Thoughts From a Random Mind

          I’ve had problems with patience in the past. Thankfully I have grown spiritually over time and handle many more situations with an appropriate amount of patience. But I still do wrestle with it from time to time. When someone and / or something keeps me from proceeding then patience spills over to frustration. I don’t get angry a whole lot, but I can tend to get very frustrated and that is unnecessary and counterproductive. 

         By definition ‘to frustrate’ can mean to “thwart or prevent someone from accomplishing or fulfilling a purpose or desire”. It can cause “feelings of annoyance or discouragement”. Making ones efforts ineffectual can end up being very frustrating, but the Lord just wants us to take these things in stride and with godly patience be the victor. It’s an acquired trait that comes with time. 

            Life can be a very difficult challenge, but if we keep our eyes on the Lord things will work out, as they have been ordained to work out. Isn’t it possible that God himself is slowing down the process because he has something better in store? Or maybe we made a poor decision and the Lord is allowing us to go thru the consequence phase of the event so we learn how to make a better decision the next time. You see the focus shouldn’t be on anyone or anything else. Only God knows the future from the past and can guide us thru to the place he wants us to be. He does nothing to harm us, but rather covers us with his grace* so we feel the presence of his Spirit in and all around us. Trust in the Lord no matter what circumstances you are facing. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

1.  To prevent (someone) from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart.

                  b.  To cause feelings of discouragement, annoyance, or lack of fulfillment in.

2.  To prevent from coming to fruition or fulfillment; render ineffectual

* unlimited / undeserved favor

Thoughts From a Random Mind

           I have a confession to make – I don’t like people very much. I’ve gone so far as to purchase and wear a tee shirt that says, “Dogs are my favorite people”. Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a blanket statement, but rather a general statement. I have some friends I am very close with. I enjoy working in the culturally diverse workplace to which I am employed. It is the general populace that rubs me the wrong way. They can be rude, inconsiderate, bombastic, crude, divisive, deceitful, and that is to name just a few.

            I find it curious that the word ‘dog’ spelled backwards is ‘god’. I can only go by the dogs I’ve had in my life as an example, but they all seemed to exhibit the loving qualities that appear in 1 Corinthians 13 … the ‘love’ chapter in the Bible. Now I know they aren’t human and this all may seem a bit crazy to you, but I’m serious when I say to you that some people could learn a lesson or two from a dog.

            Regarding my not liking the general populace, it’s a problem I’ve dealt with for a while now. I’ve been praying that the Lord allows me to see others, ALL others, the way he sees them, with unconditional love and mercy. No judgment whatsoever. I’m working on it understanding that I am under construction continuously and may not have reached my goal until I get to the other side. God is good and faithful and loving and patient and compassionate with us all. We should be grateful for that because if we got what we deserved we’d all be bound for an everlasting hell. Think about that for a moment. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing. rlkeller 

Thoughts From a Random Mind

              My wife and I went to a funeral Thursday night. Her Aunt Frances had passed away. Funerals are peculiar in a way. Family and friends congregate near the casket discussing what’s new with their lives. The only time you see some extended family members is at funerals, weddings or family reunions, with the first two being the more frequent meeting venues. It’s kind of surreal in a way. People share the myriad of problems they’re dealing with while the deceased lies so serene, one hand on top of the other, resting comfortably on their chest. Aunt Frances looked peaceful. My understanding is that her spirit and soul had already left their body. So the lifeless body is truly just a flesh tent to house said spirit and soul. Where is Frances? Is she standing in a large white room waiting for her name to be called like sitting patiently in a waiting room of some sort? Is her soul and spirit in some sort of limbo until the final trump is sounded (1 Corinthians 15:52)? I don’t know for sure. What I do know is what scripture tells us… that the final trump shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise first, to be followed by the rest of God’s family. Heaven is no doubt a very peaceful place.  No angst. No pain. None of life’s little frustrations. No problems to deal with, not to mention no longer have to take all the prescriptions we now take.  From scripture we can see that Jesus is a very peaceful man. And we will be with him forever. I look forward to eternity with Christ even more than retirement, which is coming within the next few years.

            If only we could remove negative emotion from our behavioral database, but unfortunately we can’t.  The Lord wants us to be at peace without a care in the world just like the person in the casket. That may sound like an odd comparison, but that is what the Lord can provide… peace that passes all earthly understanding (Phil. 4:7). The world knows nothing of it. They fret and stress and drive themselves to distraction, but nothing changes. Prayer changes things, not fretting. Lasting peace and eternal hope come thru our relationship with the Lord and no other way. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Thoughts From a Random Mind

                  As much as we are not supposed to judge others, I find myself doing so quite frequently. How about you? The reason God needs to be the sole judge and not me or you and anyone else is that we act and react based on our emotions at the time. God is the ultimate example of what is fair and just. He will never discipline in anger or judge based on physical appearance, behavioral attitude or ideology*. He is the perfect one to judge all peoples. He is influenced by nothing but his deep abiding love for each one of us. Take note, God doesn’t have corporate love for the entirety of humanity, but rather individual love for each person in his creation. We were all created with a unique qualities and behavioral characteristics. How we utilize those qualities and traits will determine what we do, don’t do and where we end up in this life.

            We willingly serve a deity that always has our best interests at heart. No matter what our reality may appear to be, things will always work out for our benefit in the end because we have relied on the Lord. Regardless of your situation God is with you and standing at the end of it all at the same time. His presence is ubiquitous, as in; the Lord is all places at the same instant. That’s nearly impossible to wrap your mind around, but it’s true. That is a faith issue because it is scientifically and logically impossible to understand, let alone prove. Faith, simply put, believes in something or someone without understanding or experiencing it with our senses. 

            Former Christians are now tools of the enemy to cause strife and division amongst the brethren. We aren’t to judge, but pray and show mercy in love. It’s not all that easy, especially with family. The temptation can be to write the person off in favor of loyalty to God. That seems like a selfish, simple way of dealing with an uncomfortable situation. Steer clear of the apostates if you feel you must, but never stop praying for them to come back to the Lord. In the end God MUST come first in spite of our propensity to please others. It’s so much easier to go along with someone you may be at odds with then invite a possible conflict. We need to come to grips with the fact that we may need to risk every worldly thing dear to us. That results in our Spirit man being nourished and our maturation as a believer beginning to take off.

            Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing. rlkeller

* a set of beliefs

Thoughts From a Random Mind

            I’m seeing people who once said they were Christians begin to fall away from the faith. Either things have become too hard for them and they blame God or ignorant of what scripture says they really don’t know God at all. They falsely view God’s commandments as nothing more than a list of do’s and don’t. Where once they dug deep for spiritual nuggets, they have regressed back to being spoon fed. They listen to anything and everything without discernment, which can only lead to confusion. We must know what we believe and why we believe it.

            The bible refers to this as the apostasy or a falling away. The exact definition of the word apostasy is “the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.” It is “embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous religious beliefs.” They are then known as an “apostate”. Scripture says that a person who once knew the Lord and turned away is worse off than someone who never knew the Lord in the first place (2 Peter 2:20-22). That person becomes anathema or cursed by God. 

            To guard against being sucked into the vortex of the world you must feed your spirit man religiously each day. A bible verse to meditate on during the day, a devotional reading, a full blown bible study, prayer, reading or listening to reliable, Christ-centered teaching, fellowship in or outside of church with the brethren are all ways to feed your spirit man. Don’t let your guard down. The devil is shrewd and will strike at your weakest point without warning, but he is a defeated foe. He knows it, God knows it and now you know it. Stand firm in your faith. No one can take your faith in God from you, but you can let it dry up and die. Don’t let it! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing. rlkeller

If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and turned away from the holy commandment passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” – 2 Peter 2:20-22

Thoughts From a Random Mind

          As believers in Christ we are to love the Lord first and foremost and let his Spirit lead and guide us thru this hazy existence. He must be our top priority. It isn’t always easy, especially when family is involved, but scripture says family will be divided over faith issues (scriptural citation), friends will become enemies. We must be prepared to lose everything for the sake of Christ. It may not come to that, but we cannot allow this world to alter the course we are on. We can’t let worldly things dictate our mood or decision-making. What’s right is right and true will always be and what’s wrong and false shall always be that way. You can’t alter reality to suit your own beliefs. You also can’t alter your beliefs to suit your reality. As I’ve said many times before, God is the only constant in a sea of inconsistency. Let him be your anchor. Don’t let the wiles of the devil and this world’s sinfulness grab you by the throat. 

            You are a child of the King and you will always be his child. Let other agendas fall by the wayside. We are to follow one and not multiple leads for that will lead to chaos. We must train our ears to hear one voice and not a multitude of voices. Tend to family issues and events but not to the exclusion of all else. Practice the godly traits of mercy, compassion, patience, loving kindness and forgiveness each day. Be Christ to a lost world. Stand your ground in the face of all opposition. Stand up against social injustice. Always think, speak, act and react based on biblical principles and nothing else. A silent Christian is no threat to Satan; it’s when we begin to speak up on behalf of freedom and righteousness that he moves against us. Do what is right and know that God is pleased with you. Love God above all else and allow that love to motivate you continuously. The Word of God is truth and light. Wear it like a banner of hope across your chest. May God bless our efforts on his behalf daily. Amen. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller 

Thoughts From a Random Mind

           I’m rereading a book I read a number of years ago by Donald Miller called ‘Blue Like Jazz’. I remembered it being a really thought provoking book so I bought myself another copy just before Christmas. I’m only on chapter 4 but something struck me as I was reading … Don was having a conversation with a female atheist he met at a small liberal arts college in Oregon. They were discussing the state of racism in Christianity and Don said, “I understand (racism) is a terrible & painful problem, but in light of the whole picture, racism is a signal of something greater. There is a larger problem here than tension between ethnic groups. …self-absorption. If you think about it, the human race is pretty self-absorbed.” He continued, “…as a human, I am flawed in that it is difficult for me to consider others before myself.” “If we, as a species, could fix our self-absorption, we could end a lot of pain in the world.” “Later that same day his atheist friend ‘hinted’ that she agreed about this problem of self-absorption. She called it sin.”^[1]  

            The notion of self-absorption is interesting to me because I have been saying that for a few years now. We are all selfish to a point…every one of us. At least I know I can be. Scripture talks about being selfless, which obviously is the opposite of being selfish. All I want is a comfortable life with as little stress and conflict as humanly possible. Being a Christian can be stressful at times. Conflicts arise simply from the fact that I am a Christian. I try to be Christ as best I can with the continued help of the Holy Spirit, but the pull to satisfy self is strong & I fail being selfless quite frequently. My wife is far more selfless than I am. I admire her for that quality. Still I strive to be more like Christ each day, regardless of the daily end result.

            Self-absorption is a sin. Even an atheist says so. Don, in response, asked how she could believe in sin but not in God? “I just do,” she said. Don replied, “But you can’t.” To which she replied, “I can do what I want.” Don feels she will come to the Lord some day.

            Self-absorption is a big problem. We must follow Christ’s example & not act as though we are more important than anyone or anything we encounter each day. God will meet your needs so you can be used to meet another’s needs. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: ^[1] Blue Like Jazz, by Don Miller, Thomas Nelson, p.41.