If you’re going to sail your “ship of life,” there are certain things you need to know in order to stay afloat.

Prepare: Check the weather, make sure your boat is in good condition, and have all safety equipment working.

John 16:33

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Stay safe: Wear a life jacket, keep a first-aid kit on board, and use sunscreen.

John 14:6 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Stay hydrated: Drink warm liquids to stay hydrated, even if you’re not a coffee drinker.

John 4:14 

But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Maintain your boat: Regularly check your boat’s rigging and lines, and keep your engine well-maintained.

2 Timothy 2:15 

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

 Give it some thought and we’ll see you at the end of the run.

Gary

I walked the dog this morning and frost covered everything. To me it is God asking, “Are you ready for what’s ahead?” Living in Maine, one has to be ready for the winter months. The Lord has promised the seasons would remain and He always keeps His Word.

Genesis 8:22 

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Speaking of seasons consider this:

Galatians 6:9 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

How are you doing with the seasons? Give it some thought.

Gary

I had some plans in my youth that lacked clarity and goals that were unrealistic. Life is like being in a twister; you just hang on sometimes because there are forces so much stronger than your puny efforts at control and your landing is uncertain.

Thankfully, there is someone who cares for me that is perfectly capable of managing my existence here on the planet. He knows me intimately because He created me for this time. Our God is willing to take over if we ask Him to.

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.

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Directing my life is like someone trying to herd cats.  I must say, however, that He is doing okay.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Someone once said, “When someone dies, a library is burned.” I’ve stood beholding the ashes of way too many libraries. I need to study the contents of the remaining centers of higher learning in my life before they too succumb to this tragic end. They have so much to offer, though it’s for such a brief period of time.

Matthew 2:18 

“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13 

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Learn from them while they live, and they will still be with you after they are gone.

Give it some thought.

Gary

How did that “love at first sight” work out for you? Yeah, that’s what I thought. It didn’t take long for that warm feeling pulsating through your chest to turn as cold as an arctic ice floe. Indeed, those momentary arousals of emotion can evaporate like the morning mist. I sure am glad that God is not like us when it comes to love.

Romans 5:8 

But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:19 

We love Him because He first loved us.

He loves you and just take a look at yourself. As the song goes, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

Give it some consideration.

Gary

Famous for its unintended tilt, the 184-foot tower took nearly 200 years to build – work started in 1173. Five years later, it started tilting. The tilt was noticeable as workers built the second floor. The shift was caused by shallow foundations of 10 feet and unstable subsoil.

Big mistake, wouldn’t you say? Architects didn’t consider the foundation and the way time processes things. They reminds me of people who don’t consider building on a sure foundation of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11 

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:24 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Luke 6:48 

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

Make sure you’re building on a good foundation. Speaking of such, I know that we can safely trust the Word of God, for it is built on precept upon precept, line upon line.  It doesn’t get better than that.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Are you struggling with this election time? Are you saturated with the media’s take on things?

Have you lost friends? Do you see no hope for the future? Prozac can help, or you can believe the Scriptures. The choice is yours.

Daniel 2:21 

He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

Romans 13:1

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Daniel 2:44 

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

The pundits would have us believe their opinion of what the upcoming election results will be, but let me assure you that whatever the results, God is in control. Give it some careful consideration and place your hope on God’s kingdom.

Gary