Category: Wisdom

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The Miracle of Love

This morning, I was praying for creativity. You see Dave and I just bought a tiny home, a park model, and we have 399 sq ft to make entirely our own. Yesterday it arrived; the first time we had seen it other than in pictures.

We spent a couple of hours measuring room sizes, the closet, height of the bar, cabinets, etc. Everything will need to fit into this space. Hence my prayer for creativity.

Who better to ask for creative ideas than the Creator of all things?

“I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. 4 Then I ask, ‘Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?’ 5 You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5 CEV

This prayer brought a song to mind. Over the years I have memorized hundreds of lyrics and I love when my heart begins to flood with song and the Lord uses those words to reinforce His word to my heart.

It Took A Miracle
My Father is omnipotent
And that you cant deny;
A God of might and miracles;
‘Tis written in the sky.
Refrain
It took a miracle to put the stars in place;
It took a miracle to hang the world in space.
But when He saved my soul,
Cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace!
3
The Bible tells us of His power
And wisdom all way through;
And every little bird and flower
Are testimonies, too

My Father is omnipotent – all powerful and He’s omniscient – all knowing. Every little bird and flower are testimonies of His greatness. The intricate details of creation are a testimony to God’s power and design. He is a God of order and not of chaos.

“He renews our hopes and heals our bodies. 4 He decided how many stars there would be in the sky and gave each one a name. 5 Our Lord is great and powerful! He understands everything.” Psalm 147:3-5 CEV

What I’ve learned about the Father down through the years is that He is concerned with what concerns us. He doesn’t want us confused, worried or frustrated. He wants our lives to be filled with peace and wisdom.

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” James 1:5 CEV

“Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.” Colossians 3:15 CEV

He truly desires for us to have wisdom in all our decisions.

“On this earth four things are small but very wise: 25 Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food all summer long;…” Proverbs 30:24-25 CEV

He gives the ants wisdom and instinct to preserve their lives, so you know He cares for us and our circumstances.

Whether it’s how to best use a small space, a grocery list, a career path, raising children, financial advice, or which medical provider and procedure is best God has the answer.

When we ask for wisdom, He gives it freely. It’s a miraculous provision of His love and grace!

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Wisdom Chooses the Right Road

From time to time, we all make mistakes and fall for deception. Let me ask, has there ever been a time you said, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that; I should have done the other?”

It’s important that when we face situations where we just aren’t sure that we seek wisdom.

“Listen, Wisdom is calling. Yes, Understanding is shouting for us. 2 Wisdom stands at the top of the hill, by the road where the paths meet. 3 She is near the entrance to the city, calling from the open gates. 4 “I am calling out to all of you. I am speaking to everyone.
5 You who are ignorant, learn to be wise. You who are foolish, get some common sense.
6 Listen, I have something important to say, and I am telling you what is right.7 My words are true, and I will not say anything that is wrong. 8 Everything I say is right; there is nothing false or crooked about it. 9 These things are clear to any intelligent person. They are right to anyone with knowledge. 10 Choose discipline over silver and knowledge over the finest gold. 11 Wisdom is better than pearls, and nothing you desire compares with her… What I produce is better than pure silver. 20 I lead people the right way—  along the paths of justice.” Proverbs 8:1-11, 19 & 20 ERV

We saw how Abraham got detoured and had a son with his wife’s maid, the result was jealousy and contention. King Saul, who was the first king in Israel, took a wrong path and instead of seeking God’s counsel consulted with a witch. The nation of Israel often went in search of other gods, only to find that there was only one true God and then they would repent and return to the path He led them on.

We read yesterday that the Bible is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. Jesus made the comment to his disciples that “I am the way (the path), the truth and the life”. He also said that He was the light of the world.

The whole book of Proverbs is written to give us wisdom and understanding by following God’s word. It’s easy to become deceived and take a wrong road when we try to do things on our own.

“So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you. 22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.” James 1:21-25 ERV

“Listen, there is someone shouting: ‘Prepare a way in the desert for the Lord. Make a straight road there for our God…The Lord God is coming with power. He will use his power to rule all the people. He will bring rewards for his people. He will have their payment with him.
11 Like a good shepherd, he takes care of his people. He gathers them like lambs in his arms. He holds them close, while their mothers walk beside him.” Isaiah 40:3, 10 & 11 ERV

These words were written 400 years before Christ was born. These are the very words that John the Baptist was preaching when Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized.

God’s word is timeless, it is flawless, it is perfect and gives us wisdom and direction keeping us on the right road. It will always show us the right road to follow!

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The Road to Follow

When we started this series, I titled it “The Road to the Cross”. It is a road that took the people of the Bible 4000+ years to travel. Bible scholars tell us, according to genealogy and history, that it was approximately 4000 years from the garden to the manger.

I often think about the practical aspects of living in those times. How did people communicate with one another? There were really no “major” roadways through the countryside; trade routes were in the beginning stages of development. How long did it take Abraham to go from Ur of the Chaldees to the Promised Land? They didn’t have an Atlas, there was no roadmap to pick up at the local gas station and there was certainly no app for that.

But there was GPN – very similar to GPS but better. GPN, God Provided Navigation. Remember what the Lord told Abraham, “Go to the land that I will show you”.

“You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path. 11 Be true to your name, Lord, and keep my life safe. Use your saving power to protect me from trouble.” Psalm 149:10-11 CEV

Yesterday’s verses told us that Jesus is our shepherd, and we hear His voice and follow Him. We aren’t left to stumble around in the dark, searching for our own way. No, God, our loving Father, has a path for us to follow.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk. 106 Your laws are fair, and I have given my word to respect them all.” Psalm 119:105-106 CEV

“Thomas said, ‘Lord, we don’t even know where you are going! How can we know the way?’ 6 ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life!’ Jesus answered. ‘Without me, no one can go to the Father.'” John 14:5-6 CEV

Throughout history the Lord gave direction, led the way and set the path. There was a time when the nation of Israel was in rebellion to the Lord and His leading. They tried other ways, followed other gods, and established their own path but they weren’t successful in their endeavors.

When they repented and turned back to following the Lord and His word this is what the Lord told them:

“ The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” 22 Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw them away like filthy rags.” Isaiah 30:20-22 CEV

Again, you may ask, how do I know God’s path and the way He has planned? I’m so glad you asked. I learned early on that when I don’t have a definite verse in the Bible that gives direction like “Thou shalt not lie”, I can and should be led by God’s peace.

“The Lord says, ‘My thoughts are not like yours. Your ways are not like mine. 9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

10 ‘Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. 12 So you will go out from there with joy. You will be led out in peace.'” Isaiah 55:8-12 ERV

God’s way is so much better than ours. His words are powerful and make things happen. When we look to Him and His guidance, we have His promise that peace will fill our hearts as we follow.

The road to the cross leads us to the Prince of Peace!

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Bah Humbug!

Do you have any Scrooge’s in your life? It just seems futile to try and keep those people happy or in a positive state of mind?

I mean, it seems some folks “have it all” and still they want to grumble and complain while others seem to have very little of the pleasures of life and are always smiling and encouraging others.

The difference between the two is their definition of rich.

Bob Cratchit worked in harsh conditions. Long hours, low pay and underappreciated but he went home every night to a family who loved him and he was rich. Ebenezer Scrooge was rich – he lived in a big home, counted his money often but lived unhappy and alone.

Rich – what does that word bring to mind? At this time of year, it can be used in several ways.

Our conversation was rich with laughter.

The fudge was rich.

The presence of family and friends is rich.

That’s a present fit for a king but it requires his riches to buy it.

Rich: 1. wealthy: owning a lot of money or expensive property 2. worth much: worth a great deal of money 3. costly and fine: made from or consisting of things of the highest quality.

What things in life make you feel rich?

Remember a couple of days ago when I used the verses from John 1 about the Word (Jesus) became flesh. Ok, so hold that thought for a moment and let’s look at Colossians.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 KJV

Let the word dwell in you richly or let’s put it this way. When Christ, who is the word, dwells in us we become rich in wisdom. Now there’s a novel concept, rich in wisdom. Wisdom is a commodity that money can’t buy but dwelling in the Word makes wisdom available.

“Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful. 16 Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:15-17 ERV

Now there are some gifts that we all desire – peace, thankfulness, wisdom. A relationship with Christ, the Word, brings the richness of these gifts to our lives.

God bless us everyone!

Merry Christ – mas!

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Thankful for Answers

I recently accepted a new position. I really am enjoying it and the people I work with. I have questions regarding some of the work and when I ask, they are always ready to give me the answers.

However, there have been times when I haven’t even known what questions to ask. Have you ever been there? You know you don’t have the knowledge you need but are unsure what that knowledge is.

I am thankful for those people who stand by my side and provide the help I need.

Some people have the intelligence to answer difficult questions, some have the skill to tackle and solve the mechanical, some have the wisdom to bring enlightenment to the emotional while still others have the insight into the financial and then there are those who have the uncanny knack of good old common sense.

I’m thankful for the input of all these people in my life but more than that I am thankful for the Father’s loving gift of the Holy Spirit.

” But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what will happen in the future. 14 The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me by telling you what he receives from me. 15 All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will tell you what he receives from me.” John 16:13-15 ERV

Since God can’t lie the above statement that Jesus made about the Holy Spirit is true. The Holy Spirit is here to tell us what he hears from the Father, He is here to guide us into all true. The truth He has is not what’s found in the Wall Street Journal nor is it found in great institutions of higher learning. He tells us what he hears from the Father.

“With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.” Proverbs 3:5-6 CEV

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord…3 Trust your work to the Lord, and your plans will work out well…9 The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord shows him what to do.” Proverbs 16:1,3,9 NLV

Thank you, Father, for sending a comforter, a counsellor, a helper and a guide. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to live in us and work through us for your glory.

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Better Than

The theme of my morning Bible reading seemed to be “better than”. Let me explain.

First, I was reading in Isaiah, the last chapter, and I came across these words:

“My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine.
 I, the Lord, have spoken! ‘I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.'” Isaiah 66:2 NLT

It goes on to say that those who are trying to look religious and spiritual with all their actions have false and deceptive hearts. What God is looking for are the humble and repentant.

“But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” I Samuel 15:22-23 NLT

Samuel, the priest, was correcting King Saul because of his disobedience to what the Lord had said. Saul tried to cover up his rebellious acts by offering sacrifices but his heart wasn’t repentant.

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

From there, I went to the book of Proverbs. Solomon, in chapters 22 and 23, gives thirty wise sayings. He’s giving instruction to young men.

He says being wise is better than expending all your energy to get rich.

“Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.” vs 4

He goes on to say that keeping silent is better than wasting your advice on fools.

“Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.” vs 9

His next wise saying has to do with raising children. Discipline is better than letting our children live a disobedient life.

“Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them. 14 Physical discipline may well save them from death.” vs 13-14

At this point, I encourage you to read the whole chapter, Proverbs 23, and look at the wise sayings of Solomon. I’ll end with this one. Avoiding drunkards and gluttons is better than joining in their ways.

“My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. 20 Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.” vs 19-21

These all seem like such obvious instructions, don’t they? Our heavenly Father cares about every area of our lives and He doesn’t want us to be caught unaware of its dangers. His loving instruction and compassion is better than life without Him.

“Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! 4 I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.” Psalm 63:3-4 NLT

This is what our Father intends for us:

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Colossians 1:9-10 NLT

We are promised wisdom and understanding and a life that produces good fruit as we grow in our knowledge of the Father.

A life of knowing God is BETTER THAN anything else!

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Do You See It?

Last night I heard someone use the expression, “I can see the handwriting on the wall”.

Do you know that expression is from the Bible? It’s from the book of Daniel. In Daniel chapter 5, a new king had replaced Nebuchadnezzar and his name was Belshazzar.

He decided to have a party for his rulers, their wives and his concubines. As the party went on he called for the golden goblets that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem years earlier. They filled them with wine and began toasting and praising their gods of gold, silver, bronze and stone.

“Suddenly, a person’s hand appeared and began writing on the wall. The fingers scratched words into the plaster on the wall, near the lampstand in the king’s palace. The king was watching the hand as it wrote.

6 King Belshazzar was very afraid. His face became white from fear, and his knees were shaking and knocking together. He could not stand up because his legs were too weak… His face was white from fear.” Daniel 5:5-9 ERV

The king’s wisest men couldn’t provide him with the answers he needed. Enter Belshazzar’s mother. She reminded him that Daniel had always provided the answers to King Nebuchadnezzar.

“12 The man I am talking about is named Daniel. The king gave him the name Belteshazzar. He is very smart and he knows many things. He could interpret dreams, explain secrets, and find the answer to very hard problems. Call for Daniel, he will tell you what the writing on the wall means.” Daniel 5:12 ERV

Daniel boldly proclaimed what God put in his heart. Daniel recounts how God revealed himself to Nebuchadnezzar. And then he finishes by saying, “You knew all this but you didn’t learn a thing.” He went on to hold Belshazzar accountable for his arrogance and worship of false gods. And then he interprets the writing on the wall.

“You gave praise to the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. They are not really gods; they cannot see or hear or understand anything. But you did not give honor to the God who has the power over your life and everything you do. 24 So because of that, God sent the hand that wrote on the wall. 25 These are the words that were written on the wall:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPARSIN.

26 “This is what these words mean:

Mene:

God has counted the days until your kingdom will end.

27 Tekel:

You have been weighed on the scales and found not good enough.

28 Uparsin:

Your kingdom is being taken from you.

It will be divided among the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5: 22-28 ERV

And at the end of this chapter, Belshazzar gave Daniel the reward that he had promised to the one who could read the handwriting. And then he was killed and a new ruler, Darius the Mede, took the kingdom.

There is so much happening in our world today that can be seen as the handwriting on the wall. Not the scribbles of a child but the intervention of God into our lives. Daniel’s stand for God continued to bring him before kings. His boldness is an example to us.

When asked to give an answer, let God give us the words. Don’t apologize – but speak boldly what He puts in our hearts.

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Which Way, God?

Every day we make at least a dozen decisions that determine which way we will go.

We leave the house in the morning and pull out of the driveway, turn right or left like we always do. We stop at the same grocery store, follow the same path to work and in fact we get upset if the road is blocked and we have to turn another way. We like doing things the way we’ve always done; we like the familiar but what if there’s another way?

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

God’s ways are higher than ours but that doesn’t mean we can’t understand God or know His ways.

The Bible is our loving Father communicating with man so that we can know His ways. He gave his plan to Moses, the prophets and spoke His plan to Jesus, who was the fulfillment of that plan.

He gave his plan to Paul who penned over half the New Testament so that we would continue to have the direction we needed.

Then He placed His Spirit within us when we were born again so we could have greater understanding of His ways.

“But as the Scriptures say, ‘No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.

13 When we say this, we don’t use words taught to us by human wisdom. We use words taught to us by the Spirit. We use the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 People who do not have God’s Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit’s help. 15 We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. 16 As the Scriptures say, ‘Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind? Who is able to give him advice?’ But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.” I Corinthians 2:9-16 ERV

A good way to start each day is to ask the Lord to make His way of thinking clear to us. When we follow what He puts in our hearts we will go the right way and we will do the right things.

If you’re having difficulty understanding the things of God, ask the Holy Spirit who lives within you for the direction you need – He’ll be more than glad to help!

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Always Good!

Some things are always good. Things like crispy fried chicken, cold sweet watermelon, a juicy steak cooked to perfection and for me, a peanut butter & honey sandwich.

A few of you may be familiar with my recipe for the perfect PBH but for those who aren’t I’m going to share it.

When I was a kid I loved to eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches but they had to be made right. I mean you couldn’t just butter the bread and smear peanut butter and honey on it – there was a process.

First the butter had to be soft. Put a rounded teaspoon of butter in a dish, then add a big spoon of peanut butter and finally top it with a rounded teaspoon of honey. Now here’s the important part, stir until creamy and smooth and then spread it on the bread. Oh my, now that was a sandwich.

This was generally what I called supper on Sunday evening. You see, we would have our big dinner at noon after coming home from church and before we would head back for evening service we needed to grab something quick to eat and mine would be the sandwich described above.

Delicious! and I still enjoy them to this day. Some things are always good.

When I read these verses in Psalms and Proverbs this is what comes to mind.

“Honey is good for you my children, and it tastes sweet. 14 Wisdom is like honey for your life—if you find it, your future is bright.” Proverbs 24:13-14 CEV

Wisdom is like honey…sweet and delicious. Wisdom makes life better with fewer regrets and more joy.

“Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—and delicacies that melt in your mouth. Likewise knowledge, and wisdom for your soul—Get that and your future’s secured, your hope is on solid rock.” Proverbs 24:13-14 MSG

When our lives are guided by wisdom, Godly wisdom, we are building that solid foundation we were talking about in yesterday’s blog. The foundation of God’s word that won’t be shaken by life’s storms. Wisdom builds hope and when we hope in the Lord we will never be ashamed.

“ The fear of the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The Lord is always true and right in how He judges. 10 The Word of the Lord is worth more than gold, even more than much fine gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey straight from the comb.” Psalm 19:9-10 NLV

God’s word is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey…somethings are always good!

Get out your spoon and scoop up a big helping of honey. It’s good for you physically and spiritually.

(If you want a real treat – go make a peanut butter honey sandwich as described above. I just did and I call it breakfast.)

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Walk & Talk

Yesterday I told you about my morning walking. Sometimes Dave walks with me and some days I walk alone. This image is from yesterday morning’s walk.

On the days Dave and I walk together we talk, we plan, we readjust plans and make set new goals, we thank God for where we are and where He is leading us. On the mornings when I walk by myself, I do the same with the Father.

That desire to walk and talk must be an inherited trait.

“ Then they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the evening. ” Genesis 3:8 NLV

God created man and woman so He would have someone to fellowship with. Even after they had sinned and left the garden God still came to talk with them.

Enoch went on a walk and talk with the Lord and instead of going back to his tent for the night it appears he walked right back to heaven with God.

“So Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was seen no more, for God took him.” Genesis 5:23-24 NLV

Noah talked with God and God gave him the blueprints for building the ark.

“ Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to make an end to all the people on the earth…14 Make a large boat of gopher wood for yourself. Build rooms in the boat. And cover it inside and out with tar. 15 This is how you are to make it…” Genesis 6:13-15 NLV

There are so many throughout the Bible who had walk and talks with the Lord and it still happens today.

We met a man while we were living in Idaho who had an idea for building a wood-burning stove. He built the proto-type and submitted it for a patent. He didn’t have a lot of money to spend on the patent process, and it failed the first round of testing. He told us he sat up all night praying about what had failed and how he could correct it with the funds he had left. He spread out the plans on the table and began asking the Lord about each step of the process. By morning, he had his answer on what needed to be adjusted, made the correction, submitted the stove again and was granted the patent. He has been producing his wood burning stoves now for years and has a very successful product and gives God the glory.

God’s desire is for us to have wisdom and His leading in every circumstance. He’s not hiding His will or His plans. On of my favorite walk n talk verses are these:

“ While Jeremiah was still shut up in the open space of the prison, the Word of the Lord came to him a second time, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord says Who made the earth. The Lord made it to last. The Lord is His name. 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:1-3 NLV

Call to Me and I will answer and show you great and wonderful things!

If you need motivation while on those morning or evening walks, let those verses be it. A walk and talk with the Lord will reveal great and wonderful things!

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