Men will give up anything rather than what they want to believe.  And hate you for telling them there’s nothing to believe.  And even if you prove it to them, they’ll continue to believe, and hate you for proving them foolish.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Over on the Dry Side)

    “Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him.”
              –Proverbs 14:2 (NLT)
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A few weeks back we visited Washington on the Brazos.  There is a working farm there where the people work and do things in the “old” way.  I was able to talk quite a spell with the man of the farm and he said it was important to preserve “how to” get along in life:  smoking meats, cooking, sewing, raising animals, working the soil, etc.  He said it was important to pass on the legacy of the way of life.
    Our lives, especially our spiritual lives, must be ready and able to pass on a legacy.  What are you leaving your children and grandchildren, and I might add to the third and fourth generation?  Are you preparing them to get along in life, and will they tell stories of you to their grandchildren of how you did it?  
    There is that great declaration by Joshua, “but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”  That’s the way is should be.  His “house” would also serve the Lord.  But we seldom hear much about the following verses where the people said they would follow the Lord as well.  Joshua knows these people; he chides and warns them,

         “But Joshua said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.'”
                   –Joshua 24:19-20 (NKJV)

There are two things within these verses.  First of all, the legacy must be passed.  The children must be trained properly to serve the Lord.  They must be reared properly in the fear of the Lord.  However, even with the proper training, life choices must be made.  A good analogy is a relay race.  The runners are fast, they are trained to run–life is there, and they have been made ready for it.  The race begins, the team running is out in front, here comes the handoff–and they drop the baton.  The race is lost!  The teaching–the fear of the Lord–must be received by the next generation or they will be lost.  
    Joshua’s words came true as you follow Israel through the Book of Judges.  They went back to serving idols and living their own lives with little regard for the Lord.  A generation after Joshua and there was apostasy in the land.

Honor should mean more.  Sometimes I think people have gone crazy.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Utah Blaine)

    “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
              –Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)
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There was a time, many years ago, that we had a person attending our church over to eat and watch the Super Bowl.  (I used to watch it back then.) I never had such a miserable time.  He screamed, ranted and raved calling plays and telling them how they should play.  By the end of the game he couldn’t even speak; which I thought was fine.  These people are known as “armchair quarterbacks” and it doesn’t just have to be football.
    But I’m thinking that there are plenty of “armchair Christians” in the world.  They are like the “enthusiastic fan” who thinks they know everything, but never have actually gotten into the game.  They know the players and maybe even their stats, but don’t know the difference between an infield single and a fielder’s choice.  In reality, this fan, this person is an outsider.  He doesn’t participate in the hard work, sacrifice, joys and sorrows of the team.  No matter how involved he is in cheering, he really cannot enjoy much except to watch; that is his pleasure.
    Ask most Americans and they will say they are Christians.  Hmmm.  I like what I read from a Navy Chaplain, Don C. Alexander,  “‘What team am I on?  Am I really on God’s team?’  You may know a great deal more religious history and doctrine than the average person but still not be on the team.  Once a person identifies himself with Christ, he must either assume the full responsibility which the name bears or be guilty of blasphemy.  As a sports fan one would not think of approaching the manager of the team and announcing that he as a fan wanted a share of the honor because he knew the statistics and attended all the games.  Could you on an equally flimsy basis stand before Almighty God and claim a Christian reward?”
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Ponder This:  Never cut what you can untie.

It occurred to me how fast things can change in a person’s life.”
              –Lou Bradshaw (One Man Standing)

    “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
              –2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
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If God is in charge, why do people suffer; why do I suffer?  It is important for us to gain a proper perspective on this matter.  Bottom line–sometimes we suffer because we deserve it.  Sometimes we do stupid things and then have to pay the consequences.
    Look at pain for a minute.  Oh my, do my legs hurt this morning; sometimes the pain is tremendous.  Three years ago I had a severe pain in my chest and had to be taken to the emergency room–heart attack.  See in that situation, pain was good.
         1)  All pain is not bad.  Pain is a warning of danger.  It is part of God’s warning system.  Pain tells us that something is wrong.
         2)  Pain now can bring about a greater good.  I had the pain in my heart, so they could find the problem and relieve the pain and keep me alive.
         3)  Pain is a great teacher.  That is true if we have done something stupid.
         4)  Pain is sometimes the result of the Lord disciplining us.  When I was a kid my aunt would spank me with a thin belt.  I didn’t mind it on the backside, but she figured that out and would then target the back of my legs.  The Lord sometimes has to take a “spiritual belt” to us.  (Oh, that surely is not popular today.)
         5)  Our loving heavenly Father knows there are some things more important than living a life without hurt.  Think of Jacob.  Wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, his hip was injured and he would feel that pain the rest of his life, but with that experience his life was changed forever.  Righteousness is more important and drawing closer to God is more important than living a life without hurt.
    I’m not saying pain is joyful, and that we shouldn’t pray for healing, but we also need to look at the larger picture.  Ponder these Scriptures:

         “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
                      –Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV)

I was reading and found this illustration.  A father, upon the death of his son, became very bitter.  He shouted to the pastor, “Where was your God when my son was killed?”  The pastor replied, “He was in the same place He was when His own Son was killed.”  God feels and understands our pain.