Category Archives: Seriously

A Good Idea?

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What seemed like a good idea at the moment:

  • Smoking that first cigarette. Now he has emphysema and is on oxygen.
  • Driving too fast. Now he’s in a body cast.
  • Disregarding courtship restrictions, which were “too restraining.” Now they are guilty and ashamed.
  • Taking that first drink of alcohol years ago. Today he is an alcoholic.

Few people plan on severe consequences. If they had known, they would never have taken that “first step” toward evil. Surely, it couldn’t happen to them. Well, “bad” things do happen, and good things take extra care.   

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:16-17)

Steve

Walk-ins Welcome

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At first glance, it sounds very inviting and maybe even too good to be true. For businesses where appointments are the norm, however, “walk-ins welcome” causes one to wonder why the appointments are not filled. Maybe a new doctor, hygienist, barber, or mechanic has come on board and needs to fill up his schedule. Possible, but perhaps lack of attention to existing customers or poor business practices has driven customers away. 

Over the years, I have observed some husbands “advertising” in a similar way due to marriage problems. They might just as well be wearing a sign “Walk-ins Welcome.” Sadly, all-to-often there seems to be some woman desperate enough to “walk-in” when she should avoid the guy like the plague.

If your marriage is in trouble, first look at what might be broken with yourself. Seek the Lord’s light to shine and expose and then by His grace fix it. Divorce, like abortion, is seen as a quick fix, but it only “breaks” lives. My dad and mom divorced when I was in my early teens, and it broke my heart and ruined their lives.

Brothers will come alongside of you to help, but whatever you do, don’t choose easy–choose good.   

“Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.” (Malachi 2:14)

Steve

Don’t Be a Squirrel

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Go. Don’t go. Go. Don’t go. Go–lights out. If squirrels were as indecisive and had such poor success in trees when jumping from limb to limb as they do when crossing streets, we wouldn’t have any squirrels.

Dads are faced with a myriad of decisions. For the good of their families, it is essential that they make wise, God-fearing, Spirit-led decisions. We guide our families by learning to listen to the Spirit and obey Him. Small decisions are good training for the bigger ones we will face. There really shouldn’t ever be a need for a “leap” of faith. If He says “Go,” we go. If not, we wait.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…” (Philippians 1:27)

Steve

Clearing Up Date Confusion

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There are two dates that the world sees as most important in our lives—the date of our birth and the date of our death. Most forms ask for our date of birth, so it becomes part of our identity. Our date of death is when the “game is over” and our book on earth is closed.

The day a person is spiritually born as a child of God, however, is far more important than the earthly physical date of birth. New life in Jesus Christ forms a new identity. How each of us yields to the Holy Spirit’s prompting determines our legacy and others’ remembrances of us. Then, when a Christian dies, real life begins.

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8)

Steve

Leading Where?

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You can learn so much about people by observing them. For instance, their outward actions reveal their inner heart.

Most have observed a family that is consistently late for church. What level of respect does the dad communicate for others who have begun to worship and for their God? My guess is that Dad is not consistently late for work because if he was he would be looking for a new job. Does he keep his word to his wife and children when he says he will do something? Does he do it when he said he would? Might this dad be late for the start of the “big game” or sleep in on opening day of deer hunting season? If not, some might rightfully wonder if his entertainment is his god.

Consider the man who is late for most everything. Who would appear to be his god? Could it be himself? Is he such a proud man that all he cares about is himself and expects everyone else to wait on him?

Our lives are an open book for all to read. The decisions we make and our commitment in keeping them tell others what is going on inside of us and whom we are following. Choose to be a man with integrity and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we live for Him Who died for us. As we do, we will point others to Him.

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Steve

H U G E

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Training and restraining the will—whether of a puppy, a child, or ourselves—is a huge challenge, but well worth the effort.

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” (Proverbs 25:28)

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” (1 Corinthians 9:25)

Steve

A Sad Fact About Kansas  

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We like our state. It is small-business friendly, politically conservative (currently), and the moderate weather is never boring. Locals, however, do not ever sit in the grass in the country in summertime because they know that those who do will regret it. On occasion we will notice broken down travelers sitting in the tall grass alongside the Interstate and shake our heads. Why is that not a good idea?

Because in the grass live tiny, almost invisible creatures, trombiculidae (smaller than a pencil point), that search out innocent victims they can climb aboard. Then they will crawl on your skin to find some comfy, dark, warm place that is safe and protected. They will then inject digestive enzymes into you that break down your skins cells so they can feast on the small pieces. When they are finished, they will drop off of you, leaving you itching and scratching like crazy.    

Chiggers, we call them. They won’t kill you, but they can make you miserable for up to two weeks. What may seem like a reasonable decision at the moment – sit a while in the lush green grass of summer – can yield miserable consequences. 

Satan, like a chigger of the mind and soul, wants your children. He will take advantage of any opportunity you give him. What bad decisions have you handed him lately? 

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) 

Life Isn’t Easy

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“And he killed James the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:2). 

These eleven words represent a lot of pain. Physical pain for James and emotional pain for those who knew and loved him. Life involves pain, and some have more than others. Do we follow the Lord Jesus so that He gives us good things or because He is “the way, the truth, and the life”?

As we follow Christ, there will be pain. That is as certain as taxes and death. Expect it, and embrace it when it comes. Then let God pour out His grace and love in your life so that you are prepared to help others.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Steve

No Worries

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Growing up, I often had to cross the old concrete Third Street Bridge. To a young guy, it was as tall as a mountain, and if you should fall off of it death was certain. Would you believe that there was no placard on the guardrail warning people not to walk on it? No one ever fell because no one was stupid enough to walk on the guardrail even though it was quite wide.

I wonder how people lived through those years gone by before we had the countless warnings labels, placards, stickers, and barriers. Even the Internet weather sites have warnings. Do not burn leaves and such or drive high-profile vehicles because it is windy today. Do not drive through flowing water because it is raining. Do not drive unless necessary because it is snowing and the roads are icy.

With so many looking to others for direction, how can the greatest source of wisdom, exhortation, and warning be ignored, even among believers? So here is a label for you. Warning: To avoid stumbling, you must be reading and obeying God’s Word daily.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Steve