🫡Duty🥱

 Sometimes the duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious. George Orwell 

Have you ever heard someone say “now this is the bottom line?”  Which means the final results or ultimate outcome. In Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

The first thing I noticed about this conclusion was the word “hear.” My first thought was this  

Romans 10:17 (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Want more faith? Then you are going to be where you can hear. I remember hearing others talking about how they trusted God not knowing what would happen. I remember when I was young in my faith. We lived in Lithonia. The weather had turned really bad and a tornado was on the ground. I ran to our bedroom and prayed to God to protect us. The report came that the tornado had lifted and was no longer on the ground. When I told what God had done many shunned it off and told me that was just a coincidence. It may have been but no one will ever convict me it was just a coincidence. There was another time when I picked up a man that was hitchhiking. I wrote about that some time ago. Anyways hearing is important; think not? Just lose your hearing. Now the bottom line or conclusion of the whole matter needs to be heard so let’s get to it. What is this “conclusion of the whole matter?” I want to know. Solomon says the conclusion comes down to this “Fear God” Over the years this important fact has been ignored. Most do what they want to do and God, well He is not ever thought of let alone feared. Sounds like Judges 17:6 (KJV) In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

There was no law being enforced, oh my 🥳😱

Notice next we are to do “keep his commandments.” Well are we doing that? A man was having an affair with a woman who was about to get a divorce. That’s bad enough but another person said “I don’t see anything wrong with that, she’s getting a divorce. What! We live in a society where there is no fear of God and His commandment, are not even allowed out where we can see them, let alone know them. Well what do you expect? Solomon said the conclusion of the whole matter is “Fear God, and keep his commandments.” Why should we do that? Good question and Solomon answers that too “for this is the whole duty of man.”  Not part of the duty of man but the whole duty of man. Stop and ask someone to give you 2 of the 10 commandments and see what they say. We don’t know the law of God. How in the world can we keep it? Oh listen to what people are saying; I need some me time. Do what you want to do, it's your life. If it feels good how can it be wrong? Have it your way. You deserve this. Are we racing to the top of the ladder to be first and forgetting who is already first. I don’t think God cares about the football championship game but he does care about both teams and all who are sitting in the stadium. He also cares about all those watching and those who aren’t. Fear God, Keep His Commandments that is the lease we can do.  

🍃A Season🍂

To Everything There Is A Season

There are all type of seasons, fishing, hunting, school season and on and on there are seasons. I want to write about the seasons in our live. There was a day I could run with the youth and out run some of them. Play ball with the youth but that season of my life has ended and will not return; Oh but it was great while it lasted. When that season ended another took its place. Solomon writes about our lives seasons in the book of Ecclesiastes and chapter 3 where he starts off with this.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Every thing has a season. He goes on in verse 2 Ecclesiastes 3:2 (KJV) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Solomon writes about “time” Solomon is teaching about LIFE. When the world was created and time started our time had not yet come. Solomon writes about that in chapter 1 and verse 4  

Ecclesiastes 1:4 (KJV) One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

Our generation is here and we are living the seasons of it. Solomon reminds us that there is a time to be born and there is a time to die. Then he warns us by saying there is a time to plant and a time to harvest what you planted. Do you think that Solomon is talking about planting beans and corn? I don’t think so. We plant seeds in our life and they one day will come up in harvest. It could be a harvest we really don’t want. I think we all can say Solomon was right. When we were in our twenties we were indestructible and rushed in without giving it much though. As we got older we started thinking about things that could easily go wrong and we became more careful. Then as we became older we said no to things we at one time had no problem saying yes to. Then we began to say I just can't. I wish I could but I just don’t have it in me to do it. Solomon calls them seasons. There was a time to be at the hospital rejoicing over the baby. Then there is a time to be at the funeral home weeping over that which is now gone. Time, the clock is ticking and we can’t stop it. We look at the clock and the day and dates are different. The seasons of our life are passing by so fast. We just wish we could slow some of them down to enjoy just a little while longer but we can’t do that either. The kids that used to sit in our living room on Saturday morning as we talked about the week and many other things. Why, they have kids of their own now. Oh wait my kids that sit in our living room on Saturday morning have grand kids too, what? Where did the time go? Oh it went by so fast. I shouldn’t be surprised James told us this would happen.  

James 4:14 (KJV) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Or as Solomon said “A time to be born, and a time to die” what season are you in now? I had a friend whose name was Alvin Honea. He was much older than me and I spent a lot of time with Alvin and we became close friends. Alvin told me of the days of old like my dad did. I remember my dad telling me what things cost when he was a boy and I just marveled and couldn’t believe it. I have told my boys that my mom would send me to Harrison grocery on Flat Shoals Rd to get a king size loaf of bread and it cost 21¢ just like me they couldn’t believe it. Those seasons are gone in my life and I am now living in another season. No matter what season we are living in, there must be one thing you and I are prepared for: "prepare to meet God.” Use see this isn’t guess work, it doesn't just happen. Solomon tells us “A time to be born, and a time to die” Best to be prepared, for one generation comes and one generation leaves.  

🫶Beyond Foundational Basics🤝

Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.—Ruth Bader Ginsburg

He walks in, it’s night, a ruler of His time. His name, we will call him Nick. Nick has a troubled heart and like many have kept it quiet. Really, who cares? So why not just keep it silent, but silence gets no answers nor understanding at all. Tonight is different. Nick decides to go to a place where a man named Jesus is. Nick starts off the conversation on a positive note by telling Jesus how good a teacher He is and about the miracles He has done. Nick tells Jesus that we know that there is no way these things could be done without God being with Him. Jesus looks at Nick and reads his look in his eyes, his silent thoughts and questions his troubled heart. Jesus then tells Nick that he is trying to see and find peace of heart without what it really takes. Nick's ears perk up as he listens to what is about to be said. It’s simple, Jesus explains, you or no one else can see the Kingdom of God without first being born from above. Now Nick has another question, he says How? Jesus says Nick you must be born again. Born again?  Nick, how can I enter my mother's womb for the second time and be born?  No Nick you are missing the point: flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood; everything after its kind. Long story short Nick, your spirit that is dead within you needs to be born. Here is why. John 4:24 (KJV) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Nick, how in the world can you understand spiritual thing when you aren’t understanding earthly things? 

Without that spirit being born again you will never see the Kingdom of God. All one will ever have is 

a child’s understanding of the Bible at best. Ask yourself this question “what passage of scripture have I read this week, last week or last month that has shaped my relationship with my Heavenly Father?” If one has no answer then maybe there’s no relationship with the Heavenly Father. Jesus didn’t tell Nick that it would be a good thing if he were born again. Oh no Jesus said you must be born again then you will understand spirit things. 

John 3:7 (KJV) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

To MARVEL “A wonder; that which arrests the attention and causes a person to stand or gaze”

Don't stand and wonder Nick, if you want to see and understand spiritual things then “Ye must be born again.” Once that happens things change. Have you ever said something similar to this “if I could go back and relive I would do things differently.” Nick had that chance not to go back but to go forward a different man. I had the same chance and it has been wonderful. Oh I still have problems but this definitely happened to me   

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Want to know my answer to the question I asked?

In my walk with the Lord, as I let Him speak to my spirit from His Word. I drew closer as He taught me about Praising Him. My prayer is as you read these short devotionals that God would speak to you and draw close and make your relationship with Him stronger day by day. 

👋put Me In The Game📋

 Know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.

Does God Use The Old? Well I would say He sure does. He greatly used a man named Moses in one of the greatest leadership positions in history. Somehow in our thinking we think we can’t do much after age 65. Ever hear the name Duncan Hines? Sure you have. Duncan did not become successful until he was 73 years old. 

It’s hidden, and no one knows when the Lord Jesus will return to receive His children. Maybe you remember  Edgar C. Whisenant the author of 88 reasons why the Rapture will be in 1988. He had it all figured out except he was wrong.  

Now the Bible says that day will come but the day and time is not known. The Bible tells us to number our days not to count them for no man can count the days he has to live. That is hidden from each of us. We are to number our days as if today is our last; for one day it will be.

Psalms 90:12 (KJV) So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

A friend of mine said this “you may tie your shoe laces this morning but someone else may untie them tonight. 

The meaning is simple: this morning you are breathing and your heart is pumping but tonight it may not be. 

Be careful how we handle this day, don't do, say or go where you know it’s wrong. One afternoon my dad dropped me off at the bowling alley where I met up with my friends. It wasn’t long before I walked over to a cigarette machine and bought a pack of smokes. Now my dad did not like cigarettes, I can hear him now telling us boys of the horror of cigarettes and all the harm they would do if we started smoking. He was right but at 15 that didn’t affect me much. Until he came back to the bowling alley and caught me smoking. Oh my I'm in trouble now. What was he doing back? My dad didn’t say a word; not then anyways. I thought he didn’t see me. Fat change, but it was a nice thought. 

He later said a whole lot!

Yes we are to live our days to our fullest so young or old we live today and do what we can for the Lord. We can say I can’t because I’m too old but how old will you be today if you do nothing for the Lord? Doing what you can and as much as you can is far better than doing nothing for zero + zero is still zero. Learn to use our disadvantages to our advantage. Sargent Tim Lee preaches in a wheelchair, and hundreds come to hear him preach. 

Austin Ziegler is blind, physically disabled and has delayed speech and people stand in amazement as he preaches. 

David Ring has cerebral palsy and has challenged thousands.

Nicholas James Vujicic has no limbs and that doesn’t stop him from preaching. His ministry is known as “Life without Limbs.”

Disabled isn’t Unabled. God uses our Disabilities to show His great Possibilities. If you think age is a disability it's not, so don’t convince yourself that it is, number your days. Be like the ball player sitting on the bench saying put me in coach, put me in game. I want to be in the game. My prayer is "Oh God Put Me In the Game!” Please don’t confuse me with those who ride the pine, 👋put me in the game.📋

 

👕No Sitting At This Table😬

  High standards protect you from low quality experiences.

Standards “That which is established as a rule or model”

When I think of the word standard there are a lot of standards, and we should all have some standards that we have established in our lives. Corporations have standards in which they run their company by. Our military has standards that have to be met to continue serving our country. Families have standards within their home. In my home as a child no one was to come to a meal not wearing a shirt; as Nick Sagan would say “it’s a rule!” Now that wasn’t a world wide rule it was just a standard in our home and no one questioned it and me and my brothers had shirts on. Now when it comes to our Christian life our Heavenly Father has set rules or commandments that are to be followed. If they are broken or disregarded then there will be discipline taken. The discipline taken in our home was not taken to the neighbor’s home up the street. Why? Because they were not aware of the rule or standard at our home. In other words it was a rule for our family and those in our family knew and obeyed the rule. The same is true in the family of God.  Many break the rules or commandments set up by God because they don’t know the family rules or commandments. God’s rule is that you and I shouldn’t take things that are not ours, that’s called stealing. Our rule across our country and the world is thou shall not steal, it’s a rule. If you steal then you will be disciplined. Another rule, we are not to kill  another person and once again if we do then we will be disciplined. There are also standards or rules on our highways like speed limits, lines in the roadways, stop signs and so forth and so on. Break them and you will also be disciplined. Now run a stop sign or a red light there is a chance you might not get caught and be disciplined. There is a possibility you might get away with it. Now with God’s rules or commandments there is no chance of getting away with it. Now many think they are getting away but they aren’t and this is how I know.  

Deuteronomy 11:12 (KJV) A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

Proverbs 15:3 (KJV) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

So you see no one gets away from God’s standard!

King David one evening saw a woman bathing herself and he decided he would commit adultery and he did. Unfortunately God saw what he did, He saw that David broke the rule. The more David tried to cover it up the worse it got. My point is that God sees all, God knows all and there is no escaping like breaking the rule at the stop sign. We all break the rules. Love turns into anger and unkindness turns into awful words spoken. Those are just small examples of things we have all done. Oh there are way more than those examples and we all know it’s true. Now the amazing thing is that our Heavenly Father has made a simple way for us to get back in fellowship with Him.  1 John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That might not work with the police officer or the judge but with the God of heaven it does. No matter what we have done, God is ready and willing to Forgive; just ask. All have sinned and come short. For God so loved that He gave. Anyone that calls upon Him will be forgiven/saved! That too is the rule the standard.

🫶There’s Not Another🫆

 We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are. Max Depree

Psalms 146:1 (KJV) Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Praise, what’s that?  Commendation bestowed on a person for his personal virtues or worthy actions. Praise you Lord for your personal virtue and worthy actions. I will sing praises unto my God all my life. Happy is he that has the God of Jacob for his help. Happy is the one that gives praise unto the God that made Heaven and earth, the seas and all that’s within. Happy is the one who gives praise because His promises and truth are forever. I will praise His name as He feeds me from His Word my Bible. He has opened my eyes and made me see how great He is in all the earth. The Lord shall reign for ever unto all generations. So why not Praise Him? Why not give Him thanks. Thank Him for His personal Actions for they are worthy of our Praise. Praise ye the Lord. 

Jeremiah 20:13 (KJV) Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.

Let’s make the Lord Great and Praise His Holy Name while we have breath. For great is our God worthy to be praised. Lift up His Name on high that others might hear and know how wonderful our God is. Because there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. 

Acts 4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

No, Not One!

1 There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus.
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul's diseases.
No, not one! No, not one!

Refrain:
Jesus knows all about our struggles;
He will guide till the day is done.
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus.
No, not one! No, not one!
2 No friend like Him is so high and holy.
No, not one! No, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly.
No, not one! No, not one!
3 There's not an hour that He is not near us.
No, not one! No, not one!
No night so dark but His love can cheer us.
No, not one! No, not one!
4 Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him?
No, not one! No, not one!
Or sinner find that He would not take him?
No, not one! No, not one!
5 Was e'er a gift like the Savior given?
No, not one! No, not one!

🤜Given by Inspiration 🤛

  Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Steve Job

2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable (or, its main use is) for doctrine, (what is right) for reproof,(what is not right) for correction, (how to get right) for instruction in righteousness:(how to stay right)  

Next verse  2 Timothy 3:17 (KJV) That the man  of God (Christian) may be perfect,(or maturing) throughly furnished (or becoming well polished)

unto all good works.

How does all this come about? In Baseball you have to get to first base, first. The first thing one has to do is see that they are a sinner and ask Christ to forgive them. That’s first base. Then the map is set and second base comes into view. Now that I have accepted Christ Jesus as my Savior something has to happen to get us to second base. We need a teacher, that is the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us that once we see we are a sinner, ask Christ to save us, at that point something happens. John 14:17 (KJV) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. God’s Word is the road map and the Holy Spirit is our driver. We are warned in I John that there will be road blocks.  1 John 2:15 (KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Don’t get conformed to this world’s standards. Not long ago a young man told me that God had fired him from his job. I had never in my life heard someone say that. He then went on to tell me the reason. He said that he had let money get in his way from doing what God wanted him to do. The love of money sometimes sneaks up on us. I have thought at times, go and buy a lotto ticket. I told myself maybe God would let me win because of what I could do with the winnings  and would do with the money. You see, it is easy to give away something you don’t have. Do great things with what you don’t have; but if I were to win would I? I’ll never know because I have never gone and gotten a lotto ticket and probably never will. 

Oh but I have something much better than a winning lotto ticket. What’s that you may ask? I have the promise of God from God. I have the Holy Spirit living within me. I have the road map His Word guiding me. The other night I had a dream, I was in heaven with some of my old Christian friends. I ask them this question: will we ever die again? They said no this is for ever! I hated to wake up but one day soon it will not be a dream seeing heaven through earthly eyes and mind. No it will be real seeing Heaven with eyes that have never seen what Heaven is like. Thank you Lord for that day you came to me and gave to me the Gift of Salvation. On that day when I received You as my Savior, as my payment for my sins. You gave me Your Holy Spirit to guide me. I fell in love with Your Word, the Bible.  That has been my road map. I can’t say thanks enough! 

Isaiah 30:20 (KJV) And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

Isaiah 30:21 (KJV) And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.