EL PASO, Tex. (BNC) by Mike Riley — As I observe seventy-five years of life that God has graciously granted me today upon this earthly sphere (see bio), the following are some inward reflections of those years:
- To realize that we are the clay and God is the Potter.
- That work is not a dirty four letter word, but a blessing from God (Genesis 2:15).
- That life is many times not fair.
- That there’s only one race ….. the human race.
- That a man’s word should be his bond.
- Not to lie to people or God (Acts 5:1-11), remembering there won’t be any liars in heaven (Revelation 21:27).
- That the Bible contains the solution to every problem that we will ever face on earth (2 Peter 1:2-3).
- That human beings do just about what they “want” to do (see here) — no more and no less (Genesis 11:1-6).
- That godly parents should teach moral values to their children at a very early age (Ecclesiastes 12:1; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; cf. Luke 2:52).
- That people don’t care how much we know, until they know how much we truly care.
- That we really don’t know what kind of an individual we’re dealing with until we get into his pocketbook.
- That you can’t judge a book by its cover.
- That no matter how much money we have, it’s never enough (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
- That our influence, either for good or evil, is far-reaching (1 Thessalonians 1; Acts 1:15-19).
- That God is “testing” us here on earth to see whether or not we are the “genuine article” (1 Peter 1:3-7; cf. Genesis 22:1-12; Deuteronomy 8:1-3; James 5:10-11).
- That perilous times will grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:12-13).
- There are good reasons why Christians should seek the lost.
- To live every day as if it were our last (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Luke 12:16-21).
- That our time on earth is short and the music won’t last, therefore let us be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49).
- Last, but not least, don’t miss the 2:20 to Boston!
Mike Riley is a Christian blogger whose work can be found at Gospel Snippets. His reflections were first published there and have been reprinted here with his kind permission.
Randal and his wife Vicki have lived and worked in Brazil since Nov. 1984. They have three children, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. He enjoys his new home office. http://randal.us