Gone

Such is life and life is such and after all it isn’t much. First a cradle. Then a hearse. It might have been better, but it could have been worse.

–       Norman Wisdom

Norm was unto something that the Scriptures make perfectly clear. When we come to the final days, our thoughts are on how quickly it went by.

Psalm 39:4 

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

Psalm 78:39 

He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.

1 Chronicles 29:15 

For we are strangers before You and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.

I don’t know what Norm did with this truth, but I know we should be prepared for the inevitable. Give it some consideration.

Gary

Quarreling

In quarreling, the truth is always lost.

–       Publilius Syrus.

What a waste of time! No amount of logic will make a difference. You’re only spinning your wheels, making smoke, irritating the eyes, and not making progress. You must have something more constructive to do.

Ephesians 5:16-17 

Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

2 Thessalonians 3:2

and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

Quarreling is not worth the time or energy which it requires. Give it some consideration.

Gary

 

Owing

Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting.

–       Author unknown

None of us are self-made; we are the product of what many have placed in us. Many there are that we owe a debt to which we can never repay. On the other hand, some owe a debt to us. Don’t fret about those debtors, because we’re still ahead of the game.

1 Peter 2:15

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

Psalm 37:3 

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Don’t forget those you owe and forget the irretrievable debts that you are owed. Think about it.

Gary

 

Next Time

S. Lewis remarked that Christians don’t say goodbye; we say, “See you later.”

Even if we never meet here on earth again, there will be plenty of time to make up for it on the other side. Paul made that perfectly clear in his epistles.

Phil. 3:20 

But our citizenship is in heaven. We are eagerly waiting for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

What a reunion awaits the one who has placed his trust in Christ. Think about that today.

Gary

 

Savings

“Best high yield savings account,” is something that many are considering these days. Putting something up for the future is on a lot of minds.

Here is the best place for high yield returns.

Matthew 6:19-21 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I Timothy 6:17-19

 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Where’s your treasure?  Give it some thought.

Gary

 

He Served

Acts 13:36

When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.

I like that statement. It makes for an outline for a funeral message for someone who effectively put God first as he was energized by God’s oxygen, as he walked this planet.

Always remember these five things:

He served.
He served God.
He served God’s purpose.
He served his own generation.
He fell asleep.

2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Want a good ending?  This is how life should be lived. Give it some thought.

Gary

 

Fair

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.

–       Dennis Wholey

We should understand that the world’s not fair. Does the Bible address this phenomenon? Glad you asked.

Job 5:7

“Yet man is born to trouble, as surely as sparks fly upward.”

Psalms 73:3

“For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

Ecclesiastes 9:11

“I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.”

We have a problem here, Houston, so contact the Creator for a solution.

Give it some consideration.

Gary