Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary Life
Just One Cup
I was just tending to my morning ritual of making a cup of
coffee. Most days I have one cup, although Tuesdays and Sundays I usually
have two cups because of my schedule. Tuesdays, a good friend and I get
together for prayer and fellowship and we have a coffee together. Sundays, I
have extra because I usually have a cup when teaching my adult Sunday school
class (if you live in the Edmonton, Alberta area, our adult Sunday school
meets at Good News Moravian Church (Sherwood Park) at 9:30 Sunday mornings).
There was a point in time where my coffee consumption was
measured in pots not cups. In my days at the bank, I would have a cup driving
to work, I'd often have a pot while reading the business papers and doing
paperwork before the rest of the staff came in and then continuous cups all
day as met with various clients and staff members. I kept the coffee hot by
topping up the mug every time it started to cool a little and I seldom left a
cup unfinished.
Today, if my coffee grows cold or I find I'm not enjoying
it, I simply don't finish. I rarely have a cup of coffee after 3:00 p.m. and
often go to the local coffee shop and order a water or juice. In the old days
that would have been akin to blasphemy in my mind.
There's no doubt that my coffee habit in those days was a
major problem. If I were to drink that much coffee now, I'd be on such an
incredible case of caffeine overload that I don't think my body could handle
it.
These days, I will even go on periodic fasts from coffee
for a few days just to make certain that my coffee intake is still because I
enjoy it and not just a habit.
A little coffee is (for most people) a harmless diversion,
a pleasant warm beverage. Taken in moderation, there are no adverse health
affects. Like anything else in life, where a little is okay, we need to be
careful that it doesn't just slip into the area of excess.
Scripture is full of warnings about the dangers of excess.
A gossip betrays a confidence; so
avoid a man who talks too much.
Proverbs 20:19 NIV
Do not join those who drink too
much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become
poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Proverbs 23:20 NIV
That last one is an "ouch" for me as I have been
struggling to defeat the issues that allow me to overeat. I have been making
modest progress with God's help but have a lifetime of bad habits to
overcome.
Keep falsehood and lies far from
me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the LORD?'
Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:8 NIV
While we need to be careful not to move into the realm of
excess in life, there are three things that you cannot have too much of,
faith, love, hope. The fullness of each is found in Christ, so we can never
have too much Jesus in our lives. We can have too much religion but not too
much Jesus. We can do too many churchy things, but never have too much Jesus.
Until next time, if you have areas in life that are taken
to excess, may you fill them instead with Jesus.
Be blessed.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)!
Kevin
http://gleaningsfromtheword.com/
YOU ARE
Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior, you are betrothed.
I will betroth you to me
forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and
compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the
LORD.
Hosea 2:19-20 NIV
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or
insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth
dying for. You are a blessing to the world.
Are you like most people and know that the things you have
done in life would make you unfit to be in God's presence, let alone be His
bride? No problem, there is nothing you can have done that is too bad to be
washed clean through the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf. Forgiveness and
renewal are there for the asking.
If you
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