Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Don’t wish your life away…

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Morning Journal,

Use to be that when I heard youngsters talk about ‘can’t wait til I get older’, my response would be, “Don’t wish your life away.”

Guess it needs to be self-applied. I? look? at my calender and see where next week (15th) will be my fourth chemo treatment, which means that I will be half-way to the finish line. Then I think, ‘Don’t wish your life away.’

This has realy been an interesting time for me.? It is like I’ve been given this special time for a renewed consecration to the Lord, but also as a preparation time for? what lies ahead. Plus I have time to work on my writings like never before. Yep, what a blessed time this is.

Even got to thinking about my shaving my head in response to my grandson Jared, who shaved his head to be on the same page with? grandpa. You know, I’ve always had a bit of pride in my hair. And it appears that shaving my head was totally unnecessary on my part. Some folk don’t lose their hair during chemo. From what I can tell I was going to be one of those folk.

Then I thought about it this way — Did shaving my head have any spiritual connection at all? Not at the time it didn’t. But this morning the oddest thought came to me. In the Bible shaving the head became part of temple worship for individuals who were making a vow to the Lord. It had to do with self-consecration. It dawned on me that the apostle Paul had done this.

Well, maybe it was a thought out of nowhere. But I’m going to take it personally. Every morning I get to watch my hair grow a centimeter longer. Ok, move over Paul and Sampson. We have work to do to finish up our journey with the Lord.

Time to share my morning devotion. Job’s three friends are not much help at all. Seems the problem is deeper than we supposed. One of Job’s friends is receiving information of a mystical nature that seems not to be? from the Lord. Wow. Listen:

“Now a word was brought to me stealthily, and my ear received a whisper of it. Amid disquieting thoughts from visions of the night … Dread came upon me, and trembling, and made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed by my face…” (Job 4:12-15 nasb.)

Eliphaz the Teminite? begins to speak his mind concerning all that this ’spirit’ shared with him. But was this from God? I think not. God is not “a” spirit. The message heard was one of dread, of condemnation, and without compassion for Job. While it proports to be wisdom, a closer view shows it’s design is to? tear down Job’s faith. It is filled with underlying accusations.

What is the lesson we can learn here? The lesson is that a believer must be cautious when to comes to mystical experiences. Sometimes the enemy is setting a net. Did not even Jesus have an an experience with Satan where the enemy used all sorts of vissionary experiences to get Jesus to set aside His purposes from God?

Listen to a couple of Scriptures:

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.” (James 3:13-15)

And again,

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:26)

Is it possible that Job’s three friends were being manipulated by the devil in their attacks on? Job?? Although the Bible does not say this,? it does seem possible that Satan was using them to wear Job down.? After all did not Satan use Peter to come against Jesus? Think about it.

My point again –? God’s people really need to be cautious about mystical experiences.? How can we know the source for certain? Two ways — By a proper understanding of the Scriptures, and by the indwelling Spirit of Jesus. If you have a caution in your spirit, go with the caution every time.

None of this precludes the supernational side of our walk with the Lord. The plus side is wrapped up in the term ’spiritual discernment.’ As God’s people grow in their spiritual life, so does their ability to place a value on everything at work in and around them.

Last evening Nathan worked on my computer installing a new hard drive and video card. Thanks son. Mom and I really enjoyed your visit with us.?

Got to give a report on my taste buds. I was cautioned in some of the literature concerning chemo treatments that my taste buds woulld go through? changes. Has this ever been the case. And it happens on almost a daily bases. One day I’ll enjoy a certain food and a bit later I can hardly stand the taste of it. (Or even the smell.)

This has to drive Betty bonkers. She does everything possible to make certain I am satisfied in my eating, No honey, this is not my ‘getting you back’ for the peppered coffee thing. ?

What is General Claudius Josephus doing? Right now he is laying down in the doorway of my office. He will get up to check on Betty, then he will come back to check on me. That dog looks over his turf very well. We’ve already had our morning jaunt. Think later today we’ll go for a little longer? walk. Both need? the exercise. These stretches keep us both from getting cabin fever.

Yep, I do get a bit of cabin fever. Would enjoy a good meal at a restaurant or just an outing to? WalMart. But since I am in my ‘avoid public places and visitors’ time, I’ll put all cabin-thinking to the side. (Not? hard to do. Got plenty of good reading at hand.)

So much for my journal today. Looking forward to the evening service when I get to see? all the friendly faces at Christian Challenge, not to mention awesome worship? and excellent teachings.

Be good.

Buddy

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