“One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization does not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.”—A.W. Tozer

The Bible illustrates the church as a human body, and the various members with different gifts make up the whole.

1 Corinthians 12:18

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

We are all so different in temperament, education, taste, experiences and energy, but we have all been placed into the church to make it what it should be. We should always be remembering it is a God-given gift, not natural talent, which makes us a useful member of the body of Christ.

May all of us take our position seriously and never do anything that would take away from who He is.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

Give it some thought.

Gary

Two teenage boys sat, parked in the middle of a one-way bridge that spanned the Allagash River. We were drinking beer and watching the sun come up. Our conversation was about life. What did we know? Our theory was that we had a handle on our existence. What we didn’t know was that life had a handle on us. He’s gone now, along with over five decades of uninterrupted time. The one left from that scene doesn’t look the same, think the same, watch the sun come up or even drink beer.

Probably this narrative is best described in Scripture:

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

We made it through those dangerous years of our youth and both came to believe there was a God. How did that happen? I can only attribute it to one profound principle.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I looked up the meaning of “stump rot” and read the following: a disease of the tea bush in which the main central stem is rotted by a tooth fungus. I guess you can’t be a successful tea bush if you have stump rot.

Let me bring this subject closer to home with Job 13:28:

“Man decays like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Beginning with birth, we are rushing towards such a final ending.  How and why did we awaken one day and find ourselves in such a mess? What is the purpose behind all that is experienced here?  Some of the theories are time and chance, evolution, or a creator whose experiment got out of control.

Could the answer to this phenomenon lie in the ancient words of Scripture? Is it possible that from Genesis to Revelation light might illuminate this curse that has been placed on man? If nothing else satisfies the inquiring mind, why not give the Bible a chance? We have nothing to lose and eternity to gain.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A pilot and friend of mine wrote regarding yesterday’s devotional:

Good “stuff”!       Many years ago, even with my commercial license & instrument rating, I got into a “graveyard spiral.” (The non-recoverable kind below 300 feet)

I survived for only ONE REASON….I let go of the controls!    There’s a SHORT sentence in the owner’s manual, “The 185 Cessna seaplane is inherently stable”!    I proved that right!

We have the same with the “Word of God” Proverbs 3:5 & 6….Yes, let go & let God!

Under those conditions it was the HARDEST thing I ever did, yet the BEST results!  I got to see my wife & beautiful children that night!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Think about it.

Gary

“The Dance” is a song recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. One of the most striking stanzas of the song goes like this:

And now, I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end
The way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance

There was a young man who thought he could jump a ravine and he left it to chance. He didn’t succeed and careened to his death on the rocks below.

On July 16, 1999, with about 300 hours of flying experience, Kennedy took off from Essex County airport in New Jersey and flew his single-engine plane into a hazy, moonless night. He had turned down an offer by one of his flight instructors to accompany him, saying he “wanted to do it alone.” To reach his destination of Martha’s Vineyard, he would have to fly 200 miles—the final phase over a dark, hazy ocean—and inexperienced pilots can lose sight of the horizon under such conditions. Unable to see shore lights or other landmarks, Kennedy would have had to depend on his instruments, but he had not qualified for a license to fly with instruments only. He left the flight to chance. Three lives were lost.

Chance is not a good philosophy to guide one’s life. God has offered the believer something more solid:

Isaiah 46:9-10 

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

You might do OK with your life, but I wouldn’t take a chance on it. The Holy Spirit can be our Guide; don’t refuse having Him on board.

Think about it.

Gary

Someone has said that the average person is being crucified between two thieves–the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. Consequently, he can’t enjoy today.

God is certainly not opposed to long-term plans and many times promotes them throughout Scripture.  The thing is there are so many variables that planning is always subject to change.

We are only dealt out one day at a time and should seek to focus on getting the most out of each 24-hour period. The disciples were taught to ask the Heavenly Father to provide what was necessary for today.

Matthew 6:11

Give us today our daily bread.

What do you need for today? Do you think you can make it through the day? God only gives the tools to get today’s job done. Tomorrow hasn’t even been started yet, so let tomorrow take care of itself.

Matthew 6:34

 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Think about it.

Gary

The following was a response from someone about yesterday’s devotional:

“One of my favorite memories is this snowshoe trip when the truck jackknifed and I was 20 weeks pregnant and the whole trip was just one of my favorites!” 

Let me give you the rest of the story. This group was being led by me to take the Rocky challenge.  Yes, one of the climbers was 20 weeks pregnant.  Because she was part Irish, I knew she could handle the physical stress with the determination required.

On the way to the North Maine woods, we followed a tractor-trailer which to me seemed out of place. After a hardy breakfast in Allagash, we headed into the woods. Two miles in, we encountered that very tractor-trailer jackknifed and blocking the whole road. (Now I have many witnesses to this event.) The driver was Russian and only knew about thirty words of English. He claimed to be following his GPS and was to deliver his load of paper in Ohio.  On that road he was traveling, you can only get to nowhere. We were able with time and teamwork to get him turned around and headed in a new direction.

This reminds me of many in a foreign land, unable to grasp the language, uncertain as to what they are doing, and headed nowhere:

Luke 19:10

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Think about it

Gary

P.S.  She now has the prettiest and smartest little girl ever delivered in the state of Maine.  As to the Russian truck driver, I don’t know if he ever did find Ohio with that load of paper.