Doth Job fear God for nought? - Job 1:9

I just loved this encouragement from Spurgeon, and it naturally made me think of those I know who are enduring hard trials with faith and praise the Lord for His work and His care in their lives. It also reminds me that I am almost always more concerned about my own "comfort" that I should be, because ironically and mercifully, true comfort comes with trials, not in their absence.

Doth Job fear God for nought? - Job 1:9
This was the wicked question of Satan concerning Job, that upright man of old. Sadly, there are many people today about whom it might be asked with legitimacy, for they love God after a fashion because He prospers them. But if things were to go badly for them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. If they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion they have enjoyed prosperity, then they will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord.
Their love is the love of the table, not of the Host; a love of the cupboard, not of the Master of the house.
As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in the next life and to endure hardness in this life. The promise of the old covenant is adversity. Remember Christ's words, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit..." (John 15:2). What happens to a branch that does bear fruit? "He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (v.2).
If you bring forth fruit, you will have to endure afflictions. "Alas" you say, "that is a terrible prospect!" But this affliction works out such precious results that the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus.
Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod. Sooner or later, every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Do not fear, but rather rejoice that fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned from earth and make ready for heaven. You will be delivered from clinging to the present and caused to long for those eternal things that are so soon to be revealed to you.
When you feel that you would gladly serve God without the promise of any benefits in this life, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future.

From Charles Spurgeon in Morning and Evening, January 22, Evening.

Quatro

Here is a fun picture for you that was taken today!
Can you guess who this is?

  

Christmas Vacation

Yes, it was definitely a vacation for me! Sleeping late several mornings, Kris' mom made breakfast for the kids, Kris' Dad cleaned up the dishes, we ate out almost every day. I am so undeserving of such pampering, but it was fun!
Kris' parents, Ted and Gabrielle, are so generous and warm-hearted, and they LOVE to entertain our family and fill our days with excitement. They also love the giggles and squeals and questions of young children, and never seem to tire of having the kids around!

Here's the trip, in numbers:

33 years God has given Kris (his birthday is Jan 1st
14 restaurant meals (3 of which were take-out)
12 tickets for the carousel at the zoo
9 nights we were there
6 breathing treatments Janet administered
5 tickets to the Children's Museum in Houston - a very cool place! The kids LOVED it!
4 trips to Potbelly - I guess it's the new Pate favorite in the fast food category!
3 parties at Bryan and Janet's house (Kris' brother and sister-in-law who live across the street from my in-laws): Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve. She is a wonderful hostess!
2 train rides at the Houston Zoo - a Pate family tradition, I guess!
2 trips to the park
1 fabulous night at Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker
1 visit to the Houston Zoo (actually, there were 2, but one of them was just to ride the train and not to view the animals)
1 case of pneumonia, treated by our very own Dr. Janet Pate

Except for Thomas being sick, it was a fun-filled trip, one that makes me especially thankful for the chance to make such fun memories. God has blessed me with a dear sweet family.

Addendum

This is just an addendum to other posts on competition.

A dear sister from church encouraged me not to worry about whether I'm being too competitive or proud in pursuing a task, not to give much time to those types of thoughts. Instead, (in her words) "just ask the Lord to help you focus on doing all things with all your might as unto the Lord for his glory! Then let the Holy Spirit which dwells in you bear His fruit through you to others."

What a wonderful reminder this has served for me: not to use my thought time thinking about myself, and analyzing whether I'm being too competitive. Instead, I should turn my thoughts to God and PRAY! "Father, help me to serve You with all my might for Your glory."

If I spend that time praying for Him to work through me and praying that I can do my work for His glory with all my might, He will, by His grace, purify my heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (ESV)

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

Songs in the night

This is from Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon.

October 19
Evening

"God my maker, who giveth songs in the night." Job 35:10

Anyone can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspration from it. When wealth flows around him in abundance, anyone can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest or sends home a ship loaded with goods. It is easy enough for an aeolian harp to whisper music when the wind is blowing. The difficulty is in getting the music to swell when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight. Yet the one who can sing when there is not a ray of light to read by - who sings form his heart - is skillful. No one can compose a song in the night by his own ability. He may attemp it, but he will find that it must be divinely inspeired. If everything is going well, I can weave songs wherever I go, forming them out of the flowers that grow on my path. However, put me in a desert, where nothing green grows, and then how will I create a hymn of praise to God? How can a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where there are no jewels?
If my voice is clear, and my body is full of health, I can sing God's praises. Yet silence my tongue, and put me on a sickbed, and then how will I sing God's high priases, unless He Himself gives me the song? No it is not in man's power to sing when everything is going badly, unless a coal from the altar touches his lips. (See Isaiah 6:5-7.) Habakkuk sang a divine song when he said, in the night, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab 3:17-18). Therefore, since our Maker gives "songs in the night," let us wait on Him for the music. O Chief Musician, let us not remain songless when affliction is upon us. Tune our lips to the melody of thanksgiving.

...For a dear one close by, who has not remained songless in her affliction. There have, no doubt, been many melodies lifted high unto Him who loves her. What a privilege to experience His grace abounding in all circumstances!

May He continue to give you songs to sing, and may the beautiful sound of His grace continue to bless all the hearers in earth and heaven.

It's the Process

Mrs. Judy says that having a competitive drive is a blessing, because it drives you to excel in areas that otherwise you may not be as motivated in. Being made with that drive to do well is a good thing. But I feel particularly vulnerable to having sinful desires because of this drive.

For those of us with this drive, we need to be careful that we are doing an activity for the right reasons. So, if I am in a game, I need to be mindful that winning is not the most important object. The competitive set-up of the game is a structure that helps us learn self-discipline and hard work. It's all about the process of competing, not the result. In the process we learn how to work hard. We learn to push ourselves beyond what we did last time. To try things we wouldn't try otherwise. To run the race a little faster, a little longer. To try our best. These are very important lessons for us as Christians living the Christian life and wanting to devote ourselves to good works, in our families and churches.

It's not that we want to do it better than everyone else so that we can be seen as the best. This is pride and wanting self-glory! No! We should strive to do our best, and if we want to do as well as someone else, I suppose it's okay, as long as we are checking our motives. Is it a proper goal for us, considering our husband, family, etc (like Mindy's comment)? The proper motive should be to do our best for the Lord! For His glory! I need to ask myself: "Who is this for, for me or for God?"

I'm still trying to sort this issue out, but I guess I have to be careful not to swing on the side of the pendulum that all competition is bad. That kind of extremism is usually a red flag.

In a nutshell, our goal shouldn't be as much to be the best, but to do our best. I suppose there are instances when God may want us to BE the best too, but those are opportunities to point the attention to Him. If we get recongnition for anything, we can use that attention to point to God.

I Corinthians 1:13 Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Pictures!

 

This is exciting! My first try at posting pictures on Blogger! (Actually my third try, but you didn't have to know that did you?) This was in July at the Grand Canyon. It is such a beautiful place!