Happy Thursday!

I have spent the day writing. I just sent the first draft of my paper titled, “…stop this haulin’ water to the sea…” to my editor hubby.

Prayer: “Lord, I desire to be taught by you today that I may know and obey. Too often I seem to be a hearer but not a doer. Please work in my heart that I would be overwhelmed with delight in doing Your will. Thank You for the privilege of serving You, and most of all for the unbelievable opportunity of knowing You. Please choose to use me today to be one that would decrease in living out my desires and increase in living out Your life. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Psalm 119: 33 “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.”

In this study of Psalm 119 there are three words that seem to keep returning; knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Knowledge is what we learn through education or direct teaching. Understanding is what we gain through meditation and discernment after we have lived with a passage or a concept for a time. What we learn with our minds and capture with our hearts motivates us to do the will of God in our lives. But wisdom is the gift from God. The psalmist asked God to teach him His ways. What the psalmist wanted to know was the will of God so he could do the will of God. There did not seem to be any decision to be made as to whether he was going to do the will of God or not. He simply asked God to teach him and then he would go and do. What the psalmist offered to God was that he was willing to be taught and had a desire to learn.

Jesus found 12 men willing to be taught. They had to have some sense of humility in the knowledge that they must learn first the ways of the Master and then have a trusting relationship with Him to teach them what he desired of them. He taught them through direct instruction, through modeling what He wanted them to do. He sent them out in pairs to practice and then brought them back together to check on their progress. What a Master Teacher Jesus was! He did not fill their heads with just facts and figures, but with a desire to comprehend (understand) God’s truth and to use these truths in obedience to God. Then He commissioned them to go out and teach others.

Good teachers always think beyond themselves and beyond just those they are teaching at the time. Jesus knew that His teachings must be teachings of truth. Jesus also knew that those to whom he gave the message of the gospel must be prepared to carry on in His absence. They had to take the time to learn from the Master Teacher and be ready to teach someone else the ways of God.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.

Prayer: Tomorrow will mark the third anniversary of the death of our first born son, Casey. He lived 24 years. It is usually an emotional day for all of us. We have all thought about him a great deal this week. Today I sat in a chair looking at a wonderful picture of Bruce, Casey and me at a wedding reception. It was just we three as the other two were working and going to school. It is a picture I treasure. It sits on a shelf at about eye level near a chair where I often sit. His bald head was really shining, but his smile was as genuine as the peace of God that lived within him. I think it was the last picture we have of him. I really miss him. Thanks for listening, gc