I woke up bright and early this morning, which for me was around 8:30. I thought I heard my phone ring, and when I looked at it, sure enough I had missed a call -- a call from Texas. Could it have been Dr. Murdock? I'll never know.
If I don't have to, I never jump right out of bed in the morning. That's because God does some of His best speaking to me at that early hour. I've learned to stay put, worship Him, ask questions, and wait for instructions. His voice is always so clear at that time.
This morning as I laid there thinking,
a picture kept popping into my mind.
It was an open hand and falling from
it were seeds.
I remembered seeing that picture in my mind, right as I was about to go to sleep last night. It was so vivid, I pulled out my Bible and read about the Sower and the Seed. Now, here it was again. At first I just thought that it was my hand because I am continually planting seeds and believing for a harvest. I'm a "Seed Planter!" But the picture kept popping in my mind again and again. Perhaps I wasn't getting what the Lord was trying to say. Finally, I just asked Him out loud...
"What does it mean, Lord?
Why do you keep showing me this picture?"
Recently I read a book by Chip Ingrim entitled, The Genius of Generosity In it, he uses the Christmas story to describe several levels of giving.
* The first is the giving of our money or gifts. The wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
* The second is the giving of our time and efforts. The shepherds took time out from their job to go see the baby Jesus. Then they went all over town proclaiming the good news of His birth. They were the first evangelists.
* The third level has to do with reputation. What will others think of you as you follow God's instructions? Are you willing to risk your reputation for God? What did others think of Joseph when he married Mary who was already with child? Surely there was talk.
* The next level is the giving up of one's future. Mary had a plan. She was going to marry Joseph, raise a family and live a normal life. That all changed when the Holy Spirit came upon her. As mother of the Messiah, her life, from that point on, would be anything but normal.
* Jesus exemplifies the next level of giving. He gave His life.
* Finally, God portrays the highest level of giving. He gave His most precious possession, the life of His son. WOW!
If you followed me last year on The Red Shoe Project, you know that I've given on many of these levels. Even last night, I planted a financial seed into Dr. Murdock's ministry. What was it God was trying to say? Immediately, He responded.
"This is what the vision means...
There are 3 financial releases coming in your life:
* One has to do with your BOOK.
* One has to do with how you make your LIVING.
* One has to do with your CAR.
Wow! I wasn't expecting Him to say anything like that! Here I am thinking in left field, when all this time, God's plan is situated in right field. So often that's exactly how I know it's God speaking. My thoughts are rarely His thoughts on just about anything. LOL. Plus, His thoughts and ideas are always on such a grand scale in comparison. They're Divine Thoughts!
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8
It will be interesting to see what happens in the days and weeks ahead as I continue stepping out in RED shoes!
Gail
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