Tiny Devotional for Monday, 05-13-2024

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Monday is no excuse.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12, NASB


Yesterday, I discovered an item I wanted was going on sale in about 100 minutes from now. It's priced above the level where I make purchases on my own advice, and so I asked Vanessa, knowing she would be less than enthusiastic. I was right; she told me I didn't need that, and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. I don't NEED it; I WANTED it, though. After we had talked about it for a bit, and discussed the things that we do, in fact, really need, she told me I could go ahead and buy it. 

(NOTE: I wasn't badgering her; we don't negotiate that way. I didn't wear down her arguments, this was a decision she made of her own free will. Just ask her!)

I spent much of the afternoon and evening researching, and drooling over the prospect of making the purchase. This morning, one of the first things I did was watch a short video about the item. And then, it was time to write this, and before I looked at the verse, I thought “Maybe I'll get an answer here!”

And I did!

At first, I thought the answer was “Go ahead and get it! You won't have a sick heart, then!”

Then, I re-evaluated. 

No hope will be deferred, whether I get this or not. It's just preference, not need. But there ARE some needs I know about, people and agencies that have a constant ministry presence, feeding and housing families. So: ”Meet THAT need” is my answer.

Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. Jesus SavesMay 14, 2024 at 2:56 AM

    Amen and Amen my Brother Pat. Good idea. Praise God!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 05-08-2024

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, bring a treat for the puppy dogs. Wisdom speaks: I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17, NASB There is a double promise here. First, wisdom promises that this is NOT going to be a one-sided love affair. THAT'S a relief! Search your memory, for that crush you had on someone in the 6th grade that wasn't returned. Hopefully, that was the LAST time you found yourself in a one-way relationship, but we all had to learn.  Second, wisdom promises that all we have to do to find her is seek for her. We DON'T have to get dressed up with brains, education, or any achievements whatsoever; all we have to do is seek her, and she will be found. This may be a promise that can only be appreciated by someone who has had to make their living in sales (or recruiting). I did that for too many years, slaving away on the road or on the telephone, ...
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 05-04-2024

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, May the Fourth be with you! But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19, NASB   The preceding four verses warn us away from following after evil, and describes those who do so. Then, we are told WHY we should follow the path of the righteous, followed by the reason not to follow the path of the wicked. Perhaps this is the right way of teaching. This morning, I have had to deal with repercussions of someone hijacking Vanessa's Facebook account. Using this formula, how would I instruct a potential hacker?  Don't be a hacker. People who hack accounts look for ways to take advantage of other people's identities. People who use systems the way intended are able to exchange information with confidence, to include...
Read more

I will NOT share space with Four Horsemen today!

Image
Today is the sixth anniversary of the day that Vanessa and I were united in Holy Matrimony. We eloped.  The email I sent out to close friends and family said: Unless you are very prompt about checking your email, by the time you read this, we will be married. It's scheduled as a stealth event (no invites, etc) just after the 5:00 PM service at Liberty Church. Vanessa and Pat  The reason for the elopement? Except for our church family, and one or two of our bio-family, we were catching great big gobs of resistance, and some astounding roadblocks. I think most of it was well-intentioned; people didn't want us to 'rush into things.' They didn't want us to have to face the rigors of living as a mixed race couple in the south. There were some SERIOUS questions about my health, and my ability to provide proper parenting to Kenneth and Alicia, who, at ages 6 & 5, were starting first grade and kindergarten. Yeah, got that; we had spent a LOT of time working on those iss...
Read more