Creation and Salvation

 

Creation and Salvation

 

Several years ago I was working on a home that was about 100 feet from the San Diego bay and two blocks to the west of their home was the ocean.  I would try and get to the job early and park by the ocean and watch the waves come in.  What a wonderful way to start the work day enjoying and being in awe of God’s creation.  I thought of Psalm 19.  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Day unto day utters speech,  and night unto night reveals knowledge.

Be Careful

 

Be Careful

 

That phrase would conjure up all sorts of images in our minds.  What are we to be careful of?  We teach our children to be careful crossing the street.  As we get older we need to be careful to eat well and get enough exercise and sleep.  We need to be careful in all aspects of our everyday life. We must be wise not foolish in all our endeavors.

         I was working on a job several years ago and I had to wear a harness and be tied off while working on the roof.  It was very steep and very slick.  The owners were concerned but there was a duplicity in their statement.  It really showed what was of

Bypassed

 

                                             Bypassed

 

When we were on vacation in Oregon, we purchased a few items at a grocery store. You had to be over 21 to purchase one of the items. (It wasn’t alcohol it was medicine for allergies. 😊) When I looked at the receipt as we were leaving, this was printed at the bottom, “age verification bypassed.” I didn’t have to show any ID to make the purchase. I was 73 at the time so apparently I looked over 21 to the cashier and she didn’t have to ask for proof that I was of age to make the purchase.

     Once we have asked Jesus to come into our life, to rule and reign and to forgive us of

Creation and salvation

 

                                      Creation and salvation

 

A few years ago I was working on a home that was about 100 feet from San Diego bay and two blocks to the west of their home was the ocean.  I would try and get to the job early and park by the ocean and watch the waves come in.  What a wonderful way to start the work day enjoying and being in awe of God’s creation.  I thought of Psalm 19.  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Faith and Rewards

 

Faith and Rewards

 Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

If someone is not trusting in Jesus as Savior, they can do nothing that would please God.  It is impossible.  They can accomplish great humanitarian feats or give all they have to feed the poor, and that will all be as filthy rags because they have no faith in God.  It is impossible to please Him because they have rejected what He has offered.  Our desire as Christians is to please God in all that we do. And we can be well pleasing to Him because we have faith in Him. Whether we are at work or play we don’t want to do or say anything that would bring dishonor to our Lord.  2 Cor 5:9  Therefore we make it

Haste makes waste

 

I think that most of you have heard that proverb (not a biblical one) growing up.  Perhaps you heard the one my dad used to tell me.  The “hurrieder I go the behinder I get.” That saying has always stuck in my mind.  How many times have I hurried to get something done and then problems arose which cost more time to correct.  If only I would have slowed down just a little the project would have got done quicker. I would like to say I have never spilt any paint due to being in a rush, but I have and that is really never a good thing.

How are we doing with our hurriedness in our relationship with the Lord?  Is there so much to do that we are neglecting the One for whom we are working? Are we running

CLEAN CONSCIENCE

 

Acts 24:16:  “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and man.”

It had been a very busy Saturday, busier than most, and Kay and I had just gotten home from being gone all day when our doorbell rang around 7:00P.M.

When I opened the door there stood a police officer asking me to come outside.  He asked me if there was trouble in the house.  Was there a heated argument going on?  I told him no and that we had only been home a few minutes.  He said there was a

Mistaken Identity

What a tragedy this past week. A couple murdered, several other officers killed, people shot and injured, and a man who committed these horrific acts of violence. Circumstances put him over the edge which resulted in so much pain, suffering and fear for so many.  This mother and daughter that were shot while in a truck matching the description of the vehicle the police were looking for, suffered from a case of “mistaken identity”.

I thought of two instances where this happens from a scriptural standpoint. The first instance of “mistaken identity” is that people would have no clue that we have a

Which way do I go?

 

A little while ago, my wife and I took our granddaughter to an aquarium in San Diego.  When we first entered the aquarium, there was a huge tank with hundreds of the same kind of fish and they were all swimming, but going in two different directions. Some were swimming clockwise and others were going counterclockwise. As I watched, some actually changed direction and it seemed they were unsure of which way they should be swimming.

Are we at times unsure of which way we should be going?  Are we easily led astray by

God Morning to you

 

I sent off an email a few weeks ago and when I read it over before I sent it, I noticed I had typed God Morning instead of Good Morning.  Thank You for that typo Lord.  A simple deletion of an “o” totally changed how I had intended to start that email.  As I thought on that typo the rest of the day, I was grateful that I had deleted an “o”.  That was a perfectly ordained typo by God.

So I continue to think on God Morning, God is good all the time, all the time God is

ASK

 

A few months ago I was sitting outside with our five year old grandson. We had just finished eating and I was having a piece of cake and he was just sitting there watching me eat it.  He is a little shy and I wanted to teach him a lesson, so I kept on eating and he kept on just sitting there watching me.  I finally broke down and asked him if wanted to share my cake.  Of course he said yes.  I told him you have to ask, if you want something you have to ask.

          Jesus told His listeners at the sermon of the mount, to ask and it will be given to you.  The Lord

Difficult or easy

 

I finished up working on a job some time ago that was probably one of the most difficult jobs I have done  in a long time.  It was physically draining and challenging in regards to some of the set-ups to get certain areas painted.  After that job I went to a very easy kitchen cabinet repaint.  The owners were gone and I just had to be finished and cleaned up before they returned.  Such is our life here.  We have some very difficult days, weeks, months or years and we have some of those same times that are very easy.  Hills and

Conversation

 

Conversation

 Some time ago I was working on the exterior of a beautiful home in the Mission Hills  area of San Diego.  There are a lot of people that walk by that house as they are out exercising, or taking their dog for a walk, or just out for a casual stroll on a beautiful San Diego morning.  I was able to overhear several conversations as the people walked by.  “I wonder if they are going to change the color of the house?”   “When I had my house painted on the inside it really smelled terrible.”  “I have seen that company many times in this neighborhood.” Those conversations which I overheard would probably not