Hungry? Let’s Fill Up.
Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
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Peoples’ Shepherd Michael Spivey
Well it is again Sunday morning and my blood is flowing, how many people can get excited about going to church? I really didn’t want an answer it was just something I see in movies where the parents have to force their kids to church. Luckily I don’t have this issue, my young one is just as excited and it could be that she is one of the puppeteers in her Sunday program and the youth pastor gives candy at the end of each service. Now back to my Sunday service. We opened with the first praise song “No other name”, which was POWERFUL!!! Worship ended with “Amen”, the lyrics “Victory has a name and it’s Jesus”, choke me up and today was no different. The second portion of service was on the final sermon of Dreams – The Life of Joseph. Below are some cliff notes to guide us through this week’s discussion.
Pastor said today’s sermon will contain some important key factors.
- Doctrine of Providence- meaning: Pro Video, to see before. God concerns himself with the smallest details of life. There is no big or small, God uses everything and wastes nothing, God’s ultimate purpose is to shape his children into his image. (Mind Blown!)
- Things look out of control but they are not, God is in control of everything. Always!
- Today’s reading ended on Genesis 50:15-21, Joseph had every opportunity to incarcerate his brothers or even worse, have them killed, but Joseph in the many years matured and was walking alongside GOD even though he suffered many years in captivity.
- Providence: Frees us from bitterness, we doubt God’s goodness so we get angry ( I can relate). Providence gives us a new perspective on our tragedies. Don’t put the blame on God, we only see “A” God sees all the way to “Z”. Providence gives us courage to keep going in hard times.
- Pastor ends with “Life is hard but God is still good”. Providence helps us to understand why Jesus died. I know this was a lot to soak in but when you’re on fire for Jesus it becomes easy to read. I’m hoping your flame is hotter than mine. Let me know what stood out to you today.
Acts 2:23-24 (NIV)
23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[a] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
In the mean time!
We’ve been taught the phrase “GOD’s timing” so well that it either sinks in enough where we sit by and wait for something to happen or we help push it along to meet GOD half way. Can I be honest……..as a Christian I don’t think I have the “cut from the cloth” attitude that comes with patience and devine instinct. In my early walk as a believer I entrusted so much in what others did, spoke and acted like, that I felt almost robotic to my surroundings. Not to say it was a bad thing! A feeling of being taken care of and guided through the earthly and heavenly gap is welcomed when you have such a small understanding of how things work. These days (2023) my bible knowledge has grown, my Christian I.Q. has added a few points and my walk with GOD is daily but it has not come without its challenges. We’re only 3 months into the year and the stress levels have already peaked (hopefully peaked) due to some unforeseen circumstances. Here’s a term I sometimes get tired of “When god closes a door he opens a window.” That phrase is nowhere to be found in the bible but it does have it’s healing purpose offering hope and comfort. The good thing about closed doors is that they are not locked doors, they may be closed momentarily and He wants to direct us in a different path for now. We call that the end of a season and the start of another. Then there’s the closed door with the sign that says “NO move on.” Either way the time that is between the closed door is the hardest. What do we do with this time? What financial impact will this have IN THE MEAN TIME? What will this timeline look like IN THE MEAN TIME? The most helpless time we feel is when we’re IN THE MEAN TIME phase of our lives. GOD surely has a purpose for us and the door closing maybe a protection thing or it could be a moral thing. Our weakness does not allow us to fully gauge the situation with an open understanding of why it’s occurring. Through this ordeal I keep faith and glad my wife does as well. Through this ordeal we find trust in the Lord that He will see us through this. I was reminded yesterday that even Jesus asked his father “why” while he was on the cross. This is the normal earthly response and that does not make us sinners in asking why. If Jesus joined us in earthly mortal weakness in His time of anguish who are we to withstand more?? Here’s my earthly logic…Waiting for fruit to ripen at the right time produces a delicious taste. The same logic applies that on GOD’s timing we will increase our faith in Him, it strengthens our trust and develops our patience. So what do we do with the IN THE MEAN TIME moments? We stay busy doing his work until he gives us the green light and the next door opens. Today I have a better understanding of His timing and unfortunately you wont until you experience it first hand. I will say this, while going through our “in the mean time” I also saw three close friends go through it at the same time as I did. That was an overwhelming feeling to have, so thank you Jesus for coming to our earthly level and helping us to understand it’s not always what we want or what we need but in your glory only.
Father, we pray for strength to wait upon Your promises. We pray for endurance to fulfill the seasons that come and go. We pray to stay patient when the end goal seems too far to reach. Lord, we pray that in the meantime you provide us with comfort and protection from our own thoughts. We honor you, we love and bless you Lord, Amen.
BLESSED
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What’s In Your Heart?
Our People’s Shepherd delivered a powerful message this past Sunday. We are truly Blessed to have someone watching over us while we graze in the green pasture called life. We start by opening up with this……Somewhere deep in the human heart there’s a longing for more whether it be in finance, better job, toned body, finding love or becoming a better Christian. Our lifestyle is a book cover of what our hidden heart truly desires. As Christians we’re perplexed because we want to live under the blessing of God but at the same time our actions sometimes get fogged by our untransformed desiring heart. Pastor says the spirit desires to change the deep places of our heart! BAM!!! That hit hard. You mean I can’t change my appearance first then change my heart? His message spoke about being a peacemaker this Sunday. But here’s the kicker, if we don’t have the desire to be a peacemaker then chances are we don’t have the spiritual heart (yet) to do so. In past messages we heard a story of a man who had all the money he could spend but was very miserable and lonely. Was his desire in life to be rich? Was his desire to buy happiness? Truth is one of the greatest desires in life is money. There’s nothing wrong with desiring money as long as you know what place or equation in your life it belongs. Example….we want more money so we can
- help our families live a comfortable life
- Help those in need
- Give to a church or foundation weekly
- Spread the word of GOD through generosity
- Purchase a reliable vehicle
- Invest in a home for your family.
All of the above are great examples of some reasons we desire money. But the downside of wrong desires can set us on a destructive path of temptation. Desire itself is not a sin. In fact let me drop a line from our holy book. “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”Psalms 37:4 NLT
Here’s our take-a-way, if our desires have no GODly structure, it has no foundation to build us up in our spiritual life. Meaning the nature our of desires are not legitimate. Encouragement, helping others, acceptance of failure for our loved ones, and a GODly home are a recipe for peacemaking. I’ve learned from our Pastor Michael Spivey and from my tutor Butch Allison that we are not to dissect a passage. We are to use the whole scripture to guide us through what we think we want for our lives. Taking only certain passages to benefit us and manipulate our principles will leave us with an empty heart which trickles over to our loved ones. Our Kids need this positive structure and we have to be the ones who plant it. Providing a grace filled influence, a loving home, not rushing to judge but to help them is our duty. Quick story…..My youngest child experienced something I wish she didn’t have to at this age. A recent storm passed through Auburndale so the cat she unofficially adopted several years back crossed the road to avoid the oncoming storm and was screaming and yelling to be let inside the house. My daughter has a routine. Let the cat in, feed it, let it purr and rub against her then the cat having it’s fill pounds on her bedroom door to be let back into the neighborhood to roam free. Only this time when she opened the door the cat was screaming for dear life and had blood dripping from its nostrils and mouth. My daughter called me at work but being in one of many meetings I had my phone on silent so I felt extraordinarily sad when I realize I wasn’t able to hold her while her cat died in her arms. I rushed to the animal hospital where her aunt took her. I arrived not to see if the cat survived but to hold her and be there for her. Vet says her cat may have been hit by a car in the storm. My desire that day, was for my daughter to be ok and not to be sad. I prayed for her peace and continued to hold her and show her love. Pastor’s message of being a peacemaker is a great goal. It’s starts with us so we can pass this same pliable heart to our kids. I can’t wait for this week’s message. I’m ready to be blessed, ready for more peace to be built into me, ready to be filled by the Holy Spirit, ready to become more like our savior. In short peace has to rule and reign in our heart. I hope he remembers this message when the Florida Gators reign over the peace of the Georgia Bulldogs. Until next time, break bread with your friend, drink a cold diet Pepsi or Coca Cola with someone special. GOD bless.
The Carpenter’s Purpose.
Have you ever thought why Easter is about a rabbit? Why not a lamb now that makes sense. Or how about a lion. But a lion who gives eggs on Easter Sunday, that doesn’t bode well with kids i’m guessing. Regardless of the animal representing Easter can we signify Jesus’ death with chocolate? Well more like a gift. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now that is sweeter than any candy that touches our lips. Let’s imagine this day……
At 6am Jesus stood before Pilate an innocent man but Pilate feared the crowd’s disapproval much more than he feared christ. So Jesus was deemed a condemned man. At 7am Jesus is sentenced to death. By 8am he is being mocked, beaten, spat at, hair pulled and forced to carry his cross that he will later die on. By 9am our savior is nailed to the cross among guilty men who have murdered and caused thievery. Take this in….you will need 12,000 nails and over 800 pieces of wood for an average house to have a strong foundation and withstand high winds and bring you a comfortable setting. Our christianity/belief has the strongest foundation and it only took three nails and a few pieces of wood. As the hours go by Jesus’ clothes were stripped and a thorny crown that pierced his skin was laid on his head. He was nailed to a cross and propped up left to die. By this point a few more drops of blood made no more of a difference than the soldier’s gambling over Jesus’ clothing. The passerby’s shouted “if you are the son of GOD come off the cross and save yourself”. Little did they know he was not here on earth to save himself.
The ninth hour hits with Jesus on the cross and he cries out to his Father, “my GOD my GOD why have you forsaken me?”. Truly man had not known what he was doing to Jesus. The earth shook, buildings rumbled from their foundations, the clouds stirred winds and blew dirt from it’s hills. It was finished…….Jesus committed his spirit to his father, his last breath had been taken. Did the father recognize his beaten and bloody son? Did the son imagine the considerable amount of pain that was to fall upon him? Did man commit an unblemished lamb into sin? Jesus now returns to his father who looked beyond the blood soaked skin, GOD saw his word living and breathing. Jesus was now sin…..taking man’s torment away by his open wounds and the pierced body. By the shedding of blood man can now be healed. Today is surely a remembrance of a 2,000 plus promise with your name written in blood. What will you do to complete this story? Will you bathe in his blood or cause the shed of blood? The Lamb now becomes the Lion roaring with power, truth and salvation. The lamb on the cross now becomes the Lion on the throne. Thank you Jesus for taking my sin, I won’t look back, thank you GOD for sacrificing your only son for my soul. Thank you Pastor Michael Spivey for the sermon you are about to deliver with blood, conviction and truth. There is no other story folks…..do you believe? Tune in on Easter Sunday at PCWH.org at 10am or visit our church in Winter Haven Florida, you will not be disappointed. GOD has surely blessed his flock with a fearless Shepherd.
“Concert”
We were at my child’s concert before (pre-covid). The conductor who teaches my daughter also teaches several other schools throughout the week so being at all schools spreads him pretty thin. He teaches from elementary school age to middle school and high school aged kids. throughout the year each of the schools have their own concerts but at the end of the school year he gathers all the schools together and performs one huge concert, all ages and all instruments. Most of these kids have never seen each other before and will be playing with each other for the first time as a group of 100.
It was amazing hearing students from different schools and background with different personalities, who have never played together before, come together and make beautiful music.
I spoke to the conductor and he stated the common goal he teaches them is to FOCUS on starting together, staying together, and finishing together. That’s the only way they will make beautiful music… as a whole! This is perfect advice to apply in our lives don’t you agree?
Start Together: In 2021 we will be starting a Bible reading that will have us reading 1 to several chapters per day. For you who have never done this it can seem daunting but don’t let this reading get to you. In my first attempt to read the Bible I skipped through Numbers because It was hard for me to take in. I almost gave up but got back on track. Seize the moment!!!! Take a few minutes in the day and read or get this, listen to the Bible. It has a play button, you can actually listen to it if you find it to be a better option. I myself like to listen and read it at the same time, it helps me to filter the words and my brain can accept it better.
Stay Together: In our reading it’s natural to have some people drop off, I found staying involved, discussing the Bible keeps you interested and it becomes a habit after the first month. It’s a process and giving GOD back some of your time is a gift that pays off in big dividends. I am a testimony to this. I started off reading and made it a chore (big mistake) and now can’t stop reading and writing about the Bible. Trust the process, GOD has never been wrong. Here’s a trick. If you fall behind on your reading don’t give up, there is a catch up button you can click to get back on track. I or someone can show you incase that happens.
Finish Together: By working the process, reading daily and staying the course we will learn along the way. Heck I have found healing along the way. The Hope of GOD’s promise given to Abraham and then passed down to us is a goal in itself. I love how people for all parts of life read together, comment of their view of the daily reading and learning from each other. What I find interesting in GOD’s build of the world may be different from what you gathered, but isn’t that a blessing, that GOD speaks to us differently but with the same goal in mind. Salvation. Being a forever family in GOD’s kingdom is a treasure that I have learned to appreciate. Let’s help spread his word wide!!!!!!
I can’t wait to start our reading and look forward to your insights. We’ll make beautiful music together!. GOD Bless.
2021 Bible Reading.
Folks are you excited for the entrance of 2021? I know I am. GOD has been great to me in 2020, but it came with a few Challenges and speed bumps along the way. One being covid 19. Just like having a child there was no book on how to handle 2020, it was exciting, sombering, sobering, scary and a few more emotions that i’m sure you went through or may still be going through. One thing is for certain, I held tight to the word in 2020. The Word os the truth and wisdom. At times we all need a little truth to remind is we’re still broken beings and require wisdom to help us accept our truth and help us grow.With 2021 coming in the next couple days i’d like to invite you to start a bible plan with me. We’ll start at the beginning with Genesis and let the bible direct us with a daily reading as the timeline unfolds from the creation of the world to Revelation. The Bible has been my rock now for several years….7 years in fact and I have a better understanding of what my life is supposed to look like. Will I be perfect….NO, but I will be GODly and live my life with love and understanding that can only come from GOD through the Daily Word. Please join me and accept the link below and by all means share the link and help me bring the word and spread it wide for Jesus in 2021. GOD bless and I have faith we’ll bring more followers to Jesus in 2021.
https://bible.com/p/36994250/a8bd1b96c374f140e5e2fbd1b5b05d78
365 days of _____(fill in the blank)
Folks, its been a while since I’ve published anything on my blog. I write but don’t publish. Writing is comforting to me, it helps to keep sane when you journal. I’ll say one thing for sure when I started my new year in blogging for 2020 I would have never guessed we were in for a long bumpy ride. Hands up if you agree. David, put your hand down….you always agree!! What kept me sane this year is knowing that yes I may never know what tomorrow holds especially in a pandemic world but I have learned one thing these past few years. Our Lord and Savior does not change. He is still mighty, sovereign, omnipotent, forgiving and always loving. My title today is “365 days of______”. You get to fill in the blank. We have that freedom to do so, thats what so great about our lives with the Lord. He gives us grace and mercy and an opportunity to come closer to him everyday. I’d like to use the 365 days our Lord is gifting me in 2021 to come closer and gain a much clearer understanding of him. I’d like to say that as an 8 year christian (and still going) i’ve arrived but i’d be lying so I wont go there. I feel accomplished indeed. In my 8 year journey as a christian I joined Peoples Church, I helped launch a Celebrate Recovery Ministry, I assist as needed within the church, I’ve read the entire Bible through and through, I’ve given my testimony, I’ve developed a group of mentors and circle of friends that have seen me ride extremely proud and high in life and been there for me when the low moments in life grabbed me by the throat. Corona Virus has not slowed me down in 2020, why should it? If anything its cleared the pathway between myself and Jesus removing the clutter in my life so his vision of what he wants me to be has never been clearer. Quick story…..wife notices neighbor is hanging laundry outside and tells her husband, “can you believe the neighbor is hanging up dirty clothes?” Husband looks over at said laundry and goes about his business. A few days later the wife tells her husband, “our neighbor is hanging up laundry again and it looks dingy and grimey!” Husband finally tells his wife…”baby, it’s not his laundry that is dirty, its our window.” See folks, our mindset has to be rebooted every now and then and the clutter in our lives cleaned in order for us to see clearly. In 2021 I’d like to use my 365 days to clean my window. I would love for you to join me in reading the bible with a you-version plan and commentary. I love to hear what your thoughts are after reading the daily Scriptures. As a group we can read, discuss and meditate on our daily scripture. Reading in group form elevates our understanding and I can’t wait to hear from you.
until we meet again have a blessed, GODly filled day and week.
Beating Around The Bush.
You ever feel you’re just about to make a move then you say, “not today i’ll do it tomorrow.” Maybe you want a change but don’t realize what it is or how to make it happen. Your past has a lot to do of how you’ll make your future decisions. See God doesn’t bring up the past. He brings you up the future. GOD gives you a sense of peace. You have to be willing to accept it. In my past I was waiting on GOD to make my life better. As time went on I realized i’m not having to wait on GOD or make an appointment, he’s right there. He’s always been there. He’s waiting on you. If you’re ashamed, angry or lost and don’t know what next step to take well It’s ok he understands the human nature in us but he doesn’t want us to stay there. GOD doesn’t want all your details. You don’t have to read the list of sins you’ve created. GOD knows it all. GOD doesn’t want you bragging of your accomplishments, he doesn’t require your resume. I’ll repeat it again. Pastor Spivey reminds me of this every week in his powerful sermons……GOD’s waiting! Join us today at Peoples Church in Winter Haven for todays Powerful worship and Sermon.
The People’s Shepherd.
TUG OF WAR
The message: Its in our power to make a daily habit to seek GOD and obey him.
The desires of the flesh and blood are real. Mine was revenge on my earthly fathers. Are you fighting a fight thats not GODly, questioning GOD “why am I feeling so weak?” Are you fighting a man made religion, a man made theology? If you are, STOP! The work of the Holy Spirit is sent to fill us and save us. The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak about himself but of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us and guides us at the same time and every single believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. It took me over 30 years to believe in a power greater than myself and drop my denial that I was not hurting. My Pastor is a very wise man, he says as a believer you have the assurance of salvation and you are adopted into the Kingdom of GOD. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the promises of GOD. The GOD of Abraham, the GOD of Isaac and the GOD of Jacob is the same GOD that indwells us. Don’t be fooled and try to overcome man made struggles by man alone. The rope I was holding onto was taunt and heavy. I was loosing the tug of war fight. Submit and walk in the Holy Spirit were the words I heard in a sermon I believed was directed for me. Pastor Spivey has been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Wise and funny at the same time but don’t let the occasional humor fool you. There is no nonsense in his voice. So how do we walk in the spirit? We must be sensitive to the word! We all have a conscious that helps to direct us in our daily routine. Raise your hand if you can hear your conscious daily. Ok…….Now listen to what Pastor Michael Spivey said in his sermon. “How can you listen to your conscious , your gut, your mind and your heart if you don’t have your bible open?” “Don’t ask me why GOD isn’t listening to you or things are not going right in your life if you don’t have your bible open and reading the word”. The tug of war lifestyle ends today if you let it. Drop the rope and stop struggling. In my life I wanted revenge on my earthly fathers. So much pain dwelled in my life and it took over. When my step father said I was worthless and I would amount to nothing I worked harder than any son should have to to prove him wrong. I worked from morning to night to make my name for the company I worked for. My accomplishment…..I run the Shipping company I used to load flatbeds for. Regional Distribution Service Manger……. My failure…….I denied my family. I provided the money and luxury I fought so hard to prove to my stepfather I was going to and in the process I felt guilty for missing out on my kids life. It took many years to let go of the rope (anger and guilt)I used to play tug of war with. When I started going to People’s church in Recker HWY in Winter Haven Florida I felt like I found a place where a new me was born. GOD grabbed my life and washed the old me and I was indwelled with the Holy Spirit. My only advice that I am qualified to give is “Let it go”!!!!!! It works!!! Celebrate Recovery and Church are where you are reminded that GOD exists yesterday, today and tomorrow. Wake up tomorrow and be part of the “Let Go” movement. GOD is waiting for you as he’s never forgotten his promise and let us not forget as well. Until next time we meet share a cold refreshing diet Pepsi with someone you care about. Love your family, neighbor and GOD.
Back to the Future.
Welcome back as we discuss what the Almighty Lord has put on my heart this week. Have you ever thought “If I had a time machine I would go back and change ________(insert answer here).” Another thought we’ve had is if I could redo a part of my life I would change…? We’ve seen the movie “Back To The Future” where Marty McFly goes back in time so he can change his outcome in life. In the process he’s created more problems that have to be fixed along with the original task at hand. In my childhood-days I wished I had never seen the anger or abuse between my mother and stepfather. A child should never have to endure such images. Past emotions of revenge and thoughts of “what if my mom never met my stepfather” run through my mind. Only issue is if that part of my past changed then I would have never moved to Florida, met my wife, never had my kids, who knows what job I would have, I would have never met my friends and would have not met my close friends in CR and Church. CR friends are anonymous but church friends are David, John, Ryan, Carl, Aaron, Donovan, Mikey, Steve, Kevin, Michael, Rodney, Bryan, Butch, Don,……you know I can keep going because the Lord has blessed me with a large group of men. That’s a great place to be. In the movie Marty put a lot of time and energy trying to change the future only to be stranded in 1955. See Marty tried changing the world on his terms. In my life I promised myself I would treat my kids better than I was treated, that I would provide for my kids and give them what I was denied as a kid. I put so much effort into changing the way I grew up with my kids that I wasn’t focused on the character of Godliness that would send me on the path to righteousness and would then overflow to my kids. Instead I showered them with gifts and the best clothes and games that I wanted as a kid. I worked day and night to make this happen, Overtime day after day, weekends and holidays. The outcome…….I lived up to my promise but was denied the fatherly time needed with my kids. God’s plan for us is to prosper in his name. To live a life of Spiritual richness that overflows to our youngoness and in turn their young ones.
There was a part two and a part three to the Movie. In part three of BACK TO THE FUTURE Doc leaves a detailed note for Marty on where to find the Time Machine and and they eventually find their way out of a jam and back home. In the Bible we read of Abraham, Abimelech, Jacob, Joseph, Pharaoh, Samuel, Solomon, Daniel, Zacharias, Joseph, Ananias, Peter, Paul (reading today) and John, these are only a few of who GOD gave visions too and showed them the metaphorical Delorean. We can spend a lot of time thinking of our past wrongs, sins or hurts but the reality is, its done. We need to focus on what GOD is telling us now and how we can better ourselves today using Church and the remnant he has placed in our lives. Join us on Sunday morning as we listen to our Pastor Michael Spivey deliver a thunderous sermon as GOD speaks through him to us. I used to be proud of being a leader and yes I say it’s great to lead your family but continue to be a follower of GOD. Mrs Jennifer has taken me for a ride this year as we read the Bible in chronological order and only have a few days left to complete the Bible in one year. I challenge you to accept the next Bible reading as it has done wonders for me in 2019. Its put my perspective on my future by getting to know our history and the story of Jesus. My life in 2019 has changed for the better but it happened through GOD’s will. I just had to learn to listen. Life slowed down some and I got rid of time wasters in my life and dropped some programs and picked up others that He called me too. I will with his grace and patience continue my path he laid out for me.
Today’s take-a-way, GOD has the right to accept our follies and our victories. He has the honor to accept our will of our lives. When we fully surrender to him, our lives changes. We move forward and live a better today which leads into a wonderful tomorrow. Pastor Michael Spivey asked this question, “Can we fully accept to give up our old lives to save it?” Let’s meditate on this. Until we meet again please keep loving GOD and our neighbors. Offer up a cool Diet Pepsi to someone in need.
Lord, thank you for the pillar of cloud you provide during the day and the pillar of fire you provide in the night so we don’t lose your way. So many times we hope we could have changed our past but this same past has brought us to you today. Let your will be done and not ours. We love you and thank you for all the miracles you placed in front of us. AMEN!!!!!
Pension Plan
Have you given any thought to where you’ll be at financially when you retire? Most of us have, and it’s sometimes nerve racking to figure out if we’ll have our homes paid off, making sure you have a good vehicle before you retire as to avoid breakdowns, enough money in our bank account (not to be rich) to live comfortable and a healthy body to wake up to everyday. I’ve been at my Job for a long time and December 2nd will be 25 years of honest work and loyalty to my company. I’ve always believed if I’m going to do something I’m going to give it all I have. Let me brag here and say other than my surgeries I’ve never called into work mainly because I was raised to work and always told in order to be a good provider you have to struggle through the tough moments and just suck it up and work. It paid off as today I manage the Distribution Center, a long way from pipe cleaner when hired in 1994. The downside…I worked from dawn to dusk so I left for work when my kids were asleep and came home when my kids were asleep. I wouldn’t give this advice to anyone as my relationship with my older kids lacked time. One of Pastor Spivey’s sermons (September 29, 2019) he mentioned it’s so important to be mindful on where we invest our time. Saying yes where we needed to and no when we have to. It made me think of how I invested my time away from my family. Then he said these words, “No one ever said on their death bed, I wish I spent more time working”. In actual when I reflect back on my time at work verses home I had my heart in the right place. I had two little ones, my wife was managing them and the house and I needed every bit of overtime to pay bills and put food on the table. Could we have gone without a house phone or cable. Sure we could have but my priorities back then didn’t see it. I was so used to being a worker bee I didn’t realize what I was investing in or what I was not investing in. Celebrate Recovery has helped me understand that we can’t live for the dollar, but that doesn’t mean let your work responsibilities go either. There’s a fine line and you have to discern what it is. In the 25 years with my job I am vested with a pension plan, a 401k, insurance and a payback program. If I am blessed to retire at my job I should have built a retirement plan that will help in my golden years. In this same manner I ask my self…..am I vested in with the Lord? Have I put in the time, works, tithes, charity, loving my neighbors, my family, have I read the Bible enough? Will GOD/Jesus know my name when I leave this earth? Job was a loyal servant to the Lord and trusted him even when life wasn’t going right. I am in that position right now. My life is going ok but it could be better. If I knew where my son’s mindset is at when he’s making his decisions it would help me understand how to help him but unfortunately I can’t. I learned to put my faith in the Lord and I believe with all my energy that HE will save him. This year I made a difficult decision to let some things go in order to pick up some others that will fill my day. I am learning to invest my time and not spend it. There is now more bible reading time, more talking to GOD time, taking care of me time and most of all investing time with my last child who will be off to college in a few years. Will I get the recipe right? Only time will tell. I will one day be accountable for what I was given by the almighty.
Today’s take-a-way, begin each day with the Lord, submit to his will and ask him to direct your steps. I am looking for Pastor Spivey to keep Shepherding his flock which I am part of. On our Bible reading for day 320 it reads
1 Thessalonians 3:8 (NLT)
It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.
Thank you, for letting me share. I’d like for you to leave a comment on how many years you have invested in your job. Just a number will do. I’m a statistics and percentage guy. Until we meet again stay Strong in GOD, love yourself and offer your neighbor a cold Pepsi.
Give and “Takeaways”. 