When I travel somewhere, seldom will you ever hear the words come out of my mouth, “Oh gees, I forgot something.”  I was never in the Boy Scouts, but my parents taught me well how to be prepared, how to be resourceful, and how to improvise.  On one camping trip the truck’s fuel pump went out.  Dad poured gas from the boat into a can and climbed above the truck’s engine so he could pour gas manually into the carburetor.  He told my mother, “If it runs, step on it and keep it moving.”  Something he said later he regretted as it was the scariest ride of his life.

I started three weeks ago packing my suitcase for my upcoming trip to Africa.  I want to be prepared, yet pack light.  After all, there isn’t going to be a Walgreens on the “corner of happy & healthy” where I can conveniently go.  My teammates have started teasing me, and one said, “I will just throw some stuff in a backpack the night before.”

As I stood over the top of my suitcase the other day I began to think about how people prepare for heaven.  Are they packing light, or heavy?  What do I mean by that you might ask?  Well it seems as if there are a lot of people that feel, believe, are convicted in thinking that if they “DO” enough, in the name of God of course, that God will see this, be pleased and let them into heaven.  Or if they faithfully follow a set of “RULES”, observe Holy Days and traditions, or be a “GOOD CHRISTIAN” that they will “EARN” the right to enter heaven.  The truth is they are over packing.  Their suitcase for their journey to heaven becomes heavy, weighted down, hard to bear.  Causing many to fall by the wayside, along the road of life to be robbed of their joy, their strength, perhaps their eternal life.

This is one journey where I want to pack light.  In fact so light that I don’t pack anything at all.  It is so hard for us as “doers” to do nothing.  I’m not saying that we should accept Christ into our lives and then just sit back and wait to die, or for the rapture to take place.  There is nothing wrong with sharing God’s love to others, and doing what you can for them.  Sometimes others need you, your time, or your ear more then they need tangible possessions.  The simple truth is; Jesus has already done everything for us that we need in order to enter heaven.  All we have to do is accept His death, and resurrection, His FREE gift of salvation, so I end this week by asking you, “What’s in your suitcase?”

I often use “The Message” Bible translation in my blogs when I include a scripture. This week I decided to simply post chapter 19 from the book of Psalms. Read it slow, and let the proper weight of each word’s meaning sink in.

Psa 19:1  A David psalm. God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.

Psa 19:2  Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.

Psa 19:3  Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded,

Psa 19:4  But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. God makes a huge dome for the sun–a superdome!

Psa 19:5  The morning sun’s a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape.

Psa 19:6  That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.

Psa 19:7  The revelation of GOD is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of GOD are clear and point out the right road.

Psa 19:8  The life-maps of GOD are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of GOD are plain and easy on the eyes.

Psa 19:9  GOD’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of GOD are accurate down to the nth degree.

Psa 19:10  God’s Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries.

Psa 19:11  There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure.

Psa 19:12  Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool?

Psa 19:13  Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.

Psa 19:14  These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

I grew up in Carbondale Assembly of God church. I didn’t live there, but at times it felt like it, as we were there every time the doors were open, plus for many years my mother was the secretary. Our church seemed to produce a lot of pastors, evangelist, and missionaries. From time to time a missionary would speak at one of the services and talk about what they were doing in “Timbuktu”.

As I listened to these men I decided I never wanted to be a missionary, so at the age of ten I made a deal with God. I told God if he wanted I would be a pastor, or even an evangelist, but please don’t ever ask me to be a missionary, and for sure, never tell me to go to Africa. The way I saw it this was a great deal for God. He could pick either of the remaining two.

Let me tell you something about God you may not know, or have never realized; God is a gentleman. He never forces his way, never knocks the door down to barge in, but rather as is stated in Rev. 3:20 he stands at the door and knocks. So God has never asked me to be a missionary, and he has never told me to go to Africa.

When I was approached about being a team member on a serving trip to Ndola, Zambia I did what every good Christian does, I replied, “I’ll pray about it.”  The next day while in a local grocery store I was looking for some lunchmeat, I started crying. I started thinking about what someone in a village in Africa would have to do if they wanted lunchmeat made out of a chicken breast. In that moment my heart changed, I begin to have a burden for people in Africa, and not because they can’t run to the corner grocery store to buy lunchmeat, but rather for their souls, and in some cases the generational poverty they live with.

After getting home from the store that night, I got on my knees and asked, “God, can I go to Africa?” Later I imagined in the moment I asked God that question he laughed, and said, “What took you so long?” God is so good to us. He has a way of taking his desires for our lives and working them into our hearts, and then he sits back and waits for us to catch up to accomplishing his plan, for our lives, for our world. Later. I gotta
go pack!

 

My son absolutely hates it when I mention something early in our conversation and then bring it back into the conversation moments later, and say, “Did you see what I did there?”  I was sharing this with a coworker and in the span of our conversation he did it to me.  We both laughed enthusiastically.   I thought it was great and didn’t mind at all.

I recently got totally out of a long dating relationship which is always difficult for me, because I don’t usually have hope of being in another one, so I tend to stay in a bad one.  I know, pretty pathetic but true.  (In a later blog I will share my views of being in love, and what in our lives I compare that to.)  So after leaving this relationship and determined this time to never go back into it I was down.  Sad feelings set in.

Six days later I received an email from my section leader, where I attend church, and he invited me to go on a serving trip to Zambia.  In a matter of hours my mood, my outlook, my focus in life had totally changed.  It took me though a few days to realize this change in my attitude.  Once I did I was thanking God for bringing this opportunity to me.  There’s no time to think about another relationship, I’m going to Zambia.  I have never been to another continent before and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do through the small team of us going.  As I was talking to God the other day about all of this, and thanking Him for His mercy and goodness I sensed God say to me, “Did you see what I did there?”

Proof once again God does see me and you, love us, and cares so deeply about us.  He never wants to see you hurting, down, or even depressed, but instead wants to lead you into an abundant life. (John 10:10)  One of the best ways for God to do that is for you to be around His people instead of isolating yourself which can lead to further sinking into despair.  Never give away the Hope that He has provided to you through His son Jesus, and then watch for what He will do for you.

 

You ever get tired of doing good?  Doing good things for your family, your friends, your coworkers, or your neighbors.  Let’s be honest, it can wear you out, especially when no one seems to notice.  I know you’re not asking for a parade in your honor celebrating every time you help someone out, but wouldn’t it feel good if someone validated your actions?

It’s your flesh that seeks this recognition.  If you received the few minutes of gratitude here on earth each time you did something good, then there might not be anything for God to reward you for in heaven that will last forever.  So ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”  Is it really to share God and His love, or is it for you?

God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.  “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or–worse!–stolen by burglars.  Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars.  Mat. 6:18-20 (MSG)

Keep doing the things that bring God glory in secret.  For there will be a day when you stand before Him.  Let God validate your ticket.  Hopefully you will hear these words from Him, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.” (Mat. 25:21)

“Quick, God I need your helping hand.  The last decent person just went down.”  This quote is from my daily scripture reading this past week in Psalms chapter 12 verse 1.  (“The Message“(MSG) translation by Eugene Peterson.)  After I read that verse I paused and wondered, am I a decent person?  Also I had the thought, what would cause me to go down?  Probably my go to sin.  You know it.  The one Satan uses most often to trip me up, to pull me away from God.  To be honest if my actions today were the only ones used to answer that question then the answer would be, “No!”

Fortunately for me, and for all of us, God forgives us of our transgressions when we ask, and He “chooses” to remember them no more.  I hope He chooses to not remember today’s words and actions rather quickly.  I am so blessed to have such a loving heavenly Father.  He made me, therefore he understands me.  Now I am just crying out to God the first part of verse 1, “Quick, God I need your helping hand.”  I really do need His help to someday (soon I hope) learn to face my go to sin and turn away.  Thank you Father, for though I am not always faithful to you, you’re always faithful to me.

She has taken on average 815,731,200 breaths as of today.  Every breath has gone in and out of a person that today celebrates her ninety-seventh birthday.  Every breath has contributed to a life lived well.  She has been there breathing through the good times, the fun times and the hard times.  There was a breath taken when her two younger brothers were each born.  A breath taken with excitement when her to be husband first kissed her.  A breath sighed heavy when her mother passed, when her husband passed and when her first brother passed.

With every breath has come and gone a lot of friends, a lot of family times, a lot of working hours, some hard times, disappointing times, a lot of love, but a lot of life.  I once told my great aunt she is living so long her friends who have passed on before her are going to start thinking she died and went to hell, for she is not with them in heaven yet.  She came back with, “My bags are packed, but I’m just not ready to leave yet.”  You could always count on my great aunt to have a zinger or two to share.

Never having children of her own, she has treated my mother as a daughter, and my sister and me as her grandchildren.  Believe it or not, she still lives alone in her own home.  She is an inspiration to all who know her.  Her body may be putting in overtime, but her mind is still sharp.  She loves to relive and share the moments when her breaths were associated with happy times.

So you see “life” is in every breath.  Make the most of each one.  Every breath comes from God, from when He breathed into Adam’s nostrils, to the first one He gave you.  Happy 97th birthday Great Aunt Betty!  I love you.