Answer me speedily, O Lord; My spirit fails! Do not hide your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.
May 2017 - GraceAndWorks
Thursday I had an appointment with the skin cancer Doctor. I arrived at my appointment about 20 minutes early. Got checked in and was just sitting, waiting for the Nurse to call me back to see the Doctor. This wasn’t my first rodeo, so I kind of knew what was going to happen. As I was sitting there, I got to thinking about how cancer is like sin, if you don’t address it and get it taken care of, it can create major problems. I thought to myself, how nice it would be if one could take a sharp knife and just cut the sin away just as the Doctor would do with my cancer. Then it came to me that with God and His living word, I don’t need needles or knives, all I need to do is talk to God and ask for His help. After all, He is the Great Physician and can solve any problem. Thankful for no knives or needles.
The Nurse called my name and took me back to my room and soon the Doctor came in. He looked at the spots and said, “This one we can freeze off.” YAY!! I thought. That’s easy enough. Then he looked at the second one and said, “This one can be scraped and frozen.” YAY!! I thought. That’s easy enough. No knives or needles. Then he looked at the third one and said, “This one needs to be cut out for biopsy and sent off.” Oh, no!! Knives and needles, I thought. This isn’t going to be good. He leaves and here comes the Nurse with a HUGE needle (Not really, but it’s the thought that counts). I don’t know if you all have ever had a needle poked in your forehead, but it hurts like crazy. 4 shots later all was numbed up and in came the Doctor to use his knife on me. I was laying there still thinking about sin and cancer and I thought about Jesus, how he died for my sins and the horrible death He had gone through for me. He carried a crown of thorns on His head. Now I just had the “BIG” needle and the shots, so I knew how that felt. I can’t imagine how a whole crown of needles digging into my head would feel like, but it has to unbearable. Here I am complaining and Jesus has no complaints to offer. Thoughts like these really puts things in prospective.
Have a good week all!!
As we remember those who fight and have fought for this country’s freedoms, I thought these two verses appropriate. Paul tells Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.
Be anxious for NOTHING, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–Is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Find a safe place in times of trouble. Hail storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and life itself all have times we find ourselves looking to find shelter. I remember one time when my uncle was on the golf course and a hail storm came up quick. He found a culvert to take refuge in. The problem being was that he was a big man and couldn’t fit all the way in. He did get his head and upper body covered but his backside was exposed and got pretty badly bruised. The Midwest has storm shelters underground to shelter them from tornadoes. Those who live in the gulf coast states sometimes have to evacuate to higher ground for refuge from a hurricane. All different, shelters in times of storm, yet they all serve the purpose of protection.
We have trials, tribulations, and storms in our daily lives that we take refuge from. These can range from a falling out with friends or family, job loss, loss of a loved one or friend, loss of a home with fire, flooding, or some type of storm, depression, fears, illness, and the list goes on endlessly. How do we cope with these situations? Where do we find refuge? Many will rely on friends or family to help them get through. Some will crawl into a hole and try to deal with them by themselves, many times causing even more problems. Want a better solution? Try taking refuge with God!!
Our belief and obedience to God can be satisfying and very gratifying. The Bible speaks in several places about God putting a hedge around us for protection. Paul’s letters speak about handing our troubles, sorrows, anxieties, and struggles of to God and let Him help us work things out. In God, we always have a “Friend In Need” to find shelter with in times of storm. Take refuge in your storms of life with God. He WILL get you through!! Friends and family may be there for you, but sometimes they just don’t have the answers or solutions. Just like my uncle in the culvert, friends and family can help a part of you but may not be the refuge you seek for a complete shelter from the storm.
Have a good week all.
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
Recent Comments