Echoes From the Campfire

The philosophy of the range is to grin and bear it.”
              –William MacLeod Raine  (The Fighting Edge)

    “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”
              –2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)
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Mercy, July is practically over.  What did you do with the month?  What are you going to do tomorrow or in the month of August?  If God is in charge we can plan for the future; we can begin to dream about what He has for us.  We can rejoice, for though we can’t see tomorrow we know He is in charge.  It is important to understand what one believes about the future will determine must of what he does in the present.  
    Read Hebrews, chapter 11, starting with verse 13.  People were looking toward the future.  Here are a few thoughts about the future.
         1)  The Foundations for the Future.
                 God controls the future.  We think we can control it with our plans and designs.  Take heed, as James writes you may think you will do this or that, but it is God that decides.  If we could actually see our future we would try and control it.  Most likely we would not be able to sleep at night!  The key is to do the best with the future with the light you have today.
                 Not only does God control the future, He controls your future.  (i.e., Psalm 91:1-4; Mattehw 6:25-26)  God is not surprised by the future, nor is He confused.  He is already there waiting for us to show up.  The future doesn’t frighten Him; therefore, He is not surprised by our sins.  He has enough grace for today, and He will have enough for tomorrow.  One thing that we often do is try to control God with our prayers.  Prayers are not diagrams for God’s actions in the future.  He knows what He is doing.
                 Live today according to God’s will.  Don’t worry about the future for it will be bright.  Peter writes, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6, NKJV)  When is “due time”?  Somewhere in the future.
         2)  The Foundations for the Future have Meaning
                 Survival is not the only value for the future.  There is one appointment for which you’ll never be late and that is when God finally calls your name.  Death is a reality, but for the Christian it is just a transition.  There may be pain, but pain is not the ultimate liability; nothing is painful forever.  “A finale is not always the best song, but it is always the last.” (Calvin Miller)
                 Be careful of your goals and priorities.  Paul writes to Timothy,  “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV)  We need to be diligent in serving God today and plan that way for tomorrow.  Wanting the wrong things will end up tearing your soul into bits and pieces; little by little you will be destroyed.
         3)  The Foundation Allows for Us to Be People of Action.
                 Such powerful words come to us from 1 Corinthians 15:58.  Paul is exhorting us to action, today and tomorrow.  “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (NKJV)  Every action done for the Lord in His name will be vindicated.  Read the last few words of Revelation; let them sink deep into your heart.  Victory is ours, but it is still in the future, under His control.
    Let me close today with the words from Stephen Brown.  Much of what I have written the past several Mondays were from his book:  “If God Is In Charge”.
                       “We can tell the world:  God has started something in this world.  You may not like it; you may laugh at it; you may think it is insignificant–but you can’t stop it.  Some day God is going to close the last page in the history book, and the trumpet will sound.”
    Praise, rejoice, live in today and step into tomorrow with assurance that God is in charge!