Are We Nearsighted?

When folks get older, their eyes start giving them trouble.
Most need glasses to see better.

Last week I heard a preacher say that young people suffer from nearsightedness. What do you think he meant?

He was not talking about the physical eyes and things that you can see. He was talking about the future. Most young people live for now.

At the store, a little one wants that candy bar right now.
They will wine and cry to get their way.
As they get older, they plan a little farther in advance.
But most young people think that they will live forever.
They do not worry about something years away.
Time does not seem to bother them... unless they have to wait.
That is being nearsighted.

When a young lady and a young man start to get serious, they often let their emotions take control. They will sometimes fail to plan for the future. They may get married and think that they can keep up with all the bills. But when a little one comes along, the financial troubles begin.
They were nearsighted.

This also happens in the spiritual world. Many people think they will live forever. They do not want to think about God, and what will happen when they die.
They are spiritually nearsighted.

I received these thoughts from a friend in an email.
The Bible is like a pair of glasses for our problems. When we read the Bible, we begin to see the truth clearly. When we see the whole picture, everything focuses better. Many people look back on their lives, and wish they had walked in God's wisdom more.

What does our future hold for us? Are we too nearsighted to see?
Are we willing to allow God to help us with our nearsightedness?
May we be open to God's focus for our today and all our tomorrows.
The Bible contains the Good News of Jesus Christ...
the blueprint to LIFE.



Living the Call Together - - - - - - - - - - All for the Glory of God

Obeying the Holy Spirit

"Paul, I want you on your knees."

Last November I was at a gathering of adults at a home,
when an in-law came over to me and asked me to pray for her husband, who was to be operated on the next day for clogged arteries in his legs.
As I was walking over to the husband...
the Holy Spirit told me to get down on my knees and lay hands on his legs.
This was a bit awkward in that mixed crowd,
but I got down on my knees on that kitchen floor and laid my hands on his one leg and prayed for a healing for him.

At our family's Thanksgiving dinner a couple of weeks after the operation,
I asked the husband how the operation went.
He shared that a strange thing happened when they did a final scan of his two legs before the surgery.
The surgeon reported to him that his one leg's arteries were cleared...
that it appeared the blockages had like melted away.
Everyone around the table was excited to hear that the operation on his other leg went well.
I asked him which leg didn't need surgery.
We determined it was the one that I held while I prayed for him.
There was like a rush of the Holy Spirit around the table as people connected the dots of what God had done.

Because of Jesus...

Living the Call Together - - - - - - - - - - All for the Glory of God

Distant Shores

"On this journey
I come to the edge of the sea.
Before me a tiny boat anchored
I step aboard
and pull the anchor free.

A small sail sits bunched
at the base of the mast.
Loosening it’s tethering
I bid farewell
to all that has passed.

The sail fills with wind
and begins carrying me
far away from shore.
Awareness that not by
my own power do I travel.
On the other side
hopes of finding something more.

Hours turn into days
with the wind determining
my course and direction.
Suddenly my sail grows slack.
My heart fills with worry
and prayers for Your protection.

Here I sit
with nowhere I can go.
Oars in the hull of my boat
but my destination is far;
too far for me to row.

I know I should wait on You
Yet I am uncertain as to how.
If there was a time that I
needed You, my Lord
that time is now!

You are the wind in my sails
You are the voice that calms
the stormy sea.
It was Your voice
that opened the door of my prison.
It was Your voice that beckoned
setting this captive free.

Worry and panic return
and slowly grow into a deep fear.
“Send the northeasterly wind,”
I pray aloud
hoping You will hear.

The ruthless sun beats down
on this flat calm ocean.
Skin burns and throat parches.
No tears remain
to reveal my emotion.

When I think I can take no more
I spot storm clouds
gathering in the east.
I thank God in anticipation
of the rains
that soon will be released.

Waiting…
just a whisper of wind
comes and brings life to this sail.
It continues to build
gradually growing
to a full force gale.

Praising Your name
as I come to rest on the shores
of a far distant land.
Spreading good news to all
until those who accept it
are as numerous
as the grains of sand."
by Mitch Salmon

Sometimes it’s the flat calm amidst uncertainty that takes it’s toll and the storm is what finally propels us forward. So if we are waiting for the wind to fill our sails, I suggest that we pray to the One who brings the subtle breezes and the full force gales. Pray to the Father in Jesus name... He always is waiting to talk and feels our pain.

Living the Call Together - - - - - - - - - - All for the Glory of God