Hi, Zane.
The clock says 10:30am. Noise on the roof says it’s raining. I don’t really want it to be 10:30am already!...or raining! But I guess I just need to accept what I can’t change…and do my best to make the best of it.
I did a little excursion with the two dogs late yesterday afternoon. It called for Becki’s participation. We drove to Timberline on Mt. Hood. I skied the trail down to Government Camp with the dogs running along. Once again they were absolutely pumped in that setting. Seeing them have so much fun is a main part of my fun. Becki drove our vehicle down the hill to meet us. It went great. It only took about 15-20 minutes from top to bottom. Since we had plenty of time to do so, I left my ski boots on, and Becki drove us back up the hill so we could repeat the same run. I’ll try to stick on a photo showing the starting point.
Have a great day doing what you need to do. Love and prayers—Tua/Ray.
Let’s pretend for a moment. Let’s pretend that it’s a hot day and you’ve been working hard on an important project. Now you’re thirsty. So you approach the owner of the home who has contracted you to work and say, “Excuse me, but I’m very thirsty. May I bother you for a drink?”
“Sure. No problem,” he says. “And I’ll let you choose between two drink options.” He puts two glasses on the table and begins to pour the first one. “How about a tall glass of nice cold kerosene?” You thought you smelled something funny. “Or,” he adds, “If you prefer, here’s a nice big glass of ice cold water. Which will you have?”
If I were with you, I would certainly want to say, “Take the water!”
I know, I know—my imagination is kind of strange, but I think this is really quite similar to what’s happening in this passage. Paul has been working hard. The last couple days have been particularly tough. He gets thirsty for rest and encouragement too. He’s in the middle of a “great uproar” and a whole lot of people are screaming, “He’s not fit to live!” You have to admit, that’s not the most encouraging kind of stuff to be hearing. He has the choice to either drink the cup of despair, self-pity, and discouragement, or he can persevere in the other direction and seek the pure refreshing water of courage. During the night, the Lord spoke to Paul in a very special way and said, “Take courage!” (“Take the water!”) So he did.
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that courage is a choice. You know—“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” I don’t know about you, but there have been too many times in my own experience where I have opted for drinking far too much despair. Yuck! It never satisfies. And insofar as positive mental health and spiritual victory are concerned, it really is equivalent to drinking kerosene.
Without making more personal comment, let me run by you a few New Testament scriptures that feature the strengthening refreshing water of COURAGE. Give each one a good think—and be careful what you drink.