“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

An insurance policy is a great asset to have in case you run into someone or the house catches on fire. Some people even insure their income. Folks can even be insurance-poor.

A salesman even pushed for me to get the extended warrantee on my Tacoma. Can you imagine the nerve of him?

What is better than insurance – is assurance. The hymn writer sure had it right when she was inspired to write “Blessed Assurance.” Yes, she. The lyrics were written in 1873 by blind hymn writer. Fanny Crosby. She was blind to physical things, but her eyes were wide open to spiritual realities.

In my trucking days, as I came to the Canadian port of entry, I would pull into the truck lane and park. Then I would exit the semi and go into customs with my paperwork. This particular time, I was crossing in my little Subaru and I stopped in the same spot as a truck would, two lanes removed from the truck lane and the custom house.

The Canadian customs official approached me slowly not knowing what insane character he would confront. When he inquired why I did that, I responded, I thought I was in the truck. He was amused and I was embarrassed.

There are many things we shouldn’t do without thinking and this was one of them.

The Bible has a lot to say about thinking.

Proverbs 21:23 

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

To do what the verse says, we must always be thinking about the situation we are coming into.

Give it some thought.

Gary

How do you prove God is real? You don’t have to because God has proven it clearly to everyone in creation. All the laws of physics were not a creation of man, but man discovering how God holds the universe together.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

There is no more chance of man being a product of evolution than a Ford Mustang or an ice-cream float being a product of evolution.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Newton’s First Law states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.

The question is, have you been acted upon by an external force, namely God?

Give it some thought.

Gary