Moving Out Of The Way

God was speaking to me the other day when we were driving to visit family near Fort Erie. It was so ammonise that I had to write it down. I have been known to forget some things in my declining years.

But there on the sign above the highway was a message that captivated my thoughts for more than a few more miles down the road. You know those big light signs that warn you about slow traffic ahead? Well, just after getting to St. Catherines, while driving in the slow lane, the sign read, "Move over out of the passing lane when not passing."

I have seen it before but in different ways. "Keep right except to pass". Interestingly enough, no one in the passing lane moved over. I noticed that as far as the eye could see, no one obeyed the sign. Really? Yes, it's true. There was lots of room to actually move over, but no, everyone ignored it. It is part of the highway traffic act, and no one is listening. No one obeys and no one, not one put their directional indicator on and moved to the right.

I've seen this before. I have seen directives before and no one listened and obeyed. I need to qualify that by saying it is not everyone, as there are indeed some who listen. You listen don't you? When God says, You shall not steal, what do you think? As I see it the Ten Commandments aren't suggestions, they are commands because God knows us and He knows what's best for all of us. He calls us to listen because He knows sin will cause us pain. Think of your Bible as our Highway Traffic Act. Open the pages and listen to what God has for us who follow Him.

But here is something else that came to mind. There are times that we sit in the passing lane and hold back those who want to go for it with God. We church people with our church language get in the way and slow down people who are all fired up about God and want to learn more and more. Remember when you first met Jesus? You were excited and going two hundred miles an hour and you couldn’t be held back. When new people find the Lord, get out of the way and let them sore with eagles. Did you like being on fire for Him? Then do it again!

Something to think about

Rob

Cleaning Up Our Lives

Many of us have the odd bit of stuff that gets into our computer and mess it up. We don’t really want them there. I realized this morning that my computer seemed to be a little slower than usual and I wondered? Could it be some part of the vast internet was trying to get on my computer? Then the three websites that I have going, were all down. What’s with that? And why would they try to hack a small player in the vastness of the internet where they are nothing but an inconvenience?

Thanks to our amazing son-in-law, and a cousin who installed Super Anti- junk program for times like these both issues are getting resolved. With the cleaning programs it was just a few clicks of the mouse and off it went, racing around within the laptop looking for demons that want to do nothing but cause me stress. Mind you, it took twenty five minutes to do its task. Before I had time to clear off my desk, it was done and it had found 1293 little varmints that need just one more click – gone, all of them.

Made me realize that we to have the same problem in our lives. We have demons in our lives and they infect our lives, our minds and our hearts. They take us from the tasks that God has given us and slow us down and even derail us. Jesus is that person who comes into our lives and hearts and He cleans up all the garbage, baggage, and sin that can, if left unchecked, shut us down and steal all the great things God wants for us.  And Jesus does it in an instant.

If life seems to be a burden and we are just puttering along, maybe it’s time to call on Jesus. He can come into our lives and make them new. We read about this cleaning up in 2 Corinthians 5:17”When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here!”

Give it a try! You have nothing to lose but those odd bits of stuff that mess up your lives, gain an eternity.

Something to think about

Rob

Jesus Doesn't Text

Let me say, I love my cellphone. Recently someone sent an email to me that included a video from youtube that had me smiling. Not many things get me laughing out loud, but this one was cute. Over and over again I watched as people walked along, while focused on their iphones and kept bumping into things. One fellow even walked right into a reflecting pool and got soaked which as an aside, meant his phone didn’t work anymore. I know that from watching my Blackberry going for a four second swim on its own.

At the same time I’m thinking that many people are losing their ability to have a normal conversation with someone whose face is a couple of feet from theirs. Did you know that many people today have anxiety attacks if they don’t have any incoming communications on their phones every ten minutes? It’s true. That is the world we live in.  

Now don’t get me wrong, I love having the ability to communicate where ever I am and whenever I want. It’s probably one of the best reasons to have cell phones. Accident, boom, 911 instantly. Late  for an appointment, boom again, text.

But really, do we really need to be in constant contact? Here is the smile on my face. My phone gives me what I need. I get 50 minutes of air time for phone calls and I can even send out 50 text messages/mth. for a grand total of $15/mth. The best part, I seldom have to pay extra.  Sure, go ahead say it, “You’re old or cheap”.

My point is this, I still believe there is nothing better than an in your face conversation. Even if you still have one of  those antique land lines you can have amazing free long distance phone service. To be sure, nothing can be better than pressing 10 digets and talking. Another thing, you can't text near as fast as you can talk.

The best thing, as good as these cellphones are, we don’t need them to talk to God or His Son Jesus. He is always near, we just have to call out His name and He will be there. The line will never have a busy signal, no email address or phone number to input in your device. Just call out His name and start talking.

Something to think about.

Rob

Something To Get Back To.

Remember way back in your life when you used to do one thing that energized you, something that struck you in the heart. It was one of those activities that stirred you and got you excited.  You thought back then you could not get enough of it. Every chance you had you were engaged in it.

Many of us have those things we have done in the past that for one reason or another, slowly drifted off into our past life.  Oh, we all had reasons for leaving it in our past. Time, energy, commitment and even being too caught up in the fast lane of life.  Then again, something else pushed itself into our life and it got pushed out. Today, just the other day, now and then you remembered, you thought about how great it was then… and you asked will it be the same now.

That was all part of a slow disengaging of self from something that you loved dearly and you wouldn’t want to be disappointed if it’s not the same today. Asking yourself, will it have the same impact today as it did then. Maybe that is why our mind paralyzes us from getting back to what we had and bringing it into 2017.

Many don’t forget it quickly, it’s the odd day here and there and before you know it, you don’t go to church anymore. Oh, we have excuses but that is what they are, excuses. It is not that God left you, He is still there. You might even say, ‘but life is different now’, but my bible tells me that God ‘is the same yesterday today and forever.

All that you remember about your relationship to Him has never changed. He calls you by name and will hold you again, just open up your arms and let Him come in. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”

Something to think about

Rob