I know not what others may say, but as for me, you take the sundials and give me the sun.” –Eugene Manlove Rhodes (Paso Por Aqui)
“Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.” –Genesis 13:11-12 (NIV)
When I used to teach Bible in our school I would always pray that the Lord would give me three words to pass on to the class throughout the year. Actually two words, for every year one of them would be HONOR. The concepts behind these words would be emphasized throughout the year. So I have often pondered this idea.
Just this past week I thought about it some more and I think I have come up with three words, or concepts that are paramount to living the Christian life. What I have come up with is Sacrifice–Obedience–Following. What I mean by Following is that it is important to recognize that we need to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit; that He has laid down a path for us to follow. Perhaps that is close to Obedience, but not necessarily the same.
After we have these in place it is easy to add other traits such as knowledge, wisdom, courage, honor, dedication, and numerous others. If we could get down these three, the others would fall into their proper order.
————————
These has been one of those weeks where the Lord reminded me of how good He is. He did this by showing me the friends in my life. On Sunday we had the opportunity to eat dinner with our pastor and his wife. That is always good company. Also on Sunday we saw some good folk that we haven’t seen for a while. They came to me with tears and said, “We didn’t know if we would ever see you again.” Then Wednesday morning I had breakfast with “old” friends. Yessiree, old in the terms of years and old in the term of length of friendship. I mean, one of these guys is actually older than me. Then last evening we ate supper with some new friends.
Now I’m not a fellowship-ridden guy. It is not something I crave, but it is good to know that there are those you can ride the river with. They are not blood-family, but really they are the true meaning of friends. Many people say that so-and-so is their friend, but in actuality they are just strong acquaintances.
So the Lord reminded me that He has placed friends in my life to make the journey more enjoyable, more hospitable, and more pleasant. Even in hard times and storms, friends can bring a sense of assurance to your life and once in a while a smile.
————————
“Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called ‘walking’.” –George W. Bush
There is a vast difference between cockiness and confidence. It is really not hard to detect if a person knows what to look for because people produce attitude. I had a student ask me a year ago if I had “swag.” My response to him was, “You tell me.” Being confident is not being boastful, but it is making sure the job gets done.
————————
“Just ’cause trouble comes visiting doesn’t mean you have to offer it a place to sit down.”
“Treat a woman like a racehorse, and she’ll never be a nag.”
“Don’t let your yearnings get ahead of your earnings.”