What's Common To You?

Almost everyday we encounter things, people, items, products, signs, and stores that have become common place to us. The wonder of those things are no longer visible or important to us. If you traveled to see the Grand Canyon it would be amazing, wonderful, awesome, glorious. However, I wonder how the tour guide feels about it? He or She has only seen the Grand Canyon every day for the past "X" number of years, and the wonder of it has begun to wear off.

I recently heard a story about a man who was traveling by train a number of years ago. He sat across from another gentleman who was looking out the car window, and wondering at the sights which the train passed. They were traveling across the midwest of the United States, and as they would pass hills, trees, towns, rocks and any other everyday sight the man who was looking out the window would exclaim, "Wonderful," "Amazing," "Wow," and many other expletives. Finally, after a few hours of listening to this the other man asked the man looking out the window, "Sir, what is it that is so interesting, we are just crossing the mid-west and those are just trees, hills, towns and so on. What is so amazing about that?" The gentleman who had been looking out the window explained, "Sir, Last week I was blind and could not see. I have recently seen a doctor who was able to fix my sight, and now I can see everything that I haven't been able to see in years." With this new information our questioning man began to realize that our gazing friend was right. Those things which we take for granted everyday are really, awesome, wonderful, amazing, and wow!

Family
When you see your family everyday do you take them for granted? You may automatically say no of course not? But, let me ask you a couple questions that might stimulate your mind.

• Do you feel upset when you come home and dinner isn't ready?
• Do your children tend to annoy you by asking seemingly endless questions?
• Do you feel put out when your laundry isn't ready when you think it should be?
• Do you put your children, wife, or husband off when they ask to spend time with you? (You may think that there is always later, and you are just too busy right now.)
  
• Do you listen to your children, wife or husband when they talk to you? (Do you actually hear them?)
• How often do you eat meals together as a family?
• How often do you help your wife clean up around the house?
• Do you spend time with you children at their level everyday?
• Do you spend time with your wife everyday at her level?

If you can't answer yes or put a time on each of these questions, then you like myself are probably getting a little to common with your family. Family is everything! Don't waste it! Money and work are important, but they are not too important to loose your family too! Don't wait until you come home to an empty house to realize that your priorities were all wrong!

There are times when I take my family for granted, and just expect things to happen. All the really happens then is I get upset with some or all of my family. Then I wake up and realize my mistake and have to apologize for my stupidity.

Your family may not always be there. One night while you're at work late your house could burn down on your precious wife and children. What then? What will you have to remember them by? What memories do you have of playing cowboys and Indians with your children. What memories do you have of going out for that late night coffee with your wife? If you spend your time away from home if home goes you will be left with nothing!

Once you begin to take a close look at your life you will begin to realize that there are many things that have lost their wonder to you. Many things are just common and no big deal. I encourage you to wake up and smell the flowers in the garden. Realize the beauty and wonder of everything that is around you!

Learning from their mistakes

In studying for the Home Bible Study I teach weekly, another one of God's purposes has become very clear. It is so very important, yet we often neglect it because of our own stubborn natures. "Pride comes before a fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction." This is a quote from the wisdom of king Solomon, and is the reason we miss out on many of the simple straight forward truths of the Word of God.

Our study this week was a survey of Israel's entering Canaan, conquering it and dividing the inheritance. We ended with the reign of the first three kings Saul, David and Solomon. However, before we can get to any of the above events we must first study Moses' last sermon. Parts of which are in Deuteronomy 28 and 30.

Moses gives a blessing and a cursing upon Israel. A blessing for obedience to the commands and laws of God, and a cursing for the disobedience of those commands and laws. He presented life and good, death and destruction. It was up to Israel to choose which path to take.

Moses died, and Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, divided and conquered the land of Canaan.

The Bible tells us in Judges that Israel served God throughout the life of Joshua, and throughout the lives of the elders who out lived Joshua, but soon after the final elder died, they left God's ways and followed the pagan, unholy ways of the peoples around them. Israel looked around and saw the ways of the people they were living among, and began to serve their gods.

Guess what happened? Exactly what Moses told them would happen! The Bible tells us that God punished them until they were sore distressed, and cried out to God. And as Moses said, when they cried out to God for help, He gave them a judge to deliver them. This happened 16 times until the time of Samuel. After whose time Israel asked for a king, which is another message altogether.

1 Corinthians 10:5-12 tells us that we must learn from their mistakes so that we don't fall in the same way!

Here is the moral to the story.

1. Follow, Trust and Obedience brings life, health and prosperity.
2. Neglect, Doubt and Disobedience brings death, sickness and poverty.

People often wonder why they are going through the circumstances they face, and the simple answer my be that God is trying to bring them to repentance for the sin and evil in their life! Don't blame the devil for every bad thing that happens. Instead, repent of your sins and turn to God, and He will prosper your path!

Yours for following the ways of God,
Pastor Fred

You Can't Hide YOUR Mistakes!

Have you ever made a mistake, whether small or large, which you tried to cover up? Of course you have! We've all done that at some point in time. Adam and Eve humanities parents did it so what hope do we have!?

Anyway, I made a mistake while working at the print shop a couple months ago. It was a "big" mistake! If you read my post from yesterday, you'll know I had a great day which included church bulletins, however, the last order of bulletins I destroyed! (just to be honest and plain!) Anyway I forgot to set them up properly, and printed them. I only figured out I'd done it wrong while I was cutting them down. Anyway I worked really hard to make them look like they were the right size, but many of them were about an inch small both length and width wise! I hoped and prayed my boss wouldn't notice!

That night she was in the shop doing some work after hours, and decided to see if I'd done a good job, well she took one look at the bulletins and knew they were too small. (After 20 years of experience her eye is pretty good!) To make a long story shorter, we had to redo all the bulletins, and didn't hardly make a penny on the job! (By The Way: I do know what I'm doing now!)

So, the moral of the story is, it doesn't matter how hard you try you can't hide your mistakes for ever! You may keep something hidden for awhile, but somewhere alone the line your mistakes will be found out!

Yours for honesty
Pastor Fred