Week Twenty-One, 2018

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls (Jeremiah 6:16).

Taking our little daughter to the ice cream store for a treat was always a challenge. She never could decide which flavor she liked and ask for a sample spoon of each. Once she had sampled all, she would say that she had eaten all the ice cream she wanted.

Life is full of choices especially in this fast paced world where we are all stressed up and don’t know which way to go. There are choices, often conflicting. In this life, we have to make many choices. Some are very important choices. Some are not. Many of our choices are between good and evil. The choices we make, however, determine to a large extent our happiness or our unhappiness, because we have to live with the consequences of our choices.

Choices

The best way to make choices is to not make significant ones alone. “For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (Proverbs 24:6) “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

But there is even a better way. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Be anxious for nothing stands in contrast to worrying which reveal a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty and power. As believers, we need to realize that our confidence in life does not come from ourselves but from the All Powerful God of the universe. That is why Paul tells us not to worry about anything. If we worry we are basically saying that God cannot handle it. By contrast we are to take everything to God in prayer and His peace will guard our hearts and minds. Believers, who stand firm in Christ, respond to trials and endure hardship with thankful prayer. Here are some prayers to pray for choices in our lives.

• Choices allow us to love or not… help us choose love.

• Choices allow us to choose right or wrong… help us choose right.

• Choices allow us to choose the light or the dark…. help us choose light.

• Choices allow us to choose between good and bad… help us choose good.

• Choices allow to choose between good and best… help us choose best.

• Choices allow us to choose you… help us draw near to you.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

A kid in Minnesota wrote the following NEW School Prayer:

Now I sit me down in school

Where praying is against the rule

For this great nation under God

Finds mention of Him very odd

If scripture now the class recites,

It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow

Becomes a Federal matter now

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,

That’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.

The law is specific, the law is precise.

Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice

For praying in a public hall

Might offend someone with no faith at all.

In silence alone we must meditate,

God’s name is prohibited by the State.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,

And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.

They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.

To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,

And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.

It’s ‘inappropriate’ to teach right from wrong.

We’re taught that such ‘judgments’ do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,

Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,

No word of God must reach this crowd.

It’s scary here I must confess,

When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make:

Should I be shot; My soul please take!

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Christianity is a fact-based religion. John 20:27

You can’t convince people of things they don’t want to be convinced of. Regret is a terrible feeling. Sometimes, when you think it’s too late, it’s not. Until it is. KC Newbill

Pain can be used for good. It causes us to pause and ponder what’s really important. Mark Merrill

Jesus is Lord. And that changes everything.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Focus on those you serve and witness the new found value.

In what appears to be his last tweet, on Dec. 1, Sproul wrote about his belief in eternity: “When God writes our names in the ‘Lamb’s Book of Life,’ he doesn’t do it with an eraser handy. He does it for eternity.”

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

By John Grant

Week Nineteen, 2018

Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel (Proverbs 25:4).

After changing into jump suits, my bride and I proceeded to a small cage. Once inside, the operator pressed a button and we descended down 10,000 feet or about two miles below the South African surface. We were then led through tunnels until we came to where miners were chiseling into the gold ore. The ore was loaded into the cars of the mine train and then transported to the surface, where it was processed.

Once we ascended, we walked through the process of refining the gold. It goes through several processes to separate the pure gold. Finally the gold is melted and then poured out into solid gold bricks. As I held one in my arms, I was amazed at how much ore was left over compared to the gold it produced.

I then thought about that process in Biblical terms, as what the refining the gold was a word picture of what God wants to do with me. Just as unwanted and excess material must be removed from gold or silver before it acquires its value, so we must sometimes go through the fires of purification in our own lives to bring out our true potential as servants of God.

In biblical times, a refiner began by breaking up rough ore—hardened rock encased with common minerals such as tin, copper, and zinc. But that rock also had the promise of valuable, rare metals hidden within—the precious metals of gold and silver. The breaking of the rock is necessary to begin the refining process to expose highly valuable metals to heat. The Lord communicates His perfect plan to us—we are rough rock in need of refining fire.

The refiner puts broken, crushed ore into a “crucible”—a fireproof melting pot able to withstand extreme heat. Then the refiner places the crucible into the furnace at the precise temperature necessary for removing other metals that would mar the quality of the gold or silver. Just as the furnace is used to purify silver in the crucible, our Refiner uses heat to purify our hearts and cleanse our character.

As the ore melts in the crucible under the watchful eye of the refiner, a layer of impurities called “dross” eventually forms on the surface. The Bible says, “Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel” For us individually, dross represents any misplaced dependency—any wrong motive, wrong attitude, wrong action—anything that keeps us from being all that God wants us to be.

After the refiner painstakingly skims off these impurities, he then turns up the heat and places the crucible back into the blistering furnace. Again and again (up to seven times, we are told in historical literature) impurities rise to the surface. He knows that only certain impurities are released at certain temperatures.

Each time, with utmost skill and patience, the refiner removes the dross, leaving behind gleaming gold and shimmering silver . . . more pure and precious than before. To gauge his progress, the refiner looks for his own reflection on the surface of the silver-filled crucible. The more dross removed, the less distorted his reflection.

Only when the refiner looks into the crucible and sees a clear reflection of himself is the process complete. Finally, the silver attains its highest degree of purity! And that, describes our Refiner’s loving intentions for allowing us to be in the “furnace of affliction.” As we trust Him to use our trials to cleanse our character and purify our hearts, we will begin to see the “silver lining.” As Isaiah 48:10 says, “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

University of Iowa Sophomore Jordan Bohannon walked to the free-throw line and nervously looked into the stands to make eye contact with his older brother, Zach. Bohannon was on the verge of breaking a record of 34 consecutive free throws that had stood for 25 years by a legendary Hawkeye, Chris Street. Everyone knew it would happen. Jordan had once hit 200 consecutive free throws in practice.

So, with 2:15 to go in the game and Iowa leading Northwestern 73-65, Jordan eyed the rim. Took his customary 4 dribbles. Bent his knees. And let it fly.

And missed…. On purpose! Yes, he intentionally short-armed it and the ball bounced off the front of the rim. Why? Bohannon told the Big Ten Network after the game “that’s not my record to have.” He said that it “deserves to stay in Street’s name.”

You see Chris Street was tragically killed in an automobile accident, January 19, 1993. Three days earlier he had made two free throws to make it 34 in a row. But never got a chance at number 35.

“Chris wasn’t just a Hawkeye,” according to the Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. “He was heart and he was hustle. He was Iowa, and he was a part of everyone sitting here today.”

So, Jordan, who had thought about doing this for quite a while, hoose to honor Street’s legacy by allowing his record to stand. “It was a touching tribute from one Iowa born Hawkeye to another,” wrote Chad Leistikow in the Des Moines Register.

Bohannon had become friends of Street’s parents, who are regular season ticket holders, and was present for the game. Patty Street said she was moved to tears by the gesture. “What a good kid. He’s so kind,” she said. “That was so special that he thought of Christopher and that record.”

Mike Street told people who asked leading up to this that he wanted Bohannon, a hard-working player like his son was, to break Chris’ mark. But he understood and treasured the tribute.

In an age of chest thumping, muscle flexing, finger pointing athletes constantly preening for the camera, this is a refreshing story. It reminds us that maybe not “all records are made to be broken.” As Jordan, who finished with 25 points, tweeted after the game “Life is much bigger than basketball.”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

If your absence doesn’t affect them, your presence never mattered.

It isn’t necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.

Warren Buffett

Dead noses can’t smell roses, so we should be giving while we’re living so we we’ll be knowing where it’s going. Ken Whitten

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018.

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

 

Week Eighteen, 2018

“Expect Adversity”

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

One of the certainties in this race of life is that we will face adversity. At any given time we are either going through adversity, recovering from adversity or about to go into adversity. It is a fact. As Job said , Yet, man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward (5:7).

Expect to encounter adversity in your life, remembering that we live in a deeply fallen world. Stop trying to find a way that circumvents difficulties. The main problem with an easy life is that it masks our need for Jesus.

Overcoming adversity is one of the biggest hurdles we face. As Havelock Ellis wrote, “Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself.” Problems, large and small, present themselves to us throughout our whole existence.

Problems, large and small, present themselves to us throughout our whole existence. Regardless of how sharp, clever, or happy-go-lucky we are, we will encounter struggle, challenges, difficulties and at times, heart wrenching moments. Is this meant to be a negative, cynical assessment of what we have to look forward to? Not at all!

In fact, thank goodness for adversity! Learning to deal with and overcoming adversity is what builds character and resilience. Every challenge and every difficulty we successfully confront in life serves to strengthen our will, confidence and ability to conquer future obstacles.

When we became a Christian, He infused His very life into us, empowering us to live on a supernatural plane by depending on Him.

Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities: situations totally beyond your ability to handle. This awareness of your inadequacy is not something you should try to evade. It is precisely where He wants you—the best place to encounter Him in His glory and power.

When you see armies of problems marching toward you, cry out to Him! Allow Him to fight for you. Watch Him working on your behalf, as you rest in the shadow of His almighty presence.

Jesus came to bring identity to our struggles and understands more than we think He does about whatever we encounter in life. He came to bring glory to our weakness and cares for us far more than we can comprehend. He came to bring glory to our weakness and He can do far more than we realize.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

THE ATTENDANT

Thomas B. Wheeler, who served as CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and his wife were driving along an interstate highway when he noticed that their car was low on gas. He got off the highway at the next exit and soon found a rundown gas station with just one gas pump. He asked the lone attendant to fill the tank and check the oil, then he went for a little walk around the station to stretch his legs.

As he was returning to the car, he noticed that the attendant and his wife were engaged in an animated conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the attendant. But as he was getting back into the car, he saw the attendant wave and heard him say, “It was great talking to you.”

As they drove out of the station, Wheeler asked his wife if she knew the man. She readily admitted she did. They had gone to high school together and had dated steadily for about a year.

“Boy, were you lucky that I came along,” bragged Wheeler.

“If you had married him, you’d be the wife of a gas station attendant instead of the wife of a chief executive officer.”

“My dear,” replied his wife, “if I had married him, he’d be the chief executive officer and you’d be the gas station attendant.”

–o–

PORNOGRAPHY

• Every thirty minutes a porn film is made in the United States.

• The United States produces 89 percent of all pornographic websites.

• Every second 30,000 people are watching porn.

• 42.7 percent of all Internet users view porn.

• The average age of initial pornography exposure is just eleven.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

I have reached an age where often my train of thought leaves the station without me.

An encounter with the truth regarding what God is like as a Father brings incredible healing.

Ask God for forgiveness from your sins; Believe that Jesus Christ died for you and for your sins; Confess that you cannot do this alone and accept Jesus as the gift of forgiveness for your sins. Amen, and Amen!

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT)

The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity. These are the choices that measure your life. Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing.

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018.

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

Week Seventeen, 2018

RUN TO WIN

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 1 Corinthians 9:24

Aric Almirola walked from the infield care center and back to the garage area at Daytona International Speedway. His day was done, and with it a dream, the biggest you can have. “My heart is broken,” Almirola said.

He was a handful of seconds from history. He had grabbed the lead before the white flag dropped and was going down the backstretch and he was going to win the Daytona 500. He was in the lead, heading for home. A nudge. A tap. That was all it took.

Austin Dillon’s front bumper touched Almirola’s rear bumper. And that was that. The race leader spun and wrecked. Dillon won the Daytona 500. “I did everything I could,” Almirola said. “I put myself in a position to win the Daytona 500. I did everything to try to win.”

He was less than a lap from living the dream he began having as a child, when his family traveled to Daytona’s high banks to watch the racing. Winning the 500 was a dream in his racing career.

Race!

Jesus calls us to be winners… winners for Him. In the race of life, we all participate, but not everyone wins. Usually the race is whatever is in our heart. It may be advancing to be the CEO of your company, winning an election or making a million dollars.

The Christian life is a race. In other words life is not a game with no lasting consequences. The way we live our lives has eternal consequences. Life is a proving ground where we prove who we are, whom we trust, and what we cherish. Eternal life, the upward call, the crown of righteousness — all these hang on what our life says about who we are, whom we trust, and what we love.

What are you running to win?

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

THE WARNING:

Every hour on the hour in the ancient market square of Krakow, Poland, a trumpeter steps up to the drafty window of St Mary’s Basilica’s tallest tower and plays a tune called the “hejnal.”

The simple yet haunting piece is repeated four times, each time facing a different cardinal direction. This beautifully unique tradition is done 365 days a year to honor a brave watchman who gave his life in the 13th century in defense of his little town of Krakow.

Story has it the watchman spotted a growing cloud of dust in the distance and realized a Tartar invasion was on its way to bring horror and misery to his people. The watchman seized his trumpet and belted out a warning prodding the sleepy village to spring into action and protect its innocent inhabitants. The clever musical siren was a success and the enemy was fended off, but at a high price.

The brave watchman was shot through the throat by an arrow from the enemy’s leader. The last note of this commemorative tune is a long half note to represent the last sound played by the trumpeter as he was murdered.

How will you be remembered?

–o–

Obituary:

Joe’s wife passed away and he wanted to keep the obituary as short as possible, so he penned “Sally Smith died.” When the funeral home told him that the minimum wordage was six words, he added “Car for sale.”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God. —Billy Graham.

I knew the end of the story, just like the Bible. —Winston Churchill

How will young people learn to love The Lord if they don’t see that love being modeled for them? Dwight Short

It’s just as hard to attain satisfaction and success from attaining goals we don’t have as it is to get pleasure from reminiscing about things we haven’t done. —Ernie J. Zelinski

Positive thinking is of zero value without positive doing. —Robert Sharma

None are so good they need not be saved – None are so bad they cannot be saved. —Ken Whitten

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

Week Fifteen, 2018

Wisdom

By Senator John Grant (Retired)

Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. Job 12:12

When I was in school, they were my favorite musical group and not mine alone, they were number one across the world for years until they were passed by The Beatles. They were known as The Kingston Trio, an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. They rose to international popularity, fueled by unprecedented sales of LP records, and helped to alter the direction of popular music in the U.S.

They started in 1958 with the release of their first album and its hit recording of “Tom Dooley”, which sold over three million copies as a single. The Trio released nineteen albums that made Billboard’s Top 100, fourteen of which ranked in the top 10, and five of which hit the number 1 spot. The Trio was described as “the most envied, the most imitated, and the most successful singing group, folk or otherwise, in all show business” and “the undisputed kings of the folk singing rage by every yardstick.”

Everyone knew who they were and most could sing their songs. Recently, when I heard that they were coming to town, I rushed to get tickets, as did a lot of my era.

Today, the millennials have never heard of them. When I mentioned to our young music minister that I was going, he asked, “What’s that, are they from Jamaica?”

We old folks know a lot that the younger generation don’t know and they don’t know that they don’t know it. When I was young, I now wish I had listened to the wisdom and advice of the older generation. It would have saved me from a lot of heartache and trouble.

The Bible extols the wisdom of maturity. Ancient Israel’s 12 tribes split into two competing factions — Israel in the north and Judah in the south. This rancorous rupture of a once-united nation occurred for one simple, primary reason: the new king listened to the bad advice of his youthful companions and rejected the sound counsel of the older men of Israel.

Proverbs 20:18, tells us to get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan. A wise man or woman is one who listens to advice. This is in contrast to a fool, who looks to himself as the source of wisdom.

But it’s not just advice that we need. Rehoboam got advice from his young companions, but it was wrong advice! It led to catastrophe for the king. So remember, it’s not just counsel, but good counsel that we need from others.

The Scriptures give a number of illustrations where that good counsel is likely to be drawn out of the older men and women, who have lived a long life and learned many valuable lessons. And by “older”, I mean those significantly older than the one seeking advice.

As a younger, do you seek and follow advice from more wise and experienced elders? As elders, do you take time to counsel with and impart your wisdom to the younger generation? That’s what the Bible tells us to do.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

PRAYER

C. S. Lewis from his book, “God in the Dock”, offers this interesting bit of dialogue regarding prayer.

“Praying for particular things,” said I, “always seems to me like advising God how to run the world. Wouldn’t it be wiser to assume that He knows best?”

“On the same principle,” said he, “I suppose you never ask a man next to you to pass the salt, because God knows best whether you ought to have salt or not. And I suppose you never take an umbrella, because God knows best whether you ought to be wet or dry.”

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.

Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” – Habakkuk 3:1-2

–o–

JEHOVA’S WITNESS

Saturday morning the weather was too bad to play golf. I was bored with nothing to do. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find a young, well- dressed man standing there who said:

“Hello sir, I’m a Jehovah’s Witness.” So I said, “Come in and sit down.” I offered him a fresh cup of coffee and asked, “What do you want to talk about?” He said, “Beats me. Never got this far before..”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

There is no right way to do a wrong thing. —Norman Vincent Peale

If Jesus Possesses Absolute Authority, then He Is Worthy of Absolute Allegiance. He has authority over the physically uncleaned, the ethnically outcast and over demons. As Christians, we need to trust wholeheartedly in His ability, rest peacefully in His sovereignty, submit completely and rejoice gladly in His eternity. —Ken Whitten

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning”. Ex 20:20

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018.

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618 

By Senator John Grant, FL (Retired)

Week Thirteen, 2018

CLEANING OUT

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).

Our refrigerator has hung around our kitchen and has served us well, but when it was time recently for her to depart to the great scrap yard in the sky, we shopped for and purchased a new one.

When it was time for the new one to be delivered, my bride and I cleaned out the about to be departing one. My, what surprises we found tucked on the corners and hidden by other items. We began examining each item and I soon discovered that when the discard date ends in BC (Do I get a rebuttal in this assessment? – Beverley), that is not a good sign. Some of what we had been cooling was just plain expired junk and needed to be thrown away.

Our lives are much like that. We harbor junk, some of which we don’t even realize, yet it is deeply imbedded in our subconscious and affects our daily behavior. The prophet Isaiah (1:16) said “Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings, so I don’t have to look at them any longer.”

Sometimes our morning room table gets cluttered. For one, it’s a big table. It actually takes up so much space in our morning room that It’s become the easiest place to set stuff. Toys. Mail (JG’s mail). Homework (BG’s Bible Study). Cups. More cups. The generous tabletop makes it simpler to just move things around rather than move them away, and after a while, it accumulates a swath of unrelated, inordinate objects into one centralized location, which is called clutter, which can be a lot like life. (So we took out the leaf. Now there is less table top!!)

We are constantly piling on one thing after another onto the tabletop of our lives. There are always more things we should be concerned about, and give attention to, and make room for — somehow. Before long, it’s a life full of clutter. It’s a whirlwind of good intentions, but bad directions — maybe a load of participation, but a litter of purpose. And it stays this way until God’s arm intervenes, mighty to sweep, and clears the table.

Paul told the Romans to not be conformed to the world, yet in this digitalized, technology driven world it is so easy to get conformed to this world and not even realize it. Yet, we are called to present ourselves holy and acceptable to God.

How about you? Have you cleaned out the outdated, immoral and other junk out of your life? If not, do so today and begin living a renewed life.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Reminders

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” – Jude 1:24-25 NIV

Reminders are all round us…

We have Calendar Pop-up Reminders on our phones and computers. We have alarms that serve as reminders. We have Post-It Notes and pocket notecards that can serve as reminders. We can even get phone calls from friends or a service to remind us of a special day or appointment. Facebook, Instagram and others can remind us of special dates, days, anniversaries and birthdays. Some of us have Spouses and Office Assistants who remind us all the time of places we need to be, people we need to see and when.

Sometimes… we need a reminder of who He is, what He has done (and continues to do), and the glory, majesty, power and authority that He has and deserves.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

While we are in awe of famous people, it is easy to forget the unique and wonderful ideas that the very people that surround us possess. Dwight Short

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com and Thoughts-About-God.com. You can subscribe directly to those on their respective websites.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

Week Twelve, 2018

SPILLED MILK

By John Grant

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him. – 2 Samuel 14:14

There are all kind of special holidays. Many of which you probably haven’t heard of. For example last month on the 11th, it was National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day. When I saw that, it started my thinking. While I haven’t cried lately over spilled milk, I have fretted over a lot of other things I cannot change.

The spilled milk line is an old saying that reminds us that just like spilled milk cannot be put back in the glass, there are many events in life that are irreversible and cannot turned back, so why fret about that which you cannot change?

We cannot put the milk back in the bottle, but with expectation we can strive for and look forward to the next glass of milk.

2 Samuel 14:14 reminds us that some things we cannot control are in the future and we should not worry about them. For example, we are all going to die, so we should not worry about it. Rather prepare for it, be certain of your eternity and look forward to the greater life.

Jesus pointed out, we cannot change anything by fretting and worrying! (Matthew 6:27) No amount of worrying can add a single hour to your life. If we are willing to receive it, He will give us the grace to laugh instead of worry, to rejoice in all things, and to joyfully trust Him no matter what.

Paul opines to the Church at Philippi: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:16)

God encourages his followers to fear not 365 times in the Bible, one for each day of the year, emphasizing that He didn’t intend for Christians to spend their days preoccupied with anxiety and worry.

Learn from your past mistakes, but don’t dwell on them. Instead, set your mind on things above. Look forward and with God’s help, finish strong.

Start today and take small steps today toward living fully free from anxieties, don’t worry about the things you cannot change (like spilled milk) and don’t underestimate the power of God to make you whole again.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Religion……..

• Doesn’t go deep enough.

• Doesn’t go far enough.

• Doesn’t go high enough.

–o–

We love God …………………………… We love people

We worship God……….. OR ………. We worship people

We use things …………………………..We love things

–o–

THE BOOK:

Did you know that the Bible is not simply one book? It is 66 books in one, composed and compiled by more that 40 human authors over a period of more than 1,600 years. Its human writers included kings, fisherman, diplomats, prophets, shepherds, lawyers, doctors, soldiers, historians and many others.

Furthermore, the Bible addresses hundreds of subjects, including life, death, marriage, the family worship, truth, and eternity. Yet despite its many authors and countless topics, the Bible is in perfect harmony from cover to cover, is entirely consistent within itself and proves its supernatural origins through its supernatural unity.

No wonder it is the most widely published and the best selling book of all time.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

God does not grade on the curve. He grades on the cross. —Ken Whitten

What distractions hinder you as a leader from recognizing opportunities? If you can minimize distractions and focus on mission accomplishment, you will soon move forward in obtaining the goals you set in strategic planning. —General Dick Abel.

Enjoy your day, no matter what it brings! —Kathy Merlino.

Christianity is a fact-based religion. —John 20:27.

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©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618