To Be or Not To Be

 To Be Or Not To Be-God gave me this title bit nothing else. So what I
write about will be news to me as well.

The first thing I thought is that none of us really has the choice of
whether to be a Christian or not. God, for reasons known only to Himself,
calls and draws to Himself those He wants to be born-again Christians.

However, after our salvation we do have some choices whether To Be or Not To
Be. The first choice is whether to be a person that puts God first in
EVERYTHING or to be a person who doesn't put God first. A Not To Be who
merely fits God into the rest of their life. I do try to put God first as
much as possible. I don't do anything else on my computer until I have
finished my Bible reading. And I never miss choice if at all possible to be
there.

Secondly,people who really want to be for God make church attendance a
priority. I know that I do. I know that God may speak through the pastor
something that I need to hear and I don't want to miss it. Plus, at church,
I get prayer and encouragement from other Christians, something I badly need
right now. Contrast this with the Not To Be sort of Christian who sees
church as a hit or miss proposition. They come to church when it fits their
personal schedule but they don't adapt their schedules around church like
those who want to be for God do.

The Christians who want to be for God put what the Bible says ahead of
anything else. Ahead of what their feelings are telling them and also ahead
of what other people, including preachers, tell them. That is why To Be sort
of Christians make a point of knowing their Bibles well. On the other hand, there are some Christians who spend very little, if any, in the Bible. Consequently, because they don't really know what God says, they are more prone to believe anything that is told to them. Accurate or not. I can honestly say that I have spent enough time reading the Bible that I SHOULD know if something I hear lines up with the Bible or not.

To Be sort of Christians have God as the center of their life 24/7. Not just on Sunday. It doesn't mean that they don't do everyday things like work, being a mom, etc. It just means that they also make time for things like Bible reading, praying, etc. on a daily basis. But that is not all Christians. There are those that seem to park God at the church door. They take God with them to church but, once the service is over, park God again until the next Sunday. During the week, they don't give God much of a thought. I have often thought that my circumstances probably make it easier to remain God centered most of the time.

One other difference between To Be and Not To Be Christians is the focus that they have on Heaven. The To Bes understand that this life is just temporary. They know that we are headed for a better place after we die and live accordingly. My circumstances, especially the cancer, have given me an eternal perspective but I also understand that, for most Christians, it would be easy to slip into a Not To Be way of life. So caught up with earthly affairs that they forget about what is yet to come.

I better clarify. This is not about Heaven or hell. When we get born-again, we all destined for Heaven, no matter what we do or don't do. It is about living in a way that pleases God before we die and go to Heaven. 

Father Knows Best

Father Knows Best-I am showing my age but, years ago, there was a show on tv
called Father Knows Best. That phrase is pretty much the theme of my life
right now. "Father (God)Knows Best "

"Father Knows Best" in our circumstances. We all, from time to time,
encounter circumstances that we would rather not have. Obviously, that is
true in my life. I certainly don't want to be unable to walk or talk. Being
diagnosed with cancer on top of everything else seemed to be the last straw.
I could not see anything good arising from the cancer but there have been some
good things. At first, I was close to panic which drove me even closer to
God. Now, I am calmer about the situation. However, I am still closer to
God. I don't know what the future holds but I do know it will turn out in
the way that will be best for me. Other people face all sorts of trying
circumstances. But it helps us all if we can remember that "Father Knows
Best" rather than murmuring and complaining.

"Father Knows Best" in our needs. I have learned over the years that what we
see as needs may be, in God's eyes, be merely a want. The rule of thumb that
I go by is this. If God sees something as a real need, we will have it.
Maybe not when we want but it will be there. So I know that God knows better
than I do what I really need.

"Father Knows Best" in our desires. At least for me. I honestly don't know
what I desire. At one time, all I wanted was to walk, talk and live a normal
life here on earth. But, now. after the cancer diagnosis, I am not so sure.
Now, when I read about God giving us our desires, I defer to God as I know
He knows better than I do what I desire.

"Father Knows Best" in timing for prayers being answered. When I pray, I
would like an answer to that prayer right away. But, over the years, I have
learned God's timing is not the same as human timing. If I fret because my
prayers are not being answered as quickly as I would like, I just end up
discouraged and depressed. So I am making the effort, not always easily, to
relax and let God work in His time.

"Father Knows Best" in the method for prayers getting answered. Most people, me anyway, have preconceived ideas of how we want our prayers answered. For instance, I often think that the way I would like to be healed is by going to bed one night and waking up healed the next morning. Wouldn't that be dandy? However, God, and God alone, knows the best way to answer our prayers. So our part is to just be still and allow God to accomplish things in His way.

"Father Knows Best" in the place He chooses for us to live. I have no idea why God has some of us living in a wonderful, prosperous country like Canada and others in poverty-stricken or war-torn nations of the world. All I can do is say Thank You and trust that He has His reasons.

"Father Knows Best" in when we were born. I would have liked to have been born somewhat earlier before all this technology and everything became so impersonal. Still, Father God knew that I was going need a certain amount of technology in order to develop my relationship with Him. I can't imagine not having a way to read the Bible. This is a pretty messed up world right now. A much simpler past seems mighty appealing but, perhaps, we were born for a time such as this. Who knows. Maybe we are in the world right now to help unmess it! Anyway, when we are born is entirely up to God so we may as well make up our minds to be happy about it.

The conclusion. "Father (God) Knows Best" in EVERYTHING so it is in our best interest to defer to Him in all things. 

Blogs

Blogs-Out of curiosity, I checked to see how many blogs I have written. To
my surprise, this one is my 167th one! That is a lot of hours that I have
spent writing blogs. But they also have filled up lots of long hours for me.

When the idea of writing a blog was presented to me, to be honest, I didn't
even know what a blog was, though I was pretty sure that it had something to
do with computers. (I am technology "challenged" and I like it that way.) After finding out for sure what a blog is, I definitely
declined. I have really come to enjoy writing these blogs, so thankfully I
have friends who would not take no for an answer. After much persuasion,
more like nagging, I agreed to pray about it.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that, when I say that I am
going to pray about something, I need to do it as soon as possible so it doesn't
slip my mind and I end up not keeping my word. So I took it to the Lord as
soon as I could. To my chagrin, I felt that He wanted me to start writing a
blog. Somebody suggested a daily blog but writing anything takes a long
time. I would never get anything else done if I did that so I settled for a
weekly blog. Anyway, these blogs started out as an act of obedience to God
rather than something that I wanted to do.

Once it was settled in my mind that I was going to write the blogs, it was a
question of what of what on earth I was going to write about. With help
from the Holy Spirit, I decided that a good starting point was my incredible
testimony. So I wrote it and a few more blogs. But, one day, I felt that the
Holy Spirit was asking me to open up a bit about myself. Hold on. I never
agreed to this. I am a very private person and not at all comfortable with
letting other people see into my life. It was difficult at first but I made
myself do it as an act of obedience to God. Little by little it got easier and
now I have no trouble opening up about myself.

Over the years, I have written blogs on all sorts of topics, from my personal history to how wonderful God is. And all sorts of things have inspired them but my primary aim, along with obedience, has always been to point people to my wonderful God. I can't even take credit for what I write. Although I usually have a general idea what I want to write about, once I start writing, some of the things that come out are news to me too or, if I knew it, didn't think of it. Obviously, the Holy Spirit is using these blogs to speak to me along with other people.

That went on until I was diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually told that the cancer couldn't be treated. Since then, I have noticed that my blogs have changed a little. I know that God is the only One who can help me so I am even more focused on Him. I am sure the blogs reflect it. I also know that, at times, the Holy Spirit uses the blogs as a means of encouraging me. Right now, I am in a situation where I need lots of encouraging. While I sure hope that other people get something out these blogs, I have to admit that I am using them to keep myself encouraged and "hanging in there". Writing keeps depression and fear at bay, especially when it is focused on God.

I have been thinking that I should go back and reread the blogs. People often say that they are inspiring so that might be another way of encouraging myself. I remember years ago at church, I was given a word from God to use what I have. Not understanding, I promptly forgot it. Now, though, I wonder if He was referring to using my computer to share my life and beliefs in these blogs.