Well, I shall be watching the College National Championship game this evening.  It should be a good one, from what I see they are pretty evenly matched – may be a slight edge to Ohio since the coach and organization have been there before.  Once on the field though, Oregon should hold its own just fine.

I was disappointed that the Broncos didn’t win yesterday, the others are fine – and even the Colts are okay, although I still haven’t completely ‘forgiven’ them for leaving Baltimore.  I don’t really root so much for a team, outside of Oregon right now, as I do the leaders or coaches.

I enjoy watching the strategies play out and the individual efforts of many of the players.  I have to admit there are some teams, because of their leaders – key players, coaches or owner’s attitudes or practices, I want to see defeated.

Football is about the only game I watch on television, so I have a lag from February to August.  THAT is okay with Carla!  Art :-)

Psalm 118:5-6 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

⁶ The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Do we only call upon the Lord when we are in distress?  Sometimes it seems that way, we go about our daily lives barely thinking of Him until something happens to us.

Suddenly we are faced with a situation that we cannot handle on our own, we are threatened and afraid.  We know that God is close by, but we haven’t been too close to Him lately.  We may even feel guilty calling on Him because we know that He is not as close as He should be.

Reminds me of the story of the couple driving back from their high school reunion:  They are reminiscing about friendships and activities in the past that were brought back to mind.

As they are driving the wife looks at the husband and says, we use to sit next to each other when we were young.  He replied, ‘I haven’t moved.’

God doesn’t move.  He is the same day in and day out.  His desire to bring us close to Him is as fervent today as it was the day we were born.  If there is a gap between us, we are the cause of it.

We need to not only call on Him in just the time of trials, but remember to converse with Him daily that when we do have those times we are already in that large place of protection under Him.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

² But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

While it may seem to be difficult to do this his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night – after all we have a myriad of things on our plate, it can be done.  If we look around us each day there are things we can praise God for, little things that lift us up, or demonstrate who God is, it helps us to recognize what He has written in His Word as the truth of Who He is.  It really is a special ‘delight.’

I can give us quiet pleasure and reassurance of God’s gifts – I have even been known to give a shout out in praise.

Romans 1:22-25 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

²³ And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Not worshiping the things themselves, but God who gave them to us.  The more we strive to find Him in our lives, the more we find Him!  And the more we recognize all He does for us.  He is right there, beside us, He has not moved!

My prayer is that I will always see God, every day, in the things around me; that I will give Him praise for His great love and compassion; that I will thank Him for all He has done for me and that I will remember His Word, both the promises and the warnings, so that I will not sin against Him.

Later, Art :-)

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