Oddball #2

It was a line by Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes that came out in 1970.  He said, “Don’t hit me with them negative waves so early in the morning.”

Let me relate to you the waves that need to pass over us in the morning.

Psalm 143:8 

Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.

Psalm 5:3 

O Lord, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.

You don’t have to be an oddball to appreciate what can roll over you in the morning. Give it some thought.

Gary

Oddball #1

It was a line by Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes that came out in 1970.  He said, “Don’t hit me with them negative waves so early in the morning.” Let me share some negative waves found in Scripture.

Ephesians 4:29 

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 18:21 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

You don’t have to be an oddball to appreciate these verses. Give it some thought.

Gary

Emptiness

People often complain of an emptiness deep inside. It’s not something that can be relieved with food, although some obviously attempt that. The gathering of stuff also doesn’t seem to do the trick because more greed and emptiness seem to be the result of that endeavor.  Does the Bible address this phenomenon? Glad you asked.

Ephesians 1:13-14 

In Him you also, when you heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

Revelation 3:20 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him and eat with Him, and He with Me.

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.”                                                  ― Pascal

Is it possible that Pascal had that one right? Give it some thought.

Gary

Courage

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill

Does the Bible address courage? Glad you asked.

Joshua 1:9 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

2 Timothy 1:7 

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Whether you experience success or failure, have your mind made up to keep going. Give it some thought.

Gary

Tamar

Tamar was married to the son of Judah. However, the son died young and left her no children. She played the part of a harlot and conceived twin boys by her father-in-law, one of the sons of Jacob. Can you believe this account is recorded in Scripture and that she is in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew’s gospel?

Something even stranger than that is the fact, that if you have received Christ, your name and mine is in the Book of Life forever.

Revelation 3:5

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Give it some thought and fall on your knees and thank Him. These stories and more are recorded to show the grace of God toward a repentant sinner.

Gary

Ruth

Ruth was a woman born into a society that God hated. The poor thing married a sickly man who died young and she had a bitter mother-in-law. She didn’t stand much of a chance.  However, she developed a real and lasting faith in the God of Israel. There is even a Holy Ghost inspired book written about her in the Old Testament. Read it sometime.

Ruth 1:16-17

But Ruth said:

“Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The Lord do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”

She is also found in the genealogy of Christ. Give it some sincere meditation.

Gary

Rahab

Rahab was a harlot who owned a guesthouse and lied about her guests. She is mentioned three times in the New Testament and is found in the genealogy of Christ. The writer of Hebrews wrote about her faith. Like the old hymn says, “It is no secret what God can do.”

Hebrews 11:31

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

Consider what God can do with what most would call a hopeless case. For the Word tells us that God is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. The choice is yours.

Gary