Worthless things

Psalm 119:37a - "Turn my eyes away from worthless things." How often do we turn our eyes toward worthless things? This is a question we all need to ask ourselves everyday. Life is precious and every moment should be spent wisely. Of course, that doesn't mean that there should be no time for fun. Fun activities have their place and are important for relieving stress and keeping in tune and in fellowship with friends and family. Work activities can be just as condemning. Do we work for the glory of men or for the glory of God and His eternal purposes? The Scriptures command us to examine ourselves. We need to often take stock of our lives and examine what needs to be changed. I hope to begin every day with this prayer: "Turn my eyes away from worthless things."

No Greater Book

The B-I-B-L-E
Yes, that's the book for me!
I stand alone on the Word of God
The B-I-B-L-E

Read your Bible,
Pray every day, pray every day, pray every day.
Read your Bible,
Pray every day,
And you'll grow, grow, grow!

Simple words for simple hearts.

Criticism

If anyone does something to offend or hurt my children or husband, I am very upset. Yesterday, I thought about how the Lord must feel when we criticize one of his children. We so easily criticize other Christians, commenting on: too "spiritual," not spiritual enough, too "earnest," too proud, arrogant, etc. I am constantly reminded of Romans 14:4: Who are you to judge another man's servant. To his own master and stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The Family of God

We often forget that one of the most important aspects of salvation is being placed in the family of God. We now have a Father who loves us, a Brother who died for us, and brothers and sisters who care about us and for whom we care. The idea of being a part of this wonderful family is much more appealing than wanting Christ because He will save us from hell. That's a part, but really just a minor part. Our relationship to our Savior and Father and each other is much more important.

What are you building?

All of us are building our lives into something. This was the topic of Dad's excellent message this morning. Don't waste your life. So many things we spend time on have no eternal value. God wants us to enjoy this life, but we often try to enjoy it by following our own path. We build with wood, hay and stubble. Build instead with gold, silver and costly stone. Give each day to the Lord and ask Him to guide you by His Spirit. You can give honor to God and be a blessing to others, no matter your occupation. God has given you so much! He has more for you! Seek Him though His Word.

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

We need to always keep eternity in our minds. Don't be so distracted by the affairs of this world that you forget that you will live into eternity and this life on earth is just a dot in time. I know this is hard to truly comprehend - at least it is for me - but always evaluate what you are doing in the light of eternity. Work and school are important, but it is your relationship to the Lord and to his people and those who don't yet know Him that is truly important and that is where you want to invest you efforts. God has made us to glorify and enjoy Him. Enjoy Him through his creation, including those whom you love, and glorify Him by your words and deeds.

good quote

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.
- Soren Kierkegaard