Carla was called in – again, to cover for someone that was ill, in addition others will have to cover for someone else who is ill, something is going around; sure don’t want for her to get it.

Course with her constitution her system usually wards of bugs.  She claims it is because she drank ‘pasturized’ water growing up.  Not chlorinated, not from a well, not from a city pipe, but water ‘strained’ through the cow pastures.

Her family did not have a well on their ranch until well after she left home.  They did have irrigation water that they used for gardening, watering livestock and the fields.  It was water going through open ditches, making its way through the acres pastures – where the animals resided, ate and did the rest of their business and some of it went into a cistern for domestic water use, including drinking.  Thus, she says, it was ‘pasturized.’   

In the winter they would go into town with a large water tank on the truck – not sure if it was 500 or 1000 gallons – fill up with water from a filling station in Redmond and haul it back to the ranch.  They watered the stock and filled the cistern with the water – it wasn’t chlorinated either.....

She will be coming home this afternoon and will start playing in the garden.  Like she said, it was too cold to work outside this morning, so this was not a big thing for her.

“Good” weather still here – good in as much as it is nice, not because it is what we want or need this time of year.  Would like to have the snow going to the Cascades that is landing back east.

Mathew 5:13-16 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

¹⁵ 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.

James 1:21-23 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

²³ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

We do not have to go around and ‘preach’ to everyone.  We do not have to make sure that we tell everyone we are a Christian, over and over again.

Too often a Christian will either tell others about his faith in a manner that is offensive - He gets in their face, what he shows is arrogance and not love for the individual.    Or, he whines when things don’t go his way, or is foul mouthed, or any other manner or actions that invalidate his life in Christ.   Instead of drawing a person to God, he thrusts them away by his obtrusive and often false sanctification.

Speaking up for Christ is more than words; it is a live style showing the Holy Spirit working within us.  It allows men to see a person who relies on God in his life, not just proclaiming it, but living it.

People watch us, they want to see how we react to different situations that challenge us.  How do we respond, with resolve and faith, or with despondency and blaming God in one way or another?  They watch critically and every nuance is noted, our actions speak loudly and will either drawn them or repel them.

We all know the adage, “Actions speak louder than words” and we know it to be true.  What we profess as Christians must be shown in our life.  We must strive to live in such a way that God shines through every part of our life.  Dealing with people, including family members as well as fellow Christians and those in the world – especially those that abuse us - must be in a manner showing God’s work within us.

Often times the best testimony, the best witness to someone we meet is our manner of speaking, manner of dress, manner of portrayal of the hope that is within us.  Living such a life brings a glow about the Christian and an awareness of God in his life. 

He is gracious and kind, he doesn’t have to overpower this person, just ‘be himself’ because he is imbued with the Holy Spirit of God.  There is a draw with this kind of Christian, people want to know more about him, want to be around them because they are that light that God wants shined into the world around them.

We want to take great care to make our actions speak the same words our mouth speaks.  We want to be so close to Jesus it is as if HE is the one speaking and acting instead of us.  Indeed He is within us, we just need to allow Him to work within us and not shunt Him off to some corner of our heart.

He wants to use us and the gifts we possess, changing only our hearts.  Those who have powerful personalities may need to tone it down a bit, those that are quiet may have to speak up a bit, but He will use our personalities to draw others to Him – as long as we yield them to Him. 

Being a Christian takes hard work and prayer.  It takes a conscious effort to focus on God’s ways and not that of our own.  We must look at things in the same way Christ does, with our hearts and allow our eyes and ears to be open to the needs of others.  In short we must take our thoughts off ourselves and put them in the hands of God to do His Work.

I have often admired those that just seem to naturally express in words and actions a caring spirit.  A spirit that recognizes needs in others and strives to help them.  And many of those that have that gift are not Christians, how much more aware and effective would they be should they accept Him.

I know I need to be more aware of others, be aware of their pains and needs.  I need to focus on God and His Word, I need to be more observant of people that are in my life and ask God how I can help them that HE might be glorified.  Fortunately, I have God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help me be successful.

Later,

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