“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
— Proverbs 3:9-10, The New International Version
Nice little reminder of how I wish to start my day—focused on Him. Doesn’t always happen that way, but to try is better than not trying at all, right? If I can start my day reminding myself of where my focus is, and welcoming the challenges and celebrations that will come, my attitude and outlook will be much better. Should be better. It is not that I want the day to be easy and stress free, but I want the day to be a joint venture between me and the Holy Spirit.
If I don’t start the day by sharing it with God, is there some magical hour when it suddenly and magically is time to invite Him in? Is it when I have time?
How would I feel if God gave me the leftovers?
“I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.”
-Edgar Guest, poet (1881-1959)
For me this wasn’t so much about Sunday as it was about every other day of the week.
“Evil is like a shadow – it has no real substance of its own, it is simply a lack of light. You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you must shine light on it.” -Shakti Gawain, teacher and author (b. 1948)
This morning I was all set to bore you with this book I just finished, but then I read the above quote in one of my devotions. Have I said enough how I love word pictures? It is part of the curse of being in the graphics-oriented field. But that’s another story.
What I like about Gawain’s words is the reliance on the Light as an instrument. He doesn’t use the big L like I do on that, but reading his words created such a strong visual for me that in my head I began to recall so many references from His Word about not only His being the light, but the need for each of us to be the light as well. One of my favorites is Matthew 5:15-16.
However, I do disagree with his assertion that evil has no substance. The first thing I thought of was Ephesians 6:12:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Though His Word is clear that we are not fighting against flesh and blood substance, it is definitely real! Whoa! When I was on BibleGateway.com just now getting the exact wording on wording from Ephesians, I also saw these words from Romans 13:12, “So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the ARMOR OF LIGHT.”
Today, in some way, may you shine your light on shadow. Whether you are a flashlight that is focused on one area, or a lamp that cast light over a wider area, be a light. Be His Light.
Okay, you’re probably going to think that I’m weird. Either that, or I am going to confirm it. But reading the line below made me think of something differently. It is easy for me to take for granted the freedom of choice that I have been given by God. But I’m not sure I’ve taken the time to consider the freedom of choice that God has.
“Who delivered up Jesus to die? Not Judas, for money; not Pilate, for fear; not the Jews, for envy; but the Father, for love!” – Octavius Winslow
It’s really sort of mind boggling. God? Choices? My mind first races to Job. The evil one asked, and God made a choice. He could have said “no”. What if God had no choice but to protect and isolate me from danger or difficulty? What if he had no choice but to love me? Whoa!
So, there I went again to Google “god has free choice” and I found several writings by Saint Thomas Aquinas. The most interesting was from his book ‘Truth’. On page 149 Aquinas says, “Free choice is to be found in God, but it is found in Him in a different way than in angels and in men.” That was followed by a bunch of philosophy that I didn’t follow, but then Aquinas helps me out, “But human and angelic nature is created, taking it’s origin from nothing. Hence, viewed in itself, it is capable of deficiency. For this reason God’s free choice is by no means able to be turned to evil.”
His Word is filled with places where God obviously makes choices. I guess I’d not recently taken the time to consider the ramifications if God chose differently. Yet, I like those final words above of Aquinas, that whatever God’s choice, it by no means can be turned to evil.
There are some pretty awful things in this world that God allows to take place. Things I, like you, have asked “why, God?” But my simplistic view this morning is strengthened that though those things take place, though those things may seem overwhelming and unbearable, they are eternally for God’s glory. I may question them until the day I die, they may even cause my death or someone I love, but I find my peace in knowing that God operates on a level I will never (thank goodness) understand.
Isaiah 43:10 – “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen.”
BASIC RULES FOR DAILY LIVING
1. Take twenty minutes by yourself at the beginning of each day.
2. Live above small troubles by losing yourself in big, worthwhile interests.
3. Grow every day; life is a game; keep your eye on the ball, rather than on the scoreboard.
4. Have power to see things through; keep remembering that most accomplishments are three-fourths drudgery, and one-fourth joy.
5. Alternate your interests. It is better to be busy than bored. Balance your life with work, play, love, and worship.
6. Be gracious to others; do kind deeds beyond the call of duty; remember that every person is fighting a battle.
7. Talk over your problems with others- with confiding friends, your doctor of medicine, your minister, your God.
8. Work and co-operate with God, praying that God will do something through you rather than for you.
Thomas Kepler
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As with most things, these are the opinions of the writer. From my quick Google search, since I really had no idea who Thomas Kepler is/was, this is I think refers to this particular individual: “Thomas S. Kepler (1898-1963) was a prolific Christian scholar who taught New Testament literature at Oberlin College.” Well, now that I know that…
For me, though, as I read through them I found myself saying silently, “that would be good, oh, and this one, too”. And really, that is so much about why I send out these messages. Not that I expect each one to be read by each person, but that maybe, for a fleeting moment, the focus goes to Him. On the days that I don’t send these out, I know that there is a void in my day (see number one above), though most of you are too gracious to call me on it. Because if you don’t see an email that means I working on something else that I hold as more important than doing His work, and that is just not how I want my day to begin. That isn’t how I would hope for you to start your day.
In His service,
Keith
“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
? Winston Churchill
When I read those words this morning, they weren’t about failure being an option, they were about persistence. About enthusiasm. More than that, I think they are also about how I choose to define failure. Do I define it in the world’s terms, or in God’s terms? My thought is that God in His infinite grace will give me an “A” for effort, even if in my narrow-minded view my attempt at doing His will was unsuccessful. The key for me is to remember that things happen from my efforts that I do not always see, or that I am not even meant to see.
For me, Churchill’s words have a more spiritual resonance if I replace “failure” with “effort”. That effort is a small word, but I’m specifically breathing a lot of God-inspired energy behind it. Think of Churchill’s words and the Apostle Paul. Think of those people in your life who seem to be getting the proverbial “short end of the stick” and yet their enthusiasm does not waiver. Think of your own life and your attitude towards adversity.
In reflecting on that quote and my ramblings this morning, I find myself rejoicing in Psalm 27. Those are probably my most cherished Words (the Psalm in its entirety). It is almost like the Psalmist is taking Churchill’s words (and more) but adding the big cherry on top:
“I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.” (verse 13)
The “land of the living”. That, for me, is cause for enthusiasm.
Okay, I must confess that my mind just filled with a country song: ‘Life Ain’t Always Beautiful’ by Gary Allan. I’ll put all the words on my blog if you want to read them. Wow! I was just re-reading all the words, and if I take out one word (“pretty”, because that wouldn’t be how I describe God’s face), I could easily see this being a conversation with God. I have never looked at that song that way until now. But here is one specific snippet that keeps those words from Psalm 27:13 ringing in my ears:
“But the struggles makes me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has it’s own way of takin’ its sweet time”
Be enthusiastic. Be joyful. In all things rejoice. For He is with us.
–
Song: Life Ain’t Always Beautiful
Artist: Allan Gary
Album: Tough All Over
Life ain’t always beautiful
Sometimes it’s just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart
Life ain’t always beautiful
You think you’re on your way
And it’s just a dead end road at the end of the day
But the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it’s own way of takin’ it sweet time
[chorus]
No,life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it’s a beautiful ride
Life aint always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin’ all these lonely miles
And I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream, but life dont work that way
But the struggles makes me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has it’s own way of takin’ its sweet time
No, life aint always beautiful
But I know I’ll be fine
Hey, life aint always beautiful
But its a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride
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