Week 10 Wednesday Today’s Text and Thought of Encouragement: “(Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what (God) had promised, He was able also perform.” Romans 4: 20, 21 K.J.V. Don’t Give Up on Me “Lord, I so soon get thrown by circumstances. I panic over little things, faith goes out the window. Be patient with me. Remind me of all the way You have brought me, provided for me. Fed me with Your living Word that I may grow in understanding, in trust and love. Don’t give up on me, will You? But I know You won’t because You promised You wouldn’t and You always keep Your promises.” Margaret Cundiff “(God) opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. For (God) remembered His holy promise, to Abraham His servant. And (God) brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness.” Psalm 105: 41-43 K.J.V. Today’s Study Text: “And when they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred about them, and said, ‘Is this Naomi?’” Ruth 1: 19 Amplified Bible EXPORATION: “How to Deal With Bitterness” What does bitterness look like? Part III “Hopeless and lifeless go together.” William Gurnall Is there a time in my life when I could see the despair I was feeling on the inside written on the outside of my face? Have despair and hopelessness, caused by bitterness in my heart, taken away my energy and strength? “There’s nothing that so blocks the spirit as gloom and despondency and downheartedness.” Seraphim INSPIRATION: “It is an amazing thing for a soul that believed herself to be advanced in the way of perfection, when she sees herself thus go to pieces all at once.” Madame Guyon She left Bethlehem, a married woman. Attached to a prominent family of the Ephrathites in Bethlehem. With her husband and two sons, she could never have imagined her status in ten years would fall so low. Known by family and friends as the “pleasant” one, Naomi’s reputation for being a joyful woman certainly matched the meaning of her name. However, having spent ten years in a foreign country, life had not dealt Naomi a good hand. And now, as she arrived back in Bethlehem, it wasn’t with a prosperous husband and two grown sons and their families. Naomi came back, as she described, “empty.” A widow with a foreign daughter-in-law who also had no husband and no children. As we read in our text for today, Ruth 1: 19, there was an interesting reaction to Naomi’s return. First, the Bible says the people in the city were, “moved about them.” In the Hebrew the word “moved” means, “in an uproar or agitated.” I find this a rather interesting response. The Bible doesn’t say the people of the city were joyful, so it makes you wonder, “Why would the response be agitation rather than affirmation?” A possible answer may be found in the next phrase When the people of the city, who knew Naomi, asked this pointed question. “Is this Naomi?” Or as the Hebrew word can be translated, “Is this really the person we used to know and call Naomi?” We need to remember that while ten years can change all of us, it appears in this case, the transformation was extremely apparent, even shocking. The bitterness Naomi later expressed verbally was evidently apparent to her friends for she wore her despair on her face. Her countenance reflected her sorrow and pain. Rather than enter Bethlehem light-hearted and joyful, Naomi returned, an old, widowed, bitter woman. And if you happen to think my words are a harsh description, don’t forget, this was the way Naomi described herself. The grief in her life had finally turned to the acidic toxin of bitterness that not only ate at her soul but had drained her physical strength and etched her face with lines of sorrow. What does bitterness look like? It is that heavy burden that bends our backs. It is that unrelenting despair that blankets every moment of our days. If this is the pathway you find yourself on today, if those who know you, say, “Is this our Betty?”, when they see your sorrowful appearance, I want to leave you with a hopeful message. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 8: 22-24 reminds us that “We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together…waiting for the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope.” God has given us the promise of a better day. A hope-filled day. Author and theologian Helder Camara penned these beautiful words that should bring joy to our hearts and faces when he reminds us, “Bitterness and distress are in the depths of all things. This is the groaning of which the Apostle Paul speaks. But in us creation rests from its anguish, when our hearts rest in God.” “It is impossible for that (woman) to despair who remembers that (her) Helper is omnipotent!” Jeremy Taylor AFFIRMATIONS: “No need for fear Or deep despair Seekers of God Receive his care. No need for fear Or deep despair We are at home And God is there.” Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila “In heav’nly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear; and safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here. The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid, but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed? Wherever He may guide me, no want shall turn me back; my Shepherd is beside me, and nothing can I lack. His wisdom ever waketh, His sight is never dim, He knows the way He taketh, and I will walk with Him. Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen; bright skies will soon be o’er me, where the dark clouds have been. My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free, my Saviour has my treasure, and He will walk with me.” Anna Laetitia Waring Your friend, Dorothy Valcàrcel, Author When A Woman Meets Jesus Dorothy@TransformationGarden P. S. Thank you so much for the gifts you send to Transformation Garden which continue to assist our ministry here in the United States and in 192 countries around the world. 100% of your donation goes directly to providing for our daily devotionals and gift bookmarks. Transformation Garden is a non-profit organization so your gift is tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt for any gift you send. Also, if you should happen to miss a devotional for some reason, you can go to transformationgarden and you will find archived devotionals. We also place the daily devotionals on Facebook so you can find them on that site also. 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Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 05:06:53 +0000
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