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High Places

 

As I arrived at the church office this morning, I drove into the back parking lot and had to come to a stop. There was a truck partially blocking the drive. The doors on that truck were also open, restricting room to get around it. I was a little perturbed until I noticed just beyond the truck was a ladder that extended all the way to the top of the building with a man standing at the top working under the eave. He may have parked as he did for his own safety from people like me. I carefully eased around the truck and ladder to reach a spot to park. As I got out of my truck and walked toward the door of the building, I looked up to see what the man might be working on. I couldn’t tell, but what I immediately thought was this guy was either brave or crazy. To be standing at the top of a thin aluminum ladder sitting on asphalt that was extended three stories high made me nervous just looking at him, let alone being the one on the ladder. I’ve been on a ladder like that almost that high and didn’t like it, and my ladder was sitting on dirt. I don’t mind heights. I’m perfectly fine standing on a high place like a mountain, a building, or a bridge because I feel safe and secure. But a thin, slim, flexible, aluminum ladder that can easily slide out at the bottom or slide over at the top is not a place I want to be. I’ve climbed a water tower and a fire tower several times and felt fine. But those are stationary. The chance one of those would fall over while I was on it was very small.

 

Some people are afraid of heights. My father was somewhat that way because of an incident that occurred when he was a child. He and his mother were riding a Ferris wheel and were near the top. The bolt on one side had come loose and they were hanging to one side and praying the bolt on the other side would not give. They were yelling down to the workman, but he couldn’t hear them as he was letting other passengers off and on in the other seats. Slowly the wheel turned until finally they were close enough for the workman to hear them and he got them down before their seat gave way. Other people never experienced anything that frightening, yet they still don’t like heights.

 

As I’ve thought about it, it’s not really a fear of heights, it’s more a fear of falling. As humans, we were not made to be able to fly on our own. A bird that falls out of a nest that is high in a tree is perfectly fine to deal with falling because it was designed and made to fly. That bird can spread its wings and gracefully glide through the air and even fly back up to the nest. We humans cannot do that. Yet, many people still enjoy being in a high place. It’s fun to be on the top of a mountain and able to look out over the valley below and see for miles and miles. Or to look out the window of a plane and see a vast area of landscape beneath. I enjoy while driving across the Sydney Lanier Bridge looking out to see the tidal rivers and marsh, the islands, St. Simons Sound, and even the Atlantic Ocean. Even climbing the lighthouse and looking out over the trees and water can give a deeper appreciation for God’s creation as one sees it from above. High places give us a different perspective. We see things that we may see every day, but from a different angle and we have a different view. These different views almost always lead me to praise God. The high places allow me to see things I haven’t seen before, and I can praise God for that part of His creation. I can praise Him for the beauty that my eyes can behold at that time. I can praise Him more because I can understand a little more who He is as He is revealed to me in a new way. My appreciation for His greatness is renewed and strengthened because of His majesty that is around me and below me. I feel closer to Him because He has revealed to me another part of Him.

 

Shaky ladders should probably be avoided. But seek out high places where you can see God’s creation in a new way. Let the different views of His creation lead you to praise Him.

 

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, and they exist because You created what You pleased.” Revelation 4:11 NLT

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

 

 

“REED” This

 

Pain

 

Last Wednesday, my mother was in the hospital and was asking to see all of her children. I found a ticket that afternoon and was on a plane early Thursday morning flying to Dallas, Texas. As I arrived at the hospital mid-morning, I was met with bright eyes and a beautiful smile from my mother who then struggled to say my name. But she knew who I was, and she did say my name, as well as answering my “I love you, mom” with an “I love you, too.” It’s never easy to see someone in a hospital bed, especially when they are ill or in pain or struggling in some way. But when that someone is your mother, that difficulty is ramped up a thousand times more. Thankfully, she fell back to sleep before I could no longer hold back my tears. She was already on some morphine to ease her pain. The doctor came in to tell us of the bad condition of her spine with the results of the MRI. That was the cause of her pain and those nerves being pinched were shutting down her organs. We knew there was nothing that could be done to reverse that and her time with us on this earth would soon be coming to an end. Our greatest concern was for mom to be comfortable. It hurt us so much to see her in pain. Unfortunately, we would see her in pain again when she was moved back to her assisted living apartment Friday afternoon. Transferring her from the ambulance gurney to her bed was difficult. I was praying and hoping this pain would pass quickly. Mom finally had relief again when the meds came through from hospice and shortly after receiving them, she felt better. That evening, when I said my final goodbye, there was a calm about her, and she was resting peacefully.

 

I flew back home Saturday morning. Mom didn’t wake up any all that day and almost all of Easter Sunday. One of her sisters was visiting and talking to her when she opened her eyes for the first time in two days Sunday evening. And it would be the last time as shortly after that, mom went on to heaven. She left all the pain and suffering behind. She was free from her earthly body and all its physical limitations, restrictions, and flaws. She immediately was in the presence of Jesus and seeing Him face to face for the first time. “Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT)

 

I don’t like pain. I don’t like seeing other people in pain. I certainly did not like seeing my mother in pain. The experience of being in pain or sensing pain is not pleasant. Because we live in a fallen world, we experience pain. We experience pain in our own bodies. We can observe others experiencing pain. We experience pain when our loved ones die. We miss them and it hurts when we know we will not be able to see them or talk with them on this earth anymore. But God understands this pain. He watched His Son die on a cross that He didn’t deserve because He was paying for the sins of the world. Jesus suffered that separation from His Father when sin was placed upon Him, and He became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus suffered great pain because He loves us. He wants us to have a relationship with the Father so we will never have to suffer the pain of being separated from Him. And just like Jesus did not stay in the tomb but rose from the dead, we too can rise from this earthly death to live forever with Him. Knowing we have this hope, we find joy in knowing our Christian loved ones who have died are with the Lord and we can see them again. That hope along with the love of God is what helps us through pain. Our Heavenly Father is always with us comforting us, encouraging us, and carrying us through those times of pain and suffering. He promises to never leave us or forsake us, and He always keeps His promises. And one day, all of His children will be free from all pain. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 NLT)

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

 

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An Awesome God

 

I have been battling with the live oak trees over a few weeks now. We have a lot of them around our house and those little squiggly pollen things have been all over the place, along with all the oak leaves that have fallen starting a week or so before. Trying to keep the front steps and the driveway clear of all of them has been a chore, as many of you I’m sure can relate. And once the oak pollen came out, my sinuses have given me fits. It’s been over ten days of trouble. At night, I’m disturbing Debbie even more with my snoring. I have to get up several times through the night and try to clear my nose so I can breathe. It’s crazy.

 

I got to thinking. We breathe in through our nose which has all these small hairs to try and grab particles in the air and catch them before they go too far. These particles can be dust, pollen, germs, or other small things, some we can’t even see, that are just floating around. A lot of these things are caught and not allowed to go any farther into our sinuses, but some make it through. These are the ones that cause problems. They are foreign invaders, and our bodies respond by trying to destroy them or trap them another way to get rid of them. So, our sinuses begin to produce more nasal fluid so these particles will get stuck in it. Then, we have runny noses and postnasal drip in the back of our throats. Unfortunately, many times this fluid will get stuck up in our sinuses where it can cause an infection. All of this begins to make us feel bad in several ways and we have to deal with it until the pollen stops and we get all of it out of our system. Now, I’m not a doctor. This is just my understanding from what I remember in my life science classes back in school, which was quite a while ago. But, I think I’m close to being somewhat correct in my thinking.

 

Anyway, what amazes me is the design of our bodies. Thinking just about our breathing, our noses and sinuses fend off countless invaders all the time that keep us from getting sick. We may have certain allergies that will affect us more than others, but we are healthier because of how we were designed and made. God is the only one that could have designed us. There was no big bang that made it happen. We didn’t evolve into what we are today or humans would have died off long ago. The extreme complexities and brilliant intricacies in the human body that we have been able to discover can only point to us being made by God. And what about all the other things in our bodies that are not understood by doctors and scientists, or even things that may exist and haven’t been found? None of us can fully understand the human body, and yet God has made us all and knows every single detail about every single one of us. And His great design allows us to not only exist and survive, but to thrive.

 

As I continue to think about the human body and how it works, I am more and more in awe of my Creator. I become more aware of how great He is and how little I actually understand of life, myself, and Him. I see more clearly how small and insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things. Yet, my Creator, my God, knows me and loves me more than I can comprehend. He loves me so much that He is willing to be my Savior. He knows and loves all of us the same way. How great is our God! Words cannot express how grateful I am for His love. There are so many things running through my mind about the goodness of God right now, but I don’t have time and space to write it all down. When we begin to think about and list the greatness of God, we can go on forever.

 

Many of us may be suffering from allergies. But as we go through this time, we don’t have to let it get us down. We can try to see the goodness and greatness of God at work. It’s not always easily found, but it’s there.

 

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.”  Psalm 139:13-14 NLT

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

 

“REED” This

 

Missing Out?

 

Another Tuesday and another Taco Tuesday lunch. Only today, some of the tacos have been removed from the special. No longer are shredded chicken tacos included. Only ground beef tacos are included in the Taco Tuesday special. Why would they do this? Were too many people eating the chicken tacos instead of beef? Is chicken now more expensive than beef? Is there a shortage? I would think there are a lot more chickens in chicken houses around than cattle roaming in pastures. Why limit the special to only ground beef? To say I was a little disappointed … would be correct. Really, just a little. I usually do get chicken tacos, but I’m not that upset about having to pay an extra dollar for one. The chicken is tasty enough to be worth the extra dollar. But it was nice when we got them a dollar cheaper.

 

Any time you have something taken away from you, there is some disappointment. It was nice to have what you had. That something or someone brought you joy or made you feel good in one way or another. Some people are afraid to follow Christ because they think God will take away or limit them from enjoying some things in life because they are not things a Christian should do. They think they will no longer have any fun. But God doesn’t take anything good away from His children. That’s Satan’s trick, causing a person to think they will miss out on all the fun stuff if he/she begins to follow Jesus. Jesus said Himself in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Jesus wants to give us all the good stuff. The authentic good stuff. He wants to give us true lasting joy and fulfillment in life. Satan wants to steal that from us and only give us lies by tempting us with things of this world that will not last and only bring emptiness. The happiness he proposes doesn’t last because it is superficial.

 

When we follow Christ, the things of this world that looked so pleasing and alluring no longer have the luster they once had. We now see them as the empty distractions they actually are. John writes in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” As we follow Christ, we recognize the empty attractions of sin and this world more and more and begin to understand true joy, true happiness, true satisfaction, and true fulfillment comes only from God and following Him and His ways. We see the things of this world that once looked like fun can and will harm us. They ultimately bring pain and regret and no lasting fulfillment because they are not of God.

 

The apostle Paul encourages us in Colossians 3:1-2, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” As we do this, the things of this world become less and less tempting because we realize we aren’t missing anything. We have life with Jesus now and will forever be with Him in glory.

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

“REED” This

 

Procrastination

 

Early this past January I was driving down Gloucester Street one morning and ran over something in the road. Very soon after, I began to hear a tick, tick, tick as I was driving and realized whatever I ran over had stuck to my tire. As I drove a few more blocks and turned left toward my destination, I felt the back of my truck move in an unusual way. One more block and I pulled over to the curb, opened the door and looked back at a flat left rear tire. Changing a tire is never too fun, but I tried to make it a learning experience for my son, Connor. I had a full-size spare to put on, but what worried me was it was the original spare and had never been used. My truck is twenty-one years old, which means that spare was a twenty-one year old tire that had been sitting underneath the bed of my truck the entire 298,000+ miles I had driven it. The tread looked great, but the small cracks in the sidewall concerned me. After putting it on and lowering the jack, it definitely needed some air, but it was holding up. I drove to the nearest gas station and filled it up and the truck rode just fine. Later that day, I took it to a tire place to get repaired, but the four-inch metal object that had pierced the tire had done too much damage and the tire could not be repaired. I would have to buy a new tire. They only had one tire in stock that was the right size, but it was a different make. I don’t like having one odd tire. I was told the spare was actually in pretty good shape, so I decided to wait and see if the company I had bought the tires from originally could get me a matching one. After all, there should still be some warranty left on that set. The trouble then became the original tire place had shut down and the nearest existing store is an hour away. I would need to set up an appointment with the other store and make sure they had tires that matched mine in stock. Several times I meant to call and set that up, but things kept hindering me. I had to deal with Covid for a couple of weeks, and then I needed to help this person or that person do something and things kept happening that prevented me from taking care of it. All the while, the spare tire was staying aired up and working just fine. That is until last Wednesday.

 

This past Wednesday I was driving to work as usual. I did drop by and pick up Cameron to ride with me. As I got onto the island, I needed to run a quick errand off Sea Island Road, so I was stopped at the light and sitting in the left lane. After the light turned green and the cars in front of me finally started moving, I let off the brake and began to move forward. It was then I quickly realized I now had a flat tire and proceeded to pull off to the side of the road. Sure enough, the left rear tire was flat and looked as if it simply was falling apart. I was immediately thankful I hadn’t had a blowout going 50+ miles per hour across that causeway and that the tire gave out while I was stopped and waiting for the light to change. And as I had thought before, my predicament now was the spare had given out and I did not have another spare. I needed help. Thankfully, Pastor Mike was able to pick us up. I grabbed the wheel from the original flat back in January and took it to get a new tire put on it and brought it back and changed it. That took the entire morning. Thankfully, I was finished in time to wash up and make it to lunch.

 

As we were waiting to be picked up, I told Cameron, “Well, here’s another ‘“REED” This’ article.” He said, “On procrastination?” I laughed and agreed with him. I’d said all along that I needed to get that done but kept putting it off. My procrastinating ended up costing me a good bit. It cost me the inconvenience of changing a tire on the side of the road; a little soreness from having to get down under the truck to set up the jack in the right place and pull the tires off and on; a little embarrassment as people drove by and saw my predicament; and a lot of time that was set aside for study and preparation, therefore the Bible study was not ready for Wednesday night. And it cost Cameron time in the office, as well as Mike’s morning having to drive me to Brunswick and back to get a new tire.

 

We are warned many times in scripture to not delay in our decision to follow Jesus. We don’t know when our life on earth will be over, either by death or Christ’s return. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36-44, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

 

We need to be ready. Don’t put off your decision to receive Jesus as your Savior. Your procrastination could cost you a lot more than the inconvenience of a flat tire.

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

 

“REED” This

 

Life Is Short

 

This past Sunday was a beautiful day. That evening was also nice and enjoyable to be outside. Debbie and I had the opportunity to walk around the Wesley Memorial Gardens. We wanted to see the azaleas and were hoping to catch them blooming at their peak. Unfortunately, we were a little late for peak, but there were still a lot of nice blooms, and even some still in buds. It is so relaxing to slowly walk around those gardens and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation all around. This time of year is especially nice because of the variety of colors that dot the green background of the leaves. However, as I got closer to the blooms that were dying, I could not describe them as pretty. Some of the color was still seen, but the petals were shriveled and traces of brown and black were seen. Several blooms had already fallen to the ground and were losing their prettier colors and getting lost in the brown leaves and shades of gray dirt. Those dying or dead blooms were not enjoyed. One might could describe them as being ugly.

 

No one likes that part of the life cycle of a flower. We anticipate the budding and anxiously await the opening of the bloom. We love to look at the vibrant colors and markings of the flower and enjoy taking note of all the detail. We take pictures so we can look back and remember it even better than just the memory of it that is in our minds. But then, the time quickly comes when the colors begin to fade. Their vibrancy is no longer there, and the bloom begins to wilt. Soon it will fall off the plant or even be cut off because it isn’t pleasant to even look at anymore. It decomposes and is never seen again. What was once so highly anticipated is quickly cast aside when its time is over and forgotten.

 

No one enjoys death. Many don’t want to even think about it. Yet, death is a part of life. Like all living things, we too will die one day (Hebrews 9:27). But we don’t have to fear death (John 14:1-3). For the Christian, death is simply passing from this life on earth to our eternal life with Jesus in heaven. In a way, that is when our carefree life begins. No more sorrow. No more pain. No more sin. No more death. We will see Jesus face to face and live forever with our Heavenly Father. And as we have placed our faith and trust in Him, we know we will be with Him there. Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in My Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.” Those are the comforting words our Savior shared with His disciples while He was still on this earth. And they apply to us today as well.

 

The life of a flower is short. Our life is short. Maybe not as short as a few days like a flower’s, but short in light of eternity. While we live this life, we first need to make sure we have believed in and received Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Then, we need to spend the rest of our short life telling others about Jesus. We don’t know how much time we have left.

 

“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” James 4:14

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

 

“REED” This

 

Golf

 

The modern game of golf is understood to have been developed in Scotland in the 1400’s. There is some debate as to similar games being played in Europe many years before being the actual origins of golf, but most agree the game we now know to be golf came from the Scots. Basically, the game is played with a small ball that is hit with a stick with a crook on one end. A player tries to hit the ball with the stick into a hole across a field, with the desire of hitting the ball the least number of times as possible. A full game consists of eighteen holes, with each hole varying in length and difficulty. When the ball is hit, it is called a stroke. Each hole is given a set number of strokes that a player is expected to need, called the par, for the ball to get in the hole. Adding the pars of all eighteen holes gives you the par for the course. This is usually seventy to seventy-two. When a person plays a course, he/she is essentially playing against that course. The player is trying to hit the ball the exact number of times as the par number. Thus, the average score for professional golfers is seventy-two. Of course, when someone’s score is less than the par, they basically beat the course. Now, that may happen more with professionals, but a lot less with amateurs. The average score for an amateur golfer is one hundred. That is basically needing one and a half more strokes than par on each hole in a round of eighteen. Most golfers would not consider that to be a good score. Yet, depending upon the golfer, how many years they have played, their physical condition being considered and other things, that may be a great score.

 

I had the opportunity to play this wonderful game of golf earlier this morning. I’m happy to say my score was under the average for amateurs. However, it wasn’t the best score for me personally, but not too bad since I haven’t played in several months. I still enjoyed it. A golf course can be a beautiful work of art with its wonderfully sculpted fairways and greens, wonderfully manicured grass and sand traps, beautiful ponds and lakes, and challenging layouts of doglegs and hole placements. Add in the natural beauty of God’s creation and scenery that is all around the course, along with wildlife, and it can be quite pleasing to the eye. The game itself is challenging and frustrating, yet it is enjoyable and rewarding. It amazes me that many times I will stand on a tee box and look out onto the beautiful fairway in front of me where there is a lot of short, green grass and after I hit, the ball still goes off to the right or left in taller, thicker grass or in the brush and trees along the side. That’s called the rough, by the way. And if you go too far, it’s called out of bounds. Even though it may be a bit narrow, there’s plenty of room in the fairway where the ball could land safely and I have a clear, unobstructed view to the green for my next shot, but for some reason it’s hard to keep it in that area. I try to keep the clubface square upon impact and swing correctly, but my lack of regularly playing shows as my shots are inconsistent in landing and staying in the fairway. In order to be consistent in one’s golf game, one must be consistent in playing. Once every four or five months won’t help my game. If I want to be better and play more consistent, I need to be playing much more regularly.

 

As Christians we want to stay on the straight and narrow, sort of like staying in the fairway. We don’t want to veer to the right or left where we can get into trouble. It’s easy to veer if we don’t stay consistent in our daily Bible readings, study, and prayer. When we spend time with God each day, it is much easier to live our lives in accordance with His ways. If we’re not consistent in spending time with Him, we forget things and our focus is on the world and our own desires instead of on the Lord. The focus of our minds and hearts needs to remain on God and His Word. As we do that, the Holy Spirit keeps bringing to our remembrance God’s Word and how it applies throughout the moments of our day. Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Then verse 25, “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” When we remain consistent in spending time with God in His Word and in prayer, the Holy Spirit is able to fill us with His knowledge and wisdom and we are ready, with His strength, to walk the straight and narrow path of righteousness.

 

Having a good golf game takes time to develop and you must play regularly. Living a Godly life takes regularly spending time with our heavenly Father. And when we stay on that straight and narrow fairway of the Christian life, it’s definitely a great day.

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

“REED” This

 

2-22-22

 

Today’s date is one of those days that rarely happens. The same number is used and repeated for the month, day, and year. When these days occur, many people get excited, simply because of the repeating numbers. It seems special. Others try to read something mystic into the day because of the oddity, even adding the time of day in to make it a special moment. Some have already implied that at 2:22 this afternoon something extraordinary will happen. Others have set wedding dates and times for these rare occurrences to bring “good luck” for their marriages. Such times and dates could be: 2:00 on February 2, 2002; 7:00 on July 7, 2007; 10:00 on October 10, 2010; and so on.

 

While these repeating numbers of months, days, and years can be fun, they certainly don’t contain any magic or mystical powers. It just so happens that the numbers align in a neat way. Unfortunately, there are many people that are grasping for something good, direction for their life, or an understanding of the world and they will read into anything to try and find that special answer. You can hear it in their conversations and in their responses to questions on life and what it’s all about. They are lost and are not being led to the truth. Many times, the people they are listening to and following are leading them into mystical garbage that Satan has disguised as ‘enlightenment’.

 

As I thought of today’s numbers, I quickly remembered 2 Timothy 2:2. Much like today’s date, the scripture reference has a lot of “2’s” in it. That verse reads, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul is instructing Timothy to take what he has learned in the faith from Paul and teach it to others so they can then teach it to even more people. It is spreading the gospel! Notice that Paul says to “entrust these to faithful men”, indicating that these people will need to be careful to keep the message pure and not change it. Our responsibility as Christians, as God’s children, is to share the gospel with everyone. As we do, we help others to be able to share and teach it as well. All the while we keep it pure, not compromising it in any way, and not allowing it to be tainted by any false teachings coming into it. That’s what the world needs. That’s what these people who are searching for something in their life need. They won’t find life and its meaning in some mystical hogwash the devil is trying to give them. It can only be found in Jesus, and we are responsible to tell them. 2 Timothy 2:2 in the New Living Translation (NLT) reads this way, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” We understand that Paul is wanting Timothy to train and build up more teachers in the church. This is part of equipping the saints. This is building up the church in the truth of God’s Word. And it is truth. It needs to be taught. The truth needs to be shared so everyone can know the joy of knowing our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then they can rest in knowing the meaning of life. They no longer will be aimlessly searching and grasping for something. They will know life is Jesus.

 

2-22-22 or February 22, 2022, however you want to say or write it, is just another day. But, it is another day we have to share Jesus with others. May we be about our Father’s business.

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

 

“REED” This

 

Taco Tuesday

 

Most of us have probably heard the phrase “Taco Tuesday”, as many restaurants use it to try and encourage people to come into their establishments and get some cheap tacos for lunch or dinner on that day of the week. There is a certain establishment just down from the church in Redfern Village that has such specials each Tuesday. I, and some others, have enjoyed going there each week to enjoy some very good tacos. One thing I have often wondered is if the waiters and waitresses look forward to us coming. In my mind I’m thinking they are saying, “Oh boy, here come those guys that only come on Tuesdays to get cheap tacos and eat a bunch of our free chips and salsa.” Hopefully they are not saying this, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did. Tuesday is the only day I usually think about going and eating there. They are good tacos, but if I go on another day, I’m not sure I want to spend the extra money for them since it’s not Tuesday. They are the same tacos on all the days, so why should I have to pay more just because it’s a day other than Tuesday? I’m sure the phrase is used and the special given to encourage more people to eat there. But I would also think it is used to encourage people to come back on other days as well. Yet for me, that seems to never happen. I only go there on that day of the week.

 

Good food that is cheap is always fun to find. I’m sure most of us try to find a bargain with anything we purchase. It’s good stewardship. I love the “Buy One Get One” special at the grocery store. But it’s not only for food. Why pay $50 for a shirt when you can get it for $25? Or why pay $75 for a pair of shoes when you can get them for $50? We all want to find good deals, no matter how or for what we are spending our money, as long as the product is good quality. There’s another phrase that we’ve all heard – “You get what you pay for.” Now, most of the time this phrase stands true, but there are many occasions where it has been proven wrong. It’s almost like Newton, the traveling salesman on The Andy Griffith Show, who said, “I happened to be at the right place at the right time.” Unfortunately for him, the furs he got and sold were not good quality. However, there are many ways to find good quality merchandise at very low prices. It just takes a little more work and searching, and possibly waiting for the sales to begin.

 

There is something of the highest quality that we never have to work at or search for or wait for to do. That’s spend time with our God. He is always ready to sit down with us and spend all the time we want to spend with Him, and it is always quality time well spent. He’s always listening and right there when we simply call His name. He is even already listening when we simply begin speaking to Him in our minds. He knows our thoughts and our needs before we ask (Ps.139:2, 4). And the quality of what we receive from Him can never be matched. God is always with us. He is always waiting to spend time with us. He is always wanting to spend time with us. He is always ready to give us His very best. And He has already paid the price for us to have that relationship with Him. It cost Him His Son on the cross, yet He was willing to pay that extremely high price because of His love. And His desire is simply to have a relationship with us. Our cost as His children is so minimal compared to all He has done. We simply turn to Him and answer His call.

 

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”  Revelation 3:20 NLT

 

We all need to spend more time with the Lord. We get caught up in all that’s going on around us that we forget to stop and commune with the One who is truly most important. I’m not going to say He is a “bargain” or a “good deal” because that cheapens who He is. Even though our salvation cost us nothing, we certainly didn’t “get what we paid for”, we got much, much more from Him. And the next time you see or think about “Taco Tuesday”, don’t just think about cheap tacos, let the phrase remind you of the great sacrifice God paid so you could have a relationship with Him. Then, spend more time with Him.

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

 

“REED” This

 

Digging

 

I had an opportunity to use my metal detector this morning. It has been quite some time since I last used it. In the past, I have had a lot of fun discovering things around the island, on the beach, and especially on our church property on Marsh’s Edge Lane. Finding the pre-revolutionary war relics there was very exciting. Today, I was running the detector over a pile of dirt. The dirt had recently been dug up next to Cameron’s house as he unfortunately had to have some pipes replaced. I was curious as to what we might find since the house was built in 1920. At the top of the pile was dirt that had been three to four feet down in the ground. Whatever was in this part of the pile would probably be the oldest. I was hoping for some coins or something that would be dated back to the early 1900’s. Unfortunately, we only found one penny and it wasn’t that old. What we did find was a lot of bent nails, bolts, and other old pieces of iron. Some of which were so brittle they easily broke in my fingers. Along with the metal objects were a mixture of broken pieces of old clay pipe, old bricks, and broken glass. Some interesting things were a marble, a game dice, and a small wheel that had broken off a child’s toy. The most unusual find was a bride and groom cake topper. He first thought it might be a bone, but after digging it out and realizing what it was, Cameron said it was a little creepy.

 

Digging into the ground around an old house can bring up all kinds of stuff. A lot of the things that haven’t seen the light of day in a while could tell some interesting stories. A coin simply fell from someone’s hand as they walked by while bringing it out of a pocket. The bent nails may have been from the original carpenters who hit them wrong and simply tossed them away to grab another nail as they were nailing the boards onto the house. The broken pipes were simply the old ones that were replaced years ago, and the workers decided to just leave them buried. The toys were accidently dropped or left outside after they had been played with by children who used to live in the house. There’s really no way of knowing exactly how the objects got there, but they show that someone has been there before. People have walked, worked, and lived in that area at one time or another in the past. Those objects are signs left that they were there. Why they were there and what they were doing there are questions we can only ponder. What was their life like? Who were these people and what did they do?

 

Today also happens to be my father’s birthday. If he were still living on this earth, he would have been 83 years old. There are many questions I would like to ask him that I can only ponder now. I do know some things about his life. He shared with me some of the stories of him growing up and playing with his brothers and some of the crazy things they used to do. I know he was a chiropractor and enjoyed his work. He enjoyed hobbies like gardening, playing cards, fishing, playing sports, and painting. There are still a lot of little things I would like to ask him, but that most important question, I know the answer to that one. I know he was saved, and I know he is with the Lord, as scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8.

 

We see and meet a lot of people and we don’t know much about them. With them here, we have the opportunity to ask them questions. And as the Spirit leads, we may have the opportunity to ask them that most important question, “Do you know Jesus?” We need to get to know people and ask them that question before it’s too late. Jesus said in John 4:35, “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.” We must take advantage of the opportunity we have now. People need Jesus and they are ready to hear about Him. We simply need to share.

 

Bro. Paul Reed

 

Tuesday, February 8, 2022