Matthew 6:31-33

Mornin', y'all! :D
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Matthew 6:31-33
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Mom and I went to a Bible study last night and the topic was "contentment". These verses came up, and we got to talking about George Mueller and how completely he depended on God, never asking anyone for anything or storing things up ahead of time "in case of a rainy day". That was the life God had called him to, and God proved himself faithful to George and the orphans he cared for over and over and over again.
But I got to wondering--does God call everyone to live *that* sort of life? Where does complete dependence on God meet the wisdom of planning and providing? So, with that question in mind, I pulled out my trusty concordance this morning and looked up the words like "prepare" and "provide" (and their various forms), and here's some of what I found:

• God provided the lamb for sacrifice in place of Isaac. (Genesis 22)
• God provided food and water for the Israelites in the desert. (Exodus 16:11-15, 17:1-7)
• The disciples were commanded not to take money or provision when Jesus sent them out by twos. (Matthew 10:9-10)
• And many other times when God alone provided for His people.

On the flip side:

• Husbands and fathers are to provide for their families. (1 Timothy 5:8)
• David planned and provided for the building of the temple, gathering the materials for Solomon to have it built. (1 Chronicles 22:5)
• The ant is held up as an example, gathering food in the summer and harvest to prepare for the winter. (Proverbs 6:6-8)
• The virtuous woman is praised for her industry in caring for her family, and her foresight in providing for them. (Proverbs 31:10-27)
• Paul worked as a tentmaker to provide for his ministry, and Joseph stored up grain, etc. in preparation for providing food during the famine.

But for all of these, though they were working, planning, preparing, providing, their trust was still in God alone. So, here is my conclusion: it's not so much a question of what you do, but where is your trust? You can plan out what you're going to eat and stock up on groceries and still be trusting God for your daily bread! :D
That's what it means to "seek first the kingdom of God...". Even in our planning and preparation, are we seeking Him? Do we trust Him, or do we trust our hardwork?

Father, thank You for the many, many blessings You have poured into my life! Even as I try to plan things out and prepare for the future, help me to keep my focus on You and my trust in You!

May the Lord bless you as you seek His kingdom and righteousness first!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Lamentations 3:55-58

Good morning, all! :D
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Lamentations 3:55-58
I called on Your name, O LORD, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, from my cry for help." You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, “Do not fear!” O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.

I'm sure we've all had days, times in our lives, when we felt like we were in "the lowest pit". But even there God can hear us when we cry out to Him. And even there He comes to us, and from even there He redeems us.
Corrie ten Boom once said, "There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still." How true!

Father, thank You so much for all the "even there's" You've redeemed me from!

May the Lord bless you richly as you turn Your eyes to Him, even there.

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Psalm 36:7-8

Mornin', y'all! :D
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Psalm 36:7-8
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

God loves to shower His blessings on His people. He doesn't dole them out carefully, as if there are only so many and they have to go around. No...He is infinite, and so are His blessings.
From "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young--"Because I am infinite in all My ways, you need not fear that I will run out of resources. Abundance is at the very heart of who I AM."

Father, thank you for the abundance of blessings that You have poured into my life! Help me to trust You for all I need, knowing that You are not skimpy or limited, but are generous and infinite!

May the Lord bless you richly with all that He is!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Exodus 9:1

Good morning, y'all! :D
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Exodus 9:1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

God's purpose for Israel's liberty was service. He wanted them free from slavery to Egypt so they could serve Him voluntarily.
I'm reminded of Galatians 5:1--"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." God freed us from slavery to sin so we could serve Him, primarily by serving one another.

Father, help me to use my liberty to serve You and others!

May the Lord bless you as you serve Him!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Exodus 6:10-13

Good morning, everyone! :D
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Exodus 6:10-13
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.” And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

God is reminding Moses of the reason he is back in Egypt—to lead the people out—and Moses wants details. He asks, “How? The Israelites won’t even listen to me, why would Pharaoh?” As if to say, “Just trust Me”, God replies by simply reiterating the charge He's given to Moses and Aaron. Moses had reached a point where God was done repeating Himself and explaining the “hows” and “whys” and Moses was just going to have to step out in obedient faith.

Father, help me to follow You in faithful obedience, even when I can't for the life of me figure out how it's going to work!

May the Lord bless you richly as you live in obedience to Him!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Exodus 6:1, 9

Hey, y'all!

I wanted to ask y'all to be praying for Matt, Patrice, and Jonah Williams. Jonah was born just a couple weeks ago, and he was born with an extremely rare genetic skin disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). He's a strong little fighter, but it's a scary situation and I know the family would appreciate your prayers. You can read more about them and keep up with how they're doing at http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com/.
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Exodus 6:1, 9
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

God had to bring Moses to the point where he knew he couldn’t do what God had called him to do. Once that was abundantly clear, then it became equally clear that anything good that did happen was unquestionably God’s work. I believe that God does not give us little human-sized visions or missions, but that He calls us to accomplish God-sized tasks so He can work through us. We grow in Him and He gets the glory!
Moses then tried to offer the other Israelites the same reassurance he had received, but they wouldn’t listen “for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9b). They would not even listen because they were too focused on their current problem and the pain they were experiencing, rather than being focused on God and hearing His precious promises.

Father, help me to focus on You, not on my problems, hearing and believing Your precious promises!

May the Lord bless you richly with His joy and His grace!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Exodus 5:19-23

Good morning, everyone! :D
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Exodus 5:19-23
And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.” Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

I guess Moses had forgotten that God told him this was how it would be. When He first called Moses, God warned him that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened and he wouldn’t let them go, “no, not by a mighty hand” (Exodus 3:19b). But Moses got too sure of himself (and Aaron) and was losing sight of what God had said. When we forget what God has said and Who our message and mission have come from, it leads to discouragement every time. We start questioning and despairing because we’ve lost sight of the bigness of our God. As Paul told the Thessalonians, "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Father, help me to keep my eyes on You and Your faithfulness, persevering in doing Your will Your way, however long it may take and whatever obstacles I may face.

May the Lord bless you richly as you keep your eyes on Him!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website