There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Solomon

This passage found in Proverbs 14:12 has been one of the greatest motivators in my life. It scares me to realize that I could be spending my life in what I thought was the right way, only to find at the Judgment that I was on a path to destruction. Does this bother anyone else? If so, welcome to the club! Now let's do our best to see if there is some way to increase our chances of success instead of just giving up and believing that no one can really know what God has commanded.

Perhaps an application from school will help. A few years ago I was asked to fill a vacancy in our local high school's math department. The vacancy came open about two weeks before a TAKS assessment test given to our kids to see if they have learned what they are supposed to learn. In some instances, TAKS determines whether the student can advance to the next grade or even graduate, so it's a pretty big deal. Given the importance of the task, when asked to teach, I did what you would do: I said. "no".

Unfortunately, our administrators were as deficient in their listening skills as they were in their discernment when asking me to teach, so I taught math for about six weeks (It has taken a skilled math teacher - a brilliant man who is a former teacher of the year - three full years to help the kids recover from those six weeks). Regardless of my shortcomings, the kids did amazingly well for one simple reason: In math, there is a right answer. Since this is a fact, the right answer can be obtained, and obtained every single time, if the problem is done in the right way. The kids who figured this out passed with flying colors.

The application to our spiritual lives is this: If those who have discovered the unchangeable truths concerning math can pass them along in a way that can be understood, then why can't we see that the our loving Father can do the same with the things He wants us to know? Or do we think that He was somehow inept in getting His message across? It is when we realize that God is capable, that He loves us and that He has made no mistakes with His word, that we will begin to earnestly dig into the Bible in order to discover the truth. It can be done, and it will be done by those who are willing to put forth the effort that obtaining knowledge has always required.

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."  

John 8:31-32, NIV

The best time to plant an oak tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is now. 

Dave Chilton

There is a vital lesson in this proverb that we all must learn if we are to achieve true success in life: Real achievement takes time. Too many people have the "I want it now" or "get rich quick" mentality that can only lead to want and poverty. Whether it be the mob's numbers game of old, or the government's lottery game of modern times, there have always been those who are ready and willing to take the time and money of those who seek shortcuts to wealth and success.

The problem with shortcuts in life is they bypass the important steps of planning and hard work. Have we not observed that those who become rich quick or are thrust into positions of importance without being ready are usually cursed in the end, rather than blessed? Those who want it all without having to pay the dues now always seem to pay those dues, with interest, in the end.

And then there are those like my Granny. Granny planted two pecan trees when she was eighty years old. Most people would laugh at such an idea, but Granny planted those trees anyway. Why, you might wonder, would she do such a thing? The reason might surprise some: It was because she expected a harvest. Now, Granny did not presume on her own future, rather, she counted on what she had learned in her eighty years of life: If you want a harvest, whether it be for yourself or those who will follow, you have to plant. And, Granny enjoyed at least ten harvests of those tasty pecans before she breathed her last at 98 years of age. More important to her, there will be many more harvests for the generations that are yet to come.

How about us? Will we idly wait for our ship to come in or our number to come up, or will we roll up our sleeves and get to the hard work of planting of those trees today? Our service for God will not only reap a personal harvest of blessings, it  will also bless the live's of the generations that follow. If you have not already planted that oak of service to the King, can you think of a better time to begin than now?

A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 28:20, NIV

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. Emerson

I like to travel. I like to explore new places and see things that I haven't seen before. I especially enjoy going to see the beautiful works of the Master. I have been so fortunate in my lifetime to experience scenes of beauty that many have never experienced.

I have seen the power of God's Pacific Ocean as it crashed against massive rocks with a mighty roar, and then watched the same ocean, still and placid, as the sun set over it like a giant ball of red flame. I have seen God's awesome Teton Mountains, reflected so perfectly in the clear waters of Jenny Lake that it was difficult to tell where the mountains ended and the reflection began. I have had the privilege of seeing God's Grand Canyon, God's Red Forest and God's mighty Mississippi River.

I've sat at the edge of a placid beaver dam, had a baby possum approach me to see if I was "Mother", and chased a bear away from our picnic table. I've stared into the eyes of my loving mother and father, witnessed the approach of the most beautiful bride ever as she came up the aisle towards me (of all people), and was present at the births of the three most beautiful children in the history of the world (though my grandson has given me pause to think there might be a 4th).

In short, I have been blessed by my Creator with such a continual display of His majesty and splendor that it is hard to know where to begin, when it comes to recalling the beauty that I have been witness to in my life. But the one thing that is constant in all of these varying items of beauty is the fact that they all came from the same source - God. And, no matter where I go in this world - even if I become blind or am locked away in some dark dungeon - I realize this one thing:

I will always have beauty in my life.

At least I will as long as I remember the Source of all things that can truly be called beautiful, and as long as I remember to carry that beauty in my heart wherever I go.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV

You do not need to be defeated by anything... you can have peace of mind, improved health, and a never-ceasing flow of energy. In short, your life can be filled with joy and satisfaction.

Norman Vincent Peale

One of the reasons I like Dr. Peale's writings is that he freely admitted the truths he taught in his lectures and books were not of his own invention, but came from "the greatest Teacher who ever lived and who still lives". It is because of Christ's teachings that we have peace and joy and satisfaction.

Far too many well-intentioned people are seeking the good life from every source other than the Good Book. Too late, they learn that happiness is not found in the hottest get-rich-quick book, or the latest fad diet, or the newest craze in so called spirituality. The fact is if you want a happy life that lasts for more than a few weeks, you will have to go to the Author of life because only He has the words of life.

This only makes sense. If you want to know how to best operate your new car, you read the new car manual. If you want to know how to properly assemble your child's prized Christmas gift you will need to read the assembly instructions (okay, so I learned this one the hard way). And if you want to know how to best live your life on this planet, you will need to turn to the instructions from the One who created both you and the world. So what will lead to the true joy and peace that the whole world seeks? Here is what the Maker says:

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9, NIV