July
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing, except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side. I know my Master Jesus Christ is there, and that is enough.”
~collected from cybersalt.org (Issue #4480)
I like this story. And it really doesn’t matter if you’re talking about death or facing something difficult in life. As long as you belong to God, why are you worried about the future?
That would be the rational response. But I worry. I think about where our world is going. I contemplate the choices of my offspring. I mull over decisions and relationships and words said and not said. And sometimes I get depressed.
Is it that I don’t trust God? Don’t I believe that He’s sovereign and He will take care of me? Well, yes . . .
I know He is sovereign. But I think of the verse that says God will not give us more than we can stand. What if I don’t want to stand as much as God thinks that I should stand in order to be a profitable servant and to prepare me for a position in His kingdom? Hmm. Maybe I’m just weary.
About the time when I start to feel discouraged and downcast, songs start running through my mind:
Oh soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
and life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus . . . .
or When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
when you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
count your many blessings, name them one by one,
and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. . .
or If your eyes are on the storm
You'll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
You'll know I always have and I always will . . .
It’s comforting, when I start getting stressed about life events, that Jesus reminded His disciples trouble is a part of life: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) I need to remember that struggle and pain is part of this world, but God is stronger than the world and the situation in which I find myself.
It’s funny. We love Psalm 42 because a favorite hymn, “As the Deer,” is based on this psalm. But there is a verse repeated again in this chapter and then again in the next: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5) David knew what it felt like to be discouraged and weary. But he also knew the remedy: Keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ and the hope set before us. And more than that: desire a closer relationship with God, one that is like a deer panting for, craving, water.
I need that closer relationship with Jesus and I also need to prepare my mind for action because we likely haven’t seen anything yet. Jeremiah 12:5 (ESV) says, If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? Events around us are likely to get a whole lot worse before the return of Jesus Christ. So that mental preparation for what is coming has to include fixing my hope on what God is preparing for those who love Him (1 Peter 1:13).
I thank God for the myriad hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs which exhort me to fight the good fight, to keep my eyes focused on Jesus Christ, and to trust Him no matter what. They are an important piece of my mental preparation.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
by Cynthia Saladin
Final Thought:
A man is flying a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me. Can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below says, "Yes, You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. Latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude".
"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.
"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost and you are of no help to me."
The man below says, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," says the man below, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going, You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing, except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side. I know my Master Jesus Christ is there, and that is enough.”
~collected from cybersalt.org (Issue #4480)
I like this story. And it really doesn’t matter if you’re talking about death or facing something difficult in life. As long as you belong to God, why are you worried about the future?
That would be the rational response. But I worry. I think about where our world is going. I contemplate the choices of my offspring. I mull over decisions and relationships and words said and not said. And sometimes I get depressed.
Is it that I don’t trust God? Don’t I believe that He’s sovereign and He will take care of me? Well, yes . . .
I know He is sovereign. But I think of the verse that says God will not give us more than we can stand. What if I don’t want to stand as much as God thinks that I should stand in order to be a profitable servant and to prepare me for a position in His kingdom? Hmm. Maybe I’m just weary.
About the time when I start to feel discouraged and downcast, songs start running through my mind:
Oh soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
and life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus . . . .
or When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
when you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
count your many blessings, name them one by one,
and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. . .
or If your eyes are on the storm
You'll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
You'll know I always have and I always will . . .
It’s comforting, when I start getting stressed about life events, that Jesus reminded His disciples trouble is a part of life: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) I need to remember that struggle and pain is part of this world, but God is stronger than the world and the situation in which I find myself.
It’s funny. We love Psalm 42 because a favorite hymn, “As the Deer,” is based on this psalm. But there is a verse repeated again in this chapter and then again in the next: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5) David knew what it felt like to be discouraged and weary. But he also knew the remedy: Keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ and the hope set before us. And more than that: desire a closer relationship with God, one that is like a deer panting for, craving, water.
I need that closer relationship with Jesus and I also need to prepare my mind for action because we likely haven’t seen anything yet. Jeremiah 12:5 (ESV) says, If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? Events around us are likely to get a whole lot worse before the return of Jesus Christ. So that mental preparation for what is coming has to include fixing my hope on what God is preparing for those who love Him (1 Peter 1:13).
I thank God for the myriad hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs which exhort me to fight the good fight, to keep my eyes focused on Jesus Christ, and to trust Him no matter what. They are an important piece of my mental preparation.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
by Cynthia Saladin
Final Thought:
A man is flying a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me. Can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below says, "Yes, You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. Latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude".
"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.
"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost and you are of no help to me."
The man below says, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," says the man below, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going, You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."
