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Journal Archives — October, 2002 |
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AN ONGOING SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
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October 30, 2002
Tomorrow evening young children will excitedly ring doorbells and hold
out their bags with shouts of "trick or treat!" The
growing controversy over Halloween and whether Christians should
participate or not should make us all think. While it's not
a holiday I particularly enjoy I think there's a danger in over-reacting.
Instead of darkening our houses and retreating from the world
perhaps we can show our neighbors that we are kind, considerate,
generous and willing to have some fun. I, for one, do not think
I'm endorsing the powers of darkness by handing out candy to
those who will come by.
If I spend more time thinking about how unconditional God's love
is and try to be an instrument of that I won't need to cower
in fear or be so quick to condemn.
Tom Gilbert
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October 29, 2002
Well, I finally did it. I threw on some sweats and went for a morning
walk. It's not like it's the first time. For a while I was pretty
regular at it. But, as the weather gets colder my motivation
level goes down.
The path I take is around a flood plain near the house. As I trudged
along I admired the brilliant gold of the trees below on the
flood plain. There was also some standing water, new since the
last time I'd walked by (hey, it's been a while-ok?). Ducks
were paddling back and forth. The Sandia Mountains to the west
were capped with a cloudbank. Eventually some sunlight burst
threw in heavenly rays.
What a benefit! My lungs were filled with brisk autumn air, my cardiovascular
system got a needed workout and my heart swelled again with
the beauty of God's creation. And I could have so easily missed
it. Maybe I'll do it again tomorrow.
Tom Gilbert
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October 28, 2002
I'm sure you have dreams and aspirations…we all do. How real
are they to you? For our dreams to come true we must believe
in them and we must believe in the One who has the power to
make them come true for us.
I'm struck by the realization that God is at work bringing to mind
the dreams of my heart that are in line with His will for me.
In order to recognize that I've got to stay true to the real
self, not the false self of my ego and self-centeredness. The
Sermon on the Mount really helps me learn this. It teaches me
to be concerned with God and with others and to be authentic.
Who am I…really? Who are you…really? Who is Jesus…really?
It's not what we know about religion or Christianity. It's about
Jesus. Who he is, what he did and what that means for us and
for the world.
Tom Gilbert
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October 25, 2002
Every day is a beginning…and a continuation. Disciples will daily
renew their commitment to Christ. Once again there's the surrender
of will; giving up the choice of running our life. We live for
the purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do. Paul's entire being
was consumed with this.
Oswald Chambers ("My
Utmost For His Highest") reminds us today that we don't
choose to be a worker for God-He chose us! Yes, we each must
make a choice to accept God's gift of redemption, but don't
you realize He calls you first? I didn't wake up one day and
suddenly decide on my own that I would choose God. No, He always
makes the first move.
Tom Gilbert
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October 22, 2002
I'm reading John Fischer's new book, Fearless
Faith (published by Harvest House). It's a challenging book
that raises the important issue of Christians living and conducting
business in a "safe" subculture that has more in common
with the rest of the world than many of us would care to admit.
So far it's made me squirm and cheer. I applaud the boldness
of Fischer to draw our attention to this tendency for Christians
to cocoon themselves. I'm uncomfortable at the conviction I'm
feeling for perhaps falling into this trap myself. And that's
good. Jesus calls us to deny our desire for comfort and safety
at the expense of helping others and obeying the command to
love.
After I finish the book I'll post a review. Take time to check out
writer, musician, communicator and thinker John Fischer's engaging
web site, the
Fischtank.
Tom Gilbert
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October 21, 2002
The problems of the world may seem overwhelming to you. The problems
in your own life may seem overwhelming. Sometimes we suffer
from what seems the impossible task of a world either indifferent
or hostile to our beliefs.
I must remind my self that the key is always to remember that
with God all things are possible. He's looking for those few
of us who have genuine faith and are ready to be servants in
God's business of doing the impossible. He can cure indifference
and hostility. He can transform hardened hearts into wellsprings
of compassion. All it takes is willingness, real faith, and
a bit of enthusiasm and perseverance. These are the things I
find I must pray for daily, especially the willingness. Don't
give up the good fight.
Tom Gilbert
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October 15, 2002
Wednesday, 10/16, is "National Boss Day". While it
may be just another day to drum up business for greeting card
companies we can certainly look at it in context of our lives
and who really is the Boss.
One of the most important revelations ever (for me) is that
God is in charge and I need to let Him be in my life. This may
seem like an incredibly obvious statement, but be honest-haven't
you also struggled with letting God be the Boss? It's always
a free choice and I need, nay must, get off the throne
of self-will and let God be the center of my life. Jesus makes
this possible by showing us the way.
Today it's ok to let God be in charge. In everything. It's good
to be a worker among workers. Thanks, Boss!
Tom Gilbert
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October 14, 2002
What a blessing life can be. That is one attitude to have. How
hard and difficult life can be! That is another attitude. How
do we go about merging the two? I must be honest with myself
and remember how many times good things, like spiritual growth
or a better situation, have come about as a result of going
through the hard times.
We do not know how long our life will be. How many days do we
have? Only God knows and He does have a plan for all of us.
This weekend brought the news of death of two women who lived
long lives. Both of my wife's grandmothers were richly blessed
in family with many children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren!
That they each passed away within such a short time brings additional
sadness. It also brings family together to remember, console
each other, celebrate their lives and especially to reflect
on the reward God has for us if we believe in Him, accept the
gift of salvation and live/love each day here.
I'm picturing Grandma and Nina, walking hand-in-hand into the
heavenly country.
Tom Gilbert
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October 10, 2002
It takes some of us a great deal of thinking before we make
a decision to believe in God and follow His direction in our
life. Others take to it without such debate. Regardless, once
we make the decision it is so very crucial to stay connected.
Every day is a day when we must carry God's will into all our
activities.
Jesus sums it up by saying to love him and others. To love is
to obey. If you love God you will want to obey - if you really
love. Not when you feel like it. Not when it's convenient or
you've made a persuasive argument for it to yourself. This is
not always easy. Yes, I'm speaking from personal experience.
Oswald Chambers ("My Utmost For His Highest") and
Henry Blackaby ("Experiencing God") are both good
at pointing this out. You can find these excellent resources
at our online store.
TomGilbert
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October 7, 2002
The annual International
Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is underway here in Albuquerque.This
is a fabulous event that fills the sky with awesome shapes and
colors. Balloon enthusiasts around the globe love to fly here
and it's a wonderful spectator event, too.
I was reflecting this weekend on how like hot air balloons we
can be. When we are inflated with the "hot air" of
the Holy Spirit it fills us so that we can rise and fly along
with the currents of God's will. However, if we tether ourselves
to the ground then we restrict our flight. We must let go to
the direction that God will take us.
Some of the most popular balloons are the special shapes, like
a stagecoach, athletic shoe, cow, an Amazon tree and so forth.
We must remember that many people are special shapes and if
we would recognize the gifts that the Spirit has given them
we would better appreciate them.
These large hot air balloons are beautiful when inflated and
flying. When they are packed away no one sees that beauty. That's
a good reminder not to keep our selves and God's love that shines
through us hidden. Don't put that light under a bushel basket!
Tom Gilbert
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October 4, 2002
One of the marvelous results of surrendering our lives to God
and letting Him renew us is that we then allow God to remake
us into what we are meant to be. Do you recognize what this
means? You will become what you were created for!
Because of the awesome power of free will many of us resist
God's calling and try to be what we think we should be. It's
like swimming upstream. Of course, God allows us to choose this
path.
People who truly turn to Jesus, believe in him and, therefore,
believe in Him who sent him, can impact lives. The danger is
that those who are impacted can make the mistake of crediting
that individual without giving glory to the Source. This is
why humility and denial of self is so important. Be glad and
rejoice if God uses you to influence others. Let the worship
be directed to the One who is responsible. Whether it's Billy
Graham or Francis of Assisi (see
A Channel of Peace)be sure that the model influences you. And, like them, give credit
where credit is due.
Tom Gilbert
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October 1, 2002
October is Clergy
Appreciation Month. Certainly one of God's greatest callings is to minister to a
church or group of believers. Jesus said to "feed my sheep".
This job is a tough one. Pastors and clergy work tirelessly
and often with little recognition. Remember, they are also only
human and crave the spiritual nourishment that any of us can
offer in the way of thanks, prayer and appreciation. Won't you
take some time this month to offer your support to these special
people?
You can find out more about Clergy Appreciation Month at the
Focus on the
Family web site.
Tom Gilbert
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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