Good morning! Man! It feels so good to have gotten a really good night sleep. I just feel great this morning! My husband took me out for my birthday last night, so that was nice. We had a great time and enjoyed a yummy dinner at one of our favorites, Carrabba's.
Well... we're going to change things up a little bit with these devotions. As the Lord leads, I'm just going to uncover some truths I/we've learned along the way. Some of those truths that really either built our faith or rocked our foundation. SO... I hope you enjoy. Our Proverbs/Psalms journey has temporarily come to an end, but feel free to continue reading them.
Indiana Tournament of Champions. One day. 9 events & scholarship money to the top 4 contenders. This would be the 3rd year that I participated, and I was coming back as the returning Champion. The previous year, I had walked away with the grand prize of $2500 in scholarship money, and boy did that help. My track and cross country scholarships did not pay for everything, so I worked through college, had loans, applied for grants, and looked for any type of scholarships I could acquire.
This year, this time it was different. For some reason, over the last month I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to just dig into the Word. In my flesh, it seemed natural that I should be training, I should be practicing. Swimming, tennis, running, basketball, golf... I should be working on my skills. I really needed that $2500. But, this time, this year, I wasn't released to spend all that time practicing. Matthew. The Holy Spirit had me just devouring the book of Matthew. I was reading it. And re-reading it. It was becoming real and alive to me. Mornings at my parents house, out by the pool, sitting in the gazebo just taking notes, journaling, reading. A whole month worth.
I traveled to Michigan to a friends graduation reception. Her uncle had come in from Las Vegas.... wouldn't you know, that one night we were in the living room and the door opened and he just began asking questions about God, Jesus... about specific things I had been reading and studying for the whole month. Each question went right back to an area in Matthew where I had studied, and I was able to share, chapter & verse, answers to his questions. I believed I was placed there for that time, ready, prepared to share with him.
Back home... the Saturday had come. The Tournament of Champions was here. I returned, the hope of another victory in my heart. I really needed this money for school. As the day flew by, event after event, it all came to a close. Me, the returning Champion, turned in a 4th place performance. $500. I got in my car and the tears began to come. They were streaming down my face. I remember banging on my steering wheel. "LORD! I needed that money! I need that for school!"
Tears streaming down my face, I drove home, stopped at the mail box on my way in the drive. An envelope addressed to me caught my attention. I opened it. Inside was a check for $2500. 'Congratulations. You have received this grant for school.' Tears began to stream again. The Lord hadn't forgotten me. It wasn't his plan for me to win the Tournament of Champions this year. He had provided!
And Phil. 4:19 was real to me, AND MY GOD shall LIBERALLY supply ALL of my needs according to HIS RICHES in glory in Christ Jesus! Praise the Lord! It hadn't happened how I thought it would, but God had supplied and met more than my need. He had LIBERALLY supplied me. I was so thankful. What a wonderful lesson. And I have continued to watch His Word be real and alive to me. His Word come to life. His Word be true!
So today.... will you trust. Will you trust that God WILL supply your need! He won't let you down.
Well... we're going to change things up a little bit with these devotions. As the Lord leads, I'm just going to uncover some truths I/we've learned along the way. Some of those truths that really either built our faith or rocked our foundation. SO... I hope you enjoy. Our Proverbs/Psalms journey has temporarily come to an end, but feel free to continue reading them.
Phil. 4:19 - And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.I was in college, this was over 10 years ago that the realization of this truth first became alive to me. So will you travel back with me.... it was somewhere around 1999.
Indiana Tournament of Champions. One day. 9 events & scholarship money to the top 4 contenders. This would be the 3rd year that I participated, and I was coming back as the returning Champion. The previous year, I had walked away with the grand prize of $2500 in scholarship money, and boy did that help. My track and cross country scholarships did not pay for everything, so I worked through college, had loans, applied for grants, and looked for any type of scholarships I could acquire.
This year, this time it was different. For some reason, over the last month I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to just dig into the Word. In my flesh, it seemed natural that I should be training, I should be practicing. Swimming, tennis, running, basketball, golf... I should be working on my skills. I really needed that $2500. But, this time, this year, I wasn't released to spend all that time practicing. Matthew. The Holy Spirit had me just devouring the book of Matthew. I was reading it. And re-reading it. It was becoming real and alive to me. Mornings at my parents house, out by the pool, sitting in the gazebo just taking notes, journaling, reading. A whole month worth.
I traveled to Michigan to a friends graduation reception. Her uncle had come in from Las Vegas.... wouldn't you know, that one night we were in the living room and the door opened and he just began asking questions about God, Jesus... about specific things I had been reading and studying for the whole month. Each question went right back to an area in Matthew where I had studied, and I was able to share, chapter & verse, answers to his questions. I believed I was placed there for that time, ready, prepared to share with him.
Back home... the Saturday had come. The Tournament of Champions was here. I returned, the hope of another victory in my heart. I really needed this money for school. As the day flew by, event after event, it all came to a close. Me, the returning Champion, turned in a 4th place performance. $500. I got in my car and the tears began to come. They were streaming down my face. I remember banging on my steering wheel. "LORD! I needed that money! I need that for school!"
Tears streaming down my face, I drove home, stopped at the mail box on my way in the drive. An envelope addressed to me caught my attention. I opened it. Inside was a check for $2500. 'Congratulations. You have received this grant for school.' Tears began to stream again. The Lord hadn't forgotten me. It wasn't his plan for me to win the Tournament of Champions this year. He had provided!
And Phil. 4:19 was real to me, AND MY GOD shall LIBERALLY supply ALL of my needs according to HIS RICHES in glory in Christ Jesus! Praise the Lord! It hadn't happened how I thought it would, but God had supplied and met more than my need. He had LIBERALLY supplied me. I was so thankful. What a wonderful lesson. And I have continued to watch His Word be real and alive to me. His Word come to life. His Word be true!
So today.... will you trust. Will you trust that God WILL supply your need! He won't let you down.
