Image courtesy of ChristArt.com

And remember this: When people accuse you before everyone and forcefully drag you before the religious leaders and authorities, do not be troubled. Don’t worry about defending yourself or be concerned about how to answer their accusations. Simply be confident and allow the Spirit of Wisdom access to your heart, and he will reveal in that very moment what you are to say to them. – Luke 12a;11-12 TPT

I am really loving the Passion Translation of Luke.

Check out this gem. I quoted two verses above so you would get the context, but I love this thought –

… allow the Spirit of Wisdom access to your heart…

Not sure what to say?

Find yourself at a loss for words?

Always looking for the right answer for your accusers?

Stop.

Take a deep breath.

Open the door of your heart and let the Spirit of…

The old Yiddish proverb translates as “Man plans, God laughs.”  Equally old is the statement by the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, “Live not one’s life as though one had a thousand years, but live each day as the last.”  So, should we live life completely in the moment with no thought for the future?  After all, God does say, So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.  (Matthew 6:34)

I have a friend who is a great guy who loves his family.  But he’s constantly working at his job.  He has a flexible starting time, but he almost always works late into the evening.  He rarely sees any of his family, except on weekends.  And on many of those, he wants to be able to relax or concentrate on his special hobby.  He is so concerned with the day-to-day need…

When I think back at all the foolish, and even dangerous things I have done in the past I have to question my common sense (or sometimes my sanity).  Then there are the politically correct things that I violated time and time again without thinking.

If you’re a child of the 80’s like me, then you may be familiar with the water toy the Slip’ N Slide.  While first released in 1961, it gained popularity in the 80’s right when I was an elementary age child.  The banana yellow sheet of plastic was rolled out in our backyard and made wet with a garden hose.  My siblings and I literally had hours of fun fighting off the Florida heat by sliding as fast as we could.  Sometimes, we even flew off the end of the slide, careening across the grass or into one of our friends.

I think too of the idea that we can slip and slide away from God if we’re not careful.  It is correct that we, as Christians, reside in the care of God, having faith and trust in Jesus.  But it is also true that we can fall away from…

“To laugh often and much to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others to leave the world a little better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson