Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Drink Offering Poured Out Before God



 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

The soldiers who lost their legs at war went to encourage the woman in the bombing in Boston who lost her legs.  The soldiers did not willingly lose limbs, it was a casualty of war and neither did the woman in the bombing willingly lose her limbs at Boston. War has casualties and life has casualties.  Those soldiers were pouring out their life willingly in service for their country, the woman in Boston was an innocent bystander of the war in life.

I was rather “stressing” recently over the loss of my husband, and it’s just like losing a long-term job, you go through depression and stress over that loss.  Anyway, I woke up in the morning and the Lord said, “Your life is a drink offering being poured out.”  There are quite a lot of scriptures in the Old Testament in Numbers about a drink offering and Paul said his life was a drink offering.

Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord. Joel 1:9
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Philip 2:17
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 2 Timothy 4:6

I looked at my Facebook that morning and my daughter's friend emailed me about a woman who was an early bride, her husband died in his sleep.  She wanted me to encourage her since I’ve been through a sudden death.   It reminds me of what Paul said when he said his life was poured out like a drink offering.  I offer my services in encouragement to other widows. I work for free like an attorney Pro-bono, but it’s a referral basis, more than organized events.   

Pour out your love in and through me Lord Jesus.  I want your new wine and you can have this old wine in my life.  Pour out the new wine of your sweet Holy Spirit and your presence in my heart and to others.

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."  Mark  2:22

I woke up last Saturday with a headache.  I rarely ever get headaches.  I went to Starbucks to get some coffee in case it was a coffee headache, and as I was leaving the drive through this very elderly man came up and knocked on my car window, and he asked me to give him a ride down the street.  It was a little chilly and windy.  He said that he is not allowed to drive because of health issues.  He lived in a retirement community about a mile away.   I was in a semi-hurry to pick up my friend to go to another’s friend birthday party in Castleton, so I was a little late picking her up.  

The elderly gentleman was too old to overpower me.  He offered to give me money, but I told him “No, I am doing this for Jesus.”  I don’t think he was too excited about me praying for him, but I’m getting bolder in my faith as far as praying for people so I grabbed his hand and prayed for him when he was ready to get out of the car.  I gave him a ride, and I gave him a prayer.  That is at least I can do.  Sometimes we may give people money, food, clothes, or encouragement.  Like Peter said, “Silver and gold I don’t have, but such as I have I will give you.”  Acts 3:6

I woke up this morning and I heard this scripture in my mind -- I've not thought about it in a long time:

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3


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