Luke 14:26-27, 33 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple….So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

Benjamin Riemer

As recorded in Acts 9:6a, the apostle Paul asked the question that each believer should ask every day. Have you asked it yet today?

” And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things.  ~Samuel M. Shoemaker

When a man is at his wits’ end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get in touch with Reality.  ~Oswald Chambers

If you are a child of God these three things are wise to consider for your life:

1. Have a mentor. This person will most likely be older than you, but the key is that they are someone you respect, and can learn from. Someone who will lead by example and encourage you to go higher in the school of wisdom, and deeper in the things of God. There are many godly people who have walked where you now walk, glean from their experience. Hebrews 13:7  “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation”.

2. Have a friend. This does not mean that your mentor cannot be your friend, but it is good to have a friend on the same playing field. A fellow comrade who can help you when you fall, and share in your joy and trials. Proverbs 27:17  “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”.

3. Be a mentor. Just as someone has taken time to mentor us, we should follow their example and be a mentor to someone else. The Dead Sea in the Middle East has inlet sources but no outlet flow. We are much like the Dead Sea if we only take in blessings, but do not share them. Just as someone has invested in you, who are you investing in? 2 Timothy 2:2  “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”.

Have you ever considered how blessed we are to have friends. People in our lives who give us their time and energy, people who love us the way we are. Companions who seek to help us grow and excel in our lives. It does not really matter what age they are, or who they are, it just matters that they are our friend. They can be rich, or they can be poor. They can be smart, or they can be average. What matters is that they are our friend.

Proverbs 27:6  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Proverbs 18:24  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 27:17  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 17:17  A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

As I watched the hockey game last night between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins, I thought of something. Teams and players may play hard and smart and use many different strategies, but in the end it is the goals that count. In the believer’s life there is only one main thing that matters in the end… that God is glorified through your life.

1 Corinthians 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Luke 21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

I work for a company that bends metal mostly for the exteriors of buildings. Something that has amazed me right from the start is just how weak and flimsy a piece of metal sheeting is. But as you begin to put bends of all degrees into that piece of metal, it soon has become rigid to the point of being many times more difficult to wreck.

This is like our lives, we start off as a new Christian as a flimsy sheet of metal so to speak. But as God continues to mould and bend us into the kind of person He wishes us to become, we will become more and more resilient to any sort of deviation. When stresses, pressures, and other trials come into your life, just remember that it is God’s way of making you stronger!

1 Peter 1:7 – “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:3 – “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.”

Ephesians 4:14 – “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”

Benjamin Riemer

Recently I was buying a gift for my family. As looked at the price of the gift and the the price of something else that I wanted for myself I knew I couldn’t get both. I thought to myself…”will my family even appreciate it? Will they realize how much it cost me?” As I thought these things I realized that the problem did not lie with my family but with me! My family is worth the world to me and I needed to purchase the gift because of my love for them, not their appreciation of me or my gift. I put MY item aside and bought the gift that is a token of my love for my family.

As I was contemplating the above, I thought of Jesus. He laid all His self aside to purchase a gift of love for the entire world. I wonder if He had thoughts like mine? “Will they appreciate my gift? Will they know how much it cost me?” Jesus paid the highest price for my salvation and the salvation of multitudes of others. The question is, do we appreciate it? Do we love Him for it? Take some time today to thank Jesus for the wonders of salvation that are ours.

1 Corinthians 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Psalms 30:12  To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

As is my new custom, I was rollerblading home from work the other day. However, I did not perceive a strip of tar that filled a crack that went lengthwise along the road. Before I knew what was happening, my blade caught in the tar and I was flung headlong onto the shoulder of the road. As I gingerly picked myself up of the road, I noticed that I had torn a 2 inch square patch out of my brand new jeans and my knee was not looking all that great either. As there was a lot of traffic, I hurriedly continued on my way back to the dorm. The next day, it was turning green with infection so I doused it with hydrogen peroxide which stung but got rid of the infection.

What can we learn from this?

I.          How could this have been avoided?

A.        Protective gear would have been beneficial. (Ephesians 6:13-18)

B.        Watchfulness would have helped. (Matthew 26:41)

II.        What were the results?

A.        Monetary Cost (New jeans)

B.        Physical Cost (Pain)

C.        Emotional Cost (Embarrassment)

All of these are the results of sin as well.

Not cleaning it properly resulted in an infection. This is true as well in our lives as our lives will suffer more than needed if we are not willing to get rid of and deal with the sin. It will also leave a scar much like sin always does.

When you fall, get back up, realize it will cost you and deal with it correctly, and keep moving forward.

- Benjamin Reimer