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Today is brought to you by the letter B

"Blessed is the man who walked not in counsel of the wicked, or stands in the way of sinners, or sits in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates all day long." Psalm 1

"Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven." Psalm 32

There are lots of "blessed" texts for you to pick from. I was reminded this morning that the Greek word for "bless" can also mean "happy." I discovered this morning that it's the same in Hebrew (I'm "attending" a Jewish Passover tonight, invited by my Jewish friend via Zoom, so I better brush up on my Hebrew!) To be blessed then is more than having someone place their hand on my head and saying some words. It's God Himself wanting me to be happy, joyful, at peace, and content. THAT's what God wants for me. "I will be happy when..." I replace the word "blessed" with that phrase and discover what difference it makes in my life!

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Waiting is NOT my forte! So this verse, and others like it challenge me. As I do some personal assessment I have determined that waiting for me implies, among other things, that I am not in control, and I like to be in control, at least of my life. I’m not a control freak. I actually don’t like to be in control of big groups (usually, unless they are totally out of control!) I’m fine with others being in control (usually.) I can do it when I need to but I’d rather empower others that retain the “power” of control myself. But I DO like to be in control of myself!

My verse today says I will have my strength renewed when I learn to wait. I think it’s actually talking about physical strength, like soaring on wings like eagles, running and even walking without physical exhaustion. I choose this morning, as I review this text in my heart, to add to physical strength, inner strength to follow God no matter what the obstacles; to choose Him above everything else; to prioritize my life with Him at the center no matter what the distractions might be. IF I’m willing to WAIT for His timing I have discovered greater inner strength than I could have imagined with ME in control.

It’s a fine line, as I pondered it on my walk, to PAUSE and be with God, then decide on my PURPOSE for living today, then develop a PLAN to accomplish that purpose. THEN, as Sister Ellen suggests in her book “Steps to Christ,” I “lay all my plans at His feet to be given up or carried out as His will indicates.” That’s my steps in bringing balance to my “waiting” and “working” through life.

Have a great day learning how to “wait” on Him,

Pastor Rich

And a musical blessing I offer to you. Just take a couple minutes and “Shabat.” Stop, sit back and focus on Jesus:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDeiy9-t2GE

Bless the Lord O my soul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxocnIaN0A

Have a blessed day-in-waiting,

Pastor Rich

Quote for the day: We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” Chuck Palahniuk

PS “Daily Bread” blog at noon on CM Instagram and then archived on CMyoutube. Join is for 15 minutes of interactive Bible study with Caleb Haakenson and guests.

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PPPS “Today in Quarantine” with Renae Cross, 4pm on her Facebook.

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