Of cars!

On our way back from neighbouring Wishaw, late this afternoon, my wife had to visit a couple of shops.  My presence not being required, I sat outside, in the car, and listened to some good music emanating from the ICE equipment (how many understand the acronym?).

After the first stop, as I indicated that I was pulling out on to the main road, I realised that the power-steering was not operating, and that the battery icon was showing on the dashboard display.  I drove round a corner for my wife's next stop, and had a look at the battery connections.  All appeared to be well.  I nursed the car back home as, one by one, additional icons lit up, and various functions ceased to operate!   Having 'home-start' cover on my breakdown plan, I then 'phoned for assistance.  When the young gentleman arrived, he quickly informed me that the alternator had packed in!

The annoying thing about that news is the fact that it was replaced, in France, in July - at what was, to me (and my local mechanic) an exorbitant cost.  The car is only five years old, with a mere 51,000 miles on the clock, so I am more than a little peeved.  The alternator will have to be replaced - I need the car - but the question then is: do I keep paying out from a limited cash supply, or do I replace?  I try to be a good steward of my finances, and would want to make a wise decision, and one that would be honouring to God.

Of course, any financial decision can be tough.  Billy Graham is recorded as having said "If a person gets his/her attitude toward money straight, it will help to straighten out almost every other area in life."!  In doing some clearing out, this evening, I came across some ideas worth considering when faced with decisions regarding money:

Check to ensure that you are following God's priorities.  Are you giving to Him, and to others? (I Cor.16:2).  Are you taking care of family needs? (I Tim.5:8).  Are you taking care that money doesn't control your life? (Lk,16:13).

Research the situation. Consider all of the options, and the pros and cons of each one.

Ask God for wisdom.  Pray, pray, and then pray some more.  He will direct you as you submit to His will in your life. (Prov.2:6).

Trust God, and make the decision.  I recall,many years ago, a friend who had not long been converted speaking with me.  In the conversation regarding a potential initiative by the fellowship with which he had become involved, he informed me that the Lord had spoken to him.  "He told me," he went on," that it was time to stop praying, and start obeying."!  Often, we must use the wisdom and knowledge that we have gained - and commit our decision to Him.

Whether, or not, the decision is a financial one, obedience to God nurtures a growing 'love-and-trust' relationship with Him.  Each decision may be seen as an opportunity to draw closer to Him.

Got a decision to make?  Don't forget to allow the Lord to be a major part of your decision-making process!

The Will of God

Remember:
The Will of God will never take you...
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you...
Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you.

The will of God will never take you...
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercy of God cannot sustain you,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you...
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

A Guid New Year tae ane an' a'

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year -
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied,
'Go into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and, finding the hand of God,
Trod gladly into the night.
He led me towards the hills,
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention."         (Minnie Louise Harkins; 1875-1957)

A guid New Year tae ane an' a'
An' mony may ye see,
An' durin' a' the years tae come,
O happy may ye be.
An' may ye ne'er hae cause tae mourn,
Tae sigh or shed a tear;
Tae ane an' a, baith great an' sma'
A hearty, guid New Year.        (Trad.)

Romans 8:28

The door-bell was ringing; someone was knocking; I awoke, and realised that it wasn't a dream; the bedside clock showed that it was 0250!  Jumping up, and grabbing my dressing-gown, I made for the front door.  As I walked down the hallway, I saw that there were blue flashing lights outside.  I called to my wife - thinking that there was some emergency that entailed our neighbours and us being evacuated from our homes.  'Twas not so!

As I opened the door, I was met with the sight of the caravan on which we had spent so many hours this past week, cleaning and polishing in order to sell, with thick, black, rancid, smoke billowing from it, and two fire appliances on the roadway outside.  We were as gutted as the caravan now was!

To make matters worse, we only had the caravan because it had required some warranty work, for which a major part had been ordered by our local dealer, and which was completed just last week.  In the meantime, we had purchased a replacement 'van in which we had spent our long summer holiday.  The only reason for not having traded in the other one was the fact that the part had been ordered, and was being manufactured.  This meant that, while we had taken out insurance on the 'new' (pre-loved/second-hand) 'van, we didn't have any cover for the one that is now useless!

The cause of the fire has still to be determined, but as the door was found to be unlocked, and a window was found to be open (I had been washing the outside yesterday, and would certainly have noticed the latter), it would appear that the fire was started deliberately "by a person, or persons, unknown"!

The salt in the wound was today, when a friend, who had learned last evening that the 'van was for sale, 'phoned my wife to express an interest in coming to view it.  I have offered a reduced price!!!

So, how does one react in such a situation?  Well, we have looked for the positives.  No-one was in the 'van, so no-one was injured, or killed.  The fire was at the side of the 'van that faced away from the house, so the wooden supports in the front porch didn't catch fire, with the potential for a much more serious situation.  We will be able to salvage quite a number of saleable items, so the financial loss, although still considerable, may not be as much as I had expected in the early hours of the morning.

And was it mere coincidence that, when I sat down for my private devotions this morning, I was directed to Psalm 31:14-24?  Those verses commence with the words: "But I trust in Thee, O YHWH; I say 'Thou art my God'." and end: "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for YHWH."

The situation in which David penned those words was different from the situation in which we find ourselves this evening.  But we serve the same God, and know Him in a way in which David was unable to know Him, as Messiah had not yet appeared in David's day.  So, we give thanks, remembering those in the persecuted church who, like some in the Mexican town of San Rafael Tianalapan, were forced out of their homes (not touring caravans) by other, traditionalist, townsfolk who threatened to "crucify, or lynch," them if they stayed.

And we can rejoice in the knowledge that, from His vantage-point of eternity, Father God not only knows that that fire is taking place (for in eternity there is only 'present' - no past or future!), but also knows how the situation is being resolved, in a future moment of physical time.

You see, Romans 8:28 either means everything - or nothing; and we choose to believe the former!