Friday, February 19, 2021

To God be the Glory

 Psalm 27

A Psalm of David

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord

All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Hear, O Lordwhen I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,

And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

  The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

  

* https://biblehub.com/nkjv/psalms/27.htm

 

 

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Retirement

IF:

If you are still wearing clothes that you wore to work before you retired 10 years ago

If you buy gas at the lowest priced filling station available

If you ask your doctor to prescribe generic drugs from the insurance company’s “preferred generic” formulary

If your checking account balance is less than fifty dollars at the end of every month

If the only out of state trips you take are to visit your grandchildren

If you do your own yardwork and home repairs to save money

If you wait for the things you need now to go on sale before you buy them

If you shop for almost everything at a “discount superstore”

If the groceries you buy are mostly the house brand

If you let your 15 year old car go 10,000 miles between oil changes

If the “new” camera you got for your birthday was purchased from an advertisement on Craig’s List

If you shop regularly to cut the cost of your car and homeowner’s insurance, and if they are “bundled”

If the term on your term life insurance is running out, and if you may have to renew it at a much higher rate to meet the requirements of your mortgage company

If the biggest consideration when you got your “retirement car” was its gas milage

If your computer is over six years old

If you stream your TV rather than use a cable or satellite service

If people call you a cheapskate behind your back

If you defer needed repairs on your home and car because you can’t pay the higher credit card payment

If you notice when the price of something (everything) goes up, but your income doesn’t

If you liked President Trump and Vice President Pence because they understood and tried to make things better for the average guy, retired or not; and because they cared

If you don’t like being ignored and brushed aside by President Biden and Vice President Harris … being told that we (meaning the little guys) have to “sacrifice for the good of the collective” when our money doesn’t last until the end of the month

If you wish that the Biden administration cared more for we the people and less about converting the U.S.A. into a “socialist utopia”

If you wish that the federal government would quit diminishing the buying power of your money by spending more than they take in

THEN:

         You must be “retired and on a fixed income.”

Please don’t get me wrong.  I am grateful for every blessing we have: a house to live in, a car to drive, food to eat, clothes to wear, medical care … all of it.  We thank God every day for taking care of us.  We don’t deserve all that we have got.  That is why we give God the glory for what we have.

All I am saying is that it would be nice if the Progressives would just get out of the way. If they can’t figure out how to make things better, then at least they might stop making them worse.

We can get by for the next four years.  Americans are resilient, adaptive people.  Personally, I am asking God to give me the same attitude as the Apostle Paul when he said, “… for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity …" (Philippians 4:11-12 NASB) *  Praise the Lord.

 

 *  https://biblehub.com/nasb

 

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Praise the Lord

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate acquitted former President Donald J. Trump.  The second attempt to impeach him failed, just as the first one did.  As I thought they would, all 50 of the Democratic Senators voted to convict.  They were joined by seven Republicans.  A “super majority” of 67 votes is required for conviction, and their combined 57 votes did not get the job done.  I had feared that more Republicans would vote to convict, and I am glad I was wrong.

A lot of people will be unhappy with the outcome.  As with the post immediately preceding this one, I urge everyone to accept the Senate’s verdict peacefully and move on.  Hopefully, we can put this divisive episode behind us.

I am not so naïve that I believe the opposing camps in our national government can reconcile and work together.  After the dust settles, I hope that they will at least try to find common ground where they can.

Personally, I know that God alone is sovereign, and He alone ordains the outcome of events like this one.  I trust that He will work all things together for the good of those who believe in Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)  All I can do is to thank Him for answered prayer; that lies do not prevail in the long run and justice will … if not in this world, then in His Kingdom.  Praise the Lord.

P.S.  Happy Valentines Day!