There were ten of us in 1956. Mom, Dad, my three brothers and four sisters. Life was good and we were all under the same roof. I wish I had a recording of some of the events that took place in that old house. Time changes everything. Now there are six of us, and we’ve kissed seventy to eighty years good-by. The years remind us that life here on the planet is fleeting and the past can’t be replicated.  However, I have peace and hope, not given by life, but by the Scriptures.

Romans 15:13 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Isaiah 40:31 

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Even if you didn’t have the kind of life that you could be grateful for, there is always hope for the life to come. Give it some thought.

Gary

Why read the book of Genesis? It is because it is the seed plot of the Bible. Every doctrine in the rest of scripture has a root in this book. Salvation is seen when God clothed Adam and Eve after the fall. The crucifixion is foreshadowed in the account of Abraham offering up Isaac, which is about the father offering up the son. God Himself is displayed when Melchizedek comes from nowhere, blesses Abraham and disappears off the pages of Genesis.

Why don’t you read the book of Genesis? It’s only fifty chapters which you could start and finish in two and a half hours.

Genesis 50:20-21

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Give it some careful consideration.

Gary

Any idiot can face a crisis–it’s this day-to-day living that wears you out.

                                                                                  – Anton Chekhov

So many can’t handle the same old same old. My mother-in-law did, and she had fifteen children that proved she could. Some people say an individual like that sure missed out on a lot of life’s pleasures. I would like to ask them what pleasures they are talking about. Scriptures make it clear.

Genesis 1:28 

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

When we practice the purpose for which God placed us here, life does not become a drudgery. Do His will and overcome difficulty.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Do you remember your first sin? I don’t either because it was too long ago. I do remember being expected to confess my sin. I had to think really hard. I said, when the door slid open, “I fought with my brother and stole cigarettes from my mother.” That seemed to satisfy the man behind the screen and I came out of that closet feeling good about myself.

You cannot live on this planet and not sin. The Scripture is clear that we have a natural bent towards sin.

Psalm 51:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.

The good news is that Christ took the punishment for our transgressions on Calvary. Give it some thought and remember this: cigarette smoking can be hazardous in more ways than one.

Gary

Once a year I climb a very steep mountain to see if my angina will reappear. Now this is not backed by the American Heart Association or the Academy of Cardiac Surgeons. However, it is a self-test I perform on myself to give me the security of going on another year with these three bypasses performing as required.

Why do I say such a thing? Glad you asked. There is a much greater test that has to be self-administered and it is found in Scripture.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 

I’ve taken that test too. I trust only in the finished work of Christ, not my accomplishments, some other person or a man-made institution.

How about you? Give it some thought.

Gary

I’d like to share a correspondence I shared with my friend Al who is battling some serious stuff.

“Al, you have to hang around. You are one of the people who encourages me the most. I need those epistles you send. One Frenchman taking his time in leaving for heaven is okay with me.”

Philippians 1:23-24

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;  but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 

Give this some thought and consider whether you are a blessing to others as he is to me.

Gary

I went to see a specialist about a medical procedure I needed done. The nurse confided in me that I would hate the doctor for two weeks following the operation, and after that I would be fine. Because my mother didn’t bring a stupid boy into the world, my next move was to get a second opinion from a different doctor. Does the Bible address this? You bet.

Proverbs 19:20 

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

The key is to listen carefully to God’s Word where the best course of action is always given first.

Give it some thought.

Gary