One Adam got us into a big mess and one Adam got us out. Everything that was destroyed by the first Adam has been repaired by the Second.

1 Corinthians 15:45 

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Romans 5:18-19

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

An invitation has been given by the second Adam to deliver us from the curse of the first Adam.

Have you responded to that call?

Matthew 22:9

Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’

Think about it.

Gary

We were nine-year-old paratroopers and our aircraft for delivering us over the target was the neighbor’s garage.  In the winter when the snow was deep enough, there we were climbing a ladder, walking the peak and yelling “Geronimo” as we sailed through the air to land in the deep snow.

The generation I grew up in venerated the veterans of WW2. My best friend’s father brought a fiddle back from Europe and inside was a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes from the war. To us, those cigarettes were sacred and we would never smoke any of them.

The men and women of that distant era and their sacrifices made it possible for us to enjoy freedom and safety in our generation.

There was another group of individuals that by sacrifice and service gave us the Word of God. It started with the heroes of faith found in Hebrews 11. In the opening of the twelfth chapter, they are described thus:

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Because of their witness of faith, we as New Testament believers should desire to imitate them, not by jumping off of buildings but offering our bodies as a living sacrifice.

Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 

Give it some thought and then jump.

Gary

She was legally married five times, but now she was just living with a man. Pundits make humor out of these accounts, but God found nothing humorous about it. He knew this person was in trouble and needed what only a loving Savior could offer. We can make a mess out of our lives by always allowing the flesh to dictate our next move. The years quickly pile up, and we discover the hole that’s been dug is too deep to crawl out of.

The song says, “I met Jesus at the crossroad where the two ways meet.” That was certainly true of the Samaritan woman in John Chapter four. That has also been true for multitudes over the last two millennia. Not only was she delivered, but she also brought a city out to hear Jesus’ bondage-breaking message.

Read John Chapter four slowly and thoughtfully and count the similarities between her conversion and yours.

Think about it.

Gary

Preacher or politician, that’s what she stated to many individuals over six decades about moi. She was my third grade teacher and you can conclude from the statement, I was a challenge. The ironic thing is, that although she was not a prophetess, her prophecy came true. I started preaching in 1977 and have been at it ever since.

It just goes to show that some goofy kid in your classroom could grow up to be beneficial to society.

Always acknowledge kids and try to encourage them along life’s pathway.

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.   James Baldwin

Children have one kind of silliness, as you know, and grown-ups have another kind.  C.S. Lewis

Matthew 19:14

 “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ”

He gave that invitation to children and adults also. You qualify.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise-military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States (a neutral country at the time) against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, just before 08:00, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. Twenty-one ships were damaged or lost in the attack; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded.

The sad part of that happening is the fact that the information to avoid it was in American hands but failed to get to the right personnel. So many tragic mistakes were made.

When this life is over and a review at the great white throne judgment is held, how many tragic stories will be revealed? It doesn’t have to be that way.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

Study the history of when Israel trusted God. Study when Moses trusted God. Study when Peter trusted God. Leaning on your own understanding may also leave one lacking the information to be saved from disaster.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Paul was in a Roman prison, not for a crime he committed, but for the fact he was called to preach the Gospel. The path for any believer in the King’s service can lead to some very uncomfortable situations.  Paul never called himself a Roman prisoner but referred to himself as the Lord’s prisoner.

This committed servant penned four epistles from prison that have been a blessing and challenge to a multitude of believers through the centuries. With some, it’s not prison but a financial crisis, a sickness, a tragedy, the loss of a loved one or a bad marriage. Whatever the situation, God brings out of it a blessing to others.

Don’t believe the prosperity preachers because His ways are not our ways. An in-depth study of the Scriptures will convince anyone of that. Listening to them and believing them will lead to serious error, but trusting the canon of Scripture will guide to enlightenment.

Philippians 4:7 

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Guard is a military term meaning “to keep watch over.”

Your heart and mind will stay healthy when you embrace the situation God has placed you in.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I don’t know where he came from or where he ever ended up. With a master’s degree in history, he was camped out in the last little high school in America. He would have the chalkboard full of notes as he lectured in what seemed like a historical desert to most. Sometimes I would look around and realize I was the only one listening, for I liked history. Sometimes just to get the attention of the class, I would raise my hand.  He would acknowledge me and ask, “What is it, Gary?”  I would reply, “Mr., what is your dog’s name?”  He would drawl, “Dog.” Then he would go on lecturing just as if I had asked what political party Roosevelt belonged to. Everyone would look at him, then half-dazedly look at me momentarily. It wasn’t long before each student had returned to his or her own individual thoughts that probably had nothing to do with history.

Yes, it was like that in my school sometimes and like the song says, “When I think of all the things I learned in high school, it is a wonder that I can think at all.” However, let me say I wouldn’t want to change my educational journey for anything.  All those educators who tried to have some input into my life were planted there by God.

The psalmist put it this way:

Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Maybe they didn’t have too much to work with at times; certainly, they didn’t receive much appreciation, but looking back, I am thankful that our paths crossed.

Think about it.

Gary