Carelessness

Benjamin Franklin was wrote, “For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy; and for want of care about a horseshoe nail.” This truly was a small matter from the start, but had severe consequences. Are you about to lose or have you already lost the nail in your possession?

Come, let's take a look at a few examples of what can happen if we are careless with our nail. In Isaiah 47:1 & 8-11 we see that Babylon was destroyed because they were careless in taking care of God's people. God had given them to the Babylonians, but they were very careless with God's goods and they suffered for it. Remember that you are God's! Are you being careful with what is His or careless with your nail?

In the days of Ezekiel the prophet, God chose to destroy Egypt because they too were careless with their nail. They had mistreated God's people and He had had enough. “On that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great anguish shall come upon them, as on the day of Egypt; for indeed it is coming!” (Ezek. 30:8)

Once again we read of God's judgment upon a people because of their carelessness. God is very serious about taking care of what is His. In this example we see the inhabitants of the coast lands of Magog and Magog itself will be destroyed because of their actions against Israel (Ezek. 39:6). Are you taking care of you own nail?

In Zephaniah we read of the judgment against north Assyria, which included the city of Nineveh. They declared, “I am it, and there is none besides me.” (Zeph. 2:15) They nor you can declare, I am it and get away with it. God is a jealous God and will not tolerate carelessness with your obedience to Him. Do you feel you nail coming out?

In Isaiah 32:9 we see where the women of Jerusalem had become complacent. Their complacency had allowed them to become very careless. So careless that their livelihoods would be taken away. Do you have a job today? Do you want one tomorrow? Are you gambling that you do not need God in your life and that you can do everything by yourself. Have you become very careless with the nail God has placed in your hand?

Let's look at one last example found in Acts 18:12-17. You can become careless with your nail when you choose to sit by and do absolutely nothing as did Gallio in the case of Paul. Is God calling you to action and you are choosing sit by idle thinking He does not notice? Remember that God is omnipresent. He sees and knows all. You cannot go unnoticed and He will find you out.

There is yet another nail that needs to be mentioned here. Not just one nail, but three. Jesus Christ was not careless when it came to His nails. He bore each one and He did it for YOU! We are asked to take care of one nail. To make sure it stays obedient and faithful to one God and one Savior. How are you doing with your nail? 

In Christian love! 

A Work in Progress

Surely you have heard of the song, “He's Still Working on Me.” It is usually sung with the younger children in the church family, but it applies to every Christian, or it should.

CHORUS:
He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.
1. There really ought to be a sign upon the heart,
Don't judge her yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.
CHORUS:
2. In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.
CHORUS:

As God's children we want to acquire a greater knowledge of Him and His word. This is accomplished by reading and studying His inspired word on a regularly basis. We need to realize that God is willing to work with us as long as we allow Him to do so. He will not force anything on us that we do not want but He will always strive to give us what we need as we search the scriptures daily with a ready mind (Acts 17:11). How awesome is that?

We shouldn't beat ourselves up because we are not growing spiritually at our pace. It could be that God is not ready to reveal to us some truths or aspects of His word due to the simple fact that we might not be able to digest it yet. We must be patient and wait on the Lord! We must also be careful not to bind on others what we think should be bound, because it might be contrary to the word of God and we are doing it out of ignorance. Of course our motives are pure but so was Paul's in the persecution of Christians.

God wants everyone of us to come to a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ. For many this is still very much a work in progress because they have not yet seen the need for a savior. For those of us who have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb, we acknowledge that our walk with God is a daily progression.

You might not see yourself as a diamond in the rough, but God sees you that way and He wants to shape you into a spiritual jewel that is worth much more than any material treasure. Are you willing to surrender to the Master's Touch and become a work in progress? I pray so!