Job 1:21 NASB “He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.’”

My son is definitely a toddler now, no longer a baby. You know how I know? Because he can now throw fits. If I do something to make him mad, such as, take away something he wants, or close the door of a room he wants to go into, then he will wring his hands and cry, or perhaps he will put his head on the floor and really cry. But the interesting thing about him throwing a fit is that after I’ve done something to make him cry he will still come to me with his arms up, wanting to be held and comforted.

My husband and I marvel at this: shouldn’t he be mad at us? But from my son’s perspective, all the good things still come from his parents! By reading the book of Job, we know that Job didn’t think God was punishing him; he didn’t lash out at God or blame him for everything that went wrong. Because the God that allowed all the calamities to happen in Job’s life was still the God that lavished all the blessings on Him.

If you are going through disappointments, unimaginable loss or sorrows, it’s ok to wring your hands and cry! Just remember to look up to God for your comfort, He is still the giver of all things good (James 1:17).

-Kevi

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My pastor, Brother Connie Cariker, just had his 80th birthday party!

The Perfect Pastor

The perfect pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes.
He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone’s feelings.
He works from 8am until midnight and is also the church janitor.
The perfect pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the church.
He is 29 years old and has 40 years of experience.
Above all, he is handsome.
The perfect pastor has a burning desire to work with teenagers, and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens.
He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
He makes 15 home visits a day and is always in his office to be handy when needed.
The perfect pastor always has time for church council and all of its committees.
He never misses the meeting of any church organization and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.
The perfect pastor is always in the church down the street!
-From sermonillustrations.com

Dear Jesus, this is Dennis, thank you for giving me my Pastor, Bro. Connie, and Glo too, she rocks!

-Dennis

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Matthew 25:1; 6-13 NLT “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ⁶At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. “

I just received a “Save the Date” card in the mail from my cousin, letting me know he is getting married in April. Save the Date cards allow family and friends to make the upcoming wedding a priority. We can plan ahead and make sure we don’t miss out on the special day!

We might not know the date of Christ’s return, but we can still make it a priority and take the appropriate steps to ensure we don’t miss out. It’s important to note that the bridesmaids that missed out on the marriage feast in Matthew 25 were invited guests, not strangers. Christ has extended to each of us an invitation to Heaven. It is up to us to accept the invitation and “save the date.”

-Kevi

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Matthew 26:39 NASB And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

“A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount up to and including their life.” -Unknown

I read the above quote about veterans yesterday and it really moved me. The brave men and women in our armed forces don’t know what the outcome of their service will be, but they sign up to serve anyway. Their bravery is commendable and I want to say thank you to each of them today!

When Christ prayed “not as I will, but as You will” in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was signing a blank check, too. The difference is that He knew what the ultimate outcome would be, and he still signed it! He knew God’s ultimate plan was that He would serve as the sacrifice for our sins. When they came to arrest Him, He did not resist, He had already signed up to serve.

-Kevi

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Deuteronomy 7:6 NIV “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

Because tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, I was thinking about my late Granny’s prized possession. She had a portrait hanging on her wall of her father, Papa Pete, as a soldier in World War I. It’s a unique portrait in an oval frame, with the American flag painted around the portrait. She told me that she loved it so much she made her mother promise that she could have it when her mother passed, and she made sure her sisters knew it was hers! When she passed away and it was given to my dad, we noticed that on the back of the frame she had actually written her name and something to the same effect, so there would be no doubt. It was definitely her treasured possession, and I think of her every time I see it hanging in my parents’ house.

The verse in Deuteronomy spoke of the Israelites as God’s treasured possession, but I believe that applies to us now. God has inscribed us with His name; we are called Christians so we can be recognized as Christ’s followers. God has chosen to claim us as His own and He wants everyone to know we are His!

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” James 1:18 NIV

-Kevi

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Romans 5:3-5 NLT “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

I love watching TV shows via a streaming service instead of on live TV. If your favorite show has a dramatic cliffhanger in the season finale, you can just hit play on the next season and find out if “so and so” is alive or not!

Our society loves instant gratification. But God isn’t in the business of giving us easy answers and instant gratification. Working through our problems and trials instead of always being delivered helps us to mature spiritually. The strength of character we develop should strengthen our faith as well.

But if you are in the midst of some “character building” right now, please remember that God has given us the Holy Spirit, so we don’t have to go through trials alone!

-Kevi

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Psalms 136:1;7-9 NASB   Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

I rely on technology a lot throughout my day. I consider technology to be a good thing, but sometimes it can let you down! Today the monitor for our outdoor thermometer said it was 161 degrees outside! Well obviously that is impossible, and it turns out the battery in the outdoor sensor was going out.

Unlike our manmade devices, God created things that need no maintenance. The sun lights our days and the moon our nights without any batteries or repairs! God’s creations are a reflection of His character. He is everlasting, He is faithful, He is as dependable as the sunrise.

-Kevi

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Psalm 50: 12-15 NASB   “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains. Shall I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of male goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

My son is getting better at telling me when he is hungry. He may not use any real words, but he can still communicate! The other day he started pushing on my leg so I would walk over to the counter and get him a cracker. Today he pulled at my arm until I got up off the couch and got him a snack. But you know what? When I’m hungry there’s no point in telling him. He wouldn’t be any help!

God doesn’t need our help to meet His needs. We may start to think all we do to serve Him adds up to something great, but guess what? He already owns everything, He is already all powerful and all knowing. Our service should be an act of thanksgiving: He has saved us and we should be thanking Him!

-Kevi

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Acts 18:24-26 NASB  Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

What I noticed about this passage is that it says they “took him aside” to correct him and explain the rest of the Gospel. It doesn’t say they called him out in front of everyone. It doesn’t say they talked behind his back about how he didn’t know as much as they did. It doesn’t say they posted an open letter on social media about what he got wrong. It says “they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

What a great example of how to act with our fellow believers. What a great reminder to give grace to those that are trying to follow God. I know I needed that reminder. And what was the result of their actions?

Acts 18:27-28 NASB And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

-Kevi

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Psalm 42:1-3 NASB As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

I make a point of drinking a lot of water, so I take it with me wherever I go. When I’m running errands I pour a cup to take with me. The other day I ran off and left my cup on the kitchen counter and as soon as I realized it I immediately felt so thirsty! When you don’t know where your next drink is coming from, that’s when you really know what thirst is.

In the NASB, Psalm 42 is titled “Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.” This was a deer looking for stream, not a deer that had already found one. This was a man that wanted to be in God’s house, but he was in exile and couldn’t go to the temple.  Let’s not wait until we’re in trouble and exile to discover our need for God’s presence: let Him fill your cup now!

-Kevi

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