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“If you fill up the heel of that shovel, the toe will take care of itself.” I’ll never forget those words spoken to me by one of the older workers on the crew. Of course, they were all older than me, a college student with a summer job on a pipeline construction crew. His message to me was that if I did the hard work then the easy work would take care of itself. Fill up the back end of that shovel, and the tip of it will be filled as well. In our Christian walk, we sometimes look for short cuts, easy ways, and try to make things look good without having them actually be good. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for this approach to their obedience since they concentrated on the outward appearances of the law but inwardly were still full of wickedness. Jesus reminded them that God made both the inside and the outside of the person. So which is the hard work and which is the easy? Well, it’s easy to make a good showing, but it’s difficult to really change the inner person - the real you. I can get myself to the worship assembly but sit there wishing I were hooked into a big bass or home with my coffee and Sunday paper. When the preacher talks about sharing the gospel with someone, I mentally run through my list of well-worn excuses and wait for those comforting words: “...then we will be dismissed in prayer.” I might even lead a prayer in the assembly but never breathe a word to my heavenly Father the rest of the week. The old self with its passions, lusts and evil desires must be put off and the new self must be put on (Colossians 3:5-15). There is an inner renewal brought about by the Holy Spirit of God to pursue righteousness and love in the image of Christ. Sinful and selfish deeds must be replaced with those which show sincere compassion and kindness toward others. Christ now rules my heart - not me. “If you fill up the heel of that shovel, the toe will take care of itself.” If you let the Holy Spirit cleanse you on the inside, your outward actions will take care of themselves. Guaranteed! #Bible #exploration

Matthew 13:44 Well, it’s that time of year (the new year that is) for making resolutions. Many people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year in hopes of changing things which didn’t go so well in the previous one. Maybe you’re one of those folks. Resolutions often have to do with things like losing weight, exercising more, being a better spouse, saving more/spending less, taking more time for prayer and Bible study, quitting smoking, more involvement at church, etc. Almost always within a few weeks, these resolutions have been broken and/or completely forgotten. Rarely do we ever hear someone say in the middle of June: “I’m still sticking to my new year’s resolution to eat more vegetables!” Why do people fail with these resolutions? There are many answers to that question, but one answer would be most prevalent: We’re not convinced that our resolutions are worth it. Oh, we might say they are and think so, but the results speak for themselves. Our resolutions are not gigantic tasks such as building a regional airport in Belmont County or inventing a material which really works to fill pot holes. We’re talking about being wiser in our money management or spending more time in the scriptures. These things are not difficult! We are just not totally convinced about doing them. In our text, we have a man who was completely convinced about something he wanted. He discovered a treasure hidden in a field. To him that treasure was truly worth having. So much was it worth having that he hid it again (so no one else would find it) and went and sold everything he had and bought that field! He rejoiced over his find and over his being able to obtain it. What most people lack concerning their resolutions is the joy which this man had. We don’t see the joyful outcome of keeping our resolutions but only see them as hard work, drudgery and something we have to do differently. We don’t really believe the “treasure” is worth the investment. What is worth the investment to you? #lifesjourney #righteousness

James 2:14-26 James is quite adamant in his assessment of faith. It is no private matter simply between a person and God, but faith is to be seen publicly in the actions of the one who has faith. Faith is perfected when a person’s works fall into line with what he or she believes. A faith which does not manifest itself in a life of good deeds is ruled by James as being “dead” just as the body without the spirit is dead. So, what does a faith that is alive look like? Repentance is faith turning. Confessing Christ is faith acknowledging. Singing is faith praising. Resisting temptation is faith fighting. Praying is faith asking. Forgiving is faith remembering no more. Preaching is faith proclaiming. Teaching is faith instructing. Visiting is faith going. Giving is faith sacrificing. Keeping one’s word is faith honoring. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is faith remembering. Offering encouragement is faith caring. Assembling with the saints is faith fellowshipping. Worshiping is faith reverencing. Enduring adversity is faith persevering. Studying the scriptures is faith learning. Confessing sin is faith admitting. Providing help is faith loving. Keeping Christ’s words is faith obeying. Being baptized is faith submitting. Grieving with hope is faith trusting. Walking in the Spirit is faith living. #God #nature