“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
— Charles Swindoll
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Give it some thought.
Gary
Before you see the doctor, the nurse will ask you some questions. Do you have pain anywhere?
The older you get the more pain you have. If it’s not physical, then it could be emotional. I’ll be glad when such an interview will be unnecessary.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
This is a future event that I am anticipating through faith in what God says.
Give it some thought.
Gary
If you are ever entertaining the crowd with a high wire act, make sure you have a safety net. Even the best in the business will fall sometimes and gravity will show no forgiveness.
God calls us to do some scary things but never without a net.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …
Stay up there, but if you fall, He’ll be there to catch you.
Give it some thought.
Gary
As the confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson went into hour thirteen, Senator Marsha Blackburn asked the Supreme Court nominee to define the word “woman.”
“I can’t,” Jackson replied.
How can you reach this pinnacle in your career and not be able to answer such a simple question? I would like to send her some verses from the Bible.
So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Male and female, He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man when they were created.
Our generation of baby boomers never had trouble with this question, for a woman is not a man. What’s happening? Read the Bible; it will enlighten you. Give it some thought.
Gary
It was a sad song by Donna Fargo
She stood there lookin’ in the mirror that discarded the reflection
Of the women she had pictured in her mind
And the make-up almost hid the traces of the wear and tear of life
On her face that you could read between the lines
About the unfulfilled dream that she spoke to me about,
Friendly, as if I were the only friend she had
And as I listened to her quietly talk about her life to me
Not knowing what to say, I felt bad
She sang a song with no music and words with no melody
Of all the bitter seasons of life
She was an unloved daughter, an unhappy mother
But was left off an unwanted wife
How many out there look back at their unfortunate life and share such pain? Life is cruel to the vast majority of individuals. Why? Only the Bible has the answer for the cause, but thankfully it also provides the solution. We don’t have to die with that grief.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Give it some thought.
Gary
Waylon Jennings sang “Old Five and Dimers” and it became a hit. It’s a song about coming to terms with and embracing who you are.
I’ve spent a lifetime making up my mind to be
More than the measure of what I thought others could see
Good luck and fast bucks are too far and too few between
For Cadillac buyers and old five and dimers like me
Does the Bible address the phenomena? Glad you asked.
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
So, you are only dust. Get up out of there and do something to the glory of God.
Give it some thought.
Gary
In the twenty-fourth chapter of the book of Acts, Paul describes the many tears and trials which happened to him because of the Jews who plotted against him. However, he never softened the message or shied away from the truth that people needed to hear. Here’s what we read.
Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Many a time I’ve been moved by the pressure of ministry and lost my joy, for which I am truly sorry. I want to do my best with the help of the Holy Spirit not to do that again. How about you?
Give it some thought.
Gary