand of Rachel.

     There is courage and fear within the story of David and Goliath.  Envision the scene!  The mighty army was shaking in fear over one huge giant of a man called Goliath.  It took a small boy with a sling shot and one small stone to bring the giant down. 

     There is no way I have touched on all the stories laid out in the book of the Bible that are "engaging, with quirky characters, captivating settings, intriguing plots, witty dialogue, sizzling romance.” and the descriptions given here do not cover them all or even do the book justice.  So many stories!  So many different settings! So much intrigue! 

     There is the wall of Jericho with spies, trumpets, fear, and a mighty shout.  There is deceit when Joseph was sold into slavery, and again when he was lied about and thrown into prison. There is mystery when Moses was found in a basket and rescued by the Pharaoh’s daughter.  Who was this child?  And who, mysteriously, was called to tend and raise the child? 

     We have talked about romance but what about true love?  There is the story of Ruth who left her family to take care of Naomi and then found true love herself with a man named Boaz.  

     Yet, there is one other story I must mention.  It is the most important, the most intriguing, and the most engaging.  This is the story of real, true love not like a love as humans know it.  This love is much greater.  The story starts out with an infant child, being born in a manager.  The angels and the stars announce this great event.  This child is wise.  He grows into a man who could be a King, but he chose  to live a simple life.  He walked the land with no home to call His own.  He healed and did miracle after miracle, yet deceit evolved.  This man, called Jesus, had so much love for those who followed Him that he was willing to give up His very life.  Jesus allowed himself, the very Son of God, to be nailed onto a cross in order to save sinners like us, so that we can have life eternal. What a truly, great indescribable love story!  What is even more captivating is that He rose after the 3^rd day.  He is alive! 

     Please read this book, Bible.   It is the “#1 Best Book” in all of history.