Grateful Acres

I've been wading my way through the old testament these days, and I've noticed a pattern in the generations of kings after King David. We have King David on a pedestal of people to gain wisdom from, and the Bible just shows snapshots of most of the kings after him. Some serve the Lord and some spread evil.  2 Kings 14:3-4 shows the pattern I'm processing:    " He did what was right in the Lord's sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places."    "...Yet the high places were not taken away..." I am certainly not a historian, but I do know that those high places (that both good and bad kings left in place for generations) were places where the Lord was NOT worshiped. They were places where something else was elevated, something else was given to, something else was sought for strength an...

  "Consider it great joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4   We've heard this before. We know in our heads and possibly our journeys that trials can produce good character. This time I noticed another layer: "... And let endurance have it's full effect..."   This reminds me of the throws of labor before childbirth. As the waves of pain come faster and fuller, it's crucial that a laboring mama lean IN to them and not against them. If we resist the painful squeeze, we are fighting against the outcome we want (less pain, more baby). Labor is most effective when a mama accepts each wave, stays calm, and keeps her eye on the prize at the end: when she endures fully.   In this season of new trials, may we endure fully.   I urge you to l...

  The God of miracles. Disclaimer: I don't pretend to be a Bible expert; please read this passage for yourself, and allow the Lord to speak to you directly. This morning my regular reading landed me in 1 Kings 18, where the prophet Elijah holds a face-off with the prophets of Baal. It's just like the Lord to line up the words I need on the day I need them! I've been wrestling against a life situation that seems to be impossible (don't worry, we are all in good health). This weekend I found some bitterness I have let grow against the Lord for not doing the impossible on my behalf in the timeframe I want Him to. So very mature of me. The first thing that stood out to me about Elijah's actions is in verse 30:    "...Then he repaired the Lord's altar that had been torn down" My first priority needs to be building His kingdom.    "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. The...