Object Lessons

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. & These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:6,11. 

  We can learn from bad choices as well as good. The Holy Bible is filled with stories about individuals and groups of people who did the right thing, and also of those who made the wrong choices. In the verses above we are told to learn from people who did not do the right thing, who rebelled, were disobedient to God, and paid a terrible price for their foolish actions. 

Looking back over my own life I can think of many bad choices that I wish I could have prevented or would do differently now. We all have such instances in our lives. 

For years my siblings and I tried our best to get our mother to manage her diabetes properly. I know firsthand how hard that is to do as I have struggled for years to keep my own diabetes under control. I sometimes think one of the most powerful drugs is food, especially deserts/sweets. Sadly, my mother is now suffering from not taking control of her diabetes. She recently began dialysis. My mom is an object lesson to me, driving me to better manage and control my own diabetes. 

We generally think of learning from and emulating the good examples of the lives of those we admire, from historical figures, to our family and friends, and from the Bible. Yet, even mistakes and failures in the lives of others and in our own lives can be learning experiences. Such bad choices can drive us on with a new determination to live better. We can reap the rewards of good actions as we learn from the object lessons others have given us. 

Do not forget the lessons the Bible brings us regarding those who made bad choices. And when those around you stumble and fail, let it motivate you to do better in your own life. We do not judge the failures of others, but we apply object lessons to better ourselves as we learn from them. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, Your Holy Book has much to teach us. Help us to remember the lessons of those who lived good lives and made good choices. And also help us to learn from those who did not make the best choices. Give us wisdom and determination to do better in our own lives. Amen. 

 

Do Not Overwhelm Loved Ones

“He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.” Job 9:18 

  

  In the early years of my affliction, when I was completely overwhelmed at the downturn in my health, I laid too much of that burden upon my wife and other family members. Sometimes we become so laser focused on our affliction, we fail to understand that not only are we overwhelmed, we are overwhelming those around us also. 

  I have to frequently remind myself that if my burden is too much for me to bear, it is certainly too much for others to bear. I must take my heavy burden before the Lord, ask for His help, and not try to lift more than I can carry at one time. 

  I heard a story once about someone standing beside God, watching as God kept laying a heavier and heavier load upon people who could barely stand beneath the burden. The person asked God, “Why do you lay even more upon their shoulders when they are already sinking beneath the load?” 

  God then tells the person, “It is when they can no longer lift the heavy burden that they will turn and ask Me for help.” 

  There is nothing wrong with taking our needs to our brothers and sisters, to our friends and family members. But what I try to do is be selective. I do not go through the alphabet of every ache and pain, every symptom of my illness, every aspect of my affliction. 

  I tell people what I most need. I tell them at most a couple of things that are of primary importance to pray for, or help me with. I avoid the “laundry list” of my illness. 

  Often when I pray, I sense God wants to know the single thing that is most important to me, the one thing I am most concerned about. I believe if we tackle the worst problem, we can then move on to deal with the other lesser issues. 

  When it comes to those around us, we should share our struggles, and as scripture says, carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). But let us not overwhelm those who want to help us by expecting them to carry each and every burden in our lives. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, help me with the one big issue I have today. Amen. 

Good Old Age

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. Genesis 15:15 (KJV) 

  

  When you were young you wished you were older. When you are old you wish you were young again. That is the way of things. But I’m trying to embrace my move into being older, eligible for AARP, and for my local Senior Center. 

  Pride gets in the way of admitting we are getting older. Yet the mirror doesn’t lie. We see others getting older and it is quite evident to us, but a little part of us seeks to convince ourselves that we are not that old. 

   

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? Job 7:1 (KJV) 

  

  How blessed would we be if we fully embraced each season of life? Instead we spend too much time looking forward, or looking back, and forget to live each and every moment the Lord has given to us. 

  Lately I’ve been closely evaluating how I spend, or waste, my time. Wanting to focus on being more productive, even when resting making sure I’m actually getting rest instead of being distracted by my phone or wasting time surfing the internet mindlessly. 

  No matter how long we live on this earth we should enjoy each day and embrace every season of our lives. No matter how long we live we will find that the days pass too quickly by.  

  Perhaps you are feeling old and wish you were young again. Take today as it comes, on its own terms, and remember that every day is a day made by the Lord, meant for our joy and for us to live praising Him (Psalm 118:24). 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, each day is a precious gift from You. Give us a heart to rejoice in every season of our life. Amen. 

Leaving The Noise Pollution Behind

Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. Zechariah 2:13 (KJV). 

  

  My philosophy regarding music has always been: The Louder The Better. But that has finally started catching up with me. Loud music at concerts I’ve attended, turning up the volume on my bass and guitar amplifiers, and too often listening to high volume music through headphones and ear buds, I’m starting to pay for it. 

  After a particularly loud session with my bass guitar I noticed over the next few hours a constant ringing in my ears, and that my ears were now overly sensitive to sounds. The hypersensitivity went away, but the tinnitus ear ringing has been a chronic problem ever since. 

  Not long ago we had a power outage. I was surprised at the intensity of the silence. Without the 60-cycle hum of appliances, air conditioners, and other items in our house that are the background noise of our lives, I realized how wonderful the silence is that we miss each day. 

  Too often we approach prayer with our long lists of wants and needs, concerns that have mounted throughout the day, and fail to simply be quiet before God and silently enjoy His presence within and around us.  

  Noise pollution from the world, and the inner cacophony from the worries and concerns racing through our minds, rob us of the stillness and peace that is ours as children of God. Noise becomes the normal, and quietness the unrecognizable thing, shocking us when it finally arrives by its strange unfamiliarity. 

  I appreciate quietness now more than I ever have in my life. And I think about the joy of silence I have robbed myself of by not practicing it more. 

  Don’t take quiet moments for granted. Carve some silence out of your busy, noisy life for the Lord. Be silent in His presence and take joy in Him. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, in quietness before You we remember who You are, Your majesty, holiness, and awesomeness. We silently revel in Your glory. Amen. 

Lord, Use My Misery For Your Glory

“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.'” Exodus 3:7 

  

  It is the miserable times of my illness that are so challenging. There is the average “everyday bad”, and then there is the “miserable bad” days. Those miserable bad days really make me want to give the devil a black eye. It’s my hope that God can somehow use all that misery for His glory, that instead of me falling to my knees in pain and suffering, I can rise up and glorify God in the midst of my suffering. 

  Sometimes a bad mood trickling into my life becomes a raging torrent. 

  One of my favorite bands is a group named “Skillet”. The band has a song called “Monster” that speaks of “sometimes feeling like a monster.” Our illnesses can do that to us, make us feel inhuman. Our afflictions can drag us down into painful, miserable moods, and lead our minds down dark pathways. We seriously need help from above to redeem such times. 

  One of these days maybe the devil will learn his lesson. The more he hits me, the more I’m going to turn it to God’s purposes. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than punching the devil in the eye. More times than I can count the devil has whispered: You are not going to make it. But as always, he is a liar, and I’m still here praising God. And when the enemy comes to his final end, I’ll be there praising God in my glorified body, and so will you. 

  But today can be miserable, these bodies wracked with pain, moods dark and depressed, it can be a struggle getting from one day to the next. We need help from above, we need strength from God for spiritual warfare to protect our hearts and minds from the arrows of the enemy, and we need the satisfaction of a counter strike against our enemy. Often it is when we are our weakest that we are the most effective as witnesses to the glory of God. 

  The enemy does not understand the paradox that out of weakness comes strength. Sometimes the best things in life start out bitter and disappointing only to become our greatest moments and experiences. Dark days can be our greatest opportunities to witness about what God can do. 

  Sometimes life gets ugly and painful. And it seems the devil has a knack of showing up when you are weakest. When our Lord Jesus was weakest the devil came to tempt Him, so it should be no surprise that when we are down the enemy strikes at us. 

  I would encourage you to counter strike by praising God in the midst of your pain. Refuse to see yourself as a misshapen monster no matter how you may feel, you are a son or daughter of the Most High God. So, find a way to praise Him, to bless God by ministering to others in the midst of your affliction, especially when you are hit the hardest by the enemy. 

  The grace of God is an awesome thing. It may seem impossible for you to believe that God can use your weakness, your constant illness, and even worsening condition to somehow do good in this world. While your illness may not be a good thing, God working in and through you is always a good thing. It may just be that in the midst of your weakest times God has more room to maneuver and minister through your life. 

  Don’t let today pass by without praising the Lord. Give God glory for what He has already done in your life, and then allow Him to take your pain and misery and make your weakness His strength. Allow Him to take your misery and turn it into a witness of what God’s glorious grace can do. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, use our pain for Your glory, use our misery to give the devil a black eye and lift Your name high! Amen.