BBD 09.09.05 Sitting There

#1 · September 8, 2005, 9:13 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on September 8, 2005, 9:13 pm
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

The transition to a new website has begun. It will take several months to
make this transition and during this time the old website will remain at the
current url www.theburningbush.org and the new website will be at the url
www.theburningbush.net. Both websites will remain active until the
transition is complete and new devotionals will be posted at the new and old
websites. All of the devotionals written during 2005 are available at the
new site. One of the new features is the ability to post your prayer
requests and praise reports automatically to the site.

The new website url is www.theburningbush.net

Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 wonderful people make up this
group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush Devotional

1,694 New Subscribers since November 2004

09.09.05

Sitting There

(Originally sent 04.14.03)

Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Return to Me," says
the LORD of hosts, "and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. -
Zechariah 1:3.

I love the story about Larry Walters. I've read it in several forms but all
basically have the same elements. Larry always dreamed about flying but was
unable to do so because of his poor eyesight so he had become a truck
driver. It seems that Larry was semi-retired sitting in his backyard day
after day and he would see fighter jets crossing the skies over him. One day
Larry got tired of sitting around so he bought a tank of helium and forty
something weather balloons at the military surplus store. In his backyard he
attached the balloons to his lawn chair and inflated the balloons with
helium. He packed up some sandwiches and drinks and a pellet gun.

Larry had planned just to float up a few hundred feet and then shoot out
some of the balloons and float back to earth but it didn't happen quite the
way he had planned. When Larry cut the anchoring line he shot up and kept on
climbing until he leveled off at about 16,000 feet! He was afraid then of
shooting any of the balloons because it appeared the load would become
unbalanced and really cause problems. He eventually drifted lower and into
the approach path for Los Angeles International Airport. A pilot contacted
the tower about a guy in a lawn chair floating along with a gun in his lap.

Toward the end of the day Larry began drifting out to sea and the Navy
dispatched a helicopter to rescue him. Back on the ground a reporter asked
Larry why he had done it. Larry said, "A man can't just sit around."

There are many of us who are just sitting around. We've wandered away from
God just as Isaiah says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned, every one, to his own way.(Isaiah 53:6)." Many of us have become
double-minded knowing what we should be doing and what God wants us to do
and be but instead we are busy doing and being other things.

In the midst of our sitting there we question the love of God which should
tell us that we have turned away from Him like the people during the time of
the prophet Malachi (Malachi 1:2; John 3:16). We despise the Name of God by
our lack of reverence (Malachi 1:6). We weary God with our lip service
(Malachi 2:17). We rob God by not giving Him the proper tithes and offerings
(Malachi 3:8) and we speak against Him by walking in the way of man instead
of in the way of God (Malachi 3:13). As James puts it we have become
"double-minded."

There is a solution. We don't have to just sit there. Zechariah tells us the
answer we just need to return to God. James tells us the same thing that if
we will come near to God (return) then God will come near to us. The
prodigal son (Luke 15) is all about those of us who have wandered away. When
the prodigal finally decided to return home He found the Father waiting and
joyous at his return. Don't just sit there! Return to your God! Draw near to
Him!

Here is a prayer you might want to pray to begin your return: "Dear Heavenly
Father I ask your forgiveness for my double-mindedness and for how I have
offended you by my actions and inactions. I want to return to You. I want to
draw near to You. I'm so tired of just sitting here in a spiritual quagmire
please help me to be what You want me to be. In Jesus' precious Name I ask.
Amen."

(If you do pray the prayer above let me know so I can be praying for you.)

Copyright © 2003-2005. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. 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.

Please pray for the following, the full prayer requests are at
www.theburningbush.net: Jim Orange, Sue, Joshua, Alta, Richard, Alicia,
Amanda, Joey, Madison D and add'l requests, Rita's family, Mona's family,
William, Marc, Morgan, Ashleigh, Jason's family, and Mark.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at ww.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has recently added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap's sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page www.theburningbush.org.

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

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org You must reply to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org You must reply to
the confirmation email.

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 400 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

The transition to a new website has begun. It will take several months to
make this transition and during this time the old website will remain at the
current url http://www.theburningbush.org and the new website will be at the url
http://www.theburningbush.net. Both websites will remain active until the
transition is complete and new devotionals will be posted at the new and old
websites. All of the devotionals written during 2005 are available at the
new site. One of the new features is the ability to post your prayer
requests and praise reports automatically to the site.

The new website url is http://www.theburningbush.net

Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 wonderful people make up this
group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush Devotional

1,694 New Subscribers since November 2004

09.09.05

Sitting There

(Originally sent 04.14.03)

Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Return to Me," says
the LORD of hosts, "and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. -
Zechariah 1:3.

I love the story about Larry Walters. I've read it in several forms but all
basically have the same elements. Larry always dreamed about flying but was
unable to do so because of his poor eyesight so he had become a truck
driver. It seems that Larry was semi-retired sitting in his backyard day
after day and he would see fighter jets crossing the skies over him. One day
Larry got tired of sitting around so he bought a tank of helium and forty
something weather balloons at the military surplus store. In his backyard he
attached the balloons to his lawn chair and inflated the balloons with
helium. He packed up some sandwiches and drinks and a pellet gun.

Larry had planned just to float up a few hundred feet and then shoot out
some of the balloons and float back to earth but it didn't happen quite the
way he had planned. When Larry cut the anchoring line he shot up and kept on
climbing until he leveled off at about 16,000 feet! He was afraid then of
shooting any of the balloons because it appeared the load would become
unbalanced and really cause problems. He eventually drifted lower and into
the approach path for Los Angeles International Airport. A pilot contacted
the tower about a guy in a lawn chair floating along with a gun in his lap.

Toward the end of the day Larry began drifting out to sea and the Navy
dispatched a helicopter to rescue him. Back on the ground a reporter asked
Larry why he had done it. Larry said, "A man can't just sit around."

There are many of us who are just sitting around. We've wandered away from
God just as Isaiah says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned, every one, to his own way.(Isaiah 53:6)." Many of us have become
double-minded knowing what we should be doing and what God wants us to do
and be but instead we are busy doing and being other things.

In the midst of our sitting there we question the love of God which should
tell us that we have turned away from Him like the people during the time of
the prophet Malachi (Malachi 1:2; John 3:16). We despise the Name of God by
our lack of reverence (Malachi 1:6). We weary God with our lip service
(Malachi 2:17). We rob God by not giving Him the proper tithes and offerings
(Malachi 3:8) and we speak against Him by walking in the way of man instead
of in the way of God (Malachi 3:13). As James puts it we have become
"double-minded."

There is a solution. We don't have to just sit there. Zechariah tells us the
answer we just need to return to God. James tells us the same thing that if
we will come near to God (return) then God will come near to us. The
prodigal son (Luke 15) is all about those of us who have wandered away. When
the prodigal finally decided to return home He found the Father waiting and
joyous at his return. Don't just sit there! Return to your God! Draw near to
Him!

Here is a prayer you might want to pray to begin your return: "Dear Heavenly
Father I ask your forgiveness for my double-mindedness and for how I have
offended you by my actions and inactions. I want to return to You. I want to
draw near to You. I'm so tired of just sitting here in a spiritual quagmire
please help me to be what You want me to be. In Jesus' precious Name I ask.
Amen."

(If you do pray the prayer above let me know so I can be praying for you.)

Copyright © 2003-2005. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. 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.

Please pray for the following, the full prayer requests are at
http://www.theburningbush.net: Jim Orange, Sue, Joshua, Alta, Richard, Alicia,
Amanda, Joey, Madison D and add'l requests, Rita's family, Mona's family,
William, Marc, Morgan, Ashleigh, Jason's family, and Mark.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at ww.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has recently added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap's sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
http://www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page http://www.theburningbush.org.

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

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org You must reply to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org You must reply to
the confirmation email.

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 400 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.