Inspirations

As I was washing my coffee mug, I thought of the quote, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”  If you want to help others, you need to take time to recharge.   As I was thinking, I was reminded that you get out of the mug exactly what you put into the mug.  If I put coffee in the mug, guess what I will get out of the mug.   That’s right, coffee.   If I put dirt in the mug, I shouldn’t expect to find water.  It struck a chord with me that I need to be careful what I allow in my mug (life).   I will certainly get out of my life exactly what I put into it.  I can’t fill my life with negative thoughts, improper, sexually explicit movies, course jokes, anger, and the like and expect to get patience, love, joy, and peace.   It just won’t happen.   If I fill my life with the things of the world, my life will look like the world.  If I want my life to look like Christ, I need to let Christ fill my life, and fill my life the things of Christ.

                    We all know the story; Jesus has just fed more than five thousand people.   He sends the disciples ahead of him across the lake while he talked to his father.    While the disciples are in a boat in the middle of the lake, a wind violent comes up and the boat is taking a beating.   The disciples are fighting the wind and waves and suddenly, there is Jesus walking to them on the water.   Jesus speaks to the terrified disciples.    Impulsive Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on the water to Jesus.    While on the water, Peter suddenly has a reality check and remembers that people can’t walk on water.   Looking around at the wind and waves, he starts to sink.   Jesus reaches out and lifts him out of the water.   Then Jesus, says, “ You of little faith,” , “why did you doubt?”             I love this narrative, but I have often wondered at Jesus response to Peter. You of little faith,” , “why did you doubt?   This is not the only time that Jesus says

    And let us  run  with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1   When I read this verse, I am always reminded of a track and how each person is to  “stay in their lane”.    I have always thought of it as individual and personal.    Each of us  is responsible to do what God has set before us to do.   However, the other day I was  walking on a trail that was new to me.    This trail was longer, and there was paint on  some of the trees indicating the path.   Other paths intersected and they were different  colors.   As I was walking, I enjoyed looking for the color on the trees to let me know I  was still on the right path.    My mind came again to this verse and settled on the  words  marked out for us.    I was reminded that God is the one that marks out the way  that we should go.   As I journey through life, I can know I am on the right path.   God  has gone ahead of me and marked the path that I should be on.    As Christians we find  the markings in the Bib

  Lately, I’ve been praying that God would open doors for me to share my faith.    Sometimes this is hard for me.   I often feel inadequate, and I am afraid of  saying  the wrong thing.   Often, I miss opportunities to share my faith because I  am not ready to share my faith when the opportunity arises.   Last week I was  working in receiving when a vendor showed up.   I asked how he was doing, and  he said, “I’ve been better.”      I asked what was wrong and he replied, “Every  store I’ve been to, has had a problem checking in using the bar codes.   My first  thought was, well honey I don’t have time for that.”   Then, I bowed my head and  said a quick prayer asking God to let the bar code work.   He looked at me like I  had slipped a cog or something.    He handed me the invoice with the barcode  on  it. At this point, I was thinking, “I am going to look like a jerk if the bar code  doesn’t work.   I scanned the bar code, half afraid to look at the scanner to see  what happened.   I

  Love             I have been thinking about the phrase “God is love.”    It’s a phrase that almost anyone Christian or non-Christian is familiar.   Anyone and everyone can quote it.  We all understand that God is love.  I think that most of us would believe it to be true as well.  Right now, most of you are probably thinking, “Of course God is love”, that’s what he is and does and you would not be wrong.           Then my thoughts went in another direction.  Is it enough that God is love?  Initially, it must be enough.  God is always enough.  Yet, love is nothing if it is not reciprocal.  For the love of God to be effective, we must love him as well.  We need to return his love.            So, I guess my question to you is, do you love God?  Are you going to return his love?  

  Yesterday, my children and I went walking on a bike trail.    The weather was perfect.   Sunny, warm but not hot.   As we were walking, we started to talk about creation.   Creation itself always amazes me.     Can you imagine watching creation unfold at the word of the Almighty?   It would be   the most glorious and lovely thing to see.      As we were talking, I asked,  “What do you think would have happed if  God had created people first?”     They stopped  gave me a questioning look then my daughter said, “I suppose that we would have starved because there was no food.”     And we all had a laugh creating  other scenarios for what might  have happened if creation had happened in any other way.      Yet, the   fact is that creation itself demonstrates that God is a God of order.   Each day of creation built on   what had been done the day before.    It also reminds me that God wants our lives to be as orderly as possible. God planned creation before one word was spoken