Our blog is inspired by The Holy Spirit.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him. Philemon 3:8-9
In my younger life, I didn’t agree with this statement from St. Paul. I didn’t consider all things as so much rubbish. I instead tried to acquire as much rubbish as I could.
An interesting thing happened gradually as I aged, I started to feel that the things I felt were important, weren’t. For example, I can clearly remember my first car. I bought a nineteen sixty-six Ford Mustang, which I paid too much for because I didn’t fully understand finances. I am not saying I was overcharged. I am saying that, for what I was earning, I simply couldn’t afford the car, insurance, and upkeep.
But hey, I was young, this was my first car, and I didn’t give anything else involved in owning a car a moment’s thought.
I wanted that car!
As the bills for the car came in, I realized my, yes, my, mistake.
As we type this, I now realize God took care of me by getting me fired from my first job, which I didn’t like, and didn’t have the forethought to quit, and getting me hired by Procter and Gamble as a soap salesman in Maine. P & G would provide me with a company car, and I had to sell the Mustang.
This was when I learned my next big lesson.
Dad sold the nine-month-old car that had been washed and waxed every weekend for a loss.
A Loss!
You could see the spaces between your teeth a mile away it was so clean.
A Loss!
That’s when I started to realize what Paul said about all things being so much rubbish.
At that time, I didn’t know Paul’s statement, but as the years rolled on, this statement started to hit home.
I would love to say I fully embrace Paul’s statement, but that’s not true. I am working on this because I know this is a very true statement, and it’s building a true relationship with God, my Father, Brother, and Holy Spirit, which is the only thing that will never disappoint.
Now, are we suggesting all things are rubbish?
Yes,
But God knows what you need, and if you let God run your life, God will provide what you need, and you can give your Father Glory for what he has provided for you in your life.
I believe God provided Gail and me with our condo.
The difference is I recognize the hand of God in this purchase and praise and thank God for the condo.
Quick story on the condo.
We had to get out of our house because it was too much work in maintenance. Our fault as we both are perfectionists.
I prayed for a condo so someone else could do the outside work.
Nine months later, we found the condo that met our needs.
Ten other couples were looking at buying the condo also. We found out later one couple loved it.
But,
They didn’t like the master bedroom on the second floor, which had a beautiful view of a pond in the back of the condo, which told me the hand of God was involved in this transaction because the master bedroom was on the first floor, and I know this because the Master Bath and Closet were bigger.
They didn’t bid.
We were the only ones to bid and met all their selling requirements.
We bought the condo, and we couldn’t be happier, and I give God the full credit.
Compare the two stories, and I think you will see a huge difference.
The car was my doing without God; the condo was our doing with God.
What a difference.
Once again, life can be easy, just let your Father lead you to where God wants you to go and do, and life becomes easier.
“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:
Today is Monday, September Nineteenth, and I watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral this morning.
I was deeply moved by the pageantry of the funeral service and by the deep respect shown to the Queen by so many of the people she reigned over during the past seventy years.
The announcers kept remarking on the silence shown by the crowds when they asked for a moment of silence.
The crowds that lined the processional route were enormous.
About halfway through the service and processional, a thought came to my mind.
Jesus, the beloved Son of God the Father, came into this world needing Love and care from His parents.
Jesus ended His life on a Cross and was quickly whisked off to a new grave to be quickly buried before sunset.
A guard was posted to ensure that no one stole the body.
Three days later, women went to the grave site to find out Jesus wasn’t there.
But,
When Jesus returns:
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord;
All the families of nations
will bow low before him.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
the ruler over the nations.
All who sleep in the earth
will bow low before God;
All who have gone down into the dust
will kneel in homage.
And I will live for the Lord;
my descendants will serve you.
The generation to come will be told of the Lord,
that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn
the deliverance you have brought. Psalm 22: 28-32
If you are thinking, “I have never heard these words before.” What is Psalm 22? I am sure you have heard the beginning of this psalm.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Psalm 22: we all say this Psalm every Good Friday,
But,
We never say the last lines, which is sad because it is a victorious prayer.
What a difference!
Jesus rose from the dead because Jesus was the Son of God. Queen Elizabeth, you and I will rise from the dead because of her and our faith in Jesus being our Lord and Savior.
Picture:
The Heritage Trail in New York is a nineteen-mile trail that is drop-dead beautiful, especially at this time of year. Gail and I rode it on our way back from Mississippi. We picked up the trail at Goshen N. Y. and wished we had more time to explore the town.
The towns we rode through on all the trails we rode on were very interesting.
Link: www.traillink.com/trail/heritage-trail-(ny)/
Your Pictures:
Please remember that we asked you to send a picture we could use in our blogs. I have thought more about this and am excited because it gets you involved in this beautiful ministry.
You change from being an onlooker to being a participant.
One person in her comment last week responded and asked for my email; I pray she will follow through and send a picture.
This world is drop-dead beautiful, as you all know, and since we have readers from around the country/world, I, for one, would love to see a picture of your part of the country/world.
Please provide a short description of the picture, and I will credit you by saying; Picture by Susan T., for example. If you don’t want your name mentioned, I will say Picture by Anonymous.
So take out your phone, and let’s get snapping.
