Tag Archives: aspiration

The text message came out of the blue from someone who rarely contacts me.

The message was brief and made no sense to me.

It had no context to enlighten me, no background to guide me.

But I had a context to test it in. It seemed to plug in just fine. But that led me to wonder if the message had actually been sent to me by mistake, if it had actually been meant for someone else. So though the text plugged into my test context just fine, it left me feeling just otherwise. 😯

“Evil surmisings,” says 1 Timothy 6:4.

“Evil thoughts,” say Mark 7:21 and James 2:4. Continue reading →

Is my focus on others' non-service ruining my gladness?

“Serve the LORD with gladness.”

The thought crossed my mind as I thought thoughts on my early morning walk three days ago. (I bristle sometimes at the complaining service God’s people render to Him sometimes.)

“Serve the LORD with gladness,” came the verse piece plopping into my critical thoughts. Made me think that my bristling criticisms had a ready, worthy target in the very organ generating them.

Serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2)

“Serve the LORD with gladness,” the brief cascade of Scriptures began.

Because “God loveth a cheerful giver” was the next verse fragment.

Because we are both tasked and privileged to do whatever we do “heartily, as to the Lord.”

Because “it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Because we each have our own calling in which to be faithful and what another person does for Jesus and His church is…well, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” Continue reading →