Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

* Who Moved?
* Scripture: "Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide in times of trouble?"
Psalm 10:1 , NKJV

They had been married a few years. Now, riding along, music and the road ahead held their attention. Finally, she turned, gazed at her husband behind the steering wheel, sighed and said, "You know, we don't sit close to each other like we used to."
He briefly turned his head to look at her, then down at the seat between them, and returned his focus to the road ahead. Finally, he softly asked, "Who moved?"
Distance is distance, a measurement between two points. It might be a few inches on an automobile seat, or ninety-three million miles between the earth and the sun, and you could debate how close the two points are, or how far apart. There are times, though, when it becomes important to establish one point as a reference and compare everything else to that.
I can state the dimensions of a piece of land in a certain number of feet east and west, and north and south, and you would know how big of an area it covers. Still, you wouldn't have a clue as to the location until I give you a reference point to work from.
It is quite likely that the husband in the story is sitting right where he always has - behind the steering wheel.
Who moved?

The little story comes to mind whenever I feel distant from the Lord, or when I hear someone lament, as did the Psalmist, that the closeness they had known is not like it used to be.

"Why do you stand afar off, O Lord?"
Who moved?

If we make ourselves the center of the universe, well, yes, I suppose the Lord is distant from us. But if we establish God as the reference point for all things, including our relationship -
Who moved?

We might cry, as Jesus cried from the cross (Mark 15:34) -
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" Or add the words from the Psalmist, "Why are you so far from helping me?" (Psalm 22:1)
Remember that the Lord is near:
"All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's, And He rules over the nations." Psalm 22:27-28)
Make the Lord your Divine Shepherd! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me!" (Psalm 23:4)
The Lord is right where He always was.
Scoot over a little closer!
April 23, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Carpe Diem
* Scripture: Isaiah wrote, Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” - Isaiah 55:6

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying,
And this same flower that smiles today,
To-morrow will be dying. ROBERT HERRICK

So - take time to smell the roses!
“Carpe Diem” is a Latin phrase that is sometimes used to express the thought of making the most of an opportunity. Literally, “Seize the Day,” with roots in the word for pluck, gather or harvest.
I can picture a rose - yes, any flower - at its peak of perfection, filled with the aroma which we are admonished to enjoy. How quickly, how fleetingly, is that moment snatched from us.
Fruit, also, the sometimes fullness of the flowering, may be in the developing stage that we call ‘green’ for an extended time, reaching ripeness with its own aroma and taste only briefly before passing into inevitable decay. The fullness of time, Yes! That is the moment to harvest, to savor, that which the Lord has prepared.
The harvest is only half of the given opportunity, however. If someone gives us a gift, we respond with an expression of gratefulness; a “Thank You” is appropriate. The flower, the fruit, I may pluck and present to you. I have not caused it to bloom, to ripen, though; that is The Lord’s gift.
All too often the phrase “Carpe Diem” is taken, especially by poets and lovers, as the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future. And, I might add, without concern for the Giver of the moment.
I think Jesus expressed the earthly, unthankful viewpoint well in the parable of the man who built many barns for his harvest, and enjoyed the moment as a time to “eat, drink, and be merry.” No thanksgiving, no thought of sharing his bounty, which he would not have received except the Lord provided it. (Lk 12:16-21)
Paul wrote, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith,” Galatians 6:10, NKJV
That is the double opportunity; as we receive from the Lord, we need to remember to call upon Him when His presence is evident in the gift. Seize the moment, yes, the moment to ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found, to call upon Him while He is near.’
And give thanks!
November 20, 2005