Hills and Valleys

The other day, I hiked a state park trail with many hills and valleys. It was a hard trail for me, but I saw some beautiful scenery that refreshed my soul. I felt a renewed vigor and enthusiasm for life. Sometimes the beauty of God’s creation can do that for me. Even though I had to struggle for a little while, I felt the joy of accomplishment and a renewed outlook.

Psalm 126:5-6 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Sometimes God will call us to do something that may cause us emotional distress. However, He promises to eventually bring us great joy through the temporary struggle. And He promises that we will bear fruit for His name as we faithfully follow Him.

Bad Opportunities

As we go about our day, we are faced with opportunities to do good or to do wrong. It may be that cookie calling your name from the jar on the counter, but you knowing that you have consumed enough calories for the day. Perhaps it is the expense report and the opportunity to report some shady expense for reimbursement. Or it may be the television show with some juicy content and your desire to disconnect from reality for a while with some “harmless” entertainment. Every opportunity presents us with a choice. Are we going to continue on the path of righteousness and bless others? Or are we going to go on the path of self-indulgence and move away from the path that benefits ourselves and others in doing good?

Ephesians 4:27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” We must not let ourselves be consumed with anger. We must quickly confess our sinful anger and ask for forgiveness from those who have been offended by our anger. Otherwise, we will leave ourselves vulnerable to evil. Our anger does not achieve righteousness.

More To Think About

I often have the thought that I am missing something. During a conversation, I may not hear every word due to my hearing loss. But even without the loss, I have a feeling that I am not really understanding everything. I have the same feeling that I am missing something when I watch something on television or observe some live event.

Isaiah 40:28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” Every time we gaze upon the beauty of nature, enjoy the affection of a loved one, or have deep thoughts of meaningful truths, we must consider that God is the Creator of all these things. If we don’t ponder God in these moments, we are simply missing the essence of our lives. In other words, we truly are missing something important, when we don’t consider how God is impacting our thoughts and experiences.

Forfeits

I have been around sports or watching sports for my whole life. I have witnessed some teams or athletes forfeit a match because they could not meet the requirements for participation at the scheduled time. I have also seen some athletes with great talent forfeit their position on the team through self-centered and sometimes illegal activities. I wandered if they considered the outcome of their destructive behavior.

Mark 8:35-36 says, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Don’t let the world convince you that winning or personal achievements are everything. Jesus said that giving up control of our lives to Him is the way to gain the best life. Living for Jesus and serving others is at the heart of gaining life.

Hard Times

Most people recognize that hard times can teach us many things. We have this truth demonstrated in many areas of life. It is through difficult exercise that muscles develop. It is through new and problematic tasks on the job that we are prepared for bigger assignments and promotions. Unfortunately, it can be through hard times that relationships become stronger. We like our comfort zones, but hard times are often needed to move us forward and make us better.

Acts 8:1, 4 says, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” It is the hard times that we face, rather than the times of comfort, that lead us to the greater blessings of God. It was out of persecution that the church began to preach the word to the uttermost parts of the world, thus fulfilling God’s commands and prophecy. When we seek to stay in our comfort zones, but may miss out on greater blessings and abundant fruit.