My Saturday

I do love Saturday.
I have to work but that isn't a big deal.
I've worked most Saturday's my entire life.
It's funny how I still get up at the same time on Saturday (5:30 a.m.) but the feel of the day is totally different than during the week.
I don't know if its because my Saturday's are kind of a piddling day. By that, I mean that I am free to focus on the meeting that we have on Saturday nights. I don't have any classes to teach or lessons to prepare.
I do make myself available for the men in case they want to talk or they need something.

Usually I put the final touch on the teaching for the meeting.
Get the chapel set up with the equipment we use for worship.
Pray......
Meditate (not medicate).
Pray some more.
I just love Saturday.

I'm excited because Seth Barber will be back to speak the last Saturday of this month.
Seth has had back surgery and been out of commission for a while, but the Lord has brought healing and renewed strength. I am always excited when Seth comes because he brings the Word straight up and in your face. He speaks the truth about God and recovery like no one else I know.

I'm also excited that Jonathan Bright will be speaking on September 4th.
Jonathan came through the program a few years ago and has done well.
He has chase God all these years and has spoke at a number of different churches and meetings.
Jonathan started a recovery meeting at his church and has helped lead the way for many who were looking to break free of addiction.
Now, Jonathan has answered God's call into ministry. I'm excited to be having Jonathan come to Rapha and give back to the guys (the 12th step) who are in our program.

Scripture of the day:
1 Samuel 8:21
So Samuel told the LORD what the people had said, and the LORD replied, "Do as they say, and give them a king." The Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

This verse scares me more than any other I read in the Bible.
It speaks of the terrible power that humanity possesses.
That power being the ability to reject God and demand our own way.
For God to tell Samuel that He is going to allow the people to have their way, knowing full well that it is not only wrong, but will lead them into sin as a nation....that is scary. The people of Samuel's day wanted to be ruled by a king not by God. We need to remember that sometimes God gives us exactly what we ask for. That scares me.
I'm reminded of when President Clinton was making his first run at the presidency.
The Republicans were yelling and screaming about "Character of a man", but the Democrats kept saying, "It isn't about character..its the economy."
To me this is the same type of ideology we find in the I Samuel passage.
Never mind that the character of the man defines how he will rule, let's elect him because he will give us what we want. We have seen Presidents, Congressional people and Supreme Court Judges be placed in seats of power at the expense of having Character or the true integrity that comes only from God and His Spirit living in that person. We have seen the outcome of such people being given the authority to rule.

The other thing about the I Samuel passage was the fact that the people wanted to be like "other nations".
They rejected the unique identity that God had forged within them so they could act like, sound like and live like those nations which surrounded them.
Have we rejected God's identity for this nation?
I do believe we have.
I think we have sold our birthright in order for the Federal government to take care of us.
When I read that churches on the gulf coast have put in applications to BP for money they lost due to the oil spill......well, it breaks my heart.
To think that a church has discarded looking to God to meet their needs and has turned to man....
Call me old fashion.
Call me out of touch.
The church belongs to Christ....If he has indeed ordained that a particular church exist, then He will fund and provide for it. I'm not saying that times aren't hard..........they are. I'm not saying that the economy isn't bad......it is. What I am saying is that we look to heaven and to God for our provision, not a company.
O.k. I've ranted enough now.
Whatever your lot today....look to God!
Tell Him of your needs!
Make sure your heart is right and that sin has been dealt with and then look for the blessings of God.

God on you.....
mb