Pondering Direction

If after graduation or at any point in our journey through life, we find ourselves pondering direction, there are some sure flags being held up in the Holy Scriptures.

Mt 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Mt 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Mt 6:19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Lu 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Choosing a career and direction in life can certainly be paralleled to building our house, and what type of foundation we choose. A very serious problem that could haunt us for a long time could come from setting our priorities toward material over spiritual wealth. A person can be trapped in a life of toil and drudgery working like a slave to pay for the pride of having things. Chasing satisfaction on a gauge based on ownership can end in deep debt, disappointment, and heartache. If on the other hand we pursue a career or vocational direction based on a passion to toil at something we love to do and believe in, then the meaning of our existence will be pleasing to us.

Lu 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Dear Lord please be with us and may the things that we try to do work out for the best. Please forgive our sins, thank you for all the great gifts you've given us, guide us and forgive us, in Christ name we pray amen.

Graduation Time

Spring is traditionally the time for graduation in our culture it seems, but I suppose it can be compared to a lot of life changing journey endings and beginnings during our life. I have even read of death being considered the day of Graduation from a life of hard work to a rewarding indescribable venture with our Lord. As I view from my vantage point all of the activities involved in the graduation of one of my grand children, I reckoned it to a large train station where many travelers are ending journeys while others are preparing to journey on. It is a time of relief after a tiring trip, or an exciting time of adjustment to a new set of priorities, where values will be tested along with abilities to persevere along a path that some day with hindsight may be seen as obviously a path predestined by our Lord to take us into the possibilities of God's Kingdom. Not a path stumbled on by accident, but directed to by the the Holy Spirit after many prayers of hope for the future of man and woman kind. Gods direction towards righteous love for all of creation will prevail! Please Dear Lord may this be a good day today, thank you for all of Your great gifts and please stay with us all, guide us and protect us. In Christ name we pray, amen.

Control or Be Controled

One quote that I remember from a class on stress management was to control our emotions instead of letting them control us.

The book of James seems to cover this challenge in life as well as others with a few frank words. I often turn to this book to try to better understand how God would have me to approach everyday life. I don't claim to be able to live up to the standards laid out in this Book, but I find them to be a practical and all around easy to understand guide for the person who is trying to grow in understanding and seeking the Kingdom of God.

Some days it might be wise for us to be careful how we approach others about subjects that we are passionate about. We may turn them off and never be able to present our view in a manner that can be considered to have come from the teachings of Jesus. I know that I pray to have a right attitude and patience, but often I give my opinion with no other options for the person to whom I speak. Not setting a very good example or presenting my perspective in a good light, whether it has merit or not.

The book of James says it so well, from the New International Version of the Holy Bible, James 1:19-20 "My dear brothers, take note of this:, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."

So direct and to the point, this wisdom and much more is there for us to harvest from this book.

Dear Lord please be with us today and may the things that we try to do work out for the best. Please may this be a good day today. In Christ Name we pray. amen!

This Day

Please may this be a good day today Lord. Thank you for all the great gifts that you have given us. Please Dear Lord help us to be part of the solution to problems that we may see today, rather than adding to the problem. Help us to have the right values and priorities and to see the way that you would have us to act or not act. In Christ name we pray amen.

Furnace of Affliction

Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction

As per commentary by Matthew Poole Power Bible CD
Ver. 10. I have refined thee; or, I will refine thee. Although I will not cut thee off, or utterly destroy thee, as I now said; yet I will put thee into the furnace, not to consume thee, but to purify thee from that dross which cleaveth to thee, and needs such afflictions to purge it away. This so described my bout with depression and my feeling of being cleansed of guilt by the Holy Spirit. Speaking of perseverance and adversity, Please may this be a good day today O Lord, In Christ name we pray, amen.

Rules

One rule at our house, though not always followed, is to never go shopping for groceries when feeling hungry, too many impulse purchases will be made, and the final total at the cash register will be considerably higher. After a recent pity party that I attended, put on by my own feelings of doom during a memory lapse of Who is in charge of my daily bread this and every day, I discovered a new rule. Never make plans for the future on a gloomy day, Jesus has already told us to live one day at a time anyway because there will be enough to worry about this day with out compounding things by bringing in tomorrow. Perseverance to overcome adversity, this can be on a small daily scale as the Lord, our Good Shepherd directs us through life and strengthens our abilities to handle what comes. We can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us to the point of victory over death. This world has been turning for a long time and will continue on as The Creator directs. The clouds of falling rain can be seen as wonderful blessings of future harvests and great bounty, terrible floods and life changing defeats, or as inconvenient puddle makers. Which ever we choose, the day will end, birds will sing and greet another sun rise, this is the day the Lord has made. Thank you Lord for all your great gifts, please may this be a good day today, in Christ name we pray Amen!

How are we seen

How are we seen by others, should we care? I have always resented being judged by my peers, according to their observations and their standards. Jesus said we should be known by our love,(Joh 13), in the book of Psalms it refers to people who are not respected at the city gates,{Ps 69), probably the pulse monitor of the city. Maybe we should judge ourselves and our relationship with God by how we would look at ourselves from the perspective of others. The store clerk, the waitress, the other driver or pedestrian. Please Dear Lord be with us today, thank you for all your great gifts, may this be a good day today. In Christ Name We pray! Amen