Barns

I enjoy photographing old barns. So many are set in serene places. Though many are in some state of disrepair there is a beauty I find in the weathered wood.  Some have quilt designs on them designating the farmer's wife makes quilts of a certain design.  Some are made to store grain while others are designed to house animals. 
I'd like to tell you a story from the Bible about a man who had a barn. Its found in the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 12:16 begins the story.  " The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, 'What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.'  Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I wil tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and goods.  And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
But God said to him, 'You FOOL!  This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

Though barns are good things to have and farmers need them, Jesus was making the point about being selfish and greedy.  In that day some dishonest people would hire others to tend their fields and then after the harvest not pay them at all!  The attitude of this man should have been more giving.

Every so often in my work I earn overtime pay.  There is always the temptation to make plans as to how I will spend this extra income on myself.   I do have many expenses to be sure, but it always seems that others are more in need than myself.

Elsewhere in the Bible we read "Give and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down and running over." I'll leave it to you to discover that verse.  Now we should not give with the thought that we are to expect something in return, but this is the law of the sower and the seed.  The farmer sows seeds and they are expected to grow into the plant of its kind and produce a crop.  Now if you were given some apples let's say and God told you it was ok to eat them what would you do?  A wise man would perhaps share an apple or two with his family or friends.  An even wiser man would plant seeds from one or more so that in time an apple tree would grow and perhaps produced hundreds of apples!
Now those apple trees don't grow up and produce fruit in just a few days. No!  It may take years for that to happen.

I want to encourage you to be generous.  God knows your need and he will not let you go hungry.
Its a matter of trust in God I suppose.  "Test me, try me, prove me" says the Lord "and see if I will not pour out on you a blessing which you cannot contain." (paraphrased)

So when you see a neat old barn just remember to thank God for His blessings and ask Him how He wants you to use those blessings to help others.

Hope

Just what is hope anyway?   Well for one thing the word "hope" is always used in a positive sense.
We "hope" something happens or turns out positively.  We might "hope" our team wins the game. We might "hope" we have a great birthday.  When we use the word in that form we are wishing for a positive result to occur, but there is also some doubt associated with it as well.  We "hope" something turns out well but we don't know that it will.  It is simply a wish or a desire for things to go "our" way.

Today, however, I want you to think of "hope" in a little different light.  Thirty eight times in the Bible the word "hope" is used.  It is not a wish or a "hope so" kind of thing either. No!  Rather, it is a surety and a trust in God.  I'd like to quote a few passages from the Bible where this word is used and give you a bit of "hope" today for what lies ahead.

Hebrews 11:1  "Now faith is being sure of what we "hope" for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 6:19 "We have this "hope" as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf."
I Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love."
Psalm 25 vs 4-5 "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my "hope" is in you all day long."
Psalm 25:3 "No one whose "hope" is in you will ever be put to shame...."
Psalm 147:11 "the Lord delights in those who fear im, who put their "hope" in his unfailing love."
Isaiah 41:31 "but those who "hope" in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I'll leave it up to you to discover for yourself all the other passages in the Bible where "hope" is used.
We who are Christians don't just "hope" we get into heaven when we die.  No! since our "hope" is in God who made the way for us to be with him eternally thorugh the cruxifixion and resurrection of his one and only Son, Jesus, we can know we have eternal life and a life more abundant even now before death.  Our "hope" is not some wish that everything is going to turn out alright.  When we have God as our "hope" we know that He's got everything under control and that He will take care and love his children.
If you don't know God as your Savior, Lord, Master, and yes even as your friend, then you have no "Hope."
Hope is what anchors us and keeps us from being tossed about like a leaf on the stormy sea.
This kind of hope is something we can count on and we will not be let down.
This world give us a wishy-washy kind of "hope."  Things might turn out alright but they might not.
My prayer for you today is that you put your "hope" in Christ who will take care of you and not let you be dashed against the rocks when the storms of life come as they always do.

"Hope" spring eternal.

My ways vs God's ways

Have you even been sailing?  Its a lot of fun when there is a good wind to push you along.  You glide so smoothly across the water!  There's a lot to sailing a boat and the bigger the boat, the more you have to know.  Basically, though, you turn the rudder so the boat goes in the direction you want. There must be a breeze, however, to push against the sails so that no motor is needed most of the time. Sailing doesn't work out too well if you are trying to guide your boat against the direction of the wind.
To get the best results, you must position the sails so that the wind is pushing them from behind.  Then you can enjoy your cruise and don't have to work so hard.

In Psalm 119 we are reminded in various ways about God's word and what it can do for us to guide us.
In vs 59 and 60 it says "I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands."  Here the psalmist (song writer) is saying that God's ways are better than his ways.  Many times we think we know which way to go, what we should be doing or what seems right. But God's ways are always infinitely better and bring joy and happiness and fulfillment.  Take time today to consider your ways.  Are they in line with what God would have you do?
If not change direction.  Set your sail to go with God's wind (Spirit).  You'll discover life gets much easier when you are empowered by God's Spirit!

Who deserves God's grace?

If you were given the task to pick who would be the recipient of God's grace who would you select?
Family members?  Close friends?  Influential people?
How about the person holding up a sign at the stop light?  Does that person deserve God's grace?
How about the person who doesn't appreciate all you do for them?  Surely that person shouldn't get the blessing of God's grace.
How about you?  Do you deserve God's grace? 
What!!!!???
Truth be known none of us deserve to receive God's grace.
Think about that the next time you see a beggar or someone else who doesn't "fit the mold."
"Bless those who curse you" says the Bible.
Show God's grace to someone today whether or not they "deserve" it.

God's Natural World: God's Proper Timing

God's Natural World: God's Proper Timing: "Today was a warm, spring like day for the middle of February. I wasn't too busy with work so I decided to drive up to the SC Botanical..."

God's Proper Timing

Today was a warm, spring like day for the middle of February.  I wasn't too busy with work so I decided to drive up to the SC Botanical Gardens in Clemson to see if by some miracle any wildflowers or for that matter any other flower might be blooming yet.  Now from past experience I had a pretty good idea that chances were slim to none that I'd find anything blooming.  I did manage to find one round lobbed hepatica blooming all by its lonesome, but for the mostly there were no blooms or even hints of anything about to bloom just yet.
You see, just because the weather was nice and warm this week, the flowers knew it wasn't yet their time to come out and bloom.  If they bloomed before their time perhaps it would snow again or get icy cold again and then they would die early.  Insects such as ants depend on the seeds of these flowers to provide them with food at the proper time.  Right now the insects are hibernating where its safe and warm and have their winter food all stored up.  If the plants gave their seed too soon then there might be a food shortage later on for the insects!

This reminded me about God's perfect and proper timing for our own lives.  Sometimes we go through seasons that seem dry and fruitless and other times when we seem to flourish.  It may seem that at times God isn't involved in our lives at all or at least very little seems to be happening as soon as we would like.
Its hard to wait on God to act and sometimes we take things into our own hands and try to force God's will too soon.  This can prove to be painful as we may end up suffering the consequences of making a decision that's not right for us or perhaps would have been better made at a later time.  God reminds us of this in Ecclesiates 3:1-8  "There is a time for everything, anda season for very activity under the sun.".....

There have been times in my own life where I longed for something to happen.  Times when I was single and longed to be loved.  Times when I had no clue where I was going or what I should be doing with my life. Times when I searched for successes and found none. Times when I just wanted a friend and none could be found.  Friend, you may think God has forgotten about you, that He is too slow to act or that He just doesn't care about your circumstance.  But be patient and wait upon God to act. He knows you better than you know yourself and knows what you need and when its best to give it to you.  May I suggest that during these times of waiting that you make God your all in all.  Find in Him the contentment He longs to give you.  And when the time is right for relationships, jobs, material possessions, etc. know that He will grant you what you need when you need it and not before.  Ask, Seek, Knock, and most of all WAIT!!!  So easy to say but so difficult to do.  When you do you will find you are flexing your faith muscles and building a stronger relationship with your heavenly Father.

God's Natural World: The Lord is My Shepherd

God's Natural World: The Lord is My Shepherd: "Are you familiar with the 23rd Psalm? It is written by King David of Israel many years ago. Before he was annointed by the proph..."

The Lord is My Shepherd

Are you familiar with the 23rd Psalm?  It is written by King David of Israel many years ago.  Before he was annointed by the prophet Samuel as Israel's second king, he was a shepherd.  I'm sure he spent many days and nights tending his father's sheep for they were many.  David was the youngest of his brothers so that meant he got the most unpleasant  of the family jobs.  Tending sheep would be a very difficult job as the sheep would fall over and had to be righted or they would die. Sometimes the sheep would wander off and get caught in thickets or down in some ravine.  David also had to protect the sheep from animals.  On more than one occasion he used a sling shot to kill off predators such as bears and lions.
In addition to all this, David was responsible for leading the sheep to green pastures and good, clean drinking water.  The 23rd Psalm (song) really takes one though a year in the life of a shepherd.  Though it is only 6 verses long, there is much to be learned from this psalm of David.

Let's start with verse 1:  "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
Wow!  That short verse tells us so much!!!
David here is putting himself in the place of a sheep. The Lord is his personal shepherd. David belongs to all the sheep under God's care.  God is personally responsible for the well being of David (and all His sheep.)
Because the Lord is David's shepherd, He supplies all David's needs.  God is the "all in all" for David.
We who are under God's care don't need to go anywhere else to have our needs met.  He amply supplies ALL our need so that we are not in want for anything. The grass is not greener in any other pasture.  The water is not sweeter in any other stream.  The care we get being under God's care as His "sheep" cannot be any better anywhere else.  Is it any wonder that God didn't want his chosen people to have any other gods before him?  Why should we worship anyone or anything else when God (Jehovah) loving cares for us like a shepherd cares for his sheep?

The rest of Psalm 23 describes in detail just how God provides for us.

vs 2 "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters."
Sheep won't lie down unless they are full an content.  God fills us with good things, green pastures if you will.
Sheep also won't drink from a running stream.  They have to have still waters. Thus God leads us his sheep to "quiet waters."  So we see in verse 2 that God, the good shepherd, knows what we need to satisfy us.  He understands what we his sheep require so that we can be content and satisfied.

vs 3 "He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."
When we are weary, God restores our soul.  He makes all things new.  He re-energizes us so that we can keep on going.  He gives us rest.  He gives us peace.  God leads us in places that will bring Him glory.
But sheep have to be humble and wiling to be led.  What if a sheep goes astray and does not stay on the path the shepherd desires?  That is the sheep that must be disciplined, carried, sometimes its legs must be broken as well.
Isn't it great that God leads us or guides us in paths of righteousness?
In order for God to lead he has to go ahead of us. That means he has already been where we are going.
And where does God lead us?  In righteous paths or right going places.  In the Lord's prayer there is a line that goes "and lead us not into temptation....."  God isn't going to lead us astray.  No!  Instead He leads us in the way He intends for us to go.  Why does he do this?  "for his name's sake."  God has a reputation to uphold!  If God were to ever once mis lead us, his reputation would be runined!  But for God to lead us, we have to be willing to follow.  He didn't leave his sheep to find their own way, to develop their own paths of right living.  We have a guide to help us live rightly before God. 

vs 4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and staff they comfort me."
The sheep would be guided with the staff of the shepherd.  In this way, though a sheep might be fearful of predators, he would know his protector is nearby and be comforted. The rod and staff of the shepherd could be used to rescue a sheep with its crook or help a sheep up that had fallen over which happened often I'm told. The rod and staff could be used to fight off predators as well.  Sometimes they were used for discipline, but even in discipline, the sheep would be comforted for they knew the shepherd cared for them enough to help them not do wrong.

vs 5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Sheep needed oil applied to their heads to keep flies away from them.  They would not rest or eat if they were constantly bothered by flies and other pests. We have a Shepherd who triumphs over our enemies and shares a meal with us.  This would designate a sealing of a covenant and a bond of friendship.  What a wonderful thing to know we are invited to eat at God's table!! We are considered His friends and He makes covenants with us.

vs 6 "Surely goodness and love (some say mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."   David concludes with this wonderful thought.  The good things God provides are eternal.  We get to enjoy them not just for a season but for always.  God's goodness never runs out.  He never tires of taking care of us.  His riches are so vast that we will never exhaust them.  Best of all we get to live in the same house as God!!!!  Only the kings sons and daughters could come and go as they pleased.
With God as our Shepherd, we have access to all his wealth.  We are heirs to the throne!
So ask your Father what you need and be amply supplied.  Be comforted, be at peace, be content, be filled, and be in want of nothing!!!