June 15,2016
“For what credit is there if, when you sin (hit your thumb
with a hammer) and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But
if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this
finds favor with God” (I Peter 2:20).
“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do
not give the devil an opportunity.” (Eph. 2:26-27).
Hey gang, I have learned, in the past two months, that
these two verses go together. I have also learned what the person who
coined the saying, “if it works, do not fix it”, meant. I have also
learned that I do not have the slightest clue what to do, when one of the weird
screens that I have never seen before, comes up on the computer; one that has
no connection with what I am trying to do!
If it does not disappear when I reboot, I am dead in the
water until I can call my friendly computer guru or find a six or seven year
old lad or lassie who knows far more about such things than I will ever know.
When our computer internet and phone provider, who we loved
dearly and never had a lick of problems, well maybe a teeny weeny one, recently
merged with another company, we were advised that we must upgrade our equipment
to gain all the wondrous advantages the new company was offering and the carrot
was it would cost less money per month and make it sooooooo much more
convenient.
My question to the upgrade advocate – how much pain and
agony is attached to getting all the bugs worked out and until my level of
understanding is acclimated to using the new system? Oh, no worry!
This is a tested and proven, bug- free mechanism that even an older than dirt
duffer, that does not understand the “For Dummy’s books’, can become proficient
within minutes.
After several weeks and more than twenty hours of listening
to a multitude of so called technicians, my bride packed up the entire system
and went back to place it was purchased and announced I do not leave here until
this thing is doing what you said it would do or we go back to the old
system.
Okay, what does that have to do with the Scripture of the
day? First, I thought I had my anger totally under control and could
handle about any circumstance. Wrong! I wanted to throw the
computer down the basement stairs. I also learned that my patience was
not as secure as I thought it was. Perhaps that is what this whole trip
through the wilderness was all about. I must confess, I did indeed go to
bed very angry some nights and I must admit that my patience was at best –
tarnished!
Soooo, my young friends, keep in mind that the devil waits
for his chance to set your control mechanism on tilt and to really tick
you off – if you are willing to let him. But I also learned that, if I
take a moment or two and say, “Okay God, If you can’t handle this we are both
in trouble”, and admit that it helps. He has never failed.
The computer is working fine at the moment and my anger has
gone underground again waiting for another opportunity to destroy my
patience. But, keep in mind, when Jesus was going through His
indoctrination period in the desert, Satan tested Him until he got the message;
he was waiting his time and threw in the towel. Right!
Wrong! It tells me Satan left but only to await a more opportune time to
return and continue his devious methods.
That, my friends, is the reason we should make sure our
armor is in place and our lamp is full of oil and we have sword (the Word of
God) engrained in our heart and head- for today, in his sight is “an opportune
time”. (Luke 4:13 Read it and heed it!)
Blessings, Gramps
