There is no one who understands like God does. He knows exactly what we need for the present and what lies ahead. Sometimes we question His actions because of the pain we feel.

The Apostle Paul didn’t do that when pain entered his life. He knew exactly what God had to do to get him back on track. His temptation came not from knowing too little but from knowing too much. He admitted it. Pride needs to be tempered.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We all have some serious deficits and sometimes they can only be corrected by pain.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The reason John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and another passenger died in a plane crash was that, as the pilot, John didn’t trust his instruments. He was too inexperienced to believe the instruments that were in the plane; instead, he believed his feelings.

There are a great number of people flying through this life, with darkness all around, and going by their feelings. The end of such a manner of living will ultimately lead to disaster.

God has given us a better way:

Psalm 37:23-24

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”

Look into the light and not into the darkness of the world around you. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

Give it some thought.

Gary

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy, and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble.

In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.

The doctor grabbed one and said, “I’m a doctor; I save lives, so I must live,” and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, “I’m a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live.”

He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I’ve lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace.”

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worry, Father. The ‘smartest man in the world’ just took off with my back pack.”

We can make some very serious errors when we overestimate ourselves and underestimate others. “You’re So Vain” is a song written in 1971 by Carly Simon and released in November 1972. My belief is that it hits this nail right on the head. Vanity can be a killer.

The smartest man in the world had this to say about human understanding as it relates to this world.

Ecclesiastes 1:6

The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.

If we can’t figure out the wind, how are we doing with the weightier matters of life?

Give it some thought and turn the pages of some ancient information on the subject of wisdom.

Gary

A manmade disaster that occurred when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker owned by the Exxon Shipping Company, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. It was the worst oil spill in U.S. history until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

Captain Hazelwood, who was widely reported to have been drinking heavily that night, was not at the controls when the ship struck the reef. Exxon blamed Hazelwood for the grounding of the tanker, but he accused the corporation of making him a scapegoat.  He was only convicted of spilling some oil.

Forget the drunken-skipper-fable. As to Captain Joe Hazelwood, he was below decks, sleeping off his bender. At the helm, the third mate may never have collided with Bligh Reef had he looked at his RAYCAS radar. But the radar was not turned on. In fact, the tanker’s radar was left broken and disabled for more than a year before the disaster, and Exxon management knew it. It was just too expensive to fix and operate.

He was never really held accountable. In the history of man, the same type of story is repeated over and over again. Accountability is defined as an obligation of willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.

You and I are to be held accountable, according to the Book of Romans:

Romans 14:12

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Maybe Joe got away with it for a while, but it is not over with him or us.

Don’t drink, stay awake during dangerous times, and have your equipment working properly.

Give it some thought.

Gary

It has been stated that 98% of top executives say they prefer employees with a sense of humor, and 84% of bosses believe those employees do better work. I concur with that statement. In my life, I’ve really appreciated people with a proper sense of humor. I believe some of my Irish ancestors survived the potato famine because they had a sense of humor.

Did you know that God laughs?

Psalm 2:4

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 

The nations believe their laws are much better than God’s law, and they can do just fine without Him. The major problem with that philosophy is that God gets the last laugh.
Men erroneously believe they can harm others, and God will not hold them accountable.

Psalm 37:13

The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 

Whether a nation or an individual makes a derogatory statement about the Creator of the universe, we can almost hear a chuckle.

Don’t laugh. Give it some thought.

Gary

George left the ministry to become a funeral director. He claims that during his ministry he tried to straighten out the Joneses’ marriage and never made any progress. He tried to get Bill off of alcohol and drugs and that proved to be a failure. Now he says when I straighten them out, they stay straight.

George couldn’t do what the Holy Spirit is good at doing. Case in point:

1 Peter 4:3-4

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 

Do you desire to be straightened out? There is a Great Physician that has a 100% success rate for the willing.

Mark 2:17

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

If you need the Great Physician, His office is always open, plus He makes house calls.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Hey, where is everybody?”

VanWarmer was inspired to write “Just When I Needed You Most” by two events: his old car, that he loved and used for years, broke down on his way to work in Denver, Colorado, and he experienced a “devastating” breakup with a girlfriend.

I don’t understand what happened to the Apostle Paul, but it seems he experienced something similar, except for the girlfriend and the car.

2 Timothy 4:16

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.

That stuff hurts but, as with Paul, there is the one thing we must always keep in mind. It is found in the following verse:

2 Timothy 4:17

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.

Our focus must be on what we are called to do and we are never alone.

Give it some thought.

Gary