Today's reading: Isaiah 46, 47, 48; Psalm 4, 34, 64, 94, 124; Proverbs 4
Proverbs 4:14-15, "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."
I remember growing up I always wanted to be like the other kids. I wanted my hair to be long like the others. I wanted to wear the same clothes as the other kids. The funny thing is that I was always the fat kid with glasses and they did not make those kind of clothes for fat kids. My hair is so naturally curly that it will not grow out long and straight. God does have a sense of humor.
Now that I am older I do my best to heed the counsel of king Solomon. I do my best not to walk in the same path as evil men or to go in their way. I do all I can to avoid it. I have matured to the place that I know that their way is not the best way and it is surely not God's way.
I remember going to do the laundry growing up. My aunt and uncle would drive to another town and sometimes we would go out to eat prior to doing the laundry. This time was so boring for me some times. I remember one time I tried to climb a large hill behind the building. I could not make it to the top. It took me two years before I was strong enough to climb all the way to the top. When I reached the top I was so disappointed. There were only houses at the top of the hill. There was nothing for a boy to mess with or play with.
Take time and evaluate the path you are on today. What is at the end of your path? I hope it is the blessings of God for a life well lived. If not maybe you should change paths now before it is eternally too late?
How are you doing?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
July 3, 2010
Today's reading: Isaiah 43, 44, 45; Psalm 3, 33, 63, 93, 123; Proverbs 3
Isaiah 44:2-3, "Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:"
I remember growing up on the farm so many things that stand out to me. I remember one year my uncle allowed me to receive the profit from one small field instead of being paid. I think he probably calculated what he had paid me in past years and figured this particular field would pay me nearly what I had been making with the possibility of having a great year and really making a good profit.
I remember how dry the field would get in the hot summer. Sometimes it would dry up and crack so badly that it looked like something from television. Unfortunately, I do not remember how I made out getting paid that year. I do know that I made a profit and not a loss. Praise God! That was a lot of money for a young boy. I remember a bumper sticker my uncle had on an old refrigerator that said, "If gambling is illegal then what about farming".
I remember how when the rains would come that ground would soak it up and look like good Indiana dirt again.
People are much like that old Indiana dirt. Not only were we formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7); but, we also get dried out from time to time. I don't mean we need to be baptized again and again. Some "religions" will tell you that. What I mean is that we get spiritually dry if we do not drink from the "water of the word" (Ephesians 5:26).
I remember my wife used to sing with two (2) of her friends at another Church we attended. They sang, "drinking from the springs of living water..." That song still sets me off on a Baptist fit.
Are you feeling spiritually dry today? Run to Jesus and drink from His springs of living water and you will never thirst again (John 4:14).
Isaiah 44:2-3, "Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:"
I remember growing up on the farm so many things that stand out to me. I remember one year my uncle allowed me to receive the profit from one small field instead of being paid. I think he probably calculated what he had paid me in past years and figured this particular field would pay me nearly what I had been making with the possibility of having a great year and really making a good profit.
I remember how dry the field would get in the hot summer. Sometimes it would dry up and crack so badly that it looked like something from television. Unfortunately, I do not remember how I made out getting paid that year. I do know that I made a profit and not a loss. Praise God! That was a lot of money for a young boy. I remember a bumper sticker my uncle had on an old refrigerator that said, "If gambling is illegal then what about farming".
I remember how when the rains would come that ground would soak it up and look like good Indiana dirt again.
People are much like that old Indiana dirt. Not only were we formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7); but, we also get dried out from time to time. I don't mean we need to be baptized again and again. Some "religions" will tell you that. What I mean is that we get spiritually dry if we do not drink from the "water of the word" (Ephesians 5:26).
I remember my wife used to sing with two (2) of her friends at another Church we attended. They sang, "drinking from the springs of living water..." That song still sets me off on a Baptist fit.
Are you feeling spiritually dry today? Run to Jesus and drink from His springs of living water and you will never thirst again (John 4:14).
Friday, July 2, 2010
July 2, 2010
Today's reading: Isaiah 40, 41, 42; Psalm 2, 32, 62, 92, 122; Proverbs 2
Isaiah 40:28-31, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
I remember a time in my life where I nearly died from a bleeding ulcer. I passed out from blood loss. I ignored it for (14) fourteen years. I would not recommend this. By the time I ended up in the emergency room I had lost over half my blood through a hole in my stomach. I still remember most of the details. My memory is getting progressively worse as I get older and I wonder if some of it is due to loosing all of that blood over the course of all those years.
I remember being so weak that I could not hardly get into the bed in the emergency room. When I did I started to pass out again and the nurse lovingly shoved smelling salts up my nose (she was a bit over zealous).
It took me an entire year; but, I finally built my blood back up without the aid of any transfusions. My doctor and I argued over that one for a while; but, I finally prevailed. I was so weak that at times I could hardly move. God was absolutely faithful to my family and I during this time as always.
When I think back to those days I am reminded of the words of Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Praise God!
I hope you are trusting in Jesus Christ today. If not there is no time like right now.
Isaiah 40:28-31, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
I remember a time in my life where I nearly died from a bleeding ulcer. I passed out from blood loss. I ignored it for (14) fourteen years. I would not recommend this. By the time I ended up in the emergency room I had lost over half my blood through a hole in my stomach. I still remember most of the details. My memory is getting progressively worse as I get older and I wonder if some of it is due to loosing all of that blood over the course of all those years.
I remember being so weak that I could not hardly get into the bed in the emergency room. When I did I started to pass out again and the nurse lovingly shoved smelling salts up my nose (she was a bit over zealous).
It took me an entire year; but, I finally built my blood back up without the aid of any transfusions. My doctor and I argued over that one for a while; but, I finally prevailed. I was so weak that at times I could hardly move. God was absolutely faithful to my family and I during this time as always.
When I think back to those days I am reminded of the words of Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Praise God!
I hope you are trusting in Jesus Christ today. If not there is no time like right now.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
July 1, 2010
Today's reading: Isaiah 37, 38, 39; Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91, 121; Proverbs 1
Isaiah 37:1, "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD."
Isaiah 38:1-2, "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,"
We live in a dark day it is obvious. We do not have to be overwhelmed by trials and troubles. It has been nearly eleven (11) months since I have worked. So far we are only behind on our mortgage. I am hoping for some governmental cure-all to help with that.
I have watched people over the years that have been delivered bad news of all sorts. I have even been the one that has delivered that bad news. I don't like to do that. The reactions have been as numerous as the people. We all react differently to different situations. Think how boring life would be if we all acted the same way and liked the same stuff, etc... Plain vanilla life. How boring.
How would you react if the doctor said, "___________, you only have two (2) weeks to live." I don't want to know how I would react. We need to react like King Hezekiah. Grant it his life after God granted him 15 years was worse than it was prior to this event. He should have accepted it and not asked for more.
We need to react to things like King Hezekiah. We need to go immediately to the Father in prayer and seek His guidance and wisdom. Far too often we just go on like we can handle it; but, we can't. We must run to the Lord!
Isaiah 37:1, "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD."
Isaiah 38:1-2, "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,"
We live in a dark day it is obvious. We do not have to be overwhelmed by trials and troubles. It has been nearly eleven (11) months since I have worked. So far we are only behind on our mortgage. I am hoping for some governmental cure-all to help with that.
I have watched people over the years that have been delivered bad news of all sorts. I have even been the one that has delivered that bad news. I don't like to do that. The reactions have been as numerous as the people. We all react differently to different situations. Think how boring life would be if we all acted the same way and liked the same stuff, etc... Plain vanilla life. How boring.
How would you react if the doctor said, "___________, you only have two (2) weeks to live." I don't want to know how I would react. We need to react like King Hezekiah. Grant it his life after God granted him 15 years was worse than it was prior to this event. He should have accepted it and not asked for more.
We need to react to things like King Hezekiah. We need to go immediately to the Father in prayer and seek His guidance and wisdom. Far too often we just go on like we can handle it; but, we can't. We must run to the Lord!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
June 30, 2010
Today's reading: Isaiah 34, 35, 36; Psalm 30, 60, 90, 120, 150; Proverbs 30
Isaiah 35:1, "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."
As I get older and older I begin to think more and more about Heaven. I think a lot about my family members that have gone on before me. I wonder who made it and who did not even. I trust God to know and that is good enough for me.
Some times in my life it seems so dry. Have you ever had such an experience? You just feel all dried up inside and God seems so distant. I have had these experiences in my life. The good thing is that they do not last forever and ever.
When I feel like this I go to the Lord and receive encouragement. God knows exactly what we need. Sometimes He even allows us to have that dry feeling so to speak to draw us to Himself.
Let me challenge you to run to the Lord Jesus Christ if there is something in your life that seems to not be just right. He can make it right or He will show you how to make it right. He is an awesome God!
Let me encourage you to run to the Lord today. Do you have your track shoes on? I hope so.
Isaiah 35:1, "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."
As I get older and older I begin to think more and more about Heaven. I think a lot about my family members that have gone on before me. I wonder who made it and who did not even. I trust God to know and that is good enough for me.
Some times in my life it seems so dry. Have you ever had such an experience? You just feel all dried up inside and God seems so distant. I have had these experiences in my life. The good thing is that they do not last forever and ever.
When I feel like this I go to the Lord and receive encouragement. God knows exactly what we need. Sometimes He even allows us to have that dry feeling so to speak to draw us to Himself.
Let me challenge you to run to the Lord Jesus Christ if there is something in your life that seems to not be just right. He can make it right or He will show you how to make it right. He is an awesome God!
Let me encourage you to run to the Lord today. Do you have your track shoes on? I hope so.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 29, 2010
Today's reading: Isaiah 31, 32, 33; Psalm 29, 59, 89, 149; Proverbs 29
Isaiah 32:2, "And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
This verse reminds me of the account of Moses when he was instructed by God to speak to the rock and water was to come out of it. Instead, Moses was angry with the people and he smote the rock with his rod and that was disobedience. For this he could not enter the promised land.
The rock is a type of Christ. He only is our Rock or He should be. You and I should take great comfort knowing that we have a God who is known as the "Rock" that we can run to for safety and stability.
There have been many times in my life that I needed that and the only place I could find it was in God my Rock.
Do you find yourself running to the Rock for your needs or do you find yourself trying to be a rock and just fake it until you make it? The choice is yours to make.
Isaiah 32:2, "And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
This verse reminds me of the account of Moses when he was instructed by God to speak to the rock and water was to come out of it. Instead, Moses was angry with the people and he smote the rock with his rod and that was disobedience. For this he could not enter the promised land.
The rock is a type of Christ. He only is our Rock or He should be. You and I should take great comfort knowing that we have a God who is known as the "Rock" that we can run to for safety and stability.
There have been many times in my life that I needed that and the only place I could find it was in God my Rock.
Do you find yourself running to the Rock for your needs or do you find yourself trying to be a rock and just fake it until you make it? The choice is yours to make.
Monday, June 28, 2010
June 28, 2010
Today's reading: Isaiah 28, 29, 30; Psalm 28, 58, 88, 118, 148; Proverbs 28
Isaiah 30:21, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
I remember a number of years ago while dispatching I took a 911 call from a worried husband. His wife; who suffered with Alzheimer's had walked away from their home and he could not locate her. It was a very sad situation.
I remember the whole incident very well. I remember that we called for a search and rescue task force from Indianapolis to assist in looking for this lady. There was much concern for her as the temperatures were very low and you could see your breath.
They brought in a team of bloodhounds to track her. They started at her home and began searching. One of the dogs took his handler from the front door of the home to the neighbor's back door. The K9 handler pulled the dog off and went back and started over. This happened a total of three (3) times.
The neighbors were on vacation and would be out of town for quite some time so the house was locked up tight and nobody was home.
Several hours into the search the husband called 911 again to say that he had found his wife. She was fast asleep in the neighbor's bed. It was somewhat like the story of "Goldie Locks". We were all greatly relieved to know that this dear lady was safe. The husband was looking after the neighbor's home while they were away and he had not locked the door behind him earlier that day as he made his rounds checking the property.
I thought about this incident after reading our text for today. I thought how the search would have been over nearly before it had started if the K9 handler had listened to his K9 partner.
It is the same way with you and I. God speaks in His still small voice and we ignore Him and go and do things our own way. This ought not to be.
Listen closely. Is He talking to you?
Isaiah 30:21, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
I remember a number of years ago while dispatching I took a 911 call from a worried husband. His wife; who suffered with Alzheimer's had walked away from their home and he could not locate her. It was a very sad situation.
I remember the whole incident very well. I remember that we called for a search and rescue task force from Indianapolis to assist in looking for this lady. There was much concern for her as the temperatures were very low and you could see your breath.
They brought in a team of bloodhounds to track her. They started at her home and began searching. One of the dogs took his handler from the front door of the home to the neighbor's back door. The K9 handler pulled the dog off and went back and started over. This happened a total of three (3) times.
The neighbors were on vacation and would be out of town for quite some time so the house was locked up tight and nobody was home.
Several hours into the search the husband called 911 again to say that he had found his wife. She was fast asleep in the neighbor's bed. It was somewhat like the story of "Goldie Locks". We were all greatly relieved to know that this dear lady was safe. The husband was looking after the neighbor's home while they were away and he had not locked the door behind him earlier that day as he made his rounds checking the property.
I thought about this incident after reading our text for today. I thought how the search would have been over nearly before it had started if the K9 handler had listened to his K9 partner.
It is the same way with you and I. God speaks in His still small voice and we ignore Him and go and do things our own way. This ought not to be.
Listen closely. Is He talking to you?
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