Think 'bout iT! #10

I’ve recently decided that I am going to take EMT….well, that’s kind of a funny way of putting it, because I decided a long while ago that I would take EMT, it’s just been recently that the Lord has opened up the doors for me to take it. During the recent process of applying and such my father sent us a link to a daily devotional it was about how sometimes we say we are going through an open door when in actuality we are elbowing our way through that “open door”. In light of that my mother asked me if I had ever prayed about this “open door” for EMT; I hadn’t. I had just assumed that this was the ‘open door’; because of the series of events that had lead up to this I just assumed that this was it;
If you’ve known me for any small amount of time you will know this is something I’ve been trying to do for awhile. Once a senior in high school people would ask, “so what are you going to do now?”
My response would be, “I’m gonna try to take EMT in the fall.” Once Fall came around and I was still sittin’ around someone would ask me, “what are you up to now?”
My response, “I’m gonna try to take EMT in the Winter.” As time would go it came and went so quickly and as the New Year rolled around a person would ask, “what are going to do now?”
My response, “I’m gonna try to take EMT in the Spring.” Again and again this cycle went around – and I often thought deep down inside that it would just never happen. But this New Years; January 2008, the Lord spoke something to me, into my being, and I just knew inside that I was finally going to take it this year. That this was it. In January my family and I took a trip down to Medford OR.
We were standing in the hotel parking lot and I looked at my sister and said, “Em,
I’m gonna take EMT this year. It’s really gonna happen. This is it, I’m gonna take it this Spring.” She gave me that look that said, ‘where did that come from?’ and honestly, I didn’t know. It really just kinda came out of my mouth, other than my sister I hadn’t told anyone.
As Winter was starting to draw to it end, I looked around for opportunities for EMT. All the doors were closed. How could I have been so wrong? So off from what the Lord was telling me? 'Then sun went on rising and setting (few may recognizes that quote ;) even though I had felt I had failed'.

Different things began to open up - I friend of the family told me there was a class going on, I talked to a mentor and they got me going in the right direction and everything seemed to go well. So I just assumed – that this was the open door that the Lord wanted me to take. But then after my mother asked if I had ever prayed about it, a close friend asked me if I had prayed about this decision. Again, actually, I hadn’t. So I began to seek Him about it, but still wondering how could I have been so wrong? How could I have missed His leadings and His word?

But talked to my mother and she said, “This may be the ‘open door’ He wants you to go through, but perhaps He just wants you to pray and ask just so He can smile and say ‘yes.’ He wants you pray about things, the right things, so we’ll know where the gifts are from. So let us ask Him that He may smile and say yes, but also that we may know where are the gifts are from.



Think 'bout iT!

Think 'bout iT! #7 (part 1)

Refuge (part 1)

Refuge:
refuge
c.1386, from O.Fr. refuge, from L. refugium "a taking refuge, place to flee back to," from re- "back" + fugere "to flee" (see fugitive) + -ium "place for."
1) Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.
2) A place providing protection or shelter.
3) A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble. See Synonyms at shelter.
Refuge: noun
1) a safe place; “He ran to safety” [syn: safety]
2) something or someone turned to for assistance or security; "his only recourse was the police"; "took refuge in lying" [syn: recourse]
3) a shelter from danger or hardship
4) act of turning to for assistance; "have recourse to the courts"; "an appeal to his uncle was his last resort" [syn: recourse]
1) shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.: to take refuge from a storm.
2) a place of shelter, protection, or safety.
3) anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.
So, this is Refuge. A couple things I would like to look at, quickly. In one definition it gives an example. The example of “appeal”, I looked it up and here is the definition in short: a calling to a higher justice, for mercy or from the law. Now this will come in later.
Let’s look at the literal definition of “refuge”. In the old French it is “to run away”. It comes from the Latin word “refugium”.
Re-“back” + furgere-“to flee” + ium-“ place for” = a place to flee back to – “refugium”
Interesting. Out of the 47 times “Refuge” is used in the Bible, 10 of them refer to the “cities of refuge” that God had appointed in Numbers. These cities of refuge were given to the Levites, declared by God cities of safety for any manslayer. If someone killed a man, the killer could then flee to any of the cites of refuge and be safe from the dead man’s avenger and even the law. Interesting that God would do that. These cities of refuge were not just for the children of Israel but for anyone.
Numbers 35.15 “These six cities shall be a refuge, [both] for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.” ( The 10 hits are listed here: Numbers 35.6, 11-15, 25-28,32 )

As in the name of God – is a refuge, this city was a refuge from someone running away from the law. God’s name His Son, by the name of Jesus we are saved, there is no other name on earth that man can be saved by, well that name, that refuge, has saved us killers, gentile killers, from the law, the wrath of God. Isn’t that wonderful!! Praise you Jesus! Thank you!
Mama came to me with a question. She said that there are different refuges, like dens, or towers or even secret places. Mama said that there is a song that sings about God’s name being a “refuge like no other”, “a strong tower”. What exactly did that mean? So, thus I’m here pecking away at these keys today. Plus it’s a great way to try to put to practice what Mama, Papa, Grandpa Glenn and Pastor Jon have been saying.
Anyway, this “refuge” in all these references is the “Asylum” refuge. Which makes sense since it is referring to cities. When looking up in the Strong’s what the root word refuge was in Numbers’ context, I found that it was rooted in another word in a talking sense. The Hebrew word was “Qalat” pronounced “ka-lat”. Well what I didn’t understand was the definition of this word. What on earth did it have to do with “cities of refuge” for killers? Read it for your self:
(Qal) to be stunted, be handicapped, be deformed (of a sacrificial animal lacking body parts)
Weird, I’m a right? What does that have to do with anything? It wasn’t till I looked up the word “asylum” did it make any sense at all. Read on.
Asylum
1) (esp. formerly) an institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill, orphans, or other persons requiring specialized assistance. An institution for the care of people, especially those with physical or mental impairments, who require organized supervision or assistance.
2) an inviolable refuge, as formerly for criminals and debtors; sanctuary: He sought asylum in the church.
3) International Law:
a. A refuge granted an alien by a sovereign state on its own territory.
b. A temporary refuge granted political offenders, esp. in a foreign embassy.
4) Any secure retreat. This one is a biggie. Think ‘bout iT!
Asylum c.1430, from L. asylum "sanctuary," from Gk. asylon "refuge," neut. of asylos "inviolable," from a- "without" + syle "right of seizure." So lit. "an inviolable place."
Literally, it means, “refuge, safety, in a sanctuary without the right to seize.” Isn’t that way cool? That is God to us. No one can snatch us out of His hand… “For My Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are One.” That’s us!! He’s talking about us. Nobody can take us from Him. That is something awesome to know.

I’m getting side tracked. Hope you enjoyed that little detour, but back to the “handicapped”, and the “persons requiring organized supervision or assistance”. Qalat was referring to a sacrificial animal. What’s that got to do with us? I think there is a lot. We can’t pay the price that God’s law demanded. Why? Because we are imperfect. Defected. We are Qalat. But our Refuge, the Lamb that was slain was and is prefect. For that on Calvary He was slain, the price was paid, not just appealed for mercy but justified, and for that praise God, we are redeemed.

Think 'bout iT! #6

Delight

“Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I believe that’s how it goes.

There are so many things that I want – thing that my heart desires. Some of them are right – others are perhaps fantasies. But what does it mean to “delight” ones self in another.
1. Here is some definitions of “delight”; Delight: a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture, something that gives great pleasure, to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly, have great pleasure; take pleasure, Great pleasure; joy.
2. Something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment.
3. To take great pleasure or joy: delights in taking long walks.
4. To give great pleasure or joy: an old movie that still delights.
5. Middle English delit, from Old French, a pleasure, from delitier, to please, charm, from Latin dēlectāre : dē-, intensive pref.; see de- + lactāre, frequentative of lacere, to entice.] a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction, something or someone that provides a source of happiness, give pleasure to or be pleasing to, take delight in, hold spellbound [syn: enchant] [ant: disenchant]

I know that there are a lot of definitions but look at them – see the last one. “hold spellbound – enchant” Interesting. To be almost entertained, to enjoy, to be pleased.

What do you think about that? It seems to mean to be captivated and satisfied in our Lord. To know that He is enough, to enjoy Him, just to be satisfied in His presence.
To delight my ones self in Him:

“Delight yourself in the Lordand he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalms 37.4