First Baptist Church of Gentry
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
The church across the street and around the world.
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Robin's Ramblings
GPS
I drove my grandsons to school one day this week. I know where the school is but just for fun I brought along my GPS. GPS stands for “Global Positioning System,” and it looks like a miniature TV that mounts to the windshield just above the dash. I can put in an address and it will give me directions in a kind but robotic female voice that we have nicknamed “Carmen.”
The boys, Nick and Ben ages eight and Xander almost five, were fascinated by Carmen. I was equally fascinated by the conversation coming from the back seat.
“Poppa, what is that? Is that your coffee? Why does it look like a sippy cup?”
“Why are we going this way? Remember last year in Colorado when the GPS got us lost?”
I reassured them that it would not get us lost. Then, when we had one more right turn before we could see the school, I heard Carmen say, “Now turn left…”
“No Poppa. Turn right, our school is right there. See? The GPS is wrong!” I heard, with much laughter in their voices. I knew the way and they were right. Carmen was wrong.
On the way home, after dropping off the boys, I thought about all the directions we hear in our lives from many different voices. They do not all take us where we want to go. Some will even get us lost. We need to know the way.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” (hcsv)
God’s Word, the Bible, is the only sure road map we have. His directions will get us through life and take us all the way to Him. God has a different GPS called God’s Plan for Sharing, (through His Son, Jesus). Sometimes we need to pull over, stop, and look at the map. Then we can start again in the right direction toward the summit of God’s plan for your life.
Bro. Robin
The Parable of the Snow
(Matthew 13:1-23)
Late Saturday night it began to snow. As the fluffy white snow fell to the earth some snow fell on the road. Although it was the same snow that fell everywhere else it was considered hazardous and the road crews were soon out removing it. They plowed and salted and plowed again until all that was left was a salty, sandy slush along the sides of the road. The roads are always the first place people look to see how much snow we have. But snow on the roads only gets in the way and is the first place we want it removed.
Some snow fell on the roof tops but it did not stay long. The wind blew some away and exposed part of the roof. When the sun came out it shone through the thin layer of snow and heated the roof to melt away the rest of the snow. Even though snow on the roof is sometimes considered the prettiest of all snow it is gone before we can really appreciate it.
Some snow fell in the yards in reach of all the children. As soon as they saw it they gathered up their winter clothes, put on their boots, and ran outside to play in the snow. For a while, there was laughter and squeals as they made snowballs, and snowmen, and used their sleds to slide down every clear hill they could find. The snow was fun but the fun was temporary. Snow men and sleds turn our attention away from the danger snow can be in other places. We can become distracted or lost in snow. Or, we can use it for our own purpose but even that only lasts a short time.
Some snow fell on the fields. The fields were beautiful in a blanket of snow. As the snow melted the moisture seeped down into the soil until it reached the hard winter wheat that was waiting for the snow to arrive. The blanket of snow kept the moisture in place allowing the wheat to soak in it and begin to grow. As the winter ends and the snow melts you can see the green tops coming out of the ground. The wheat will grow through spring and in the heat of summer it will be ready to harvest.
What kind of snow is your faith? The snow on the roads was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The snow on the roof was shallow and melted quickly with the heat of the sun. The snow on the yard was fun for a time but when the fun was over so was the snow. The snow in the fields made the wheat grow. Wheat becomes flour to give us life for many days to come. It fills and satisfies us in many ways, like the wheat roll I had for breakfast.
Dr. Robin H. Cowin
Messages and Teachings (Ramblings) from our pastor Dr. Robin Cowin.....Check out Dr. Robin's blog (short for Web diaLog). See what our Pastor thinks and offer your comments....now don't be shy....Some earlier Ramblings:
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