God Always Provides!

I came into my shop yesterday and (as usual, I’m still behind) was reading my devotionals and they were very timely:

Our Daily Bread, June 3, 2014 – Deut. 8:1-3, 11-16 and Rom. 8:28

Over the course of one year, Richard LeMieux’s lucrative publishing business collapsed.  Soon, his wealth disappeared, and he because depressed.  Eventually, LeMieux began to abuse alcohol and his family deserted him.  At the lowest point in his life, he was homeless, broken, and destitute.  However, it was during this time that he turned to God.  He later wrote a book about what he learned.

The Israelites learned some valuable spiritual lessons when God allowed them to endure homelessness, uncertainty, and danger.  Their hardships humbled them (Deut. 8:1-18).  They learned that God would provide for their needs.  When they were hungry, He gave them manna.  When they were thirsty, He gave them water from a rock.  God taught them that, despite difficult times, He could bless them (v1).  Finally, the Israelites learned that adversity is not a sign of abandonment.  Moses reminded them that God had been leading throughout their 40 years in the wilderness (v2).

When we encounter desperate times, we can look for the spiritual lessons embedded in our difficulties – lessons that can help us rely on the One who causes all things to work together for our good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28). – Jennifer Benson Schuldt

jewelry making day

Our Daily Bread, June 7, 2014 – Ps. 73:1-3, 21-28

My friend Mary tells me that she doesn’t always sing all the words to the hymns and choruses in a church service.  She says, “It doesn’t seem honest to sing, ‘All I want is Jesus’ when my heart wants many other things too.”  I appreciate her honesty.

In vs 25 of Ps. 73, Asaph sounds like a spiritually minded man who wants God only:  “There is none upon earth that I desire besides You.”  But that’s not how he began this psalm.  Initially, he admitted that he wanted the prosperity that others around him had:  “For I was envious of the boastful” v3).  But when he drew near to God, he recognized that he was foolish to be envious (v21-22, 28).

Even when we know God, we were often distracted by the prosperity of others.  C.S.Lewis wrote, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. … We are far too easily pleased” with lesser things than Him.

What do we learn about God in this psalm that might help when our desires distract us from God’s best?  Well, we see that even though we may be tempted to envy what others have, He is continually guiding us and bringing us back to focus on Him.  He “is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (v26).  – Anne Cetas

These were the reminders I needed to get my focus back on God rather than my circumstances.  William came home very early yesterday from work because he put his back out again.  He hasn’t had any problems with his back for several months now, but he went to his new job at 8 am, tried to lift a hundred pound rock and messed up his back.  He was home by 10 and at the chiropractor at 2 and this morning, he can hardly move; however, we are still believing for his healing.

Now, at first glance at these circumstances (that coupled with the fact we only have $200 toward Aug. rent for both places and I don’t know when he can go back to work), we might get discouraged; however, we saw this as a blessing for the soul of one we are ministering to.  Ron, who has been with us for a month now, left at 7 pm last night to back to Oregon via Greyhound.  We have been witnessing to him about the truth of Christ and there was more that William needed to say to him before he left, so with William having to come home and spend the day with Ron, was very needed. 

God uses even pain and loss of income to get through to someone who needs salvation.  We may not see or reap the harvest of what we do, but we can do the crucial planting of seeds.  This is more important than the gathering of $$ to meet rent/bills; therefore, God will honor His Word to us and provide what we need (He has thus far!)

That’s why we have “God’s House of Vision” – to be a witness to the community and to ‘die to self’ and live for others.  Technically, we can’t afford to do this, but we’ve been here almost a year now (opened Aug. 30 of last year) and we always meet the bills – late, but met.