Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Marque Messages

Every morning I drive by a church that has a message on it's marque that changes every week. The message that's there this week has actually been there for about 2 or three weeks. I was wondering if it was a mistake or if it's deliberate. Nonetheless, this morning as I drove by and read it, I began to really reflect on it.

The message said, "How good is your word with God?"

It made me think. We really want God to keep His Word with us, even though we should know that He is incapable of lying. But how good is your word with God? How many times have we presented God with an "if, then" statement? If you get me out of this ________, then I will/won't _______.

Not only that, but how good is your word to others??? Are we promise keepers or do we consistently have to modify our agreements? If you can't keep your word to a person that you can see with your natural eyes, how are you able to keep your word to a being that you MUST see with your spiritual eye?

Food for thought! Be blessed!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

3’s

My sisters tease me about my OCD tendencies or as a friend put it my “appropriately detailed” need to do things in 3’s. Ironically this weekend I received a message from God in the form of 3’s. I would admonish each and every person reading this to be present in every moment in your life. You never know when God is trying to get a message to you.

We hear preachers all the time state that we should be thankful that we were “clothed in our right mind.” Ironically, that is one of the many church clichés that I have a desire to address.
1. On yesterday I attended a funeral of a person who had succumbed to Alzheimer’s. As we all know the disease is a devastating condition. The minister made it a point that if we woke up without mistaking your foot for your hands, then you have something to be thankful about.
2. Less than 2 hours later, I ran into someone that I had not seen in years. During our conversation it became clear to me that the person was in an altered mental state. The person I had known years ago was not the same person I was having a conversation with. I was so affected by the encounter; I had to immediately give God glory for how He has kept me.
3. This morning at church, the minister gave a sermon about telling God “thank you.” He stressed that it did not matter how bad our lives get, we should always have a reason the give God thanks. Even for the simple things. He mentioned the fact that we wake up and know that toothpaste goes on a toothbrush and can actually perform that act is enough to tell God “thank you.”

I know these experiences may seem menial to some but it really is a message behind it. We tend to focus on all the problems that we face day to day. The truth of the matter is that we should be thankful that we are able to deal with the problems without losing our minds. You’ve heard the statement of the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” It would not be a popular statement if it did not have any meaning behind it. Some people actually snap after one situation that may not affect one person the same as it would another. Road rage is an example. If you cut me off, yes I will have a few choice words for you, but I am not going to follow you or pull a gun out and shoot your tires flat. But who’s to say the next person you cut off won’t go there???? You never know. If you don’t tell the people you love that you love them, who says that you will get the opportunity to do it again? Make the most of your life! Make the most of your experiences! Even the not so pleasant ones!

Change your perspective. Be thankful what you have right now. God will honor your praise faster than He will honor your pleas.

BE BLESSED!