What do you know about cars?  For one thing, did you know how inefficient they are?  I had to laugh when I learned that cars take up a huge amount of space on this planet but get driven around mostly empty.  (If you don’t believe me, just take a look to your right and left the next time you pull up to a stop sign.)

Government statistics have reported that private cars driven in the U.S. carries only 1.6 people per trip!  So, what we can conclude about cars is that they mostly just sit there, parked in the garage, the driveway, on the street, at the dealership or at the mechanic’s. But, not withstanding, they demand a large portion of your operating cash.

Okay, I know what you are thinking; what does the above information have to do with having a conversation with God?  (I’m so glad you asked.)  Well, what I am about to share with you this week is a belated conversation that happened to me some 25 years ago, that I almost forgot to revisit. My Lord reminded me that I had not repented nor thanked Him for His long arm of protection that He had provided in an area He is definitely an expert in…namely, time perspective.

Here’s how I surmised that God travels in style and not in happenstance…

Some 60 years ago, I was a passenger in a car of a young but legally aged driver. Also, his wife was seated on the front passenger’s seat and I was in the back seat.  We were traveling a few miles above the speed limit, but our vision still allowed us to see straight ahead as well as quick side glances of territories we were currently passing.  In other words, the driver had only a 2-dimensional view of scenery that was leading us towards our destination.

Suddenly, we approach a sharp bend in the road.  Just beyond the bend, the highway went into a deep downward slope that allowed the car to accelerate and go even faster.  To everyone’s horror, the hood of the car came unlatched and flew backwards covering the whole windshield and blinding the driver’s view.  We all began screaming and yelling, ‘Stop the car, slow down and stop the car!’  We all thought we were going to die that day. Fortunately, the driver managed to pull off the road and to safety.  No harm was done.  We exited the car, tied the hood down and continued on our way.

Years later, when I was much more mature and assessing my life with a spiritual barometer, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in the vernacular of how God was a safe and stylish driver.  He brought to my mind a memory of a frightened girl in the back seat of a car.  ME!  The Holy Spirit said to me, do you remember wiping tears from your eyes after that hood-flying situation was over.  I could only respond by nodding my head. Well, that was Me comforting you and quietly instructing the driver to use more caution and adhere to the speed limit because he had precious cargo on board.  He continued by saying, I also shut his wife’s mouth so that she did not scold him afterwards.  Remember?

During that conversation, dear readers, I want you to know, I did none of the talking.  I kept my mouth closed. I just listened, cried softly and begin to thank God for his strong arm of protection.  I also asked for forgiveness for my slowfulness in returning to give thanks.

The Holy Spirit ended His time with me by saying, My Child, I always know where I am going when I travel, especially the condition of the roads and the direction I want to take.  In fact, while using my divine GPS I also know who else will be on the road besides Me, and what disposition they will arrive in once they reach their destination. I AM THE NASCAR DRIVER OF THE UNIVERSE!  I TRAVEL IN STYLE, DISPOSITION AND LAW AND ORDER!

Here is the lesson I learned…

Always remember the Lord will carry us in His arms where ever we want to go as long as we trust and obey Him. Make it a habit to look and see that there are only one set of foot prints.

We have a Father who is willing, able and prepared to carry His children through life in spite of their slowfulness and lack of understanding. He is familiar with all types of transportation, yet surpasses them all. He is like a bridge over troubled waters. And he travels in style.

Scripture Lesson: He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:13

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

Let’s examine the phrase, “You reap what you sow”.  What does it mean? The dictionary defines ‘to reap’ as to gather a crop; and ‘to sow’ as to plant seeds. Throughout the holy scriptures, however, ‘sowing’ is used as a metaphor for a person’s actions and ‘reaping’ as the results of such actions.

Let’s look at 2 Biblical examples:

• “Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from that Spirit will reap eternal life.”  Galatians 6:8
• “The wicked earn deceptive wages, but those who sow righteousness reap a sure reward.”  Proverbs 11:18

Is it not true, that most of us would like to think of ourselves as sowers with a good nature rather than with a deceptive nature?  That way, we would most likely always reap a just reward (outcome).  What could possibly hinder that line of thinking and cause our acts of generosity to go awry?

In a word… “YOU”!

Did you know that the wrong mindset we engage in prior to giving our gifts, talents or assistance to aide others can negate our good intentions?   Usually, mankind’s motives are guided by thoughts of; ‘don’t give out more than you can afford to lose’; or ‘if I do this, will the person appreciate it or better yet, pass it on’?

If we want to be followers of Christ, we must ditch those kinds of thoughts.  We must pick up the Banner that reads: ‘The more we give, the more He gives to you.’  ‘Plenteousness’ is God’s middle Name.  The authority God has given his Son is that the cattle on a thousand hills are His.  Therefore, Heaven’s resources never run out.  And as a child of the King, it is our inheritance, too.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

When I was about 12 years old, one summer I went to stay with my grandmother in another town.  She was so glad to see me and had stocked her cupboards with all my favorite foods. Grandmother went out of her way to entertain me.   She even made arrangements for her neighbor’s younger daughter to sleep over several nights just to keep me company.  But how did I repay her?

One day, my new friend and I were sitting on the front porch steps drinking Cokes. Just then, grandmother came out of the front screened door and approached me with a glass.  She asked me to share my drink with her.  Now, that was not something I wanted to do.  Nevertheless, I reluctantly took the glass and poured just a smidgen of Coke into it.  Grandmother said, ‘thank you very much’ and reached down and took the Coke bottle out of my hand instead of the glass.  She then turned and walked back into the house.  I was left with the smidgen.

The lesson I learned:  Those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly.  I soon realized that all summer long, grandmother was teaching me biblical principles without once lauding the Bible over my head.  What a wise and saintly woman I had the privilege to be akin to.

The takeaway of this blog is simply this:  A person’s giving to another is reminiscent of God’s giving us his energy, strength and resources.  Divine sources that will never be depleted.  Therefore, if we think of our giving in this manner, then we know with assurance our attitude in giving is based on the Character of Jesus Christ.  And whatever and whenever we offer anything to others it merely becomes an exchange rather than a depletion.  Our resources really have not gone anywhere even though it may seem like they have moved from one person to another. That’s the Law of Endless Giving. 

Scripture Lesson: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-9a

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

I’ve lived a life that’s full.  I traveled each and every highway.  But more, much more than this.  I did it my GOD’S way.  Amen!

For some time now, I have been faithful in keeping a promise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that I would publish a new blog every Friday on WordPress, sharing encounters on how God the Father scripturally communicates with me on various subjects.  Some of these blogs have been very revealing and personal and needless to say, in some cases unbelievable.  In other words, the intimacy level of the Spirit and a mere mortal raises some illusions.  WHY?  Because God communicates with me in a special way that causes me to think about things differently.

So, for this week’s blog, I have decided to allow my readers to enter into my secret closet, while I share a revelation the Holy Spirit ministered to me one evening in March 1983, as I was preparing to conduct a seminar on the subject of what is the role of a Deaconess (female officer) in the church.

The seminar’s scripture theme had been given to me by the organization’s president and it came from Saint John Chapter 15.  As I began to read the verses, one descriptive word started to formulate in my mind to summarize that verse(s).  As I continued reading through the entire chapter, by the time I finished reading and meditating on its content, I realized I had written down 10 single descriptive words and one short sentence, for a total of eleven single expressive thoughts that summarized the entire chapter.

The next thing that happened, I begin to softly sing an old familiar hymn entitled,  “He’ll Understand and Say, Well Done.”  I immediately grabbed a pen and paper and begin to compile my thoughts in a chart-like draft.  Below is a copy of what eventually came to fruition from John Chapter 15, with the aid and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Verse	Scripture	Single Descriptive Word	Lyrics to the song
5	I am the vine, ye are the branches:  He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:  for without me ye can do nothing.	DEVOTED Very  Loyal,Very Faithful	If when you give the best of your service,
8   16	Here in is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:  that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.	EVANGELIZE Proclaim the Good News	Telling the world. . . .
4 6	Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except ye abide in me. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.	ABIDE To remain	. . . .that the Savior is come.
1	I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman	CHRIST The expected Deliverer	The Savior. . . .
19       21	If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:  but because ye are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.	OFFENDED To hurt the feelings of	Be not dismay. . . .
3   24	Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin:  but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.	NEGATIVE Expressing Denial	When friends don’t believe you. . . .
9   17	As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:  continue ye in my love. These things I command you, that ye love one another.	EMPATHY The capacity for participation in or infusion of another’s feelings (The highest of intellect)	He’ll understand and say WELL DONE.
20	Remember the word that I said unto you. The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.	SOJOURNER To live somewhere temporarily	Oh, when I come, to the end of life’s journey. . . .
13	Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.	SACRIFICE An offering of a life or object to a deity	Weary of life and the battle is won!. . .
10	If you keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.	ETERNAL Without Beginning or End	Carrying the Staff and the Cross of Redemption. . . .
26	But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.	SPIRIT OF TRUTH Supernatural Being	He’ll understand and say, WELL DONE.

(*)  All Scripture references are from KJV

God’s Final Surprise For Me

All of those many years ago when I compiled this workshop for my church’s Deaconess Board, it took me a minute to realize the surprise ending the Holy Spirit had blessed me with.  Please observe that the first letter in the capitalized word in the “Single Descriptive Word” column actually spells out the description of the audience I was to conduct this workshop for:  D-E-A-C-O-N-E-S-S-E-S!  Hallelujah and praise God!!!

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

 

 

 

 

I’m not kidding.  It’s right there in the Scriptures.  Don’t be afraid.  God is not a Bogie Man or an alien from outer space.  God is Love and he definitely wants to have a little talk with us.  From the very beginning, God had a lot of astonishing things to tell us…concerning his creation and his personage, and also especially about his Son.  But most of all, God just wanted to talk and visit a while in your sanctuary and to find out “Whaz’zzz up, my brothers and my sisters!“

Besides this blessed invitation being written in the Holy Scriptures, and also extended to everyone in our hearts, His desire is to give to all of us a ‘high 5’. How do I know this? because whenever you find yourself faced with a conundrum or a situation where there is absolutely no clear solution of what is right or wrong, did you know that you subconsciously wish you could turn to someone who is more astute than yourself.

Jesus Christ whispers in your ear…I AM the answer! I AM that Someone!  Come, let’s have a little talk.

I’m not saying you recognized that still small whisper in your physic as the voice of the Holy Spirit, but that does not change things.  Allow me to provide you with two scriptures that attest to my words, followed by a personal example of excluding the One who knows all.

• Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.  I Peter 5:6-7
• If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without criticizing) ; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

God questioned my judgement… 

Earlier this year, around the beginning of Covid-19, I put a rental property I owned on the market ‘For Sale’.  Little did I realize the dramatic effects this pandemic would have on our society, health, financial livelihood, businesses, educational pursuits or our social encounters.  Although I received thousands of electronic views on real estate websites, after six months of having the condo on the market, I had not received any bonafide offers from buyers.

I forgot to mentioned, just before listing my unit, I was no longer accepting renters and had invested quite a large sum of money in remodeling and upgrading the unit.  Now it is six months later, and with nothing but expenses accruing on the apartment, and the fear of uncertainty surrounding the duration of the virus pandemic, I decided to pull my investment property off the market.

Then I turned ‘again’ to the Lord…

‘Wait, what did you say?  Were you talking to Me?  I don’t remember you asking Me anything about putting your house on the market!  Maybe you thought by merely explaining to Me what you had already intended to do was a conversation.  Excuse me, I beg the difference.

Oh, boy, I did it again, my bad….sorry, my Lord!

Epilogue:

Many Christians misinterpret God’s offering of help in times of decision making and find themselves in a heap of trouble and financial ruin.  But we should not allow our short-comings to hinder us from repenting and returning to the only One who can bring us out of despair. I know, because after I came to myself I asked for forgiveness and gave the Lord permission to order my steps.  And guess what!  He did!

God placed it upon my heart to investigate the possibility of turning my property into an AirBnB for visiting nurses and doctors that He would send to my area to assist the medical providers caring for those afflicted with Covid-19 in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons.  Since acting on this divine assignment, I cannot tell you how many doors have been opened to facilitate this project and to bring it to fruition.

Now that I have ask His advise for the property’s use, He has opened a new venture entirely for me…Now that I am seeking His guidance, He is allowing me to find the right organizations and expertise I need to complete the good work He intends to use to help others…Now that I hear His knock on my door, I am hurrying to let Him in and to have a meaningful, blessed and rewarding conversation.

GOD IS GOOD…ALL THE TIME!  Matthew 7:7