Monday Morning Devotion-July 29, 2019

No Limits

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.   Jeremiah 29:13

     So, you are sitting on the porch and you hear birds chirping in the big oak tree near

your house.  What are they saying?  Then you hear birds in the tree across the street responding.

Obviously, they are carrying on a conversation.  It would be nice to know what they are saying.

            Sarah Young ("Jesus Calling) says that while you may not be able to interpret this bird-talk, there is a message there for you.  When you hear birds call to one another you "hear also His love call to you.  God speaks continually: through sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions and scriptures. There is no limit to the variety of ways He can communicate with us."

            There are many ways that the Lord communicates with us if we are alert to and diligently search for them.  Dr. Charles Stanley points out that "God never wants us to be satisfied with where we are in our relationship with Him."  He always has more to reveal to us and He does so in a multitude of different ways.

            It is up to us to be attentive to the Lord's messages and how they are being transmitted to us.  We need to diligently seek Him always trying to discern whatever form these messages may assume.  

            Throughout the Bible it is proven time after time there are no limits to God's ways of communicating with His people.  Take Moses for example.  God spoke to him through a burning bush. 

            In his book "When God Whispers Your Name" Max Lucado said the message that God relayed to Moses through the burning bush was: "School's out.  Now it's time to get to work.  Poor Moses. He didn't even know that he was enrolled. But he was."

            Then Lucado adds these thoughts: "And guess what.  So are you.  The voice from the bush is the voice that whispers to you.  It reminds you that God is not finished with you yet.  Oh, you may think He is.  You may think you've peaked.  You may think He's got someone else to do the job. 

            If so think again.

            God began doing a good work in you and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again. 

            Did you see what God is doing?  A good work in you,

            Did you see when He will be finished?  When Jesus comes again.

            May I spell out the message (after all there are no limits how His message may be transmitted)?  God ain't finished with you yet!

            Your Father wants you to know that.  And to convince you, He may surprise you.  He may speak through a bush, a mop bucket, or stranger still he may speak to you through a book."

            He might even send a message to you through a billboard.  In the late 1990's a Fort Lauderdale, FL advertising agency launched a billboard campaign that included messages from God. 

            Here are some of them:

            1) "Let's Meet at My House Sunday Before the Game."  God

            2) "What Part of 'Thou Shalt Not°' Didn't You Understand?"  God

            3) "We Need to Talk."  God

            4) "Keep Using My Name in Vain and I'll Make Rush Hour Longer."  God

            5) "Follow Me."  God

            6) "My Way IS the Highway."  God

            7) "Need Directions?"  God

            8) "You Think It's Hot Here?"  God

            9) "That Love the Neighbor Thing, I Meant It."  God

            10) "Will the Road You Are On Get You To My Place?"  God

            11) "Tell the Kids I Love Them."  God

            12) "Have You Read My #1 Best Seller?  There Will Be a Test."  God

            As we search for God's answers, realizing His methods have no limits, the answers we

receive may surprise us.

            In the Wizard of Oz Dorothy was on the road to see the Wizard when along the way she encountered three characters trying to find the Wizard as well.  Dorothy's mission to find the Wizard, who was supposed to be all-powerful, was to help her get out of Oz and back to her home in Kansas. 

            The three strangers: a scarecrow, a tinman and a lion each had a heavy need they wanted the Wizard to resolve for them.  The scarecrow wants the gift of wisdom.  The tinman wants a heart and the lion needs courage.

            So here Dorothy is in a strange land surrounded by brainless, heartless and spineless people.  A tall task lies ahead of the Wizard if they can locate him.

            When they make it to the Emerald City each of these characters receives the same kind of advice from the wizard that some think God gives to us when receive a message from Him.   The Wizard, who seemed to be something of a disappointment, tells them that they already have the power they need.

            Along the way they had to battle and defeat a wicked witch.  The scarecrow displayed wisdom, the tinman compassion and the lion courage when they dealt with the witch.  And as for Dorothy all she needed was a hot-air balloon to get back to Kansas.

            Isn't that the way it often is with us?  God transmits a message to us in a unique way and at first, we may feel let down.  Hey, we were expecting God to take care of the situation, to do it for us.  Actually, God was doing His part.  He was showing us the way to have a satisfactory outcome.  We just had to do the work in the way He directed us to do it.

            God may be whispering the answer in a breeze, sending a person to us, disguising His message in the tweet of the birds to let us know that things are working just fine.  Do not be discouraged.  Just remember that there are no limits to His creative and powerful ways of caring for and communicating with us.  Keep the Faith.

Prayer: Lord help us to stay alert to the many ways you connect us to your will and to give thanks to you in all things.  Amen!