Now Think On This
by Steve Martin
“But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.” 2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Gal. 6:9 NKJV
Day in and day out. Sometimes the mundane gets to be too mundane, and we wonder how we are going to keep on keeping on. Doing that which we know to do can get wearisome, but we do know we have to keep doing it.
Faithfulness coming from within, empowered by His Holy Spirit, enables us to keep going, even when we don’t have the strength – mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally. We can be thankful the Holy Spirit, empowering us from within, is there as our Helper. He was sent by the Father to be with us in our walk up the mountain of life.
Have you ever wondered why you get an itch? A continual irritation that doesn’t seem to go away, and it causes you to give attention to it when you’d rather not have that issue to deal with?
One simple example comes to mind, and I share this illustration because many of you also have a pet. Our mini Dachshund Zoe, going on eight years old now, either has a skin rash, an allergy, or whatever that irritation is that has continually caused her to itch all the time. Day, night – it doesn’t matter. Not only is it annoying and bothering her, but it has become that to us also.
I watch my good wife Laurie do all she can to stop the irritation that keeps causing Zoe to keep having to scratch the itch – a daily bath with medicated shampoo, prescription pills, rubbing lotion on the red area – yet nothing seems to stop it. It has been a daily, wearisome task for a long time now. But Laurie has been faithfully doing all she knows to do to. She has been very diligent in heeding advice, researching causes and remedies. By God’s grace she will eventually prevail. Her faithfulness in this regard will be rewarded with an “itch-free” dog! Yeah!
Zoe - don't you just love that face??!!
Both you and I have things in our lives that itch. They cause irritation needing our attention. We’d rather be spending energy and focus on other things having more pleasurable moments, but these “itches” are not going to go away if we don’t pay attention to them.
So what is the point in all this?
I like how Paul gives us a clear perspective on how to approach these matters that we face and must deal with, whether we like it or not.
“These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.” 2 Cor. 4:17-18 (THE MESSAGE)
Here is another version of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, from the New American Standard Bible, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Living 40, 50, 60 years is a very small time compared to the length of eternity, for time there has no end. We can’t fathom that, but at least we can comprehend that this time, on this planet, with its many trials, temptations and “itches”, is nothing compared to that time with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Keeping this firmly implanted in our brains and hearts will help us overcome that which will come our way. These light afflictions, or hard times, will come to an end. With the help of Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit given to us since Pentecost, He will see us through.
Be blessed with the itches, knowing that they are only temporary. You are made to be an overcomer, and so you shall. Be blessed in keeping faithful to the end.
Now think on this,
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Now Think On This #154 “What Is Your Itch?” by Steve Martin
Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (06.08.14) Sunday at 8 am in Charlotte, NC.
All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog.
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