Good Morning!

I have been watching Lee and Rodney as they work to get my new roof installed. I haven’t been there every minute, mind you, but I have been around most of the time. (I imagine they are thankful that I have a job and have to be gone most of the day … although I don’t say much.) People who work with their hands intrigue me because that is something I could never master. I guess I didn’t have the patience and the courage to do so. And, yes, working with one’s hands does take courage. One has to assume he CAN DO IT … rather than to fear that he cannot. I fit in the second category.

Wednesday evening, after the sun had set, I stood in the driveway with Lee. At first we were talking about what he needed to do inside the house to fix the ceilings that had water damage. He then began to talk about Friday night when he goes to training to work with people in the Clayton County jail … to tell them about Jesus. We talked about his past … and his future. We talked about the weaknesses he has in his life … the touch points where Satan will attack. I told him that he should expect to have more occurrences … not because of Satan but because God will be “proving” him … making Lee stronger in that area … teaching Lee to turn to God in times of temptation. I shared with Lee the following Scripture which seems to cross my lips more and more frequently these days:

James 1:2-4 (English Standard Version)
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Footnotes:
a. James 1:2 Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God’s family, the church; also verses 16, 19

I likened the trials we go through to football. Okay, ladies, I know … football?!!! Well, I asked Lee if the coach just began walking them through plays and told them to go execute them on the first day. The answer is “No”. The first thing the coach does is put you under physical stress. And he does it daily so that your body becomes strong and able to withstand the physical effort of the game. After you are worn out physically, you welcome learning the mental aspects of the game as a relief from your effort. As practice goes on, the coach teaches the player new techniques to lessen the physical stress.

God does the same thing for us. We have to learn to trust God in all aspects of our life – not just the Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night routine. We have to trust God for our 24/7 lives … where temptation does enter and the sin choices beckon. It is not an overnight affair … but a daily walk learned.

Before Lee left, he asked that we pray. And we did. Right there in the driveway as the darkness fell. What a joy.

Agape’

Mr. Jim