What Is Life About?
Well, Father, was different, to say the least! I was not perfect, but You guided and directed, and, in the end, it was a good day, accompanied by my good, good Father. All praise to You for Your timing and wisdom in and through my life!
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OK, I may be sharing something that everyone has seen numerous times floating around on ye old world wide web, but never have I ever seen or read or shared it. So, here goes!
I saw this on Facebook today and it made me stop and think. I realize that this can easily be labeled as inspirational fluff, if you will, but how about we add some weight to it by pairing each statement God’s Word? That will definitely give us all something to chew on!
When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT?
The fan said, “Be cool.”
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
The world can throw a wrench in the works of our lives very easily. Sometimes it’s just plain hard to put ourselves out there. But just as my day was filled all kinds of twists and turns, with God by our side power, love, and self-discipline prevail!
The ceiling said, “Aim high.”
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
We are called to give our best to the Master (as the old hymn goes) so each day, regardless of how mundane our tasks may be or had frustrated we are about what we have to do may we strive to do it with all our heart, as working for the Lord!
The window said, “See the world.”
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:2-3 NLT
Now if anything I would add three words to this one to make it complete. See the world through God’s eyes.” I for one am grateful that loves me the way He does. I am humbled because He is gentle and patient, making allowance for my faults because of His love for me. What better way to see the world than through His eyes?
The clock said, “Every minute counts.”
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5:16 NLT
An old DC Talk song went, Time is ticking away, tick, tick, ticking away… And it sure is doing that! We’ve talked a lot about being ready recently for we do not know the day or hour when our time will up. We need to make the most of every opportunity!
The mirror said, “Reflect before you act.”
Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]… James 1:19 AMP
The world teaches to always be ready to pounce! More than ever, we are ready to jump down anyone’s throat if someone…anyone…doesn’t think as we think. We are always on the defensive, but wouldn’t life be so much better if we would just be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger? Now that would be a goal with great reward!
The calendar said, “Be up to date.”
Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Romans 12:16 NLT
We need to get our hearts and minds out of the ruts in which they have been stuck! In the righteousness and holiness of our loving Savior, we must again see the world through His eyes. But where we need to be careful is when we try putting on our spiritual sunglasses. They change the hue of everything! New thoughts and new trends are never reasons to reject those who need to meet our Savior and we can be the key to that introduction! Don’t think you know it all!
The door said, “Push hard for your goals.”
…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 NIV
Whatever your goals, may they be in line with God’s will. And if that be the case, nothing will be impossible for you!
The floor said, “Kneel and pray.”
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 NLT
And to wrap everything up, bathe everything – every thought, every word, every action in prayer. For we shall be the victor if we keep on praying!
Aug 20th, 2020, Thurs, 9:32 am
Let Love Rule!
Father, four days ago I took up some new goals, and due to Your mighty arm of strength, I have held steadfastly to them. All praise to my mighty God, I am weak, but He is strong!
Luke 13:10-17 (<<click here to read the passage)
What is more important, people…or rules? It would be easy to say “people” when they were held up against bad rules or even so-so rules, or silly rules… But what about good solid rules, would people still outweigh rules?
Rules are important for our safety and survival, right? All in all, yes.
OK, how about religious rules? Specifically, the Ten Commandments that God Himself gave to Moses… Let’s pull an example to the forefront. Number six, “You shall not murder.” Exodus 30:13 NKJV
That’s a pretty solid rule…a very important rule. If someone breaks that one, people or rules?
How about number four?
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work… vs. 8-10
Well…people or rules?
Mark in his Gospel shares an interaction with religious leaders and their reaction to the disciples breaking this one. They happened to walk through a field of grain and got called out for “working” on the Sabbath. They had broken off heads of grain to eat. To the religious leaders, it was a big no-no! They were “harvesting”!
This is Jesus’ final statement in response to their accusation. I love how the New Living Translation puts it!
“The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 NLT
So, seeing Jesus’ words, what is more important, people…or rules?
We have to be very careful here, for rules on many fronts are so important to abide by. Without them, we would live in a state of anarchy. Governmentally and most importantly, spiritually.
In today’s passage, Jesus healed a woman in very dire straits. She had been crippled by an evil spirit and had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.
Jesus knew the rules. In fact, Jesus wrote the rules! He also knew how the religious leaders had enhanced and expounded upon the rules. But on this day, Jesus exemplified the true law and released this dear woman from her bondage!
As Mark 7:27 states, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people…”
We know people’s mindsets. We see it all the time. Some people never take a day off. We call them workaholics! (It’s easy for pastors to fall into this mindset, as well.) We all need rest. We all need to set aside our labor…and God knew that.
It is easy for us to point a finger at the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, but are we any less guilty? Many of us share similar attitudes. It would be best for all of us to look at the rules to which we hold hard and fast.
The true law, as set by God, must be adhered to but, honestly, how many layers of humanity are draped around our rendition of God’s law. How have we enhanced? How have we expounded? How have we placed disproportionate importance on our enhancements and exposition of the law and used them as hammers to beat people down? May we look for the love at the core of God’s law. May we abide by it at all costs…even if it means shedding all that we have added. For really, it all boils down to let love rule!
Aug 19th, 2020, Wed, 8:48 pm
Honeysuckle Out of Control!
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
….which you have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
….Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
….for you are merciful, O Lord. Psalm 25:6-7 NLT
Sometimes, Father, I just feel like I need something fresh to say to You. This passage is thousands of years old, but it is “new” to my heart and mind. Amen.
Luke 13:6-9 (<<click here to read the passage)
At the front of our house, there is a little nook where the room on that end of the house sits back a little over three feet. Over the years we have planted several things in that spot. It is very prominent when you pull in our driveway, so anything growing there could be easily seen, and hopefully enjoyed.
Early on we tried a couple of clematises but alas below our topsoil lies a lot of clay. With poor drainage, they never bloomed and just did not grow well at all. Several years ago, we planted honeysuckle with a trellis behind it for support. The first couple of years it did well and then over time it bloomed less and less, but it grew like crazy! Vines grew behind where our siding and its tendrils along the ground were infiltrating our flowers.
Over time it was more of a bother than an asset. Its blossoms were barely existent, and we were constantly trying to keep it under control. We finally had enough of it and cut it out, root base, and all. It was sucking up nutrients to grow and in return shortchanged us on aromatic blooms and just about took over the corner!
In today’s verses from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus shared a parable about a barren fig tree. Typically, a fig tree takes two years to produce fruit once planted and the owner of this garden had patiently waited three years…and still no fruit! He wanted figs and it wasn’t producing, so he told his gardener,
“Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.”
His gardener talked him into giving it another year, hoping if he fertilized and gave it a little extra attention that maybe it would bear fruit.
How long have you been a follower of Jesus? I have followed him for over 50 years. I have born fruit, i.e. I have impacted others with the Good News that Jesus provides us a salvation that can be found nowhere else. Only He can forgive us of our sins and provide us with an eternal relationship with Him.
But many times, I could be compared to our old honeysuckle. I have consumed what has been laid before me. I have “grown”, as such, but the fruit of my labors has been stinted. I’ve had lots of foliage but fewer blooms in my life putting out the aroma of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 2:15, the Apostle Paul tells us,
For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing… AMP
Jesus’ parable echoes the prophetic words of John the Baptist found in Luke 3:9,
“Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” NLT
Lord Jesus, may I yield to Your pruning in my life that I may be one to produce much fruit. May I bloom profusely giving forth an aroma to those around me that draws them to You. Amen.
Aug 18th, 2020, Tues, 8:24 pm
Are You Ready?
A fair amount accomplished today, Father. I was also able to get started on getting my bus routes in order. We sure need Your help this year – all kinds of things going on! Work through Your children, that Your will might be done. Amen.
Luke 13:1-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
With the pandemic’s impact life has changed on many fronts. One thing that we had talked about but had yet to get up and running was developing an online presence for my one church in particular. We attended a conference last fall and a couple of us took part in a session that addressed doing so. It was on the back burner, as such, but on March 29th of this year, we dove in – sink or swim!
We have been amazed at the impact we have had but there is a fair amount of preparation to pull it all together – and that is just from my living room! For me to be ready most everything needs to be in place the night before. That includes setting up the equipment and everything that gets it where it needs to be. I have to pull our curtains because the light reflects off our television screen. There is a lot to get ready!
There have been a couple of times when parts and pieces were not in place – so technically I wasn’t ready. Just this past Saturday, I finally crashed on the couch about a half-hour before we headed to bed, thinking I was ready to go for the next morning. As we got up to go to bed, I realized I hadn’t made sure our old laptop was set up with the service’s PowerPoint – without that no words to sing by!
A couple of months back were within minutes of our service starting and I realized I hadn’t connected my HDMI cord to our modem to ensure a good solid internet feed. I have to run a 30-foot cord from our office, down the hall, around the corner, through our dining room, and into our living room! I had to move quickly to get everything in place. Again, for everything to be as it should, I have to be ready!
I speak a lot about being ready both here on the blog and from the pulpit, too. Many times, I speak of being ready for Jesus’ ultimate return…for we do not know the day or hour when He will come back. But, just as important, is the necessity of being ready for our own departure from this world.
Death is a certainty for us all (unless Jesus should return before we experience it!) and it is another one of those things that for the most part we do not know the day or hour. But for both, we need to be ready!
The good thing is that as long as we have breath, Jesus, again and again, gives us opportunities to ask forgiveness and get ourselves right with Him. In today’s passage, Jesus sternly calls for repentance on our part. The Amplified Bible spells out what is meant when He says we must repent. We are to change [our] old way of thinking, turn from [our] sinful ways and live changed lives.
Just as long as we find ourselves in the position I found myself in with my HDMI cable we can take care of things so everything will be as it should be. I now make sure to leave the cable in plain sight, so I don’t forget again. When we know we have an issue, we can put it out in plain sight so as to avoid it being an issue again…our hearts will remain pure as we avoid what can take us down.
Lord Jesus, may we freely come before You when we fail. May we not hesitate. You will not reject us, but You will forgive. Though we may fail repeatedly, You urge us to never stop coming to You. May we strive to keep our hearts pure in Your sight. You are our mighty Savior and Your patience and love are beyond measure! All praise to You! Amen and amen!
Aug 17th, 2020, Mon, 9:01 pm
Of Weather Lore and More
(This cool picture is from an online article: 5 Old-Fashioned Ways to Predict the Weather)
It has been a good day, Father, filled with some new goals. Enable me to heed Your direction and guidance as I move forward. Amen.
Luke 12:54-59 (<<click here to read the passage)
You’ve probably heard of it and may even have said it, but can you rattle, off the cuff, some weather lore? I found a few on a camping website called the dyrt that I’d like to share. Some I’ve heard, others are new to me! (Check out the link for more!)
I’ve heard this one several times: “RED SKY IN THE MORNING, SAILORS TAKE WARNING. RED SKY AT NIGHT, SAILORS DELIGHT.” It is based on the sun shining through a thick atmosphere of water vapor, water droplets, and dust, which refracts the light. The weather in our part of the world usually goes from west to northeast. So, if there’s a red sky in the morning there’s moisture in the air as the sun shines through it, so it will probably rain. If it’s read in the evening, the weather has probably passed by, so I should be nice the next day.
“CLEAR MOON, FROST SOON” Lack of cloud cover lets whatever heat that has accumulated to dissipate, so temperatures will drop. With those quick drops in temperature, we have a good chance for frost in the winter.
This one is sort of cool – “WHEN CHIMNEY SMOKE DESCENDS, THE NICE WEATHER ENDS”. When there’s moisture in the air preceding a storm, that moisture weighs down the smoke particles causing it to fall instead of rising.
And one more, not because I’ve ever heard it (or that it makes sense to me) but because it would be interesting to know if it’s true. CATS – allegedly if cats wash behind their ears, sneeze, or snore it’s sure to rain. They just know. (ha-ha)
Now all these are not 100% accurate but does anyone know of a meteorologist that is? But they are probably accurate a good part of the time (still not sure about cats!) But even the simplest of people can follow these general guidelines even with today’s high-tech knowledge. It’s not too complicated most of the time.
Jesus’ point in this passage is that those around him could interpret the natural signs around them and determine the weather but that they were hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders) v56 AMP if they could not see the obvious signs regarding God’s Kingdom that were all around them as plain as day!
Now I realize that we are in tumultuous times. The pandemic is wreaking havoc on our lives – regardless if you take it seriously or not. Work, schools, extended family interaction, social events, sports, concerts, and on, and on, and on! Politics, at least here in the United States, are totally out of control, no matter which side of the fence you find yourselves. And there are all kinds of things flying around when it comes to this being the end times.
It may very well be our last days on earth but my goal, in the midst of it all, is to make sure that I am ready. If Jesus returns before this blog is posted. If would die in my sleep tonight. If Jesus doesn’t come for another 1,000 years; my goal is to be ready! And hand in hand with that goal is the determination I have of not entering into my eternal reward alone.
Yes, I can see what is happening, but I refuse to be caught up in the distractive details. When my Master comes, though I may not know when, I want to be ready! Will you join me?
Aug 16th, 2020, Sun, 4:41 pm