Tag: Proverbs 15:3

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, life, loving others, missions, Scripture, thankful

Missing Jesus

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3

Sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious. The other Sunday I was sitting in church. It was clearly Operation Christmas Child time. For those who don’t know, that is a ministry sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. They encourage people to fill shoe boxes with toys and practical things that might be a blessing to some child in the world were life is a lot harder. That morning the front wall of the sanctuary was lined with red and green boxes while two small pillars of balloons framed it all. As the song says, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

As I was looking at all the boxes neatly stacked on the stage, it caught my eye that it was an unusual pattern but that was all I saw. Judy and I even chatted how nice everything looked and began talking about our plans to be a part of this great missions opportunity. Now fast forward to Tuesday night. There happened to be another meeting that was going to be held at our church. It was technically a women’s meeting but guys were invited to tag along so…I did. One of the ladies was up on the stage and she was explaining about Operation Christmas Child. Then she said that there was a secret word spelled out in the boxes. Well, I sure hadn’t seen one so I took another look and then I saw it.

You see, the red and green boxes were arranged so that the green boxes formed a frame of sorts and the red boxes formed letters and those letters spelled out Jesus! Muttering to myself (so no one could hear) I asked myself how in the world did I miss what the words spelled out.  How in the world did I miss Jesus. And what is funny when I went back to church today I could not help but see that name above all names. What I didn’t see before was so very obvious now. How about that.

All of this and that made me wonder something. How often do we miss Jesus? How often do we go to church and sing the words to the songs and miss the one we are singing about? How often does the preacher preach and we miss the One he is preaching about? How many Sundays do we go to Bible class and listen and even discuss the lesson but not really get it? Well unfortunately I am afraid it is too, too often. And this doesn’t just happen at church. You see God is evident everywhere. You can see Him in every sunset and sunrise. He is there on every mountain peak and every valley and meadow. Those beautiful fall trees?  His handprint is on each one.

So starting today, why not look more carefully. Trust me, the secret word in those boxes is everywhere. All creation and every worship service proclaim JESUS. If you find yourself struggling to hear His voice or see His name or His handwork just ask, just whisper and He will whisper back, I’m here and I’ve got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, life, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, wisdom

The View from Above

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping His eye on both the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3

It was a view from above. I have always been a guy who loves techno stuff. Over the past twenty-five years or so, the technological gadgets in our world have multiplied over and over. So things that used to be science fiction are now fact. When I was growing up I was amazed when I read about Dick Tracy and the wrist watch that he wore. He could actually talk to and through his watch. I know I never dreamed that could become reality. It has. I wear an Apple Watch on my wrist and trust me it does a whole lost more than just allow me to talk. It is an amazing mini-computer strapped to my wrist. I love it.

Another thing that simply blows my mind are drones. These amazing flying wizards allow us to see the world from hundreds of feet above us. What used to take a helicopter now can be done with a drone no more than ten or twelve inches across. And, depending on the skill of the pilot, they are simply amazing. My son-in-law flies one of these gizmos and trust me–he is a skilled pilot. The other day he launched his drone from my living room floor, flew out the front door and was soon flying far about my house. Now all that is done as he sits on the couch in my living room. Soon, we open the front door and in comes the drone and lands at his feet. It is somewhere beyond amazing.

The drone under his control and skill can do amazing things. Every time he flies it I am amazed as he zooms here and there, showing me a view of my world that I could only imagine. Because of his skill and the drone, he shows me the big picture…and I am amazed. It didn’t take me long to make the connection between his skills and the view from the drone and how that is a whole lot like God. Let me explain.

You see, God is, well, God. While Blake is a great pilot of drones, his skill is swallowed by the perfection of our God. Blake occasionally makes a mistake…God never does. Blake masterfully guides his drone but God perfectly guides our lives. And, of course, like Blake can see from above, God has a view, the big view, the perfect view, and is never, ever, could off guard. It has been said if we knew all God knows and could see all that He sees, well, we would never question His decisions.

I am grateful to get to watch Blake fly but I am infinitely more grateful to watch as God guides my life. Sometimes He says, “Watch and see” and I get to see the big picture. Sometimes, though, He asks me to trust Him and I’m slowly learning to do exactly that. It is probably easier than I make it because He never makes a mistake and always chooses what is best.  It is just great to know that no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne