Shalom.
Today we learned about real joy. We learned about the joy that comes from a person giving their life to Jesus. The joy that comes from a person knowing that they are loved; no matter what wrongs they have done.
Pastor Blakely allowed the Lord to have him explain to us the joy that God experiences when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their savior. This is the joy spoken of in Hebrews 12:1,2. And those that give their life to Christ are considered lost. Jesus taught about the lost in three parables in Luke 15.
In Luke 15, we see that something (or someone) can get lost in different ways. And what Jesus was saying was that no matter how you wound up lost, He has come that you may be found. It doesn't matter to Jesus how you were lost, it just matters that you are lost and need to be found.
The Lord was asking each of us, where is our joy? We need to stop being so concerned about self-preservation (selfishness) and concentrate on what God wants us to do -- win souls, that no one should be lost. We have to stop making everything about us. We have to get over ourselves and realize we have work to do -- kingdom work. There are people we have to reach; it is not all about pastors reaching the lost souls. And we have to die to our flesh, that we may live in the Spirit, be guided by the Spirit. We have to die to flesh so that the power of God that is in us is what governs us. (That is why fasting, when implemented correctly, is an important tool in teaching us how to keep our flesh under subjection.)
We have to change our focus and remember that we don't get saved to keep Jesus to ourselves. After we get saved, we should be taking advantage of every opportunity to share the good news with others so that they may experience the freedom and love that we experienced and are experiencing every day.
We need to spend time with God so that He can reposition our hearts to recognize lost (hurting) souls and that we can win them at any cost. We want to be able to respond to the question "What is your joy?" with words that include souls, winning and God. I know it is a tough question. But as pastor said this morning, that is the type of question we need to ask ourselves.
And we have to remember the common theme (or motivator) in all of this is LOVE. It is actually Agape love, which is unconditional love. We should love those we know the same as those we don't know, or are trying to know so we can introduce them to Christ and a relationship that will change them forever. We have to remember that God so loved the world (me, you, and them) that he gave his only begotten son....
Blessings.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Selection for Jury Duty
Shalom.
I was called to the CJC (criminal justice center) at 1301 Filbert Street, to participate in the juror selection process. I reported on Tuesday at 8:15am. I arrived on time, after purchasing my coffee (two guesses as to the brand) and a pretzel braid/twist. I remember the previous times I was called to participate in this interesting process. The very first time I was picked for a trial I had to be sequestered because of the nature of the trial. I was placed in a hotel down by the Philadelphia airport with no access to television and telephones, for good reason. As a juror, I could not be contaminated with any information outside what was presented during the trial. Let me tell you, that was a very strange experience. I was still living at home and wasn't even dating the woman that would eventually become my wife. Myself and the other jurors must have spent at least three days in the hotel. We traveled on a van together. We went in a special juror entrance at the CJC. I ate pretty good during that time. I remember ordering chicken parmigiana dishes from the local eating establishment. (Thank you to all those people that were paying their Philadelphia taxes.) The trial involved a homicide. And we eventually had to determine the punishment for the crime. I do not recall what verdict was reached. It was an interesting time and I think I did not want to experience it again. I don't believe I cared for the time away from my family. I had not researched the selection process and did not know when I would be selected again, if at all.
Well, it came to pass that I was chosen again to participate. This time, I was chosen for a potential panel, however, the case never went to trial because I think some agreement was reached even before the juror selection process had gotten under way. So, I was sent back down to the pool to wait for another assignment. As God would have it, I was not reassigned and so I went home. Praise God! I would go about my daily life until the next time my number came up to serve.
Well, in 2008, my number came up. And it is funny, because my wife was called to serve the next day after me. Well, I reported to the CJC, and it was crowded that day. I saw all the people and wondered what am I going to encounter today. There was a long line to check your cell phone in and then another long line to get through the metal detectors. There were all kinds of people there. I forget just how diverse (economically, racially and socially) our city is. There were people busting in line. Someone busted in front of me and I did not say a word. Was I scared? Perhaps. Did it really matter that someone didn't wait in the long lines like everyone else? Perhaps. Was I jealous that I didn't have the guts [ignorance, callousness] to do the same thing? Perhaps. At any rate, I made it through the metal detector after removing my belt, coat and wallet. Then I needed to wait in another line to enter the juror waiting room. I obtained the necessary paperwork and entered the room. I searched for a seat, as there were plenty of people already in the room and seated. It seems there are others in the city that are punctual. I was hoping I would spend the entire day in the waiting room and then be sent home. No dice. I was selected as part of a group of 60 people. We were destined for the seventh floor, however, we made a fews stops along the way; and we all traveled as a group. The group was a rather unique mix of people. It is amazing how God made all these people and NONE of us look alike. There are no two black people, white people, Asian people, etc. that look alike. That is some serious creativity when you make all these people and no two are the same. You might think would have been tired and caused a certain number of people born in Philly on a Tuesday to have the same nose size and dimension, but everything else is different. No, God made everyone of us so unique, right down to our finger prints. That is a lot of finger prints. But I digress.
We were given some information about the judge and what to tell the judge concerning conflicts between our life and the prospect of serving as a juror. We were then brought before the judge, the defendant, and the lawyers. We were given some background information about the case, some information about legalese and then were asked a series of questions. I did not answer in the affirmative to the questions. They were questions that would determine, rather quickly, if I would be usable for the trial. They even asked if we knew anyone involved in the case, and if we did, would we be able to be fair in reaching a verdict. I did not know anyone involved in the case. There was a question about hardships -- meaning any circumstances that might prevent me from being able to serve as a juror. There were some interesting answers to that question. I told the judge my hardship was that I did not get paid for jury duty and that I had a paid vacation in March. The judge wanted to know what kind of company I worked for that did not pay me for jury duty. I gave him an answer and he said he would call my job later to confirm. (I checked later that night, since I had to return the next day, and I found out that my job pays me, minus what I make from serving. After learning this information, being a juror didn't seem so bad, especially if my vacation plans were not going to be interrupted.) They did not finish the interviews, and unfortunately, they kept us there until 5pm. They informed us that we had to return to the CJC the following day at nine o'clock in the morning. It was long day, but I did not complain to anyone or myself. We all did not want to be in that position and we were tired of the sitting around and waiting.
Since my wife was to report on that day, I rode the subway with her to the CJC. That was a nice time. I felt very proud that day, let me tell you! I made a few mistimed comments during the travel, but otherwise, it was a pleasant ride. We enjoyed a breakfast sandwich from a vendor and coffee together. She remembered somethings from when she worked downtown and she realized that riding in a car is very different from standing and waiting for public transportation. She actually had to use her gloves. Gasp!! :-O
So, I left her and returned to my court room to wait to be interviewed by the judge and the lawyers. I began to think about the person on trial and how if it were me, I would want to have the best people on the juror so that my trial would be as fair and impartial as possible, since my life might hang in the balance. I started resolving to the idea that I would actually be selected to serve on the jury. I was thinking of it as my civic duty and wanting to make sure the person on trial would have a fair chance. When it was finally my time to meet with the judge, I informed him that I did get paid. The judge let me know that the trial would not encroach upon my vacation time. I told the judge that that was satisfactory. The defense lawyer and the prosecution lawyer asked me questions. I answered them truthfully and then I was asked t wait outside for the decision of whether I was chosen or not as a juror for the case. Well, as it turns out, I was not chosen as a juror. I must say, I was relieved. I reported back to the juror waiting room to receive my "big balla" check for $18 (two days of service at $9 per day). The person at the desk was about to have me wait again to be selected, but then they realized I was a carry over from the previous day. I told the person that they were about to make my heart stop. I was definitely not trying to be there another day. The person printed my check and I was on my way!
I waited for my wife to be dismissed for lunch that day and we had lunch together at the Reading Terminal market. It was nice. There are a plethora of eateries in the Reading Terminal market. I haven't been there in some time. There is a good mix of eateries. They have "soul food", Thai food and Indian food. I hope to eat there again this week since my wife was picked for a case that might last until Friday.
Well, that is enough, I think, concerning my juror selection process. For those interested, the selection process is random based on voter registration and driver license records.
I was called to the CJC (criminal justice center) at 1301 Filbert Street, to participate in the juror selection process. I reported on Tuesday at 8:15am. I arrived on time, after purchasing my coffee (two guesses as to the brand) and a pretzel braid/twist. I remember the previous times I was called to participate in this interesting process. The very first time I was picked for a trial I had to be sequestered because of the nature of the trial. I was placed in a hotel down by the Philadelphia airport with no access to television and telephones, for good reason. As a juror, I could not be contaminated with any information outside what was presented during the trial. Let me tell you, that was a very strange experience. I was still living at home and wasn't even dating the woman that would eventually become my wife. Myself and the other jurors must have spent at least three days in the hotel. We traveled on a van together. We went in a special juror entrance at the CJC. I ate pretty good during that time. I remember ordering chicken parmigiana dishes from the local eating establishment. (Thank you to all those people that were paying their Philadelphia taxes.) The trial involved a homicide. And we eventually had to determine the punishment for the crime. I do not recall what verdict was reached. It was an interesting time and I think I did not want to experience it again. I don't believe I cared for the time away from my family. I had not researched the selection process and did not know when I would be selected again, if at all.
Well, it came to pass that I was chosen again to participate. This time, I was chosen for a potential panel, however, the case never went to trial because I think some agreement was reached even before the juror selection process had gotten under way. So, I was sent back down to the pool to wait for another assignment. As God would have it, I was not reassigned and so I went home. Praise God! I would go about my daily life until the next time my number came up to serve.
Well, in 2008, my number came up. And it is funny, because my wife was called to serve the next day after me. Well, I reported to the CJC, and it was crowded that day. I saw all the people and wondered what am I going to encounter today. There was a long line to check your cell phone in and then another long line to get through the metal detectors. There were all kinds of people there. I forget just how diverse (economically, racially and socially) our city is. There were people busting in line. Someone busted in front of me and I did not say a word. Was I scared? Perhaps. Did it really matter that someone didn't wait in the long lines like everyone else? Perhaps. Was I jealous that I didn't have the guts [ignorance, callousness] to do the same thing? Perhaps. At any rate, I made it through the metal detector after removing my belt, coat and wallet. Then I needed to wait in another line to enter the juror waiting room. I obtained the necessary paperwork and entered the room. I searched for a seat, as there were plenty of people already in the room and seated. It seems there are others in the city that are punctual. I was hoping I would spend the entire day in the waiting room and then be sent home. No dice. I was selected as part of a group of 60 people. We were destined for the seventh floor, however, we made a fews stops along the way; and we all traveled as a group. The group was a rather unique mix of people. It is amazing how God made all these people and NONE of us look alike. There are no two black people, white people, Asian people, etc. that look alike. That is some serious creativity when you make all these people and no two are the same. You might think would have been tired and caused a certain number of people born in Philly on a Tuesday to have the same nose size and dimension, but everything else is different. No, God made everyone of us so unique, right down to our finger prints. That is a lot of finger prints. But I digress.
We were given some information about the judge and what to tell the judge concerning conflicts between our life and the prospect of serving as a juror. We were then brought before the judge, the defendant, and the lawyers. We were given some background information about the case, some information about legalese and then were asked a series of questions. I did not answer in the affirmative to the questions. They were questions that would determine, rather quickly, if I would be usable for the trial. They even asked if we knew anyone involved in the case, and if we did, would we be able to be fair in reaching a verdict. I did not know anyone involved in the case. There was a question about hardships -- meaning any circumstances that might prevent me from being able to serve as a juror. There were some interesting answers to that question. I told the judge my hardship was that I did not get paid for jury duty and that I had a paid vacation in March. The judge wanted to know what kind of company I worked for that did not pay me for jury duty. I gave him an answer and he said he would call my job later to confirm. (I checked later that night, since I had to return the next day, and I found out that my job pays me, minus what I make from serving. After learning this information, being a juror didn't seem so bad, especially if my vacation plans were not going to be interrupted.) They did not finish the interviews, and unfortunately, they kept us there until 5pm. They informed us that we had to return to the CJC the following day at nine o'clock in the morning. It was long day, but I did not complain to anyone or myself. We all did not want to be in that position and we were tired of the sitting around and waiting.
Since my wife was to report on that day, I rode the subway with her to the CJC. That was a nice time. I felt very proud that day, let me tell you! I made a few mistimed comments during the travel, but otherwise, it was a pleasant ride. We enjoyed a breakfast sandwich from a vendor and coffee together. She remembered somethings from when she worked downtown and she realized that riding in a car is very different from standing and waiting for public transportation. She actually had to use her gloves. Gasp!! :-O
So, I left her and returned to my court room to wait to be interviewed by the judge and the lawyers. I began to think about the person on trial and how if it were me, I would want to have the best people on the juror so that my trial would be as fair and impartial as possible, since my life might hang in the balance. I started resolving to the idea that I would actually be selected to serve on the jury. I was thinking of it as my civic duty and wanting to make sure the person on trial would have a fair chance. When it was finally my time to meet with the judge, I informed him that I did get paid. The judge let me know that the trial would not encroach upon my vacation time. I told the judge that that was satisfactory. The defense lawyer and the prosecution lawyer asked me questions. I answered them truthfully and then I was asked t wait outside for the decision of whether I was chosen or not as a juror for the case. Well, as it turns out, I was not chosen as a juror. I must say, I was relieved. I reported back to the juror waiting room to receive my "big balla" check for $18 (two days of service at $9 per day). The person at the desk was about to have me wait again to be selected, but then they realized I was a carry over from the previous day. I told the person that they were about to make my heart stop. I was definitely not trying to be there another day. The person printed my check and I was on my way!
I waited for my wife to be dismissed for lunch that day and we had lunch together at the Reading Terminal market. It was nice. There are a plethora of eateries in the Reading Terminal market. I haven't been there in some time. There is a good mix of eateries. They have "soul food", Thai food and Indian food. I hope to eat there again this week since my wife was picked for a case that might last until Friday.
Well, that is enough, I think, concerning my juror selection process. For those interested, the selection process is random based on voter registration and driver license records.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Gratitude
Shalom.
We learned about gratitude in church on Sunday. The Lord paid us a visit and used Pastor Blakely to get us to change our thinking. That is so needful in the church today. There is a tremendous amount of "stinkin' thinkin'." Our mindsets are so destructive, not just to ourselves, but to our families, and those around us. As a man, father, brother, it is vital that I keep my head together. And that I am honest enough with myself to know when I am not together and I need some help -- whether from my spouse, or another brother.
The word on Sunday was about being thankful. Do we really know what it is to be thankful? Do we take inventory of what we are thankful for? And it is not all about the material things, because they can come and go. The text on Sunday looked at Luke 7:36-50. This was the story of the woman with the expensive bottle of perfume. The preacher brought out just how grateful this woman was, all without saying a word.
I had never saw that from the standpoint of gratitude. At the end of the story, we read where Jesus forgives the woman of her sin. TALK ABOUT A WEIGHT BEING LIFTED OFF OF YOUR SHOULDERS! Praise God! One can only imagine what she had been going through all her life and then Jesus shows up! She went to that house and didn't care about what anyone else might have thought. And it was interesting how she didn't even look at Jesus. That let you know she wasn't there to have herself be seen like she might have normally done when it comes to her dealing with a man. I can imagine she was reaching a point in her life where she was tired. She thought about what her life was like up to around the time she started hearing about Jesus. I believe she needed a change; she needed something more. And she was probably watching and waiting for a time when she could get close to Jesus. And it is noteworthy that when she plans her visit, she has the perfume, which symbolizes worship. So that says to me she came the best way -- by worshiping Him. That is awesome. She was definitely ready to be changed, and not just on the outside. She wanted a total makeover, an Extreme Makeover, if you will.
It is amazing what we have to be thankful for. We just don't take the time to stop and think about it. And I am not even talking about material things. The message on Sunday was God wants us to have an attitude of gratitude. And when we have that attitude, then we won't be quick to have those other attitudes that we shouldn't have. Having a grateful attitude will help us deal with each other properly, as God would have it. We can be accepting of others because we have first accepted ourselves.
I encourage you to really take some time and think about what you have to be thankful for. I am thankful for my being covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ, for allowing him to come into my heart. I am thankful for my family, which I don't want to take for granted or let slip away. My wife and children are beautiful -- on the inside as well as on the outside. I am thankful that I have the Spirit of God in me so that I can spread the love of Jesus Christ to the saved and the unsaved. I thank God for giving me that ability, that authority.
Blessings.
We learned about gratitude in church on Sunday. The Lord paid us a visit and used Pastor Blakely to get us to change our thinking. That is so needful in the church today. There is a tremendous amount of "stinkin' thinkin'." Our mindsets are so destructive, not just to ourselves, but to our families, and those around us. As a man, father, brother, it is vital that I keep my head together. And that I am honest enough with myself to know when I am not together and I need some help -- whether from my spouse, or another brother.
The word on Sunday was about being thankful. Do we really know what it is to be thankful? Do we take inventory of what we are thankful for? And it is not all about the material things, because they can come and go. The text on Sunday looked at Luke 7:36-50. This was the story of the woman with the expensive bottle of perfume. The preacher brought out just how grateful this woman was, all without saying a word.
I had never saw that from the standpoint of gratitude. At the end of the story, we read where Jesus forgives the woman of her sin. TALK ABOUT A WEIGHT BEING LIFTED OFF OF YOUR SHOULDERS! Praise God! One can only imagine what she had been going through all her life and then Jesus shows up! She went to that house and didn't care about what anyone else might have thought. And it was interesting how she didn't even look at Jesus. That let you know she wasn't there to have herself be seen like she might have normally done when it comes to her dealing with a man. I can imagine she was reaching a point in her life where she was tired. She thought about what her life was like up to around the time she started hearing about Jesus. I believe she needed a change; she needed something more. And she was probably watching and waiting for a time when she could get close to Jesus. And it is noteworthy that when she plans her visit, she has the perfume, which symbolizes worship. So that says to me she came the best way -- by worshiping Him. That is awesome. She was definitely ready to be changed, and not just on the outside. She wanted a total makeover, an Extreme Makeover, if you will.
It is amazing what we have to be thankful for. We just don't take the time to stop and think about it. And I am not even talking about material things. The message on Sunday was God wants us to have an attitude of gratitude. And when we have that attitude, then we won't be quick to have those other attitudes that we shouldn't have. Having a grateful attitude will help us deal with each other properly, as God would have it. We can be accepting of others because we have first accepted ourselves.
I encourage you to really take some time and think about what you have to be thankful for. I am thankful for my being covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ, for allowing him to come into my heart. I am thankful for my family, which I don't want to take for granted or let slip away. My wife and children are beautiful -- on the inside as well as on the outside. I am thankful that I have the Spirit of God in me so that I can spread the love of Jesus Christ to the saved and the unsaved. I thank God for giving me that ability, that authority.
Blessings.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Visual
I believe the awareness or attraction for the opposite sex is different from lusting after someone of the opposite sex (if it were the same sex, well, that is a different topic all together, and not covered in this post). Lust involves will, making a choice. Can I really fault my wife for noticing a good looking man? As humans, we are visual people. Observing a nice looking adult human-being is going to happen. However, the problem comes in when we don't handle the thoughts we [might] have after the observation. Do we observe for too long, or focus too much on a certain body part? The time we are taking to focus or linger, is causing us to go down a path we don't need to be going down. We get into trouble when we start thinking of things that involve us and the attractive person (lust). We have to choose whether we are going to dismiss those thoughts or entertain those thoughts. And there are times when we do less dismissing than we should. That is when we have to ask for help from the Lord.
And for men, we can recall an image of an attractive woman without even wanting to. However, we can determine whether we will keep that image in our mind and go somewhere that we shouldn't with that image. We have a choice to dismiss the image, as we don't want anything to taint what we have with our wive. There are enough issues that don't involve sex, that you won't have to worry about your marriage being boring. :-) We men are fighting that daily, unfortunately, because of the society we live in today. Every where you look, there are images that are not very appropriate for a man trying to live holy. We have to make a conscious decision to bring those thoughts into captivity. We can't be selfish and think about how we didn't "get some" last night and we are going to pay her back. We have to take ourselves out of the equation and obey God. We don't want to put asunder what God has brought together.
I heard a preacher say that where your mind goes, your heart will soon follow. And we have an example of that in Lot's wife (see Genesis 19).
Be encouraged, saints!
Blessings.
And for men, we can recall an image of an attractive woman without even wanting to. However, we can determine whether we will keep that image in our mind and go somewhere that we shouldn't with that image. We have a choice to dismiss the image, as we don't want anything to taint what we have with our wive. There are enough issues that don't involve sex, that you won't have to worry about your marriage being boring. :-) We men are fighting that daily, unfortunately, because of the society we live in today. Every where you look, there are images that are not very appropriate for a man trying to live holy. We have to make a conscious decision to bring those thoughts into captivity. We can't be selfish and think about how we didn't "get some" last night and we are going to pay her back. We have to take ourselves out of the equation and obey God. We don't want to put asunder what God has brought together.
I heard a preacher say that where your mind goes, your heart will soon follow. And we have an example of that in Lot's wife (see Genesis 19).
Be encouraged, saints!
Blessings.
God Is Truly Good!
Shalom.
God really showed up today during our corporate meeting at Open Hands Ministries. I thank God for a church where God's presence is welcomed.
The word blessed me today because it was given from a computer terminology perspective. The message given through Pastor Blakely was given from the perspective of downloading software to a computer (for updating existing software) and the disk fragmentation process. I was following along very closely to make sure Pastor Blakely used the proper terms at the proper time. I was listening to make sure he didn't use the wrong term/word to describe something. (If he had used something incorrectly, would I have corrected him, I wondered. "Who am I to correct the Pastor," I thought. Well, he didn't mix up words, so thank God. ^_^ I digress. The analogy was a very good one. In our lives, through daily living, we get fragmented, meaning we have our mind, heart and spirit all over the place. Neither one is lined up as it should be. And when that happens, we are not in a good state. We can't respond to God like we should, we can't respond to the enemy like we should. When we reach that state, we are in need of defragmentation, meaning, we need to have everything brought together so that it is continuous, having no gaps. And after that, we need to have an update to our thinking, we need to have our hearts and spirit updated. That is when we need to stand under the download, as Pastor put it. We need to get the latest update from God so we can be about our assignments on this earth. We need an update so we can communicate properly to our spouse, so that we can deal with that co-worker or boss. I thank God for providing the update, but we need to make sure we get in the place to receive the updates on a regular basis.
The other wonderful thing is that your spouse has a part of the update (or download) you need. Praise God!! As the Bible says, the two shall become one, so it shouldn't surprise you that your spouse has an update that quickens something in you. God knows what He is doing. Let Him do it!! That means we all have to learn to get along with each other. No more fighting over petty things. Ask God for the update that will help you communicate with your spouse effectively. Don't rely on what you think you know, or what you saw your parents do (I mean no disrespect to anyone's parents).
The Lord also spoke through Pastor Blakely to tell us that we shouldn't think our life wasted if we don't know what our purpose is (we should want to know, though). So we shouldn't think we wasted time because a certain number of years have passed in our life and we think we should have done this thing or that thing. We just have to be obedient and willing when God reveals to us our purpose. I thank God for that because I am one who thinks that I have lived my life and have not accomplished anything according to God's purpose for my life. As I learned today, I need to just keep on living and doing what is right in God's eyes. In God's time, and as I spend time with God, I will know what my purpose is.
I don't believe I will think of downloads on my computer in the same way after this message. God knows how to make things plain enough for everyone of us to understand and process. God is truly good to his people!!
Be encouraged saints. Keep your focus on God and do what is right in God's eyes. God is doing something in your life, just trust Him and obey Him.
Blessings.
God really showed up today during our corporate meeting at Open Hands Ministries. I thank God for a church where God's presence is welcomed.
The word blessed me today because it was given from a computer terminology perspective. The message given through Pastor Blakely was given from the perspective of downloading software to a computer (for updating existing software) and the disk fragmentation process. I was following along very closely to make sure Pastor Blakely used the proper terms at the proper time. I was listening to make sure he didn't use the wrong term/word to describe something. (If he had used something incorrectly, would I have corrected him, I wondered. "Who am I to correct the Pastor," I thought. Well, he didn't mix up words, so thank God. ^_^ I digress. The analogy was a very good one. In our lives, through daily living, we get fragmented, meaning we have our mind, heart and spirit all over the place. Neither one is lined up as it should be. And when that happens, we are not in a good state. We can't respond to God like we should, we can't respond to the enemy like we should. When we reach that state, we are in need of defragmentation, meaning, we need to have everything brought together so that it is continuous, having no gaps. And after that, we need to have an update to our thinking, we need to have our hearts and spirit updated. That is when we need to stand under the download, as Pastor put it. We need to get the latest update from God so we can be about our assignments on this earth. We need an update so we can communicate properly to our spouse, so that we can deal with that co-worker or boss. I thank God for providing the update, but we need to make sure we get in the place to receive the updates on a regular basis.
The other wonderful thing is that your spouse has a part of the update (or download) you need. Praise God!! As the Bible says, the two shall become one, so it shouldn't surprise you that your spouse has an update that quickens something in you. God knows what He is doing. Let Him do it!! That means we all have to learn to get along with each other. No more fighting over petty things. Ask God for the update that will help you communicate with your spouse effectively. Don't rely on what you think you know, or what you saw your parents do (I mean no disrespect to anyone's parents).
The Lord also spoke through Pastor Blakely to tell us that we shouldn't think our life wasted if we don't know what our purpose is (we should want to know, though). So we shouldn't think we wasted time because a certain number of years have passed in our life and we think we should have done this thing or that thing. We just have to be obedient and willing when God reveals to us our purpose. I thank God for that because I am one who thinks that I have lived my life and have not accomplished anything according to God's purpose for my life. As I learned today, I need to just keep on living and doing what is right in God's eyes. In God's time, and as I spend time with God, I will know what my purpose is.
I don't believe I will think of downloads on my computer in the same way after this message. God knows how to make things plain enough for everyone of us to understand and process. God is truly good to his people!!
Be encouraged saints. Keep your focus on God and do what is right in God's eyes. God is doing something in your life, just trust Him and obey Him.
Blessings.
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