Many times as I have my devotions, I type the thoughts the Lord teaches me in my devotional journal on my computer. Often I’ll type a word and then see it underlined in red. Red underlined words mean that word isn’t spelled correctly – or that it isn’t a word in the dictionary of my computer. The word “servanthood” is one such word – it’s just not in the vocabulary of Microsoft Office Word! But it is a word, and it was one that was in the vocabulary of Jesus; as a matter of fact, it was the essence of His life!

Servanthood isn’t in the vocabulary of two men in the book of Mark either. In Mark 10:35-52 we read of two times where a request is asked of Jesus. The first request is made by James and John. When Jesus approaches them He asks, “What is it that I should do for you?” They then ask that they be granted to be seated one on each side of His right hand in glory. Jesus tells them that it is not for Him to grant such a thing. The answer was “no.”

In the next part of the passage we read about blind Bartimaeus crying out to Jesus. Jesus comes and asks him the same question He asked James and John – “What is it that I should do for you?” Bartimaeus says, “That I may receive my sight.” Immediately Jesus tells him to go his way; his faith had made him whole. The answer was “Yes!”

What is the difference in these two requests? The first request would have magnified James and John. Being served was what they desired! They were looking for a position. Jesus told them and the rest of the disciples that whoever would be great must be the servant of all. Jesus was just that. How humbling it must have been for James and John to realize that they wanted to be something that was contrary to the very nature of our Savior!

In the next scenario when Bartimaeus is cured of his blindness. we see clearly that Jesus is exalted – not Bartimaeus. After his healing Bart followed Jesus “in the way.” He wasn’t seeking for a following for himself; he now became a disciple.

The difference in the two requests was their motive. The things that we ask God for must be things that would exalt Him. If we’re asking Him to grant something so we can have a position or get recognition can we really expect Him to give it to us? If there’s a matter we’ve been praying about and the answer has been “no” perhaps we need to look at it and ask ourselves if this would exalt Christ or ourselves. Oh, initially we might not have that thought of self- exaltation, but what about the hidden motive of our heart? We need to ask the Lord to search us and see if we have a right attitude concerning the thing we’re asking Him for.

Jesus left the glories of heaven to come to earth to humble Himself to be a servant. Everything we do, and every request we make should resemble our Savior. Is servanthood in your vocabulary?

Another Monday is here …another week, another month – with needs to be met and demands to fulfill. How can a woman do it all and not end up in the crazy house in the process? It can only happen when we realize that we cannot do it all, but the Lord can. We are so limited in what we can do and God is so boundless! We can’t do anything without His enablement. Consider:

A Woman can:
feed a hungry family
administer medicine
teach a child
love her husband
discipline a child
teach a Bible lesson
exercise her body
quiet a restless child
clean a dirty house
put a child to bed
sing a song

But only God can:
bring nourishment to their body
bring healing
impart wisdom
unite their hearts
break their will
convict of sin
give strength
give peace
clean a sinful heart
make them sleep
give a song

I find that the best place to acknowledge my need for God and His authority in my life is on my knees each morning. I give Him the demands on my day and my burdens. It is only then that I am able to see the second column – the things only God can do begin to take place.
What has He done for you today? I’d love to hear about it!

The memory is from many years ago, but it was one of those moments that has lodged itself into my mind and pops up frequently. My mom was visiting in our home and was helping with supper preparations. She opened the silverware drawer to get a needed utensil and then I heard her say in disgust, “Denise, there are crumbs in your silverware tray!” How embarrassing! I hadn’t noticed them, but it was obvious that they were there and that they were disturbing upon discovery.

How do crumbs get in the silverware tray? I mean you’re not eating when you open the drawer because you need the silverware in order to eat…so where do they come from? Clean silverware is placed here and it should be kept clean! The tray got emptied and cleaned out and is now checked on a regular basis. A lesson was learned – check the silverware tray often and especially before Mom visits!

The reason that finding crumbs in the drawer is disturbing is because they are not supposed to be there! As I think on this scene I am reminded of areas in my spiritual life where the Lord reveals to me things that are in my heart that should not be there – an attitude that displeases Him, a sharp tongue, a critical spirit or discontentment. As it is revealed to me my initial response is often, “Where did that come from? That’s not supposed to be there! What’s worse is that the things that are in my heart will eventually come out in my words. Luke 6:45 says “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance of the heart this mouth speaketh.” Yes, those attitudes that the Lord reveals to me have also made their way out my mouth! James tells us in chapter 3 verse 10 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” Do you know what he’s really saying? You have crumbs in your silverware tray! Your heart has clean and dirty things in it, and this is not supposed to be! Praise the Lord for the cleansing of I John 1:9 when I confess and God cleanses and forgives me. The “silverware tray” gets wiped out and I’m in fellowship with God again.

Have you opened the drawer lately and let the Lord show you what’s really there? Not a pretty sight, is it? There’s really no shame in the crumbs’ discovery, only the neglect of cleaning them out once you find them. It’s not your mom who is looking; it’s our loving God that sent His Son to die so we might have our sin forgiven. The wash water of His Word does wonders!

A little side note about the scene with my mom – she doesn’t even remember finding the crumbs, but it’s become a funny thing between us. If nothing else, it’s taught me to be more careful in my home and in my heart!

Now, go check your silverware tray – you know you’re curious! Please tell me you found crumbs there!

Today we are taking Allison on her second college trip. She is full of wondering what the future will hold and where the Lord will direct her in reference to her college years. She made the statement the other day that we’ve all probably thought at one time or another – “I wish the Lord would just write His will about this in the sky.”

At that moment we had one of those mother-daughter talks that I pray she’ll always remember – I know I will. I shared with her a truth that was taught at The Wilds a few years back. Here’s a summary of our conversation:

Knowing and doing God’s will seems like this huge undertaking, but in reality it is very simple. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” This verse is telling us to obey the moral will of God, His commands. So first you need to ask yourself

• “Am I walking with God at this moment?” Then ask yourself
• “Is there any sin in my life that I have not confessed?” Thirdly ask,
• “Would this thing I desire honor God?”

As long as you’re know you can answer the questions to the affirmative then Psalm 37:4 encourages us to then do what you want to do! Does that sound radical? It isn’t. It isn’t a free-for-all – go out there and do whatever you want and God won’t care situation. Remember you must be obeying God’s Word, walking with Him and making a choice that would please the Lord.

Some decisions are so obvious. If a woman was trying to decide if she should marry an unsaved man, the answer is clear because it goes against God’s Word (the third question). But how about making a decision about something more vague like buying a house? There are no verses in the Bible about this! You’ve found several you like, they would keep you close to a good Bible teaching church, and are the right size, but you want to know which one is God’s will. Again, ask yourself the three questions, and then do what you like! If one was over your budget and would cause you to go into debt with a possibility of not being able to keep up your payments, the Lord’s answer on that one is clear.

Now about these colleges, they’re good Christian schools that would keep you close to the Lord and would train you for His service. Ask yourself the three questions before making your decision, and then do what you like…He will give you the desires of your heart! It’s really that simple.

God doesn’t want His will to be hard to find; we’re the ones that complicate it. In its simplest form it is: Delight then Do!

The empty nest is approaching oh so quickly…I don’t think this will be as easy as finding God’s will. **Sigh**