It was a line in the Beatles’ song “Eleanor Rigby”. Their depiction of the  character of Father McKenzie represents another facet of loneliness — one that affects someone who works diligently for an audience that simply isn’t there.

Father McKenzie writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?

Why is he so lonely?  Maybe sermon preparation has something to do with it or maybe there is no longer an audience for the Word of God. Certainly, a study of the prophets of Israel reveals a similar story.

Amos 8:11 

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.

Obviously, that’s enough to make one sad and lonely. Give it some consideration.

Gary

“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Lorimer

The question that arises from that statement is, What are you determined to do? Let me suggest something that will leave you satisfied, and that not fleetingly.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Give it some thought and seek direction at the start of your day.

Gary

Because of my advanced age, I don’t consider babies in the same way that I once did.  Years ago, it was, “Wow, that is a good-looking infant.” or “Wow, maybe those ugly features will dissolve with time.”

Now my thoughts are more focused on what will they become.  Will they be an asset to society or a liability?  How will life process them? I guess, tragedies and disappointments have brought me to what really matters.

Here is life in the raw.

Psalm 34:17-18 

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 119:143 

Trouble and anguish have found me out, but Your commandments are my delight.

Inevitably, I find myself praying, “God, save them.” Give it some consideration.”

Gary

Returning from a long distant transport with the ambulance, I had the misfortune of having a black cat jump over the snowbank and land under one of the wheels. I looked at my partner and said, “That must have been the ninth time he did that.”

Superstitions are beliefs in luck and omens, often with no logical basis. Common examples of such include: opening an umbrella indoors, walking under a ladder, black cats crossing your path, and breaking a mirror.

Leviticus 19:31 

“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

1 Timothy 4:7 

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

That cat didn’t finish crossing my path.  As some might say, he had no lives left in his bank.  Ultimately, we had to concentrate on finishing our journey.

Give it some thought.

Gary

There are an estimated 45,000 different Christian denominations worldwide. This number is based on the Global Center for the Study of Christianity.

How would you like to dig through all of that to find the right one? I believe the account in John chapter 4 answers that important question.

John 4:23-24

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Christianity is not about religion, but a relationship. The Samaritan woman the Lord was speaking to didn’t need religion, but she did need a relationship with Christ.

How about you? Give it some consideration.

Gary

Nitroglycerin has been used as an active ingredient in the manufacture of explosives, namely dynamite. It is also a vasodilatory drug used primarily to provide relief from anginal chest pain. So, it can blow up a bridge or save a life.

Jesus also has a dual role. Jesus is often referred to as both Savior and Judge. He is considered the Savior who offers forgiveness and redemption through His sacrifice, and the Judge who will condemn some to the lake of fire.

1 John 4:14 

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Is He your Savior now or will He be your Judge later? Give it some thought.

Gary

Despair… Been there done that is the contemporary statement. If you are a Christian and haven’t been in that place of anguish, you probably will before life concludes. Does the Bible address the subject? Glad you asked.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 12:9 

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.

He knows what we can handle, and most times it is more than we believe we can. When we see Him provide for us then, we appreciate Him all the more for the strength He is giving.  Give it some thought.

Gary