Having a legal firearm within a home comes with responsibility for the gun owner, especially if there are children in the home. Ensuring that all family members understand how the gun should and should not be used is vital in making sure no accidents occur.

However, I just want to state unequivocally that words have caused more damage that guns ever have. Words have led to deaths and damages to the family that can never be repaired, not to mention what they can do to the soul.

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 16:24

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Words, when used considerately, can bring tremendous blessing, but in the wrong hands, they can be killers.

Think about it.

Gary

“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are.”
                                                                                                             —Will Ferrell

You guessed it, the Bible has a lot to say about patience and anger.

Proverbs 14:29 

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

James 1:20 

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Romans 12:12 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen the explosions produced by individuals over the years. Admittedly, some have been caused by my lack of self-control. However, none have been able to produce anything but more damage to the soul.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Life is currently described in one of four ways: As a journey, as a

battle, as a pilgrimage, and as a race. Select your own metaphor,

but the finishing necessity is all the same. For if life is a journey, it

must be completed. If life is a battle, it must be finished. If life is a

pilgrimage, it must be concluded. If life is a race, it must be won.”

                                                                              -Dr. J. Richard Sneed. 

Here it is. I didn’t ask for it, but I must complete it. Sometimes it is like a fog that lifts momentarily and then returns unexpectedly. Then at other times, it is a race and I feel so far from the finish line. Someone must be mindful of me and give me strength, wisdom and that all-necessary perseverance till time is up. That someone must be the Author and Finisher of my faith.

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Isaiah 41:10 

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Hang in there, my friend, because the finish line is just around the corner.

Think about it.

Gary

“My mother always used to say: The older you get, the better you get, unless you’re a banana.”
 —Betty White

You are probably not a banana, so here is some sound advice for your waning years.

Proverbs 16:31 

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Psalm 92:14 

They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,

Proverbs 20:29 

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Take the remainder of life by the horns, you matriarch or patriarch.

Think about it.

Gary

We were three thirteen-year-olds looking for mischief and we found it. It came in the form of an outhouse sitting on the bank of the river. We pushed it over. The next night we were hitchhiking and a pickup stopped for us. We climbed in only to find it was the owner of the sawmill whose outhouse we’d messed with. As he gained some speed, he declared, “Boys, I know who pushed my outhouse over the hill.”

My friend announced, “Let us out.”

He said, “No, I’ll take you home and I won’t tell your fathers what you did, but someday you’ll be sorry for that action.”

He held true to his promise and we respected and highly esteemed that man until his death at an old age. He never held that against us and taught us a lesson about grace.

Acts 28:2

The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

Being kind to others who don’t deserve it will give you more traction in life.

Think about it.

Gary

“Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us.”

-President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1964 interview

He hated school, drank too much and fought with too many people. However, if it weren’t for that Irishman, the Pacific Islands would not have been taken back and the Normandy invasion would have been impossible. At the New Orleans plant where his company built the boats that brought troops ashore at Normandy on June 6, 1944, Higgins hung a sign that said, “Anybody caught stealing tools out of this yard won’t get fired – he’ll go to the hospital.” He was greatly used for the war effort because he developed the Higgins Boat.

He reminds me of the Apostle Paul talking of himself. He states that he wasn’t much to look at. He had a thorn in the flesh that God wouldn’t remove. He had a continual war with himself. Churches turned against him. Yet he was responsible for twelve epistles because he was a chosen vessel in God’s economy. How many are blessed today because of the words he penned?

2 Corinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Even you could be a Higgins or a Paul.

Give it some thought.

Gary

While managing an ambulance service, I needed to explain the difference between a red and yellow dash light. I would say, “When you see a red light, that means stop because something serious is going on here. However, when you see a yellow light, it means when you have the time to have a mechanic check it out.” One individual had messed up a transport because of a yellow light.

The same holds true spiritually. Some things need immediate attention before real damage can be done. Then, there are things that can be considered when the time is right. The key is discernment.

Philippians 1:9

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

Proverbs 15:21

Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

To be a successful Christian, you need to know the signs.

Give it some thought.

Gary