By Cary Gillis
Imagine You Are A Heart Surgeon
June 14, 2009
Ever come off the exit ramp of the freeway and see a stranger with a sign asking for some kind of help? What is your gut reaction in that situation? Do you think, “Oh, this guy probably makes the rounds at intersections. He probably makes more money from begging than I do from working. I hope he doesn’t see that I see him.” Or do you give him the benefit of the doubt, crack the window (but not too much), and slip him $5, $10, or even a $20? Or do you pull over, take the time to talk to him about his situation, take him to get some food, and even maybe help him find the help that he really needs?
A parallel to this can be found in the non-stereotypical actions of the Samaritan, who supplied every need for the man he crossed paths with. I love the way the parable ends: The Samaritan tells the innkeeper that he will come back and pay whatever future expense is required for the continued care of the man. He doesn’t give a limit to what the cost might be. He doesn’t leave, never to return. He chooses to do what even the most self-righteous people would not even begin to do. He does for the ‘man in need’ what he would want done for him. Give serious thought to the limits you put on selflessness.
What if you encounter strangers that don’t ask for help, but are in need? At the initiation of the selflessness you show them, they may look at you like you are from Mars and stand in awe of your generous spirit. Then again, you may encounter some who hesitate, wondering what your ulterior motive is. But, have you ever offered help to a stranger who responds to your kindness by spitting in your face?
So, what is your limit? Paul said that “scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.” (Rom. 5:7) Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” (Jn. 15:13) What was the limit of Christ, even for those who were not His friends…strangers? All are separated from God by sin. While in our sin, we are but strangers to God. But “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom .5:8) In fact, Christ chose to be the “lamb slain” for all of us, before we even existed. (Rev. 13:8)
Peter says that, through the “exceedingly great and precious promises” that have been given to us, we have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” and become “partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Pet. 1:3, 4) Through His suffering, Christ left an example that we are to follow in every way. (1 Pet. 2:21) We are to grow in the “divine nature” of Christ – a nature that puts no limits on selflessness. To be like Christ is to be able to encounter any stranger, even the ones who despise you, and already have the commitment to give them whatever you can, including your life. Never forget, you were once ‘a stranger’ to Him.
June 7, 2009
Lately, I have heard many conversations that I do not understand. I have been asked many questions that I do not know how to answer. The reason for this is very simple – I don’t speak Spanish. Unfortunately, there are many people within our congregation that I don’t know how to communicate with, and neither can they communicate with me, other than with a nod, smile, handshake, or a handful of words. We have our limits, but not God.
God knows that our minds can only do so much. And He communicated to us at just exactly the right level to be able to inform us of His eternal redemptive work. How infinitely complicated are His workings? Since creation, how much could have been written in explanation, in description, to paint the “full” picture of God? But even the word “full” doesn’t hold within it the room to contain God. The word “full” implies a container that can be “topped off.” But there are some words which can explain God without limit, such as “infinite,” “omnipotent,” and “holy.”
John supposed that if the actions of Jesus were recorded one by one, the world would not be able to contain the books written (Jn. 21:25). How much more so the actions of Deity in eternity? But having created our minds, God delivered to us the perfectly adequate information to be able to come to Him, to know Him, and to please Him.
Though He was a man, to see Jesus was to see the Father (Jn. 14:7). Even in human form, He exhibited divine characteristics that are without limit – purity, perfection, love. God’s love and omnipotence are beyond limit. This is the “how” and “why” of God revealing Himself to us in just exactly the way it had to be done.
Some people say that they can’t understand the Bible or that it is impossible for us to understand a God that is so high above us. My answer to them is that He loved us enough to tell us how to please Him, and was powerful enough to know how. The only alternatives are that He doesn’t love us enough or that He isn’t smart enough to be able to communicate to us…take your pick. The bible isn’t written at the level of a five year old or at a level requiring an IQ of 200 to understand.
This is the exact reason why growing in the knowledge of His character is unending. It is a daily seeking, a life long search. The revealed word of God, though thorough, is but a drop in the ocean compared to the identity of the One filtered down from heaven to us in a “word” that we could comprehend.
How can we be like God? By continually clothing ourselves in holiness and purity, being perfected daily in Christ. Let us not cease in growing in the divine qualities that will never be in “full,” because these qualities have no limit.
May 31, 2009
(This article was written by my father. It appeared in his congregation’s bulletin exactly two months before his death.)
One Lord’s Day, as we traveled, we visited the church in Dothan, AL, in my opinion, a great church. One of the many friendly men said, “This (the number present) is not nearly what it is in the morning.” He still managed a smile, but I knew his heart was hurting over the absent. He gave me the address of a schoolmate I hadn’t seen since school to write and encourage her to strengthen her commitment to God in the church.
About the same time a preacher’s wife said, “We would never have moved here, if we had known attendance would be so lopsided.” She was discouraged. She talked about the effect it was having on her son, presently one of Cary’s best friends.
Many would say, if asked, “No, I don’t come but one hour a week, but I would never do anything to discourage those who choose to. No, I wouldn’t like to come to Bible study, if I ever needed it, and find the doors shut.”
What if this congregation were composed of people just like you? Would it be an encouraging place? How do you encourage the church when you have chosen another priority?
“Coeur” (core) is French for “heart.” To “encourage” is to “give heart.” To “discourage” is to “take the heart out.” The hearts of our brothers and sisters are in your hands. What kind of surgeon do you intend to be…tonight? Do our hearts good. Come be with us.
-Lyle Gillis
May 21, 2009
You think it’s a virtue to go through life without disappointment? I suppose at one level it is quite alright – imperfect humans in an imperfect world tend toward that outcome. But what of yourself? What of your children? What of your church family? I suppose again that if you expect very little, you will not experience disappointment. It is not the most warm fuzzy feeling in the world, but it is a pretty good indicator of how high or low your expectations are.
Disappointment is unpleasant – but, without it, your expectations are proven to be those of complacency, not of growth and progress. If I don’t expect my pen to write, I will never be disappointed when it is dry. If I don’t expect my car to start, I won’t care if it doesn’t crank.
If I don’t expect to study, to assemble with the brethren, to share the reason for the hope within me – then “big deal” if I don’t! Shame on you if you are never disappointed in yourself – in your children – in the church! The lack of disappointment is the sign of indifference. Let us carry forth the process of expectation, disappointment, exhortation, and growth.
The expectation you have for yourself and for others is meant for growth and accountability, while the expectation to come is of a reality that we will one day, but not quite yet, catch up to. Therein I must clarify my opening premise. There is One in whom we will never be disappointed. In fact, the highest expectation that our meager minds can muster is barely approaching sea-level in the scope of the Everest of fulfillment of promises guaranteed to us.
In but One is there no disappointment - the One of whom our rejoicing will never cease – the One who will never let us down - the One who brings all that we critique, reprove, and reform within ourselves to perfection before God.
May 17, 2009
C. S. Lewis exhorts us, “Let us remember while we abide in grace what we would be without grace.” Paul poses the question, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Rom. 6:1, 2) Living a grace-filled life is such a marvelous reality, because that reality is the very thing that compels us to live no other way. It is that reality that teaches “us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12-13)
How is grace connected to contentment? True contentment cannot exist without it. When we “look for the appearing of our Lord,” every moment of this life is more and more clearly seen as but a waiting room for eternal life. This life is but the blink of an eye. The problem we face is that this “blink” seems to be in slow motion, and every day is a struggle to keep in mind that the door to the life to come will soon swing open. But until that door opens, we are not merely waiting. We are anticipating. We are on our toes. We are “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts.” We are “living soberly, righteously, and godly” right now, “in the present age!” We are living a life consumed by grace!
Therefore, contentment becomes the opposite of complacency. Everyone approaching God, by grace through faith, no matter their life circumstance, becomes a life through which God’s eternal will, His eternal workings, is carried forward. Paul was a man who lived a life of great struggle, both inward and outward. God said that His grace was sufficient for him, and that His strength was made perfect in the inward weakness of Paul. He said, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Phil. 4:13) is commonly quoted in the context of achieving great and insurmountable spiritual obstacles in the work of the Lord. But Paul isn’t talking about converting a city of people or surviving a shipwreck. He is addressing the outward struggle of being content, in whatever state he finds himself.
Where is contentment found? In the strength of Christ. Where is the strength of Christ found? In His grace. Contentment is not as much something that can be actively pursued as it is something that happens to you passively when the spiritual reality of grace intersects with your physical life.
May 10, 2009
The greatest understanding of what marriage is and should be is the relationship between God and His people, ultimately Christ and His church. Innocent man in the Garden of Eden is the closest to heaven that anyone in physical form has ever been. Think of it…innocence in the presence of God.
The fall of man in the garden was a separation, a violent ripping away from Him a part of Himself, the very object of His love. Though it would be impossible, how traumatic and totally devastating would it be to one day be in heaven with God and then torn away from Him? Yet, so many people choose the reality of such a separation (Isa. 59:2).
God loves His people; He was a husband to His people (Jer. 31:32). Through Hosea’s adulterous wife, He illustrated the heartbreaking reality of an unfaithful people separating themselves from Him. Paul relates the relationship of a husband to a wife as that of Christ to the church. Christ is the head, indivisible from the body (Eph. 5:23). Christ is the leader, motivated by a love to the death.
The separation between God and man and the separation between a husband and wife must both be viewed not as a simple dissolution of a business partnership, but as cutting a single body into pieces; a surgical operation which can only result in death. To believe that church is not for you is to say that your legs are overrated. Feeling like you don’t need to depend on God to sustain your life is like trying to breathe without lungs.
God did exactly what it took to reunite Himself with His bride. “God’s hands are not shortened that He cannot save.” (Isa. 59:1) He plunged His hands of mercy and grace deep within the realm of His justice and wrath until they became bloody…with the blood of Christ. The only way to get us back was to give Himself.
May 3, 2009
To one extent or another, we give all of the things we do in life a sufficient excuse for doing them. You may say, “No, no, no, there are things that I do that I know I shouldn’t do; and I do them out of weakness.” The reality is that you do them, which means that, even for a split second, your mind supplies a sufficient excuse to justify doing that thing. And isn’t the idea of “weakness” just another excuse? But it isn’t limited to bouts of weakness.
There are things that many people do on a regular basis, because they have rationalized their actions. Most of these actions consist of sins of habit and sins of omission. Really, how good is your excuse for missing bible class or the Sunday night assembly? How convinced are you that it’s alright to be occasionally unkind? What novel excuse will accompany your next alcoholic beverage? How justified will you be the next time a cuss word rolls off your tongue? What excuse is there for monopolizing your time so fully with the things of this world that you can’t spare a few moments of your day to meditate on the Word or bow your head in prayer to your Father above?
The world is full of excuses. Stop acting like the world!
In reality, your excuses fall on the ear of God like the incoherent babblings of an infant. What God wants to hear from you and see in you is a penitent heart that offers up to Him those things that are inexcusable. A contrite heart is a beautiful thing before our Maker, because, while the sin in our life is inexcusable, it is not unforgivable.
April 26, 2009
We will never see God with our human eyes. He is Spirit; He is invisible. (Jn. 4:24; Col. 1:15, 16; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:27) But people sometimes say, 'I just spent some time in nature and really got close to God; I really felt God; I saw God.' What does this mean? Is it an escape from civilization that makes an experience in nature seem spiritual? Or is the experience of nature in its pure form somehow enlightening, or even informative?
Paul clues us in a little when he says, 'For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, (even) His everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.' (Rom 1:20 ASV) God gave us the created world so that we could perceive His eternal power and His divine nature; two things that are invisible, yet seen through nature.
Suppose you were able to trade in your human eyes for spiritual eyes. What might you see? You would see the same thing that angels, demons, and God Himself sees. Ever realized that demons can perceive God more perfectly than we can? They literally see His eternal power, His divinity, His perfect love, and surely many other things that are reserved for us in eternity. Demons laugh at atheism, but are happy to perpetuate it! They are glad that we don't see God as they do, because it means we don't tremble as much as we should. (Jms. 2:19)
But we have physical eyes -enter Christ incarnate- the Spirit of God in a physical body. While we can see the power of God in nature, we can never come to actually know Him through nature. Only through His visible Son can the invisible Father be approached and fully seen. So many people look for God where they will never find Him, while Christ is in plain view.
April 19, 2009
Jesus is called the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). Why would this be an eternal reality before the creation of the world? God is love, and a perfect love at that! (1 Jn. 4:8, 16) Perfect love requires an object to be loved. A common worldly question is, “What is the meaning of life?” or “What is our purpose here?” We are here as the object of God’s eternal, perfect love. We are not a peripheral thought in the back of God’s mind; we are at the center of His love.
But this is where choice comes into play. God created us as free, able to choose any morality that we want. He pleads with us to respond to His love with our own love. Some call this “free moral agency.” The brief, vanishing moment that we call life is our opportunity to fulfill our purpose, showing our love to God. We are free to succeed or to fail at our purpose here.
Jesus is also called “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6) As we endeavor to fulfill our purpose for living, Christ is ready to saturate our life with the blessings that only He offers.
Is He your Wonderful Savior? Is it Christ that you seek to be your Counselor? Is He your Mighty God, sovereign in your life? Has He ushered you into the presence of the Everlasting Father? Has He become the author of your eternal salvation, becoming your Prince of Peace…a peace that the world around you doesn’t comprehend? It was purposed in eternity for Christ to be the “lamb slain.” But it wasn’t until he was born, lived, died, and was resurrected that He could be all of these things for us.
Our purpose and Christ’s purpose were entangled together in eternity. His was to die for us. Ours is to live for Him.
Never question your purpose in life. Christ never questioned His.
April 12, 2009
In Matthew 3 and Luke 3, John the immerser tells the Pharisees and the Sadducees to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” These religious leaders of the day claimed that Abraham was their father. This claim of identity had no basis in spiritual reality, only genetic actuality. It was as if their physical heritage had become a license for infallibility. With a strong rebuke, John made it crystal clear that name meant nothing and substance meant everything.
A good friend of mine recently asked me to email her some of my lessons and articles. Before I would send them, I would open them to make sure they were what I thought they were and that they were worth sending. I’ve been studying for a particular lesson that I haven’t completed yet and found a document with the title of that lesson. So I opened it to find nothing there. There was a title to the lesson, but no lesson. Why would I save a document under a particular title that doesn’t exist? Then I realized that everything I had was handwritten, not typed. Content means everything.
No matter what we call ourselves, our heart is our content. No matter what title we give ourselves, our actions define us. No matter what label we attach to ourselves, the label that others attach to us, our reputation, is spelled out by the fruit we produce (Matt. 7:20). How does the content of your life identify you?
I have a few thousand books in my library. What if all of my books were written in gibberish? They wouldn’t be blank, but they still wouldn’t contain anything of value. When falsehood wears the outfit of incoherence, it becomes easy to spot. But what if every word of every page of every book in my library came with the claim of truth, but were only cleverly and persuasively written lies? Would I know truth well enough to disregard their content? What if every page on every book were blank? Would it make any difference that the spine of each book had a title? They would be good for little more than starting a fire.
“Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt 3:10b) When the cover is opened on the book of your life, does the title prove to be a lie?
April 5, 2009
We’ve all heard nightmarish stories about what the IRS can do to our lives. In the past few weeks I’ve had to talk to the IRS about a few issues. With hesitation and nervousness, I’ve found myself making lists of notes and reviewing the issues I wanted to discuss, before I would call. Apprehensively I would call them…..to find a monster who wanted to ruin my life on the other end of the line? No! I found a person….a person just like me….a person who has good days and bad days….a person who sleeps in a bed and wakes up to face life, not a person who sleeps in a monster cave and wakes up to feast on tax payers.
They are just normal people, who just happen to be working a government job and have the same worries and fears that each of us face. My experiences have been just the opposite of my folklore-based expectations. These people were pleasant, courteous, accommodating, and helpful, to say the least. In a couple of instances I found myself laughing with them and joking around!
We don’t have a choice of whether or not we pay taxes. Out of necessity, I called them. Their conduct toward me defused my fears and facilitated a mutually beneficial experience. Of all people, IRS agents are one of the premiere groups of people that we think we have sufficient reason to fear. But alas, they are just normal folks. Why then do we as Christians fear the people of the world who don’t have a pre-attached reason to be afraid of them? Why do we equate evangelism with battling a monster?
The truth is that we are all the same. The truth is that we all need the same thing. The truth is that they are just as scared of us as we are of them. The fear is in the unknown….we don’t know them. But that sort of fear, based on that kind of unknown, is irrelevant. There are many things that we don’t know, but the things that we already know as truth are all that we need to know. Here is truth, “Your sins have separated you from God” (Isa. 59:2a). Here is where we fit into truth, “…He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
Regardless of who you encounter, you know all that you need to know to be confident, not fearful. Do you think that people will perceive you as a fanatic, or will they encounter, for likely the first time in their life, a person looking at them face to face that genuinely loves them and acts on that love? You know all that you need to know, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
Where then is our fear? It is in the Lord. It is a fear based in His power and His life-preserving love. “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” (2 Cor. 5:11)
March 29,2009
Paul admonished the Corinthians, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:3) A diligent Christian can easily spot an overt temptation, and the Liar knows this very well and adapts. When we think of our “adversary the devil walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), do we realize that his method for “devouring” may sometimes include “transforming into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14)? Satan has a million metric tons of figurative seed that he is scattering into the soil, the consciousness of our minds. Our Adversary, in his genius, plants what appear to be tiny, seemingly harmless seeds of apathy posing as “good judgment,” seeds of selfishness posturing as “the best ideas,” seeds of pride positioned as piety, and seeds of discord disguised as discretion. How many of us have buried our talent, because we share the “discretion” of the unprofitable servant of Matthew 25?
Quite simply, a casual glance at the account of the first sin reveals no complexity to the one law set forth by God. What is found are seeds of lies, sown by the Enemy, that clouded simple truth. So, many bring so much complexity as a justification for hesitating in the midst of uncomplicated truth. Isaiah said “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And clever in their own sight!” (Isa. 5:20, 21)
F. F. Bruce wrote about “the hard sayings of Jesus,” such as that of “loving your enemies” and “turning the other cheek.” “Simple” doesn’t necessarily mean “easy,” within the bounds of our human impulses, just easily understood. “You almost persuade me to be a Christian,” was Agrippa’s declaration to Paul, marking his lack of response to a truth believed. (Ac. 26:28) Evidence is abundant. Truth is plain. Response to truth is scarce. The gratification of the flesh nourishes the seeds of the evil one, which grow into a doubt filled death.
Jesus assured us, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) He said this, understanding that He and the Holy Spirit, through the apostles and inspired writers, would impart said truth. It would not be left to the “intellectuals” of the ages. Truth is conceived in the Divine mind and imparted to the finite mind. Paul said, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (1 Cor 3:19)
If the basics of God’s word were acknowledged and believed, most “deep” questions would have no basis to grow into confused assertions. Many problems could be avoided if we would simply accept what God says at face value and stop trying to improve His principles with our “intellectual amendments.” “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Cor. 1:18-20)
March 22, 2009
Unless you’ve been in a cave, you’ve heard of all the “bailouts.” Trillions (that’s a 1 followed by twelve zeros) of dollars have been given out by our government to bailout industries ranging from airlines to car manufacturers to financial institutions, since the turn of the century alone, with still more on the horizon. I’m no economist, but isn’t capitalism based upon competition, which implies financial winners and losers? America has become the economic engine of the world through innovation, perseverance, and personal responsibility.
Competition has always been the key to the production of better goods and services. When the possibilities of winning and losing are a reality, personal responsibility becomes a self-imposed virtue. When the option to fail is removed, personal responsibility vanishes with it. The government is becoming everyone’s “rich uncle,” abdicating us from accountability. The “bailout” mentality is the perfect way to teach the masses that they aren’t really going to reap what they sow…..a direct contradiction to a divine principle. (Gal. 5:7)
There are many within the church that view the grace of God as some kind of unconditional safety net. It is as if God will allow consistent, irresponsible behavior to produce the failures of life, and then jump in to save the day! This only teaches that bad behavior will be rewarded! This is the teaching that most people in the religious world try to attach to grace. Paul described the grace of God as an instructor, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” (Titus 2:11-13)
John describes it as “walking in the light.” (1 Jn. 1:7) “Walking in the light” is not something that God does for you. God is the source of the light and the blood of Christ that continually cleanses you. It is an individual’s decision to actually walk in that light. Everyone has sin and is imperfect. It is the decision to conduct oneself in a consistent, responsible behavior that God expects. James described it as “showing your faith by your works.” (Jms. 2:18)
Jesus has given us a perfect example, in that His actions to humble Himself as a servant and die for our sins are self-imposed responsibilities. In John 13, Jesus demonstrated that one must master his own duty, before he can ever be a fit servant of others. In Gal. 5:1-5, Paul says that we are supposed to bear one another’s burdens and then turns right around and says that each one shall bear his own load. Does he contradict himself? No. He knew that there would always be those who are on the journey to where you are.
Are you pulling others down, are you being lifted up, or are you lifting others to where you are? Who’s being responsible for you?…….you?
March 15, 2009
God defeated Satan once and for all at the cross. As was seen in Job, Satan’s war with God finds its battleground in the lives and hearts of men. This world and its components are Satan’s arsenal against God, as he snatches souls away from the cross through temptation and sin.
With love as the prime motivator, God planted us here with one purpose, to respond to His love by choice. Do were understand that the “choice” is that battleground? C. S. Lewis said, “Our leisure, even our play, is a matter of serious concern. There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” Paul said, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph. 5:15-17) On a similar note he wrote, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Col. 4:5-6)
While the Lord is outside of time (Heb. 13:8; 2 Pet. 3:8), he has given us time. It is in time that we can redeem the physical elements that would otherwise be left to the purposes of Satan.
Did you invite your cashier to Bible study? If not, Satan claimed that moment in time. Did you study the Word, when you could have watched television all day? If not, Satan will never give back those wasted hours. Did you respond to someone’s backhanded comment with humility and love? If not, Satan’s battle plan prevailed. When you thought of someone who has been a thorn in your side, did you pray for them? If not, Satan rejoiced. Are you claiming victories in the spiritual warfare in your midst? Any time that we don’t claim for God is lost to Satan forever. Are you redeeming the time?
March 8, 2009
My father wrote this a few months before his death. It epitomizes the futility he saw in the “important” things of this life. - Cary
Jesus taught us not to have persistent and anxious thoughts about our everyday needs. He did teach us to pray for those needs and trust the Father. This frees up our minds to hunger and thirst after the really necessary things. What are your thoughts? For what is your thirst? Ever changed your clothes because they didn't look just so? Ever changed your attitude before you paraded it before the watching world? Ever pulled off the road to eat? Ever stopped to read or pray and fill that spiritual hunger?
Ever got upset because something got spilled on your suit? Ever got upset because something stained your reputation?
When was the last time you asked for a recipe? When was the last time you asked someone for advice on how to be a better Christian?
Do you tuck in tags, pluck off lint and wipe mud from your shoes? Do you simply refuse to excuse the imperfections of your character? Ever get upset, cranky, and weak because you missed a meal or two or three? Does it bother you at all to miss Bible study?
Would you let your children go out with their underwear on the outside? Would you let them go out with their priorities out of order? Do you see a commercial about food, drink, or designer jeans and say, "I've gotta have it!"? Are you made aware of God's will and say, "This thing I must do."?
- Lyle Gillis
