This has been a really bad week of not getting things done as they should have been. Not only did I miss one day of Better Part FB posts, I forgot to put them on here so I always have them! Without further ado...
The Better part, Day #36:
"We couldn’t live as close to Rigel as we do to our sun. That’s because its surface temperature is much hotter, about 21,000 degrees Fahrenheit (11,600 degrees Celsius) in contrast to about 10,000 F (5,500 C) for the sun.
Counting all its radiation (not just visible light, but infrared, ultraviolet and so on), Rigel emits about 120,000 times more energy than the sun; this luminosity is calculated based on a distance of 863 light-years, a distance derived from data collected by the Hipparcos space telescope. With such enormous energy, you might be surprised to find that Rigel has only 21 times more mass, and is 79 times the diameter of our sun."
(From EarthSky)
You might be asking why you have an astronomy lesson here. Well, I got to thinking on what I said this weekend about God having an 'analogue' in our sun. Atenakhen thought so as well, so he changed the Egyptian pantheistic worship to one god- the sun. What he didn't have is this perspective- that as bright, as powerful as it is, our sun is a little bitty fish in an endless pond. And our God made it all. Mankind keeps looking for a god it can see touch, and use- But God is a lot more.
The Better part, Day #37:
Deu 6:6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
Deu 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deu 6:8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Today as I listened to a sermon going over another "to-do" list that I found I had several items checked off, I started to remind myself that 'not everyone is at my level of study, and these sermons are for them.' But then God added on no uncertain terms, "AND TO REMIND YOU." Re-learning is a very blessed form of humility.
The Better Part, Day #38:
Mar 4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
Mar 4:38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
Mar 4:39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mar 4:40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Mar 4:41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
After one of those usual meltdowns at work, I was again bashing myself for my un-Christlike reaction. And the Lord calmed me down by spinning a story based on this passage, which included cussing, Matthew pitching the anchor over without a rope, and Jesus threatening to dump the sea into the Negev. And I realized, I'm not the only one who struggles with their knee-jerk reactions. Eve hid when she sinned (and so did David); Elijah ran away when overwhelmed; but God never threw them away, either. The only one of the reactions I found where God DID cast the react-or off was Saul, when he feared for the Phillistine advance and Samuel wasn't there to sacrifice. But here's the reason- Saul never got past the part where God was a "master" to be "appeased" with sacrifice, instead of a Savior to be beseached.
When I realized that God isn't gonna cast me off for my reaction, I felt better about being "in the same boat" with the Apostles. "Except," I told God, "for all the cussing".
And I felt God saying, "These men were fishermen and tax collectors. How do you THINK they responded?"
The Better part, day #39:
Mar 14:34 And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch."
Mar 14:35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
Mar 14:36 And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
A long time ago when I made a commitment to start every morning with prayer, I noticed it seemed to have a beneficial effect on my day. It can- and sometimes did- lead to an attitude of, "I better pray or my day will be messed up!" But you know, God isn't like that- and that attitude brings us back to King Saul yesterday. "Here's my daily prayer, in the slot, hit the button and get my blessing." No, God will bless heartfelt prayer- but as Jesus knew, even that blessing doesn't guarantee a good, happy, fun-filled day. I must focus on God's will- He'll take care of the day, good or bad.
The better part, day #40:
Act 8:39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
Act 8:40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
This last week, God's theme with me is trusting Him fully, that He won't leave or forsake me. I feel myself being hesitant when I think of how He is moving me- what if I have to leave home, family, life? This passage reminds me that He can safely and in His will move me in an instant. And, that this shouldn't be a fear for me. It tells me that, on the flip side, that I need not be afraid of missing my opportunities, He will put me where He wants me.
The Better part, Day # 41:
Mar 11:30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me."
Mar 11:31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'
Mar 11:32 But shall we say, 'From man'?"--they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.
Mar 11:33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
Sometimes we see the sin we commit, but we don't look at THE sin. For example- a repeating sin that you just haven't been able to lick. Now you see the sin, and what it does to you- but here's the thing: Would you confess it before the masses? Or are you afraid of the people, of letting them know? And yet, there is seemingly no problem in committing it BEFORE GOD. Afraid of people, unafraid of God. And the work of the Spirit is to instill in ME how backwards that is.
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