{"id":361,"date":"2012-02-27T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-27T13:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=361"},"modified":"2012-02-27T13:50:00","modified_gmt":"2012-02-27T13:50:00","slug":"good-to-the-last-drop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=361","title":{"rendered":"“Good to the Last Drop”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You\u2019ve heard it before\u2026the advertising slogan for Maxwell Coffee.\u00a0 Or what about, \u201cThe Best Part of Waking Up?\u201d If you are a coffee drinker, you know that these are more than just words, they are a lifestyle! Whether you like it sweet, flavored, with cream, or black, there is just something about coffee that makes life okay.<\/span> <\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve often said, \u201cIf there were a coffee perfume, I\u2019d buy it!\u201d The aroma brings such comfort to me. I enjoy walking down the coffee aisle in the grocery store for that very reason. It is a simple pleasure in life that brings fulfillment like nothing else.<\/span><\/div>\n

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For my family, coffee drinking is a social thing. When we get together, you might as well know that the coffee pot will be working double time. And it\u2019s been that way from my early childhood. Saturday morning cartoons with a glass of coffee, milk, and sugar are etched in my memory. And I\u2019ve been told, we were given coffee in our bottles\u2026there are some benefits to this\u2026but that\u2019s another story.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I purchased a coffee bean tree. Or bush. Whatever it was, it was to produce coffee beans. I nurtured it. But in the long run, like all other plants I\u2019ve \u201cadopted,\u201d it died. With nary a coffee bean to be produced.<\/span><\/div>\n
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In the past year, I was told by my doctor to back off on the caffeine. Half caf. Oh, say it isn\u2019t so! But alas, it had to be. I searched for the best decaffeinated coffee I could find. I mix it with my regular coffee to create the perfect brew. It isn\u2019t as bad as I thought it would be, but still, it\u2019s just not the same.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I believe that in the past, coffee was more important to me than almost any other thing in my life.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Guess what? God doesn\u2019t want that to be the most important thing in my life. Years ago I led an Elizabeth George Bible study on the Fruit of the Spirit. She made one comment that made an impact on my life. \u201cI reached a point when coffee was controlling my life! Coffee\u2014not God\u2014was my first waking thought. Coffee\u2014not prayer\u2014was my first waking need. Serving myself coffee\u2014not serving my family\u2014was my first concern each day.\u201d[i]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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That single statement made led me to think about what I place between myself and God. Coffee for certain, but I knew there were others. But more importantly, I knew I needed to get my priorities straight.<\/span><\/div>\n
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First priority? My personal time with God. God\u2019s desire is for me to be with Him in a relationship. The only way I can know Him fully is to spend time with Him. Psalm 99:5 says, \u201cExalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.\u201d <\/i>Oh what joy to be able to sit at His feet. At His footstool to worship Him. Now that is intimate and as He wants my relationship to be with Him.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Second priority? My prayer time with God. God also desires that I go to Him with all my worries, my praises, my needs, and my petitions. \u201cPray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints.\u201d<\/i> (Ephesians 6:18) This is just one verse of many reminding me to spend more time with God in prayer. <\/span><\/div>\n
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Third priority? My Bible study time. Anytime I can read and study God\u2019s Word is a good time. It has led me to truth (John 8:31-32). It has guided me (Psalm 119:105). I have been kept from sin (Psalm 119:11).\u00a0 And I have seen the goodness within its pages (1 Peter 2:1-3).<\/span><\/div>\n
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These three priorities keep all the others in line. They help keep me focused on the right things and how that focus can be used for God. Coffee is still a large part of my life. I\u2019ve often said that I hoped I never had to give up coffee for some reason. But in reality, I\u2019m half way there!<\/span><\/div>\n
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Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/span><\/div>\n
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Donna<\/span><\/div>\n
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[i]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> A Woman\u2019s Walk with God: Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit, Elizabeth George, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, copyright 2000, pg. 198.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve heard it before\u2026the advertising slogan for Maxwell Coffee.\u00a0 Or what about, \u201cThe Best Part of Waking Up?\u201d If you are a coffee drinker, you know that these are more than just words, they are a lifestyle! Whether you like it sweet, flavored, with cream, or black, there is just something about coffee that makes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,16,15,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asking-god","category-following-god","category-knowing-god","category-trusting-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}