Bloody Fingers

 

I shouldn’t post this picture, but I am.  Sorry.  I found this picture intriguing, bizarre, captivating, and macabre … all at the same time.  I watched a video of this talented young man who began carving a block of wood.  As he progressed, he got more and more cuts on his hands applying more and more bandages to his fingers.  This picture is of his beautiful finished work … but with both hands badly mangled.  I’m sure that he felt it was worth it, but I’m not so sure.  I am reminded of the dear Lord’s badly mangled body on the cross of Calvary.  Isaiah 53:4&5, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”  Jesus died for us, and the blessed Lamb of God would say, it was worth it.  And I would heartily agree, because I was the recipient of His substitutionary sacrifice!  It was, indeed, worth it!  Hey, have you accepted God’s free gift of Salvation?  Message me and we can talk about it.

Contentment

It is so easy to be discontented with your lot in life.  TV ads, billboards, posters at the gas station, radio … they all push you to desire what you don’t have.  But you have the power to do something about your discontentment.  If you want a fancy car, you can work hard, earn the money, and buy the car of your dreams.  Or … you can learn to be satisfied with the little Toyota that you already have.  Clean it up or wax it.  Just decide to be content with what you have.  You may want what your wealthy/talented/ skillful friend has.  Or … you can get a new set of friends who drive little Toyotas like you do.  Paul said in I Timothy 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”  The word for today is contentment.  Are you discontented?  Then work on the “godliness” part of the verse.  Ask the dear Lord to give you a thankful heart instead of a discontented heart.  Be generous to someone this Thanksgiving season.  Learn to live within your means and be content with what you have and enjoy your life.

Worker Man

 

When I was a little guy, my dad was the greatest man that I knew.  He went to work each day and came home to us each night.  When my dad would come in the front door, my younger brother and I would fight over the left-over coffee in dad’s thermos bottle.  I’m sure that dad left some coffee in his thermos just to see us run to get it.  It was stale, cold, and nasty, but we thought it was great!  My dad took off his work shoes at the door.  The soles were oily and gummed up with metal filings picked up from the machine shop floor.  I couldn’t wait to grow up and be a worker man like my dad.  It appears that I have successfully passed on that trait to my children.  Now I am working at passing that trait on to my grandchildren.  Paul said it best in II Thessalonians 3:10-12, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.”  Hey, the American dream is to reap the benefits of your own labor.  If you work harder or smarter, you make more money and live better.  We are not entitled to eat someone else’s bread; we must earn our own bread.  We are not given a paycheck at the end of the week; we earn a paycheck.  Thank you, dad for teaching me.  Thank you, my children, for paying attention and learning to “eat your own bread”.  Hey, that’s Bible.