Thursday, December 13, 2007

495 - Living Close, Clean, and with Purpose

Dear Lord, I am very rushed on time this morning. I have a purse party this morning at Lincoln School in Carmi and then another one tonight at Rachel's house in McLeansboro. So I have to get completely ready for the day before I walk out at 7:45. Back to the old working routine!! Lord, help us all and I do mean that! I pray that all goes well today and tonight. I pray that there are many, many sales of both purses and Rachel's beautiful baskets. Thank you, Lord!

This morning I found myself at an odd scripture - it was odd to me! I am asking the Lord for specific direction in regards to a specific challenge I feel like He has placed on Speaking Thru Me Ministries. I will reveal that challenge as I know the specific directions! Lord, Ginger and I am desperately seeking your will. She had lunch the other day with Kay. Of course Kay is a woman of huge wisdom and conviction. We feel like that was a divinely appointed time and much is to be taken and considered and prayed over from that appointment - so we are. Reveal, Lord!!

This morning in Jer. 13:1-11 it about a linen belt. Just the bottom section of my commentary said this was much like underwear. Now my first thought or exclamation was - Why does the Lord so often deal with matters of the privates - underwear, circumcision, etc. I do remember a study I did with Beth Moore and her explaining very carefully and precisely the meaning and relevancy of circumcision. It was a touchy subject to say the least and she did it without using any words that would have made you squirm - but I can not think of which study it was. Maybe Patriarchs??? Who knows!!

God tells Jeremiah to take his belt or underwear, knew ones he just had purchased, and put it on. Then after a short time HE tells him to take the underwear and go bury them in a crevice of Perath. So he does. Then the Lord after many days later, tells him to go dig up the belt only to find it "ruined and completely useless". So I am just thinking out loud here, but unsure totally here about this scripture. God explains that He will ruin the pride of Judah. They are doing anything but bringing Him honor and glory and He will ruin destroy that pride - they are fixin' to go into 70 years of captivity. He wants Israel to be bound to His waist like the belt and its original purpose.

I would hate to wear a pair of undies (oh i hope I don't get weird Google ads because of this blog and word content) that have not been washed and dried with fabric softener. Just the way things are these days. I thinking a round about way they may have been the same way back then. God is saying that the underwear that are used, unclean, and possibly rough and stiff are not of any use, useless!! #1 the guy wore them for a short amount of time I am sure making them at least undesirable if not unclean. Then he was asked to bury them and the dirt certainly gets them dirty. THEN just by the fact of nature running its course they were probably rained on. Have you ever not dried your clothes the right way - they get all stiff and yucky!! So now we have undies that are unclean, dirty from the soil (no pun intended), and probably stiff and uncomfortable from the elements - without purpose. Am I getting anywhere???? Lord help!

So the Lord is then saying He wants His people to be like the belt around His wait - living close to Him, Clean, and with Purpose. Only by living so close and intimately with the Father can we hear clearly from Him and know His heart and desires. Ps. 25:14 "The Lord confides in those who fear Him..." Isn't that awesome!! The Lord confides, He tells his heart and dreams, purposes, plans for us - but only if you are up close and intimately involved with the Savior - only through displaying a deep fear, awe, respect, reverence will those things be revealed!

The Lord requires us to be clean. Constant state of becoming blameless, seeking forgiveness, and righteousness! We only become clean and holy through the blood of Christ. When we are not "fessed up" the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit is diminished in our lives - He is quenched! I want clean underwear every single day - the Lord needs a clean vessel to work through. (Wow this is kind of crazy to me - just the talk of underwear and my holiness. ha ha)

And of course the Lord has purpose, makes purpose for us, and is purposeful to us! Just like the underwear when they are soiled and stiff - they lose their purpose. Oh Lord, help me to never be stiff necked. Those times that i get that way help me to be softened by your grace, mercy through discipline. Lord, I am seeking Your Will!! I need to hear from you and desire to do nothing else but what you ask. Lord, give Ginger and I a Word to confirm what we are hearing. Thank you for the intimacy of underwear talk and applying it to my life - You amaze me Lord!! Wow - am I close any of this one Lord?? Reveal to me or have someone else direct me closer to what You are taking about in this passage!!! I love you - May today be blessed by You and your favor fall down on today's events!! I love you!!

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