Our blog is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.
Emphasis mine John 1:35-42
Have you ever read or heard the above reading and been puzzled by the words? It was about four in the afternoon. It strikes me as strange that the time is mentioned when Andrew, who heard John mention that Jesus was the Lamb of God, decided to follow Jesus.
Maybe you’ve had a similar experience.?
I have!
It was a November night in the year two thousand, I was trying to go to sleep, and the Holy Spirit kept telling me that the games had to stop; I had to become a follower.
I resisted because the Holy Spirit also telegraphed what would be asked of me when I took this next step, and frankly, I didn’t want any part of it.
What would God ask of me, you might be thinking?
- We had to sell the house.
- I had to sell the business.
- I had to retire.
Sell the house.
I hadn’t realized how much keeping the house up had cost Gail and me physically and financially. There is an old sales story that goes like this. If you place a frog in a pan of cold water and very slowly raise the temperature, the frog will boil to death before it realizes it is being cooked.
Gail and I were the frogs. We wanted the yard just right, and we didn’t have the physical strength to do what we wanted. Gail’s hands hurt so much after she came in from gardening that she couldn’t hold a glass of water.
I was wearing myself out mowing, raking, and carrying the tons of leaves that fell yearly.
The cost of taxes and maintenance was chewing up money that could have been used elsewhere.
The house had become a god because of the time and money we spent on the house.
Sell the business.
If you have owned a business, you get a particular joy by building the business. The problem I had was I needed a succession plan. If I didn’t do the work, the company would fold.
Yes, we had an income, but it looked like I would be working until the day I died.
I had to retire.
The thought of retiring was challenging because I had worked since fourteen.
What I would do was the question that ran through my mind, and the thought of forty free hours scared me.
As we said at the beginning of our blog, the Holy Spirit wouldn’t stop pushing me to change until I agreed to the demands being asked.
At three o’clock in the morning, I finally realized that when the Holy Spirit wants something, the Holy Spirit doesn’t quit. I WOULD CHANGE.
It was at three o’clock in the morning that I relented and said YES, I would do your will, not mine.
It was at three o’clock in the morning that my life veered one hundred and eighty degrees, and I started living FULLY in the “Spirit World.”
It was at three O’clock in the morning that my fear of doing the will of God changed to Trust because what else could I do?
It was at three O’clock in the morning that I walked into the fields of the Father to imitate His son by living more fully in the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
And,
It was at three o’clock in the morning that I started to fully realize all I had been missing by living in the “World” doing God’s will when it fit into the same agenda as mine.
And
This is why in John’s Gospel, John records the time Andrew’s life changed, and Andrew went and recruited his brother Peter.
We pray you will have a three o’clock moment and find a life filled with Love, Joy, and Peace.
“The nine” We pray you will grow in the Love, Joy, and Peace of the Holy Spirit by growing in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
Well, it’s January fourth, and we’re starting a new year. I like the New Year because it allows me to begin anew. To take what I have learned in the past years and try to do better in the next year.
Life is a reflection of you.
Your cup can be half full or half empty.
The decision is yours.
As I am sure you all know, I choose half full, and I achieve being half full by thanking my and your Father for all the good things that have been and are happening in my life and all the difficulties God the Father has ALLOWED in my life.
I fully appreciate the difficulties, for they bring me closer to God.
I don’t ask for difficulties, but I realize that difficulties are a part of life.
As I thank my and your Father, I also realize God is taking care of me, and I am Loved.
Since my three O’clock conversion, I also have grown in my realization of how much I depend on God. I do not want to go it alone ever again.
Why would I?
I spent seventy years running my life and did a lousy job. At the time, I didn’t realize how much I missed the leadership of my Father, but now I do.
I was reading a book by an Evangelist, and he was talking about a Revival taking over our country. The revival, though, had to start first with you and me.
We must decide that God comes first and try to live as Jesus did.
And this is easy.
It requires me to accept everyone who comes into my life as someone God the Father wanted, and Jesus created.
Love requires me to forgive everyone who has screwed me over, not just once but every time I am asked to forgive.
It requires me to act like Jesus; I should try to recruit everyone I meet into this fabulous lifestyle through my actions and let Jesus judge.
And lastly, it requires me to believe I was wanted, not just a chance meeting of sperm and egg, and I am wanted for a specific purpose, and only by aligning my will with God’s will, will I find out what that purpose is.
Jail update:
I received an email from Ryan, who told me he found Joy in the Jail one day three years ago.
Fred
Merry Christmas!
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Faithfulness, Kindness, Generosity, Gentleness, and Self-Control
Give me the nine !!!!!!!
God Bless Fred
Team Jesus
Join Ryan and learn the “nine,” join team Jesus, and grow in Joy.
Picture:
Carol Earle took this picture driving around Lake Tahoe.
Last week we reported we were out of pictures. Last week we received over fifteen pictures, and they’re all great.
The POWER of prayer. Thank you for your support.
Keep Snapping!
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph; in the comments section at the bottom of our blog, tell me you want to submit a picture, and I will send you my email address in our reply on Thursday.
