Today’s Thought “I’ve Got 5 More Miles to Go” G. Ward Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. While relationships of sorts are filled with contingency factoring, Holy God desiring a love relationship with us is with one inescapable, genuine factor – confession (Ro.10:9), and whereas this one leads to a plethora of virtues mandated, only HE can build us accordingly (Phil.1:6). We however, must seek Him diligently, so the effort may be a righteous pursuit; meaning, those insistent on knowing HIM, desire to be like HIM, pressing daily in the Spirit realm and absolutely won’t dismiss others who fall short, because theirs (i.e., looking to Jesus as Author and Finisher of their faith) does also.

Today’s Thought “Be It Resolved…” G. Ward Proverbs 30 5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. I don’t believe life was ever meant to be so complex, but the immediacy in sudden misery can/will have most reaching for an elixir that seemingly sheds relief in moments; absolutely obscuring the presumed relief as temporary. Instead, and when the Lord is our Shepherd, we’ll not want, because clarity unfolds unto knowing that trials are common to man, but cannot conquer one with personal demand to be owned by this Gracious Savior and whereas our desire is to remain in His grip finds us teeter-tottering in relapse of the greatest care, HE is faithful in receiving our repentance. We’ll lack confidence thereunto, when/if we fail to live by the inerrant instruction manual that grants us perfect resolve and to that end, I’m so satisfied with HIS Word over another’s, like mine.

Today’s Thought “Come, Take a Look at My New Car!” G. Ward Ephesians 2:1-2 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. While the objective given man is seemingly to succeed in this life and is discoverable by proof generally with visuals of his photo album of varied shots of the many places he’s visited, along with the magnificence of his home and vehicles, it will all soon belong to another (*1 Ti.6:7). Earth’s departure for us is with guarantee and while our intellects certainly understand this, a preparation for eternity remains nominal at best. Belief most assuredly is with conviction that operates in the proposed mantra of choice and as the generations of man grow, the spectacularism of things so shiny, can/will keep many on a Ferris wheel that won’t stop (indicative of personal pleasure zones). Instead, to urgently identify Who gave life and why HE brought us to this strange land, remains the only objective that’s both foundational in earth and eternity and whereas many assume a posture insisting they’ll be present with HIM eternally long (particularly in view of His lovingkindness towards man), they’ll forget His judgment; because they allowed their mouths to more echo knowing Him (*the preparation forsaken – Luke 6:46), yet discovering HE never knew them (Matt.7:21-23).

Today’s Thought “HIS Purpose” G. Ward Romans 8 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. God is said to be Holy. He alone possesses an unequaled goodness and majesty. Every believer (inherently flawed) cowers at such majestic glory (cf. Isa.6:1-5). While many rest in a false notion of Holy God walking with them, even neglecting conformity to HIS redemptive work through His Son Jesus via great claimants only, insisting their ways accompany His, are arrogantly blasphemous; because His only consideration of us (the whole of mankind) happens through Christ Sufficiency (John 14:6), rendering us entirely insufficient to guide and lead. HE will never witness your plans to then bless them and whereas your presumed success therein is permitted, you’ll soon endeavor another project, because the prior didn’t satisfy. Thereafter, a life is spent on a quest for a treasure never buried, but was readily perceived the whole time, was discovered by another needing rest (Matt.11:25-30), SO COME QUICKLY.

Today’s Thought “Following Charisma” G. Ward Acts 17 11 Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. A sycophant is synonymous with a flunkey who flatters a subjective leader, generally with a personal agenda soon to be fortified (cf. Matt.16:24). Generations ago, parents would ask (rhetorically) their children a periodic question, so seemingly condescending, along with what we perceived was the worse analogy ever. It happened upon our desire to be a part of something everyone was doing that needed permission and what we didn’t know then, is that every parent attended a parenting class that supplied them with such a horrid, nonsensical euphemistic expression that asked, “if Lil Johnny jumped from the cliff, would you jump also?” Every time one is with follow-ship of a presumed spiritual leader and exercises in an implicit trust of his words (even when it’s perceivably “straight from the Word”), it’s with equivalency to discounting a “personal relationship” with Holy God as attainable. HE builds us (individually – Phil.1:6), so we may help establish others towards a walk that reproduces (*Eph.4:4-7, 11-13).

Today’s Thought “Independence Overkill” G. Ward Deuteronomy 28 1 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the LORD your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the LORD your God: America’s landscape is breathtakingly robust in diversity, along with tremendous opportunity to thrive socio-economically. Even when one is counter-productive to its work ethic, there are government sanctioned gambling opportunities to become rich overnight; along with vitriolic divisions from that same government whereby hatred’s objective is deemed as friendly fire in conveying partisan, manipulative views (cf. Isa.5:20-21), while pervading a government by the people. Most here (with the exception of those indigenous) are with an ancestral migration from a varied and distant land and while they’ll propose their fore-parents arrived here through legal promptings, I’m as sure about those going to their local consulates (particularly in countries entirely repressive) and demanding papers to flee such a grotesque land of their origin, in the same proportion of the odds in winning the lottery. Those proposing such (currently) insist there’s “no room at the inn” forgetting my ancestral line in this same land had no last names (even being owned) in what is a free-land for others (then). I could go on, but there’s a prudent, spiritual responsibility to awaken to proper soul prioritization; our allegiance can most certainly maintain a “Both, And” perspective that observes GOD as Owner (cf. Jer.29:4-9), but doing so will preeminently know HE is still loving every inhabitant in the earth HE created (John 3:16), insisting we win them to a unified message where anguish of yesteryear won’t matter and ALL can fly the great red, white and blue banner in bombastic praise for such a glorious Savior! Yes, Proud to be an American!

Today’s Thought “Send Me, I’ll Go!” G. Ward Exodus 3 13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” Such an assignment can be understandably intimidating, teaching humility that reverences Who gave the assignment (cf.Matt.10:28) and whereas Holy God still assigns every believer in the same, be sure to first acknowledge Moses’ endeavor to absolutely speak the Truth of God’s Word (Rev.22:18-19), along with ensuring that mankind’s presumptive notions that insist HE’S anything like us is extinguished (for HE is Holy). If you find yourself too confident in your ability to convey such messaging of eternal proportions, it can be likened to having the key to heaven upon gaining the presence of one needing His grace, to soon afterwards see them die to the earth, more impressed with your eloquence, than His omnipotence (*John 15:5).