BBD 01.17.14 Stuck in a Rut (Classic)

#1 · January 17, 2014, 1:06 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 17, 2014, 1:06 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The
Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating
15 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

You can
leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is
a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of
all of the pages.

Prayer Warriors
Wanted! Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998.
Send prayer requests and receive prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Burning Bush Devotional

14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional

Classic from 2005

01.17.14

Stuck in a Rut

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and
a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road
begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out
and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned
him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy
on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they
called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is
calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for
you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my
sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you
well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the
road. - Mark 10:46-52.

In order to refocus our lives and put first the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), it is very likely that we will have to do something
before we can do that. What is it that we will have to do? We have to get out
of the rut we’ve been living in.

While I was driving a school bus after a heavy rain,
taking kids home on the red clay roads where I grew up I slid off into a ditch.
You might think that would have stopped me...well, the bus was leaning a little
(okay, quite a bit!), but the surprising thing was I could still move forward,
I just couldn’t get out of that ditch. Finally, after I had driven about a half
a mile I reached a point where I was able to get the bus out of the ditch and
back up on the road. I could have just stayed in the ditch, but I kept trying
the whole way to turn the bus until it did eventually happen. What a relief!

I recently talked to one of the guys (student then) who
was on the bus when we were stuck in the ditch. Guess what? He still remembered
it. Thinking about this...it would probably be kind of hard to forget!

Life has a tendency to get us into a rut (or a ditch),
and we think that this is the way it will always be and there is nothing we can
do to change it. Because it does not appear that we can get out we don’t even
try to get out. We just give up and think that this is the way it was meant to
be. Certainly, Bartimaeus should have felt that way about his blindness. How
could something like being blind ever be changed? It was unheard of!

Bartimaeus did exactly what was needed to get out of his
rut of blindness. He sought the One who had the power to do something about His
situation. Only God could change him, could heal him, and Bartimaeus knew it.
Bartimaeus reached out, even when those around him were telling him that it was
hopeless; that it was impossible, that he should not even try. Bartimaeus cried
out for Jesus to help him anyway, and his entire life was changed forever.

It may be that you are in the same old rut you have been
in for most of your life. You do not want to be there, but you’ve stopped
trying to get out because it appears impossible. But have you ever really spent
the time in prayer to know whether your rut is the will of God? Have you ever
fasted and prayed for a week or so asking God what His will is and if it is His
will to get you out of your rut? Isn’t it time to do so? Remember Matthew 7:7-8 is still in the Bible and if we do not ask
we will not receive. If we do not seek, we will never find, and if we don’t
knock, the door will never open.

Get out of the rut! Ask for help from the One who can do something about
it.

Copyright © 2005-2014. Ed Wrather.
The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8,
1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed
Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn
profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of
prayer - please pray for me.).

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends.
They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo
devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may
subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is
only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The
Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating
15 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

You can
leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is
a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of
all of the pages.

Prayer Warriors
Wanted! Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998.
Send prayer requests and receive prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Burning Bush Devotional

14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional

Classic from 2005

01.17.14

Stuck in a Rut

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and
a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road
begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out
and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned
him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy
on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they
called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is
calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for
you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my
sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you
well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the
road. - Mark 10:46-52.

In order to refocus our lives and put first the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), it is very likely that we will have to do something
before we can do that. What is it that we will have to do? We have to get out
of the rut we’ve been living in.

While I was driving a school bus after a heavy rain,
taking kids home on the red clay roads where I grew up I slid off into a ditch.
You might think that would have stopped me...well, the bus was leaning a little
(okay, quite a bit!), but the surprising thing was I could still move forward,
I just couldn’t get out of that ditch. Finally, after I had driven about a half
a mile I reached a point where I was able to get the bus out of the ditch and
back up on the road. I could have just stayed in the ditch, but I kept trying
the whole way to turn the bus until it did eventually happen. What a relief!

I recently talked to one of the guys (student then) who
was on the bus when we were stuck in the ditch. Guess what? He still remembered
it. Thinking about this...it would probably be kind of hard to forget!

Life has a tendency to get us into a rut (or a ditch),
and we think that this is the way it will always be and there is nothing we can
do to change it. Because it does not appear that we can get out we don’t even
try to get out. We just give up and think that this is the way it was meant to
be. Certainly, Bartimaeus should have felt that way about his blindness. How
could something like being blind ever be changed? It was unheard of!

Bartimaeus did exactly what was needed to get out of his
rut of blindness. He sought the One who had the power to do something about His
situation. Only God could change him, could heal him, and Bartimaeus knew it.
Bartimaeus reached out, even when those around him were telling him that it was
hopeless; that it was impossible, that he should not even try. Bartimaeus cried
out for Jesus to help him anyway, and his entire life was changed forever.

It may be that you are in the same old rut you have been
in for most of your life. You do not want to be there, but you’ve stopped
trying to get out because it appears impossible. But have you ever really spent
the time in prayer to know whether your rut is the will of God? Have you ever
fasted and prayed for a week or so asking God what His will is and if it is His
will to get you out of your rut? Isn’t it time to do so? Remember Matthew 7:7-8 is still in the Bible and if we do not ask
we will not receive. If we do not seek, we will never find, and if we don’t
knock, the door will never open.

Get out of the rut! Ask for help from the One who can do something about
it.

Copyright © 2005-2014. Ed Wrather.
The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8,
1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed
Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn
profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of
prayer - please pray for me.).

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends.
They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo
devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may
subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is
only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org