A man needs regular chores and a regular time to do them. Otherwise he loses the order of his life.”
–Elmer Kelton (The Man Who Rode Midnight)
“But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.”
–1 Corinthians 14:40 (NLT)
————————
Pot-Pourri for Pondering on a Friday:
Let me give you a few things to ponder this morning. I know it’s Friday, but that’s no reason not to keep the brain working and the soul searching. You can relax a bit tomorrow and on Sunday.
Heard a good sermon last Sunday. There was one item I thought interesting. When the children of Israel left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea that was a type of salvation. No longer were they in bondage. To put it in church terms, they were now “saved.” The crossing of the Jordan symbolized the infilling of the Holy Spirit. However, there were two and a half tribes that did not cross Jordan (Gad, Reuben, Manasseh). They wanted to stay on the other side.
There was an issue. They were told that they would have to at least be involved in the fight that would take place in the Promised Land; remember, there were giants in the land. Those who crossed Jordan symbolizes those that go into the fight having been baptized in the Holy Spirit, the others would have to fight, but they were not filled.
Ponder that!
———————–
Here’s something good from Rick Renner. He is a minister who is an expert in Greek. We all know that we should continually search and examine ourselves. We should also realize that we are responsible to grow in the Spirit. It does not just happen, there must be growth.
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves…”
–2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
The word “examine” means an “intense examination.” Here are some questions to ask yourself in the midst of examining yourself.
1) What do you give to God financially? Do you tithe? Do you give to missions? What type of attitude do you have in your giving?
2) What do you do with your time? I was thinking if people would pray as much as they spend time on their phone there may be a revival sweep the land.
3) What do you do to serve others?
4) When you pray, what do you pray about? Do your prayers center around you?
5) What personal sacrifices do you make to serve the Lord? What comes first, your wants or the Kingdom?
6) What do your spending habits reveal about you? Do you overspend? Do you spend on things that are not needed? Does your spending reflect your love for the Lord?
7) What are you sacrificing to be obedient to God? Obedience is better than sacrifice, but they do go hand-in-hand.
8) What does your lifestyle reveal about your priorities? Church or a ball game on Sunday? Prayer time or phone time?
Ponder that!
————————–
Here is a story of the life of Bill Wallace who became a missionary to South China. When he arrived there was a war going on between warlords and the government of Chiang Kai-shek. Many missionaries fled, but Wallace remained at the hospital.
He survived those dangers only to face a greater one–the menace of the invading Japanese. He continued to stay performing surgeries in the midst of battle. Finally, in 1940 he came back to America on furlough. When he sought to return, he said, “When I was trying to decide what I should do with my life, I became convinced God wanted me to be a medical missionary. That decision took me to China. And that, along with the fact that I was extremely happy there, will take me back.” He returned on August 14, 1942.
Following the defeat of the Japanese there was another peril facing China and Wallace–the communists. He stayed performing his duties. In December of 1950, Communists soldiers came to arrest the best surgeon in China on espionage charges. “He was placed in a small cell where he preached to passersby from a tiny window. Brutal interrogations followed, and Wallace, wearing down, stuck verses of Scripture on the walls of his cell. When he died from the ordeal, the Communists tried to say he had hanged himself; but his body showed no signs of suicide. He was buried in a cheap wooden coffin in a bamboo-shaded cemetery. The inscription on his grave simply said: For to Me to Live Is Christ.” (Robert J. Morgan)
Ponder that!