Help! I've forgotten what I look like!

I have to admit, I am rather ashamed. I started skimming past devotional blog posts I've written, and with each one, I am going, “Dang, I wrote this? How do I so consistently forget the lessons I've learned?” Writing a weekly devotional can be challenging, but it’s nothing compared to following the “practice what you preach” concept.

This verse pretty much sums it up:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” - James 1:22-24

It sounds like a slightly absurd thing, to look at yourself in the mirror and then instantly forget your appearance. It is, however, an appropriate comparison. We learn in the Bible and through teachers and pastors who we are in Christ and what that looks like. Then, we get sidetracked going about our lives and forget it all. It is a somewhat frustrating fact of Christian life that we all are likely to experience at some point or another.

Today, let’s pray that God will help us to better remember who we are in Him and be able to live it.

Are you prepared for the deadline?

I woke up and stared at the number on my dry-erase board. 1. That was the number of days I had until I needed to turn in my class projects. I'm usually not the last-minute sort of person, but this month I've been traveling a lot and didn't have enough time alone to work on everything. Even when I did, I'd been distracted by other things, such as packing, work, and other little duties. Where had the time gone? It felt like this deadline hit me out of nowhere, and I had to rush to catch back up. In the end, I made it. Just barely.

While our earthly deadlines can be a big deal and occasionally a matter of great stress, there is another deadline that matters more: Christ's coming. Emphasis on the "dead" of that deadline- because if we are not prepared for that one, dead is exactly what we will be. The thing about this deadline, however, is that we have no set date for it. As a result, it is "out of sight, out of mind" for many people, even some Christians. 

Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica and said, "For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Nobody expects a thief, and likewise, when the Lord comes, it will take even those who are eagerly awaiting Him by surprise. 

You can stress over and run after your earthly deadlines constantly, knowing when they will hit. But are you prepared for the one deadline that has no final submission date? Do you know where you will stand in God's eyes on the last day? And does the reasoning behind your answer match up with what the Bible says?

Our Daily Provision

For the longest time, I had been obsessed with lists. Every single weekend I would write down all the things I needed to get done, including a long string of projects that I had in mind to do in the future, just in case I had time to work on anything related to them. The list was as big as my forearm, and at the end of my two days off, I would mentally berate myself for not having accomplished much. Hey, we are called to be good stewards of our time. I rationalized.

As time went on, I became more worn out and more stressed. Then I stumbled upon a piece of writing having to do with the Lord's prayer. It pointed out the part that says "give us each day our daily bread", expounding on the fact that it says daily. Not meals for a year, a month, or even a week. But simply sustenance for a day. Whether that means a meager serving of oatmeal or an extravagant feast, who can know- but we will be provided for.

Planning ahead can be important and useful, sure. But when it comes to our day-to-day life, one day's worth of provisions will carry us through to the next day, and then the next day's provisions will carry us to the one after that, and so on. We don't need to worry about accomplishing a million little things that are unnecessary for today. God will give us the strength and time necessary to do exactly what He intends us to do today, however much or little that is. 

Our job is to do what He equips us for with diligence, and trust Him when He allows distractions or down periods to hit. We can make all the lists we want, but in the end, He is sovereign over each day.



“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

- Luke 11:2-4

A Friend Loves at All Times

At least three times this week I sat down to work on writing up my next blog post. Each time, I glanced over to my message notifications and found that a friend was wanting my attention. Sometimes it's tempting to think "Oh, whatever. These people can wait! I'm trying to keep my weekly posts going over here"; then that thought in the back of my mind hits me: "What if they really need you? What if they have nobody else who can help?"  And guess what? That was pretty much the case- with every one of those friends who spoke to me this week.

Looking back over the past several days, I could be kicking myself that I didn't accomplish more of my goals. But that's what they were: just goals. Just things that I wanted to do for myself. Sure, they have their place, but why should they be so much more important than the person who is struggling and needs someone to help them sort things out?

As Romans 12:10 states, "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." This doesn't mean to drop everything every time someone wants you to do something, but consider each situation. Are you showing that person brotherly affection and honor in the way you plan to respond? How important are their needs?

Where Does The Time Go?

We've had a rather extended autumn where I live this year! Just the other day, I walked outside and still saw trees with orange leaves all over them- yeah, in December! It's crazy. Usually the trees are bare early in November. We've been blessed with many t-shirt and light jacket sort of days, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. 

Along the way, I began to really grow accustomed to our 50-60 degree days, almost forgetting that winter weather was a possibility. This morning, I was reminded that though it had been so warm, winter was drawing near all along- and suddenly, here it was. Our first snow day of the season! According to the forecast, we are to be in the 20's-30's for an entire week. What on earth happened? Where did my October go?

It felt like I had no warning for winter; it felt like it would never arrive, and I could keep living in this temperate bliss forever. This, of course, is entirely wrong: I'd seen the forecast (and admittedly, kind of laughed it off). People often do the same thing in regards to the coming of Christ- even His followers. We hear about it, we are aware that it will come, but it just always feels like something for later. Plus, really, why even think about it? We're so comfortable where we are at, so there's no sense thinking about future changes just yet. 

We ought not to treat our Lord's coming in such a fashion. Unlike our sudden snow day, there will not be an option to haphazardly prepare ourselves the moment we discover He has come. What would you be doing differently if you knew you would be facing God in 24 hours?

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. - 2 Peter 3:10

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

There is a Veggie Tales silly-song that is well known among Christians who either had or were children in the early 2000's:

"We are the pirates who don't do anything

We just stay at home and lay around

And if you ask us to do anything...

We'll just tell you...

We don't do anything!"

Considering the fact that pirates are known to pillage and plunder and be an all-out horrible bunch, the idea of a band of pirates who sit around being lazy all day every day is a rather comical thought. It left me wondering something: could one really be a pirate without doing anything? Isn't piracy action-based? It is centered around robbing people, after all. It then occurred to me, "...A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." (John 3:27). This includes our time. 

Now, granted, every minute we have here on earth is given to us by God. We can't exactly steal what is given as a gift. We can, however, waste it, which is nearly as bad. We are told that, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24). If we are expected to use the time given to us to serve and glorify God, would it be fair to assume that it is near-piracy to steal away precious minutes from our true calling and waste them on useless endeavors?

Leaving Luxuries

Tip: Always keep an eye out for unusual and humorous subjects.

I was incredibly amused at the irony that sat before me at work a few days ago. Luxury Magazine, bookmarked with a used napkin. 

The more I think about it, the more appropriate it feels. We have so many luxuries nowadays (the internet you are using to read this is even one!), yet where are these luxuries going? What good will they do us in the long run? Someday, you will reach a point where none of it matters anymore. Those lovely things you enjoy will have as much significance in your life as the napkin tucked inside that magazine - or even less. 

In Luke 12:15-21, Jesus has something to say about the way we regard our material possessions; "...“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.' "

Let us be people who are always striving to collect eternal treasures from God's word over the fleeting treasures of this world, which hold so little lasting value.

A Time to Weep/A Time to Laugh

Tip: Label old photographs whenever possible. The back of this one says "Rev. Cordell Baker".

At the time of my writing this (10:15, April 21, 2016), I sit outside on a spring night under a full moon, listening to distant cars, crickets, and Canadian geese while I process life and death. Early this morning, my grandpa died. It's hard to know just how to take it or exactly how to act about it all.

I am happy for him; he is a Christian and went on to be with our Lord and is now out of the pain and misery he experienced over his last few months. I am sad for my family and for myself; he was a great man who we will all miss so very much. I want to laugh; mostly because if I don't, I know I will cry. I will probably seem too jovial to everyone else, but I feel so much better when I can find something funny amidst the shards of pain (if anyone ever sees me cracking jokes to people at a funeral, please forgive me- I mean no disrespect). In contrast, however, it's good to remember that tears are ok too; after all, even Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died (John 11:35) - and that's coming from someone who could raise people from the dead!

 

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

Lesson From A House Painter

Tip: Pay attention to textures; when you find a particularly interesting one, 

play with angles for close-up images. 

I was talking to an acquaintance who makes his living from house painting. He loved his job, but said that in some respects it could have just the slightest hint of discouragement; he knows that every eight years or so the houses will need to be repainted. "We either have to keep up a steady repair," he said, "or things will deteriorate." Right he is - and in more areas than just our homes!

Have you ever experienced spiritual deterioration? It begins with the feeling that you don't have enough time to study the Bible. Over time, you put it off a little here and there, and before long, you find yourself completely out of touch with God's word. When this goes on, over time what good intentions you had of eventually getting back into it will fade and you'll be left without a desire to study and know what God has said at all. It is truly a tragedy.

Are you in a slump right now? Don't wait in hopes of the problem fixing itself! Just like a house or anything else, your spiritual life needs constant attention or it will fall into decay. As God said to Joshua, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8). A successful spiritual life is one that knows God and his revealed word as best as possible. May your desire for him ever increase.

Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?

Tip: When photographing abandoned buildings, try to position yourself near a window to take advantage of ambient lighting; it is much more enchanting than harsh bulb light.

This abandoned room reminds me of the lyrics of one of my favorite popular songs:

I was left to my own devices
Many days fell away with nothing to show

And the walls kept tumbling down
In the city that we love
Great clouds roll over the hills
Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
Nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
You've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

The bridge of the song states this:

Oh where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?
Oh oh where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?

The song is titled Pompeii, and it depicts a vibrant culture that was bent on vanity and living large. Enamored with their entertainment, beauty, and success, these ancient people never would have imagined that their gorgeous city would be ground to a halt within a few hours. I imagine whoever once lived in the room pictured above never would have imagined it standing there the way it is today, either.

What about us? Do we, in our fast paced societies, ever stop to contemplate the fact that our lives and accomplishments are not everlasting? Do we take time out from our day to day lives to seek out the knowledge of the One who is everlasting and apply His counsel to our lives?

Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

-Proverbs 1:29-33

The Tale of Garnet

Tip: Experiment in post-processing with light brushes to make your focal point really pop out!

Tucked away at the top of a treacherous gravel road in the mountains of Montana is a town called Garnet. Once upon a time, it had been an incredibly successful mining community- one of the largest in the area! It had thousands of people and hundreds of structures. Then one day, the mines began to diminish. People began to move out of the area, and eventually a huge fire burned down the majority of the city.

Garnet is now regarded as one of the region's best preserved ghost towns, rather than the region's most successful mining community. What we see of it above is what once was the main sitting room of their grand hotel- at one point a glorious and prestigious three story structure (which for the 1800's, was great!). Now, it remains uninhabited and it's contents are left to slowly disintegrate over time.

In it's strong days, people wouldn't have imagined a time that their great town would be reduced to this. Even the greatest success is temporary. Let us remember that only God is worth exalting. Our own earthly successes only exist because He has allowed them to, and one day they will fall by the wayside.

"Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and not let the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Praise God; You're Not Entitled to Today.

Tip: Experiment with lining things up to the corners. The results can be very eye pleasing!

As the sun sets on one year and rises revealing yet another, it can be easy to focus on New Years parties, resolutions, and trying to regain the sleep you lost on New Years Eve. The future has arrived... again! Welcome to it, my friend.

But stop and consider this: you've just woken up in another year. We do it so often that it becomes commonplace, but really- God just brought you through yet another 365 days. You're still here. You're still alive. A lot can happen in merely a day's time, and here you've made it through a year! Stop and thank the Lord. He didn't have to let you live this long, you know. Nowhere are you promised a certain number of years to live.

Seeing as a lot can happen over 365 days, it's time to ask yourself a question: are you closer with or farther from God than you were a year ago? It may seem barely distinguishable sometimes, but as a friend once told me, "You are never at a stand still. Either you are getting closer with God or you are gradually falling away. There is no middle ground." 

Praise God, and draw nearer to Him through time in the Bible. That is how to start off a new year.

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.   (Daniel 2:20-22)