[Discoveries] 12-05-08 Life in review -- Matthew 1:2

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*For those struggling financially ...*/
/*There's an old saying, "God closes one door before He opens another." 
It's trite, I know. It's a cliché. But it's also very often true. 
Sometimes the disaster is merely a stepping stone in the plan of God to 
get you where He wants you to be. Giddy expectancy is an act of faith, 
but it isn't misplaced when it comes to the plan of God.*/

/*Abraham was the father of Isaac ... -- Matthew 1:2*/

Matthew begins his gospel by reminding us that Jesus didn't get here by 
accident. He arrived as the culmination of a series of miracles and 
divinely-appointed "coincidences." It took the impossible to get Jesus 
onto this earth, and God was up to the task. Abraham and Sarah have a 
child about 70 years later than most couples do. Isaac wrestled in 
prayer for God to grant his barren wife a child. Jacob accidentally 
married the wrong woman. Judah, well ... you can read that story for 
yourself.

As you read down the list, you see that babies keep arriving under 
unusual circumstances. In Jesse's family, even after seven boys, it took 
one more baby to get the child God wanted for His royal line (now 
there's a mom with raw courage!).

Even today, the path to Jesus' arrival is paved with miracles, with 
improbabilities, with the unusual and the unexpected. In my own life, 
who would have guessed that my dad's assignment to a radar post on the 
North Carolina coast would result in an eternal change of direction for 
us all! It seems so random on the surface. It seemed so unfair at the 
time -- it wasn't the transfer my parents wanted. But now I look back at 
that mixture of dirt roads, alligators, dogs tipping over trash cans, 
copperheads and childhood bullies, sand, heat, sweat, songs, 
testimonies, missionaries, meals and love with gratitude in my heart.

And that may be the lesson. Life doesn't always make sense in "play" 
mode. Sometimes you gotta push rewind before you start smiling and 
realizing what an ingenious plan God had all along.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of 
violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the 
power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by 
addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families 
are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who 
face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers 
are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the 
faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one 
person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the 
sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with 
other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the 
supernatural happens.
Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by
Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc.
1223 West Main Street #228
Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA
Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations.
Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ <http://www.dwightclough.com/A-support.php> 
for more information.

You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a 
reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ 
<http://www.dwightclough.com> is included.

Change your subscription: 
_http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/discoveries/attachments/20081129/0b549e74/attachment.html>