God In The Driver's Seat

FAITH:

"If you will only obey me and let me help you, then you will have plenty to eat. But if you keep turning away and refusing to listen, you will be destroyed by your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!" - Isaiah 1:19-20 (NLT)

Last week as I made my way to the office, I felt a familiar "thud" as the car approached a red light and the automatic transmission down-shifted. It was a symptom I knew all too well, since the same problem three years earlier had necessitated a long and costly rebuild of the transmission. Now with over two-hundred-thousand miles on the odometer and a whole host of other small mechanical problems, I knew it was time to retire this car and start shopping for a new one.

My wife and I discussed which manufacturers we would consider and which we would not. We solicited recommendations from friends and family and spent hours on the Internet reading reviews. Finally, we narrowed the list to two manufacturers. Since each had only two models in our price range, we essentially had two cars from which to choose. I test-drove each one and carefully priced them with the options we needed. We considered safety, reliability and fuel economy. We calculated the monthly payment based on the available interest rate and finally made our choice. I went in to the dealership knowing exactly what I wanted and what I was willing to pay, and gave the salesman one of the quickest and easiest commissions he would ever have. Four days after the first signs of transmission trouble, we had signed the paperwork on a new car.

As I lay in bed that night waiting to fall asleep, I considered how thorough and efficient I had been in choosing the right vehicle for our family's needs. I had not succumbed to emotion, nor had I impulsively purchased the first good deal I found. No, I had made a very well-educated and informed decision. "What a smart and responsible man I am", I thought.

Just then, I heard the small voice which I have come to recognize as the Holy Spirit. He whispered, "You never asked me what I wanted you to do."

I immediately felt convicted and ashamed. It was true! During the entire four days, I had not even once stopped to pray and ask God which car was right for us. I never asked for His guidance or assistance. I never even asked God if we should be buying a new car at all. Worse still, I never thanked Him for allowing us to have the ability to buy a new car at a time when so many others are suffering financially. For four days, I never once spoke to God about the situation even though it was the most important issue on my mind at the time. I simply forged ahead, relying on my own limited judgment to guide me.

I should know better. In the three years that I have been publishing devotionals, I have written frequently about the need for relying on God, surrendering to His will and allowing Him to be in control of everything we do. Yet, here I had a perfect opportunity to put these concepts into action and failed miserably. As a result, I may never know what God intended to give us or what consequences we might face as a result of not seeking His will. I don't believe that God punishes us each time we wrestle with Him for control over a situation. No, he does something much worse - He leaves us to our fate and permits us to bear the full brunt of all the consequences of our choice.

We must not make the mistake of thinking that surrendering to God is something we do once and never again. Total surrender to God is not a state of being which we can achieve and then ignore. It is a moment by moment way of living that we must practice every day of our lives. Some are better at it than others, though with practice, each of us can become more experienced at living this way. Yet, even those who have become very good at daily surrender still need to put it into action at every opportunity.

We should not think that surrender is an abstract, intangible concert with little practical application to our daily lives. Every choice you make, no matter how small, presents a real opportunity for you to surrender your desires to God and to seek His will. The practical application is this - before you contemplate the decision before you, pause for a moment and speak with God about the issue at hand. With every choice, there will be something you desire and something you do not. Tell God that what you want is not as important as His will and that you will accept and embrace His will, even if it is not what you desire for yourself. Next, ask God to reveal His will to you. Pray for the wisdom and discernment to know what direction He would have you take. Ask Him to reveal the paths you should follow, and hide those which you should not.

Once you have done all this, take some quiet time alone and carefully listen for God to speak to you about the issue. Be patient, and await the arrival of that sense of peace which informs us that we have understood the message which God is trying to convey. Do not act until you have that peace to guide you unless the matter is urgent and you need to move quickly. Even then, do not act until you have at least taken a few moments to call upon God and request His help.

All of these I failed to do as I considered my purchase. It would have taken mere moments for me to spend some time in prayer, but I was too wrapped up in my own cleverness and my own desires for a new car suited to my liking. Thankfully, today and tomorrow will present new opportunities for me to surrender, and hopefully I will have learned my lesson. I also hope that each of you can learn from my mistakes, and that you will be able to recognize your own opportunities to surrender to Him. by Michael Lane

FRIENDS:

Father, keep pressing us to trust you more. Keep pressing us to have faith in You and to keep looking to You during our struggles. Forgive us when we give up. Forgive us for thinking that You have given up on us. We know Lord that you are faithful to us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE

5. LUKE 14:15-24; 1 TIMOTHY 3:11-16; PROVERBS 5; EZRA 7
6. LUKE 14:25-35; 1 TIMOTHY 4; PROVERBS 6; EZRA 8

FOOD:

Pho in a Slow Cooker
This wonderful soup dish is from Vietnam and it is pronounced (Fu as in the beginning of the word Fun)
--6 cups beef broth or stock (purchased stock is just fine)
--2 inch chunk of ginger (I just read that author of the recipe said to use 1/4-1/2 inch of peeled ginger. oops. I didn't peel and just threw a hunk in)
--3/4 t anise (go easy on this one)
--1 cinnamon stick (I don't know if I would use this or not)
--2 sliced green onions
--1 lb thin sliced beef (I used stir-fry meat from the butcher)
--package of rice noodles (usually in the ethnic aisle in the grocery store)
--1 t fish sauce (anchovies, salt, water. ethnic aisle again. it is very important to the dish and cheap to buy)
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper

The Directions.
Put all of the broth into the crock pot. Add the meat, green onion, ginger, fish sauce, and spices. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 4-6. It's done when the meat is fully cooked. I used a 6qt Smart Pot for this recipe and it took a good 4 hours on high for the large amount of broth in my crock to get hot enough to cook the meat.

15 minutes before serving, add the entire package of rice noodles to the pot. Push them under the liquid with a wooden spoon, and cover.

By the time you set the table, the noodles will be tender and glass-like. Serve in bowls.Traditionally this is served with bean sprouts, fresh cilantro or basil, sliced jalapenos, and lime wedges.

The Verdict.
This has a very nice mellow flavor. I loved the hint of anise (tastes like black licorice) and the cinnamon. I needed to add more salt because I used the homemade stock as the base. My husband said it tasted the same as the restaurant's, but not as oily or as salty.

The next day the flavors were even more pronounced (but the noodles got weird. Next time I'm not going to add all the noodles at once) and made a lovely lunch.
**Penni's note - Being a great fan of Pho I would cook my noodles separately and add them to the soup as it was being served. I would not add to the crock pot at all.
Also I would go easy on the cinnamon and anise unless you are sure there are flavors you like. They will over power quickly.

FUN:

I was just saying the other day that the younger generations do not know how to make change without the aid of a register telling them how much change to give back. Well it seems the problem is worse than I thought:


My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'You gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request.
I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but we cannot do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change..

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.