#207 - Fresh Baked Brownies

Good morning! I pray your day has started off well! We are going to get into the Word, so I KNOW that is a great way to start off our day. Let's go... 

Proverbs 26:23 - Burning lips [uttering insincere words of love] and a wicked heart are like an earthen vessel covered with the scum thrown off from molten silver [making it appear to be solid silver].


Proverbs 31:26 - She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].


Have you ever walked into someones home and you smell the aroma of freshly baked, straight out of the oven, chocolate brownies? Immediately your mouth starts watering and you envision yourself biting into the warm, chocolate & caramel goodness. The taste sinks in further when you envision the tall glass of cold milk, sitting right by your plate waiting for you to wash down the special treat. 


This morning as I read Proverbs 26:23, I couldn't help but think about brownies. Imagine this... as you sink your teeth into this soft, gooey brownie you respond with, "Mom, how did you make these? They are so good. They have to be the best brownies I have ever eaten! Did you use any special ingredients? I've got to get the recipe." 


Mom responds back to you, "Actually, yes I did do something different with them this time. Aside from cocoa, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla....I used a new, very special ingredient." 


You polish off the first brownie and begin to reach for brownie #2, it just seems worth it. The thought of some extra fluff around your mid-drift is un-important, you think, you'll just skip a meal or something.  


"Well, tell me! I've got to know what that special ingredient is so I can add it to my brownies! What did you use?" You ask. 


"Well, as I was on my walk this morning, I stopped by the dog park. With my little plastic bag, I picked up a fresh piece of dog doo-doo. I used about a tablespoon of that in the brownies I made this morning. It was just a little, but that was the special ingredient." 


You gasp and begin trying to spit out the already swallowed bites you'd taken of the brownie. 


The importance of our words are crucial. In Proverbs 26:23, it talks about the same idea. A fraud, a misrepresentation, a fake, a phony. It talks about an object that is covered in scum. The person takes this object covered in scum & tries to camouflage it with silver, making it appear authentic. Like kind words, wrapped in a smile and sincere eyes, "I'm so happy for you. What a blessing that you got this new car. You really deserve it." As you walk away your thoughts reflect nothing of the sort. "I can't believe she got a new car! If anyone deserves a new car it's ME! She's not even as good of a Christian as I am. I mean, I know a lot more about the Bible than she does! Ahhhhhh!" 


How often to our words and actions not reflect what is in our heart. We put on a religious spirit, to look good, only being deceitful to ourselves and others. Do we truly have a grateful heart, a thankful and excited heart for what our friend or family member has been blessed with? Are we just coveting & cursing the very blessing that they received?


It's like the small piece of "dog doo-doo" in the brownies. Not knowing the special ingredients, you eat one, go for a second, and really want to reach for a 3rd. The moment you realize the special ingredient is repulsive, you want to vomit up the very first bite. Insincere words are the same. Insincere words is like scum or dog doo-doo, a replacement, a fake. Proverbs 26 goes on to say that this person is not to be trusted, that he is wicked. 


I don't know about you, but it makes me want to be more cautious in the words that I do say to people and the attitude of my heart. It makes me want to remember that God is no respecter of persons, if He will do it for one person, he will do it for me. He is a good God and gives good gifts to His children. It makes me want to do an attitude check. Am I really happy for this person? Or are my feelings that of resentment? Instead of resentment, can I turn my feelings around and make them be feelings that will build my faith? 


God is for me! God gives good gifts! And He will give them to me too!  

_____________________________

PS - Thanks to the anonymous but kind person that contacted me about a few spelling errors! I must say, with a 2 year old and being pregnant, editing doesn't always happen! Maybe I should put a disclaimer on the page? Praise God with writing books I will have Editors! :) Thanks again!

#174 - Is there enough Time in Today?

Good morning! :) I pray all is well with you?! Things here are great. Went to bed a bit early, starting out the morning awesome, and the Word of God is ALIVE & ACTIVE like a two-edged sword! Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." The WORD is ALL of that! That is powerful! Well, praise God that we serve a RISEN Savior! That even today, we can commune with, be directed by & enjoy a friendship with a living God! I'm thankful for that!

Proverbs 31:15 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.

This morning as I sat down to have my Quiet Time, I began to journal.... and this morning I began listing out ALLLLLL the things that are on my mental "To-Do" list. In a way I was kind of whining to the Lord. Not really totally whining, but just trying to figure out what has the most priority on it, because all the things are important. I was just journaling out my thoughts to the Lord, kind of in a "HELP" mode. Have you ever done that? Either in your mind, on paper or out-loud? You think, "How is it humanly possible to get all of this done today? I just need more time." Well... those were some of my thoughts.

I read through Proverbs 26, nothing really jumping out at me except the obvious.... "don't be a fool!" It talked a lot about "the fool." I then proceeded to jump over to Proverbs 31. Though I have read this chapter what seems like hundreds of times, I just felt like this amazing woman must have some insight into planning. I just knew that she surely had it together in this area of "accomplishing" and "getting things done." I mean, she is the infamous Proverbs 31 woman! She is the woman who "excels them all" as it says in verse 29. Surely she could reveal to me the secret. Right?

I read through the chapter, through my underlining, circled words, highlighting, scratches in the margins... and as I completed the chapter, I was still just drawn back to one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 31:15. I say "favorite"... but it may just jump out at me because it is still something that I know I need to work on. Now, don't you go and tell Tyler to read this devotion! He doesn't read all of them, but this one, he could very well come out saying, "I told you so!" But, praise the Lord for Tyler. He's an amazing husband and probably the #1 thing he's learned over the years is to cast ME on the Lord. He doesn't try to change me, he just casts me on the Lord. He lets the Lord deal with me and make me better! Which is good.... probably the stubbornness of my childhood may just rear up and buck if someone tried to "make me do something." However, the Lord has His way of prodding us, doesn't He?

So, I'm reading Proverbs 31:15, "She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks." Sure, we know that Franklin Covey wasn't around when this was originally written. As well, she wasn't able to go down to her nearest Office Depot to pick up a DayTimer. Right? But.... imagine with me, if you could read while closing your eyes, I'd have you do that... but just imagine this... She, our Proverbs 31 friend & example, wakes up, crawls out of bed leaving her sleeping husband still there, she quietly puts on her house-shoes (slippers for those of you up north!), brushes her teeth and pulls up her hair, then slips downstairs. The house is quiet, the windows reveal the darkness still hanging outside, the birds are even still sleeping and the only sound is the occasional chirp of a cricket. She gets the coffee ready and pours herself a cup, most likely doctoring it with honey or something good for you (OK, she might not even drink coffee... just go with me on this. *wink*) There at the table, she sits down and begins to get her "spiritual food." She begins getting in the Word, listening and talking to the Holy Spirit. She is not beyond learning. She is pulling out gold nuggets from the Word, she is learning, she is growing. After her spiritual hunger is filled, she moves on to listing out the tasks and assignments of that day, including what the maids are to accomplish. I would imagine, she also lists out those things that SHE wants to accomplish that day. With the direction of the Holy Spirit, she prioritizes & is led with a plan for the day. Since she is in-tune with the Holy Spirit, and has already been communing with Him, if she writes something down that would be done in vain, HE prompts her not to do that today, it wouldn't go well, the person that you need to talk to wouldn't be there, so don't go to the "Market Store" today. She LISTENS to the promptings, wraps up her list/schedule of activities for the day, begins to prepare breakfast for her family, slips back upstairs to put on her clothes for the day, a touch of make-up, her hair in a neat pony-tail, and the hustle and bustle of the house begins! The house awakens. The birds begin to chirp, the kids begin to arouse, and everyone wakes up hungry and ready to eat, the smell of bacon already pulling them out of bed.

Sounds like a "dreamy" morning, doesn't it? Peaceful, but planned. Just the idea of "coming out with a plan" for the day sounds grande, doesn't it? I know I went through a season of doing really good at this! I accomplished a LOT with "planning my day." As I read this morning, I was prompted that ALL of my things can get done if I would only have a plan. "You can't just fly by the seat of your pants if you want to accomplish all that I have for you," I felt the Holy Spirit prompting.

So... this morning, I'm getting my notebook back out. "6 Things Before 11:00" was one of my goals. It allowed me to accomplish a lot. God has big plans for me, so I need to PLAN in order to get done all that He has for me!

Do you need to plan too? Is there enough time in today? There is EXACLY enough time to accomplish the things the Holy Spirit wants me & you to accomplish, we just have to ask Him!

XOXO!

Be blessed! ~ Amy J