A Jewish man, who was known to like liquor, explained that he drank only to drown his troubles.

“After you drown them, why do you continue to drink?” he was asked.

“You don’t know my troubles,” he sighed. “My troubles are excellent swimmers. I try to drown them, but they swim right up again!”

You can’t drown trouble with liquor because that only multiplies it. Trouble is a major part of the human experience and no one can escape it. However, God does offer some comfort.

1 Peter 5:7 

Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

Nahum 1:7 

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“Tide’s In – Dirt’s Out” was the well-known slogan for Tide laundry detergent. The ad boasted that when you put Tide in the washing machine, the dirt came out of your clothes, essentially signifying its powerful cleaning ability. Do you know this slogan came out in their advertising in 1946 and was used extensively over the years?  Almost everyone in my generation is familiar with it, even if we don’t use Tide.

Do you know what can remove sin from your record and make you stand sinless before God?

Titus 3:5 

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 2:8-9 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Add His salvation to your life, for it’s the only way God will see you as clean when you stand before Him.  Give it some thought.

Gary

Preaching at the funeral of a friend who left a testimony in this world was a blessing to me.  Family, friends and coworkers sat and listened as I related the story of the new birth that shaped the man. The Word of God is such a powerful force in changing the trajectory of a life. My friend’s life was speaking of God’s saving power through that eulogy.

John 3:3 

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 Peter 1:23 

Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

Hebrews 11:4

Having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead.

Give it some consideration.

Gary

The penalty for laughing in a court room is six months in jail; if it were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence.

– H. L. Mencken

Honestly, there is nothing funny about lying, especially when it is done to make money or get off the hook.

Proverbs 10:2 

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

Hebrews 13:5 

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Give it some thought and don’t lie to the jury.

Gary

Whitewater rafting down the Penobscot in our younger years presented excitement and challenges. A wave came from nowhere, took Paula out of the raft, causing her to disappear under the water. She found herself under the raft and decided she was in need of prayer. In the prayer she sent heavenward, she simply cried, “Lord, when I need my next breath, let me be above the water.” Her prayer was answered when she surfaced, and one of the members of our group pulled her out by gripping her life jacket at the shoulders. It was in the nick of time because she was about to be jammed between the raft and a large rock.

It reminds me of the short prayer of Peter when he was going down into the sea.

Matthew 14:30

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

I’ve used that prayer often. Have you? Give it some thought.

Gary

It was a sign on the front window of a plumbing company. “We repair what your husband fixed.”

This can also be put up as an advertisement for a marriage counselor’s office. The truth of God’s Word is required for a successful marriage.

Ephesians 5:25

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her”

About the same responsibility is placed on the wife.

Ephesians 5:33

 “Let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Work at this and keep the love flowing. Give it some thought.

Gary

He was a frequent flyer when I was a paramedic. On those trips, we would banter back and forth. During one ambulance run, I asked, “Were you in the war?” and he replied he had been. I continued, “Were you the man who shot down the Red Baron?” With a red face and steam coming out of his ears, he shouted, “No, no, not the First World War, the Second World War!” I won on that trip.

Humor is good when it has a place. Even the Bible refers to humor, i.e., the laughter of God.

Psalm 2:4

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

Psalm 37:13

but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.

Proverbs 1:26

I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

Defying the Creator of the universe is a futile exercise.  Don’t let Him have a chance to laugh at you. Submit to His authority. Give it some thought.

Gary