Monday, February 15, 2016

This is a Day the Lord Has Made Rejoice and Be Glad in It

I had no more said this is a day the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it and entered into prayer when the telephone rang. (No one has ever called me before sunrise with good news.) I answered the telephone, it was a call to inform me my cousin Bill died. I was stunned. He was my older cousin by 3 years, my friend, my brother in Christ, a prayer partner. We shared many serious prayer requests over the last 4 1/2 years.

I thought of his children, his grandson who turned one today. I thought of his parents, brother, and other siblings. His family would be rocked again when his father died a few days later.

So...it was a day the Lord had made, was I going to rejoice and be glad in it? Through tears, yes I still rejoiced. My heart misses him, my mind has come to terms he is in his heavenly home and I will see him in the future.

No more Texas Aggies - Texas Longhorn jokes between us. No more Dallas Cowboy jokes, he was a fan of theirs. No more making him laugh with TBT pictures or humorous Facebook posts, no more sharing Scriptures and what the Lord revealed to us as we studied.

I will smile through tears the next time I hear How Great is our God because he loved it so. I will cry the next time I watch Green Berets because I always do and it inspired him to enlist in the Army where he was in Special Forces for over 20 years.

I miss Bill, I am thankful for the prayers he prayed for me and my family, and I am thankful for the love he showed me. A great patriot and cowboy did indeed ride away...

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Procrastination

Fire burning brightly in the fireplace. Coffee in hand. Dogs in lap. Sunrise is spectacular. Cardinals singing. Oh to sit here and while the morning away instead of tackling the to-do list. No matter how hard I try to clear a Saturday morning, there is always a little housework that must be done and maybe an errand or two. First thought today - put off the one load of laundry, cleaning the stove, and the errand until Monday. I will resist the urge because it will nag me and who knows what Monday will bring!

If I am not careful, I can be the same way with a spiritual problem I need to take before the Lord. Instead of getting quiet and going to prayer, I think I'll pray later. I'll call Susie Q for godly counsel on this matter. A day or 2 goes by maybe a week, the problem is still nagging me, and I have not prayed or sought godly counsel about it though I've prayed for people and situations in the world, spent time in the Word...but procrastinated on the problem.

Procrastination does us no good whatsoever - whether minor issues or the big things of life - take care of it, don't let procrastination steal your peace. It can be tempting to take care of several small items on the to-do list to avoid the big one. You feel a sense of accomplishment dare I say pride and you leave the big item for tomorrow. (After all, look at all that was crossed off the list.) Tackle the big one first and a weight will be lifted from your shoulders.

The following Scriptures remind us to get it done!

Col 3:23-24
Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ.

Gal 6:9
So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.

So whether a spiritual matter or tasks that come with daily life - get it done, rejoice and be glad, this is a day the Lord has made.