ReMarcks

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB) 
^“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Three important things in encouraging others are: prodding, praising and patience.

Watch a parent trying to get his  little child to take the first steps.  The parent will say something like, “Come to Daddy;” or “You can do it;” as they hold them up and point them in the right direction. When the child takes a step (or just keeps his balance and stands),  the parent explodes with praise.  Finally, the parent must display patience as the child may take several attempts before being able to walk.

Remember to apply those same principles in encouraging others…prodding, praising and patience.

Psalms 42:1 (NIV) 
^” As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”

For over ten years I’ve had two water coolers within a few steps of my office. However, I seldom drink from them. (I have been known to drink a Dr. Pepper now and then.) I guess the water is just too handy, I’m not that thirsty or I don’t think about it much.

When I’ve finished my work-out or worked hard in the yard, I run to the nearest water – cold or not.

Sometimes we live so close to God that we are not aware of our need of Him. May we be like the deer that knows it’s in great need of water.  The more we get out into the world to do God’s work, the more we will crave a drink from Him.

James 1:17 (NIV)
^“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

We know that Jesus did his first miraculous sign at a wedding in Cana of Galilee where he turned water into wine. The master of the banquet said to the bridegroom: “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now” (John 2:10).  Like a many of us, the master was giving the credit to the wrong one. Jesus was the source of the best wine. It wasn’t that God saves the best until last – it’s that we often wait until all other resources are exhausted before we come to Him for help.

The truth is that whatever God gives, it is the best. Whether it’s wine at a wedding, water for thirsty Israelites in a wilderness or living water for all who come unto Him through Jesus.

When questions arise like:  “Who gives what is best?”  “Who gets the credit or who should we thank ?” ” Who should we trust in the first place?”  The answer is simply: “God.”

Ephesians 5:17 (NASB) 
^” So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

The pastor was visiting Mrs. Jones in the nursing home when he noticed a jar of nuts…his favorite. Without asking permission, he started eating some. Before he had left the room, he had eaten quite a few. Feeling bad about eating the ailing and aged Mrs. Jones’ peanuts, as he was leaving he apologized.

“Preacher,” she said, “don’t worry one minute about that. I can’t eat them anyway without my teeth. I can only just suck the chocolate off.”

Accepting what the world has to offer is like eating someone’s left-over peanuts. God has so much more in store for us. When we seek His will and do it, life is far better. God always gives us His best.

Graduates, don’t settle for less than God’s best. The rest is just left-over peanuts.

John 13:17 (KJV) 
^“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

A few area restaurants have what they call a happy hour, a time when you can buy drinks at half price. Indeed, this does makes some people happy … either the drinks do or the price does.

Jesus tells us that we can have not only a happy hour, but we can have a happy day, a happy life. Happiness comes in doing the will of God. Ordering your favorite drink and being told you will have to pay full price because you missed happy hour by five minutes can be disconcerting. Merely knowing the will of God can be a source of unhappiness because of guilt, frustration or resentment. Implementation, not acquisition, brings happiness. Let’s extend happy hour.

John 14:2 (NASB) 
“”In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”
A recent trick-or-treater asked, “Is this house haunted?”  My answer (“Only if I’m a ghost.”) didn’t seem to be a satisfactory answer.  However, I did give the child a note that stated that God’s house is not haunted. Instead it is filled with light, life, love and laughter. It’s a place that we all want to call “home.”

Proverbs 26:11 (NIV) 
^“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”

 After  an hour being lost driving in the country, John said to his wife, “The bad news is we’re going in circles; the good news is we’re making good time.”  In life we often repeat our mistakes because we (Alice in Wonderland) asked the Cheshire Cat which road to take, he asked, “Where are you going?” Alice said she didn’t know. Smiling the cat replied, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Even if you are traveling down the interstate, you’ll get lost on the cloverleaf if you don’t know where you are going.

Repentance is making a change in the direction you are going. Only the foolish keep traveling  the wrong road trying to get to the right place. Peter echoes this thought:  ^“Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.'” (2 Peter 2:22, NIV).

    This morning I got up early; I was going to the “See You At the Pole” rally at the high school. Thinking it might be chilly (it wasn’t), I put on a long-sleeved cotton shirt, my cotton jeans and my cotton socks.

    By mid-morning my nose was running and head was all stopped up and couldn’t hear thunder. A little after noon, I decided I needed to fight this influenza with food. So I went to a local diner for a burger and some fries.

    I’m eating my lunch and my nose is running so bad that my hamburger bun is getting soggy. A waitress is cleaning up the table to my left and three farmers are finishing up their lunch at the table to my right.

    Farmer #1: (Apparently speaking to me.) “Are you cold?”

    Me: “No, I wore this long-sleeve shirt because I thought it might be chilly today.”

    Farmer #2: “Do your feet smell?”

    Me: (I’ve heard this joke before…if your nose runs and your feet smell, you’re built upside down.) “I don’t know ‘cause I can’t get my head that low and couldn’t tell anyway because my head is stopped up.”

    Farmer #3: “You’re being defoliated because of all the cotton you’re wearing.”

    Me: “I find that hard to believe.”

    The three friends of Job (farmers) leave. The waitress comes to my table.

    Waitress: ” I think you misheard those gentlemen.”

    Me: “How’s that? What did they say?”

    Waitress: “Well, the first farmer asked, ‘Do you have a cold?’ The second one, looking at their own dirty farming clothes, asked, ‘Do we smell?’ The third farmer just said, ‘It must be the defoliant we farmers are all spraying on the cotton plants.’”

    So much for being a city boy in the country.

    My nose is still running.

Matthew 11:15 (NASB)  “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.How’s your hearing when God speaks to you?

How’s your hearing when God speaks?

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)
^“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

In 1947 some  earthen jars were found in caves just east of Jerusalem. They had some immediate value.  After all, even though they were made only of clay, they were thousands of year old and were uniquely made from clay of that region. At first their contents seemed worthless in comparison. One jar’s contents were being considered to be sold for under $30. Today, those contents are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and are valued in the millions of dollars, if not priceless. The Scrolls are no doubt the greatest manuscript discovery of modern time.  Some of these manuscripts (copies of Old Testament books) predate the oldest,  previously known manuscripts by 1,000 years.

Similarly, as the unique children of God we have much value. But that value pales in comparison to the value of our contents – the indwelling Spirit of God. This is to His glory.

PRAYER

FREE PRAYER APP.   (a satire)   

Please, read disclaimer at the end.  

 Ever feel the need to pray, but didn’t have the time? Or didn’t know how to pray? Or didn’t know what to say? Those days are over. With this new app all you do is press the icon and it automatically sends up a carefully worded prayer. You can select from 2,065 pre-recorded prayers covering most conceivable prayer needs. Each can be edited to make them more personable. (A “shuffle” option is available in the $.99 version.)  For those adventurous individuals, there is an option to word and record your own prayer. For each prayer one may choose a female or male voice or choose the mechanical voice. You can set the prayer to occur once or on a schedule or continuously repeated (which will deplete you battery rather quickly). This way, Paul’s admonishment to “pray without ceasing,” can become a reality for you.     

So avoid that time-consuming religious activity and get your own “Prayer App” today.     

Disclaimer:  PRAYER APP does not guarantee  any response and is not responsible for any consequences. This app is free but is not available anywhere…sorry, you’ll need to do your own praying.