King James Version – PreachersNotebook

Some U.S. football wisdom

Sometimes in life you simply have to play the ball from where it lies on the field, right now, today. There isn’t anything you can do about what happened in the first half of play. There isn’t anything you can do, right now, about a fumble or a turnover seven snaps ago. If you are 2nd down and 3, a good or a bad play, on 1st down can be altered, erased, or done differently.

Let’s consider something that Paul the Apostle said to the Philippians…

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14

There isn’t anything you can do about yesterday and you can’t control what might or might not happen tomorrow. You can only worry about today. You can only play the ball from where it lies, right now, today. That should be your focus. That should be your primary concern.

Where is the ball placed today? What is your biggest challenge today. Who can you help, or pray for, or be a blessing on…today? Jesus said it another way, “Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof.”

Amen.

Solomon was a lover of nature

Most of us know and are well versed in the length and depth and height of the wisdom of Solomon. In fact, both the Old and New Testaments label Solomon as the wisest man who ever lived. A lesser-known fact however is the connection between the wisdom of Solomon and the environment around him. Let’s consider 1Kings chapter 4…

³⁰And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. ³²And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. ³³And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. ³⁴And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
Luke 4:30-34, KJV

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and Solomon was also a lover of the natural world around him. He studied and wrote and sung about trees large and small. He studied and wrote and sung about animals. He studied and wrote and sung about birds, about insects, and even about fish. What a profound and telling connection between the very wisdom of God and the natural world around us.

If we believe that God created the heavens and the earth then we have to understand and learn to appreciate nature and all the rich lessons and truth and light it can teach us. Amen and so say we all!

Don’t be a hot head

James has always been one of my favorite books of the bible. It’s packed full of practical life applications and very concise, clear language. This week, let’s consider this piece of scripture…

19) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20) For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20, KJV

Losing your temper is the line you don’t want to cross. While anger is a natural emotion that we will all face and experience in life you don’t ever want to get so angry that you lose control of your spirit. That is the line of demarcation for those who choose to strive for Christlike ideals in your life.