Bread magnifies Christ in two ways: by being eaten with gratitude for His goodness, and by being forfeited out of hunger for God Himself. When we eat, we taste the emblem of our heavenly food – the Bread of Life. And when we fast we say, “I love the Reality above the emblem.” In the heart of the saint both eating and fasting are worship. Both magnify Christ. Both send the heart – grateful and yearning – to the Giver. Each has its appointed place and each has its danger. The danger of eating is that we fall in love with the gift; the danger of fasting is that we belittle the gift and glory in our will-power.
John Piper

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WHY I'M QUITTING Monday

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#1 · October 31, 2005, 8:51 am

Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>

"WHY I'M QUITTING"
 
 
God, there's just not enough room for both of us to be in charge
of my life. It's not that I haven't taken the job seriously, mind
you! I have fretted, laid awake nights, and worked out the
most detailed and wonderful schemes. The problem is not
with the planning and scheming. It's with the "control" thing.
Or, perhaps I should have said, the lack-of-control thing.
I don't really have any.
 
Oh, I know. You have repeatedly told me that you are competent
to be in charge and that putting you in charge would relieve me
of worry. But I seem to enjoy it. The fact that I'm worried about
tomorrow seems to tell my sick soul that I somehow have a
semblance of control over it. But I don't. I just don't.
 
Then there's the mess I make of things. The worried-over plan
begins to be put in motion, one of those things or people I
can't control comes into play, and the bus runs into the ditch!
I try to press on. I try to force outcomes. The ditch gets
deeper, and the pain begins to come.
 
Even so, you show up and offer to take control. You ask me -
without ever forcing things - to turn loose of the wheel and
trust you to steer. Sometimes I want to. I really do. Then
something wells up inside that makes me push you away.
Tell you I can do it all by myself. Truth be told, I'm often
thinking that just as soon as I get this thing out of the ditch
I'm going to ask you to drive. I never do.
 
Then there are the people on the bus with me. They are
always the people I love most and for whose welfare I care
most passionately. When I drive, then wreck, then push you
away, I sense their disappointment. Even that, however,
hasn't been enough to this point. It kills me to know I'm
hurting them, but I still want to steer. I want to be at the
controls. I want to be in charge.
 
The time has come to try another approach. Oh, it's not that
I want to be heard saying that your way is the way of last
resort for me. Or maybe it is. But I'm just so tired. And
bunged up. And you and I both know things aren't getting
better with me in charge. So that's why I've made up my mind.
 
God, I'm quitting. No more Mr. Know-It-All. No more having
to be in charge. No more playing like I know more about myself
than you do. You're in control from this point forward. Heart
and mind and body. Family and personal. Career and social.
Thursday as well as Sunday. It's all yours now. I resign as
co-god!
 
And even if you were (understandably) reluctant to take over
after the mess I've made to date, I'm warning you: From now
on you're God - and I'm not!
 
 
"SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS"
 
 
    Date: TODAY
           From: THE BOSS
               Subject: YOURSELF
         Reference: LIFE
 

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help.
 
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.  Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box.  All situations will be resolved, but in my time, not yours
 
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.  Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
 
If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair.  There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
 
Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for years.
 
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
 
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
 
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
 
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair.
 
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose?  Be thankful.  There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
 
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness,
ignorance, smallness or insecurities, remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them.
 
 
Have a Blessed Day
And a Safe Halloween
Dave and Barbara
 
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