[The Mayor]

February 7, 2006

As Stubborn As Prunes

Read:
Psalm 32:8-11

Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle. —Psalm 32:9

Bible In One Year: Leviticus 1-3; Matthew 24:1-28

At a Colorado ranch where I once worked, we had a mule named Prunes. He was big, strong, and intelligent. He was also the ringleader of a small band of horses that regularly escaped from the corral.

One evening we hid near the barn to see how they got out. Just before dark Prunes approached the gate, flipped up the latch with his nose, and then knocked his head against the lever. The gate swung open and Prunes gave a satisfied snort as he and his friends trotted off to freedom.

Prunes was smart, but he was also stubborn, and only a strong, skilled rider could control him. Perhaps the psalmist had known an animal like that when he wrote: "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you" (Psalm 32:9).

The Lord longs to lead His children in a much different way: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (v.8). Just a glance from the Lord is enough to keep an obedient, cooperative Christian on the right trail. It takes a bit and bridle to direct a stubborn mule.

Which will it be for us today? —David McCasland

We need God's guidance from above,
His daily leading and His love;
And as we trust Him for direction,
To our course He'll give correction. —Fitzhugh

To avoid going wrong, follow God's leading.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Can I Know What God Wants Me To Do?

[Billie]

Morning, Mayor.

[LadyX]

Thak you, Your Honor, for all the servings of The Daily Bread - -

"The Lord longs to lead His children in a much different way: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (v.8). "

How important that is to grasp when one is young, and to realize that in *EVERY* situation in your life - good, or bad (as arranged by the evil one to discourage us and separate us from God) - our Father is in it with us, anxious to see us through each one!

Often when things go seriously wrong, He waits to see how we will deal with it - if we will trust and lean upon Him - or try to "do it ourselves," sometimes succeeding; sometimes failing.

In every instance, looking back, one can *see* the trials were necessary teaching/preparing/pruning by a loving Father to shape us into what He wants us to become...

At this end of life, it is thrilling to see His hand in everything that has happened, and realize at all times He leads us to HIS BETTER WAY if we but ask - and most important - *YIELD* all things to Him...

~ LadyX