friendships matter

Friday, July 28, 2006

BUSY???!!!

Here is some food for thought.


SATAN'S MEETING

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them form reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming and intimate relationship with their Savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ."
"This is what I want you to do," said the devil. "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" the demons shouted.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," Satan answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade their wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours each day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work! Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. Keep the TV, VCR, CDS and their PC'S going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so that their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what is important, and they will become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches, too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment the home quickly!"
"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from the teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter Bunny so they won't talk about His resurrection and power over sin and death."
" Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Crowd their lives with so many causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. IT WILL WORK! It will work!
It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments, causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for God or their families. Having NO time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
Guess the question is, "Has the devil been successful at his scheme?"
You be the judge! Does "busy" mean:
B-eing
U-nder
S-atan's
Y-oke?

Now I am not trying to say that being busy is all wrong. But I have been challenged to evaluate my busyness from time to time to make sure that I am staying balanced. That is my challenge to you. Have a great day. Keep Jesus as our focus and # 1 priority.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

UNAFRAID

I was listening to some music the other day. This one phrase stood out to me...Unafraid, because I know who You are...Unafraid. How many times do we stand paralyzed by life because we don't know who God really is? Sometimes I wonder why God even gives us desires and dreams if they don't seem to get fulfilled. But then a friend told me that too often we figure out the way we want them to get fulfilled and God may have a totally differant way of dressing them, so to speak. So we have to constantly yield to Jesus on these matters, knowing that our hearts are made for Him. Because we live in a fallen world not everything is going to be the way we want it. Sorrow can refine us and joy can be our portion if we just yield to God. SORROW + JOY = PEACE

Monday, July 03, 2006

A Child is Missing

Our oldest son, Joseph, 14, left to spend some time in Texas with his grandparents. He went last summer and it was the same way. It always seems to be someone missing and I find myself counting to make sure they are all here. My mind knows he is at a safe place but somehow still cannot shake off the idea that someone is missing. I think that must be how Jesus feels when someone is truly missing, that is why he will leave the 99 and go look for the lost sheep. I know I would do that in a heartbeat for my son if I knew he was truly lost and alone somewhere.