Gleaning from the field of the LORD

God is good all the time…. ALL of the time, in all places for all time: God is the great I AM.

When I traveled a bit north to join other sisters in the LORD at a wonderful Titus2 meeting this past Thursday evening, I wasn’t actually aware at that point what the next few days would bring — and yet, the LORD, in His mercy, ordered up the days and provided all that was needed — I see that so well now.  We had unexpected guests stay with us for a few days and many “things on the docket.”  I pray the LORD will use all the events, conversations and times we spent together to help me grow in faith and apply what I was to glean and to discard or set aside whatever else for another time.  I wish I’d worked more diligently to keep Titus2.3-5 in mind so that as each event happened I might have asked: how can this or that be used to help me love my husband, love my children and be a keeper at home?  How can all of these things be sorted and applied that I would take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ—and more, how can I cast down imaginations and every high thing… In all I want my life to be a living sacrifice—and if that’s true (and it is), what can I take and use from the days just spent?

It seems that when there are multiple events, and varied ones at that, much of the “good things” are buried and over days must be decompressed, revisited and sorted out.  That’s what this week seems to hold, I suppose. And as I work at the many things that need to be done this week, I pray to not let go of what I had in my hand last week or that if the needful of this week fills my basket, I don’t just dump it all. ~wink~

The LORD continues to teach me to trust in Him for the ordering of the days and as I had particular plans that had to be altered or put off, I saw that I needed to fully rely on Him and trust that His will was being done and I sought to be obedient to that.  I was overwhelmed by either what was going on at the moment or by thoughts of things that needed to be done. In a few different moments of weariness, I didn’t retain the necessary guard to guide my thoughts and words and I found myself murmuring over unimportant things or being touchy about words and opinions and needed to just remember (1Thessalonians) prove all things and hold fast to the good.  And now… as I look back I say: omygoodness, and aren’t we just closing out the study of 1Corinthians?  Aren’t we just studying about bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things,enduring all things — suffering long and being charitable?  O, how dull of hearing I am.

I share all this bcz I can see that for women – surely myself included, the mind is, or can be, quite a messy battlefield at times.  At yet another gathering — this time, hundreds of believers at a memorial service last night, I was talking with a sister in the LORD and after talking of floods, rain and snow and God’s care and provision through each, we compared that to ways the enemy comes in like a flood to attempt to thwart what God is doing in and through a life.  I hadn’t seen this sister in the LORD in quite awhile and she was asking me about letters I used write and I told her that I hadn’t done them in quite some time.  I explained that it was ironic that she was asking about them and shared that I was intending to begin sending them out again very soon.  I told her I’d allowed the enemy to thwart the work that had been ongoing and she shared that she, too, had done a similar thing regarding ministry the LORD had given her to do.  She had listened to the lies of the enemy and had backed off from some important things and she and I both concluded that there will be people who will not like us, not agree with us but that we cannot be derailed or flooded out by their thoughts toward or about us.  Rather, we must weigh what is said against what God has said and search out the truth and obey His leading and be forbearing with those who disagree with us and just continue traveling the path the LORD has set before us.

Many good things are covered up — covered up by lies of the enemy, by busyness, by poor planning, by “weariness in well-doing” or even by more good things!  As I sort out the good things and sift out the difficulties and lift out the needful, I pray to share the blessings of the LORD as these are and have been wonderful days.  So, again… I want to glean day by day from the field of the LORD.