Are You Negative?

Today during Rodney's sermon we read scriptures about Andrew and Philip. The text was about Jesus feeding the 5000. Philip could only see the reasons why these people couldn't be fed and Andrew found Jesus a way to get it done.

One disciple was negative and not very helpful, one was positive and, very much, helpful. Do you know people who are negative like Philip? Me too. Hey, sometimes I feel that way, myself. It makes for a very sad day when I am.  All I can do is feel grouchy and sorry for myself.

When we are being so negative we tend to miss all the blessings we have around us. We don't see the beauty in the world. We don't see how wonderful our families are. We don't see how lucky we are to have such wonderful friends. We don't see that God has given us so much. All we see is that others have more than us. That even though they may not even believe in Christ, they seem to be doing so much better than we think we are doing.

In the scriptures we can read that the author of Psalm 73 seemed to feel just like us........


Psalm 73:1The Message (MSG)

73 1-5 No doubt about it! God is good—
good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people
At the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.



 The author realized that he almost missed all of what God had given to him.
He realized that his focus was on the wrong thing. He realized that he was being far from positive.
How sad it is that we can be just like him. We waste so much time and effort looking away from the good around us. Looking away from the miracles God gives to us everyday.

Let's all of us try working at staying positive this week.

I bet our days will go so much better if we keep our eyes turned toward all the goodness of God. I know that we will definitely have better days. Maybe we will even be surprised at all the wonderful things we find in this world. Maybe we will be surprised at the energy we have because we are not wasting it worrying about what we cannot do anything about.

People will see smiles on our faces and not frowns. They will see God shining through. Then, just maybe, they will want the same smile on their faces too!


Here's to a great week!!!


Blessings

 

Let's Do This!

We had been talking about moving Riley's room around for several days. For many reasons, but one major reason was that we couldn't clean behind his bed, (and believe me this was something that really needed to be done). Things had to be moved around to get his bed away from the wall. It has a built in book shelf as a head board. This makes it very hard to move so we just hadn't gotten the energy to do this yet. That is until yesterday.

While I was down in the kitchen I could hear that Riley was getting up, by the fact he we making noises in his room, and the next thing I know he is down stairs in the refrigerator getting Rodney a Starbucks Vanilla Coffee. I ask him what was going on. He said that Dad needed to get up so he needed his favorite drink. Looking back on it, I think it was bribery. A few minutes later here comes Rodney down the stairs, still very much in sleep mode. He ask me if I knew what was going on. "No, what?" I ask. "I guess we are moving Riley's room around today" he said. "All of the stuff that Riley can move is in the hallway". I just started laughing.

Apparently Riley was tired of waiting on us. So he started the ball rolling on his own, but he could only get so far. We had to help move the heavy stuff and we also had to get everything else moved back in so that we could get into our bedrooms, to sleep, last night.


Aren't we like that with God? We want something to happen and we want it now. God may have a different timing than us on this so we start the ball rolling without Him. We make a cluttered mess, with everything we can do. He then has to come in and move the heavy stuff and put everything back.


I wonder what God thinks of us on this? I laughed at the way Riley got us to do what he couldn't. Do you think God laughs at us? One thing is for sure. Riley needed us and knew he needed us, well at least he knew he needed Dad. He was the one with most of the muscle. We need God for the very same thing. He has all the muscle in the world. We should always depend on Him. We should always know we can count on Him. The people in the Psalms knew this.....

Psalm 33:20
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

20 We depend on you, Lord,
to help and protect us.


Psalm 124:8
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

8 The Lord made heaven and earth,
and he is the one
who sends us help.


We as humans are human. We do make messes. God is always there waiting to put things right even without a Starbucks coffee!

Blessings!


PS: This morning Riley came down to get another drink for Rodney. I wonder what he wants him to do now?

Poor Puppies

Today has been a catch up day with my treasurer work for the Thrift shop. I have been on vacation and then on our youth mission trip, so a lot of stuff needed my attention. My poor puppies missed me tons while I was gone and wanted my attention too. But I had to work at the computer no matter what.

They kept fussing at me to play and take them for a walk and give them treats. They got my attention but not the way they wanted it. I finally got frustrated and got stern with them, to leave me alone. Poor doggies. Don't they look sad and mistreated?

Aren't we lucky that God doesn't get frustrated with us and yell at us to leave Him alone? You know that He is always busy keeping the universe going, controlling the tides, growing our crops, feeding the birds, raising and setting the sun. His work never stops. But our creator loves us so much that no matter how busy He is He hears and answers our prayers, gives us strength in our weakness, and makes sure we are taken care of throughout all of our everyday life. The scriptures are full of reminders of this.....

Luke 12:28

The Voice (VOICE)

28 Look at the grass growing over there. One day it’s thriving in the fields. The next day it’s being used as fuel. If God takes such good care of such transient things, how much more you can depend on God to care for you, weak in faith as you are.

Deuteronomy 11:11-12

The Voice (VOICE)

11 But in the land where you’re going to live, the hills and valleys drink water right out of the sky! 12 He takes care of this land; He’s always looking after it, all throughout the year.

1 John 5:14

The Message (MSG)

13-15 My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.

Aren't we lucky and blessed to know that God feels this way about us. We never have to beg and fuss at Him to get His attention. Hey, He even gave the ultimate gift for us. Death on the cross. How much more can he love us than that?

Well my dogs finally got to go on a walk after my work was all caught up. Which was just before dinner. Much later than they would have liked to go. I'm so glad you and I don't have to wait on God, the way they had to wait on me.

POOR PUPPIES!

Be sure to think of God and his love as you watch the sun set tonight and remember He won't be too busy to love on you, as He helps it rise in the morning.

Blessings!

Strong Country?

As I am sitting here it is almost July 4th. Our country's birthday. There is so much we can be proud of. Especially the religious freedoms we were founded upon.

At the time of our formation, we understood that God was in control and that He should be respected and followed. We actually understood this scripture....  

Proverbs 14:34
The Message (MSG)
34 God-devotion makes a country strong;
God-avoidance leaves people weak.

It seems as time has rolled on and we have become bigger and stronger, I fear we have forgotten where our strength came, and still comes from. It seems we think that all we have and all we can do comes from our own power. We are so wrong on that. We really need to understand that we still need our God and we need Him even more than ever. Before it is too late for us and we anger the one who created and has allowed for us, everything we have.

Jeremiah 10:10The Message (MSG)
10 But God is the real thing—
the living God, the eternal King.
When he’s angry, Earth shakes.
Yes, and the godless nations quake.

As we celebrate the birthday of our country I hope we all realize that we can keep ourselves safe, growing and strong with this one thing....

Psalm 145:19
The Message (MSG)

19 He does what’s best for those who fear him—
hears them call out, and saves them.

As we all picnic, spend family time and shoot off the fireworks this 4th of July, lets remember to stop and call out to the creator of all countries and get ours back to where we started.

Blessings!!!

The Only Answer

As I was listening to the radio this morning a pastor made a statement that got me to worrying about some of our friends. Here is what he said......

"The person who I don't like is the person who thinks they have the only answer."  

He was quoting people who do not like this verse.....


John 14:6 (NIV)

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The pastor then said "This very same person would not say anything like this if they were at the doctor waiting for an answer to a cure, or a person sitting in a failing airplane waiting for the pilot to correct the flight." 

This is so true. We would want these people to have all the answers. 

So many want to believe that there are many ways to heaven. They want it to be that if they are good people that will be enough.  Some think that if they pray to the right idol that will be enough. Or if they follow their leader to the ends of the earth, that will be enough. Others even believe that they are a god as well and that in themselves is the answer to the after life.

But they are missing the mark in the saddest way concerning their eternity. 

We all miss the mark some times. Some run a red light. Some drop the ball in an important game. I missed the mark last night when I had to be at a meeting in Indy and was not at Riley's band concert. He received an award that none of us knew he was getting. I missed seeing that. 

All these things are things that we can never have a do over on. You can't change what has happened. Time cannot be reversed.

The good news for the ones who have trouble with the fact the Christ is the only way, do have time, as long as they are living, to come to an understanding of the truth of this.

Because eventually we will all believe these scriptures...

Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

So everyone will acknowledge who Christ is, sometime in our existence, either while we are living or after we have passed to the next life, everyone will bow.... 

My hope for you, Dear ones, is that you bow now. Pretty soon there will not be a chance for a do over. You will miss mark and it will be too late.

Please don't miss the mark......

Blessings!