“Dennis the Menace” was a cartoon in the papers back in the 60’s. One cartoon had a couple visiting Dennis’s parents. With the mother’s back turned, she overheard Dennis say to the visiting wife, “Mom says you married for money. How much did you get?”

Have you ever said something about another person and the cat got out of the bag? Ouch!  Yes, I know the feeling. Scriptures give us a way to avoid that kind of situation.

Proverbs 11:12

 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding remains silent.

Proverbs 10:19

When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Job 6:24

 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.

Been there and done that, but from now on obey the Word.

Think about it.

Gary

The man found a note from his wife. It was placed on the fridge and stated, “This isn’t working.” He concluded, “I’m not sure what she’s talking about. I opened the fridge door and it’s working fine!”

Humorous, but we find the same ADHD in the Scripture. Thomas had a bad case of it. After three years of intense training as a disciple, he still didn’t have it together.

John 11:16

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

John 14:5

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

 John 20:24-25

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

For those of you with ADHD, don’t spend time being discouraged. The Lord kept working with Thomas and He’ll get you through. It may be that you are the twin to Thomas.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Let’s Twist Again” is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell. It was released as a single by Chubby Checker. One of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached number one. I was only nine at the time, but I spent the next few years doing the twist with anyone who would twist with me. You wouldn’t find me performing that today because I would look ridiculous.

However, there were individuals in the early church doing the twist. Peter had to address the subject because it was leading too many astray.

2 Peter 3:16
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

Chubby Checker probably didn’t hurt anyone with his new form of exercise, but new gyrations can be detrimental to the young. The twist promoted by false teachers that Peter addressed was hurtful, and today’s twist by false teachers is as well.

Think about it before it stimulates your soul.

Gary

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

                                                                                    –Michael Jordan

King David, Abraham, or Peter could have made a similar statement. Being human means, we don’t always succeed. Some of the greats of the past had their down times. There is only One who walked this planet and did everything perfectly.

The Lord knows we are but dust. However, He is willing to take us into His family, treat us like His children and motivate us to do better in the game of life.

Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

1 Peter 5:6–7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

This is the only life you will be given. Play hard, give it your best shot, and stay in the game.

Think about it.

Gary

Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All that vultures see is rotting meat because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.

– Steve Goodier, Quote Magazine, in May, 1990 R.D.

This is a great article in explaining how many are feeding on the things of life. The past is history and all we have is today. What are we going to do with this present life – feed on dead stuff or seek something fresh and powerful?

Matthew 6:11

Give us today our daily bread. 

Matthew 16:11

How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 

Freshness and nutrition come in rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Jesus sets a table full of provision in His Word to get us through today. Rotten stuff comes from the empty religion exemplified by the Pharisees and Sadducees who show up in every generation.

Give it some thought and feast on God’s fresh provision for today.

Gary

I was driving through Quebec with some friends when we spotted an antique car in a field. We had to go and check that out. Standing there admiring the car, my friend said, ”That’s a 1936 Ford.” I quickly replied, “Why does it say Chevrolet here on the hood?” How could we tell the make without a name plate?  We hadn’t come into the world until almost two decades after this car was manufactured.

The lens that we look through when considering things of the past can be very foggy.  Color schemes and designs between manufacturers of that era made it hard to distinguish the difference between makes.

The Old Testament can be like that if we don’t focus our vision through the New Testament.  Both are unique and one can not be understood without the other. The amazing thing is that, after 2,000 years, folks are still enamored with the Book.

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 15:4

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Old cars can draw us in and so can the Old Book.

Think about it.

Gary

I was mowing the lawn one summer when a car stopped. Two men, carrying Bibles, got out. They approached me and asked if I knew what the Bible taught. I replied that I did have some questions about the Book. I asked, “How many books are there in the Old Testament?” They didn’t know the answer to that one. I asked another question, “How can you teach me about the Bible when you don’t even know how many books are in it?”

Let’s be very clear: false teachers only know the arguments relating to their false doctrine. They can’t go outside the box. That’s why they can believe the 144,000 sealed of Israel are Gentiles when the Scriptures clearly define them as Jews.

People who carry the Book don’t necessarily know what it contains. Jesus spoke on this subject:

Matthew 23:15

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Don’t worry about their knowledge. Know what the truth is.

Give it some thought.

Gary