Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine
own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct thy paths."

This is my wife's life verse. I have read it 1000 times and heard it 1000 more but really never gave it much though. It's pretty clear. The hard part is the application. For us as people it's sometimes hard to trust. Especially if we have been burned in the past. The difference with trusting God over man is, God will not burn you. He's not into that. I can testify to that. Something inside of us though holds us back. Also like the verse says, with all our heart. Are we really into it? Are we really trusting God or just giving lip service, going through the motions. Only the individual and God knows that. With trust comes understanding, the next part of the verse. If we are trusting in our own understanding, it can be a bit confusing at times. To be honest it can be downright aggravating. If we trust in God, the understanding is clearer. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, we don't have to worry about finding the solution. That's God's job. Secondly when we aren't tying to figure it all out, we can rest. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." You see, God knows the burdens in life can weigh heavy on us and affect our judgment, that's why He says trust in Me. Lastly He says, in all thy ways. Not some, not most, but all. This is where the rubber meets the road. I fall far short of this most of the time. Why? It's because we all like to know that we are in control of things and everything is going according to plan. But what happens when that bump in the road comes? Oh no, you or your loved one has cancer. My job just got outsourced. I am getting to old to be economically viable. That my friends, is where we as Christians have to make a decision. He saved us because He loved us, and wants to guide and direct our lives. Not to leave us hung out to dry and say good luck see you in the end. All our ways. Lord do I do this? Lord is this the right job for me? Is this the right one to marry? You see it's simple, like it says, He will direct our paths. You can bet that if God is directing your paths, these answers will show up at the right time. Psalm 119:105 " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." God's wisdom, not our own. God's ways, not our own. If the world had just adhered to this over time, we would not be in the mess we are in now. There's your comparison with in which to use as a guide. The world.....mess. God......Perfect. Have a great week and really think things through. Bring them before God and ask Him, direct my paths.

Bob.

1 John 3:17

"But whoso hath this worlds good, and seeth his brother
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion
from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

What a question. Here we have the apostle John, over time referred to as the apostle of love, asking a very basic question on need. John poses the question that, if a person is in need and we ignore them, how can the love of God be in us. It's a good question. How does one answer it? Well for starters lets decide what need is. In my experience need can be, money to pay bills, food to eat, a person to talk to, work to be done due to lack of funds. Need can fall into so many categories but the real question is it truly a need. I need a Ferrari. Probably not. I need to win the lottery. Probably not. I need more houses and property. Not really. Do you see what I am getting at? If we really look at it sensibly, needs are basic. Food, water, shelter, you know the basics. After that, it's all really just stuff to congest your life and draw you away from God. It really is true. The number one need in a persons life is Christ. Now am I saying we need to live at a poverty level and have nothing extra? Of course not. What am saying is what John is asking. What are we doing with what we have? That's the real question. Next John says something interesting. Shutteth up his bowels of compassion. What on earth does that mean. I love the king James and old English terms it uses. It gets you digging and gets the point across a bit better at times. What John is saying is that you have shut down your affection or compassion for someones needs. Bowels actually translates to inward affection. It's that part of you that has emotion attached to it as well. Example: You see a guy who desperately needs water. You know he needs it and you have some that you could share. Instead, you drink it all and forget about the guy dying around the corner. Simpler: You see a old woman stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire looking desperate for help. You drive right by and crank the tunes drowning her out of the mind scape. Your friend asks you to help him move but you say no, I don't have the time but you do, you just don't want to be bothered. I could go on and on. The scary thing is, we are all guilty of it. We have become a society that is more concerned with ourselves than anyone else. 2 Timothy 3 talks about this happening in the end times. Do we all tithe like the bible teaches? 10% then what ever else the Lord lays on your heart. Do we offer our time for people in need? Do the church leaders really seek the Lord to see what He would have them do with the offerings? It's endless!!! It comes down to this. God wants to provide for our needs. See Matthew 6:33. We need to seek Him first like Matthews gospel says then our needs will be met. Then we can meet the needs of others. The last part of the verse is simple. The love of God will dwell in us when we are more Christ like in our hearts. I know some saved people who are as cold as a dead fish. I don't understand it. When we come to a realization of who God is and what He has done, how can the love of God not be overflowing in us? So maybe this will help you, me, take an inventory of our lives and see what are priorities really are. I know I have some work to do, how about you? Bob.

1 Peter 4:12

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,
as though some strange thing happened unto you."

Testing 1, 2, 3. Testing. The trials of our faith. Peter is here speaking about them. If there is anyone who knows about trials of faith, it is Peter. If you read the context, the word is, means come to pass as one definition. Strongs number G1096. Along with this, it has a whole bunch of other meanings that boil down to it going to happen. For some strange reason, Christians nowadays think that when they are tested, God is either mad at them or getting even with them. Not So. Trials are used to refine us like gold in the fire. God allows these things to come into our lives in order to draw us nearer to Him. The word trial in the text is purosis. It literally means burning or set on fire. So why then do we get so out of sorts when these things go on? Ok, you ready for this.....we are all selfish and want comfort at all times. We don't want to go through something that might cause pain, confusion or sorrow. I know I don't. The way God works is so much different than we could ever imagine. Here we have His manual for life and yet we still wonder in amazement when trials come. Contained in His manual are the perfect set of guidelines for us to live by, as well as a it being a personal love letter from Him to us. Love letter? Doesn't it contain judgment and stuff like that? Yes, but if you love someone you will correct them so that they will not continue to go down a road ladden with pain. So what's the application for us in the text? Don't be surprised when this stuff comes along. I have heard many pastors say you are either coming out of a trial, going into a trial, or are in the middle of one through out your whole Christian walk. So why then would someone want to be a Christian? Ahhh that is the question I was looking for. The reason? To see the awesome mighty power of a loving, personal God at work in one's life all because He loves you. The world is in control temporarily right now by satan. See 2 Corinthians 4:4. He is called the god, small g, of this world. There are going to be things that work completely opposite of God and come against us. But God has not left us to fight this fight alone. In fact, He won the battle on Calvary. He defeated the enemy on the cross. Now, his time is short to rule this world. For those of us in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us and is what the bible refers to as, a helper or comforter. So when the trials come, don't be surprised. We have our strong deliverer who is in charge and will take care of the issue. All we need to do is draw near to Him for instructions. Have a great week and be prepared, the tests......are.........coming.........! Bob.

James 3:10

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
My bretheren, these things ought not so to be."

Guilty as charged! Blessing and cursing out of the same mouth. In James chapter 3, James is speaking about the tongue and a few other things. The focus of this has to do with the tongue. I know for me, that on any given day I can praise God for being so good, yet also curse out someone who has done me wrong or upset me. Is this what a Christian should be doing? Of course not. James speaks about the tongue in verse 5 and 6 and also verse 8. He says it can set a great fire and is filled with poison. The tongue? Yep, the tongue. Why is that though? It speaks of a deeper issue. It's a matter of the heart. If the tongue is doing this it has to come from somewhere. When this happens, it is just a verbalization of what is in the heart. Now if that doesn't make you take inventory and do a heart check, I don't know what will. I know that I personally struggle with this and I am sure many others of you do also. What's the answer? Do we just live day to day in a constant state of defeat when this happens? Man that's one roller coaster ride I do not want to be on for any amount of time. It comes down to this. Our personal time with the Lord. Do we spend any with Him so that He can speak with us and maybe point these things out? Or do we spend enough time? That's an answer only you and the Lord can figure out. You see, when our heart is set on Christ, our tendency to snap back in any given situation with a foul comment or nasty remark will dwindle. In the rest of the chapter James speaks on wisdom and compares worldly wisdom with Godly Wisdom. Read verse 17 to get the full picture. Today I thought about it. We are living in the most amazing time in history. We are seeing bible prophecy come true before our very eyes. Contrary to popular belief, the world is not getting better and won't until He returns to rule and reign. Now before you say, thanks for that pessimistic view. Let me explain. It's bible truth, not my opinion. We can look at it one of two ways. We can curse the day and be miserable and grumpy about all that goes on. The murders, rapes, wars, etc. Or we can look at it with compassion and be a blessing to those around us and share the good news of Jesus Christ and His soon return. Like I said, I struggle with this daily, but thanks be to God, His mercy and grace abounds all the more. So think about it this week. When something happens or a news article tweaks your inner most being about how wrong it is, bless the Lord and be thankful that He is in full control and that He is coming soon to put an end to all the sorrow and sadness. Yes the last part of this blog got a bit off topic, but I think it has a lot to do with how we as people think and act. Remember, it's all a matter of the heart and I think a few of us could use some real heart surgery from the great physician. Have a blessed week.
Bob

Romans 5:3

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience."

I don't know about you, but I have had a real problem with this verse in my life, let alone in my Christian walk. Patience. Something we all could use a lot more of. So how does the bible say we get some? This verse says it all. Tribulation. The word in the Greek is thlipsis. It has some synonyms that I think you will find easier to understand and help put this word in perspective. It means, anguish, burdened, persecution. These can be found using Strong's bible concordance. Word number 2347. So looking at these words, do we ever suffer these things? Let's take anguish for example. It actually means extreme pain or distress. In our lives I would say a percentage of us do experience these things, but on the whole not to often. When we look at Paul, his resume reads like a train wreck. 2nd Corinthians 11:24-28 speaks about the experience's Paul had as a follower of Christ and preacher of the word. Beatings, whippings, stranded at sea, the list goes on. Now with that perspective, do we really suffer tribulation? There are some brothers and sisters in Christ that do experience these things. I think about the church in China, India, and the arab countries. Ok, so is this a guilt trip I am laying on you? No. Just trying to make your noodle flex a little to realize we are actually doing better than we think. Yes, in our life we do have trials and things that test us, but they are to refine us so that we reflect the image of Christ more clearly. In the context of being a Christian, until we exercise the faith that Paul talks about, we will never be able to get to the point where we actually do what this verse also says. Rejoice. God knows what He is doing and allowing into our lives. Remember, He will not allow anything into our lives that is not filtered through Him first. Just look at Job. God knew what He was allowing into his life but also knew the end outcome. Victory. 1st Corinthians 10:13 speaks about this. Extra credit look it up on your own. So here's the bottom line. When things begin to happen remember, God has allowed it for His purpose in yours and my life. We can choose to fight it kicking and screaming much like I have been accustomed to, or we can just sit back, bring it to God's attention in prayer and let go of it. I have been striving for this and recently have been so blessed to be experiencing it. If you think about it, it's a way for God to say hey let's spend some time together. So this week don't let the little things bother you. Don't allow people or things that happen to get under your skin. Take it from one who knows, it will just make you miserable.
Be blessed. Bob.