Grand Sweep Daily
Isaiah 13:6-7 (NIV)
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt.
Isaiah 16:4b-5 (NIV)
4 The oppressor will come to an end and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. 5 In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.
Good morning!
Have you ever noticed how quickly an ice cream cone melts in the hot summer’s sun? I remember listening every afternoon for the singing bells of the ice cream truck as it made its way down our street. Bomb Pops and Brown Cows, Drumsticks and Popsicles were my favorite summertime treats. The kind-hearted ice cream man would pull to the side of the road and wave the children near. We would follow him around, like the pied piper, with nickels and dimes burning in our hands, just waiting to be spent on a cool and refreshing treat. He opened his little freezer, and the breath of ice cold air would evaporate into the heat of the day. Those frozen treats, rock solid at first, would melt in our hands and all over our play clothes, if we didn’t consume them quickly. Have you ever experienced a brain freeze, from eating something really cold way too fast? It can be a very unpleasant experience.
I wonder what it will take for the Lord to melt my heart. I live in a comfortable home, surrounded by the beauty of well-manicured subdivision. My neighbors are friendly and very busy, as they live out the days of their life, doing the things they love most. I work and I go to school. I visit my children and grandchildren. I am surrounded by the love of my husband. Yet, it appears that I’m frozen solid in the shell of a self-absorbed lifestyle. So very busy doing the things that make me happy, I seem to forget to look around and see the suffering of my neighbor. One does not have to look very far to realize that humans are crying out in need all around us. But when I choose step out of the comfort of my air-conditioned home, the Son of God begins to melt my heart like the ice cream cone that dripped down my fingers on a hot and sticky summer day not so long ago.
This is the seventh day of the seventh month of the year 2007. The time is
This is my humble prayer. Melt my heart, O God. Let me be a sticky sweet mess just for you. Take my life and send me wherever you would want me to go. Help me not be so busy that I cannot see the tears in my neighbor’s eyes. Teach me how to forgive the ones who have hurt me. Help me to love them, especially when I don’t want to. Melt my hard and frozen heart. Make me more like you.
There is a day in the not so far off future when the people of Christ will hear the sweet sound of bells coming down the street where we live. That long trumpet blast will melt our hearts as the Lord of Life returns for His flock. Isaiah reminds us through prophetic Word that He is coming back one sweet day. How I long to meet my Jesus face to face. I need His warmth and love more now than ever before. May the risen Christ find you wherever you may be, and call you out of your comfortable life to serve Him with a passion and purpose. Are you ready to let your heart melt in the light of God’s grace and love?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Pray for: the Son to melt your heart this morning. Let Him have all of you. Choose this day to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Are you willing to let Him be Lord of your entire life?
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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