SCARS OF THE MENTOR!

SCARS OF THE MENTOR!

(This is a “Classic” previously presented)

2 Tim 3:14-15

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Gal 6:16-17

16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

If you are old enough to have a young person ask your advice you may notice that they never ask you how to enjoy the good times! Always they will want to know how to endure the bad times and how to navigate the treacherous waters of life. If you have gone through trouble with no apparent reason perhaps it’s not for you at all. Perhaps it is so you can show your scars to some neophyte. Experience comes from experiences both good and bad. The pain you now feel will heal and leave a scar. You will be able to point to those marks and share the wisdom that came from that painful time.

2 Tim 2:2-3

2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

It is not an accident nor is it a coincidence that “endure hardness” is coupled with “teach others also.” Much of my advice to younger people is: “Don’t respond like I did. There is a better way!”

Someone wrote these lines…

“I walked a mile with pleasure. She chatted all the way.

But left me none the wiser, for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with sorrow and not a word said she.

But oh, the things I learned from her, when sorrow walked with me.”

Dear Lord, when looking for advice let me look for the scars of the mentor. When going through pain let me remember well so that I may teach others also. AMEN

 

WOULD I DIE FOR THIS?

WOULD I DIE FOR THIS?

Acts 7:57-60

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

          I am shocked when I look into my own heart and discover how little of what we now refer to as Christianity I would die for! Before you paint me as a heretic, please understand that, in my opinion, there is much too much of Christianity that isn’t. Much of it is man-made. So it was with Judaism when Jesus walked the earth.

Matt 23:16-17

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

          If Stephen had not died for his faith he most assuredly would have lived for it. It is painful to see that much of what we are packaging to sell to our congregants is not bread. Often the things we hold most sacred are not sacred at all and would not greatly damage Christianity if they were eliminated. Perhaps a purified faith would once again attract the attention of our wandering youth who are, in spite of first glances, desperately searching for something worth dying for. What they seem to be telling us by their “who cares” attitude is that what we have offered doesn’t ultimately matter. We offer them pizza and parties but in their heart they want more.

James 1:27

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Dear Lord, I want a faith worth living for and, if necessary, worth dying for. Help me to know the difference between good – better – and best. AMEN

TIME!

TIME!

Eph 5:15-16

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

          Time, when it is carefully observed drips in agonizing slowness but rushes like a torrent when it is ignored. Left to itself, time steals our youth and, along with it, our health. The word “evil” in verse 16 is poneros which means “hurtful.”

          Time should never be spent but invested. Moments should be filled with wise purpose but we now live in a culture that squanders enormous amounts of time. In God’s economy, time equals opportunity and we are always encouraged to take advantage of opportunities. We are responsible for the management of our time.

Sonnet 193 by Emily Dickenson

I shall know why—when Time is over—
And I have ceased to wonder why—
Christ will explain each separate anguish
In the fair schoolroom of the sky—

He will tell me what "Peter" promised—
And I—for wonder at his woe—
I shall forget the drop of Anguish
That scalds me now—that scalds me now!

Dear Lord, I have stopped to pause but a moment and realize I have nearly lived my life. Help me to redeem the time because the days are hurtful. AMEN