Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Foot loose and fancy free….

Filed in NHL |

Morning Journal,

CJ and I had our morning jaunt as usual.?

Well, it finally happened. Jumped in my truck this morning, headed for? Motor Vehicle’s to register my boat. Boy I always hated? going to that place.? At one time it seemed that if you didn’t dot every? ‘i’ just right, they’d give you the dickens. Must have been my imagination. My imagination says they’ve sure? changed a lot.

Today was different. The line wasn’t too long. Got things in order, headed for the? station to fill up my truck.

Almost had a mishap. Set the? pump to automically cut off and stood there gazing into nothingness. A lady shouted at me, ‘Your gas is spilling out.’ Sure enough, the tank was overflowing? with gas pouring on the ground.? All I could say was, ‘Thank you dear lady. Thank you.’?

Headed to Ace’s to pick up? screws to mount a couple of lights for the kitchen.

Last but not least I picked up some flowers for my lovely bride. The sparkle in Betty’s eyes was all I needed. I still have this ‘toe curling’ problem when I look into Betty’s beautiful blue eyes. She is just as pretty today as the day I first met her.

Perhaps this song says it best — ‘If that isn’t love, the ocean is dry. There’s no stars in the sky. And the sparrow can’t fly.’ Yep, love sure can do a job on you. I wouldn’t trade our marriage of 43+ years for all the world.

Course Betty is one blessed woman. It should go without saying that I am a great catch. (I heard that. Who laughed?)

Well,? my mom use to say,? ‘I’m foot loose and fancy free.’ This was my first ‘foot loose and fancy free’ outing on my own. And I survived.? :)

My devotions continue with the book of Job. Actually chapters 29 through 31 are the speakings of Job. In these chapters, Job goes through a gauntlet of emotions. In chapter 29, Job remembers the wonder of days gone past. In chapter 30, Job sets forth where he is now in his misery and sufferings. Then in chapter 31, Job holds to his integrity.

Here is a sampling of Job’s emotional state —

Chapter 29: “Oh that I were as months gone by, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone over my head, and by His light I walked through darkness; as I was in the prime of my days, when the friendship of God was over my tent.” (29:2-4)

Is it alright to think about the blessings of the past? Yes, I think so. Very often it is when? remembering the blessings of the past that we have faith and? hope? for the future. When you read the entirety of chapter 29, there is no question that Job was highly blessed of the Lord.

Now we come to his complaint –

Chapter 30 - “But now those younger that I mock me, whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.” (30:1)

Job continues with his complaint as to why the Lord does not does not answer his appeals.

“He has cast me into the mire,and I have become like dust and ashes. I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.” (30:19,20)

Job cannot understand why all this has happened to him. Then when we come to the next chapter, we see Job defending his integrity.

Chapter 31 - “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? … If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, because I saw I had suppoort in the gate, let my should fall from the socket, and my arm be broken off at the elbow.” (31:1,21,21)

The question we might ask is, “Does Job not have a right to all these emotions?’ I think he does. Job is simply expressing the very emotions we may have when confronted with unexplanable trials of our life. After all, Job is as human as anyone.

But here is where it really gets interesting. At the very end of Job’s complaints, things get quiet. No one speaks. Job is through. His accusers are through. But God is not through.

What happens next is that a young man named Elihu is going to speak. I believe that the Lord appointed Elihu to be a voice of wisdom to Job and his accusers. Then after Elihu finishes, the Lord will make His appearance.

Is there a lesson to be learned here? Absolutely. The lesson is that God can and often does speak to us from the most unpretentious of? sources.? This is why it is so important not to close our ears when someone offers us? counsel. It doesn’t take long to realize whether the counsel is of the Lord.?

I have been amazed at times at the wisdom that I hear from Nathan, Andre and Shana. But I had to learn to listen. (Still learning.) Learning to listen well to others, is one of the great wisdom points of? life.?

Well, I’ll leave that be for now.

There is something else had has rested on my heart this? morning. It has to do with a Scripture that is often quoted. Paul said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 nasb.)

Notice that Paul did not say that ‘God causes all things.’ If God where the author of everything that we do in life, then God would be the author of? our sins. We know this is not true. What is true, however, is that there is nothing that can happen in our lives that will frustrate God’s plans for us. He can take any situation in our life and make it ‘work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’

Do you see the difference? There is nothing the enemy can do to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Even when we have failures in our lives, in which all believers have them,? the Lord will even turn these failures into a victory.

Perhaps there is even a deeper lesson at hand. When we look back over time it doesn’t take much figuring to see where the Lord was behind the scenes of our life even before we came to know Him. This is another wonder of redemption.

The point is that salvation is not a one time experience. Salvation is the experience of our entire life. The Lord saves us. He is saving us. He will save us. This is why that no weapon formed against a believer will ever prosper.

So we? have? the story of Job. This is also what we see in the story of Joseph in Egypt. This is what we see in the story of the cross. This is what we will see in the story of our lives. Pretty cool, no?

In fact the Lord is so sure of our total salvation that Paul said He has already raised us up and seated us in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus. Getting to heaven is no issue for believers. Getting heaven in our hearts is a daily matter. Certainly? communion with the Lord is our open line to? glory.

1:40 p.m. - Chris Ferrier came by for a visit. Brought? cookies. Betty and I had a delightful time. Chris is such a good person. She has a testimony that speaks to the delivering power and love of Jesus Christ.? She was deeply involved in drugs and all that goes with drugs. Chris is willing to share her testimony with anyone.

3:00 p.m. - Need to find a stopping place.

Let me leave this with my readers. God is the God of history. History past, history present, and history future is all the same to Him. He is omniscient.

While thinking about my situation, I’m reminded that my 30+ years as founder and pastor of Christian Challenge is simply a matter or? history.? Like Job, I can say the past? has been glorious. My situation even now is not without it’s blessings. The future will be well.

Like I’ve always told the Christian Challenge congregation, ‘It is good to know the Lord.’

Have a good evening.

Blessings,

Buddy

?