The blab-it-and-grab-it folks in Christianity teach that salvation is a get-out-of-jail-free card. Nothing bad will ever befall you and you’ll live in health and financial prosperity all your life. Their message makes money for them but is far from the accounts found in Scripture. The Bible teaches that our life is one of struggle and the walk of the believer involves work.

Vance Havner said it well in a few words;

“A soft and sheltered Christianity, afraid to be lean and lone, unwilling to face the storms and brave the heights, will end up fat and foul in the cages of conformity.”
― Vance Havner

The word for today is perseverance:

2 Peter 1:5-9

 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Put on your work clothes and start adding what’s necessary.

Think about it.

Gary

In Luke chapter 17, there is an account of ten lepers who were healed by the Lord Jesus. In that day there was no cure for leprosy. It was a death sentence. Leprosy meant isolation from the community and family and a very lonely existence until death. Like I stated, Jesus completely healed ten of them. However, only one returned to give thanks and it is stated that he was a Samaritan. Tragic isn’t it?

In the Bible, leprosy is used to illustrate sin. We all are infected by it and our only recourse is the salvation Jesus secured for us on Calvary. How many who have placed faith in Christ are really thankful? That’s a good question, isn’t it? Do you have an answer?

Romans 1:21

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

If God has dealt with the sin issue in you, make sure you thank Him.

Give it some thought.

Gary

My sisters tell me that the day I was born was special, not because of my arrival, but because Grammy fried hot dogs for them. I don’t know how accurate that is because I can’t remember a thing about that day. The only record that is official is what the town clerk put into the ledger.

The department of education went by the official document because they knew I was five and had to go to school.

On that exact date, I graduated from Allagash Consolidated High School.

On that date, because I was now eighteen, Catrina Anderson wanted my signature on the eligibility form for the draft. When they pulled the numbers, I was number 285, so I didn’t have to go. My friend was number 8. He went.

On the day I turned twenty-one, the drinking age was lowered to eighteen and it was also on my birthday. They figured if you could die at eighteen in Vietnam, you should be able to drink in the USA. For my sake, it was good that they had held off till I was twenty-one.

Other than that, June eleven of every year is just another day. It means little to me and even less to everyone else.

Strange how you look back at time and events and realize the influence they had on your life. One day, God told me all about it in a verse.

Psalm 23:6

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Can you visualize goodness and unfailing love in the shadow of every picture of your existence?

Give it some thought.

Gary

I woke up this morning with my head in a fog, thinking what day is this? Soon some synapsis sent a signal that it was Monday. The Mamas and Papas started singing “Monday, Monday” to me.

I hated that song in 1966 and my affection still isn’t there today, some fifty-seven years later.

Every other day, every other day
Every other day, every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
But whenever Monday comes, you can find me cryin’ all of the time

No, I wasn’t crying nor do I expect to. God has placed me here for this time and for His purpose. Thus, I’m going to get dressed and get with the program. I’m leaving the Mamas and Papas in the review mirror. I just don’t have time for them.

Here is what I’m considering. It is put out by the psalmist of Israel.

Psalm 39:5

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 138:3

In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Isn’t that better?

Think about it.

Gary

OK, this is the last day I discuss worry. If this doesn’t help, I’m sorry, but there is no help for you. Take me out of your will. I don’t want anything to do with you. Now go out and find some lilies and bring a magnifying glass with you.

Matthew 6:28-30

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

The thing with the lily is the more magnification – the prettier the presentation. We are a product of intelligent design. Now don’t use me as an example to disprove that hypothesis. God put us here for a purpose, and we need to willingly enter into that reality. Start today by thanking God. He put you here.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I wrote about worry yesterday, and since it didn’t cure you, I thought I’d give you a second dose today.

Matthew 6:27 says, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

Now a cubit is a foot and a half. Do you think it is possible to add that to your height? No, that was determined when the sperm broke through the egg. You see there is absolutely no need to be bothered by things you can’t change.

Now take all the things that are in your power to change and go at them with gusto. You will be so busy you’ll have to put anxiety on the back burner. Don’t be lazy. Just do as I instructed, and if it helps, include me in your will.

Think about it.

Gary

Here is the dictionary definition of worry: Disturbance of the mind regarding some uncertain event. Psychiatry says it is a tense emotional state characterized by fear and apprehension without apparent cause.

Everyone has either a mild, moderate or severe case of it. Most try to relieve it with activity or drugs, and sometimes both.

This malady was addressed two thousand years ago in Matthew:

 Matthew 6:25

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

The question presented here is: What about your life? Your life is much more involved than just eating and drinking. The situation of birds is presented as a comfort. Check out this verse:

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

The birds use natural stimulation to go out every day and find what is available. We have more value than birds, although we can be “foul” sometimes. All we need to do is go out every day and see what God has in store for us. We should take advantage of the environment He has placed us in.

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,

     “I should really like to know

   Why these anxious human beings

     Rush about and hurry so.”

   Said the Sparrow to the Robin,

     “Friend, I think that it must be

   That they have no Heavenly Father

     Such as cares for you and me.”

Give it some thought.

Gary