Time With God

Woe unto them that join house to house!

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! (Isa 5:8 KJV)

Isaiah makes it sound like it's a good thing to be alone and for some of us it is. Others, for some reason unknown to me, enjoy living side by side. I've tried it. It was bearable most of the time. I have also lived in places that were not quite so bearable. 

I am still trying to adjust to our latest home. It is a humble home on almost two acres. We really can't see any neighboring houses. The area surrounding our property is wooded areas and we have a small pond in the middle of it. I definitely appreciate those things! Yet, I find myself missing our home in Michigan. There is nothing expansive or extravagant about our property there, either. Yet, it is also mostly surrounded by a cedar swamp except for the bay that connects to Lake Superior in the backyard. There will probably never be anyone building in the swamp to the north of us as the Ojibway Tribe owns hundreds of acres there.  

I miss our secluded place in Michigan; but, when I consider the cold they are experiencing right now and the very slow economy that seems to be terminal there, I can really appreciate our home in Florida. We may not be as secluded as I like; but, it is secluded enough and I do not have to live on top of or below anyone in an apartment or condo. I do not have to live ten feet from my neighbor or contend with an HOA.

There is a time and a place for everything. There is a time and a place to be social. It is a very good thing to be in the company of others. But, there is also a need to be alone at times so that we can find rest in the company of none other than Almighty God. 

We; after all, need some quiet and alone time in order to hear God whisper. When Elijah was on the run and seeking to hear from God, he did not hear Him in the noise. In the sheer silence, he heard His whisper.

And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)

There may be many who can shut out all the noise of living house to house. They may actually enjoy it. I am not one of them. I need the quiet presence of God to keep my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I thank God often for the homes He has provided me with and for the opportunity to spend time alone with Him.

May God grant you enough quiet to spend quality time with Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Stay Out Of The Mud!

"... but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

                                                                                            (Phil 4:6-8 KJV)

If you don't want your feet to get dirty then stay out of the mud. There are actually things that we can do that will make our lives a bit easier. If you don't want to live in constant drama or chaos then quit focusing on the bad and think on those things that are of good report; of things that are lovely. 

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor 15:33) There would be a whole lot less drama in our lives if we would just avoid being around people who love drama. That is not to say that we should not help them. We should. But, we should not be so involved that it ends up infecting our lives and drawing us away from the peace which God would give us through Christ Jesus.

But, even when we try to focus on the things of good report, we are still human and  there will be times that we will get drawn to situations that we would rather not be in. There may be times that we find ourselves sinking in quicksand and there is no possible way out except by the help of God.

If you prefer not to live in the muck and the mire of sin; if you prefer not to live with drama and chaos in your life; then turn to the Lord and focus on his promises. Trust yourself to the one who can truly lift you out of any mess. Give him thanks for with him your feet will be clean and your heart and mind will be at peace. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Free To Do What Is Right

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 1 Cor 15:33-34 NIV

Watching a television show the other night about the Civil War, I wondered if there were any women left with character like that of Harriet Tubman. Jeopardizing her own freedom, she helped to secure the freedom of multitudes. Of course, there are many women today who like her are willing to sacrifice their own lives so that others might have the opportunity to live freely and in peace. I even know some of them. But, I would be most comforted in seeing many more. So many, many people dedicated and continue to dedicate their whole lives so that all people might live in freedom. Yet, those sacrifices are often taken for granted by the very people who have received freedom through their efforts. The freedom that we have received is often frittered away on momentary sensual pleasures. It is wasted on worrying more about what makes one happy without any consideration that what we do may have devastating consequences for others.

Yes, we are free to do whatever we choose. But, why would anyone choose to become slaves to sin? Why would we choose to live lives that will only lead others astray? There are many who do!

But, we are free to be the  children of the most high God by the blood of Christ shed for us. He gives to us good and gracious gifts. We enjoy many freedoms in this world; in this country, because of the sacrifices others made for us. Would we throw it all back in the face of God and in the faces of those who gave their lives for our sake? 

Why choose slavery to sin, for the sake of some few worldly pleasures? Our freedom to be children of God cost Jesus his life. Our freedoms, including the freedom to worship God publicly, cost many men and women their lives.

May God help us to not be the bad company that helps to corrupts character; but, the light that shines in the darkness of night to lead God's children home.

God's Peace – Pr. J

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."  Eph 4:1-3 NIV

I wrote no blog yesterday. The internet and cable television went down late Friday afternoon during a storm. I called it in. At first the man on the other end of the line said since I was the only one who was down in the area they probably wouldn't be able to send a tech out until Tuesday after the holiday; but, he would try to get them to call me Saturday morning (while I was at an appointment) to set up a time for them to come out and fix it. He had walked me through the usual, unplug the modem and plug it back it. I've been dealing with modems for a few years and already had done that; but, I patiently complied anyway, even as I explained that there had just been a bad storm and I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who had lost their connections in the neighborhood. About an hour later I received a call from some one else from this company telling me that they had just declared an area outage and assured me they were sending out a tech to take care of it. She didn't say when; but, for some reason I assumed that evening. I let my son (who was previously a tech for another company) know that they were coming out. He laughed saying that I would probably have it back up and running the next morning around 10. He was right. The neighbors informed me that the tech had just left when I returned home from an appointment at about 10:15 yesterday morning.

Therefore, I wrote no blog yesterday. If I can't do it early in the morning, I rarely find time during the rest of the day and yesterday was no different. My days tend to be pretty full. There were plenty of other doors that were open; plenty of other directions to go in and to do.

I am getting better at having patience with cable and satellite companies. I have learned to wait on them without getting upset. I did not even roll my eyes; at least not more than once. I don't watch much television so that is never a problem. I have learned to wait on many things. Everything does not always go as I plan. But, life continues. There is no sense getting upset about something so minor and that we have no control over. There are so many things in this world that are so much worse than the internet not working or a television show or a computer game being disrupted. It can even be a good thing when we lose our connection with the world wide web from time to time.

Some of the things that we lose patience with are pretty trivial compared to the troubles others suffer in the world. It would be best to ignore these minor obstacles and just move on past or over them. Don't let them interfere with what God has called you to do. Take advantage of what might seem to be a hindrance; because, it just might be a door opening for you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J