In 1995 Roy Clark recorded the song, “When I Was Young.”

This is one stanza out of that song:

Yesterday when I was young
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung,
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see.
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,
I never stopped to think what life was all about
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me and nothing else at all.

The meaning is very clear. We plow through life in the early stages, thinking it is all about us and what pleasures we can get out of it. Overlooking the snags along the way, we try as best we can to leave the pain behind. However, as life draws closer to its climax, reality sets in and there is a longing for the ignorance of youth. Some step out of the crowd, rushing to eternity, and examine the cross and find the true meaning of life.

Hebrews 12:2

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

How about you? Is life a sad song or a place where the Risen One reigns?

Think about it.

Gary

In 1968 “Folsom Prison” hit #1 on the country and western charts.  Johnny Cash actually sang it at Folsom prison to the prisoners in 1968.

I believe a lot of people appreciated it because they were incarcerated in some spiritual, mental, emotional or economic prison from which they sought escape.

There is an irony in the story of one individual who stated he became a prisoner of the very same institution he helped to build.

Sin puts many of us behind bars.

Romans 7:23

but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

Sin can keep you a prisoner of your own making or you can look to Christ to set you free.

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Think about it.

Gary

My father was a foreman in the forest industry for the vast majority of his working years. Sometimes, if I cried enough, he would let me tag along as he journeyed through the forest, checking crews who were cutting four-foot pulp.

As an eight or ten-year-old, I would be following him closely, step by step. The only time when his walking rhythm would be interrupted is when a snake would startle him. I was always amazed how Dad could do the high-jump without a pole.

Adam and Eve were introduced to that old snake when human history was just in its infancy. Instead of believing God, they believed the deceiver which was a problem.  They didn’t have the proper reaction to his presence. The race has never recovered from that event.

Genesis 3:1-5

 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

He is still telling the same old lies today. Do you believe him or God? Don’t listen to him, run. You will surely die.

Think about it.

Gary

“Both Sides Now” was written by Joni Mitchell in 1967, but was recorded first by Judy Collins in 1967. Joni Mitchell recorded her version only in 1969. The song is about how simple and exciting life can be in our youth, but then in adulthood the harsh reality sets in.

Solomon wrote about that dilemma as his journey was coming to a conclusion.

Ecclesiastics 1:2-4

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

 What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
 One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.

The final chapter of that book gives the answer. I won’t quote it, but pray you will take the time to investigate it for yourself.

We might be driving cars instead of riding donkeys, but the problem of understanding life is just as elusive. The only instrument that can help tremendously is looking at life through the lens of Scripture.

Think about it.

Gary

A friend of mine made a statement about these devotionals… “Deep enough to catch my attention, but brief enough to hold my attention.” He claims to have ADHD and the devotionals are palatable even though he has such a condition.

I’m blessed to be able to be a benefit to him and pray for the rest of you that these emails might be a blessing and not a nuisance.  You can always just send me a blank email and your name will be removed from the list for little or no charge.

There is a verse in the Bible that relates to this subject:

Proverbs 25:17

Do not let your foot be in your neighbor’s house too much, or he may become tired of you and hate you.

We’ve had a few of those annoyances in our lifetime, like the above mentioned, and they had to be deleted, so we understand how you feel.

Think about it.

Gary

If you grew up in the sixties, you probably were consumed with fear because of “Albert Hitchcock” and “The Twilight Zone.”  It seemed like someone from outer space was lurking, waiting for you there in the darkness. When I went to bed at night, I lifted the blankets at the foot of my mattress and tucked them securely under my feet, so no monster could reach under the blankets and grab my toes.

Israel had a lot to fear because they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. However, God gave them His promises to relieve fear.

 Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God does the same for believers today.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Nice not to have fear control our lives.

Think about it.

Gary

Michael J. Smith hit a home run when he wrote and sang “Ancient Words.”

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e’er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

No greater statement can be made about the power of God’s written Word. Over the centuries men and women have lived and died with God’s truth in their breast.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Of all the things in life that can be accumulated, the only one with lasting value is a heartfelt love and application of Scripture.

Think about it.

Gary