Mary Crisp Jameson - copyright material







Sunday, November 20, 2011

Thanksgiving Blessings

     What better thing to do, while sitting in a friendly shade this Sunday afternoon, than to count my blessings?  Of course, just because it is the Thanksgiving season, this shouldn’t be the only time I  consider all the blessings that have been bestowed up me.
    I was told when I was growing up that if I couldn’t sleep at night to “count sheep.”  Yet, through the years, I have found that I can go back to sleep quicker if I pray for someone that comes to mind or if I count my blessings.  Having a fleshly, selfish nature, it is my desire that I fall back to sleep before I have a chance to pray for too many people or count too many blessings.  For that reason, I sit here now, under my friendly shade, making a list for Thanksgiving praise.  First, I am thankful for my  God, His grace, and my salvation.  I am thankful I was raised in a Christian home with parents that loved me and provided the best for me. 
     I was saved at the age of 10 but never remember a time I was not taken to church.  I wasn’t sent, and it was expected that on Sunday mornings the family would attend Sunday school and preaching services. 
     I am, also, very thankful for my family, my home, my health, my job and the people I have the privilege to work with.  I am thankful for my church family and its leaders.  I am thankful I was born in the U.S.A., and I am thankful for my freedom.  God bless those men and women who fight for our country.   
     While thinking about my blessings I realize they all have come from God.   Everything I have belongs to Him.  
     As Thanksgiving comes and goes, I hope I will be more thankful during the Christmas season.  My prayer is that my Christmas list will not be all about me. 

Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Three-Point Rule

     It’s opening day of deer hunting! The season so many have been waiting for is finally here.  Camouflage clothes of all sorts, along with bright orange vests and caps are all laid out.  Excitement is high.  Alarms clocks are tapped off quickly as men are found jumping from their beds in anticipation of bagging the “big one.”  As daybreak comes, there is silence in the crisp morning air before the squirrels start to scamper about, disturbing the stillness, as the hunter stands waiting- watchful for that deer with the large rack of horns - the trophy he can brag about.    
     However, there are rules to follow.  All those best laid plans, with corn feeders and planted patches of rye grass, bring in all kinds of animals that survive in the woods.  There are certain deer which are not to be killed.   It’s a strategy to increase the age of bucks, and the size of the antlers.  Make no mistake.  There is a three-point rule.  The deer must have three or more points on one side of his rack to be legal or antlers shorter than two inches. 
     A good hunter respects the laws of the land. 
     However, there is no opening season with God.  Christian apparel should be laid out all during the year.  Alarms clocks should be tapped off just as quickly as on opening morning of deer season to provide time to talk and visit with God.  There should be excitement in the air! This is the time when the best plans can be laid out for the day.  Seeds of sowing are best planted as daybreak comes, before the movement of activity disturbs the tranquility of the morning.  There is no three-point rule.  God is not selective.  He accepts and loves “all” who will trust and believe.  A good Christian loves and is eager to learn about and respect the laws of God.  His greatest trophy is the one that that has been found “lost” in the woods of life- the one for whom he has planted the seeds of life- a trophy he can cherish.    

Sunday, November 6, 2011

It's Not Over Till It's Over

     “It’s not over til it’s over.”  What a profound statement!  God created Adam and Eve in his own image and He blessed them.  He said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  Subdue it.”  Since that time generations have come and gone but the world still exists today.  Generations of people have lived, worked, played, and subdued the earth.  Some did it with the “sweat of their brow.”  Many had jobs and were able, at a certain age, to retire from their jobs.  From there, some chose to sit in their recliners and just do for themselves.  Others simply retired from one job to do another.  They continued volunteering, doing service work, and working in other areas to provide for their family.  Those are the ones to be admired.  God did not say, “Work until you are old and then sit idly by until it is over.”  When he send Adam from the Garden of Eden He said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.”  Then God sent him forth to till the ground from whence he was taken.   It's not over til it's over.  God also gave us the seventh day to rest from our work.  Once we rest, it is time for another week of work to begin.  The weeks on the calendar will never stop turning until it is over.      
    “It’s not over til it’s over.”  Not only can this statement be applied to old age but to trials and problems, as well.  We all have seasons in our life.  Seasons of distress, sadness, joy and happiness.  One ends as another begins.  Job went though the loss of family, wealth, and health, but he did not give up.  He continued to praise God.  In the end, God blessed him because of his faith.  It is during the trials and sad times that we ask God, “Why?”  However, it is during these times that we draw closer to God.  He is our very source of life.  He is the One  who will get us through our struggles.  It is God who will add the spice to our seasons, and give us hope for the good times to come.  “It is not over til it’s over.”
     It would be well to remember,   “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15