Good morning and happy frigid Saturday. The good news is that even though it is in the 20’s right now it is supposed to get to a scorching high of 35 today. Oh boy. Que the verse: this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. In reality, it could be worse. It is only supposed to get up to 29 degrees today in Siberia. Seriously though, for most of us the temperature doesn’t matter too much. If the heater is working in the house, the car, the store and anywhere else we go, we won’t notice too much anyway.
A couple of weeks ago, Michelle and I decided to take advantage of a beautiful fall day that we were having. We decided to take a long walk on the Mill Creek Trail on a section we hadn’t walked on before. In fact, I devised a wonderful plan. We would use a first world solution by taking both vehicles. I would park my truck at one location and then we would ride together to the other end where we wanted to walk to. That way we could cover the entire distance without having to circle back. Brilliant idea. So, we parked the car at the second location and started walking, enjoying the journey and the fall colors. After a couple of miles I stopped in my tracks. Michelle didn’t know if I had seen a bear or was having the big one, so she immediately dialed our life insurance agent. I’m not sure why she has that on speed dial. Anyways, I told her that wasn’t necessary and that I just realized I had done something really dumb. To which she wasn’t surprised at all. Just before getting out of the car, I decided that I would empty my pockets because, if you weigh over 200 pounds, a few extra ounces will make a world of difference. Without thinking about it, I left the keys to my truck behind. And here we were, waking the trail toward my truck so we could take it back to the car. At that moment, I realized that my brilliant plan had just failed because of one decision made without thinking. Fortunately, this was not a monumental or lifechanging decision. We simply had the opportunity to walk further than we had planned.
Every day we make a lot of decisions. Some of them are rather mundane like whether to have 2 cups of coffee, which sock to put on first, and if you should wear sweatpants all day. Others, decisions have far greater consequences. Where to go to school, what career to pursue, who to marry, if 6 cups of coffee is too much, who to vote for, and things like that. That is why it is important that we seek to walk with the Lord each day. It is vital that we are students of His Word and that we spend time in prayer. This will help guide us as we make decisions and live our lives for Him. You see, our decisions should be a reflection of our relationship with the Lord. If we are Christians, then the things that we do, the issues that we support, the decisions that we make should be consistent with God’s Word. Unfortunately, if we aren’t careful, it can be like me leaving my keys behind. We simply don’t think things through. We act or react without given it much thought. The challenge is that we are to, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength.” Furthermore, we are to, “love our neighbor as ourselves.” The implementation of that in our daily lives, including every decision that we make, is to be our pursuit. As Joshua challenged the Israelites, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Let each of us strive to serve the Lord this day and every day. Amen and amen.
The words of Psalm 19 seem like a fitting conclusion to this rambling.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voicegoes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
From our neighborhoods to the nations
Pastor Larry
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