We dont have to adjust to changes all at once, only one day at a time. Author unknown
Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT)
Sometimes life takes us into the lives of those who are bound by decisions they have made that keep them from being free. Decisions such as the abuse of alcohol and drugs, decisions such as refusing to accept God in their lives, and decisions that allows self-centered thinking to abound giving no thought to others. The apostle Paul reminds us to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity when we are in such situations. How difficult I have found this to be in my own life. Many times when I am around people that dont believe as I do, think as I do, or act as I do, I have a tendency to not get involved and just keep quiet. I find this to be especially true of people who have more education than myself, are more successful in the worldly sense, and those who have obtained greater material worth than myself. I find it more difficult to tell a person who has been blessed materially about how Jesus has changed my life, than someone who socially may be my equal or possibly a little less fortunate. Often the persons material wealth is well deserved because of personal ambition, and I recognize this as being noble and worthy, but still I find it odd that I allow material wealth to obstruct my sharing of the spiritual victories in my life because of Jesus Christ. On the other hand I often dont get involved in conversation when the person is intoxicated, how self-centered and wrong this can be of myself. I often feel that when I speak to someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol that my words go unheard. They always seem to have an answer for everything before I even stop talking. It is like they are not listening, and while I am sharing they are only thinking of what they will say next. These conversations make me want to just pack up and leave. How wrong this may be, the apostle Paul says to make the most of every opportunity. Even people under the influence of alcohol and drugs are able to understand and remember. I recall in the mid 1990s, a time when I had slipped away from walking with the Lord, how a couple of friends of mine made a call on me. We had all done drugs together over the years and Gary and Jona had just accepted the Lord and were clean and sober. They had come to share the victory with me. I recall sitting there having been up on meth for several days, how the peace and love they were experiencing flowed out from them to me. They did not condemn, just share. In my strung-out condition the love of God was still able to penetrate into my spirit, and I remember this still today. Their conversation was gracious, and they made to most of the opportunity, just like the apostle Paul had said, and it worked. It took me about three more years of drug abuse to finally let go and let God have my life, but I never forgot that visit. May I learn from it today, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share JRE
Patience is more than endurance. A saints life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says, I cannot stand anymore. God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT)
Sometimes life takes us into the lives of those who are bound by decisions they have made that keep them from being free. Decisions such as the abuse of alcohol and drugs, decisions such as refusing to accept God in their lives, and decisions that allows self-centered thinking to abound giving no thought to others. The apostle Paul reminds us to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity when we are in such situations. How difficult I have found this to be in my own life. Many times when I am around people that dont believe as I do, think as I do, or act as I do, I have a tendency to not get involved and just keep quiet. I find this to be especially true of people who have more education than myself, are more successful in the worldly sense, and those who have obtained greater material worth than myself. I find it more difficult to tell a person who has been blessed materially about how Jesus has changed my life, than someone who socially may be my equal or possibly a little less fortunate. Often the persons material wealth is well deserved because of personal ambition, and I recognize this as being noble and worthy, but still I find it odd that I allow material wealth to obstruct my sharing of the spiritual victories in my life because of Jesus Christ. On the other hand I often dont get involved in conversation when the person is intoxicated, how self-centered and wrong this can be of myself. I often feel that when I speak to someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol that my words go unheard. They always seem to have an answer for everything before I even stop talking. It is like they are not listening, and while I am sharing they are only thinking of what they will say next. These conversations make me want to just pack up and leave. How wrong this may be, the apostle Paul says to make the most of every opportunity. Even people under the influence of alcohol and drugs are able to understand and remember. I recall in the mid 1990s, a time when I had slipped away from walking with the Lord, how a couple of friends of mine made a call on me. We had all done drugs together over the years and Gary and Jona had just accepted the Lord and were clean and sober. They had come to share the victory with me. I recall sitting there having been up on meth for several days, how the peace and love they were experiencing flowed out from them to me. They did not condemn, just share. In my strung-out condition the love of God was still able to penetrate into my spirit, and I remember this still today. Their conversation was gracious, and they made to most of the opportunity, just like the apostle Paul had said, and it worked. It took me about three more years of drug abuse to finally let go and let God have my life, but I never forgot that visit. May I learn from it today, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share JRE
Patience is more than endurance. A saints life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says, I cannot stand anymore. God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
