“In your anger do not sin” Ephesians 4:26a

I just went through the post office to drop a letter into the mail. It took all of about 1.2 minutes. As I was about to leave, a semi truck that had been unloading for some time pulled out right in front of me, blocking my clear path to the main road. Forced to follow it, I reminded Katie again… you saw that, right?” She could only smile. “Of course,” she replied.

It’s a thing with me. Like the floating dirt cloud that follows Pig-Pen in Snoopy, it never fails. When I am getting ready to pull out, pull in, or press on in my truck, a slower and less motivated driver than me pulls right in front. Sometimes I just shake my head. Other times I simply lose it! AAAAAAAAA! I’ve yet to learn that losing it brings me ZERO benefit! At all!

When I get road rage, I become a murderer! My truck becomes my biggest witness! If it could talk, I’d be doomed! Jesus said that when I call someone names in anger, that is the same thing as actually committing murder in my heart. Today’s verse gives me stark warning that it is up to ME to handle my own heart. Because I am His, I have the power to do that!

I met a fellow murderer this week when a relative squealed on them, saying that “they get road rage all the time!” In a way I felt a little better. But then, I didn’t! There’s no honor in a Den of Thieves. Just a bunch of individual ones. God calls me RIGHTEOUS! HOLY! HIS! That said, I am supposed to control the actions that come from my heart! O.K… I’m workin’ on it!

How about YOU? What kind of sins circle the canyon of YOUR life? Is God telling you it’s time to clean it up?

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Mathew 6:33

Recently, I found myself sitting at a table with several folks not a part of my family. We had just met, and I didn’t really know their religious affiliation. When the food arrived, so did the moment of decision. Do I pray or not? Thankfully I had settled that question DECADES ago, grabbing hands, I said, “let’s pray for this food.” Everyone joined hands… and we did.

I admit I was surprised that the question of prayer had hit me like it did. Not wanting to force my faith and beliefs on someone unsuspectingly, the idea of being courteous had brought with it the decision of whether to pray or not. I could see how someone new in the Faith might have cause to pause. After years of simply doing what Christians do, I did.

The verse today follows Jesus’ discussion about the Basics of Life. One cannot get any more basic than food, water and clothes… unless one adds a house or place to sleep. All humans agree that food, water and clothes are the very fundamental necessities of life! That is unless you are Jesus! Jesus has MORE IMPORTANT things He expects to top my needy list!

Most everybody gets up in the morning, gets dressed, then grabs something for their mouths to start the day. Clothes, food and drink are basics and expected by everyone. Jesus wants me to focus FIRST on WHERE those basics come from. Not God? No coffee! It’s just that basic. I’ve learned that to have ANYTHING, I must put God first in order of EVERYTHING.

How about you? What do YOU hold most critical and important in life? Does your life prove it?

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9 (KJV)

We have an issue! I say WE because it concerns both my wife AND me. It’s our garage door. The door opener that came with the house was about 50 years old and pushing it wasn’t immediately providing a response. Sometimes we had to push the button 20 plus times! When it became a game to actually count the pushes, something had to be done.

Picking up a new garage door opener was simply a trip to the hardware store. When installed, I pressed it. That garage door went up. Another press… and it went down! Just like it was supposed to! Funny thing, so much joy came from that simple act. Until about a month later, when counting pushes began all over again. That was 3 months ago.

Yesterday I picked up another door opener, the only one available at the store. Unfortunately, it was the same model as the button I was replacing. Once done, one press and it worked, by this morning I was counting again! I am beginning to think that I have another issue… besides the button that is! I wondered if Jesus ever had door opening issues!

The promise Jesus made was that HE was the Door… the only entry way into a life that would sustain me and make my life worth living. I sense He was asking me if I was happy with His performance!? Did ‘I’ have any issues? I started thinking. I still am! But I am beginning to see that any issue I have had, happened because I pushed the wrong button!

Are YOU running, seeking, hoping and looking for the one true source of Life… Jesus? What buttons have YOU been pushing?

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

I have this old cooler. The plastic hinges broke on it years ago, but it still works. Whenever I take it places, be it in the back of my truck, or like last week in a boat, I have to tie a rope around it to keep the lid on. Otherwise, the wind will blow it off and the cooler will no longer be cool! The other day, while riding in a boat, I forgot to tie the lid down.

The cooler survived the windy trip up in the back of the truck, but when Clint opened the throttle to the boat, I had forgotten I’d untied the rope to the cooler. I was holding onto my hat and NOT the cooler lid. When our speed hit 53 mph… I didn’t even hear the lid go bye-bye! We searched for it later.. but it was gone. Now… I have a ‘NOT so cool’ wagon!

To this windy world, I am not cool! While it’s Biblical that ANGELS look at me in awe, that is mostly because they can’t seem to believe how God could even LOVE somebody like me! But today’s verse tells me… HE DOES! Not only that, but He makes me ‘stand firm,’ Anointed me, sealed me (tying me down as His) and placed a deposit GUARANTEEING my future!

I am not cool to the world because the world doesn’t see GOD as cool! But I do! And because I have allowed Him to tie me down to His plan, there is NOTHING that can make me lost or blown away out of His sight! Which is a GOOD thing for me to remember. And not just me.. but YOU! IF you belong to God through a relationship tying you to His son. Do you?