Regarding "Friends' Favorites"

Dear Ones,
                 I am currently working on a writing project that I hope to finish by Easter. It is time-consuming, but it's a long overdue act of obedience. I hope you will stay with me through the next 39 days as I post "Friends' Favorites" and some of my own favorite reminders and milestones (in other words, previously posted PFTs) in an effort to utilize what available time I have each day after work. Please pray for me if you think about it. I'd appreciate it and could definitely use the spiritual support! I will need focus... Thank you for being a part of the Promise for Today blogspot. 

                                                                                                            Blessings!

                                                                                                                 Andréa
 

Friends' Favorite - Seed Sown, Seed Grown

It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there's no resurrection, "We eat, we drink, the next day we die," and that's all there is to it. But don't fool yourselves. Don't let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk.
1st Corinthians 15:32b-33a The Message

Continuing...Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.

You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies—sun, moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!

This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we're raised, we're raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!

I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don't in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very "nature" is to die, so how could they "naturally" end up in the Life kingdom?

But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal.

With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 1st Corinthians 15: Verses 35-44, 50-54a, 58 The Message

1st Thessalonians 4:18 tells us to encourage one another with these words. THIS is NOT all there is...

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us for getting caught up in the cares of the world. Help us to stay focused on the prize - Heaven and eternity with You. Help us to bring as many with us as we can. Be with those who have lost loved ones and are still grieving. Strengthen them, Father. Let them be encouraged with Your Words. We look to You the Author and Finisher of our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorite - Comfort Food

And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Luke 6:35 NKJV

My family and friends in the Midwest are in the middle of a brutal winter, as is my family up on the East coast. Here in southeast Texas, we have been enjoying much warmer weather - the 60s and 70s... until this week. The forecast included a blue norther' that blew in by lunchtime, with the long-range forecast predicting a chance of snow north of us near the panhandle. For those of you buried up to your nose in snow at this moment, I'm sure a chance doesn't mean very much to you ... but here? If it snows at 20% like it rains at a 20% chance, we are gonna be in deep drifts. On top of that, it means I'll actually have to go grocery shopping. I absolutely, passionately hate snow and I VERY intensely dislike grocery shopping.

Just thinking about being cold and having snow, I want chili and cornbread and potato soup with thick slices of bread and butter, and beef stew with biscuits and hot apple pie, and hamburger gravy with real mashed potatoes and corn, extra buttered popcorn and hot chocolate made with whole milk and with real whipped cream and peppermint and brownies hot out of the oven - the kind with walnuts... in other words, I want comfort food. And reading FB? So does everyone else who is bracing for snow and cold and ice.

I often wonder why it is we go immediately to food for comfort. Would I settle for a fake life jacket if I were drowning? Would I want a party balloon instead of oxygen if I needed help to breathe? I realize winter is NOT life or death for most people - in most situations, but reaching for substitutes to fill God's place in our lives IS life or death. If we're cold, let's be baptized with the fire of the Holy Spirit. If we're thirsty, let's drink from the Fount of Living Water and we'll never thirst again. Instead of jelly beans, let's have Jesus. Instead of crackers, let's do Christ. Instead of hot Cheetos... I'm just saying if we need comfort food, why not reach for the Bread of Life? There is no greater comfort.

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us when we reach for any substitution to comfort us, instead of You. Lord, You are our one true Comfort. It is only through You we find what we truly need to live and move and have our being. Help us to recognize this Truth and live our lives accordingly. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Shake It Off

As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.
Acts 28:3-6 NLT

Paul was not a man easily swayed by public opinion. When he believed something, he was a man of strong conviction; just as he believed the Way of Jesus the Nazarene was sacrilege and attempted to eradicate anyone who wouldn't renounce the Way... until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

When Paul was faced with the Truth, the presence of Jesus Himself, his beliefs were forever changed. The laws of Moses became living, breathing Words of life and he believed Christ the Messiah with all his heart, mind, soul and strength...

And nothing from that point on changed his mind or his testimony. Not persecution, death threats, beatings, or stoning. Nothing turned him from the Truth.

So here he was, fresh from a shipwreck. One he predicted, and then prophesied that they would all survive in spite of the odds. And they did. He survived all that only to be bitten by a poisonous snake. The island people passed judgment and just knew he was going to die. When he didn't, they passed judgment again that he was a god. Either way, it didn't matter. You see, Christ had spoken that Paul would deliver the Good News and Paul believed His Truth. Unwavering, not moved by public opinion; Paul did what he had done from the start of his ministry. He shook it off. Beat him and leave him for dead? He shook it off. Beaten and wrongfully imprisoned. He shook it off. Shipwrecked and snake-bit; he shook it off.

What has God told you to do? How many have told you there's no way you can do that? How many trials and tribulations have you faced? How many obstacles in your way? Shake it off...

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to set our faces like a flint and not be deterred from what You have declared over us. Your Word is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, joint and marrow - exposing our innermost thoughts and desires. We are accountable to You, Father. Let us believe Your Word with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and live and walk accordingly. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Before You Go

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8 NLT

Fix your thoughts... "To calculate; plan to implement" is what it really means. 

It's like doing a JSA at work; an acronym for Job Safety Analysis. It's a form that we complete before attempting any task that requires the use of tools or before going into an area that has a risk potential. We take 5 or 10 minutes to assess the possible risks. What could go wrong if we're not paying attention? What are the potential hazards given the work we're about to do? What is the proper preparation and handling of the tools? Will they be used in the correct manner for which they were created - the right tool for the right job? Is the supervisor aware of what we're going to do? To whom will we be accountable for our actions to perform the task(s) according to the guidelines provided for safe execution?

Before we begin our day, we should plan to implement in every life situation what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. We should plan to respond as Christ who chose to forgive before going to the Cross. Who chose to serve and wash the feet of the very one who would betray Him, and the rest who would desert Him before the night was over. Who at all times chose love over every other option available to Him. 

BEFORE you go to work in the morning, take the time to complete your Christian JSA. You know the hazards, the potential risks. Plan to implement love and grace and forgiveness for your co-workers. Yes, even for the I.T. department. Prepare and plan to execute what is true and honorable and right... BEFORE you go in.

Prayer:

Father,
          Help us to learn and implement into our daily choices what Christ modeled before us. Holy Spirit, remind us to fix our thoughts and intentions on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Help us to remember to use the tools You have provided; that our weapons are not carnal because we are not to wrestle with flesh and blood. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Except You Come as a Child

He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Psalm 24:5-6 ESV

My youngest granddaughter (5 years old) spent the night at my house last night. It's always a great time. She likes to go to Chick-Fil-A because they have a small play area there, so we went. Typically, she will eat some and play a little while and then repeat until she is finished eating and finally "played out". 

During Round Two of playing, there were other children in the play area, and I noticed my granddaughter talking earnestly with a little girl whose grandparents were sitting on the other side of the playroom. As she finished using her fingers to count off whatever points she was making, she asked, "Where's your mom and dad?", then walked to the glass where the other grandmother sat, who motioned that she couldn't hear and for the grandfather to go see what was going on. He opened the door to the playroom and without preamble, my granddaughter asked, "Why doesn't she know about God and Jesus?" I was ready to jump in if needed, but the grandfather replied, "She does know about God and Jesus." He assured her, "We go to church, too." As he stepped back out of the playroom, he turned to me and remarked, "You've got an evangelist there, eh?" 

The Chick-Fil-A employee standing next to me remarked, "We should all be so bold with our witness."

Prayer:

Father,
          Give us the boldness to witness to those You place within our sphere of influence! Holy Spirit, fire up our hearts and pour out a fresh anointing of courage and commitment to spread the Gospel wherever we find ourselves. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Is It Right?

The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Jonah 4:4 NLT

That is a loaded question. In today's vernacular, that's God saying to Jonah, "Really? That's how you want to play this?" And while it's easy for us to see that Jonah was having a Pouting Party, before we get into judgment, I wonder how often we do the same thing.

I don't want to be nice to that person; he irritates me! 

I don't want to witness to her; she'll make fun of me.

I don't want to give money to that - You know I've been saving for that thing I want.

I don't want to go to ___________. They don't have air-conditioning...

Yes, I know that's ridiculous, but we pout over that and so much less. Especially if whatever God asks is going to take us out of our comfort zone. What has God been asking you to do lately? What has been your response?

Prayer:

Father, 

           Forgive us for our less than agreeable attitudes. Change our hearts. Make us more like You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen