In today’s automobiles there are so many wonderful safety features. When the tire pressure drops, a light comes on. When a door is ajar, a light comes on. Many times, in our relationship’s others can see little lights coming on when there is a drop or ajar in our attitude to another. Most of us are good at giving advice. We need also to be good at receiving advice.
Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in the abundance of counselors there is safety. - Proverbs 11:14
Have you heard the expression: “Here’s is my two cents”? What is the value of a penny or two cents? When I was a child, there were gumball and candy machines that would take a penny. For a penny you could get two or three pieces of gum. Now pennies are used almost solely for making change. What can you purchase for a penny? The words we say have value, but what are those words worth? I want to encourage you to weigh the value of your words before you spend them.
Wise speech is rarer and more valuable than gold and rubies. Proverbs 20:15
When and who have you told lately that you appreciated? It does my heart good when someone loves on me with kind words of appreciation. I want to encourage you right now to take a minute or two to sent a text or e-mail to someone the Lord lays on your heart to encourage.
Psalm 72:18 (NIV)
18 Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
Have you searched for something only to find it in plain sight? My neighbor called me over to help him locate his TV remote. We spend almost an hour looking under tables, chairs, and other furniture for it. Almost ready to give up, I sat down on his couch only to find the remote lying there on the cushion right beside me.
There are sins in our lives that we want to hide, but they are in plain sight to God.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23-24
I received the following note from a friend. “I'm doing well, still driving Uber. I give 10% of what I make driving Uber to KHCB 105.7, have been for a few years. 1 month ago, I gave them $80. Looked @ my bank acct. & discovered that I had given them $8000. I put a comma after 80 instead of a period. Went to the station & they gave me a refund on the spot. They were very nice & gave me a tour of the station. Be careful of the commas.”
As believers we need to be very careful in our walk. A comma or other punctuation mark at the wrong time might give a very costly message. We need to be careful not to lead someone down the wrong path.
Punctuation saves lives!
Let’s eat Grandma
Let’s eat, Grandma
Ephesians 5:15 (NIV)
15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,
My dad had an old scale that had been used in an old general store. As a child, I enjoyed playing with that scale. We played: what weighs the most? In our lives, what do we give great weigh to? Maybe we need to reassess the weight of things in light of eternal value.
The end of the world is coming soon; therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Mostly important, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
When I was driving in to unlock the church last Sunday morning, I noticed that I was out running my headlights. When I switched on the bright lights, I could see so much better. When we drive beyond the range of our lights, we are in danger of running up on something before we can properly react. The same is true with our spiritual life. We need to wait upon the Lord and go at the pace He desires for us. Let His light guide your steps.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
With the advancement of technology, we have many resources to help us remember all sorts of things. I have Alexa who wakes me up at the time I need to get up. I have a google calendar that keeps track of birthdays and my anniversary. My watch reminds me it is time to check my blood pressure. But, what do we have to remind us of the goodness and greatness of our God? I want to encourage you to put reminders around your house (my wife has done this in our house). Put scripture in your office, on your mirror, even on a t-shirt. I urge you to make it a priority to remember your Lord and Savior.
Joshua 4:1-7 (NIV)
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
2 "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
5 and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,
6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?'
7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."
When Jesus lived on earth, His seemingly slow pace sometimes disappointed His friends. Sometimes, I long for Jesus to move more quickly to answer a prayer. Jesus’ schedule is different from ours many times. He accomplishes His work on His timetable, not ours. And the ultimate outcome displays His glory and goodness in ways that are so much greater than our plans. Remember Lazarus resurrection?
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:21
We were created with an insatiable thirst for relationship with God. We were made to experience true rest and satisfaction in one place and from one relationship: intimacy with the Father. In Job 28 we find that a wise man seeks God above all else. In Matt 6 we are told to seek God first. What do you really run after?
If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. JOHN 4:10
Anxiety is that roiling inner whirlwind, the blinding, gut-wrenching, confusion-making state of being that takes over our minds and hearts at times. When anxieties have you in its grip, it’s hard to avoid worrying about tomorrow. In fact, I find that what ever causes the anxiety is what I can not shake. Yet, that is not how we are to live. I want to urge you to shove those thoughts towards God and let Him take them away. Meditate on His Word! Breath in His thoughts. It may not be easy as we are in spiritual warfare.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Commercials are meant to entice us into something that the producer wants us to believe that we need. I have a friend who has a garage full of unopened boxes of new purchases. He took the bait and then realized that he did not need what was being sold to him. You would think that after a few purchases of unopened boxes, he would not be lured into another worthless purchase. When I pause to think of him, I have to question how many times the evil one has lured me into things I don’t need.
James 1:13-18 (NIV)
13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Number of years ago Karen and I purchased a new SUV. After owning the vehicle for a couple of years and a couple of trips snow skiing, our son-in-law showed us that the vehicle was equipped with a seat warming feature. Yes, I was embarrassed that I did not know about this feature. We had missed out on what was available to us when we were going through some cold times. God has a wealth of blessings for us if we would know Him better.
Let us strive to know the LORD. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land. Hosea 6:3
Back in the day, we had a Vac-U-Form by Mattel. We would take a small square plastic sheet and place it in the Vac-U-Form. After it was heated, we would press it on a desired mold. When the plastic sheet dried, it took on the form of the mold. When we face fires of and pressures in life, we begin to take on the form of our mold. We need to thank the Lord for the heat and pressures we face as they mold us into the image of Christ.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12
A friend of mine carries a badge. He told me that he is not concerned about being pulled over for his driving now. He just makes sure that his badge is in plain view of the officer pulling him over. If you did not know that he is now carrying a badge, you might be concerned about his driving record. Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. By His grace, we have forgiveness of our sins. However, we are to strive not to sin. We are to be an example of Christ to others.
Romans 6:15 (ESV)
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
Life seems to become over whelming at times when we are not forced on our Lord. May you find fresh and new joy each day in the simple things of life.
Psalm 16:8-9 CSB
[8] I always let the LORD guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. [9] Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. …
I have lots of fishing friends who would tell you a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work. In the boat or on the pier is never a bad day. They claim to leave all their cares behind when casting for fish. I am not sure that is always the case, but every day with the Lord is a great day.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22
I have a few cars that lie dormant in my garage. Because I have not given them attention, their keys provide no real value.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus manufactured a vehicle to change the world. He gave it power and authority to make a difference in society. He called it the “church.” In Matthew 16, he said the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Then he gave his disciples the keys to this new vehicle saying, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Did you get that? They were given the keys to God’s vehicle! We have those same keys. Are we giving attention to His vehicle?
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
My wife fixes a great lasagna that you would not want to pass up. The older I get, the more I enjoy meal times. Snacks are not bad either. Because of my love for food, I have to watch my weight. God desires us to enjoy feasting on His Word. Do we crave His Word more than food?
Jeremiah 15:16 CSB
[16] Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I bear your name, LORD God of Armies.
In basketball, there is a term for a simulated fall after contact or near-contact with an opposing player. It is called a flop. The player is striving to get a call-in order to have the referee call a penalty on the opposing player. Sometimes this tactic works, depending on the referee’s point of view. At times when a real foul occurs, the referee might view it as a flop. Referees can’t see everything that happens on the court. When we really need help from a true fall, we have someone who always gets the call. And they get the call right every time.
Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me. Psalm 30:2
