Grains of Sand

Pixabay Should I, or shouldn’t I? Have you ever had a thought pop into your head, a suggestion about something that might be interesting or valuable to do, and then wondered if it was just a thought that wasn’t worthy of being considered at all? We have lots of those—in the dead of winter a vacation in a warmer climate might come to mind, but practicality soon puts that to rest. Other ideas linger. You chew over them, working out the possibilities in your mind. Everything feels good. Everything feels possible, but you still aren’t sure whether your own desires have overruled the voice of the Spirit of God telling you to put this one to bed too. Many years ago, when I was considering what to do with my life, there were some measuring sticks that we had been advised to used when determining whether or not the Spirit of God was leading us in a specific direction. The first of these was the counsel of the Word of God. Certainly God never leads us to do something that defies the instruc...

Google Images Today’s post marks the 100th in this series through Matthew and John. I’m already thinking about what I will do next year! Advanced planning isn’t a bad thing. But it might be a little presumptuous since I have no idea what might happen tomorrow let alone where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing next year. Perhaps that is why John records these fascinating words in John 13:1: “ Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. ” John was writing this after the events. At the time of the Passover supper he, like all the others, didn’t really understand what was going to happen over the next few days of their lives. They may have had plans but I’d guess those plans didn’t include a crucifixion even though the Lord had announced it so many times. Later, looking back at what had happened, John could write what was in his Master’s mind: “ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was retur...

“ Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth ” —Proverbs 27:1, NIV. Of all the things that engage our minds about the future, planning ahead and worrying probably head the top of the list. We plan for family, for college, for vacation, for retirement, and for all points in between. Then we worry about everything we are planning for and about all the things that might screw up those plans. Some of us like to be prepared. And preparation is reasonable and biblical. Proverbs tells us, for example, that we are to learn from the ant and work hard to be prepared for tomorrow (Proverbs 6:6-11). Worrying is the activity we are not supposed to engage in (Matthew 6:25-34) because God promised to provide for those who follow Him. To worry is a vote of lack of confidence in God. The key word in today’s verse is “boast,” that excessive pride and self-satisfaction about our accomplishments that pushes God right out of the picture. With a nod to God, we begin...