Waiting in Line
A Short Meditation from Walter Cahoon, Region 1 Chaplain
Every Minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all "In the Line" without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We cannot move to the back of the line.
We cannot step out of the line.
We cannot avoid the line.
So while we wait in line -
Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready!
... The line continues to move forward.
Be ready when you reach the front of the line.
Are You Sitting at the Table? Then Find Your Fork
Many times, in my life I have left a meeting, a lecture, a class and heard these words, “Well, that was a waste of time. I got nothing out of…” I find that amazing. I find that I am speechless when I hear it. You may ask me why. Well, the reason is simple.
When we come to a dinner table, usually we have a fork. We see the food in front of us, we know there may be some items we do not necessarily care for, but there will always be something we will eat. We anticipate that there will be something there we can enjoy and savor. So, we pick up our fork with that thought in mind and look over the table with an open mind.
The same thing is to be said for any lesson or sermon. We come to the table; we know we may find things that do not appeal to us, but we bring the fork anyway. That fork is an open mind and an open Bible.
Just like sitting down at a dinner table and refusing to look over the items on the table because we see one or two things we do not care for, that is what we do when we sit and take in a lesson, lecture or sermon and find one or two things we don’t care for. We refuse to eat at that table, we put our hands in our laps, don’t pick up our fork and shut our ears and our minds to the conversation around us. We make up our minds that we will go without and be hungry just because those items that we do not care for are on the table. We do that in our spiritual lives when we decide we don’t like some of the items on our spiritual table.
The fork stays by the plate, the food is passed, and we do nothing. Our plate stays empty and our stomachs continue to complain. When we come to the spiritual table, we must always remember to pick up the fork. We must always remember that our spirit needs food, even that food we do not like, have heard before or strikes a nerve. That even the spiritual food, like regular food, we do not like is good for us.
The next time you are asked to come to the table, find your fork, and eat of the word with an open mind. Be ready fill your spirit with the word. Be open minded. Learn things.
Wise words from a Young Woman
Additional Information
Sadie Robertson Huff warned that today's generation “looks more like Instagram influencers than Jesus Christ” and urged young people to find their identity and strength not in social media, but in God.
“We have a generation waiting to feel a sense of love ... waiting to feel wanted by people gathering up to them instead of just gathering behind the King of kings and knowing that you're wanted, knowing that you're loved, knowing that you're accepted because of what He's already done for you,” Huff, 23, told some 500,000 people who joined the Passion 2021 Conference virtually on Thursday.
“We got to stop obsessing over who is following us and obsessing over the one that we're following.”
But in a social media-obsessed culture, people will “follow anybody if it’s their 15 minutes of fame,” the speaker and author contended, from the Tik Tok star to the Instagram "it" couple.
“If you're following somebody, they are influencing you one way or another,” she stressed. “And that's why we have a generation that looks more like the Instagram influencers than Jesus Christ because we're following them first instead of Jesus Christ first.”
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“I don't have interest in following anybody who's not leading me in the direction I want to go. And we need to take that really seriously.”
Jesus, and not social media, is the “only way to the Father,” Huff said, adding: “It would be a shame if we spent more time thinking about when our 15 minutes of fame will hit than where we will spend eternity, and we spent more time following people leading us in paths that we did not have any interest in going down than following the Word of God.”
Huff acknowledged that during His time on earth, Jesus Himself was a “famous” person, adding that there’s “nothing wrong with being known.”
“[But] we're not actually meant to get the glory,” she contended. “Jesus should be famous. He deserves the glory. We're not created for glory. We're created to give glory to our Creator.”
The soon-to-be-mother cited Matthew 16:24, where Jesus says,"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
She urged listeners to “stop following the pattern of this world” and instead “follow Jesus Christ.”
“I just want to say to y'all as a generation ... I want us to stop that search [for fame] and just start following God because if we need anything after this year, we need a Savior,” she declared.
“We can't save ourselves. We can't put our hope in ourselves. We can't put our faith in ourselves. You don't want to do that because you know at the end of the day, you need something greater to put your hope in, something greater to put your faith in, something greater who can actually save you, who can actually give you hope beyond this world.”
A 2018 report from the Pew Research Center found that even teens think they have a social media problem.
According to the study, 60% of teens between the ages of 13 to 17 say that spending too much time online is a “major” problem facing their age group. More than half of teens (54%) say they spend too much time on their cellphones, and 41% say they overdo it on social media.
During the conference, evangelist Christine Caine also weighed in on the dangers of social media, warning that many teens are more concerned about receiving a “blue check” — referring to the “verified” symbol on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms — than undergoing a “heart check.”
“Christianity is not about a font or filter,” she said. “We think all the issues of life flow out of our social media feed. No, it comes out of the heart. How about we stop yearning for the blue check and we start allowing the Holy Spirit to do a deep heart check from the inside out?”
The annual Passion Conference, held virtually this year, is geared toward young adults between the ages of 18–25. Founded by Louie Giglio, the event aims to “glorify God by uniting students in worship, prayer and justice for spiritual awakening in this generation.”https://www.christianpost.com/church-ministries/sadie-robertson-huff-warns-of-elevating-social-media-over-jesus.html
How Vested Are You?
How many times have we been involved with a project and there is always at least one person who finds fault with everything that is suggested? It doesn’t matter what the suggestion is there is fault found. But, yet they do not show up for the half of the meetings, they don’t see the big picture and they do not understand the total vision.
Sadly, this happens in the family of God all the time. Proverbs 14:23 tells us this “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”. This does not just apply to our day-to-day employment. it also applies to our work for God.
If we do not work hard for God and do those things which bring him Glory. Then we will be in poverty spiritually. When I hear things like it doesn’t work anymore, or why do we need to do this or other negative statements, is bring to mind that maybe that person is not just doubting themselves, they are doubting God and in doubting God they are not really vested in Him or the great things he can do.
So back to my question at the top of this article. How vested are you? Do you just talk the talk and not walk the walk? Are you an encourager or a discourager? Do you ask how can I help, or do you say, this will never work?
It all boils down to this. Are you vested in God and his work, or are you vested in yourself? Do you have faith that God has plans for us and will work his will if you trust him? Or do you think that he needs your help?
Do you show up to work, or do you show up to tear down?
While it is fine to discuss and to work out a project, one must be vested and invested in the project in order to discuss the project with a proper knowledge of the project. If one only knows part of the plan, it is like only knowing part of the directions for a trip, you will be lost every time.
So again, my question is this how vested are you? How much to you believe that God is in charge and has a plan? How much faith do you have that all things do work according to his plan? Last but not least how vested are you in not only talking the talk, but walking the walk for God? Only you can answer that question.
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Beauty is Deceptive
Taken From Our Daily Bread
Today I bring you this. " The spotted lanterfly is a pretty insect with specked outer wings and a splotch of bright red on its inner wings that flashes when it flies. But its beauty is a bit deceptive. This insect, first seen in the US in 2014 , is considered invasisve to North America, which means it has the potential to harm the environment and economy. The lanterfly will "eat the innard of practically any woody plant.", which includes cherry and other fruit trees, and leaves a sticky goo that leads to mold- killing trees outright or leaving them with little energy to grow fruit.
In the story of Adam and Eve, we learn of a different kind of menace. The Serpent, Satan, deceived the couple into disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit so they would, "be like God." (Genesis 3:1-7) But why listen to a Serpent? Did his word alone entice Eve, or was there also something attractive about him? Scripture hints at Satan being created beautiful (Ezekiel 28:12) . Yet, Satan fell by the same temptation he used to entice Eve. "I will make myself like God" (Isaiah 14:14, Ezekiel 28:9).
Any beauty Satan now has is used to deceive (Genesis 3:1, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:14). Just as he fell, he seeks to pull others down- or keep them from growing. But we have someone more powerful on our side! We can run to Jesus, our beautiful Savior."
Taken from Our Daily Bread September/ October/ November.
How many of us, only see the outside of something, believe the outside of someone and do not bother to look inward because we truely believe they are who or what they say they are. God is everlasting - God is indeed who he says he is and he is the one we must look to.
What's Wrong with the World
Every Day someone says I don't know what the World is coming to. What is wrong with the world. Well, this morning I found the answer. And it is simple. Here it is in my devotion for this day taken from Our Daily Bread Sept/Oct/Nov 2020 "What's Wrong with the World- There is an oft-heard story that The London Times posed a question to readers at the turn of the twentieth century. What's wrong with the world?
That's quite the question ,isn't it? Someone might quickly respond, "Well how much time do you have for me to tell you?" And that would be fair, as there seems ot be so much that's wrong with our world. As teh story goes, The Time receive a number of responses, but one in particular has endured in its brief brilliance, The English writer,poet, and philosopher G. K. Chesterton penned this four word response, a refreshing surprise to the usual passing-of-the-buck: "Dear Sirs, I am."
Whether the story is factal or not is up for debate, But that response? It's nothing but true. Long before Chesterton came along, there was an apostle name Paul. Far from a lifelong model citizen, Paul, confessed his past shortcomings: "I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man" (V13) After naming who Jesus came to save ("sinners"), he goes on to make a very Chesterton-like qualification: "of whom I am the worst."(v15) Paul knew exactly what was and is wrong with the world. And he further knew the only hope of making things right-"the grace of our Lord."(v14). What an amazing reality! This endurig turth lifts our eyes to the light of Christ's saving love. I Timothy 1:15 John Blase."
so my conclusion is this before we start pointing fingers and placing blame on others we need to look inward at ourselves. The change we need to see is the change we need to be. #God,#Godsplan,#thegospel,#change,#whatswrongwiththeworld
