Christian Living

The One Another’s in the Bible Tell Us What to Do

/ Bill Jones / 4 Comments
Tibouchina 2013

Tibouchina 2013

One of the daily devotionals on John MacArthur’s website (www.gty.org) mentioned the “one anothers”. They did sound like good things to do today.

Edify one another (Rom. 14:19).
“Serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).
“Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2).
Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21).
Forgive one another (Col. 3:13).
Instruct one another (Col. 3:16).
“Comfort one another” (1 Thess. 4:18).
Rebuke one another (Titus 1:13).
Encourage one another to do good (Heb. 10:24-25).
Confess our sins to one another (James 5:16).
“Pray for one another” (James 5:16).
“Be hospitable to one another” (1 Peter 4:9-10).

The Windmill and The Holy Spirit

/ Bill Jones / 8 Comments
Windmill Full View

Windmill Full View

The windmill was my choice for my 40th wedding anniversary present. Thanks to Sharon for agreeing it would be appropriate. In case you’re wondering, even though she will enjoy this too, she got something different for her present.

The windmill is 12 feet tall, and as you see, I had a bed already there like it was made for it. It spins wonderfully and the vane turns it into the wind just as it should. Our only regret is that when it’s spinning so wonderfully, it isn’t generating electricity or pumping water. That may be another project someday, but for now we will enjoy watching the wind’s effect upon it.

The windspinners we’ve installed, and the windmill’s actions often bring to mind Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit. Just as we can’t see the wind but can see it’s effect on the world around us, we can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we can see His effect on the hearts of the people around us. He is always moving and working, and we get to marvel when He turns hearts of stone into soft hearts of flesh. It’s especially marvelous when it’s our own heart that is changed!

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 ESV

New Every Morning- Spider, or Surprise, or Hurricane Lilies

/ Bill Jones / 6 Comments
Spider Lilies, or Surprise Lilies, or Hurricane Lilies

Spider Lilies, or Surprise Lilies, or Hurricane Lilies

Here’s one group of this year’s Spider Lilies. (Also known as Surprise Lilies or Hurricane Lilies).

You can see where the Spider comes from. I read some on the Surprise name – one thought is that they spring up just as a flower first, so you don’t see them coming, or they pop up in different places they weren’t in before. Hurricane denotes the time of year they bloom – and there’s even a tropical storm in the Gulf whose remnants are supposed to come through here in the next few days.

They are certainly ever faithful year after year – and new ones show up each year all over the beds and even in the yard. Reminded me once more of the wonderful passage from Lamentations. It makes it clear why we should hope and trust in the Lord.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV

Choosing Your Reference Point in Life

/ Bill Jones / 8 Comments
Time zone tracking

Time zone tracking (Photo credit: sarahdillon)

The engineering project is in the middle of nowhere, several miles from a crossroads called Cedar Springs, Georgia. The industrial plant sits on the Georgia side of the Chattahoochee River, which is the boundary between Georgia and Alabama, and where the Eastern and Central time zones meet.

Because it is so isolated, the closest decent motel is twenty-eight miles west in Dothan, Alabama. That makes it interesting from a “what time is it?” standpoint. The work is in the Eastern Time zone, so you show up and leave according to that. Lunch is on Eastern time.

But, otherwise, you’re living in Central time. The clocks in Dothan show one hour earlier than across the river. Cell phones register Central time. That might help if you want to get in an extra hour of sleep, but not if you have an appointment back on the other side.

There are ways to handle the time warp. One is to try to remember the hour difference and factor it in when you look at a clock. However, the simplest way is to leave your watch on Eastern time, and set the clock in the motel room up an hour to match it. Then, eat and sleep according to Eastern time. You choose which side of the river you want to be your reference, and live by it.

The conflicting time zones are much like us Christians living “in the world”. On Sundays, we get a good dose of God’s Word, and fellowship, and we can spend devotional time the other mornings to stay close to Him for a few minutes. But, much of the other time, we are across the river, so to speak, in the world.

The Bible teaches that even though we live in the world, we aren’t to be “of the world.” That means our words, actions, attitude and motivation throughout the day should be different from the unbelievers around us. The simplest way (and really the only way) to do that is to set God’s Word as our reference, and rely on the Holy Spirit to help our efforts to live by that reference. That way, it won’t matter what “time zone” we’re in, because our spiritual clock will always be correct.

These are Jesus’ words of prayer to the Father – “I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth. As thou has sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” John 17:16-18 KJV