Category Insights on Scripture

I Quit My Job Today

Allen Frederick 4 Comments

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A view from the nest www.eagleviews.org

Scripture: Isaiah 26:3
 “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in Thee” KJV

Most people do not rejoice in the fact that they just quit a job. I have to admit though I am pretty comfortable with my decision. It is not like I have never quit a job before. Sometimes we let the unknown keep us from walking in the light we currently have. We want to know the end result before we take the first step on a whole new adventure. God does not always give us the whole picture but he does provide enough light to light our initial steps. Start walking in that light and then keep on following the light.

By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. Neh 9:12 (ESV)

Many people go through life never experiencing all that God has for them. They are held captive by their fears of the unknown. They are kept on the far side of the Jordan River. Rather than crossing over they much prefer to stand and look. Look at the things God promised. Look at the place God would have them to be. Look at an uncertain future. They chose to remain where they were.

For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” Numbers 32:19 (ESV)

Jesus clearly said “Follow me”. There has to be a willingness to follow, within us, in order to obey that commandment. He once told a rich man to sell all he had and follow him. The rich man went away weeping because he had great riches. (Matt 19:16-22) Sometimes our possessions keeps us from possessing the greatest gift God has to offer, faith and trust in His son Jesus. Without a total dependence on Jesus to lead us where He wants us to go, we will never reach the place God has prepared for us.

It took a while for Caleb and Joshua to reach the promised land. They had certainly marched around it for many years. All that time they were able to look into the land but never able to actually possess it. This was a promise made to Abraham and his descendants. Moses had come to rescue the people from Egyptian bondage to be taken into their inheritance. God wanted to give them all that he had promised them. God wanted to bless them beyond measure. Israel stood on the banks of the Jordan river and was able to scout out the land but because of their fear and unbelief they had lost the opportunity to actually possess the promise. (Numbers 13 & 14)

Age has a tendency to teach us lessons we would not normally learn had we not gotten older. Joshua and Caleb never gave up on the idea that one day they were going to actually taste of the goodness of God’s promise. They never gave up hoping that one day they would enter into the land. They knew God to be faithful and they knew he would never promise something he did not intend to deliver.

They knew that with God all things were possible. However on the first go around they were outnumbered by all the voices who cried out not to go. God said go, the people said no. It is difficult to overcome the deafening cries of the majority. It can be difficult to hear that still small voice of God when he says peace be still. The roar of the thunder can drown out the whisper of God’s spirit. Whatever the reason, many have missed their opportunity to cross over to the place God had planned for them, to receive the blessings He has in store, which He is more than willing to bestow.

I wonder how many blessings we miss out on by simply saying no when God says go? Do you ever stop and contemplate such things? Well I have to admit that I am thinking today about what I may have already missed by refusing to step out and walk into the promises God gave me years ago. I hope I am not too old to still experience the promise. I am not looking for riches. I had riches. They did not satisfy. I am not looking for a career for I have a calling from God. I have a purpose, a promise, a place prepared for me that only He can provide. All I have to do is step out and follow.

Even though assured of God’s presence the Israelites could not shake the feeling that they were nothing compared to those they saw before them. Fear had overcome them because of the report of the spies. In order to possess all that God promised I, like the Israelites, need to conquer the giants standing in the way of my blessing. We set up obstacles to our blessings in our own minds. We look at the outward appearance of things rather than relying on the Spirit of God to lead us. We listen too often to the naysayer instead of to what God says.

I want to. I really do want to. I have thought about it for years. I even had some opportunities to look into that which God promised. I even got to taste of the goodness of that land. Perhaps now is the time to step out, step in, cross over and do it.

So I quit my job today in order to be all I can be in God. I left a career to follow the call. He said come follow me and I finally said okay. When God says go, do not say no.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Aha Moments

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Spiritual Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1 & 2 (NKJV)

epiph11cepiph·a·ny 3 a (1): a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2): an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3): an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b: a revealing scene or moment

Have you ever had one of those aha moments? You know the ones, where all of a sudden a light goes off and you realize the answer to a puzzle you have been trying to solve. One of those moments where something profound hits your consciousness like a freight train. You get run over from the experience. It is something you can not deny. You know it when you experience it. One of those instant enlightening moments as if someone suddenly turns the light on and you can clearly see for the first time in a long time.

To a song writer it is the “hook”. To a scientist perhaps a newly discovered gene. To the novelist, a plot twist and to a child perhaps it is the first step. To Archimedes it was the discovery of buoyancy for which he is reportedly to have shouted “Eureka”! To Isaac Newton it may have been when he got hit on the head with a falling apple. Young Albert Einstein was struck with inspiration when handed a compass and realized that some unseen force in space was making it move.

Aha moments are everywhere. They come unexpectedly most times but usually while searching. Although they appear to be sudden discoveries, they are however the eventual outcome of due diligence. Curiosity causes a ripple effect to begin. The constant searching and seeking after understanding led many a young pioneer to new discoveries and great advances in the arts and sciences. Without curiosity and the constant seeking for answers there would be no new discoveries, or aha moments to write about.

Sir Isaac Newton put it best when he said:

“I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.”

The Christian life has unfolding moments like that, when you discover there is much more to God and his kingdom than you first knew, much more to his purpose for you than you imagined. Abraham experienced that at age 75, Moses at age 80, the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.
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Harmony or Discord

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Insight for your “Journey across the Sky” a view from the eaglesnest

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6 (ESV)

Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves, young lions, and year-old lambs will be together, and little children will lead them. Cows and bears will eat together. Their young will lie down together. Lions will eat straw like oxen. Infants will play near cobras’ holes. Toddlers will put their hands into vipers’ nests. They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain. The world will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord like water covering the sea. Isaiah 11:6-9 (GW)

trinityjazz

The stage was smartly decorated for the holiday season. The theater although small was adequate to host this holiday concert. I was looking forward to the evening’s entertainment. Soon the Trinity Jazz Orchestra took the stage and proceeded to entertain the small but eager crowd awaiting their jazzy Christmas time offerings.

 

Each member of this twelve piece orchestra demonstrated professionalism on their prospective instruments. We were treated to a splendid tenor saxophone solo that rivaled any I have heard anywhere. Shortly afterward the featured trumpeter stepped to the front and flawlessly played his solo part.

All seemed well but somewhere amidst the second row of trombonists there was a rogue sound coming forth a little off-key, slightly out of tune with the rest of the group. This slight yet noticeable discord was clashing with the otherwise harmonious offerings of the performance. To an untrained ear perhaps this slight discord would go unnoticed. By the rousing applause offered by the audience perhaps none but myself noticed the friction wrought by this untuned trombone.

It was hard for me to overlook the harshness of the sound. My trained ear was crying out in agony. Can’t you hear that? Someone else must notice it as well. The chords that would normally ring with a pleasing sound instead clashed because the out of tune trombone just did not blend with the other instruments. There was nothing the trombonist could do at this point but suffer through until there was the opportunity to retune the instrument. I do not know why he did not choose to tune-up slightly during the performance other than to think he would only make it worse and decided to fix it at the break.

2yovmk

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Growing Old Gracefully

Allen Frederick 1 Comment

And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Joshua 14:10-11 (NKJV)

himOne quarter of a million. That is a rather large number to most people, myself included. One quarter of a million. Say that a few times so that it sinks in. One quarter of a million. That is how many miles my van has driven. The places it has gone. The things that it has seen. The record of all the events that took place during those 250,000 miles. Every inch of that van had to travel those 250,000 miles together. Everything under the hood had to cooperate to accomplish this feat. All working parts had to be maintained in order for the van to make this milestone. 250,000!


Wow!

I was thinking about this the other day and decided I would put pen to paper to try to capture some of the thoughts that ran through my mind. I have to first mention I am not the original owner of this vehicle, thus I can not take credit for the many miles it journeyed before it became mine. I can attest to the number of miles since.

I had purchased the van a few years ago from a traveling Evangelist and his wife, two lovely people who truly loved what they were doing. They would travel for hours inside that van, to reach their scheduled destination and then unpack to minister to others. After the event, they would again pack their belongings into the van and head for their next destination. They towed a trailer behind them, where they would spend their evenings when on the road. It seemed like a perfect match. Ministry plus van plus trailer equals success. The Lord had truly blessed them with the number of safe and comfortable miles He allowed them to travel inside that van.

The number of people who had received a blessing from these two saints of God must number in the thousands. I would pause to wonder if the number of people reached by this old van equals the miles traveled? Can you imagine a quarter of a million people? The number astounds me!

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Energizer Christians

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I love that little pink bunny. You know the one who beats on his own drum and keeps going and going and going and going. That’s right the Energizer bunny. That little pink bunny who finds the power to do just about anything. He never tires, he never slows down, in fact he is able to energize a whole city in one commercial. Thump thump thump he goes. Marching along steady and sure beating on that big bass drum never stopping or slowing.

I believe Christians have gotten caught up in the Energizer bunny syndrome. It would appear from some of our actions that we feel we must keep going and going and going no matter what comes our way. We do not allow ourselves any time to remain idle. We feel we must have the power and the energy to embrace all circumstances with a steady drumbeat of righteousness and Godly character. We keep beating our own drums and marching to our own beat never stopping to consider what lies around us. We are making so much progress on our own strength and merit while beating our own drums that perhaps we feel we are invincible, even godlike.

Beat the drum, keep on moving, never tire, never slow down. Just like the energizer bunny we feel we have power to spare no matter what demands are placed on us. We continue to feel the need to give out and enlighten our darkened world so much perhaps we have failed to realize that even an Eveready battery goes dead if it is not recharged.

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