BBD 10.31.11 Sitting There (Classic)

#1 · October 31, 2011, 10:24 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on October 31, 2011, 10:24 pm
Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 13 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 18,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

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

Forwarding of this email is encouraged and appreciated!!

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

The Burning Bush Devotional
There are 18,000 Subscribers to the Email Devotional
Classic from 2003

10.31.11

Sitting There

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 that 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 above 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 quite happen
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 the 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. 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. 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.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.). Please pray for our grandson, Mason
Wrather, as he recovers from surgery. Please pray a member of our church who
is battling cancer, Connie Bryan.

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

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

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/
Several videos of Clark's sermons can be found at his church website:
www.fbcbrokenbow.com

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

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional 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 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.

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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 13 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 18,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

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

Forwarding of this email is encouraged and appreciated!!

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

The Burning Bush Devotional
There are 18,000 Subscribers to the Email Devotional
Classic from 2003

10.31.11

Sitting There

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 that 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 above 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 quite happen
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 the 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. 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. 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.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.). Please pray for our grandson, Mason
Wrather, as he recovers from surgery. Please pray a member of our church who
is battling cancer, Connie Bryan.

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: http://www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

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

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
http://www.kkbifm.com/
Several videos of Clark's sermons can be found at his church website:
http://www.fbcbrokenbow.com

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 pure text version of the devotional 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 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.