Blackberry Thorns

 

Blackberry cobbler is great!  But to get blackberry cobbler, you need blackberries.  But blackberry thorns … now there’s the problem.  The thorns grow with their points backwards so that when you try to escape the blackberry patch, you are caught.  The more you pull, the more the thorns dig in.  Sound painful?  They are.  And if it weren’t for the sweet-tart blackberries, I would never venture into a blackberry patch.  So how do you navigate a blackberry patch?  It’s simple: step ONTO the canes before they stick INTO your legs.  You step on the canes that do not have berries on them, and you make a trail in and out of the blackberry patch.  The key to blackberries is to be patient and careful.  When you get caught, stop, and carefully pluck the cane away.  Be patient and deal with it.  Solomon said in Proverbs 10:4, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”  Solomon had it right: deal with a problem head on.  Just like a blackberry sticker.  If you ignore the one sticker and forge on, many of the stickers on the cane will be pulled into contact and will soon be ripping through your clothing.  And in life, don’t put off dealing with a problem; it will only get worse with time.  Don’t ignore a problem because problems don’t resolve themselves; people resolve problems.  Face your problems head-on and you will be glad that you did.

What Is a Pardon?

 

Tom C. stopped by this past Sunday on the way to Michigan and had this little story with him: It was around the year 1830 that a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who had caught him robbing the mail.  He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged.  President Andrew Jackson reviewed his case and issued him a pardon.  To everyone’s surprise, Wilson refused to accept the pardon.  The legal ramifications of the case ended up in the Supreme Court.  Chief Justice John Marshall, perhaps one of the greatest justices of all time, wrote the court’s opinion: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned.  If it is refused, it is no pardon.  George Wilson must be hanged.”  And he was.  God gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price of your pardon.  The dear Lord has done everything in His power to redeem you from eternal fire, but the acceptance of this pardon is up to you.  Hey, have you accepted God’s pardon for your sins? John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Choices

 

I am my own worst enemy.  Let me explain.  I could lose 10 pounds if only I would go to bed at 6 pm right after supper.  That’s because I am a snacker, and I snack all the way up until I go to bed.  But then my snacks roll around in my stomach.  So, last night, I was rummaging through the refrigerator and my eyes lit upon three slices of left-over garlic bread.  Yummy!  Yummy at 6 pm, but not at 10 pm!  The spicy garlic and the greasy butter fought a war in my stomach until 2 am.  They fought the war, but I was the one who lost the war.  For 4 hours I thought, “Why do I make such poor choices?!”  I would like to blame my great-great-grandfather, Adam, but I can’t.  Making poor choices is just in human nature.  We all make poor choices, but some choices have life-changing consequences.  Who to marry; who to hang around with.  A poor choice in eating garlic bread will last for 4 hours, but a poor choice in a relationship may last a lifetime.  Joshua made a good choice in his life.  He admonished his fellow countrymen in Joshua 24:15, “… choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  May you and I make good choices today, is my prayer.