A man was out walking in the desert when a voice said to him, “Pick up some pebbles and put them in your pocket, and tomorrow you will be both sorry and glad.”

   The man obeyed. He stooped down and picked up a handful of pebbles and put them in his pocket. The next morning he reached into his pocket and found diamonds and rubies and emeralds. And he was both glad and sorry. Glad that he had taken some — sorry that he hadn’t taken more.

   And so it is with God’s word.

• Unknown source

Psalms 19:10

More to be desired are they than gold,
         Yea, than much fine gold;
         Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Psalms 119:72

The law of Your mouth is better to me
         Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

So the children of Israel applied the blood and Pharaoh really did let them go. However, in a very short period of time, he changed his mind and sent the strongest army in the world after them to destroy them. They were boxed in by the army and the Red Sea. They had no chance except for the fact that God had a Word for them. Well, you know the rest of the story.

The world with all its evil devices will box you in and the only avenue of escape will be the Word of God. How much have you accumulated?  It can make all the difference in the world.

Think about it.

Gary

In 1965 Simon and Garfunkel sang, “I am a rock; I am an island. And a rock feels no pain. And an island never cries.” It was a good song that made a lot of teens feel good and made the entertainers a great deal of money. The only problem is that for the vast majority of human beings the concept is a lie. I’m not a rock or an island, nor will that ever happen. We certainly feel pain and crying is a necessity sometimes.

I need people. I need friendship. I need to feel like I am a part of something greater than I am. God made us that way, and thus the island-rock model can’t possibly work.

My many friends have been used to carry me through difficult times. My family is a major part of who I am today. The church family has taught me faith, hope and security. No, I am far from a rock or an island.

Proverbs 17:17

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

A friend is always loyal,
      and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Psalms 68:6

God places the lonely in families;

He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.

But He makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

John 15:13

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Even Jesus had friends. Are you one?

Think about it.

Gary

The job that God gives believers requires courage for a number of reasons. One is the task seems overwhelming. Secondly, the responsibility can weigh heavily. Lastly, the stakes are high and failure is not an option.P

Joshua faced the beast when leading the children into the Promised Land. However, God had encouraging advice.

Joshua 1:6-8

Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 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.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

 To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

 To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

 To expose feelings is to risk exposing our true self.

 To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk loss.

 To love is to risk not being loved in return.

 To live is to risk dying.

 To hope is to risk despair.

To try at all is to risk failure.

But risk we must, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The man, the woman, who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

Face the beast and believe God’s grace will always be sufficient.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Trust is a difficult concept for most of us because of so many misplaced trusts in our past. However, the trust we place in God has earthly and eternal rewards. Don’t let the news media get you into a pit of despondency.

Psalm 112:7

He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

In the darkest of nights cling to the assurance that God loves you, that He always has advice for you, a path that you can tread and a solution to your problem–and you will experience that which you believe. God never disappoints anyone who places his trust in Him.

• Basilea Schlink

Open your Bible every day and take the only medicine that can cure the nasty virus of misplaced trust.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The Peanuts Cartoon Strip has Linus talking to Charlie Brown. Linus says, “I don’t like to face problems head on. I think the best way to solve problems is avoid them. This is a distinct philosophy of mine. No problem is so big or so complicated that it cannot be run away from!”

The philosophy belonged to Linus but holds absolutely no water in the test tube of life. Problems are interwoven into everyone’s life and only get bigger when not attended to.

However, there is a resource that can help tremendously.

Matthew 11:28-30

 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Advice from the funny papers is not the foundation to build on, but the Bible is.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The kings of Israel and Judah are going to unite their forces in battle. However, before the confrontation the king of Israel makes a statement to the king of Judah.

1 Kings 22:29-30

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.  And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

So, you say to yourself, there is no one that stupid, especially a king. Wrong! That is exactly what the king of Judah did.

Now you must read the chapter because the one who died that day was the king of Israel.  It is a rather humorous account and teaches that God has His way in man’s affairs in spite of stupidity.

Please read the chapter.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The child before me is six years old and the resemblance to her grandmother is striking. I can, in my memory, still see her grandmother somewhere around that age. That eight-year-old was wearing a heavy winter coat with only the little skates sticking out from underneath. I was barely a teenager observing my surroundings.

The little girl I observed in 1966 is now a grandmother and, too bad for her, she’s also my sister-in-law.

Time has a way of changing everything as it delivers new situations to the grind of life.

The writer of Ecclesiastes had something similar in mind when he penned chapter three.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

You observe a cute little girl one day, trying to stay upright on steel runners, and the next she is someone’s grandmother and your sister-in-law.

Grab time as it quickly passes because it is truly a vapor that appears for  little time and vanishes away.

Give it some thought.

Gary