3-16

Today is March 16, 2010.


In order to make sense out of what I am going to write, I need to explain a couple of things about myself. I am a Christian, what I would call a "practical" Christian. I have given my whole self to the Lord and have gone strong since 1985. However, I have a hard time with some Christians that are religious. Not to be confused with spiritual. I am not much into every other word having to say "If God leads, or lets me, or wills, or allows me." I feel that sometimes we show unnecessary fear. I see it like this: If my son asks me to take a class on Mondays and I say yes, it is settled. But when Monday comes around and he asks again and begs and pleads and does this EVERY MONDAY I would wonder what is wrong with him, wasting all this time and energy for something that it was already understood. Worse yet, if he couldn't get me on the phone and missed the class because he didn't hear my voice (again) approving his going there, then I would be upset with him and even think:"What is wrong, you had my permission!" I wonder if God sometimes thinks that about us-in a much nicer way than me-: "Didn't I tell you it is OK to go to the grocery store without having to ask Me (again)?"

That is how I view many instances when God has already set situations in motion since the beginning of time: "Be fruitful and multiply." He wasn't specific. If we want one child or ten I guess He would leave it up to us. "Go and subdue the earth and its living things". To me that means if you want to move, or change jobs, or read a certain book, or anything at all, we have the freedom, if you don't want to, you don't have to. God would approve it either way and would present us to the new life challenges whatever we do, wherever we go. I believe that's why He gifted us in certain areas. We can put all those ingredients together and make our own decision whithin His moral compass and pre-set boundaries, feeling free to exercise our God given mind, desires and emotions. It is safe to say that I don't see the devil under every rock and God on every move I make. I have the "Promised Land" but I will get there by going through the desert. Our daily battles are ours to fight, and yes, He is with us as we go.

Having said all these, I woke up this morning and a Facebook friend had in his status John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." I always liked this verse, it summarizes God so nicely. A few minutes later, in preparation to going to the bank to make a deposit, I wrote today's date, 3-16. Interesting. After I added up the deposit amount and less cash, the total was...$316.

If anything at all, these "coincidences" made me pause and contemplate this verse for a few minutes. There is so much power in those words, thank you Lord for giving us a way out of perishing to new life. I took this as a little gift to me, that as I travel my "practical" journey I can't forget He is supernatural and will remind me of it every so often. Thank you for that, my Lord.