Not The Pillow Its The Restful Mind For Colossal Sleep

Not The Pillow Its The Restful Mind For Colossal Sleep

“God rested-and He wasn’t tired” Anonymous

I laid my head on the pillow, and a song began forming in my slumbering mind.

“Jesus, Jesus Lord to me, master, savior, prince of peace…”

My head sank deeper into the pillow. I am enraptured in the soothing, melodious words of this song as it played in my mind.
Soon I was sound asleep only to awake 2 or 3 times through the night. Then I would again hear this song playing in the background. This happens most nights, fortunately with different songs.

Questions?

Does this happen to you?
Am I the only one?
I don’t believe I am.

Read what the ancients wrote

One of the ancients, Job, said this about God as recorded in Job 35:10.

“…who gives songs in the night.”

King David wrote;
“…in the night His song shall be with me-“ (Ps.42:8)

Then there was Paul and Silas. Awake at midnight praying and singing hymns to God while prisoners listened. (Acts 16:25)

Seems like I’m in pretty good company!

Why would God give “songs in the night”?

Some reasons are very evident.

God loves us and desires that we have a deep, restful sleep.

It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. Ps. 127:2

Music soothes the troubled soul.

Songs of worship draw us closer to Him and in Him is the peace that passes understanding.

It is in the quiet of the night time hour when the physical busyness of our day is past.

God wants to take us aside and revel in His presence.
Life’s distractions have faded with the setting sun. Our verbal communication with others is over, so now He draws us into His embrace.

Did I hear someone say; “No distractions!

“I have all the pressures of the world bearing down on me,” you say.

Remember, Its Not The Pillow, Its The Restful Mind For Colossal Sleep

The prerequisite for having the midnight song resonating in your spirit is a vital relationship with God.
The men, Job, King David, Paul, and Silas mentioned in the scripture above knew God. Each had an intimate relationship with Him.
Without that, chaos rules the night.

Some items to scrap off the plate during the day.

1. The phone calls left on the voicemail, were they returned throughout the day?
2. The e-mail, was a reply sent?
3. Were the necessary visits made?
4. Items left unsettled that you should have taken care of earlier?
5. Have you made peace with your past?

Are you awake at night rehashing repented sins? Sins which you are not sure God has forgiven? Click on this: Good News About Sin; Seven Statements

It was Anonymous who said;
“The past is always going to be what it was, stop trying to change it.”

Some things are not so easy to take care of.

Make the choice to plan for change.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

1. Live each day in the orchard of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 instructs us to “walk” in this orchard.

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

2. Have you ever noticed that in Ephesians 4:26 we read this command;
“not let the sun go down on our wrath.”

Where I live, sunset precedes my going to bed from one to four hours depending on the season of the year.
So I have time to think. To settle remaining issues and relax before my head hits the pillow.

You might ask, why songs in the night?

Midnight songs keep us adjusted to the truth that God loves and cares for us. At times I almost think I hear songs from God’s side of heaven. Then there are times when He speaks, and I have to pour out words of repentance. At other times His assurance wraps around my soul, and all is well.

Then this song bubbles up within me:

“My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought.
My sin not in part, but the whole nailed to the cross, and I hear it no more,
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well with my soul, It is well with my soul.
(verse 3 of It is Well With My Soul Horatio G. Spafford and Philip B. Bliss)

Listen here, It Is Well With My Soul

So, may you sleep well and hear heaven’s choir join with you in worship.

Songs in the night to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sleep well, my friend.

Good night,

Richard

03/28/2018

The Listening Tragedy

The listening tragedy describes the catastrophe at the beginning of time. It was a total disaster, a misstep of epic proportions in the history of humanity. It happened because people listened to the wrong voice.

The second of God’s first recorded questions in Genesis.

Here it is in Genesis chapter three, verse eleven: “And He, [God] said, ‘who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ (NKJV) (My emphasis)

The listening tragedy happened when people lent their ears to listen to the wrong voice.

This question, “Who told you” is relevant in our modern society as it was at the beginning of time.

The original question God asked records how sin entered humanity. God’s first question; “where are you?” deals with our emotions. His second question; “who told you?” deals with our reasoning ability. We still deal with these two soul issues today.

How do we avoid the staggering outcome of the listening tragedy happening in our lives today?

Confusion rules our lives when we listen to the wrong people giving unsound advice.

Facebook and Youtube confirm our listening addiction.

Listening, yes a listening avalanche is engulfing us! Over one hundred hours of video are watched on FaceBook every day. On YouTube people watch five times what is on Facebook! No wonder we are not listening to each other. Check out this infographic here

There is a lot to hear, most is just ‘noise,’ so choosing what we listen to is of utmost importance.

So, how do we control this addiction? Adverting the listening tragedy from happening in my life, I’ve practiced these three steps. First my disclaimer; I have not always been successful adhering to these three.

Getting rid of the noise must be an intentional pursuit.
Keep conversations within the limits of my spiritual perspective.

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

3. Practice solitude. My reasoning mind covets silence to cleanse the soul.

A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel… Proverbs 1:5 NKJV

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney

So, who has your listening ear?
Are you concerned enough to avoid the listening tragedy?
Who are you listening to when considering decisions you need to make?

God’s question; “who told you” is a simple question with profound implications when considering the choices we make.

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02/14/2018

Three secrets to keeping hope alive

Three Secrets to keeping hope alive

Why is having hope so crucial to a healthy outlook on life?

Three secrets to keeping hope alive in my life are in my concluding eleven statements for a better life. These eleven statements I wrote several years ago to refocus my energies towards a better life for myself. Having an optimistic outlook on life requires us to invest in hope. Have you lost all expectation for a better tomorrow in your life?

I am an optimist by nature. Even though optimism is natural to me, I must hone it to a sharper edge to guide my steps.

My last three statements of the eleven contain the three secrets to keeping hope alive in me.

9. Aspire to reach beyond what I think of as unreachable. Hope directs my ambition toward achieving something initially thought not possible. My aspirations have played out exceptionally in my life. Fran, my wife, and I have taught the word of God in over 14 nations of the world. We kept hope alive, and the improbable became a reality!

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp~or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning.

10. Achieve a secure and firm foundation in what I believe and know why I think my belief is real. A daily Bible reading and prayer time will help me in making and keeping my belief system unshakable.

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” – Thomas Edison

11. Arrest my fears, subjugating my anxieties to the belief that God is more significant than all the complexities of life. Anxiety captured me with fear when I walked to the podium in India to present Bible truth to the assembled students. But the tension drained from me when I reminded myself that God had not given me a spirit of fear but of a sound mind to deliver my lesson on the first day of classes. Wow, God is good.

“The last of all human freedoms is the ability to choose one’s own attitude in any set of circumstances.” – Victor Frankl, Nazi Concentration Camp Survivor

Why is having hope so crucial to a healthy outlook on life? Here is why.

These three statements, 9, 10 and 11 have guided me to experiences beyond my expectations.

I’ll quickly explain, just keep reading.

Hope is, the expectation of something good happening in our life. In this life, without good health, we are sick; lacking money, we are broke; no friends, we are lonely; but without hope, we’rd done. Keeping hope alive in us brightens even the dreariest of days.

We read in Proverbs 13:12; Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. When we keep putting off reaching for something hoped for, it leads to heartbreak.

Here is the good news, when we reach beyond our present abilities it leads to fulfillment!

To those having a personal relationship with Jesus, it gets even better.

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:5

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”– Albert Einstein

I suppose we are all wise enough to make changes, am I correct on that?

Are you ready to build hope? Use my three secrets to keeping hope alive to guide you to unexpected heights in your life.

Thank you for reading. Leave a comment; I want to hear from you with observations, questions, and insights.

Be sure to sign up to keep receiving my posts.

Richard

07/06/201702/11/2018

Is your life defined by what you do?

The thin line between who we are and what we do.

Harry* and I worked side by side for over 15 years, and then the factory closed sending us into the world of unemployment. Years later I met Harry while waiting in my eye doctor’s office. He was still distraught about the factory closing. We talked about the years working side-by-side until my appointment, I never saw him again. Months later I read that he had taken his own life. Of course, there could be other circumstances surrounding his tragic choice, but his loss of a job had demoralized him. Could it be that what he did was more important to him than who he was? (*not his real name)

“If you are what you do when you don’t, you aren’t.” William J. Byron in Finding Work Without Losing Heart.

Unsplash-john t

Are you defined by what you do, or defined by the person you are?

Do not buy into the idea that what you do is of greater importance than who you are!

When I think of these two people my mind focuses more on who they are than on what they did:

Mother Teresa – She exhibited a heart of compassion.

Billie Graham – He defines integrity.

When I’m in a social gathering, I notice that when men initially meet each other the first question after getting each other’s names is; “what do you do for a living?” After that is defined, men can go on to favorite sport’s teams, politics, who they know, then maybe one will venture to ask; how’s your family?” Men peg each other first by what they do.

The question remains, not how do others define you but how do you view yourself?

We define ourselves more by our ‘NO’ than by our ‘YES’ in life.

In describing the life, you want to live, to what have you already said no?

I have said no to drinking acholic beverages, no to watching pornography, no to spending money foolishly, and a list of other things. In making these decisions, I have provided a boundary around my lifestyle giving me complete freedom to live a happy, fulfilled life.

It defines who I am to myself. I have peace of mind by saying no to a few things rather than yes to anything.

“A man’s heart is what he is.” R. B. Kuiper

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7a

Some retirees have the problem since no longer what they do matters much. Don’t let that be you.

Whatever age you may be, you can define yourself by being the person you attain to be. Not what others think of you.

Being thankful for ‘who’ I am.

Richard

Write a comment, I appreciate hearing from you.

(header image by; Unsplash – Mohammad Alizade)

06/19/201703/10/2018

Do We Ever Get To Go HOME?

Do we ever get to go HOME?

Home is more a time, rather than a place, I think.

We cannot repeat the past.

You can never step into a river the same place you did before, simply because the water in the river keeps flowing.

Time indeed keeps marching on.

Where do we go; ‘home’?

The clock keeps ticking.

Minutes and seconds are irreplaceable.

The years in our past are past.

As much as we try to rewrite history, the truth in history remains permanently etched in place.

Our past can haunt us or it can spur us to change.

We never become unhinged from the moments of our past. It is the fabric that makes up our history, who we were.

How we allow it to handle us, is what matters.

It has been said that a person’s history gives a good indication of a person’s future direction. Is this true? I think but not always!

Going “home again”

Chases up the memories of both the good times and not so good times in our past.

Brings to mind some moments that should remain buried. So are their regrets?

Regrets,

Yes, I have many.

What do we do with regrets?

Do we let them hang around our necks pulling us down into depression?

Can we “flip” them off as insignificant?

What is the purpose of regrets?

Maybe it is a sign of a healthy mental attitude to harbor regrets.

Harboring regrets

Brings to mind a flotilla of boats sitting quietly in the water waiting for someone to start their engines.

Every now and then I “start the engine ” on one of my regrets.

Not good!

The moments I regret are in my past and I do not have it in my power to change my past.

So, I have to let go of my regrets. Learn from them, never repeat doing what I have regretted.

Regrets have become part of the fabric of my past,

unfortunately, sown into my history, with the purpose of influencing me to make better choices going forward.

Do we ever get to go home again?

Yes!

Memories build the home we visit.

Home is a moment or moments in time, captured in pictures, etched in our memories but unavailable in the present.

So I make the most of this present time since this time will fill my memories in the future.

“…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” Phil. 3:13b

What are your fondest memories?

Do you ‘harbor’ regrets? Why?

Please leave a comment, let’s have a discussion.

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Wheels Around Town

Richard