Fire never dies till it has eaten away the substance of its own heart.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (The Feudists)

    “Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.  Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire…”
              –James 5:1-3 (NLT)
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What Haycox said is so true.  If man follows his own way it will sooner or later control him and consume him.  Look at the cause of people’s death; it often is the result of their lifestyle.  Just a couple of examples:  the smoker–lung cancer, the consumer of alchohol–destruction of liver.  With that in mind we should come to realize that God is in charge.  Ask yourself this one question:  what is the secret to your happiness?  Hmmmm, I’m sure there were various answers.
    One of the biggest cause of problems, anxieties, and depression come from the fact that we often choose roles for which we are not suited.  I like what Stephen Brown says, “Almost all frustration and anxiety come from a refusal to be what one is.  Frustration and anxiety are the result of playing a part other than the one you’ve been given.”
    First of all, man was created to glorify God.  Augustine said, “Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”  When man realizes and does this “there is a sense of rightness, a sense of rest, a sense of reality that doesn’t come from any other source.”  It is important to realize that you cannot glorify God and yourself at the same time.  “It is the desire ‘to be’ God rather than to ‘worship’ God that creates an almost unbearable tension in the Christian.” (Brown)  Meditate on the words of the Psalmist:

            “Whom have I in heaven but You?
             And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
             My flesh and my heart fail;
             But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
                        –Psalm 73:25-26 (NKJV)

    Second, it is time to realize that you are not God, and you will never be God.  Man will not and has never been autonomous no matter how much he desires to be so.  You are not self-made.  One of the worst songs from Frank Sinatra is “I Did It My Way”.  No!  Every life is controlled by a series of various unavoidable events, environments, and heriditary factors.  No matter what happens in your life, God is there, whether you are a believer or not.  He never relieves Himself of His responsibility.
    There is therefore, a choice.  You can get angry that you are not in control or you can submit to a sovereign God.  We get caught in the thinking of “I have my rights!”  No!  Everything is God’s.  There is a false belief that we have a right to everything good in the world.  It is a shock to man to know that God really doesn’t need me, and He doesn’t need you.  This hurts our ego for we have a great desire to be needed.  Read Ecclesiastes, when we die, nothing is changed.  God can run His universe without us.
    Ponder these final words from Stephen Brown.  

             “Because there is a sovereign God, we have only three choices:  We can ignore God, we can fight God, or we can submit to God.  To ignore Him is foolish, to fight Him is silly, and to submit to Him is exciting.”

The trouble with wandering that after a bit a man looks around and the horizons are still there.  There are nameless canyons and rivers still unknown to man.  But a mortal man is suddenly old.  The dream is there still, but rheumatism and weakening strength rob him of the chance to go further.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Over on the Dry Side)

    “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.”
              –Ecclesiastes 5:18 (NLT)
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Yep, it seems like the ol’ starter is starting harder.  I am reminded of a truck I often drove the summer I worked landscaping for Nuzum Nurseries in Boulder.  It was an old Ford and was back in the days where the starter was on the floor.  It was a temperamental truck and it was very hard to start unless it was parked on a hill.  Whenever I drove it I made sure I did that so then I could let it roll and clutch start it.  That was about the only way to get it going–let it roll first.
    Maybe that’s the way I am, roll me out of bed and pop the clutch and see if I start.  Then I might shuffle in my ol’ worn out moccasin houseshoes out to make the coffee.  I’ve heard that a sign of being old is when after you retire you wear out your first part of houseshoes.  Hmmm, well these barely hang on my feet.  What does that tell you?
    There are some things I still want to get done.  What’s the term they use now–bucket list?  The horizon is still out there and there are many places to see.  By the way, none of them are cities.  The ol’ rheumatize is sittin’ in, or something else that is contrary to the ol’ bones.  Sure don’t want to get caught out like the rancher in Waddie Mitchell’s poem.

         “Dad-gum the luck, this dad-burn truck has up and broken down
          A’way out here in no-wheresville at least ten miles from town,
          And I’ll have to hike, cuz it ain’t like I’m apt to hitch a ride
          This late at night, cuz folks that’s right are snuggled tight inside.”
                 –Waddie Mitchell

    Ever seem to just have bad luck?  Now don’t go blamin’ the devil; most of the time he didn’t do it.  Most of the time whatever happened was due to us, or simply life having its way.  Now, don’t get me wrong; the ol’ devil does try and tempt us at times, but mostly it is this world system that belongs to him that does it.
    But the devil sure doesn’t want you to get by in this life.  Remember that he wants to steal, not only your joy, but also your soul.  He’ll use anything to destroy what the Lord has given you.  Best advice for the day–don’t let him do it!
    Have a grand weekend, treat your mom kindly!

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.