RANDOM RAMBLINGS 33

It’s Saturday morning. It’s going to be another hot day … close to 100. Geez I hate the heat. It should be a relaxing day spent in air conditioning. I am heading out to Wall Stadium to see stock car racing on the only 1/4 mile paved oval in New Jersey tonight. It should be toasty out there.

                Not sure why this just crept into my mind, but I was just wondering what I can do to be a better person for Christ? Living life without a purpose is bland and meaningless. Living for Christ is what I chose to do 33 years ago, but I lose sight of all that is truly important in life at times. I am striving to be all that I can be, yet life gets smack dab in the middle of where I am going. I am hard on myself, there’s no denying that, but I just don’t know how to act sometimes. I need to focus on that which is truly important a little bit more and not on what I want to do all the time. I feel like I am doing alright for the Lord, but I always feel like I could be doing more. I’m probably right. We all could be. I need to set my sights on what God wants for me. He is my sole provider and sustainer. Without God in my life I shudder to think of where I would be, but I have a sneaking suspicion it wouldn’t be pretty. Know what I mean? 

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

OUR INCOMPARABLE GOD

Psalm 138:1 “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the ‘gods’ I will sing your praise.”

            David regularly praises God throughout the Psalms. Here he makes the point that he praises God rather than any of the gods the surrounding nations have set up for themselves. They are idols and David knows this. He knows that these so called gods are powerless to do anything to aid those who have placed their faith and trust in them. Is there anything that we place our faith and trust in other than God Himself? I know television can be a sort of idol because of how we tend to glue ourselves to the screen to watch that which fills our minds with ungodly tripe*. Anything that replaces God in our lives or pushes Him to the side regularly could be considered an idol. 

            Nothing on this earth can do for us what God can do. Nothing can provide true wisdom and guidance the way God can. We can speak to or with God anytime of the day or night, any day of the year. We never get a busy signal or have to leave a voice mail with God. Our hearts need to recognize the truth that is found in scripture, but reading scripture is the only way to do so. We get so easily entangled in the chores of each day. It happens to us all. Only God can give us relief, only God can provide the breath of fresh air that we need. Truly, God is the only one in our lives who deserves all our praise. Nothing on this earth compares to Him.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

* something poor, worthless, or offensive

NOTE: My statement regarding TV is not meant to be a broad sweeping condemnation. Frankly speaking, there are some very educational and interesting shows on TV. I have found shows on Discovery, The History Channel and the like to be very good. You can learn a lot from them. So not all TV could be considered idol worship. I do believe though that many people get into the bad habit of flipping on the tellie and watching whatever happens to be on. I have fallen victim to this quite a bit so I know from whence I speak.

OUR TIMELESS GOD

2 Peter 3:7-9 “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

           God is never late. Time is irrelevant to Him. He doesn’t need a watch to see what time it is. He simply does that which He does and it’s the perfect time for it to be done. It is simply how it works in God’s economy. All the promises He has stated in scripture will come to pass … in His perfect time. Those who wreak havoc on this earth, laugh at the notion of God and seem hell bent on making lives miserable shall pay. A Lake of Fire awaits all those ungodly who torment those all around them. God is not slow in bringing His judgment. We may think it is way overdue, but God is giving each individual in His creation every opportunity to repent. Once the curtain comes down, it comes down for good and all is lost for those who have denied Christ. So God remains patient, not wanting to see anyone miss their chance at redemption.

            Believers can rejoice in the fact that God was patient with them and can pray for the ungodly of the world. God can move upon the heart of any man. There is nothing in scripture that states any one person is beyond His reach. So He patiently waits. God also patiently waits while we stumble through our life lessons. What if He had not shown us the same patience He is showing the ungodly? We deserve it no more than they do, but that is what grace is all about … unmerited or undeserved favor. God’s timing is impeccable. He is always right. His will for individuals is flawless. We need to praise God for His grace, mercy and seemingly unlimited patience with us all. Indeed, may His name be praised forever.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

HOW OFTEN DO WE FORGIVE?

Matthew 18:21-22 Young's Literal Translation (YLT) “Then Peter having come near to him, said, `Sir, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him -- till seven times?' Jesus saith to him, `I do not say to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven.’”

           

            Symbolism plays a big role in the Bible. Here we see Peter asking a simple question regarding forgiveness.Jesus’ answer is direct, yet seems preposterous at the same time; 490 times. I would hate to think of how many times God has forgiven me. Surely it must surpass 500 times; yet He still forgives and loves. I’m sure Peter thought 7 times was a lot, but Jesus blew the disciples doors off with His answer. It is hard to imagine that an individual would commit the same exact sin 490 times, so while there may be some repeat offenses, I think we can assume that forgiveness is being given for various sins. The offender must ask for forgiveness, yet even if they do not, we should treat them with kindness anyway. That isn’t something that's easy to do, especially when malicious intent is involved. It may help to remember how often Christ forgave us in the light and magnitude of our own sin.

            Believers can take solace in the above two scriptures, because it means that there is no end to the forgiveness of God. You see, while Peter’s number represents a point to which forgiveness would be withheld, Christ’s number represents no end to forgiveness. That doesn’t give us a license to act out and do as we please. God is forgiving us in an effort to reform us so that we improve our behavior as we attempt to be His ambassador on this earth. Forgiveness comes with a price; consequences are tied to our actions. Forgiveness allows us to see the error of our ways and reform.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

SEEKING THE THINGS OF GOD

Psalm 25:4-5 “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

            King David is seeking the instruction and guidance of the Lord. His relationship with His God is strong, in spite of his failings. We all have failings; none of us is perfect. Once we realize and accept that we can begin to let God do His work in us. Just like David, we need to ask and ask often for God to reveal His truths to us. It comes from the reading of His word and praying. It comes from cultivating a spiritual awareness of His Holy Spirit’s leading. We can do it, but it doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Frankly, it takes your whole life.

            Acknowledging God as his Savior, David shows the reader that he knows where his salvation comes from. There is nowhere else in scripture that would say or even indicate that David found salvation in anything or anyone else. God is the saving factor. Christ’s death purchased our souls, redeeming us from hell. God desires to be our all in all.

            David shows in these two verses that his reliance is on God and not himself. He derives hope from the truth God lays out before him. We too can find hope in His guidance and instruction. We allow ourselves to become so easily entangled in that which would bind us, rather than shrug ourselves loose and stand tall in the truth of God. Life as a Christian is rewarding and filled with joy, yet our enemy tells us otherwise. It is in truly getting to know God intimately that we experience all the blessings His has for us.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

NO PLACE TO HIDE

Jeremiah 23:24 “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”

            Folks do things that are wrong all the time. They think they are so cunning, that they have actually gotten away with something. All the while they are acting out in full view of God, whether they happen to believe that or not. Christians can take comfort in the fact that there are no places that He does not see us; non-Christians cannot. There is no place on this planet that is hidden from Him. Like a home designer who knows every nook and cranny of a house his drew up, so God knows even the most remote place in His creation. If a Christian has a misstep, there is a need to own up to it, seek forgiveness and move on. God knows all about it, so denying it, acting as if it never happened, is fruitless. Take solace in the fact that God is patient. This isn’t a single elimination reality show; God wants us to succeed, to thrive and be at peace.

            Since God is omnipresent, there is literally no place that He is not. His spirit can be found everywhere. The self-absorbed man sees nothing but themselves and what they are doing; the spiritual man can see God’s presence all around him. Take the time to marvel at the creation of God.

Jeremiah 29:11 “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.

            God always has our best interests at heart. Seek His will for your life and not your own.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

RANDOM RAMBLINGS 32

poser 1.one who pretends to be someone they’re not; 2. someone who tries to fit in but with exaggeration *
            Have you ever people watched before. I used to do it in college at the mall because I didn’t have two nickels to rub together and it was something to do. You can see some interesting looking people doing that. Some look normal by your own definition of normal and some look different. Some are what I would refer to as posers. They are trying so hard to present themselves as something they probably are not by the way that they dress, speak, act and walk. You see it in malls, on boardwalks at the shore, just about anywhere. I wonder what their situations are. I wonder what they do for a living. I wonder why they feel they have to be a poser. I wonder if they know God.

            Speaking of God, the other day I had someone ask me if I considered myself religious or spiritual? I said I wasn’t religious; that my belief was relational, that I had a relationship with God. She didn’t pursue it any further, but I shall. Having a relationship with someone is so much more intimate than just believing in them. I have spent the last 33 years of my life attempting to cultivate a relationship with Almighty God. I have good days and bad days, productive days and days that are not productive at all. All the while God has decided to love me. It was a decision He put into play before I was ever born. Being a God who doesn’t play favorites, He feels the same way about you. Did you know that? Perhaps all those folks who are trying so hard to fit in might like to slide into a comfortable relationship with the One who made them. Perhaps someday I will have the opportunity to tell them.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

* definition thanks to www.urbandictionary.com