It's About the Timing...

Don't you just love it when you get a confirmation from God that you are moving in the right direction? That you made the right decision? Especially when you haven't asked for that confirmation? It is through these little affirmations that you know you are in sync with the Holy Spirit...that you are walking in His will and are about to receive a blessing beyond belief!

Last post I mentioned that I was going to start the Bible study, "He Chose The Nails." I have to admit here, I have heard of Max Lucado...I have read bits and pieces...quotes and devotions...and heard references attributed to him, but never really read anything he has written. The exception being "The Crippled Lamb." A children's story book I picked up in 1996 to read on Christmas eve of that year.

It's been quite some time since I've done a study like this, you know one that has a work book and everything... I thought I chose this particular study because it was convenient. As I was cleaning out the book cases in our bed room I found it shoved into one corner. It had been Jake's, left over from his 8Th grade youth days. Since the kids used notebooks it was almost like new.

I have gone through the first lesson and I would like to share with you a small excerpt which speaks volumes...

"We are at our best when we are giving... If we give gifts to show our love how much more does He? If we, speckled with foibles and greed, love to give gifts, how much more does God, pure and perfect God, enjoy giving gifts to us?

You see, every gift reveals God's love...but no gift reveals His love more than the gifts of the cross. They came not wrapped in paper, but in passion. Not placed around a tree, but a cross, not covered with ribbons, but sprinkled with blood."

Max Lucado: He Chose The Nails

Now that's some deep stuff to begin with and provides fodder for thought for days...but it holds even more excitement for me because it was within the first pages that I received the confirmation that this is the study for me...at this time.... I mean, this work book has just been haning out in the shelves in my bed room for almost five years...

I've been praying for some time about doing an indepth study and what are the odds that I would already have it on hand...run across it during a cleaning/organizing spree...two weeks before Christmas and in the first lesson the study relates the gift of salvation to the giving of gifts at Christmas? I mean really...I could have found this during my spring cleaning...but I didn't, did I?

I'm here to tell you that's nothing but God doing His thing in His time...answering my prayer... and letting me know loud and clear that He has something in store for me...I know it is. You tell me am I about to get my socks blessed off or what? I can hardly wait to get to Lesson Two! Don't you just love it when He reveals Himself in these kinds of ways?

You're not over looking affirmations of God's activity in your life by chalking it up to coincidence or convenience are you? May we always be able to clearly see His hand at work in our lives...

Totally in HIS grip,
Theresa