Several more jars of fruit have been canned and placed in the pantry for winter.  We will be making some apple and some pear butter later this week.

The weather is nice, love these crisp fall winters.  The day heats up into the 70’s and low 80’s and then cools back down.  It is too bad that fall days are shortened, but ‘tis the way it is.

Nothing serious, but just another journal entry, lost one of my caps off a supporting tooth for my partial this past week.  I will be without the partial for a few weeks while a new cap is made.  Interesting year, 2014.

There is a poem that Christian singer, George Younce, once recited, the essence is:  An older couple just got married.  They go to the bedroom to turn in for the night.  She takes off her hair and puts it on the dresser, she takes out her teeth and puts them on the dresser, she takes off her glasses and puts them there also, and finally she takes off a leg and puts it next to the dresser.  He decides to lie down beside the dresser because there is more of her there.

Poor Carla, that poem is starting to hit dangerously close to home for her.  

Ephesians 5:8-10  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

⁹ (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

¹⁰ Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

At times it is difficult to remember what it was like to be in the darkness of sin before we accepted Christ.  Even with satan trying to remind us, we are far removed from that darkness.

Unfortunately we sometimes walk in the shadows because we have stepped away from Christ, but the light is still available and can be seen, drawing us back to Him.

When we proclaim ourselves as followers of Christ, the world has a certain expectation – good and bad.

I was watching a ‘reality’ show a few weeks ago.  It was about artist competing with each other for a prize.  One man was gifted, he was very talented, but he was also arrogant and condescending to the others.  He was constantly critiquing them and causing turmoil because of it.  After several weeks of this, the group was given a specific theme to paint.  The man made a comment that he was a Christian and was going to use this opportunity to paint something that reflected his beliefs.

If he hadn’t told us he was a Christian, I would have never imagined it; there was nothing in his behavior to demonstrate his faith.  I realize these shows take snips of things here and there to create drama and make people want to watch – but he gave them plenty of snips to use to demonstrate his conceit.

There was another artist there, obviously not a Christian. However, she displayed far more understanding of her competitors and, with compassion, was much more helpful to them.  She ended up winning the competition – on her merits, but she was a ‘neat’ person and deserved to win.

The differences in demeanor between these two people were as different as night and day – and unfortunately the Christian was the night.

Again, I realize that the producer is the one to choose the clips and many want controversy so they can get an audience.  It was also a competition and a certain amount of head game playing was undoubtedly part of this man’s plans.  But he could have done it differently.

Am I being fair to him, probably not – but the example brings things to my mind where I myself was not the light of Christ to people, but just the opposite.  We have to remember that everything we do is going to be seen by someone, eventually.  When we act like jerks, then turn around and proclaim that we are Christians we do two things:  Our actions do not support our statements and what we are speaks louder than what was said, and two people have a bad experience with us and start to equate all Christians with our bad attitude.

We HAVE to be careful of how we display Christ’s light within us.  I know, it is so hard to be ‘on’ each and every minute of every day.  But how we react to minor frustrations, how we react to people who annoy us is being watched.  How we react at the store when the lines are backed up and there isn’t enough cashiers; how we react when someone makes a mistake in our favor or in their favor has an impact on people.

Most non-believers don’t go into a church without an invitation.  They are invited by someone.  Most people do not accept Christ without someone telling them about Christ.  Most people do not know a Christian; oh, they know someone who goes to a church but that doesn’t make the person a Christian.

Many people have had bad experiences with Christian(s).  To see the truth of that all we need do is see how often Christians are portrayed on TV or in the movies.  They are dimwitted radicals without common sense, who preach a message that is not of the Bible and are judgmental.  It may be the writer(s) have had some kind of experience that makes that depiction of Christians appropriate.

Satan is doing enough damage to Christians without us adding to it.  We really do need to take account of ourselves.  We need to be aware of the fact people are watching us and that we may be the only Christian they really know. 

There are many ways to preach the gospel to others and walking in His Light is one way we need to work at.  We want people to accept our Christ; we want people to see that Christ in us makes a difference – we are not like other people who do not have a relationship with Him.

Christ makes a difference.  Knowing Christ makes a difference in our life.  That difference should be obvious to anyone that observes us in our work and play. 

Mathew 5:15-16 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

When in darkness the light is obvious; it shines and attracts.  It isn’t necessary to point to a person and say, ‘look there is light;’ they can see the difference between darkness and light for themselves.  They may not know what makes the light, but they see the light and they are attracted to it so they can get away from the darkness.

People should look at us and see, not us, but Christ’s light.  They may not recognize it as Christ, at first, but it will attract their attention and make them want to know more.  When that happens, we are given the opportunity to explain the light to them.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again