“With a Little Help from My Friends” is a song that came out of the sixties. Old codgers like me who came through the sixties still have the lyrics and melody rattling around in our heads. In those days, we usually heard that song in the company of our friends. The years came and went like the river flowing under the Allagash bridge. However, most of those friends remain true and I am thankful for them. I couldn’t make it through life without them.

God has a way of bringing people into our lives to make the journey more enjoyable. The Biblical example of that is the account of David and Jonathan, found in the book of 1st Samuel.

1 Samuel 18:1

As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

They are the air that gives us lift.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I have a faded picture somewhere of my four-year-old son standing on my shoulders. I taught him that he could do that and trust me. Like a kid discovering some new thrill, the smile on his face spoke volumes.

Our Father puts us into fearful situations to teach us lessons we can learn no other way. When the lesson is mastered, our soul rejoices. Don’t be afraid of His leading. A case in point is when Jesus asked the disciples to cross over the sea and they were confronted by a terrible storm.

Mark 4:40

But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 

Do what the Master tells you to do and you’ll be thrilled by the results.

Give it some thought.

Gary

It was the eighth-grade graduation in 1985 and the MC was our thirteen-year-old son. Exhibiting all the confidence in the world in front of the crowd which had gathered, he did what was required.  Those grammar school years were over and he was ready to face the future. We couldn’t help it; we were proud.  Through his previous school years, his grades sometimes left us wondering if he could be like Albert Einstein. Ultimately, his future held four masters’ degrees.

That was thirty-eight years ago. I wish we could roll back time to that event and start over again. However, time stops for no man, and like the song, we need to try and keep the vessel between the shores. The Bible talks about that.

1 Peter 1:24-25 

For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 

Job 7:6-7 

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and come to their end without hope. “Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good.

Time can’t be bottled up, so be careful with what little you have.

Give it some thought.

Gary

If you are going to say or write something, make sure it can be interpreted correctly. Here are some headlines to back up my statement:

• Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
• Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
• Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
• Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax
• Farmer Bill Dies in House
• British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
• Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
• Miners Refuse to Work after Death

Does the Bible address this kind of thing? Glad you asked.

Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

 Numbers 12:8

With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly, and not in dark sayings,

I pray the titles of my devotions don’t leave you confused.

Think about it.

Gary

My dad was a foreman for a paper company. He had a company truck and wore a white hard hat with his thick white hair crushed under it. My uncle worked for the same company and, from the back, looked exactly like my father.

I would work a part-time job one day a week in the mill yard, operating a crane and slasher to supplement my income. After my dad’s death in ’84, I hated to see my uncle drive through the yard because it would bring tears to my eyes and interfere with my concentration. You can’t bury memories because there is always something that digs them up. However, that is OK because there are those we should never forget.

Proverbs 10:7

The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

Keep the good memories even if they make you cry.

Think about it.

Gary

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”

                                                                  ― Elbert Hubbard

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

3 John 1:15

Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.

They are the steel inside the cement. They are the fabric that holds the garment together. They made the early church and by the grace of God hold it together till the present time.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Don’t interrupt someone working intently on a puzzle. Chances are, you’ll hear some cross words.

Does the Bible address this kind of outburst? Glad you asked.

Ephesians 4:25–27

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Proverbs 29:11

A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Give it some thought. Defuse the bomb.

Gary