He rode easy in the saddle. He was tall and lean, and at first you’d a-thought nothing but a streak of mean could make a man look so down-right strong, but one look in his eyes and you knowed you was wrong. He was a mountain of a man, and I want you to know, he could preach hot hell or freezin’ snow. He carried a Bible in a canvas sack and folks just called him, The Reverend Mr. Black. He was poor as a beggar, but he rode like a king. Sometimes in the evening, I’d hear him sing: I gotta walk that lonesome valley. I got to walk it by myself. Oh, nobody else can walk it for me; I got to walk it by myself.

                                                                        -The Kingston Trio in 1963.

This song was about a preacher who gave all for the sake of the gospel. It’s only a made-up song, but one worth emulating. Go to youtube.com and give it a listen.

We all walk through this valley of life, and it can get lonely. No doubt, that’s because God has placed in us a longing for our eternal home.

Psalm 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Tool Time scene: When Tim comes home with a portion of a table still stuck to his forehead, his wife, Jill laughs at him. Tim couldn’t be assisted when he went to the Emergency Room.

He explains, “They said I wasn’t a priority.”

Jill laughs and responds, “Why? Was there a guy with a whole table stuck to his head?”

Humor, does God have it? Glad you asked.

Psalm 2:4 

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

Psalm 37:13 

But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

Psalm 59:8 

But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision.

God’s humor should be taken seriously and He’s not even Irish.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A missionary friend sent me the following statement: “Satan calls us by our sins; Jesus calls us by our name.” The Bible has a lot to say about our name and the name He is going to give us.

Proverbs 22:1

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. 

Ecclesiastes 7:1

A good name is better than precious ointment,

 Revelation 2:17

And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except Him who receives it.”

He knows our name now and for eternity. Imagine a name written down in glory, one that is in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

Revelation 21:27

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Think about it and check to see if your name is there.

Gary

Most Bible scholars believed that the Apostle Paul traveled over 10,000 miles on his three missionary journeys. This took up the last 32 years of his life.  These endeavors were powered by burning up 692,000 to 1,000,000 calories. He left behind thirteen books, inspired by God, to give light to believers over the last two millenniums.

The question is how many calories are we using in promoting the Lord Jesus Christ? It is a reasonable thought, considering what He gave for us.

1 Peter 4:10 

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 

Mark 10:45 

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Give it some thought and start walking.

Gary

“And I still have other smothered memories, now unfolding themselves into limbless monsters of pain.”

                                                                                 – Vladimir Nabokov

What a statement!   We all have those hideous characters that can never, in this life, be erased from our memory. They haunt us at the most inappropriate times and are a drag on our progress. Almost every character in the Scripture has a testimony relating to this very subject. Yes, the Bible addresses it.

Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:13

and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

If God uses scared individuals like Abraham, Jacob and Paul, He certainly can work through you.

Give it some thought.

Gary

He looked her straight in the eye and said, “I’ve seen salads dressed better than you.”

That was probably a true statement, but wasn’t one that could be digested. However, the Bible does have something to say about the way we dress.

1 Timothy 2:9 

Likewise, also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,

Leviticus 19:28 

You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.

Yes, God is concerned about the way we present ourselves.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Eliphaz was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he made an astute observation about investing.

Job 15:31

Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
for he will get nothing in return.

Be skeptical if investment opportunities come with guaranteed high returns and low or no risks. The return is that it goes from your pocket to theirs.

Let me give you some strong advice. The things invested in eternity will never lose their reward.

Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Ephesians 6:8

Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

Give it some thought and then start investing.

Gary