"Take A Pill"

"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.   For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." Proverbs 4:20-22

Let me preface what I am going to say by telling you that I am not against medicine.  I thank God for giving it to us to help us when we are sick.  I take it on occasion when I need it.  This is not intended to bring condemnation, guilt or accuse anyone of lack of faith if you are taking medicine. I just want to make a point.

We take medicine when we have an illness.  We go to the doctor- who in most cases we only know on a professional level- or we go to a clinic and see someone we have never laid eyes on before.  He/She gives us a prescription for medicine that is supposed to help.  We take the prescription to the pharmacy and trust that the pharmacist is following the doctor's orders and giving us the right meds.  We follow the directions and take it the way the doctor prescribed.  We take it even though the side effects include- may cause cancer, blindness, or even sudden death. 

The point I am getting to is this- we take medicine that man prescribes in hope of being helped or cured.  But God's Word gives health to our spirit, soul and body but we neglect it. We have to exercise a lot of trust and faith in the doctor, the pharmacist and the medicine when we are sick.  Where is our trust in God's Word? 

Again, I am not trying to bring condemnation to anyone or belittle medicine.  I just wonder if we give even half as much attention to the reading, studying, and "eating" of God's Word which gives greater health in all areas of life to us?  His Word will give you peace of mind.  It will restore health to your body.  It will change your attitude.  It is the best anti-depressant, best attitude disorder medicine, the best heart medicine, the best painkiller, the best mood medicine-- it will take care of whatever ails you.

Have a great day.  As diligent as you are about taking medicine that is prescribed by a doctor, you need to be more diligent about "taking" the Word of God into your life every day.
 

"Living For Today"

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."  Matthew 6:35

We hear lots of preaching about not living in the past and how we should let what was in the past go so that it will not hinder our future.  But we don't hear much about not taking thought about tomorrow.  Just as many people live in the future as they do in the past.  We are always looking to some event that is months off, or something that we anticipate in the future.  We are busy making plans for tomorrow, next week, next month, next year and we are focused on it.

Let me say there is nothing wrong with "planning" and making sure that when you get to that place-- when it finally comes-- that you are prepared.  The Bible says for us to occupy while we are here.  You can't wait to take care of some things until they arrive.  Weddings have to be planned in advance.  A baby's arrival has to be taken care of before it gets here.  There are years of educational training that have to be done before you can start your career.  A store has to be set up before it can open for business.  These are not the things I am talking about.

What I am talking about is being so consumed with the future that you miss out on today.  God doesn't want us living in the past.  But He doesn't want us living so far in the future that we miss the wonderful things He wants to do for us today.  He doesn't want us to miss His plan for today.  He doesn't want us to lack in what He wants to use us to do today.  Yesterday is gone, you can't do anything about it now.  Tomorrow isn't promised to us-- it may or may not come.  So let yesterday go.  And in all your planning and preparation for tomorrow, don't forget about today.  Enjoy it fully.  Love those who you can while you can today.  Don't stress over tomorrow.  Trust and believe God for your provision today.  Live today with Jesus to the fullest.  Remember, today will be yesterday when tomorrow comes.  Will it be one of those days that you will look back at with regret?

Have a great day.  Yesterday's gone.  Tomorrow isn't promised.  Live today to the fullest in God's plan.     

 

"Real Prayer"

"I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  Psalm 34:4

"Have you prayed about it?  Pray about it.  I will pray about it.  I am praying for you."  These are our answers when it comes to a need that one expresses.  But do we, or are we, really praying?  Is what we usually do really considered prayer? 

When you are given a prayer request, or you have a need, how do you pray?  Most people spend about two minutes of prayer concerning the matter.  They aren't willing to stay any longer praying for an answer-- although they want an answer. 

There is an old hymn entitled, "Sweet Hour" of prayer.  Being in the presence of the Lord is "sweet"; it is wonderful and glorious.  But prayer is more than a "sweet hour"-- it is work.  It is labor.  It is travail.  It is standing in the gap-- that is if we do it right. 

Real prayer for an answer involves staying on your knees before the Lord until the answer comes.  It is staying there until you know that you know that you have heard from God.  It is staying before the Lord until that peace and assurance comes and the doubt is gone. 

There are times when we are placed in a situation and our prayer has to be immediate and quick.  But mostly prayer is a matter of waiting and continuing until we have "touched the hem" of His garment.  Jesus prayed three times in the garden.  He would often pray all night.  Hannah prayed until she looked like a drunk women to the priest.  Jeremiah prayed for ten days interceding for the nation of Israel.  Esther and the Jews prayed for three days before she went to the king.  The disciples tarried in prayer until the Holy Spirit was poured out.  The Bible is full of examples of prayer.  There was nothing flippant or casual or rushed about the praying they did. 

Don't think that the answer in prayer will always come quickly.  You may have to wait for it.  You may have to stay still and stay on your knees awhile-- if it is true prayer, I can guarantee that will be the case.  But it is so worth it because you will get your answer.  This is the reason why we still don't know what to do or see results after we have "prayed".  Because what we call prayer is not really prayer at all.

Have a great day.  Real prayer involves staying on your knees until you get the answer, no matter how long it takes.   
 

"Hidden From View?"

"Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulcher; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass."  Luke 24:12

When Jesus prayed in the garden before His crucifixion, He prayed that the Father would glorify Him with the same glory that He had with Him before the world was formed.  This glory would come through His death, burial and resurrection, which would exalt Jesus and reveal Him as Savior and Lord and King.  When He rose from the dead, He did two physical things so that we could see His glory.  He rolled the stone away and He left His garment laying to the side.  With these removed, nothing hid His glory from plain view.  His glory wasn't hidden behind the stone, and it wasn't covered by the linen clothes. 

We should pray daily that others would see Jesus in us.  But is He hidden from view in our lives?  Is there a "stone" blocking their view so that can't see Him?  Is there a stone of hypocrisy?  Unforgiveness?  Immorality, lying, cheating, compromise?  Is He hidden by our "clothes"-- our own flesh?  Selfishness, self-centeredness, pride, arrogance, etc.? 

When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they glorified Him.  We want Him to be glorified in our lives.  Therefore, we must by His help and grace, remove the "stone" and "clothes" that shroud Him from view.  We must lay aside everything that would cover Him so that He is not seen.  We must remove everything that hides His glory from being openly revealed in our lives.  Is there anything that is hiding His glory from view in your life?

Have a great day.  For others to see Jesus in our lives, everything that hides Him from view must be removed out of the way.

For further reading:
John 17:1-5