What makes you angry?

What makes your spouse angry?

What makes your parents angry?

What makes your employer angry?

What makes your minister angry?

What makes the UPS driver angry?

Does God get angry? He sure does.

Numbers 11:1

And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Do you complain?  God gets angry and you don’t want God angry at you.

Think about it.

Gary

Theologian Martin Marty wrote this: One critic said he had gone to many churches and heard the preacher say, “Don’t try to impress God with your works.” or “Don’t attempt to please God with your merits.” or “Don’t try to keep the rules and regulations and thus win your way.” He looked around at nearly slumbering collections of utterly casual Christians and wondered, “Who’s trying?” 

2 Peter 1:8-9 addresses the subject:

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Stay awake and give it some thought.

Gary

Erma Bombeck offered some good advice to those graduates of Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. At the Commencement Ceremonies, Ms. Bombeck gave some good maternal counsel, “Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.” (The Houston Chronicle, May 1991, p. 2) IOWJUL91

The Bible has a lot to say about success:

Joshua 1:8

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Ecclesiastes 10:10   

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.

There is a time-proven stone that can sharpen your old ax, and it is the Word of God. Rest your head against it and let it do its work.

Give it some thought.

Gary

He was my brother and a combat-marine at the age of eighteen. They dropped those young boys off near the DMZ by helicopter. Immediately the North Vietnamese rockets came down. He was wounded but didn’t lose consciousness. The sensation of blood pulsating from his back was evident. Out of nowhere, a young African-American medic appeared and pulled him into a depression to shield from further injury. Medical helicopters approached under fire and he was thrown into one.

In that field that day, there were no hyphenated names, only marines trying to get home again. My brother didn’t know that hero but was forever grateful he was there. This marine turned seventy-four in May because of that medic.

How many unknown individuals do we owe our lives to?

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

They went on before so that you could go on today.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Yesterday” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first released on the album Help! in August 1965. It was a song about how easy things were yesterday. The songwriter believes that the past was better.  He is struggling with the present.

You can’t get yesterday back, but if that were possible, it would sure make today miserable.  We need to concentrate on the present, and trust the future to our Lord. The Scripture tells us much about the future based on the now.

Revelation 3:21

The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Know who you are, where you’re going and always remember Jesus has dealt with your past.

Give it some thought.

Gary

There is no room for Jesus in the economic world.

There was no room for Jesus in the legal realm.

There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order.

There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.

Is there any room for Jesus in your world?

Have you any room for Jesus,
He who bore your load of sin?
As He knocks and asks admission,
Sinner, will you let Him in?

Refrain:
Room for Jesus, King of Glory!
Hasten now His Word obey;
Swing the heart’s door widely open,
Bid Him enter while you may.

Room for pleasure, room for business,
But for Christ the Crucified,
Not a place that He can enter,
In the heart for which He died?

Matthew 7:23

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Give it some thought.

Gary

She is unknown to most, but is owed a debt by many. Here is a brief account of her service.

The opening paragraph from a chapter in Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation:

There are so many impressive numbers connected to World War II that it’s difficult for one or two to catch your eye. Here are a few that caught me by surprise: more than sixty thousand women served in the Army Nurse Corps. Sixteen died as a result of enemy action. Sixty-seven nurses were taken prisoner of war. More than sixteen hundred were decorated for bravery under fire or for meritorious service.

The chapter is titled “Mary Louise Roberts Wilson.” It’s a profile of Mary L. Roberts, a Methodist Hospital nurse who enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps in 1942. She served with the 56th Evacuation Hospital Unit alongside many other medical professionals from Dallas (the unit — sometimes called the “Baylor Unit” — was organized by the Baylor University College of Medicine in Dallas). She knew she would be serving overseas in field hospitals in combat zones.

As far as seeing action, the worst of the worst for the 56th was on February 10, 1944, when their hospital tents on the Anzio beachhead in Italy were attacked by German long-range artillery shells for a full thirty minutes. Several operations were underway during the attack, and Roberts, the chief nurse of the operating tent, managed to keep a calm head and help to maintain as much order as possible.

“I wanted to jump under the operating table, but first we had to lower litter cases to the floor. Pieces of steel already were ripping through tents. There were four litters. I saw a patient on the operating table had his helmet near him, so I put it over his head to give him that much protection.” (Mary L. Roberts, Dallas Morning News, Feb 23, 1944)

I often ponder as to how many in the Lord’s army served under dangerous conditions for the good of all.  She never let her fellow soldiers down and neither should we. She made sure they suffered no added injuries.

Romans 16:1

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

Give it some thought.

Gary