There are a lot of nasty things and people out there and they can be kind of scary, but, think about this. The One who created all things, hung the stars in place, spun the planets (even Pluto) into orbit, made the waters and mountains and canyons, designed our complex, intricate bodies and did the same for animals and fish and birds, also sent His Son to live among us to show us His love and provide a way for us to be with Him for eternity! Think about that. He created this incredible world for us to live in temporarily and then gave us His Son so we would have a heavenly world to live in permanently! Wow! I guess that’s why Paul and the Psalmist avowed, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is definitely for us, that has never been an issue, but are you definitely for God? If you have given your heart to the Lord, then you can boldly say, “I’m not scared!” If the Creator of all things has got your back, what’s there to be afraid of? So, next time satan tries to frighten you with one thing or another, you just tell him, “I’m not scared! God is for me, who are you to even try to go against me?”
When Paul wrote in Ephesians, husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies, he was setting the bar pretty high, especially for someone that wasn’t even married. Then he takes it up another notch and says we are to cherish our wives as the Lord does the church! I dare say the majority of Christian men have failed in that area, I know I have and I apologize. Men don’t always realize how difficult it is and the amount of responsibility their wives have in running a home and raising children, but the Lord does. He knows that mothers are the ones who shape the world. And children, you are to obey your parents.in the Lord for this is right. Sadly, every child has not had a Godly mother to nurture them, love them, pray for them, but whether you had a mommy dearest or the dearest mommy, you are commanded to honor them. Our wives and mothers deserve all the love and respect we can give them, not only because the Lord commands it but because they do deserve it! A mother’s love is a powerful thing, be very thankful if you have received it!
Most people don’t realize that Alfred E. Neuman was a Christian. I mean, he must have been. Look at the words he is most famous for, “What, me worry?” Isn’t that the motto every Christian has hanging on their mantle? It should be! God is an awesome God! The earth is filled with His glory, there is nothing He can’t do! He created the birds & the bees, the rocks & the trees, the mountains & streams, He created you! There is no problem too big or too small that He doesn’t understand and want to help you overcome, but you do have to ask Him for help. You do do that, don’t you? Christians should have the most wrinkle free faces since they don’t need to worry or fret because they can cast all their cares on the Lord for He cares for them. Take a look in the mirror, got more wrinkles than you should have? Why? Nothing is impossible with or for God. Are you only trusting Him with eternal things and not daily things? He is the God of everything, trust Him with your everythings! Be patient, His timing is perfect, and watch His loving hand work wonders in your life, and if you’re not already, you’ll soon be saying, “What, me worry?”
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” ~ Mark 12:17
Some of the wisest words ever spoken, well, considering the source, of course they are! Obviously, the Pharisees and Herodians had no idea who they were dealing with, thinking they could out wit Jesus, but those words have been echoing down the halls of the ages ever since. Like it or not, everyone has to pay taxes, they are a part of life, do it, and move on. What Jesus said that is really important is “render to God the things that are God’s.” So, what does that entail? Pretty much everything. He has loaned you all your “stuff” to use for the furtherance of His kingdom, but it’s you not your “stuff” He really wants rendered, your heart, your soul, and your body. He wants you to be His child, to trust Him, to live in His mansion forever. If you go to a church that is more concerned with what you put in the offering plate than Who you have in your heart, time to find a new church! Jesus already put all He could in the offering plate so you wouldn’t have to! As you render your taxes this year, do a little self-examining and see how much you are truly rendering to God.
“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away,” James tells us in his letter. “And what is the measure of my days.That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days a handbreath,” writes David in Psalm 39. They are emphasizing something we already know all too well … life is short. So, what do we do? Pillage & plunder, consume & collect, achieve & amass, scrimp & save, or graciously give? Do we live to self or live to serve? Do we leave behind sunshine or shadows? What will be our legacy? Will we have made a difference for the better in the world around us? These are questions each individual must answer for themselves. Personally, I like what Joshua chose. As the Hebrews were finally getting ready to settle in the Promise Land, he stood up to the congregation and said, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve .. BUT, for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Wise man that Joshua.
