Avoiding spiritual osteoporosis

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 24:45-25:13

TO CHEW ON: “‘Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.’” Matthew 24:25

This passage has been a rhema word to me this morning. Let me explain.

Over the past few weeks I’ve toyed with the thought of ceasing to write these devotions. My idea has been to use the several hours of morning writing time for other projects. In fact, I’ve tried that out for a few weeks (frequently re-posting devotions here).

Yes, I’ve still had a short Bible reading and prayer time before the other writing. But the clock moves quickly and the start time for “work” comes all too soon. So these personal devotion times have felt unsatisfying.

Further, as I thought of no longer having a place to document what I’m learning (yes, I can record things in a my writing journal, but it’s not the same), I felt like I was about to demolish an important part of the structure of my daily life. (Reminds me of the verse “The wise woman builds her house, / But the foolish pulls it down with her hands” Proverbs 14:1.)

My decision to quit has been bugging me. In fact, before going to this Matthew passage this morning, I spilled some thoughts in my journal. As I did that, two verses came to mind:

"When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer" Psalm 32:3,4.

"Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not" Jeremiah 20:9. 

I noticed both had to do with deteriorating bones and wrote to myself: “I’m sensing a possible bone condition. Interesting thing about bones. They need exercise to stay strong. Perhaps God is saying to me—‘Violet, you can do this, stop writing these daily devos and posting them. But there will be consequences to you, just like if you stopped your daily physical walk. Do you want to get spiritual osteoporosis?  For your bones will weaken if you don’t feed and exercise them. This daily devo writing is a  good way to feed and exercise those bones and keep them from growing old.’”

And then I opened my Bible to work on the next devo and read Matthew 24:45. It’s not lost on me that the name I’ve chosen for this blog has to do with food.

When one reaches a certain age, one is expected to retire, at least in my culture. But God has made it clear to me this morning that the time to retire from writing these isn’t quite yet. I need to keep faithfully “so doing”—giving out this Other food in “due season.”

What about you? What is God telling you to be faithfully found “so doing”?


PRAYER: Dear Father, You are faithful in giving me the direction I need at the moment I need it. Help me to listen to Your voice above all others. so that I will be found doing the things You’ve tasked me with when You return, or call me home to You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March second helpings

Dear Readers,
 
Due to family commitments I'm taking a March break from writing these daily devotions (Grandma duty calls). But since I have written daily for four-plus years, I have a good supply in the archives. 



These meditations will continue to publish daily,  following the Canadian Bible Society reading guide through March, but most of them will be re-posts. I hope you don't mind.



Thanks so much for coming by, reading, subscribing, commenting! These things mean more to me than you'll ever know!
 
God bless,

Violet

Happy New Year!

Dear Reader,

I can't believe another year has gone by! January 1st 2013 begins my fourth year of posting these daily devotions.

When I began writing them in December of 2009 (for 2010) I didn't know how long I'd last. But that's the beauty of God's Word. There's always more to find, to learn, to apply, to obey. I can honestly say after the daily discipline of three years of writing these almost every morning, if I take a day off, I feel 'off'!

In 2013 I will continue following the Canadian Bible Society Daily Reading Guide (prepared for the 28th consecutive year by the Rev. Dr. K. L. Peterson) as the Bible basis for these meditations. Here's what's in store for us according to the Guide's back cover:

"If the Guide is used every day during 2013, 56 books of the Bible will be utilized and 11 will be read in their entirety. With intention for 2013, all 79 biblical texts used by G. F. Handel in his oratorio "Messiah" will be read, as will the 12 so-called Great Prayers of the Old Testament."

(Download a pdf copy of the Guide here for your own use.)

So we'll be on the lookout for those 79 "Messiah" texts and twelve Great Prayers of the Old Testament. I'll try to spot them and give you a little nudge when they appear (but if I miss one, don't hesitate to let me know via  'Comments').

Now that I have a goodly number of these devotions written (and indexed, both OT and NT) it's easy for me to see if, and what, I've written about a text in the past. You may have noticed that from time to time I re-publish a devotion. I will continue to do that this year (those posts are tagged "re-post").

Thank you to all my faithful readers for taking this journey with me. May God bless you all richly in 2013!

Love,

Violet Nesdoly

P.S. I'd also like to invite you to visit my website blog, where I have begun posting articles on the theme of Bringing the Bible to Life. I plan to post once or twice a week on a variety of Bible-related topics such as: 

• the history of the Bible 
• Bible study helps
• interviews with biblical authors, illustrators, and translators
• book reviews (with an emphasis on biblical fiction).

New address for "Other Food: daily devos"

I just set up a custom domain name for Other Food: daily devos.

The new URL is http://www.otherfood-devos.com

Over the next days emails may be interrupted. URL changes often take a few days (up to three) to come into effect everywhere, so please be patient as I wait for the account to be switched over and then make the necessary changes to Feedburner (which sends the emails).

Blogger will redirect anyone going to the blog's old address (http://vnesdoly2.blogspot.com) to the new one (http://www.otherfood-devos.com).

Happy New Year!

I can hardly believe a year has passed since I began writing these daily devotions. Thank you to all who read, regularly or occasionally. A special thanks to any and all that have emailed or left a comment. You don't know how much I appreciate hearing from you!

This project is summed up for me by God's words to Ezekiel:

"Son (daughter) of dust, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first; listen to them carefully for yourself. Then afterward go to your people in exile and whether or not they will listen tell them: 'This is what the Lord God says!'" Ezekiel 3:10-11.

That is what I've tried to do this year — listen to what God says to me, and then find words to pass that message on to you. I'm just sorry I do it so inexpertly.

I'm sure writing these daily meditations has done more for me than any reader. One can't handle the Word for several hours a day and not be changed. And since I can't imagine starting my day in any other way, I'll be continuing to post these in 2011. Again I'll use the Canadian Bible Society daily reading guide.

There will be a few changes in the days ahead, though.

• URL change: I plan to move the blog to a custom domain early in 2011. Hopefully I'll be able to do that without interrupting the daily emails. I'll keep you posted and let you know if you need to re-subscribe.

• New look: After the change above, I'd like to change the look of the blog. Think of it as spring cleaning and rearranging the furniture.

• Breaks: These may not be quite as daily in 2011. I'll be taking the odd holiday break.

I am highly honoured that you choose to read. Again, thank you! And God's richest blessing in 2011.

Canadian Blog Awards

Some kind reader nominated Other Food: daily devos for the 2010 Canadian Blog Awards.  Round 2 voting is now underway. I would be so honored if you helped "Other Food" make a good showing.

Cast your vote for "Other Food" here once a day until noon October 26th ("Best Religion and Philosophy Blog 2010" category - third from bottom).

And thanks so much for your support!

Christian Carnival 335

Welcome to Christian Carnival 335. It's good to have you back here at Other Food! Again there are many interesting posts in this week's edition.  Without further ado - read away (and thanks to all who contributed!)

• Matthew C. Keegan presents Are Students Really Prepared For College? posted at WordJourney Magazine. Millions of college-bound freshmen will be leaving for school in August and September, with many marking their very first extended time away from home. High school is over and the college years beckon, but are students really prepared for college and all that this setting has to offer? (If, as Matthew says, college dropout rates are at 25%, this is a program whose time has come.)

• mundaneartistry presents journeying through the plains posted at Shades of Green. (A relaxing, summery post. Take a deep breath as you savour the moment.)

• Adam presents Thursday Hymn Reflection: ?Be Still, My Soul? posted at The Faughn Family of Four. I like hymns, and this is one of my favorites. Looking at the history of the tune was fun, but the words make all the difference. (Interesting trivia gives us more reasons to appreciate this old hymn.)

• FMF presents The Seven Pillars of Financial Success, Pillar 7: Give posted at Free Money Finance. Giving is one of the seven pillars of good, biblical, financial management. (Looks like a good series!)

• BWL presents 4 Spiritually Unhealthy Motives To Save Money posted at Christian Personal Finance. While saving money can be a good thing, these are some of the wrong reasons to do it... (Who knew saving could be the symptom of something unhealthy?  Don't tell this to my kids!)

• David presents Some thoughts... at Help 4 Life  I'm always looking for new ways to collaborate with people. So If I can help with anything let me know! (This personable marriage, family, and youth therapist shares his life by video;  it's 6 minutes well spent).

• Susan L. Prince presents Testimony of My Sailor: Meeting with God on the Pacific posted at Sisters' Weblog: It Bloggles the Mind!. This is a letter from Justin, a sailor, who shared his heart with God out on the ocean and then wrote to tell his mom, my friend Katie, what God is teaching him. It is a wonderful testimony and I'm so proud to call him my not-the-son. Love that man! (A heartfelt letter any Christian mom would treasure.)

• Joe Plemon presents When Dreams Die posted at Personal Finance By The Book. Even the Apostle Paul had great disappointments. We can learn from his response. (Hope-filled post for those dealing with dead or dying dreams.)

• Crystal presents Moldy Provolone and a Faithful Heart posted at In A Clay Pot. (Not your ordinary lesson from Job.)

• Dave Taylor presents Points To Ponder by Pope John Paul II posted at Enhance Life. (A Sunday sermon that inspired a Google search and lots of thought.)

• Tom Gilson presents Matching Game Answers: What Could We Do If We Tithed? posted at Thinking Christian. This stunned me when I took a close look at it. What could we do if the church would tithe? (You might want to try the game first before you look at the answers)

• Ridge Burns presents Richard Rolle posted at Ridge’s Blog. (Proof that the desire for God's fire can span the centuries).

• Andrew presents Change the sinful nature. posted at Rely on God in your personal development. - New Blog. (Determination to change oneself works to a point. But then something more is needed. Andrew helps us discover that something more.)

• Jose Anajero presents 2 Kinds of Success posted at Real Life Success. (Success viewed from various angles - like "When the opportunity to do right presents itself, the opportunity to do wrong presents itself right along side it.")

• Russ White presents Is Happiness All There Is? posted at Thinking in Christ. (A quote on modern parenting plus a little philosophical slice and dice makes for an enjoyable read.)

• Ronnie Roque presents Wise thinking for everyday living: Proverbs 101, part 2 posted at Who Me Be A Leader? (Good basics about wisdom.)

• Jeremy Pierce presents Age of Accountability posted at Parableman. A critique of the age of accountability. (A close examination of this belief shows things aren't as cut-and-dried as some would think. Interesting.)

• Violet N. (that's me) presents A lost sheep story posted at Other Food: daily devo's. A true story of God's creativity in seeking out one of His lost sheep. Read and be encouraged!

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Posts should be:

Christian:
    •    The Christian Carnival is open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions. One of the goals of this Carnival is to offer our readers to a broad range of Christian thought.
    •    Posts need not be of a theological topic. Posts about home life, politics, or current events, for example, written from a Christian worldview are welcome.

Recent:
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To enter, simply click on the "Submit an article" link in the right sidebar widget  and fill out the generated form.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Christian Carnival 324

Welcome to Christian Carnival 324 -- hosted for the first time here at Other Food! There's much excellent reading in this week's edition. Without further ado - have at it, and enjoy!

Barry Wallace presents What to Say When You Only Have 30 Seconds to Present the Gospel posted at who am i?. This guest post by Demian Farnworth generated some discussion with an atheist who stopped by to comment. (Thought-provoking for sure!)

FMF presents A Very Simple Budget posted at Free Money Finance. A very simple, Christian-based budget. (Who knew budgeting could be so uncomplicated?)

NCSue presents God and green beans posted at IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING. (Here's a new one: green beans as an instrument to lead someone to God!)

Joe Plemon presents How to Get What You Really Want: Give it Away posted at Personal Finance By The Book. A look at the law of the harvest. (Excellent points all)

Caiti and Steve presents The Parable of the Good Samaritan posted at The Bible Blog. (Lots of good background info about who's who in this story.)

angela ambroise presents Devotions and More » Blog Archive » How to become a self-feeder posted at Devotions and More. (Superb practical advice here.)

Andrea @ Unfailingly Loved presents Tattooed Truth posted at Unfailingly Loved. If you were to permanently display words of truth that you learned from the Lord in life, what would you choose? (Andrea never fails to hit a nerve.)

Diane R presents The Wrong and Right Way to Plant a Church posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet. People who start churches are often in too much of a hurry to get "their" programs going. But this often really hurts their members. (Wisdom in her cautions.)

Joseph Fallon presents In Defense Of Pope Benedict posted at Non-MainStream Opinions. (Reasonable and dispassionate.)

Darlene Moore Berg presents For a Sunday morning « Darlene's Poetical Pursuits posted at Darlene's Poetical Pursuits. This was an old "poem" that came to mind by the Holy Spirit to be shared this Sunday. (Simple yet profound.)

The Ridge Burns blog presents "The Mexico Outreach" at Ridge's Burns. (Amazing what can flow out of one little "yes.")

Steven and Debra Wallace presents FEDs Boo Hoo Collateral Damage posted at The END TIMES Hoax. Putting the shoe on the other foot...ouch! (What happens when 'collateral damage' is no longer just a theory.)

Weekend Fisher presents The missing superego: removing religion from the public square posted at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength. If you believe that society helps for the "superego" or conscience, then what does it do to psychological development when morality is removed from the public square? (Another example of reaping what we sow.)

Tom Gilson presents Unconstitutional? Let’s Make That Opinion Irrelevant! posted at Thinking Christian. (Putting the ball back in our court)

Jeremy Pierce presents Maximizing Literalness or Evenness of Interpretation posted at Parableman. (Exposing a problem I hadn't even thought of.)

Space Age Lutheran wrote Lutheran Sermon in 15 seconds about how people expect an advertisement when you share the Gospel with them. The Lutheran way of sharing the Gospel leaves people expecting you to say more. (Short-winded for sure.)

Henry Neufeld writes How Bible Translation Should be Done  at Participatory Bible Study. In the 30 years since I graduated from grad school I have become much slower to give a positive answer to this question.  There are many factors in translation and different methods bring out different aspects of the text. (Mellow wisdom here - a good read!)

michelle presents Choose Love posted at And She Went Out.... (Pointed words, as usual, from Micey.)

Rodney Olsen presents Porn in Public posted at RodneyOlsen.Net. (Good initiative - Rodney & Co. Let us know how it goes.)
 
Finally, the submission here at Other Food -- a devotional: Finished and Unfinished Business. God's best may mean leaving our safe and predictable yesterdays behind.

...and a late entry: Bob MacDonald presents Preview of the next handout for the study of the Song posted at Dust.

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Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival ii using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Christian Carnival - here Wednesday (21st)!

I'm excited to announce that Other Food is hosting the 324th Christian Blog Carnival this Wednesday.

Maybe you'd like to join in by submitting an article from your blog. Posts should be:

Christian:

• The Christian Carnival is open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions. One of the goals of this Carnival is to offer our readers to a broad range of Christian thought.

• Posts need not be of a theological topic. Posts about home life, politics, or current events, for example, written from a Christian worldview are welcome.

Recent:

• Posted between midnight Tuesday April 13th and Tuesday April 20th.

To enter, simply click on the "Submit an article" link in the right sidebar widget (which doesn't seem to be working at this very moment but will be again soon, we hope) and fill out the generated form.

Or email me with:

• name and url of your post

• name and url of your blog

• brief description of your post

Want this badge?

I will publish the Carnival post with links to all this week's articles on Wednesday morning.