Extremely Pleasing

You can please some of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time. I feel like it is becoming more difficult to please people. People seem to be on edge and ready to lash out at others, rather than expecting good from other people.

Psalm 98:1-2 says, “Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.” The word “marvelous” means causing great wonder, extraordinary, extremely good or pleasing, and splendid. These are the types of things that God has done and continues to do for us, and these marvelous works reveal His righteousness to all people.

Together Forever

Tomorrow, we will take our son, his wife and their three kids to the airport. They are beginning their journey to serve the Lord in Europe. We are proud of their commitment and excited for the impact that their new venture will undoubtedly make upon others and themselves. Yet, it is still hard to say “Goodbye”, especially without knowing when we will be able to see them again.

I Thessalonians 5:16-17 says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Separation for those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord lasts but for a short period of time. When Jesus returns for us we will be together with each other and with Jesus forever. We are encouraged by these promises from God.

Providing

We all need certain things to move forward in life, and sometimes, to just make it through the day. The variety of things that we can need makes it challenging to provide for these needs without help. Most often that help should come from our families. Unfortunately, we often fail to provide what it needed, even to our family members.

I Timothy 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” On this day when we celebrate our freedom, let us also remember our responsibility to take care of our families. No matter what stage of life we are at, God has called us to take care of our families and failure to do so is a denial of our faith. We should be alert to the needs of each family member and seek ways to provide for the financial, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our family members.

Ignoring Heart Issues

I suppose that we are all guilty at times of saying one thing and doing quite a different thing. In these cases, our actions do not match our values. Hypocrisy brings out judgment from other people, but also is of great concern to God.

In Matthew 22:23 Jesus condemns the religious leaders and says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Always be careful to consider the condition of your heart more important than any religious activity. In particular, grow in justice, mercy, and faithfulness while serving and worshipping God.

Trail Map

Sometimes, I am familiar with the trail that I am hiking, but many times, I am not. On those occasions, it is very helpful to have a trail map. The map informs me of my position and helps guide me to the finish. Without a trail map, I have gotten lost and put myself in danger.

Philippians 2:16 says, “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” Many times, we do not know which way to turn, and we can’t see the finish line.  Fortunately,  God has given us the map to show us the way that we should go, that is, the word of life, the Bible.