August 2018 - GraceAndWorks

Those of us that have raised families know what I’m talking about. There was the hustle and bustle of little ones running around the house having fun and causing commotion. Then it was off to school and the house was quiet during the day UNTIL they got home. Then back to the joyful(?) noise. Then one by one they got married and moved on to their own lives until they were all gone. Then there were two. Empty Nesters, if you will. At this point what do we do? It always comes down to choices. Do we do this or that? Do we go there or there? Do we drive or fly? Do we go out to dinner or stay home? Do we retire or continue to work? Choices–there almost always are only two.

Throughout the Bible there are choices that were made. Does Lot’s wife turn and look back or not?–her choice. Do you get on the Ark or not?–it was their choice. Jesus asks, “Do you have faith or not?”–it’s your choice. Does Peter walk on water or sink?–it became his choice. It seems like it always comes down to “Just Two” choices.

Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and there are MANY who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it.” It once again comes down to two–wide gate or narrow gate? With the wide gate there is no worries!! Everything goes. Party on, do the drugs, drink the alcohol, engage in homosexuality, use the foul language, commit adultery, stomp on everybody that gets in your way for success, cause destruction in others lives, cause division with family and friends, etc. Because that gate to destruction is wide you can bring with you whatever you want, Satan WILL LOVE YOU!! The verses say that the narrow gate is difficult. That’s because we have to do what God wants instead of what we want. We have to have faith and obey the commands that God sets forth. Listen to God’s word, Believe in what God has to say, Repent of our sinful ways, Confess that we believe Jesus is the Son of God, be Baptized, and live a Righteous life thereafter. Not easy, but can be done. Once again it comes down to two–narrow gate or wide gate? It’s your choice!! Make the right one.

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

When I was farming with my Dad, getting rid of weeds was a PRIORITY!! We used machinery behind the tractor two, three, and sometimes four times a summer. Summer tilling was the way to get the ground prepared for planting the crops in the fall. Getting rid of the weeds not only made things look better, but also preserved the moisture. If there was a crop in the making, sometimes, we would have to use a weed spray. Back in the 50’s and 60’s we didn’t know about how harmful these sprays were. We sat on open tractors with the spray drifting all around us. This, ultimately was one of the things that caused Dad to have an early death. It scarred his lungs and the last few years of his life, he was on oxygen.

Those of us with yards and gardens know full well the problem with weeds. If we don’t take care of them, they will overtake the plants and the grass. We pull them. We spray them. And still can’t seem to get rid of them. It’s an ongoing and constant problem.

THEN, there are those of us that have “Weeds” cropping up in our lives. They are as troublesome as the weeds on the farm and the weeds in the gardens and yards. We have to cultivate our lives so the “Weeds” don’t take over. It takes concentrating on us, being aware of what is going on, and being strong enough to get rid of them. These “Weeds” can be many different things. Such as: a bad relationship, friends that take advantage of us, bickering among family members, jobs that we don’t like, health problems, homes that are not “Home”, financial difficulties, stress, and the list goes on and on and on and on!! So, how do we get rid of the “Weeds?” God says that He will never leave us and will never forsake us. We sing a song, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” in Worship services. Do we really believe this? I would hope so, because God can and will help you get rid of the “Weeds.” Through prayer, you can lay all your problems on Him and He will help you through them. That’s where we get the strength to cultivate our lives and get rid of the “Weeds.”

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

Those of us that are on Social Media know that to get rid of someone, all you have to do is hit the unfriend button. Easy as that to put someone out of your social life.

I started to wonder what would happen if you Friended God. What would He say/think about your posts? Would He put likes on all the Political ads and propaganda? Would He put likes on the posts with bad language? Would He put likes on sexual explicit comments? Would He put likes on our pictures out drinking and partying? I think you get the point and the answer to my questions–probably not. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, that you can depend on!! He has told us He will never forsake or forget us. He has also told us He will forgive us as long as we are truly repentant. He would never unfriend any of us.

Then I wondered if we would be in position or attitude to unfriend God. Most of will say that God is our friend, but what if He started telling us that are posts were against His teachings and were complete garbage? What would we do then? When people make us angry we just hit the unfriend button. Would we unfriend God because He made us angry? I have an idea many have already unfriended God by their words, actions, and attitudes. “You can’t tell me what to say and do, God!! I am so done with you, you’re gone from my friend list,” many will think and say. You see, we are not like God, we aren’t the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We cop attitudes against one another. “I just want you out of my life,” some will say, and push the unfriend button. Scriptures tell us to love one another. They tell us to be forgiving. They tell us to think of others more than ourselves. God doesn’t like it when we treat people wrong, but He won’t unfriend you.

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.