He Is Way Ahead Of Us

Matt 6:8 says "...for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him."

We are going through some rainy seasons right now and I am considering the possiblity of getting some pontoons for my truck. I dare say that if you were to ask anyone around here if we need anymore rain, you would get a resounding "NO"! But, it just keeps coming. Obviously, there is a reason for it. We just can't see it because of the clouds and the lightening flashes. One thing that this is doing is raising the water levels in the lakes around us as well as saturating the ground so the plants can grow. As I was thinking about this, my mind went back to the OT when God used Joseph to prepare Egypt for the 7 years of drought by giving them 7 years of plenty. God, is August going to unbearably hot and dry? I also began to think about how God has blessed our nation for many many years, but has seemingly take His hand off in recent days. Was He showing us - as He did Israel - that He can bless those who obey Him and bring pestilence upon those who refuse to acknowledge Him? Is He now bringing that to pass so that we might turn back to him, as a nation and as an individual? Remember, God used that need in Egypt to bring a family back together as Joseph was reunited with his father and brothers. I wonder what God has in store for us with all of this rain. Whatever it is, He is way ahead of us and that is a good thing.

"Be Like Mike"

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believer, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I Tim 4:12

Some years ago, Nike had a slogan that encouraged kids to be like Michael Jordan. What they wanted from this ad campaign was more sales of the shoes that Michael wore - not that he was such a good role model. From that kids began to look up to those pro athletes and pattern their games and lives after them. I guess we all have someone that we look up to, but why not make it someone that has a positive influence. Not to say that some of these are not positive influences, but how many people do you know that want to be like Paul, the Apostle? Someone who is willing and anxious to do anything that God wants him to do and go anywhere that God wants him to go. Or, when is that the last time that you heard someone say that they patterned their life after Peter. Oh, he may be a little impetuous at times and would find himself in a fix, but still his love for God and the lost in the world made him a servant worthy of our consideration. I don't know anyone at this time who would be like Abraham and just pick up everything to follow God, not knowing where he was going. Obviously, if we are going to pattern our life after someone, it needs to be like Jesus. I know that we can never be perfect and sinless as He was. But, we can pray "not my will but thine be done" as He did. We can strive to live the kind of life where others can see Christ in us. By the way, are we living a life such that someone might say "I want to be like...?"

Why Me, Lord?

I received an e-mail a few days ago that really made me stop and think. I am not even close to being considered rich, but to the people in those pictures I live like a multimillionaire. We, here in America, are so very, very blessed. And yet, we complain. We look at our lot in life and say "why me, Lord?" What did I do to deserve having to struggle from payday to payday to afford to live in this comfortable house with a cupboard filled with food. Why do I have to work so hard to have 2 cars in my driveway and a big screen TV in the den. God, why couldn't I have been born into a wealthy family so that I would never have to worry about the necessities of life? And yet, the vast majority of people around the world live in squalor conditions hoping for some morsel of food today and not much hope for tomorrow. And with all of our blessing the greatest of these is that we live in free America where we have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and be "born again" into the family of God - the King of Kings - where we want for nothing. The Psalmist said, "the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..." Psa 23:1. Maybe we should be asking "why me"? But, it should be "why am I so privileged to be born to a family that loves me in a country where I can live freely and hear a clear presentation of God's plan of Salvation?" What did I do to deserve such Grace from Almighty God? Nothing, He just loves you, that's all.

You Want Me To Do What?

I have often said that when Paul got saved on the road to Damascus and said "What wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6) that he was willing to go anywhere and do anything for God. But God knew he wasn't ready to know all that lie ahead of him. Can you imagine if God had told Paul what was going to happen over the next 30 yrs, how he may have reacted. Had God informed Paul that he was going to be rejected by his fellow Jews and his family, then they would try to kill him and he would be ship wrecked after having been beaten and left for dead, he probably would have run screaming down the road. That is the reason that God reveals in a general sense what He wants of us and then day by day fills in the blanks. God's Word tells us "The just shall live by faith...". (Rom 1:17b) Living by faith is simply taking God at His Word, one day at a time, one step at a time. You see, we needed yesterdays experiences to strenthen us for today and we need today's experiences to prepare us for tomorrow. Now, there is a matter of our willingness to consider as well. When Paul uttered that fateful question he put no restrictions on it. Unlike the average Christian today, who says I'll go if it isn't too far or doesn't take too long. I will be availble on Sunday for Church, but God I have so much to do on Saturday. I know you understand, right God? Ponder the following statement and see if it is true for you. "If you aren't willing to go anywhere, you aren't likely to go anywhere". Let God determine the where, what and when. You just report for duty.

No Man Is An Island

Someone once made that statement to remind us that whatever we do in life has an impact on other people. Paul told us in Rom 14:7 "For none of us liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto himself". Often, we think that some little sin is no big deal, because it only effects me. But the truth of the matter is, that sin, of any size, has a bearing on our fellowship with God, which in turn effects our fellowship with our family and friends. Then there is the result of the sin, both emotionally and physically and the simple fact that "...sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death". James 1:15b. God has blessed us with and surrounded us with people who make a difference in our lives. Why would we be so naive as to think that what we do and how we live has little to do with other people. Even the decisions that we make influence those who are watching our every move. Several years ago, I heard the testimony of an evangelist who was traveling alone to his next meeting. He was from the east coast, but had been preaching in the western states. As he stopped for lunch in Nevada, there was a slot machine in the little cafe and just for the fun of it, he dropped in a quarter - and lost. A couple of years later, he was back in that town holding a Revival Meeting and after the service a woman came up to him and said that it was hard for her to listen to him, because all she could picture was the day that he pulled the lever on the slot machine in the cafe where she worked. Being from out of town, he was easy to remember. His heart sank as he recalled that simple little drop of a quarter that impacted this lady, causing an inability to hear the Gospel message. How does our life effect other?