Some people in Ephesus were getting into some crazy stuff, including myths and endless genealogies.

Timothy’s responsibility was to warn them of the dangers of getting off course.  Let’s keep it simple because God loves us to such a degree it should stimulate us to love others. It is a commandment. When this is not happening, check the information fueling your life.

1 Timothy 1:5

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Love

It is silence — when your words would hurt.

It is patience — when your neighbor’s curt.

It is deafness — when a scandal flows.

It is thoughtfulness — for others’ woes.

It is promptness — when stern duty calls.

It is courage — when misfortune falls 

• Source unknown

Think about it.

Gary

“Nowhere Man” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in December 1965 on their album Rubber Soul. It was written by John Lennon and revealed that he was moving away from love songs to more of a philosophical point of view. Right or wrong he hit a financial home run with this one.

He’s a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

Doesn’t have a point of view
Knows not where he’s going to
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere man please listen
You don’t know what you’re missing
Nowhere man, the world is at your command

He’s as blind as he can be
Just sees what he wants to see
Nowhere man, can you see me at all

Nowhere man don’t worry
Take your time, don’t hurry
Leave it all ’til somebody else
Lends you a hand

Doesn’t have a point of view
Knows not where he’s going to
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere man please listen
You don’t know what you’re missing
Nowhere man, The world is at your command

So many young people at the time looked around and said to themselves, “This is the world I live in.”

Two and a half centuries prior to John, Isaiah the prophet described such a people:

Isaiah 1:13-15

Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
    Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
    I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.

 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

John didn’t have an answer, but Isaiah did. Give his book a read.

Think about it.

Gary

Zig Ziglar tells about his brother who was traveling and came to a hotel and asked for a room for the night. The manager told him they were fully booked and there were no rooms available.

Ziglar’s brother said, “Now be honest with me. If the president of the United States walked through that door just now and requested a room, would you have a place for him to stay?” The manager replied, “Well, if the president needed a room, we’d find one for him.” Ziglar’s brother said, “That’s great.  I know for a fact he is not coming, so I’ll take his room.”

That holy family two thousand years ago knew something about not finding a room.

Luke 2:7

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

How about you?  Do you have room for Him or are you booked?

Think about it.

Gary

Legal drugs come with directions and are prescribed by a physician.  Illegal drugs can be produced by someone who flunked high school science and can lead to death. I trust my physician and I trust the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  The key word I emphasize here is directions.

Back in the Old Testament someone died by not following directions and his name was Uzzah. No one names his or her kid after him because he didn’t follow directions. I have struggled with directions from kindergarten to the present time, and along the way I’ve suffered many times. It just absolutely pays to follow directions.

1 Chronicles 13:9-10

And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.

King David didn’t get it, but he should have because he knew Scripture. The only person to touch the Ark was to be a Levites and that excluded Uzzah. Don’t be an Uzzah or a David; follow directions!

Think about it.

Gary

Don’t be giving excuses for what God has for you to do in this lifetime. I’ve had a multitude of teachers and professors instructing me in my life. However, the one with the best information about the subject matter and who had the most impact on my life carried only a sixth-grade education. I’m not putting down education because I hold a Master of Christian Studies degree. This man knew his calling to the ministry and didn’t use his lack of degrees to hinder him.

Moses was faced with this decision at eighty years of age:

Exodus 4:10-12

 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”  Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 

Don’t argue with God about your assignment in life. He has been assigning individuals for different tasks for a long time and knows what we are capable of.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I don’t know why when someone slanders me the Irish wants to jump out and unscrew the person’s neck. It’s certainly not what the Scripture teaches, and the exchange would never end well for either party. There was a time in my youth when it produced a black eye for me and much embarrassment.

The Human with all the power contained in the universe never resorted to revenge when He was slandered. So many times as we read through the gospels, we say to ourselves, “I wouldn’t put up with that.” However, He did and He did that to reveal the awesome power of God.

1 Peter 2:23

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

He was something, but it is the next verse that brings it home for us.

1 Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Give it some thought the next time someone pushes your pride button.

Gary

Usually placed on a stone pedestal, “The Thinker” (French: Le Penseur) is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy.

Now if he had really been thinking, he would have realized he had no clothes on. On the other hand, maybe he had no clothes because he spent too much time thinking and no time working. Then again maybe he was thinking, “How do I get out of this embarrassing situation?” In any case, I’m done thinking about it.

Did anyone ever ask you this soul-searching question? “What were you thinking?” My usual response is, “I wasn’t thinking.”

When it comes to what the Bible says about thinking, here’s a good list:

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Think about it.

Gary