Let The Lord Guide!

To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster. Proverbs 16:1-4 NIV

Everything happens for a reason--even when we may not understand what the reason is. A lesson should be learned from everything we do and one of the lessons learned should be--unless we do things the way God guides us to do them--chances--we won't see what we planned to happen.

One of the reasons we are often disappointed with people and with self is that we won't trust The Lord.  We hem and haw about things instead of seeking Him, hearing Him, and obeying Him, and then some even get mad at Him--when they don't obey.

We are told to not lean on our own understanding, but to trust God. Do we do that? Most of the time we don't and instead of admitting it, we keep going down a merry garden path that leads nowhere.

How do we know when we're trusting God? If we do all things according to His Word, we can see how everything lines up with His promises. For example: The Word tells us to honor parents so we'll have long life. This means we obey--Godly parents who won't tell us to do the wrong thing--and respect their judgment as they guide us through life. When we don't--we run into our own self-destructive obstacle courses and then wonder what happened. For some--their lives are cut short and for many others--they end up living beneath the promises of God--simply because of their disobedience.

Parents are the authority in our lives until we develop that right relationship with God. If we cannot obey the authority we see--right in front of us--how can we ever hope to obey God? The role of parents is to guide children--teaching them right from wrong and correcting behavior that needs adjusting and living life as an example to them. When we fail to do this--we leave ourselves open to seeing rebellion and having no foundation by which to make adjustments--other than God's Word. To think we can expect children to simply "do as we say and not as we do" is the biggest mistake any parent can make. We must be a "living example of appropriate Godly behavior" so our children can and will see God in us.

Do we make mistakes as parents? Absolutely--but most of us are quick to acknowledge the mistake and move forward.  I don't know of any perfect parents because they're all human beings--subject to falling short. But that doesn't mean they should keep falling. For as long as live--we should learn from our mistakes and when we don't--we keep doing the same thing over and over again--expecting a different result--which is the definition of insanity.

The simplest solution for correcting or adjusting what we do to align with The Word--is to trust God and live according to His Word--no ifs or buts, just doing it. Let Him guide us into the place of excellence He desires and then wait for the victory to manifest itself!

Is Everything Meaningless?

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.  What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:2-9 NIV 

Unless a person understands the stage of life Solomon was in, one could think that Solomon was decreeing that life was not worth living. But that is far from the case and since his proclamation came before Christ arrived, we know that every moment of life is precious in His sight and when we accept His gift of salvation--everything has meaning.

Having received the gift of wisdom--beyond measure of any other mortal--Solomon lived according to God's Word until he connected with many women who did not know God and in fact worshiped other gods. Gradually, he began practicing some of the forbidden rituals (the danger of being unequally yoked in faith and beliefs) and by the time he realized he fallen far from where God desired him to be, he realized he had wasted the gift given to him. Wisdom without knowledge produces disasters. Knowledge without wisdom is just as catastrophic. This is why we're told, "Wisdom is the principle thing, and in all our getting, get understanding."

Giving a teenager a car when they don't know how to drive usually has negative consequences. They know what the car is, but they do not know the details of how the car functions and without instruction, the car may never move and doesn't benefit them. However, with instruction and knowledge of not just how the car functions, but also the laws pertaining to legally driving, and understanding consideration on the roads, the car benefits them.

We have been given a great gift--salvation--and until we know what it means and begin to practice the instructions in The Word--we may never benefit from the gift. If we never understand the benefit of salvation, life really is meaningless.

With the abundance of grace we've also been given, we learn from our mistakes and commit to doing better and as we continue in life, we'll see just how great our God is and how wonderful life can be--even when we miss the mark--as long as we get back on the path.

There are valuable lessons living provides for us, so let's live to the glory of God and learn how we please Him and be a blessing to others. Living for Him, gives life meaning that is sometimes difficult to understand and express, but so worthwhile.

If We Love...

Why is there so much hatred

Just because skin tones vary

And faith reigns in the multiplicity

Of cultural, ethnic, and social beliefs?

Why can’t parents raise children

With respect and discipline, knowing

How to receive love and love in return?

Why is it that parents who claim to love,

Abuse and misuse the children they brought into this world?

How can they not see the damage and lifelong misery

They cause with their neglectful, hateful ways?

Why do we need guns to settle differences

When all we need is communication—listening and hearing,

To one another, accepting differing perceptions of life, wrong and right,

Rather than creating a mockery of justice by taking lives?

Why do we need to self-medicate on drugs of choice,

Instead of seeking assistance, allowing pain to be our voice

In the deserts of waste and want and desire to arise,

Above current situations, seeing what we could be in a different light.

Why do we allow corrupt politicians to legislate

Laws that do nothing to help forward movement, but

Do everything to hinder justice for all, igniting even more

Hatred—fueling frustrations, igniting detonators lying deep within

The hearts of those who refuse to bend to the Will of God?

If we love as God loves—why can’t we do as God does—

Love unconditionally without thought to race, religion or doubt,

Just ready to love and forgive the slights shown to us, by those

Who don’t know Him, but we do— and should not act as those who don’t.

If we love our parents, why can’t we care for them in their hour of need,

Just as they took care of us, until we could care for ourselves,

Or do we just look inwardly and think only of self, not caring for others,

Despising and distancing ourselves from fathers and mothers,

Who even if they were wrong—the parent-child relationship should remain strong.

If we love our neighbors as ourselves,

Why can’t we see their hurt and need and allow compassion

And kindness to reign in our hearts as we tend to their comfort,

Knowing, what we do for others will be done unto us.

If we love, why can’t we sit down and talk about differences

And those needs we have in common—shelter, clothing and food,

Joy, peace, happiness, more love and all things good,

That guarantee the continual perpetuation of humanity,

Without the continual perpetration of abuse and misuse?

If we love, why can’t we love ourselves enough to see,

Where we need to grow up and mature, behaving responsibly?

Looking deep inside, outside and all around us—noting changes

That require movement on our part to sustain us and those

We say we love.

If we love…

© 2015 Mary M. Hall-Rayford