CULTURE AT A LOSS

Woe unto them, that call evil good, and
good evil; that put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20

Living where we do, a stone's throw from the national park, it isn't unusual for an alert to go out that someone has lost their way in the park during a hiking trip. There have been times when a child has wandered away and become lost. One thing that has been suggested to hikers, especially children or very inexperienced hikers, has been when one realizes he is lost, to stop where he is, sit down and wait for help to come. The tendency even when lost is, in a panic, to continue wandering hoping to see some place or some thing familiar. It can get where all trees look alike so that the lost one can wander almost aimlessly becoming more and more lost.

When lost in the daylight, that lost hiker still feels encouraged until evening begins to set in. When darkness falls, in a setting like ours here, there is real panic...there are shadows, strange sounds...even various animal sounds of those that wander through the forest at night foraging for food. The darkness becomes a serious enemy for one who is completely lost, who cannot focus or see anything clearly. The lost hiker is thrilled beyond words seeing the glow of a flashlight or hearing a call from a nearby rescue person.

Scripture speaks in several areas about darkness, mostly a spiritual darkness that we can become exposed to or even find ourselves in the very middle of. We live in a country of moral and spiritual darkness. It's a darkness that God hates, but that a good majority of Americans are choosing. There are even Christians finding themselves more exposed to a cultural darkness than ever before, some even succumbing to it.

The above verse speaks to where many in our country are with regard to morals and standards. Culture now tells us that good is no longer just good and evil is coming to be seen in more of a good and positive light. What used to be wrong behavior and lifestyles are now being rationalized as being acceptable. Things anymore aren't just black and white, but morals and standards are viewed as being more gray where people can decide for themselves what is good or evil. When this mentality sets in, in reality, a person has come into the realm in darkness and has fled the light God intends for each of us. Such folks find themselves lost in a darkness hard to get out of. Continuing to wander in it just takes them further into it
.

It's amazing to me how quickly a culture can change. I loved the era of the 1950's that spanned much of my education. Any comparisons between then and now are unbelievable. Back then there were standards that now are foreign to everyday folks. Many of us can recall:

School starting with the pledge to the American flag.
You didn't want to go to the principals office...he was usually a man of action.
There was a strong respect for police officers.
When committing a crime, one usually confessed and was in prison within a couple of weeks.
Boys didn't “like” boys and girls didn't “like” girls...if you know what I mean.
Babies were born boy or girl (still are) with nothing in between.
You went to church on Sunday with no discussion about it.
Parents were respected and “talking back” was dealt with.
The dress in high school then was better than what teens wear to church today.
A young person didn't have a car until able to purchase one.
You didn't know about the “birds and bees” in first grade.
Some teachers read Bible stories to their grade school classes.
History was taught in high school and each senior had to pass a test on the U. S. Constitution to graduate.
When a judge handed down a verdict, that was it. Can't recall appeals very much.
Two parent homes were the norm.
Kids played outside til dark or when the street lights came on.

Maybe some of these things are memories for most. My question is, “What happened?” I can recall honorable politicians, at least for the most part. If you had a TV, you got the local evening news with informative information..no drama. Somewhere our culture let a lot of really good things go. Electronics have played a huge part with TV's, computers, all sorts of phones, etc. in taking us places we never anticipated going.

Our country needs a good old sweeping revival in the worst of ways. We can't go back and change the past, but we can be a part of changing the future, one by one. First, we can live lives pleasing to the Lord. We need to take advantage of speaking for Jesus when we can. We must ourselves be in the Scriptures and bathe it all in prayer. If our country continues it's self destruction, I would hope you and I would be doing our part in it's “stay” of self execution.

Father, help us to be a doer of Your Word and not hearers only. As pleasant and some of our memories may be, there are children growing up now who will never know an innocence like America past. Keep us praying..keep us faithful. In Jesus precious name...Amen

MY HIDING PLACE

You are my hiding place;
You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs
of deliverance.
Psalm 32:7

Since I was a little girl, I loved hiding places. I didn't like playing “Hide and Go Seek” because then a person had to be found and returned to home base. My sister Kay and I shared a room since we were old enough to do so. Coming from Southern Illinois, a very active coal mining area, Kay and I came up with a hiding place, we referred to it as hiding in our coal mine. When lights went out at night, we would crawl to the foot of our bed with covers over us and huddle up into two different clumps, hiding in that place. My Mother always caught on and found us for some reason and we were admonished to get up in bed and go to sleep.

As I got older, I still loved hiding places. I didn't really have anything to hide from, but loving mysteries, the thought of hiding places always fascination for me. Any hiding place I ever made for myself seemed to be easily identified by a parent. It was still fun to try.

I thought for the longest time in my adulthood, I was the only one seeking a hiding place from the cares of this world until I came to know of Corrie ten Boom. She resided with her sister and father over her father's clock shop. He felt strong affinity with the Jewish people and detested the Nazi treatment of them. Their home was soon turned over to being a shelter for Jewish folks in danger of losing their lives. That wasn't good enough for the Nazi's for they could go into any home at that time, raiding it to find Jewish fugitives.

Because of relentless of the Nazi troops, a plan was devised for a hiding place even in their house of refuge. If a raid should occur, there was a secret hiding place where Jews could hide and not be found. It was behind a wall in Corrie's bedroom.

There are times in all our lives when we would love to have a hiding place...a place away from cultural influence, family problems, crashing finances, chronic health issues...a place of peace and quiet away from it all. Such a place isn't possible on this earth, even if one were to go to reside in a convent or monastery. One could flee to the mountains where there is no indication of society in any way, but even with that would be unrest and even guilt for forsaking everyone.

Psalm 32 is such a sweet Psalm of blessing and forgiveness. As David puts pen to scroll, he's aware that God IS his hiding place. It may not be a hiding place that can be found in a building, forest clearing, worship center or other physical places. David knew his hiding place in God wasn't so much a physical place (even though it could be should God provide such), but his hiding place was in a presence...the very presence of God Himself.

We don't have to run to a place to hide. That would involve time and distance. Our hiding place as it was for David is not a physical place. The thing for us to think about is that a hiding place isn't worth a thing if we don't choose to take advantage of it's warmth and safety. God's provision is different as we see in Psalm 91:1:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

We can look to the next few verses in Psalm 91 where the Psalmist refers to God as his refuge, fortress, deliverer and will cover with his feathers where we may rest comfortably under the shelter of His wings. No, these aren't physical places, but with God, He has ways of providing even physical places for us in times of need.

I see the key to my hiding place in God is to be found in the first five words of Ps. 91:1. .”HE WHO DWELLS IN THE SHELTER. We must choose God's protection and we do that through relationship with Him. The Psalmist is speaking of one who has made a choice to dwell. You and I can flop and flounder in our problems that may strike from any direction...finances, health, family difficulties, job loss and all the rest. We like to work on our own problems and when all else fails, we turn to God.

How much peace could we have if we would be so nestled under the wings of God, our hiding place, that He would be our first and main resource at any time. For evil to try to seek me out, it would have to look for me under the wings of my Father, my shelter....my Hiding Place.

Thank You my Father for being so much more in my life that I can even think of. I so take for granted all the wonderful ways You work in my life. Thank You for being my Hiding Place, and for the comfort of the warmth of Your presence under Your wings. In Jesus' name....Amen

MIND SET OF THE DAY

For the mind set on the flesh is death,
but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace
Romans 8:6 (NASB)

When in grade school, I remember struggling with the multiplication tables. They just looked like a hodge-podge of numbers that made no sense. To this day, I'm not sure but what I was right but have come to grips with the need for knowing them. I recall a teacher using a phrase I often heard my Grandma Benbrook use. My teacher's word of advice was: “Glendarae, you have to set your mind to it.” I knew what she meant because I had heard her use that saying if I was struggling with anything else at the time. Country folks often used that phrase so it came naturally in my grandma's vocabulary.

For several years now, I have loved Romans 8. It is filled with love, security and encouragement, all in abundance. Any Christians need those things from their Heavenly Father. Just as children need those things from their earthly parents, the need is even greater from their Heavenly parent.

However, there is much more to the chapter than warm words of affection. I've read this chapter over and over for several years, but it's only been in recent days, the Holy Spirit has stopped my reading at about verse 8. In the translation I am using, I came across a word that caught my attention. I saw from verses 5 through 7 the word “mindset” four different times.

Although I know in my mind what “mindset” means, I looked up a few sources for the definition of the word. I came to the conclusion that a mind set is just that...having set ones mind in an established way of thinking or reasoning. My mindset is my established thinking about anything. In that process, I've set my mind on any number of things that can be beneficial or can do damage to me in some way. Most of our struggles will be based in our minds.

There are those in Scripture who set their mind on some things, some good and some not so good. Solomon comes to mind in his beginning days of his reign when God wanted to grant him what he most wanted. Amazingly, Solomon chose wisdom. He speaks of it later in Ecclesiastes 1:13 where he say he set his mind to seek and explore wisdom.

The King in Daniel 6:14 set his mind on delivering David from the lions den. Jesus had to speak words of correction to Peter when Peter stepped a little out of bounds. In Matthew 6:23 Jesus told Peter he wasn't setting his mind on God's interests but mans.

For myself, much like those multiplication tables, I have decided if I am to be all for Jesus He wants of me that it's not going to happen unless I set my mind to do just that. The lazy, hazy days of spring and summer are upon us. Such days can be detrimental to maintaining a close walk with the Lord. During such days, there are many distractions that can pull our minds from one thing to another. If our minds aren't set with a spiritual determination to maintain consistency in our walk with the Lord, straying is very likely.

There are some things we should set our minds on in upcoming days of relaxation and different activities apart from the usual. We should maintain: regular Bible reading, times of prayer, church attendance (even on vacation), usual responsibilities whether at work or church, and other things we can do to enrich the lives of others as well as our own.

Among other Biblical persons mentioned above, next to Jesus, Paul probably had as strong of a spiritual mind set as anyone we can read about. He gave good advice to the people in Colossae when he said to them in chapter three, verse two:

Set your mind on the things above,

not on the things that are on earth.

May it be so for each of us as we determine to have our mind set on the things of God no matter the time of year, holiday's or in every day living...come rain or come shine.

Dear Father, I pray I will have the right loving mind set on spiritual things that would honor You in every way. Help me to keep focus on Your Word and on Your will. May I stay focused on the things that are important and that would please You. In Jesus precious name...Amen

CULTURE AT A LOSS

Woe unto them, that call evil good, and
good evil; that put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20

Living where we do, a stone's throw from the national park, it isn't unusual for an alert to go out that someone has lost their way in the park during a hiking trip. There have been times when a child wandered away from parents and became lost. One thing that has been suggested to hikers, especially children or very inexperienced ones, has been that when one realizes he is lost, to stop where he is, sit down and wait for help to come. The tendency even when lost and in a panic is to continue wandering hoping to see some place or some thing familiar. It can get where all trees look alike so that the lost one can wander aimlessly becoming more and more lost.

When lost in the daylight, that lost hiker still feels encouraged until evening begins to set in. When darkness falls, in a setting like ours here, there is real panic...there are shadows, strange sounds...even various animal sounds of those that wander through the forest at night foraging for food. The darkness becomes a serious enemy for one who is completely lost, who cannot focus or see anything clearly. The lost hiker is thrilled beyond words seeing the glow of a flashlight or hearing a call from a nearing rescue person.

Scripture speaks in several area about darkness, mostly a spiritual darkness that we can become exposed to or even find ourselves in the very middle of. Should such happen in our own lives, the suggestions of the national park I think apply here. We need to stop wandering around trying to find answers that often aren't anywhere to be found. Most of us in those circumstances need to just sit down and quietly wait for the Lord to come and minister to our spirits. He will often do that as we refer to His guidebook.

The above verse speaks to where many in our country are with regard to morals and standards...good is no longer just good, and evil is coming to be seen in more of a good and positive light. What used to be wrong behavior and lifestyles are now being rationalized as being acceptable. Things anymore aren't just black and white, but morals and standards are viewed as being more gray where people can decide for themselves what is good or evil. When this mentality sets in, in reality, a person has come into the realm of darkness and has fled the light God intends for each of us.

Many of us can look back to days that were more civil, when authority was respected, where good character was evident in school rooms and in the halls of government. My question is, “What happened.” I can recall honorable politicians, at least for the most part. If you had a TV, you got the local evening news with informative information..no drama. Somewhere our culture let a lot of really good things go. Electronics have played a huge part with TV's, computers, all sorts of phones, etc. However, behind all of those things resides in the hearts of people to find their way, a way out of unhappiness and boredom.

I've decided that what our country needs a good old sweeping revival in the worst of ways. We can't go back and change the past, but we can be a part of changing the future, one by one. First, we can live lives pleasing to the Lord individually. The lives we live for Christ will say more to others than any sermons we preach. We need to take advantage of speaking for Jesus when we can. We must ourselves be in the Scriptures and bathe it all in prayer. If our country continues it's self destruction, I would hope you and I would be doing our part in it's “stay” of execution.

Father, help us to be a doer of Your Word and not hearers only. As pleasant as some of our memories may be, there are children growing up now who will never know any innocence in America. Keep us praying..keep us faithful. In Jesus precious name...Amen

BIG PLANS

For I know the plans that I have
for you, declares the Lord, plans for
welfare and not for calamity to give
you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and
come and pray to Me, and I will
listen to you
You will seek Me and find me
when you search for Me with all
your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NASB)

When most young couples find they are expecting their first baby, they begin planning. Even before the baby's birth, parents are still planning and not just for the nursery. Plans for that baby are wrapped up in dreams regarding the future of their child. Even into adulthood, parents have dreams for their children even when grown. It's when all of us reached the point of making our own plans and decisions we came up against some difficulties. Human speaking, there is NO perfect plan we can make on our own behalf or on behalf of another.

As I read in the Old Testament, it amazes me over and over as I see God's patience with His people. Their spiritual walk with Him always seemed to be for them at a peak or at the bottom of a sand dune. It's hard to be critical of them when we, too, push at the patience of God with our disappointing ways. God had to take drastic measures with His people even to the point of allowing them to go into exile, far away from their homeland just to get their attention.

God, however, didn't give up on His people and stuck to His promises regarded their future. By the way, His promises reach down to us this very day from that time and aren't we glad. In the timing of our above verses, God's people were returned to their land. They weren't to give up in times of hardship, but know that God had their best interest at heart for the duration.

Anyone who has raised children understands the disappointment when a child chose a way that spelled disaster in so many ways. The parents see the disaster coming and may beg, plead and pray for a change in the mind of that child, but it seems to no avail. I have known very few parents who have gone through such experiences, but who welcomed that child back to the fold when pieces of a life needed put back together. It seems God was always doing this for his people. At times, they were grateful while at other times, showed an ingratitude by returning to their idols and immoral living.

God spoke to His people in Jeremiah, again with hopes and dreams for their future. In His planning, He hoped to provide for their welfare and to provide a future and hope. That was the promise from their Sovereign God who could do anything on their behalf He chose.

God asked so little of them in this process. He asked them to come and call on Him and pray. He promised to always listen to their prayers. In this seeking process though, He required that they approach Him with their whole beings...their whole heart. He wanted a people with sincerity to respect Him, their Heavenly Father, to never have a frivolous attitude in their attitude or approach to Him.

God desires the very same of each of us. There have been times I have been in a distant place from God. Many of us have had times in our lives when God had to put some pieces back together with his “love putty.” We can't accept this loving help wanting just a reprieve from the world. He seeks our sincerity not our self interest. He will settle for nothing less than our complete devotion.

Today, God hasn't changed, nor His promises. He is always looking out for our best interest because of a love for us we can never fathom. When God says He has plans, we've come to know He has plans for us that cannot be comprehended and that are rarely appreciated. Some people promise us outlandish things we know can't come to be, but not with God. When He promises our welfare, hope and future, all can be accepted as fact.

Mans plans and efforts at self direction will always be second best, or even lower than that. We might find a temporary satisfaction in seeking our own way. In the end, our plans will never fully satisfy. God already has our plans made in every area of our lives. He not only has made the plans for you and me but also sends His agents to aid us with the details. In the end, God's way will always be the best way. We are told He is available to talk things over with us at any time. With His guiding hand, listening ear and heart of love, how can we go wrong?

Thank You Father for knowing us so well and knowing what is best for us in every area of our lives. Keep us close to You and open to Your will and way for our lives. Thank You for loving us despite our erring ways. Thank You for Jesus. In whose name I pray...Amen

THE IMPORTANCE OF ROOTS

Therefore as you have received
walk in Him,
having been firmly rooted and
now being built up in Him and
established in your faith, just as
you were instructed, and
overflowing with gratitude.
Colossians 2:6,7

We may be seeing some beginnings of Spring here in the mountains. It seems a long time coming with all of the weeks of rain, swelled rivers and rock slides that we have been experiencing. Trees are flowering as are jonquils in all their golden glory. Some early wild flowers are making their appearances and RV's are rolling into town to hopefully soak in the feelings of Springtime.

Prior to grass greening up, are the weeds making appearances. Obviously, we didn't do a good job last Fall in ridding ourselves of these pests. They poke their leaves and even blossoms above ground almost in a taunting way. I'm amazed at how weeds can disguise themselves as pretty blossoms and flowers. My granddaughter last week brought me a small bouquet of such heather-looking blossoms. I put them in a cup of water and even then, they refused to die and lingered for days.

There is a lot to be said for weeds. They are tough with a determination to exist on their own terms. Much of their success is due to good roots. Roots represent beginnings.” We hear of roots that are related to people and the importance of the roots of their ancestries running deep...an indicator of health, security and belonging. Even with good roots, people have little bragging rights compared to the most important root mentioned in Scripture found in the book of Isaiah 11:1,2:

Then a root will spring from the stem
of Jesse, and a branch from
his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and strength,
the spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the Lord.

I realize roots are important for so many reasons in the natural sense, but the promise of Jesus coming from the stem of Jesse, the root that would bear fruit and be all for the world it needed. That root could never be uprooted or destroyed. It (He) would bear fruit that we have benefited from that will see us into eternity
.

We benefit in so many ways through that precious root, Jesus. What exactly do roots do for any plant life?
* they provide nutrition for whatever the plant is
* they provide stability for a plant as it grows holding it in place, and
* their work is unseen in bringing forth fruit or beauty

Roots don't just happen. They come in the very beginning from a seed. Seeds don't just become plants. It takes good soil, water, and eventually sun as the root forms, matures and sends sprouts upward through the topsoil. The root even then continues to feed the plant ensuring it's survival. To fully survive, the plant must stay grounded in the earth via the root.

If we are to grow in Christ, it will mean being rooted and grounded in His love. It will mean our spirit is watered with the Word of God on a regular basis and being people of prayer. 

Our goal should be that of growing in the Lord and being fruitful for His glory. Speaking of the blessed person in Psalm 1:3, we have a good description of what we should aim for in our relationship with the Lord:

He (the blessed person) will be like a tree firmly planted
by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season.
And it's leaf does not wither; and in whatever
he does, he prospers.

Spring is here and as much as we can enjoy the beauty of God's nature, we should be just as concerned for our own spiritual growth that can come only when we are grounded and rooted deeply in Jesus Christ. May our desire be to grow our spiritual deeper and deeper in Christ so we will be more fruitful, and yes, beautiful for His glory.

Dear Father, keep me growing and flourishing in You. I want to be fruitful for Your kingdom and glory. May I be alert to any weeds of sin that can seem to sneak into my life. Forgive me for all the times I sin and disappoint you. Thank You for Jesus who makes life worth living everyday. In His precious name....Amen

LOADED WITH BENEFITS

Blessed be the Lord, who daily
loadeth us with benefits, even
the God of our salvation.
Psalm 68:19

When being interviewed for a position with any business, of great interest is the salary being offered by the prospective employer. There are things of interest in this process especially the salary. One wants information on specific responsibilities, schedule of work and who one reports to on the job. Still in the back of one's mind is something we've come to know as “benefits.” Benefits, where a job is concerned, are those payments or gifts given by an employer that is above one's regular salary. Benefits may include vacation days, sick pay, stock payouts, retirement accounts, and other things offered by a company.

Benefits are often awarded by financial institutions as incentive for one's contribution to the company. Professional athletes receive benefits and bonus's for game performance, championships and team spirit. Their benefits often go into the thousands or millions of dollars in the sports profession.

Our verse from Psalms says the Lord loads us with benefits. I love that word “loads.” You and I are blessed in abundance, over and over again on a daily basis with benefits we don't stop to consider, let alone deserve. Our prayers before bed may be no more than “Now I lay me down to sleep...”, etc. We list our prayer requests and then put our heads on the pillow. Rarely do we just lay quietly thinking about God's goodness regarding that particular day.

David stressed the importance of our salvation. but from his standpoint, speaks of those “loads of benefits” that were his from the Lord. One can read of his life and the way God led and directed not only a boy before a giant, but also of a king who fought other giants in his adult life. His life was preserved over and over as others wanted him dead. Despite his failings, there was genuine repentance and God's hand of blessing and anointing rested on His life.

What of our benefits? Can we look back and see the benefits of God He's loaded on us over and over, faithfully giving to us things we don't even consider benefits anymore? I wonder if we aren't scant in our gratitude for the loads of blessing He gives over and over. They are “loaded” on us every day of a year. Many of those things we've just come to expect and don't even regard as special anymore such as: clothes in our closet, gas in our car's tank, food in our refrigerator, good health and living in the greatest country in the world. Those are just a few we rarely consider.

Our benefits may be alike in many ways. However, our benefits are very individualized just as our relationship with our Lord is. We are a blessed people with a loving Father who sees to our every need...person by person. All of us have the benefit of a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. We also have the privilege of owning a copy of God's Word. Without it, we can't know specific information about Him and His story. This is the completeness of His story as He has chosen to give it to us. He is also available to us 24/7 for private conferences. He is the only One I know of who can meet my every need at a moments notice. All of this is available without listing all of the other benefits that are ours through Jesus.

My personal hope is that I will be a grateful person regarding God's goodness in my life. I tend to be ungrateful, giving little thought to all the blessings God “loads” into my life.. Just to begin listing the benefits of God in my life would be exhausting. I do know that all that is mine through Him is wrapped up with an abiding love I'll never understand. The same is true for you as well.

Thank You, Father, for every blessing You give us moment by moment. You pour Your love into our lives despite our undeserving state. Thank You for Jesus and His gift of eternal life to us. May we live lives of gratitude and in ways that please You. In Jesus' precious name...Amen.

NOTHING'S NEW

Is there anything of which one
might say, “See this, it is new?”
Already it has existed for ages
which were before us.
Ecclesiastes 1:10

Lately I've been reading through the book of Ecclesiastes...yes, it's really a book in the Bible. It's one of those that is nestled between Proverbs and Song of Solomon. I remember where it is because both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes were penned by Solomon with Holy Spirit leading. So often we feel that much of the Bible is out of date. Even Christians who love God's Word can take on that attitude if they aren't careful. I look at this particular book and wonder if Solomon hasn't been looking in our living groom windows, halls of Congress, Wall street investment desks and maybe even into our church buildings
.

Solomon was a blessed man. He gave the right answer when God told him he could have anything he wanted. He could have had military power, riches and whatever else many people would have asked for. Solomon simply asked for wisdom. As a result, God added other of Solomon's wishes to the list because Solomon had given God the answer He wanted.

Unfortunately, wisdom and the riches God gave him didn't seem to be enough. His pride and riches became compulsions in his life and in this book that is also considered a wisdom book gives his frustration with all of his achievements.

First in chapter 1:13,17 he says, “I set my mind.” In verse 13 he sets his mind on wisdom, but also on the burden that can be man's with all of God's provision. In 17, Solomon's goal is different in that he wants to set his mind to know wisdom, but now is wanting to know more about the madness of folly. We must be careful what we set our minds on because we will usually do all we can to achieve whatever it is. He's even decided in verse 18:

Because in much wisdom there is much grief,
and increasing knowledge results in
increasing pain.

In chapters 2 & 3, Solomon speaks of all the things he added to his coffers he speaks of where we might be in our day in 2:10.

All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
for my heart was pleased because of all my
labor and this was my reward for all my labor.

I can hear us now. I may have said something similar at times. “I've worked hard and there's nothing wrong with buying myself some things I want and deserve. I can buy anything I set my mind on and can have as much fun as I want.” Does any of that sound familiar. It's pretty much the mind set of our society today.

Solomon wasn't finished though and there's so much more:

Furthermore, I have seen under the
sun that in the place of justice there is
wickedness and in the place of
righteousness there is wickedness.
(4:16)

Take a look at the judicial system in our country and how messed up it is. The worst of criminals either go free or with a mere slap on the hands. Judges have a bias depending on what political party put them in office. Policemen can try to arrest a speeding driver and the policeman can face any number of false accusations. The same problems in this area have trickled down from Solomon into our own society.

One more of of many:

There is a grievous evil which I have seen
under the sun: riches being hoarded by their
owner to his hurt.
(5:13)

Does this have a familiar ring to it? From hoarders we see on TV to those who scam people any number of ways in order to gain all the wealth they can at another's expense. Even we may fall into the same trap of saving things we may never use.

My prayer for us is we will live lives that will honor God in every way whether it be in our work, spending, possessions, amusements. If the richest man who lived came to know the folly of riches and things of this world that were for nothing when they become a compulsion, can't we learn his lesson no matter how mere our riches and possessions may be?

Father, I'm so grateful that You never change. You decided how things should be long before time began and you have adhered to those things to the letter. Thank You for the security in knowing You stay the same and that sameness will always remain. I praise You today for who You are in my life. Thank You for Jesus and it' in His name I pray....Amen

LIFE VERSES

The Lord is my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my
life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1,2

When a junior in high school, some relatives of my grandmother came to visit from the distant state of Minnesota. Among those relatives was a girl, Judy, who was at the time a senior in high school while I was a junior. She was absolutely gorgeous physically, but also had a radiance about her that I knew at that young age could only be of the Lord. We talked a lot in those few days. She shared the Scriptures with me like I had never experienced with someone more my age. She gave me her senior picture for my billfold. On the back she wrote a sweet note and then under her name wrote: Philippians 1:21. I asked her about that and she told me the verse was her life verse. I had never heard of a life verse...what it was or what it meant. Judy had signed her picture with that reference and told me she usually did that when she signed her name
.

For a time I adopted Philippians 1:21 as my life verse. It's a wonderful verse for anytime in one's life:

For me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.

That is a great verse to cover just about every area and experience in one's life. I often think of it and quote it to myself when I have the need for it's encouragement. However, as life as progressed for me and I have lived through the various ups and downs life presents, I often come across verses that seem to really apply for present circumstances.

 For living a Christ-filled life daily is such a wonderful thing despite my shortcomings and failures. I know no matter how good life is right now, the best is yet to come. Many verses have come to be life verses for me at various times. It was a good day when it dawned on me that I can have several verses in the pocket of my heart to pull out and claim for any number of events in my life.

This morning as I awoke, Psalm 27:1,2 came to my mind like a flash. It was comforting. Lately I've been pretty tired, a little on the “fritz”. These verses have come to be such a blessing for this particular time. Sometimes we of the “more mature” generation can become a little fearful at times as our issues are different from the average thirty year old. These verses have come to be sources of encouragement and peace. I can't say I'm fearful at the moment, but my life concerns are different than they were 20 years ago.  Maybe you like me need to be assured that the Lord is our LIGHT, SALVATION and the STRENGTH of our lives. Because of that, we have to walk in fear. Those are verses for any time of life.

By the way, every verse in God's Word has purpose for our lives. All sorts of verses may come to have special meaning, but they in isolated form cannot take away from the entire counsel of God. We can “go hunting” for verses. The Holy Spirit knows our every need and will give us what we need from His Word if we ask Him to. We are very lax in memorizing Scripture verses and yet such verses become spiritual life preservers and thus, they all become LIFE VERSES.

Dear Father...I'm so grateful for Your Word inspired by Your Spirit. It means more to me than I can say. You have loved me through it. You've given me strength, encouragement and yes, correction I badly needed at times. When the day comes that dying is gain for me, then I'll see it all unfold in person. Through it, I came to know Jesus and am so grateful, so I pray these things in His name....Amen

CELEBRATE LIFE!!

Many sacrifices were offered on that
joyous day, for God had given the people
cause for great joy. The women and
children also participated in the celebration,
and the joy of the people of Jerusalem
could be heard far away.
Nehemiah 12:43

God's people certainly had their faults and did their share in disappointing their God of love and of great patience. Despite all of the tribulation and ups/downs of life, the people of Israel certainly knew how to have a party to celebrate God. Why? God had given the people cause for great joy. He has done the very same for you and me as well but not just on one occasion.

My least desire in writing is to be morbid in any way, but have actually been thinking in a positive, celebratory fashion so hang in with me. When I was in high school, I learned from a conversation my Mother and grandmother were having that folks age 50 and older usually make a habit of reading obituaries in the local newspapers. They often read the obituaries of people they had never known. I found that very strange, but both ladies assured me that when I reached their ages, I would do the same thing.

 I can't say I have adopted that habit and yet, every now and then, I can't resist taking a peek at our local newspaper's obituary column. We are still fairly new in the area so I very rarely know anyone listed who has died.

On rare occasions, when reading obituaries, I come across one or two that are unbelievably positive and encouraging. Usually with such articles, I see a simple phrase that tells me a lot about the deceased. It might say, “On Tuesday morning, 10:00 at such and such a church, we will CELEBRATE THE LIFE of.......” That is wonderful and such a tribute to a life well lived. How wonderful it would be to celebrate each others life while we are still alive.

No matter our stage of life, we all, at times, tend to look back...to remember, reminisce, ponder the past or whatever we choose to call it. Unfortunately, our nature is to look back at our negatives, mistakes, disappointments and failures. Perhaps we have been through times of great sin or straying from the Lord that brings only thoughts of conviction and letting the Lord down. We can all look back, spending hours chastising ourselves for letting down family, friends and yes, God Himself.

BUT...God has been far too good in my life to allow Satan to feed my mind with the negatives I can no longer do anything about....negatives I long ago took to God's throne of grace where they have been placed under the blood of Christ.

SO...I am choosing to celebrate some things from my life I can rejoice over, not because of any good in me, but because of God's goodness toward me. I will include all of us in these things because of many of these events we share in common.

*Our day of salvation...remember that new-born feeling?
*Receiving my first Bible
*Vacation Bible Schools and past Sunday school teachers/pastors
*Best friends through the years.
*Graduations
*Engagement and wedding
*Children coming into the home
*Job promotion
*Church homes
*Winning folks to Christ
*Special times in the Word of God

I could go on and on just as you could as well. I realize that thrown in with the good, there are the ugly things squeezed in between. It is then we make a choice as to what we choose to dwell on. In Philippians 4:8, Paul charged us as to what we should think about and he puts no time restraints on this positive thinking. He says to think things that are honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute and anything worthy of praise. This refers to our thinking not just in the present, but also from our past.

So....what does it mean to celebrate?
Celebrating is openly acknowledging a significant or happy day or event with a party or festive activity.

Can we not celebrate all of those wonderful, positive things God has done in our lives and leave all of the old garbage out of our thinking? Few people agree to attend pity parties. We don't have to throw some kind of party, but we could because of God's goodness.. I'm not going to send out any invitations to a party right now, but think for now, I'll go into the kitchen, pour me a fresh diet Coke and just smile awhile.

Father, right now I celebrate You and all you have meant to me through the years. You have forgiven me, blessed and loved me when I least deserved it. I thank You for Jesus and Your Holy Spirit. You are my wonder and my life. I love You. In Jesus' precious name...Amen