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One of hubby’s and my very favorite restaurants is Romano’s Macaroni Grill. When we are able to treat ourselves to dinner out, nine times out of ten, we will choose to go there.

We order our most favorite item on the menu, Chicken Scaloppine with artichokes, mushrooms, prosciutto, lemon butter, and capellini, or our second favorite, about to push into the #1 spot, Parmesan-crusted Sole, which is served with lemon butter, capers, and sun-dried tomato orzo. These two items are so delicious.

While we wait for our meal to arrive, we delight in a loaf of freshly baked rosemary bread, dipped in olive oil, and a shared Caesar salad.

With the first bite of our entree, we look at each other, roll our eyes, and go, “Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!” Any meal at an expensive restaurant could barely compare!

If we split the meal, and still have room for dessert, we share a wonderful tiramisu. We savor every single bite of our meal and we go home with bellies full and satisfied!

There are two others who savor their food: our two youngest granddaughters. They will eat anything. They love to eat! On the occasion that they come to our house after pre-school, they are starved and the first thing they ask for is “pink” or “purple,” meaning the pink (strawberry) or purple (blueberry) yogurt.

The older one would eat three containers (or more) of it if we’d let her. She usually scarfs down two. Both of these little ones (2 ½ and 3 ½ ) will lick their bowls clean. They savor every single bite. And with the other food we give them, they bellies are satisfied.

The word savor also means to delight, enjoy, or relish.

Our hearts should take delight in God and His Word as Paul’s did, “My inner being delights in the law of God.” (Romans 7:22 GNT) The Greek definition of delight means to delight with oneself inwardly in a thing, to rejoice in with oneself, feel satisfaction concerning something.

*We savor steak, chocolate, and homemade bread.
*We delight in vacations, pay raises, and ball games.
*We enjoy concerts, movies, and books.
*We relish being patted on the back, winning a game, and beating out the other guy for that big promotion.

Why is it that we tingle with delight for our taste buds to savor that delectable, warm-out-of-the-oven piece of bread or piece of chocolate, but we cannot tingle with delight to savor God’s delectable Word, that Bread of Life?

As the Bread of Life, Jesus said, “There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach” (Luke 12:23a Msg), and there is more to your inner life than the things you do.

We are to savor the Life within us, filling ourselves with that Bread so our spiritual bellies feel full and satisfied.

My prayer is as David’s, “Blessed Lord, teach me Your rules. I have recited Your laws and rejoiced in them more than in riches. I will meditate upon them and give them my full respect. I will delight in them and not forget them.” (Ps. 119:12-16 TLB) Is it your prayer as well?http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Mmmm...I’ve chosen to savor His Word and His presence. Have you? Is your belly full and satisfied?

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!"(Ps. 34:8a NKJV)



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“When you go, your way shall be openedup before you step by step.”(Prov. 4:12 free translation)
Henry Clay Trumbull once said, “The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler. If He builds the bridge a rod ahead, it would not be a bridge of faith. That which is of sight is not of faith.”

I seem to be reminded of movies lately. The above scripture and statement remind me of the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as Indy (Harrison Ford) and his father (Sean Connery) are on a quest for the Holy Grail, the chalice of Christ, believed to contain healing power and everlasting life.

In Professor Henry Jones, Sr.’s journal, his notes to locate the chalice contain coded instructions and three challenges...

*Challenge one: the Breath of God: Only the penitent man will pass.
*Challenge two: the Word of God: Only in the footsteps of God will he proceed.
*Challenge three: the Path of God: Only in the leap from the lion’s head will he prove his worth.

In his quest, “Junior” makes it through challenges one and two and comes to challenge three. Indy stands on a ledge in a small opening in the rock, just big enough to squeeze through. Beyond that is a great abyss, a 100 foot drop to the rocks below and 100 feet across to the other side, a rough, stony cliff wall. He can see nowhere to cross.

Indy looks down into the grail diary and agonizes over what it is asking him to do. Standing on the ledge, he ponders how to span the great chasm, repeating the instructions, “Only in the leap from the lion’s head will he prove his worth.” Looking around, he notices inscribed into the rock above his head is the head of a lion.

Flashing back to Indy’s father, Henry calls out to his son, “You must believe, boy. You must...believe.”

Indy realizes, “It’s... a leap of faith. Oh, God.”

Even though he is petrified he will fall to his death, he slowly raises one foot and cautiously steps out into thin air…only to be surprised that a bridge is under his foot. Totally relieved, he safely passes to the other side.

I’ve always loved that part of the movie. It so reminds me that only when we step out in faith into the unknown does God place that solid Rock-bridge beneath our feet.

As we go on our quest through the New Year, we will...

*pass on when we are penitent to the breath of God
*proceed in the footsteps of God when we follow the Word of God
*prove our worth when we leap away from the lion’s head and continue on the path of God in faith.

Think about that. No, it isn’t always easy. We will all encounter frightening Indy-circumstances at one time or another during the year. Each situation we face will be bridged, for the ordained way has already been given to us. Christ is our bridge. Always.

How much faith will you have to step out onto the Bridge in the New Year? Stretch out that foot and put one in front of the other. Walk with faith on your quest through the year.

Just as Indy, we step out in faith for each day’s quest. As Paul said, “Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.” (2 Cor. 5:7 NLV) Therefore, as Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be to you.” (Matt. 9:29 NKJV)

May the Lord bless your New Year with faith, hope, joy, peace, and all that you need!



This post is part of the monthly blog chain at Christian Writers. This month’s topic is quest. Please visit the great posts of the month listed in the right sidebar.

Maple trees stand ready to burst forth with golden-bronze highlights.
Beechnuts tickle the leaves as they fall to the ground.
Red tinges the leaves of the burning bushes.
Pumpkin patches set ablaze with orange, plump fruit.
Cornfields ripe for gathering.

My favorite time of year. Fall. It always brings to mind the seasonal word harvest.

Nature goes through its seasons, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (NKJV)

Just as nature, we, as Christians, have circumstances that bring rain, sunshine, heat, cold, storm, calm, dryness, fire, and flood. Our aim is to always work toward having a spiritual harvest, no matter what the circumstantial season.

But how do we produce the luscious harvest God desires for our lives?

God once whispered to my heart…

“If the ground is not turned, I cannot plant My seeds. A life as a lovely green meadow with its abundance of wild flowers is a fair picture of beauty. But there’s more to be had from the rich soil lying beneath the surface blanket of a lovely green pasture. Cultivating this meadow can produce a harvest of fruit, of nourishment, of good things for others.

“The Hand of the One tilling the soil is the One Who loves it the most and sees the greatest potential in it for a harvest. The roots of unwanted growth beneath the surface must be ripped out that the ground might be tilled and furrowed. This gives room to accept the seeds of new growth and eventually welcome a beautiful, golden field of harvest, waving its ripened grain in the breeze.

“A life in the Hands of the One guiding the plow will display a fruitful meadow. When it is uprooted and turned over, it welcomes the plantings of the Master Husbandman and gladdens the hearts of others with its lovely field of harvest.”

What is damaging the harvest in your life? Hmmm. Do you have any roots of unwanted growth? I know I do.

Any roots of bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, jealousy, judging, gossip, complaining, doubt, worry, or hypocrisy, among other things, will destroy the possibility of an abundant, spiritual growth and harvest. The roots of unwanted growth must be ripped out in order to have good soil.

Jesus explained the good soil in the Parable of the Sower, “But the good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a plentiful harvest for God - thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was planted in their hearts.” (Mark 4:20 TLB)


What are you harvesting? Is the soil of your heart producing what it should? Or maybe you have a mixed crop, having planted negative seeds in with the positive seeds?

God told Israel, “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.” (Deut. 22:9 NIV)

Reproducing the character of God in our lives requires the planting of His Seed-Word in our hearts, not the seeds the world spits at us. There can only be one Seed in our hearts!

Don’t like the crop you’re growing? Maybe its time to check those seed bags! Paul tells us, “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!” (Gal. 6:7-8a MSG)

If we want our lives to have an abundant harvest spilling over with ripe fruit, we need to rip out the old roots, weed, and plant God’s seeds. Then, we will see a bumper crop at harvest time, for “the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” (Gal. 6:8b MSG)

“A life in the Hands of the One guiding the plow will display a fruitful meadow.” May your life be cultivated by the Husbandman that it may “produce a harvest of fruit, of nourishment, of good things for others.” And may your harvest be plentiful!



Today's post is part of the ChristianWriters.com blog chain on the topic of harvest. For other great posts, check out the list in the right sidebar.

Please join me over at LivingBetterat50+ for my new place of monthly devotionals.

In the beautiful story of Ruth, we find Boaz, as the lord of the harvest and the dispenser of bounty, saying to Ruth as she gathered grain for her needs, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields.” (Ruth 2:8a NLT)

Boaz recommended that she stay close to his other servants, those with experience, those who knew the boundaries, so that nothing would happen to her and she would know what to do.

He said to Ruth, “Stay right behind the women working in my field. See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them.” (Ruth 2:8b-9a NLT)

In ancient times, no fences marked the perimeters of fields. Owners sometimes used rocks to mark boundary lines, which were easily moved and the borders then transgressed. One who moved his neighbor’s landmarks was, by law, cursed.

Solomon said, “Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.” (Prov. 22:28 NIV)

In some cases, no stones were used and the dividing lines became blurred.

Boaz warned Ruth to keep her eyes on the field of the lord of the harvest and do as his servants did, to walk after them and follow their example. As a newcomer, she was allowed to glean and partake of the harvest with the seasoned workers, within the limit of the boundaries.

After Ruth accepted Boaz’s invitation to join the other workers in a meal, she went back to work. Boaz then commanded his men to let her glean “right among the sheaves without stopping her, and to snap off some heads of barley and drop them on purpose for her to glean.” (Ruth 2:15-16a TLB)

The lord of the harvest prepared special provision for Ruth, and no set boundary within his field limited her search. Her redeemer gave her the right to appropriate the things of his field for her needs. Given access to and allowed to participate in the harvest, she searched the field at will.

As our personal application, fences keep in and fences keep out. God allows us free reign within the limited boundaries of His field of plenty. Without the clear line of demarcation, to keep us out of the world’s field of play, we will always get into trouble.

If we do not heed those seasoned and experienced workers around us and those who went before us in ages past, we will wander out of God’s field of provision and protection. We will be enticed to succumb to the enemy’s allures and temptations and jump over the fence to that “greener grass” on the other side.

And in jumping over, what do we find? The pasture of that so-called greener grass not only needs mowing, but it also has weeds and cows! In other words, we will always step into a pasture pile! It is never exactly what we expect!

As the Lord of the Harvest, God tells us, “Here are My borders. It’s easy to cross that line into unknown territory, so watch out. I am your Redeemer. I am the Father of the Field. Stay here with Me and follow My servants.”

Do we fully realize our Redeemer, our Lord of the Harvest, has made a place for us, “lifted us to take our place with Him,” (Eph. 2:6 Phillips) granting us access to His field of promise, to bring in the sheaves of all that is necessary to fulfill our needs and the needs of others?

Search His field over for the provision of all that you lack. When was the last time you gleaned from the Word, truly searching its pages for a message as a bundle of harvest from the Lord? “When did a needy gleaner ever turn to its pages and not find just the word for himself? How it declares the heart of God, that He has scattered from end to end of His book handfuls of blessing, messages of love and grace.” (Judges and Ruth by Samuel Ridout)

Do we keep our eyes on God’s field, watching where we glean? Do we follow His “old pickers” as our examples? Whether we are a new Christian or a seasoned one, we may gather nourishment from the Word for all our needs.

Has God not dropped tidbits along the way for you, handfuls pulled from His bundles of grace, those precious golden nuggets of the provision of His Word, as little surprises strewn along the path of your searching, for His “paths drip with abundance” (Ps. 65:11 NKJV)?

Has your boundary between God and the world become blurred? Or do you keep Jesus the Rock as your dividing line?

Oh, that our hearts would remain in the field of God’s grace and provision without jumping the fence and wandering from His borders of protection!

Which would you rather be...fenced in or fenced out?



~~This is part of Peter Pollock’s One Word at a Time Blog Carnival,

Soli deo gloria...

Shanda Oakley's On Your Heart Tuesdays...

Do you know you have a call on your life? Maybe you probably already know that. Or maybe you don’t know that. Or maybe you’ve been sensing that the Lord is calling you to something but you don’t know what it is. Or maybe you are searching for that calling.

Whether you are searching or not, you are called. As Christians, we are all called.

Paul says that God “called you to become His child” (1 Thess. 5:24TLB) and that “You also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:6 NIV), “called into the fellowship of (God’s) Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9 NKJV).

So, what does the Word say about being called? We are…

* to “be all the more eager to make (our) calling and election sure.” (2 Peter 1:10 NIV)

* urged “to live a life worthy of the calling (we) have received.” (Eph. 4:1 NIV)

* “called to liberty.” (Gal. 5:13 NKJV)

* to be holy, “as the One Who called (us) is holy.” (1 Peter 1:16 Amp)

* to be “flooded with light so that (we) can see something of the future He has called (us) to share.” (Eph. 1:18 TLB)

* to be “of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that (we) were called to this, that (we) may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9 NKJV)

Not the specific kind of calling you were looking for? Well, if we cannot step into the callings listed for us in the Word, how can we seek our life’s specific calling that the Lord desires for us to share with others?

God does have a distinct plan and purpose for our lives, a calling that only each of us can fulfill. So, how do you find out what it is? Think about what fuels the passion of your soul and what sparks the fire in your heart. What do you love to do that you would do even if no one thanked you?

God has called each of us to do certain things, to be His hands of help, comfort, or assistance to others in one capacity or another. If we are called according to His purpose, we share that calling with others. But if we do not do for others what God has called us to do, we hinder the fulfillment of His purpose. How are we then profitable to the Kingdom if we refuse to function in our calling?

Whatever your call may be, “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:29 NKJV) They are without change of purpose and bring no regrets.

Each calling is a ministry to others. The Lord called me late in my life to write for Him, something I would never have guessed. It is now my passion and I wholeheartedly and humbly obey His call.

In your seeking, you may find a surprise calling on your life, at any time of your life. It may merely be to witness to your next door neighbor or serve the homeless at a local shelter. God’s list is endless.

Rest in the knowledge that the Lord will tell you at just the right time, so that “you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” (Eph. 1:18b NKJV)

Whatever God calls you to do, “work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Col. 3:23 NIV)

May you be blessed as you obey God’s calling on your life and may others know the benefit of your obedience.

One day, as I was bewailing a difficult circumstance in my life, the Lord gave me this vision of His working in my life…

With shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, an old gold miner knelt beside a sparkling stream of water, bubbling with life. His weather-beaten hands clutched a sizable sieve like those used years ago for panning gold. On it rested a massive amount of dirt and rocks of all sizes, shapes, and hardness.

Undaunted, he knelt there, concentrating on the debris. Shaking the sieve with vigor, then again with tenderness, he continued his apparent mission, as if on a treasure hunt for some mysterious element. The dirt and smaller pebbles slipped through the holes in the screen, disappearing downstream into waters that appeared to have a life of their own. The remaining larger, coarse rocks on the screen grated against each other, altering their appearance.

Tears began to trickle down his furrowed cheeks and fall upon the transformed rocks, washing away the leftover traces of dirt. An all-knowing smile gradually spread across his aged face. His eyes twinkled, reflecting the anticipated precious treasure, the golden gems now resting on the sieve.

He glanced up and whispered, “My Word is the screen sifting out all the impurities of your life, while the Living Waters wash them away. In My love for you, I am ever at work in your circumstances. As they rub against you, they transform you and rid you of those things that would dirty your life and taint your work for Me. As I remove them, you are made into that precious, golden gem, reflected in My eyes.”

Through this vision, the Lord showed me that, no matter what circumstances occur in my life, no matter how relentlessly they rub against me, He allows them all to be sifted through His Word, His love, and His fingers, changing me into His image and that golden reflection in His eyes.

“This means tremendous joy to you, even though at present you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. This is no accident - it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold…” (1 Peter 1:6-7a Phillips)

~~Blessings, Lynn~~