"Carry Each Other's Burdens"

Hey, Y'all,

Happy Monday! (ahhhh, yes, irony ). Hope it wasn't all that bad. Today's RST is short and sweet and, as appears to be becoming our custom, gets us to look at a not always easy aspect of following Christ's example. (Hmmm...Yoda-esque was that sentence structure). Here it is:

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Galatians 6:2

"In this way you fulfill the law of Christ." Hmmm...nothing about [insert preconceived notion about fulfilling the law here].

You've been prayed for today...

Spurgeon On Prayer

Hey, Y'all,

How glad am I to see the end of this week and the arrival of Sabbath (and the weekend in general)? Crazy busy, and next week looks about the same, but makes no difference tonight; already I'm blessed...

Ran across this quote a couple of days ago (interesting timing given the fact that I'm reading a new book of Philip Yancey's on prayer--in fact, cryptically enough it's called "Prayer" and is subtitled "Does It Make Any Difference?"). Anyway, been ruminating on it off and on ever since--it's very true in my life and I'm going to go way out on a limb here and say it's the same in yours:

"He who lives without prayer, he who lives with little prayer, he who seldom reads the Word, he who seldom looks up to heaven for a fresh influence from on high---he will be the man whose heart will become dry and barren."
-Charles Spurgeon

God's blessing be upon you all (thanks for that one, Chaplain Smith).

You've been prayed for today...

"Choose" (continuation of "Joyful, Patient, and Faithful")

That last RST had us thinking about decisions, choices, forks in the road--reminded me of Moses' farewell discourse to the people he'd led out of Egypt, his people...his bickering, stubborn, forgetful, short-sighted, and all around dysfunctional family, loved ones in all their wacked-out splendor. It's kind of touching to hear him alternately pleading with them, forewarning them, blessing them, as he hands them back to his (and their Father) and on to Joshua, the XO. Here's some of what he had to say (to them and to us) in the last few chapters of Deuteronomy...

"...I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life..."
Deuteronomy 30:19,20

"When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, 'Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may teach your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.'"
Deuteronomy 32:45-47

Reminiscent of Joshua's own farewell exhortation just before his death...

"...Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:15

Love the symmetry and harmony of the Old and New Testaments--"choose God's Way; choose life," say Moses and Joshua (among a host of others). In Matthew 6 (among a host of other places) we hear "chase after material things and other temporary distractions and find yourself exhausted and still empty-handed in the end; pursue Him, seek to know and understand His Way of Really Living, and find yourself at peace, your needs met, and your eternal destiny secured."

You've been prayed for today...and BTW, you and I have been on God's mind for a very, very long time...how cool is that?

"Joyful, Patient, and Faithful"

Here's today's Random Spiritual Thought...

A young man laments his difficult fate:
''I wish none of this had happened.''

A wise old man answers, ''So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for us to decide. All that is ours to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.''

Brings to mind Romans 12, especially verses 12 and 21: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

More on this tomorrow...but you've been prayed for today.

Parting Thoughts On "So How Do YOU Get To Shore?"

Hey, Y'all,

Hope you're having a good weekend. Here's today's RST which is from Kathy (revisiting her RST from last week).

OK, so I looked it over again in a really good translation (Revised English Bible) and also in the Greek. The only other thing I would add is from verse 20, where Jesus speaks to those in the boat. The sentence is usually translated, "It is I; do not be afraid." The part "It is I," though, is actually the phrase "I am" in Greek. Of course, this is THE name for God in the Old Testament (how cool is that?). So, Jesus is not only declaring who He is; He is declaring His own divinity. Do the disciples fully understand? I don't know--there was a lot going on at the time. But the writer of the book tells us that they did take Jesus into the boat, and immediately the boat arrived at the other shore. [Ed.: They acted on what belief they had--memo to self--"I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)].

I also really liked verses 28 and 29 of John 6. "So they asked him, 'What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?' Jesus answered, 'What God wants you to do is to believe in The One he sent.'" The next time I ask one of you, "How do I know what God wants me to do?" remind me of these verses.

Yeah, you and me both on that last bit, Kathy -- but I'm sure it's just us :-) . Reminded me of that old chorus we used to sing when we were kids (that is actually taken from Micah 6:8)--sometimes we get lost in the "doing" and forget what our heavenly Father--operative word being Father--wants from us:

He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Not that complicated, and yet not that simple...gotta love that.

You've been prayed for today...

What's (Your) Christianity About?

Hey, Y'all,

Today's RST was mentioned by Cathy a few days ago--thanks for the reminder of what Christ was and is about (and what Christ-ians ought to be about):

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord's favor has come,
and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory."

You've been prayed for today...

First Reply to "So How Do YOU Get To Shore?"

Hey, Ya'll,

You know, for a "short" week this sure has been a busy one--that seems to always be the case I guess. Well, it's almost the weekend, right? Right. Today's RST is from Ronnie and it's a reply to the last one:

"That last RST got me thinking about something we touched on in our last Men's Group meeting (and previously). For me anyway, it's not so much whether we allow Jesus to come on board our boat as it is how much we actually--moment by moment--allow him to take command of our boat. How do we do that? It's one thing to make that instantaneous decision to turn over the wheel, especially after life has left us holding yet another bag and we realize after the fact that we probably weren't certified to navigate that narrow creek without a paddle to begin with! But it's a whole different thing to continue relinquishing the helm to the all-certified, all-qualified master commodore while out in the wide open waters of life where things are most tempting to relieve our ever-faithful Officer of the Watch.

"It reminded me of our family memory verse of the week: 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.' (Prov 3:5,6). You'll note that he didn't say some of your heart or a portion of your ways, no... with ALL your heart and in ALL your ways. So what's the deal? Why do we continually insist on telling God, 'It's okay, I got this one!'"

Thanks, Ronnie...that reminded me of another proverb that seems to grab me and tell me that precisely just when I'm starting to get confident in my ability to see straight on my own I ought to slow down and check my connection to The (only) One with the real "big picture" perspective on my life (and everything else, I might add). In fact, it must not just be me because it shows up twice in the book of Proverbs--14:12 and 16:25. It says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Not exactly sugarcoated, but I must be getting old 'cause I'm seeing the wisdom of those words. Think about it--it doesn't say that the way I might go on my own is obviously hazardous or foolish--it says it seems right--but it still winds up poorly, though. Contrast that with "He will make my paths straight" if I acknowledge Him in all my ways rather than leaning solely on (snicker, snort, LOL) my own understanding.
But yeah, I'm sure it's just me .

You've been prayed for today...

So How Do You Get To Shore?

Hey, Y'all,

Today's RST is from "the archives"--sermon notes that Kathy had shared with me from several years ago. Talking with several of you over the weekend and understanding the situations some of you find yourselves in reminded me of these notes...

"The sermon last Sabbath started off with a passage from John 6---verses 16-24 actually. We all think we have heard this story and know exactly how it goes--it's about Jesus walking on the water. But John tells a completely different story than the other gospel writers (different occurence? Read it for yourself--it's short but powerful). After a long day of minstry the disciples got in a boat and headed to Capernaum. Jesus stayed behind (He had gone up into the hills by Himself to pray and "recharge"). The disciples got caught in a storm and couldn't get anywhere. Suddenly, Jesus appeared, walking toward them. He told them not to be afraid, and after hesitating they let Him into the boat. As soon as He stepped into the boat, they reached shore. So, the Pastor asks: 'How to you get to the shore?' Answer: 'Jesus steps into your boat.'"

Hmmm...so, let's see, you're in it, deep in it, and flailing a bit...how do you get out of that and to safe harbor? Flail harder? Do some penance? Curse the storm? Nope...you let Him into the boat with you. Why did the disciples hesitate to do so? Why do we? Why do we tend to avoid the actual solution to our dissatisfaction and instead try to substitute "stuff" to distract us?

Thanks, Kathy, that's pretty cool. You've each been prayed for today...

God With Us (Sanctuary)

Hey, Y'all,

I ran across this while reading an explanation of the fascinating symbolism in the many components of the original sanctuary that God instructed the Israelites to build when they left Egypt for the promised land (it's really cool--check it out sometime). This essay, however, caught my eye; here're some thoughts on a name of Christ's that we usually only hear at Christmastime: Emmanuel --- which means "God with us." Sorry, I couldn't find out who to attribute it to, but nonetheless, it's a good read, and remember: only 80 more shopping days 'til Christmas!

"Emmanuel. It reminds us that we need not travel to some distant place, enjoy some special experience, accomplish some great deed, display some unusual talent, or create some huge fortune to see God at work in our lives. All we have to do is look around and notice that no matter what occurs there is a power, even in common everyday things, that helps make things better. Dogs' tails wag, broken bones mend, crops grow, people love, ducks quack, babies smile!

"All things that happen are not God's will--that would be bad news. The sanctuary 'truth,' however, is good news. It says that in the middle of each moment in every life God--by His mere presence there--promotes much joy and health: spiritual, mental, and physical.

"'Have them make me a sanctuary,' the Lord declares in the first part of scripture, 'so that I may dwell among them' (Exodus 25:8) At scripture's dramatic center, we read that in Jesus 'the Word became flesh and lived (literally "sanctuaried") among us' (John 1:14). And the last book of scripture anticipates a time when 'a loud voice from the throne' will proclaim, 'see, the home (sanctuary) of God is among mortals. He will dwell (sanctuary) with them, they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them' (Revelation 21:3). At the beginning and end of scripture, and at every point in between, the sanctuary truth is the same: Emmanuel --- God is with us. Hallelujah!"

Amen to that...God with us...

You've been prayed for today...

Trust AND Obey

Hey, Y'all,

Ran across this quote from Ellen White's book Patriarchs and Prophets--think about it for a bit and we'll get back to it tomorrow...

"God will do great things for those who trust in Him. The reason why His professed people have no greater strength is that they trust so much to their own wisdom, and do not give the Lord an opportunity to reveal His power in their behalf. He will help His believing children in every emergency if they will place their entire confidence in Him and faithfully obey Him." (page 493)

You've been prayed for today...