He sent his wife and four children to England for a vacation. His plan was to join them after some business was finished. The ship sank on the way across the Atlantic and only the wife survived of his family. On his way over to meet his grieving wife, the location of the accident was navigated.

Horatio Spafford, the father and husband, in his agony and pain penned these words.

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And has shed His own blood for my soul

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul

No, I would not want that trial to befall me, but if it did, I have the assurance of having the same Savior.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Think about it.

Gary

William Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

Come on now, there was an act at school, at home and a totally different act with your friends. We won’t mention the act when you were pulled over for speeding. Sometimes we played so many different roles, it became confusing as to exactly who we were.

David had to play a major role as he stood before Achish king of Gath.

1 Samuel 21:13

So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.

Don’t judge because, if you were placed in a similar position, there is a really good chance it would have been a similar act.

God doesn’t comment on David’s actions.

Knowing, maybe, we are but dust, sometimes He just gives us a pass and overlooks our act.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Have you considered all the fighting going on throughout our country and in many families? With the reality that we have so much of what life has to offer, isn’t it sad?

For the Christian the battle is not outward but inward. If we followed the advice of Scripture, we wouldn’t have time to be fighting with others.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

This commitment will keep one busy and out of the hair of others.

Think about it.

Gary

It’s not a hymn but a song written and sung by Jackson Browne in 1972. The thing about the song is that it is a thought that we often find in Scripture.

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand

I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?

Job mentions this concept in chapter 14

Job 14:1-3

“Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and full of trouble.

He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.

And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And bring me to judgment with Yourself?

It can be hard on the eyes, but we must truly focus on what lies on the other side.

Give it some thought.

Gary

It’s difficult for me to understand why I never had a problem in making friends. Some people have real difficulty in that area.  When tragedy hit our home, many in our families were there immediately to get us through the difficult days. However, the thing I never really expected was the very meaningful support of those who were friends from my childhood. That friendship was never lost by the years, trials, distances, and belief systems.

The most significant friendship is found in Holy Writ.

Proverbs 18:24

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Appreciate those relationships, and never forget they come from God.

Think about it.

Gary

I’d like to buy him for what he knows and sell him for what he thinks he knows. I always believed someone from my hometown came up with that statement; however, what I didn’t know is that it has been around for a long time and no one knows where it came from.

We might know some things, but we don’t know a lot of things. Then some of the things we think we know come from an unreliable source.

The woman at the well in John’s gospel is a case in point.

John 4:10

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Did you know that?

Think about it.

Gary

Liver to me is disgusting, and just the thought of cow’s tongue makes me gag. I have no use for golf, and there is no one in the world I like well enough to go fishing with.

Before you get upset, let me just say, all of us have things we reject and things we embrace in life.

However, when it comes to the Word of God, rejection can have serious consequences.

1 Samuel 15:23 

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has also rejected you from being king.

Saul would not get a second term in office.

Think about it.

Gary