“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”          ― John Lubbock

“Aren’t the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton… I could just lie here all day, and watch them drift by… If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud formations… What do you think you see, Linus?”
“Well, those clouds up there look like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean… That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor… And that group of clouds over there gives me the impression of the stoning of Stephen… I can see the apostle Paul standing there to one side…”
“Uh huh… That’s very good… What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?”
“Well, I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsie, but I changed my mind!”
   ― Charles M. Schulz

Ahhh, let me just lay here for a minute.  The grass is soft, not those rough blades of St. Augustine grass, but cool, soft grass, maybe bluegrass.  Just lie there and look up and watch the clouds move around.  No worries about fire ants either.  Just relax.  Ever do that?  Lie in the grass and look up at the clouds.  What is it that you see?  Horse, man’s face, sailing ship, what is it?  That was entertainment.  Hmmm, maybe better than having one’s face looking down all the time and in a “smart” phone.  (By the way, why do we need smart phones?  Are they for dummies?  Just asking.)
When we would play ball we would look at the clouds coming over the mountain.  If the clouds were dark and coming around the southside of Bear Mountain it was going to pour and we would probably get rained out.  Any place else we could probably get the game in.  Also, I personally liked to see the clouds in the sky when I played.  It was harder to judge a fly ball or pop up without clouds.  It was what we called a “high sky.”
Anyone who has spent much time outside looks at the clouds.  They can detect storms, the direction of the wind by watching the clouds.  David surely watched the clouds.  The thing is that he has that spiritual view as well as the physical.  He could see more than just rain.  In one of his psalms he states, “Sing to God!  Sing praises to His name.  Exalt Him who rides on the clouds–His name is Yahweh–and rejoice before Him.”  (Psalm 68:4, HCSB)
God rides on the clouds!  Have you seen Him?  I know I haven’t, but He is there.  I wonder if He rides the white horses that He will soon ride through the clouds to gather His people?  Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shot, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the CLOUDS to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord.” (4:16-17, HCSB, emphasis added)
Imagine that!  We will be riding through the skies on the clouds with the Lord.  John says it will be a sight when the Lord returns.  In Revelation he writes, “Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen.” (1:7, HCSB)  The clouds must be important, for even Jesus mentioned them when speaking of His return.  “’You have said it,’ Jesus told him. ‘But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”  (Matthew 26:64, HCSB)
Hopefully, when we look up and see a cloud, no matter the size, we will not just think of the weather, but will think of that Blessed Hope of the return of Jesus.

Oh my legs ache, and I’m so tired.  Can’t quit, can’t quit, not now–keep going.  The air is thin, I can hardly breathe, but with each step I’m getting higher; closer to the summit.  Won’t quit, won’t turn back, going forward–I’ll make it with the help of the Lord.  I wonder if these were some of the thoughts when Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote his great song, “Higher Ground”?

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.'”

Sometimes this old world can weary us; work on the mind and soul and get up down.  There are troubles, fears and many are dismayed about the future of the country and the world.  Then look upward to higher ground.  No, this is not escapism.  On the contrary this is reality.  Our goal is always to move toward higher ground.

“My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Tho’ some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.”

I’ve often said I want to go up to the High Lonesome to get away from the evils and problems that are around me.  That is escapism.  But in reality we should want to live above the world, especially since we are not of it.  It is not a particular place, but a particular state of mind produced by the Holy Spirit.  When we have that Spirit taking us above the world in which we live, then we can handle whatever is thrown at us by the devil.

“I want to live above the world,
Tho’ Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught they joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.”

Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of the glory from heaven.  Because of that one, short glimpse they wanted to stay on the mountain.  Most of us do not realize, unless you have tried, that climbing a mountain takes stamina and endurance.  The higher the altitude, the harder the body must work.  Put that in the spiritual world of climbing a mountain.  We say we want a glimpse of heaven, but do we have the stamina to climb the mountain?  Can we say as Oatman, “Lead me on…”?

“I want to scale the utmost height,
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till Heav’n I’ve found,
‘Lord, lead me on to higher ground.'”

“Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Been having computer problems the past couple of days.  Hopefully it will get repaired.  So, I’m using an old standby, “God Is Not Dead,” by Lois A. Cheney.

“Before the battle a soldier said, ‘I am afraid.’  In that battle he performed beyond himself.
Before a certain, important sermon a minister said, ‘I am afraid.’  In that sermon he preached better than he was able.
Before an overwhelming challenge Moses said, ‘I am afraid.’  From that challenge came the future of God’s people.

It’s old-fashioned to have fear.

We don’t have to fear God any more,
–grin and wink–
The ole guy just rolled over and died.

We don’t have to fear sin any more,
–grin and wink–
We just label the response and alter the stimulus.

We don’t have to fear hell anymore,
–grin and wink–
It is just a medieval myth.

We don’t have to fear anything any more,
–grin and wink–
We can use it, dissolve it, or absorb it.

Man-giants, it would seem
Knew when to fear

Where,
Oh where
Are the Christian giants?
–grin and wink–”

The fear of the Lord has certainly gone out of style.  If there is no Godly fear there certainly can be no fear of sin.  In fact, sin is becoming more and more stylish.

“For years I sang my songs and whistled my tunes to the beat of hoofs and the jingling of spurs.”          –Buckskin Brady

Now if I tried that there would be noise in the camp.  For some reason I think that horse would take a conniption fit.  I know there are soothing sounds to animals; well, my joyful noise isn’t one of them.
———————
Since I’ve mentioned Buckskin Brady a couple of times this week, I’ll write his testimony toward the closing of his life.

“I’m saved from the crown of my hat to my horse’s heels–head, heart, pocket-book, testimony and all.  I’ve left the devil’s bad lands with their blowouts and corkscrew trails, and I’m away out across the old Jordan ford in good old Canaan Land, where there is nothing but sunshine between me and glory.  God’s love is burning in my heart day and night, and he leads me all the way.  I’ve got a religion that takes all the kinks out of the trail at a jump, and hits a bee-line for heaven on a fresh horse.  I’m on a high lope.  Glory to God!”
——————–
Aren’t you glad?  I mean, aren’t you really glad?  Just look at the writings of Paul in Galatians, “Christ has set us free.” (5:1)  Now that is something that almost gets me to clogging in the kitchen.  If we truly have faith; faith in the forgiveness of God then we should realize we are free of the past.  With true repentance and true faith Christ sweeps away the record of the past.
I like what A.J. Mattill writes, “With love which manifests itself in service to others, the Christian man is free in the present.  As wings give freedom to a bird, so service brings liberty to man.”  Service and sacrifice is what is required and few realize that they are the key to truly bringing liberty.  There it is again, service.  Remember the Old Testament scripture, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”  Service then brings your praise.  In fact, they really go hand-in-hand.
One more little thing to remember, that because of Christ and the message of eternal salvation, the Christian is free into the future.  He knows who holds the future.  No matter the situation, the type of prison he may find himself in, there is freedom because Christ has the answer, He is the answer.
You may have heard of the John Chrysostom.  He was a fourth century church leader who was arrested for being a Christian.  He has this to say, “Will the Empress cause me to be sawn asunder?  So it was with Isaiah.  Will she cut off my head?  I shall have John for my companion.  Will she cause me to be stoned?  So it happened to Stephen.”  Mattill states, “The Christian man may have shackles on his feet, but he has a spiritual liberty independent of all physical conditions.”
In closing I want to pass along a little prayer, again by Mattill.  “O God, who can comprehend the glorious liberty of the Christian man?  He is lord over sin, death, and hell, and yet at the same time serves all men.  In the name of the Christ who sets us free.  Amen.”