WORDS TO REMEMBER

Even with the innumerable words and statements that one hears over the course of his life there are still very few that "stick with you" for very long.  I can remember a few things that were told to me by wise men and women though out my life but in comparison to the many things that have been shared with me, the ones I remember a embarrassingly few.

 Ashamedly I tell you it is the same with the lessons that I am supposed to be learning from God.  God speaks through His Holy Word, through His ministers, through Godly teachers and even through common men and women.  His guidance and directions are delivered to us in various ways suited just for our situation.  When they are heard, they are impressive.  When they are heard, they provide help and comfort.  But soon those helpful, comforting, impressive words are forgotten.  They are placed back on a high shelf in our minds and over the years covered with the dust of busy-ness. 

I say all of that to share with you something God spoke to me this morning.  As I walked down a familiar trail in the woods behind my house I could hardly see the ground.  As I've said before, the sun is lazy this time of the year and refuses to roll it's fiery head out of bed until long after I am up and moving. But as I contemplated over whether or not I was exactly where God wanted me to be at this particular time in my life and whether or not I was giving to God all that He required, in my heart and mind I heard these words.

Now before I share this with you I want to extend a disclaimer.  I'm not sure this statement will hold up the scriptural scrutiny, I haven't studied the scriptures yet in order to find any references.  However I believe if I took the time there would be ample scriptural reference to back this up. 

I'm also aware that sometimes what I might attribute to being a word from above might actually be the cold pizza I had for breakfast this morning.   I don't believe this to be the case here.

I've shared with you in other post how that many years ago down at Higgins Ferry on Lake Mitchell, God spoke words of forgiveness to me. Those words are just as clear today as they were back then.  I could take you back there now and show you almost the exact spot where I was standing when God spoke to me.  I can do that with the statement I heard this morning too.  I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when these words came to me.

Here are the words, I hope they bless and challenge you as they did me in that cool pre-dawn sanctuary.

"If you will give me all you have, I will give you all you will ever need, and in addition I'll give you the things you want". 

That would be quite a profound statement if it came from a rich man here on earth.  If a multi-millionaire gave you that promise you would be fit for life.  Yet how much more a statement I can hang my soul upon for the rest of eternity because it comes from the almighty Father.

The old Quaker writer Hannah W. Smith called that concept Surrender,  total complete surrender.  That's where I want to be.  I want to go back to that spot from time to time, perhaps every morning, and make sure my Father has all I have, so that He can give me all I need.