Hug the RIght Side of the Road
Thank You, Father, for a beautiful day of worship and then quality time with family. Thank You for the heritage that is mine…I am truly blessed.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
As I was driving my route this past Friday morning, I was thinking about how I have to hug the right side of the road – most importantly on blind curves and hills. Early mornings, I can often detect the glow of headlights coming my way. But once daylight is upon us, there is no way to know if there will be a vehicle on the other side or not. So, toe the line, I must.
Truly I am concerned at the number of individuals who fly around curves or pop over hills in the middle of the road! Honestly, I give credit to God that I am just a few seconds slower than they, for any faster and we would have a devastating situation on our hands. I mentioned last week that my bus weights almost 15 tons! A car would be destroyed and its driver would probably not come out alive. A truck would fare somewhat better but would still take the worst of the damage. A semi or a big commercial vehicle would give me and my passengers quite a bit of serious injury as well, I would think.
How do we live our lives? Do we take chances by going any which way we choose? Do we drive closer to center, praying that no one is coming blindly at us?
As I am writing the Old Testament character of Joseph comes to mind. At one point in his youth, he is “purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.” (Genesis 39:1) “…the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.” v3 Potiphar noticed this and was so pleased with Joseph that “he soon…put [Joseph] in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.” v4
This was all well and good but here comes the part where Joseph needed to toe the line.
“Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused.” vs6b-8a
Potiphar may never have known but Joseph chose to hug the right side of the road. He honored God in his actions – he took absolutely no chances with that. Crossing that line would have been disastrous on so many levels!
He did what was right even though eventually Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of assaulting her because he rejected her advances.
In the end, because Joseph desired to honor God in all he said and did, God honored him. He placed Joseph over all of Egypt – second only to Pharaoh himself – so as to save the lives of millions, including those of his own family.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your protection as I drive but I would also ask for Your steady hand upon my shoulder as You guide me spiritually. May I hug the right side of the road, may I toe the line so that I may be found to be above reproach, bringing honor to You. Amen.
(Joseph’s entire story is awesome – take time to read it yourself in Genesis, chapters 37, 39-50.)
Sept 29th, 2019, Sun, 8:08 pm
Check It Out!
The interesting places in which I find myself, Father! I have brought the boys golf team to a meet and am enjoying the accommodations of their clubhouse. A week ago I was typing at a large agricultural facility with horses and the like – quite a bit more rustic. But no matter where I find myself, You are always there. Thank You, Father, for Your comforting presence wherever I go!
Luke 1:1-4 (<<click to read the passage)
I find it fascinating that all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – all had the same goal, which was to proclaim the story of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. [It might be helpful to have a little bit of background…the name Jesus means Savior and it is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Of course, Christ (Greek) and Messiah (Hebrew) both mean Anointed.]
They all had the same goal but like anyone witnessing – say a traffic accident – each of them had a different perspective. And each of them was writing to a different audience, if you will, then and that probably applies today, as well.
Matthew was written with a Jewish audience in mind. They were very scripturally and prophetically minded.
Mark was written to a Roman audience. They were people of action. Scripture meant nothing to them but power did and his Gospel foots the bill.
Luke wrote to the Greeks. Interestingly enough he is the only Gentile (non-Jewish) writer in the entire Bible! (He also wrote the Book of Acts.) Greeks loved culture, beauty, and ideas and their goal was the pursuit of truth. Luke fills his book with insights, interviews, songs, and details that fascinate the inquiring mind.
And John? Well, he wrote to everyone, because everyone needs to meet God and only Jesus can reveal Him. In this book, we meet an absolutely powerful God in human flesh who controls and rules the Universe He created. And in it, we find Jesus our only hope!
(From Four Gospels, Four Audiences? by John Barnett)
But with all of this information, it must be stressed, as my study Bible* states, “Christianity doesn’t say, ‘Close your eyes and believe,’ but rather, ‘Check it out for yourself.’ The Bible encourages [us] to investigate its claims thoroughly (John 1:46; 21:24; Acts 17:11-12) because [our] conclusion about Jesus is a life-and-death matter.”
…these people…received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. As a result many of them became believers, together with a number of prominent Greek women and men. Acts 17:11-12 (AMP)
God’s Word speaks to us all but we must read it! It can impact as nothing else can!
Lord Jesus, Your Word is life! May we partake of it often. We must never close our eyes and believe but we must check it out for ourselves! Amen!
*Life Application Bible New Living Translation
Sept 26th, 2019, Thurs, 3:56 pm
A Mouse Caught in the Headlights
The day didn’t totally end up the way I had foreseen it but, Father, it was a good one. Thank You for guidance and also for the safety of myself and fellow drivers, as well. May our time this evening be productive. Amen.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Very early this morning, right after I had turned on my first road to pick up kids on my first route a little field mouse skirted across the road, caught in the beams of my headlights.
Now I have no idea what goes through a mouse’s tiny little brain when a 15-ton yellow behemoth is bearing down on it but I would think there may have been a few droppings left in its path!
Don’t we feel that way sometimes? We are going our merry way when – BAM – something huge and overwhelming comes busting around the corner. Just in the last few days, my life has intersected with a child struggling with a devastating division in their family, an adult grandchild trying to grasp the passing of much-loved grandmother, and a parent despairing the distance between themselves and their children – partly due to their choices and partly due to things beyond their control. And there are many others…
Life can be brutal and often there is absolutely nothing we can do but try our best to get out of the way before we are crushed under its overwhelming weight.
In these situations, how often to we hunker down, bracing for the inevitable and honestly thinking that we have no choice but to bear it all alone.
Last night, I enjoyed some quality time with a few fellow pastors. Our leader shared a video clip of an excellent speaker and one thing that stuck in my mind was the speaker’s reference to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:29-30,
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” (AMP)
I wish I could remember more specifics of what he shared but the one thing I came away with was the fact the Jesus never means for us to bear it all alone. In the midst of the overwhelming weightiness of life doesn’t rest…and renewal…and blessed quiet for our souls, sound wonderful? It may sound unattainable but truly…it isn’t. Remember this is Jesus speaking when He says, “For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”
We cannot avoid life. But we most definitely can choose with Whom we go through it. Amen!
Sept 25th, 2019, Wed, 7:44 pm
God Is Sovereign
Father, may our time together draw me closer to You today. I truly need Your touch in all that is yet to transpire. Amen.
Mark 16:8b-20 (<<click to read the passage)
With all my heart I believe that God is a Sovereign God. I wanted to hone this concept down because it is pretty all-encompassing, so I looked it up and this is the way well-known pastor and author Chip Ingram puts it, “…the way I like to explain God’s sovereignty best is simply to say, ‘God is in control.’ There is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of God’s influence and authority. As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations.” (from Christianity.com)
That’s it!
The reason this comes to mind is that the last verses of Mark 16 are to most Biblical scholars, outside the norm. The text notes (not the life application notes) under these verses of my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation state,
The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the Gospel. A few include both a “shorter ending” and the “longer ending.” The majority of manuscripts include the “longer ending” immediately after verse 8.
From a scholarly viewpoint that may be true but, as I said, I believe that God is a Sovereign God – He is in control. Maybe Mark didn’t write this portion but if God did not want it there it wouldn’t be there. This isn’t the only portion of the Bible that doesn’t fit together the way translators feel that they should. But it doesn’t bother me because, again, if God didn’t want me to see it, it wouldn’t be there.
Overall, these verses speak of the struggle Jesus’ followers had with accepting his resurrection. I think we would all have a hard time grasping that truth. There was irrefutable evidence that He had died, yet there He stood! But they came to believe! The other Gospels confirm this.
Jesus sent them out to the world to “preach the Good News to everyone” and they did! Again, Scripture confirms this!
And when His time on earth here was done, Jesus “was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand” where He patiently waits for that time when we all will most assuredly stand before Him to give an account of what we did with the lives we were given. Be ready, for the Apostle Paul in Romans 13:11 (AMP) proclaims,
“Do this, knowing that this is a critical time. It is already the hour for you to awaken from your sleep [of spiritual complacency]; for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed [in Christ].”
Sept 24th, 2019, Tues, 12:22 pm
Anticipate Your Blessings
Father, as we sit down together this evening, I would ask for Your wisdom. I am just allowing too much to be placed on my plate. I want to serve to the best of my abilities and there are so many opportunities but I need to establish good priorities. Help me to do so. Amen.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
When I take my high school / middle school students home for the day, my first stop (usually) is for a brother and sister. At the end of their driveway is a nice sized tree and it is in the absolute perfect position to cast a cooling shadow over that portion of the roadway. Each time I stop I think of how blessed I am that it is there.
The end of this summer has been quite warm and my bus sits in the sun at the bus compound. It sits in the sun at the high school waiting for students to board and at the middle school as well. Windows and roof hatches let in cooling drafts but the shadow of that tree…though I am only there for a few seconds – it is refreshing!
How many things in life slip by us without even being noticed? Now if I didn’t stop there, I probably wouldn’t appreciate it as much. So maybe the first lesson I need to learn is to stop…so that I can see the blessing that is right before me!
Also, how many things around us go unnoticed because we are just so focused on the tasks at hand. We all have lists a mile long of things that need to be accomplished. Many are important but…are they so important that we bypass blessings placed before us?
Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]. Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP)
We get ourselves all up in a tizzy so often throughout any given day. So many of us are task-driven. We feel that we are being bad people if we don’t accomplish and produce! But what all are we missing out on? How many blessings has our loving Father placed along our path to encourage and refresh us? And how many of them do we never even comprehend because we are consumed by anxiety and worry?
Lord Jesus, help us to slow down and intentionally seek out Your peace. May we eagerly anticipate Your blessings throughout our journey. Amen.
Sept 23rd, 2019, Mon, 8:40 pm