I read an article some time ago about how difficult it is going to become for those of us from the post war baby boom. How in terms of real dollars, our spending power has decreased, how all of our things are wearing out as we use them. At first I was really scared; planned obsolescence catching up with us at last. What is going to happen to me?
I looked around at all the things laying before me, trinkets, souvenirs, reminders of times past and I thought of the trunk upstairs filed with more odds and ends of old memories. I realized that this was true, things were wearing out. The dish that I had treasured was now chipped, the broken statue had been glued together, grandmother's quilt which I treasured so had become stained through years of sitting unused in the cedar chest. And, what is going to happen to our car, that inexpendable symbol of American mobility? No matter how often we buy a new one, it becomes obsolete, worn out, used up in a few short years. Everything we have is going to fall apart and we won't have the resources to replace it. Is there anything worth holding on to? Anything which doesn't become obsolete? I had suddenly entered another valley of the shadow of death.
Then I remembered what the Lord said " Lay not up for your self treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt." It should be easier for those of us in this age of planned obsolescence to stop trying to hold on to any treasures. Our cars become obsolete, the minute the salesman gives us the key, this years color scheme always preempts last years, magazines are constantly telling us what's in and what's out.
Yet we still try to hold on to our earthly treasures while God offers us something more, something that has been tried and has not decayed. The centuries have not dimmed its worth. God's truth, His gospel, His glory has not diminished over the years. It is as new and exciting as it ever was and he offers it to us for free. It's inflation and recession proof and no one can take it away from us. He has promised his faithfulness to us forever
When it comes right down to it, most of the things I am afraid of losing are things which come between me and the Lord.
He promised he would take care of my needs, would even dress me as he does the lilies of the field. If so, then what am I afraid of losing? Prestige? Respect? That comes from God and not from man. My possessions? They aren't mine anyway, I'm just the caretaker. And even if I lost all I have, I would have more still than 80% of the world. My Pride? I could certainly stand to lose that. It always comes between me and the Lord.
So, I have nothing to fear. In fact, the only thing I should ever fear is that I would have fears. That proves that there is something in my life I'm holding on to instead of God.
Experiencing God, not in the miraculous, but as we go about our days in ordinary ways.
About Me
New Years Day - 1985
Many of us have at one time or another dreamed of writing the great American novel, short story, devotional book, etc. I've entertained those thoughts as well, and I'm sure if I delve deep enough, there is a part of my ego that wants to be fed by putting my thoughts down on paper.
But, there is another part of me that is aware that I have had some pretty amazing and at the same time ordinary encounters in my life. Amazing in light of what they have revealed to me, but ordinary in the sense that they can happen to any one of us.
There is nothing that sets me apart from any one else. As for being a writer, as for having had anything but ordinary experiences, I have nothing in particular to recommed myself to you except by nature of my Father. I was fortunate enough to be born into a family of great wealth: material, physical, mental and spiritual wealth.
"My father is rich in houses and land
He holdeth the wealth of the world in his hand
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, I have riches untold.....
I'm a child of the King." - Harriett E. Buell (1834-1910)
As a father watches over the lives of his children, He is there. In Matthew 28, the Lord Jesus says, "And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." This means in our good as well as our bad days, in days of sorrow, days of joy, days of praise, days of confusion, days when we need comfort, days when we need to be a servant, days of rebellion, days of obedience. In our wakinng, our sleeping, our working, even in our playing.
Most of the time we are too involved to see Him, so he just sits on the sidelines, cheering us on, and begging us to pay attention to the lessons he would have us learn. Lessons that are shown in our day-to-day existence: lessons in our day-to-day journey along life's road. lessons that are there in our daily encounters with life, in truth, encounters with the Father.
It's my desire to share some of the things I've seen on this journey, these ordinary encounters with the Father that have become the sustaining thread in my life, with you, my brothers and sisters. I also want to share these experiences with those of you who are not yet a part of the family of my Father, in the hope that you too will claim your inheritance.
But, there is another part of me that is aware that I have had some pretty amazing and at the same time ordinary encounters in my life. Amazing in light of what they have revealed to me, but ordinary in the sense that they can happen to any one of us.
There is nothing that sets me apart from any one else. As for being a writer, as for having had anything but ordinary experiences, I have nothing in particular to recommed myself to you except by nature of my Father. I was fortunate enough to be born into a family of great wealth: material, physical, mental and spiritual wealth.
"My father is rich in houses and land
He holdeth the wealth of the world in his hand
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, I have riches untold.....
I'm a child of the King." - Harriett E. Buell (1834-1910)
As a father watches over the lives of his children, He is there. In Matthew 28, the Lord Jesus says, "And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." This means in our good as well as our bad days, in days of sorrow, days of joy, days of praise, days of confusion, days when we need comfort, days when we need to be a servant, days of rebellion, days of obedience. In our wakinng, our sleeping, our working, even in our playing.
Most of the time we are too involved to see Him, so he just sits on the sidelines, cheering us on, and begging us to pay attention to the lessons he would have us learn. Lessons that are shown in our day-to-day existence: lessons in our day-to-day journey along life's road. lessons that are there in our daily encounters with life, in truth, encounters with the Father.
It's my desire to share some of the things I've seen on this journey, these ordinary encounters with the Father that have become the sustaining thread in my life, with you, my brothers and sisters. I also want to share these experiences with those of you who are not yet a part of the family of my Father, in the hope that you too will claim your inheritance.
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