Boys and Their Toys

God’s Thoughts to Me

My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction (Proverbs 1:8, NLT).

To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction (Proverbs 12:1).

Introduction

Today I am honored again by a special friend, Floyd Samons, who  is sharing dearly acquired wisdom from the school of life.

Floyd, thank you for all your support this year, helping me to keep my blog going when I was to ill to write. You are truly a brother of my heart.

Floyd blogs at The Regoi and I can assure you that his place is a treasure chest of wisdom and just plain good old common sense. To visit him, just click on his photo. Over to you:

Gifts from Christmas Passed

 

As another Christmas rolls around I, like everyone else, remember the ones from my past and especially the ones from my childhood.

I remember the presents, the food, the gratified looks on my parents faces regardless how lean the year, and the words at Christmas.

I recall the old black Bible with spider web cracks in the leather from use and age that my dad opened to Luke and read from every year before any of us impatient kids could yank a bow or rip a wrapper.

They were the words of God offered by my dad’s gentle voice. I fall into thoughts and lessons from just one of many I got from the man I miss dearly and  remember with honor at Christmas.

Money was burning a hole in my pocket, but it was my money to burn, or so I thought.

“Me and Steve want to buy a boat,” I announced to my dad.

“A boat?”

“Yeah, like a canoe only better, we can fish and stuff,” I explained.

“How you gonna get it to the lake?” my dad asked casually.

“Steve’s dad will take us out there,” I answered, trying to hide my disappointment in his lack of enthusiasm.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, son?” he answered and I knew was the beginning of a long way around the bend where we would eventually arrive at “no.”

As a last resort I threw out the desperation declaration, “It’s my money!” My dad took it in stride and while I can’t recall his exact words, I do recall they had something to do with it indeed being my money.

Yet, it was his responsibility to not let me blow it or do something that didn’t make good sense… Like buying a boat twenty miles from the lake as a freshman in high school with a football buddy as my partner…

The four hundred bucks that I’d worked for was safe and out of my complete control as I poured sweat and some blood into construction jobs in Arizona.

For the next two simmering summers I saved my money for the best thing ever in the history of the whole wide world, even better than all the Christmas gifts combined; my first car.

Add that first muscle car and the freedom that comes with it to the sweet taste of gratification that comes from earning something at great sacrifice, and a kid has the ingredients and discipline that they can use for the rest of their lives…

How does a person learn self discipline and self control if they haven’t been taught how it works? How does a person learn self respect if they don’t learn how to respect others?

I remember being so angry with my dad that my throat ached… Here’s the kicker; I knew he was right.  Even at the time of indiscreet ignorance, I knew it was, but I didn’t care about tomorrow… I wanted to live for that day.

His lesson taught me that waiting and using discipline returned dividends that taste much sweeter than quick fixes for a greedy and impatient flesh.

The lust of our flesh can’t ever truly be satisfied without wisdom from our heavenly Father to keep in check.

For now, only God knows which of us was more proud the day my dad drove my car for the first time with me riding shotgun…

Funny thing about wise people, they never have to say things like, “I told you so.” They say things like, “This is a nice car, son… I sure am proud of you…”

Wishing you and yours the best gifts and treasures this Christmas season, the kind that can’t be calculated by a number, the kinds that are stored in our minds, hearts, and eternal souls.

Merry Christmas, God bless you.

Floyd

P.s. Thanks again, Floyd, you are a dear precious friend!

Sweet blessings xx

Mia

I am linking-up with the ladies at my Tea Time and Link-Up page.

A Feast of Joy

God’s Thoughts to Me

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence. (Psalm 16:11, NLT)

Yet, you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3, NLT)

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV)

These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Isaiah 29:3, NLT)

Empty Hands

The world is wrapped in a blanket of expectancy. The atmosphere is preganant with desire … a desire to capture joy, hope and love in the festivities of Christmas. Too many people are starving from a spiritual hunger …. a hunger that can only be satisfied by the Bread of Life, our Lord Jesus.

I am perplexed by the inability of so many of our Pappa’s children to receive, accept and understand the extent of His invitation to attend the feast He has prepared for them …. His wedding feast of love and joy. It cannot be for a lack of trying, because they are busy … very busy, trying to earn the food their hearts earnestly crave. Everywhere the glitzy glamour of Christmas is shining around us.

Solomon wisely remarked, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NLT). Yet, this hunger is all consuming and I feel so much sorrow in my heart for those who never seem to be filled …. spiritually filled and satisfied.

Until our Pappa revealed to my heart the reason for this humungous predicament the human race finds itself in. He took my thoughts back to a certain young man. This rich young man also experienced a severe, spiritual hunger …. the hunger for eternal life. He went to the right Person to ask for this gift, our Lord Jesus, offering Him a long list of his impeccable law-observance …. an impressive inventory of all his good deeds.

Yet, he had a big problem …. his hands were filled with worldly things. He was convinced that he had kept the whole law from birth. But our loving Lord looked at him with so much love, seeing a little boy trying to earn his Pappa’s affection.

In the past I used to arrogantly critisize this greedy man for not loving our Lord Jesus enough to sell all his possesions and to give the money to the poor. But we are all aware that our feeble hearts can never change itself and we are dependent on the Lord to live His life in and through us.

Could it be that our Lord wanted him to rid himself of all his futile efforts, to empty his hands by showing him how utterly deceitful the human heart truly is? I realise that the Narrow Gate is so narrow that only as we come with empty hands and a heart filled with need, can we enter into our Pappa’s Kingdom of Light …. into our Lord Jesus.

It makes me wonder about what I might still be harbouring in my heart, my deceitful heart, as a bartering commodity for His love, joy and acceptance. May He bless us by giving us spiritual insight to perceive and understand the beauty of His Gift. May He enable us to empty our hands and hearts of anything that may hinder us from receiving the fullness of His Life …. the fullness of Himself. Only in His presence there is fullness of joy …. only in His presence can we experience true worship and praise, for He delights in the heartfelt praises of His people.

Much love XX

Mia

I am linking up with dear Barbie at My Freshly Brewed Life where we prepare our hearts to receive our Lord Jesus. Please join us at http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com/

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A God Who Waits

God’s Thoughts to Me

Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said,”No, we will get our help from Egypt.”…. So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. (Isaiah 30:15-18, NLT)

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10, NLT)

A Still, Quiet Christmas

During 2011 South Africa had a census. The country was bustling with activity and expectation, hoping for better services and living conditions as a result.

Fortunately we were all visited at our homes by the census officials and had no need to travel to our places of birth like Joseph and Mary had to do when the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed a census throughout the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus’ birth.

I can only imagine the commotion in Bethlehem when they arrived; with all the travellers returning to register for the census. No wonder there was no accommodation available for this unimportant carpenter and his highly preganant wife, who was already in labour.

The world, as usual, was too busy with its worldly things to pay to much attention to their greatest need. I don’t think they were even aware of their need …. the need to be saved from itself and all the futile ways of trying to find worth and meaning …. the need for forgiveness, love, grace and compassion ….. the need to come to our Pappa to freely receive His Gift of Redemption, our Lord Jesus, and to live in Him.

Looking at the frantic hustling and bustling around me, as the world is again preparing for the Christmas celebrations, it makes me sad and I wonder how much, if anything, has changed!

I can sense our Pappa still waiting, longing for His children to just be still and quiet …. to just return to Him and listen to His heartbeat of love …. to allow Him to show them His love and compassion ….. to allow Him to hold them securely in the palm of His hand.

It breaks my heart to think of all the times I was just like the stubborn Israelites who “would have none of it”. For much too long I had been looking to Egypt. For much too long had I been wining and dining the ways of the world, especially its religious ways, frantically trying to find my acceptance and worth in the false security it offers.

But still my Pappa had been waiting for me, patiently allowing me to come to the end of myself and my ways, knowing that the time would come when I had no one and nothing to look up to, but Him. When that time arrived, how graciously did He shower me with all His love, grace, goodness and compassion!!! The love, peace and joy I experience in His Loving Embrace is way above the busy, futile ways of the world.

Come dear Ones, let us all return to Him, rest in Him, confident of His goodness, drawing our strength from His presence. Let us become still and KNOW that He is God.

Much love XX

Mia

It is again time to link-up with Barbie at The Fresh Brewed Sunday community. We are all invited to share a verse from Scripture that has special meaning to us. Come and join us at http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com

Thank you, Barbie!!

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