- Lamentations 3:40 - "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord."
- Lamentations 3:47 - "Panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction."
- Lamentations 3:58 - "You have taken up my cause, O Lord; judge my cause."
This morning I was laying in bed after breakfast, thinking about life and what I was going to write this morning. It was still dark in my room and outside. As the sun began to come up and I stared out my window I became filled with emotion and began to cry. Many different things consumed my thoughts. People mostly. My children, Angela, the choices I have made and the direction my life has taken. I would like to tell you in detail about everything but there is just no way. Maybe on day I'll write a book.
As I was watching the sun rise and the colors appear across the sky, I began noticing that the light was overtaking the darkness. There was no stopping it. I began to think of everything in my life and in this world that give examples of God's perfect design. He gives us clues and truths every day that when we die we truly are reborn. That there really is life after death. You would have to be an idiot not to recognize it. He makes it so clear to me that all things in this world are tied together by His perfect design. He's got His "John Henry" on everything. I'm going to give you a few examples: 1) The sun rises every day representing birth and it shines for a season or a few hours and it disappears only for a while until it is "reborn" the next morning 2) Trees lose their leaves and they come back in the spring 3) A deer loses it's horns and they grow back every year, etc.
There are so many clues, "God's signature" in this world that we read about in the Bible and they are all true. Everything in this world ha a season of life. We will and everything will experience death, but God clearly gives us clues that there will be a day when He will redeem us, rebirth us, save us! Makes me wonder how some people could think that God isn't alive and operating His world just as He said He would in the instruction manual He left us. So knowing this and being reminded of it daily, monthly, yearly, why wouldn't everyone in the world hit their knees and (step 4) make a searching and fearless moral inventory before the Lord and beg for forgiveness?
He reminds us every day that He is coming back one day and who knows when that will be? Will we be ready? Will you be ready? Do you really think if you put that off till tomorrow and He comes tonight that when you get to heaven before tomorrow ever gets here that He's going to say "well that's o.k little fellow, I gave you your whole life and I know you were busy down there. Looks like I just showed up early and for that I'm going to let you slide." Whatever. I don't think it's going to work that way. I feel like slapping a few people I know and saying "You idiot, can't you see the writing on the wall!"
For 42 years I've known everything I'm telling you to be "probably true" and had enough sense to acknowledge that. I think it was arrogance or pride or just stupidity but for some reason it never struck me as "this should be priority". I always thought "I have time". I thought I had plenty of time to stop living like a scallywag 25 years ago and for 25 years I just wanted to get high 1 more time and start living right tomorrow or next week or something stupid like that. Then I woke up and my life was half over, my kids half grown, and I feel half retarded. Makes me want to cuss and say something stupid.
All through out the Bible are stories of peoples lives no different than ours today. Only we have electricity and running water. But the greed, selfishness, laziness, lust, pride, arrogance, envy, the sin in our lives today is the same sin that they struggled with 1000's of years ago. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man (1 Corinthians 10:13) and that hasn't already been dealt with properly, so get off your butt and get on your knees and start preparing your soul right now for the new day tomorrow.
Prayer: Create in us a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Cast us not away from your presence and take not your holy spirit from us. Restore us to the joy of your salvation and uphold us with a willing spirit.
Random thought: Someone told me the other day "I know what to do, I just don't know how to do it." I can definitely relate to that feeling and I understand. By nature I want to save people like that, especially the ones I love! But I guess all I can really do today for anyone is pray and hope that God will appear in their life the way He did mine. The one thing I know to be true to get people like me on the course is the "How to" 1) turn from as much sin as you can, run from it, all of it that you are aware of. Only you know what that is and it won't be easy at first. 2) Read the Bible and fill your mind with as much Christian and uplifting literature that you can. Sounds crazy boring, but trust me. 3) Pray non-stop and then pray some more. Ask God like you would ask your best friend or your soul mate what to do. Then be still and listen for His answer. Mine answers come mostly in reading the Bible. Usually when I have a question or emotion and start studying, my answer comes through reading and I'm left with hope and a little encouragement that everything is going to be o.k. 4) Try as much as possible to eliminate negative influences in your life. That is the people who don't support you in the first 3 things I mentioned. I like to say and say it often, "surround yourself with protection, that is people doing the same first 3 things! Know this, the Bible is lined with stories that speak of trials in peoples life and God came to the rescue of all who decided to do the 4 things I just mentioned.
P.S. To be successful with these 4 things, they must be done together. They are designed to work together. Their individual design, although healthy and good, won't have the same effect unless they are used together. "All things work together for the good."
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