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
Our Sense of Smell
It is a Psalm of praise kind of day!
Oh, the joys of those who…
…delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:1a, 2-3
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
There are many things that point to our Creator. Our sense of smell for example.
Friday night I was one of three buses that transported our high school band to a football game. After the game, the band members filed onto my bus and…well, 30-40 young people who had been in weighty band uniforms for most of the evening, did, in no way, smell as fresh as a morning rose. Nothing at that point could really be done about it, it’s just how our bodies work.
Anyway, once the bus got rolling and they had the stink blown off them (literally!) things improved greatly! But then as we journeyed home, I caught the scent of newly mowed hay sweet on the night air and the whiff of an unfortunate skunk (who actually was a little more bearable than when the students first clamored on board!). At some point, I also picked up the aroma of apples which I assume had fallen to the ground and were in the state of decay for lack of gathering.
All of these things my brain picked up on because the triangular piece of flesh on the front of my face is backed up by specialized sensory cells, called olfactory sensory neurons, which are found in a small patch of tissue high inside the nose. These cells connect directly to the brain. Each olfactory neuron has one odor receptor. Microscopic molecules released by substances around us…stimulate these receptors. Once the neurons detect the molecules, they send messages to your brain, which identifies the smell. There are more smells in the environment than there are receptors, and any given molecule may stimulate a combination of receptors, creating a unique representation in the brain. These representations are registered by the brain as a particular smell.*
Wow, who knew? Here is a passage from the book of Psalms that drives home my point.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. Psalm 139:14 (NLT)
And how about this one?
For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense. Romans 1:20 (AMP)
What more can be said? We are special. We are unique. We are important to our Creator. We are not happenstance. We are not an accident. We are not here by chance. God created each of us and every single one of our glorious attributes!
All things were made and came into existence through [Jesus]; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. John 1:3 (AMP)
All praise to You, our Lord, Savior, and Creator!
*Smell Disorders Article from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website
Sept 22nd, 2019, Sun, 6:47 pm
Sterling and Noble
Oh, my, Father, too many things going through my mind this afternoon! Church, work and home – and things from each are clamoring for my attention. Help me to focus on You. You alone can bring peace. Amen.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Of all things, our bathroom clock caught my eye as I readied myself for work in the wee hours of the morning. On its face it states that is manufactured by the Sterling and Noble Clock Company
When others see my face, would those be some of the first characteristics that come to mind? This is what I found when searching for definitions on Google.
Sterling – adj. – (of a person or their work, efforts, or qualities) excellent or valuable.
Noble – adj. – having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.
Would I be seen as sterling and noble?
I tell you one thing; I am the absolute worst when it comes to lying – just ask my wife! Even if it is for a good cause or something fun. Several years ago, we were having a surprise celebration for a milestone birthday of my wife’s at a local eatery. I told her that my folks were coming down to eat with us (a 2-hour drive), in an attempt to keep it a surprise. When she asked why we were meeting there and not some halfway location, I told her it was because they really liked the soft-serve ice cream they had…she didn’t buy it. They do like soft-serve icecream but she knew just by looking at me that there was more to it than that!
I am just very bad at it – period. There are those that would laugh at my inability to lie but really it doesn’t bother me. I’m really glad that I am not good at it.
This is by no means a holier-than-thou kind of thing but I strive to live as transparent a life as possible before everyone. There is just too much pulling the wool over people’s eyes in the world today. It’s hard to know who you can trust. And unfortunately, the Church is not exempt. It makes me sick to see the number of ministers and other people who are responsible for children and youth who make the headlines because of molestation or sex trafficking! It is awful!
We should be able to irrevocably trust those in leadership over us – especially in the Church!
Another topic that was addressed at last weekend’s ethics training dealt with the power that pastors have. It may not be as potent as it was 50 years ago but ministers still hold a very powerful position. Many, many people, in err mind you, tend to take their eyes of God and begin worshipping the pastor.
I am fallible. I am human. I make mistakes just like everybody else.
I need God. I am incapable of living the life He calls me to without His guiding hand, without His love filling me and flowing through me, without His strength, without His wisdom. I can only succeed. I can only overcome when He fills me.
Lord Jesus, may I be sterling and noble for You. May I be the person – not just the pastor – that you have called me to be. Being Your child is my first and foremost calling. Being Your servant to proclaim Your message is the outcome of my being Your child. Each day I give myself over to You. Amen.
Sept 19th, 2019, Thurs, 12:21 pm
Obstacles
Good morning, Father! It is a glorious morning and a great day for a bus trip. As I sit here keeping myself busy for a few hours may our time be glorious as well! May I hear your voice clear and strong! Amen.
Mark 16:1-8 (<<click to read the passage)
There are many things in life that from our perspective seem to be insurmountable. Finances. Relationships. Jobs. So many times we are just stymied. We hesitate and though we may take a few steps forward we are filled with fear.
The women that had been with Jesus all along this journey of agony and death were on their way. In their culture, their hands were tied. There was so little they could really do…but now they were doing something they could do. They had no means of stopping the atrocities against their Lord and Master but nothing was going to stop them from giving Jesus the proper burial He deserved. He had done so much for them…they owed Him at least that much!
And most amazingly, as they headed out they really had no idea how they were even going to get to His body! “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid” and watched as a stone was rolled in front of the entrance of the tomb. (Mark 15:46-47)
They knew the stone was there but did it stop them? Nope! They didn’t know how they were going to do it but it didn’t slow them down!
That was a big hurdle to overcome but it wasn’t the only one! Matthew 27:62-66 tells us that because the Pharisees wanted to cover all their bases, they convinced Pilate to post a Roman guard at the entrance – talk about an impossible obstacle for the three women!
But none of these things stopped them, they were on a mission, driven by love for their Lord! And they were determined that nothing was going to stop them!
So…what is ahead of you? Insurmountable obstacles? Things that there just seem to be no way to overcome? Are they stopping you dead in your tracks?
Do as Mary and Mary and Solome did! They didn’t know the answers to their own questions but they forged ahead!
Deuteronomy 31:8 gives us this promise,
“It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
We may not know all the answers but we sure know Someone who does!
Sept 18th, 2019, Wed, 9:35 am
Taking a Stand
Father, my life is in the mix with that of so many others. Between family and bus and church – and those are just the ones I interact with on a regular basis – my life intersects with the lives of countless others. May I be consistent in who I am. May I be a light pointing to You through it all. Amen.
Mark 15:42-47 (<<click to read the passage)
I, for one, believe that there will come a time, potentially in the not too distant future, where, if we are true followers of Christ, we will have to show ourselves for who we truly are. We will have to make a choice of standing for Christ or against Him.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:30 (NLT),
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”
Joseph of Arimathea “took a risk” (NLT), he “he courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.” (AMP)
“Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.” (NLT)
From a worldly perspective, he had a lot to lose. His actions – his standing with, affiliating himself with Jesus – set him apart from those around him. John, in his Gospel, states that “Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night”, joined him, for he too believed in Jesus. (John 19:39) But no one else came forward in bold association (with the exception of the women we spoke of yesterday.)
Right now, it’s just a little uncomfortable. Being a Christian is definitely not PC (politically correct) in our society. Many who stand boldly for their belief come under the ridicule of the public eye for doing so. But for genuine followers of Jesus, it is a non-issue – either we are for Him…or we are against Him.
Lord Jesus, I believe with all my heart that I will stand. I plead that You will give me the wisdom, strength, and love to do so – regardless of the price. May I never be ashamed of You. May I always stand true. Amen.
Sept 17th, 2019, Tues, 12:45 pm