Author Archive: joe

Heard some kids talking about taking their driving test. One kid asked the other "how many times did you take the test?" Obvious that if you took the test more than once, you did not pass the first time. But the "asked" kid said, "I don't know why he made me take the test again, I know how to drive."

Well…thinking about this, I'm pretty sure that the driver's examiner has a list of things that you are supposed to demonstrate (show) that you know how to do. And…if you can't show how to do those things then you probably need some more practice.

At this point, instead of First John, it's sounding more like James with his "don't just listen, do!" (emphasis are mine) However, that is part of the reason that John wrote his letters – he wanted people to "know" what they possessed and that they would know how to avoid trouble. He was trying to help them get a grip on what some false teachers were telling people.

He put a pretty strong reminder in the end of the first chapter when he said that "God is faithful". That brought to mind (almost instantly) a verse that has stuck with me for years. It's in 2 Timothy 2, where he says " Even if we lose or don't have faith, He (God) will remain faithful for He cannot refuse to do what he has promised."

OK, so that was a Joe translation, but you go read 2 Tim 2:13 and see what it says in your language…

Those are pretty strong words – a clear indication that He is not like me or the people around me. He will be there, wherever that might be. I for one am glad He is!

Just don't know where I am or where I'm supposed to be…or if this is where I'm supposed to be.For some reason, that thought crossed my mind this morning and I almost burst out laughing. How many times have we been someplace that we know is not where we wanted to be or had not planned on going (reaching)? Then to come to realize that we had wandered from the direction we wanted to go. It happens to me almost every day. Sit down at the desk to "do" my Bible reading, and next thing I know, 10 emails have gone by, with links to sales or jokes, or that require replies. Before I know it, a half hour has passed and other things NEED to get done. Oops! There goes the Bible time – oh well – tomorrow will get here soon enough. Whether it's the kids, dog, cat, wife, birds, neighbor – there are things that get our attention and take us away from where we were going.

Then, the tendency is to worry about what we did not get done or where we are not (now that's a sentence). Amazing how God gets His message to us in ways we least expect. The "lost" thought came to me as I set down for my reading. Then after the reading, when I started working my way through my emails, there was the "Devotional From Dr. Gil" on Proverbs 12:25. It talks about how anxiety effects our lives. Gil says "The key to fixing anxiety is action. Do what you can do and leave the rest to God and others."

Now that would help me get "unlost" and back on track. Just in case you want to check out Dr. Gil, you can go to Devotions By Dr. Gil