I had a friend share from a devotional he read this morning. It was about the metaphor of comparing marriage to a classic pristine vintage automobile.
D. Jake Roberts is the assistant pastor at Monument Bible Church in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Before semi-retiring in 2010 he served as the lead pastor at Monument Bible Church for nearly 20 years. He was a missionary in Wisconsin for 10 years, 3 years in Ohio before moving to western Nebraska. He has been a student and teacher of the Word of God for over 50 years. He has also worked as an elementary school principal, teacher, high school counselor, head basketball coach, athletic director, businessman and ski instructor. He and his wife, Sharry, have been married for over 50 years.
The gist of it centered around the question, “What if we only owned one car in our lifetime?” How must we car(e) for it?
I ponder much and hard in my treestand.
My Precious has lovingly stood by my side for 60 years (including a 3-year courtship). We agreed early on to never joke about two things…1) divorce and 2) our love for each other.
We avoided conversations of the sort that would say, “If you really loved me then you would ____________” followed by laughter and a “JK” (just kidding). Or, if you keep that up, that’ll be grounds for divorce.” Haha, JK.
I’ve come to deeply value the solitude of my treestand. It’s quality think-time. Time to ponder. Time to make irreversible decisions.
Shooting for an end-game evaluation resulting in no regrets.
I am truly awestruck with the pristine condition and beauty of my vintage wife, Precious! I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t do for her.
At the same time, many of my family and very close friends have agonizingly faced, or are even facing right now, the break ups of their marriages.
The treestand has served me well in finding moments to pray for the comfort and wisdom for these dearly loved ones. Also, it’s been a place to process the deaths of spouses and all the more as we get older and walk through the reality that one out of every one walks through that door.
The deeper the love, the greater the grieving. I am grateful to the God of all comfort.
We never get over these painful losses…but the great and sufficient “grace of God ” gets us through them.
I’ve loved watching otters frolic on riverbanks ... calves, fawns, kittens and puppies skipping about aimlessly. There’s no real sense of joking around with them. Just pure and simple living by whim and random spontaneity. They exude a comforting sense of security while at play…though at risk. Danger always lurks nearby.
It’s fascinating observing wildlife’s incredible commitment to have sentinels that stand guard and watch over their flocks or herds or villages. From prairie dogs to sand hill cranes, to geese and to antelope…their many eyeballs alertly scan every horizon, direction and telltale movements.
Don’t mess with Mother Hen or Mother Bear. Their vigil is serious and devoted. It’s no joke!
A string of ducklings, or skunks or turkeys or “possums” or a nest of rabbits in your back yard under the watchful eye of Mrs. Peter Cottontail…it all is serious business.
Though these fledging antics often bring wide smiles and uproarious laugher, life still bears some very serious matters.
The Bible says in Proverbs 26: 16”The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly. 17He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ears. 18Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, 19is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “I was only joking!”
Better yet, just speak the truth (in love).
April Fools Day? Now that’s a day for jokes. Willful attempts to pull a prank, jest or simply sit back and enjoy.
My favorite was the day Precious and I moved our clocks forward an hour and hustled our kids out to wait for the bus.
We were only joking with them. Fun for us, not so much for them. No joke!
PRAYER NUGGET: Thank you God of all comfort for getting us through life.
CORRECTION from last week: Blue whales only weigh 100-150 tons and not 100,000. Sorry.
Please remember … You are deeply loved! No joke!
All Bible quotes are from the NKJV
April 18, 2021 at 12:00PM
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JAKE ROBERTS: No joke - Scottsbluff Star Herald
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Joke
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