Autumn Awe

I was walking outside the other day when I heard an unusual squawking, which was getting louder and louder. I recognized it as the sound of a gaggle of geese, so I stopped and waited for them to appear as they flew over, headed south for the winter. The experience was well worth the wait, considering it was the largest V formation I’ve ever seen! A very majestic uncommon sight.

God’s word tells us in many places to consider His handiwork of nature, whether looking at how the ants work, how the lilies and birds don’t worry, how you can identify a tree by its fruit, etc. As I contemplated the huge V formation of Canada geese, I thought about how even geese are smart enough to take a rest. They take turns being the point of the V and taking the exhausting headwind for the group, then return to rest in the draft of easier flying in a leg of the V. Together as a group, they fly more efficiently for a longer distance.

I was reminded by a passage from Mark 6:30-32: “The apostles gathered around Jesus. They told him all they had done and taught. But many people were coming and going. So they did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said to his apostles, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. You need to get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a quiet place.”

The Faith of Friends

I told a friend goodbye today
Our paths may never cross again
He's moving on... beyond... away---
His life is turning a new bend.
The roads we travel are not the same;
our direction is different, too
We differ in destination, in aim,
and in the walking that we do.
The road I walk is on higher grounds,
for the Lord has lifted me
to a place where His promises abound,
a plane my friend can't see.
My friend has never walked this path
nor known the Master's guiding hand.
He has never glimpsed the glory
of that precious Promised Land.
But God has allowed me the chance to share,
to show the signs of His love,
to forgive, to comfort, to strengthen, to care,
to tell of Heaven above.
My friend has surely seen the signs,
but the choice is his to make
He is aware of the route divine,
but which road will he take?
I'm not sure if I'll ever have other chances
to show my friend the way;
I can only be thankful for past circumstances.
I can only pray
that along life's road a new walk will begin
in the journey of my friend
and some sweet day we'll be reunited
at our journeys' end

Sometimes we feel discouraged in our efforts to minister to others, especially to a close friend or family member who seems disinterested. However, we must continue to pray and know that God hears our prayers. In this way we are like the paralytic's friends who carried him to Jesus that he might be healed (Mark 2: 3-5). It was the evidence of their faith that helped to make the difference. Verse 5 says, "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven" Continue to pray!!

From August 5, 1986

Love: God's definition

Love. It's a word that has many shades of meaning in our society; we use it in reference to our spouses, our friends, our Lord, and our favorite candy bar! We talk about it as though it were a location -- to be "in love." We refer to it as something tangible -- to "find love." We speak of it as a condition -- to "feel love." We even insinuate that it is something accidental that we "fall in and out of." And yet God's Word most often refers to love as an action -- something that we are commanded to do and choose to do, rather than a feeling that comes over us or something we find ourselves in.

We are to love our enemies. Matthew 3:44
We are to love our neighbors. Matthew 22:39
We are to love our spouses. Ephesians 5:25
We are to love our children. Titus 2:4
We are to love the Lord. Mark 12:30
We are to love fellow Christians. 1 Peter 2:17

According to these verses, love is expressed through prayer, service, selflessness and sacrifice. We don't have to wait for love to "happen" to us. We can choose to love.