No Coasting For Us!

And just when you thought I didn't have anything else to say about the tandem...

There was a time when I would pick up my feet and rest them on the bar while riding the tandem with Jorge.  He had no clue!  Yes, rude nosy bodies in my neighborhood would often yell mean things like, “Gorda, baja las patas!" (Loosely translated this means, “Fatso, lower your animal paws!) often accompanied by an obscene gesture. I would laugh and laugh and laugh at how upset this made Jorge because he had no idea that I was, in fact, coasting.

Then one day we went riding at night, and the illumination from the street lights cast the horrible truth: My feet were up on the bar, and the evidence was in the form of a shadow that Jorge could see, in of all places, right in front of him.

We both laughed so hard, and as Jorge explains it everything suddenly made sense. No! He wasn't developing some sort of sudden onset weakness or muscle atrophy. I was simply prone to resting whenever I felt like it leaving him to pick up the slack.

Is it fair for one person to do all the work? Is it fair to just sit back, relax, and let God handle it all?  You know – bless us, provide for us, protect us, heal us, infuse us with joy and peace, and then never so much as say a little thank You?

Not only is it not fair, it's also not biblical.

God encourages us over and over again to invite Him into our lives on a daily basis (ever heard of the daily bread?) so that we all can live our life to the full. When we fail to maintain a relationship with Him, we lose out on so much, and God loses too because He desires to spend time with His kids.

Acts 17:24-28 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.'"

Everything belongs to God.  He doesn’t need anything.  Still, as the Giver of our breath, He desires that we reach out to Him.  And He’s not far away.    

Much the same way that tandem bike riding is a lot easier when we both pedal, so is life more of a blessing when we reach out to our heavenly Dad and ask Him to be part of our journey.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You give us life and breath and everything else. Thank You. We reach out to You today because You are near and can be found. When we find You through prayer You bless us immeasurably more than if we never spent time with You.  No coasting through life for us! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

In Tandem Cont...

Greetings,

Philippians 1:19 "For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance" (Emphasis mine).

Paul wrote this verse while under house arrest, and what I love about it is that he is confident teamwork will set him free.   He doesn’t hope, or think that prayers and Jesus will deliver him.  He KNOWS it.  Amen!

That word "deliverance" means liberation, a change in circumstances, rescue, saving.  And God, for whatever reason, has made it so that you and I get to participate in His handiwork.

This is a huge privilege and responsibility, and I trust we all take this seriously.

Think about it: We pray, and Jesus Himself changes our situation.

Notice how the verse does not say, “…as you pray for me OR as the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me."  It says "and" because our words, petitions, pleas, cries for help, and convos with God go together and are in tandem with the Spirit of Jesus Who helps.

Where in your life do you need deliverance?  Maybe it’s someone you love who needs a change in their current circumstances.   Perhaps you are in need a full-out rescue.  The first thing to do is partner up with Christ by praying.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are humbled and amazed that our contribution in prayer makes a difference. Thank You that we can be proactive through prayer. We are blessed to be able to join forces with You – the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Today I pray for ___________, who needs ___________. Help us have the confidence of Paul who knew You would help. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

In Tandem~

This DEVO was originally published July 8, 2013 :)

Tuesday Greetings~

I love to ride the tandem bike with Jorge. We can often be seen on the weekends waving to curious onlookers and tsk tsking the ones who are crude to me when I put my feet up to rest.

Favorite memories from our bike riding include the time he schooled me in the supreme importance of making eye contact with the driver in the car before proceeding through an intersection, and then at the very next intersection--in direct gross violation of his own lesson--he failed to make eye contact and yes, we got hit by a car.

I have a picture somewhere. No big deal. The car was stopped, and when we rode in front of it, it slightly accelerated and hit the back tire, and I crumbled very unballerina like to the ground. Please stand up and clap for me now because I did not say anything sarcastic or rude to Jorge. He was so temporarily blinded by grief at the thought of my being hurt that it would have been cruel to taunt him.

I waited three whole days before I attacked.

But what I love most about the tandem is that when we ride, Jorge and I are close--we're a team. I can drink water without fear of falling, I can talk on the phone. I can hand him things from his knapsack and wipe the sweat off his brow. I can kidney punch him just for fun. It's great, and it's a true joint effort. We can go twice as fast and twice as far.

What happens when we team up with God? When we ride tandem with Him?

Philippians 1:19 "For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance."

When these two things happen simultaneously--prayer and Jesus helping--deliverance happens.

Never ever underestimate your responsibility or the power of prayer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You have set up this universe that for whatever reason, You allow us to make an impact in our lives and the lives of those we love through prayer. Help us to never give up. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Tandem Tales cont...

And just when you thought I didn't have anything else to say about the tandem...

 

I have been known--especially before I took up Crossfit--to pick up my feet and rest while riding bike. And for a while I got away with it. At first, when the rude people in my community would yell obscenities at me like, "Gorda, baja las patas!" (which loosely translated means fatso lower your animal paws) sometimes accompanied by an obscene gesture, Jorge would take all kinds of umbrage, but he never really considered the fact that I was indeed coasting. For the record, I have never been offended and have found this highly amusing.

 

Then one day we went riding at night, and the illumination from the street lights cast the horrible truth: My feet were up on the bar, and the evidence was in the form of a shadow that Jorge could see in, of all places, right in front of him.

 

We both laughed so hard, and as Jorge explains it everything suddenly made sense. No! He wasn't prone to bouts of sudden onset weakness and muscle atrophy as much as I was prone to resting whenever I felt like it leaving him to pick up the slack.

 

Is it fair for one person to do all the work? Is it fair to just sit back, relax, and let God handle it all. You know--bless us, provide for us, protect us, heal us, infuse us with joy and peace, and then never so much as say a little thank You?

 

Not only is it not fair, it's also not biblical.

 

God invites us over and over again to invite Him into our lives on a daily basis (ever heard of the daily bread?) so that we all can live our life to the full. When we fail to maintain a relationship with Him, we lose out on so much, and God loses too because He desires to spend time with His kids.

 

Acts 17:24-28 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.'"

 

Don't flatter yourself. There not much you can offer to God because He does not need anything, but He does want us because we are His children.

 

Much the same way that tandem bike riding is a lot easier when we both pedal, so is life more of a blessing when we reach out to our heavenly Dad.

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

You give us life and breath and everything else. Thank You. We reach out to You today because you are near and can be found. When we find You through prayer You bless us immeasurably more than if we never spent time with You. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Tandem Tales cont...

I have a sculpture that sits on a shelf in my little bedroom office that I love love love.  Only problem is that it does not quite accurately reflect the truth.

It's a guy and a girl on a bike, but the girl is sitting in the front.

One time Jorge went through all the trouble of lowering the seat so I could take the lead.  I did--for about three minutes.  It was so much harder than sitting in the back because of the harsh March winds out on the open trails of the Everglades in Shark Valley.

Jorge was able to handle the turbulence way better because he has a broader back and horse muscles in his legs.

When we are facing adverse conditions in life it is also best to allow God to take the lead.

Deuteronomy 31:8 "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

God Himself will go ahead of me? Little ole me? How special must I be.  How special you must be.  And He won't fail me? Or abandon me?

How can we be sure God is taking the lead?

Proverbs 3: 5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do,
and He will show you which path to take."

We trust and seek Him first--through prayer--then He shows us which path to take.

Nice how this concept of "tandem" runs throughout the Bible.  We have a role and God has a role.  He waits for an invitation.  It's time for many of us to switch to the backseat.  For far too long we wake up and go about our day as though God is just waiting there for us in times of emergency, and He is.  But how sweet to know that the One Who's seen what's up ahead, can help us avoid certain paths that aren't good for us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You will never fail us and You personally direct our paths when we seek You.  Amen!  We seek You now so that You will guide us and those we love down safe paths.  Lead us into Your perfect purpose for our lives.  In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN~

Fill the Bowl~

Philippians 1:19 "For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance."

 

Paul wrote this verse while under house arrest, and what I love about it is that he is confident that teamwork will set him free. "Deliverance." It means liberation. It means a change in circumstance. And God, for whatever reason, has made it so that you and I get to participate in His handiwork.

 

This is a huge privilege and responsibility, and I know that we all take this seriously.

 

Think about it: We pray, and Jesus Himself changes our situation.

 

What situation do you or someone you love need to see a deliverance in or deliverance from?

 

Notice how the verse does not say,..."as you pray for me OR the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me." It says "AND" because our words and concerns and desires and convos to God go together/are in tandem with the Spirit of Jesus.

 

This is great news for someone like me who loves to talk. It is not a waste of time. In fact, Revelation 5:8 assures us that right now with Jesus there are "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's holy people."

 

Every last word you have ever offered is treasured by our Lord. It is not misplaced or ignored. I find that so beautiful and comforting. I also see it as an encouragement to fill the bowl.

 

Who needs prayer today in your life and for what reason?

 

I received a prayer request from a buddy whose hubby needs a little mental adjustment. She desires for him to be more peaceful and not so anxious about some things. She knows I am putting this out here today as an example of the kind of deliverance she expects from prayer and the Spirit of Jesus.

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are humbled and amazed that our part makes a difference. Thank You that we can be proactive through prayer. We are blessed to be able to join forces with You--the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Today we fill the bowl for ___________, who needs ___________. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

In Tandem~

Monday Greetings~

 

As you all know, I love to ride the tandem bike with Jorge. We can often be seen on the weekends waving to curious onlookers and tsk tsking the ones who are crude to me when I put my feet up to rest.

 

Favorite memories from our bike riding include the time he schooled me in the supreme importance of making eye contact with the driver in the car before proceeding through an intersection, and then at the very next intersection--in direct gross violation of his own lesson--he failed to make eye contact and yes, we got hit by a car.

 

I have a picture somewhere. No big deal. The car was stopped, and when we rode in front of it, it slightly accelerated and hit the back tire, and I crumbled very unballerina like to the ground. Please stand up and clap for me now because I did not say anything sarcastic or rude to Jorge. He was so temporarily blinded by grief at the thought of my being hurt that it would have been cruel to taunt him.

 

 

I waited three whole days before I attacked.

 

But what I love most about the tandem is that when we ride, Jorge and I are close--we're a team. I can drink water without fear of falling, I can talk on the phone. I can hand him things from his knapsack and wipe the sweat off his brow. I can kidney punch him just for fun. It's great, and it's a true joint effort. We can go twice as fast and twice as far.

 

What happens when we team up with God? When we're tandem with Him?

 

Philippians 1:19 "For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance."

 

When these two things happen simultaneously--prayer and Jesus helping--deliverance happens.

 

Never ever underestimate your responsibility or the power of prayer.

 

The question is, deliverance from what?

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You have set up this universe that for whatever reason, You allow us to make an impact in our lives and the lives of those we love through prayer. Help us to never give up. In Jesus' name, AMEN~