Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Thoughtful Living

 

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.  Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Ephesians 5:15-20

In response to reading Paul’s admonition to give thanks for everything, I’m grateful to God for the life of my dear friend, John, who graduated to the church triumphant this past week.  I didn’t get to see John and his bride, Anne, in person a whole lot because our homes are separated by a four-hour drive.  We had just made plans to meet for lunch this Saturday.  Now I will have to wait for a different meeting time and place of our Heavenly Father’s choosing.  John’s passing to be in the presence of his Lord is going to take some getting-used to.  I’m going to miss the banter-by-email we shared.  He was a masterful pun-machine, able to spin one of my thoughtlessly-dropped words like a coin turning on its end.  Conversation with John was laced with joy and thoughtfulness.  I always marvelled how his rapid-fire quips rolled with such awesome humor and wisdom, entwined like a well-crafted sermon in a phrase.  I told John that if he came to visit in our church he’d better belay the “wisdom in a word” around my church family; they’d start a petition for sermons of his length.  His reply:  Sensor-ship.

Admittedly, my mind takes a lot longer to respond than did John’s.  But I have no doubt his every answer was much more than glib banter – rather a lifelong evidence of inquisitiveness about human nature, and the Divine.  An avid reader, lover of locomotives, traveller, churchman, teacher of young people’s confirmation classes, and classical music addict, JC, had interest in the gift God gave him of life and time to use it well.

There is an art to this business of living thoughtfully.  It is purposeful investment of the gift of that next breath, impervious to the mindlessness of herd mentality, and ever vigilant to the leading of God’s Spirit.  If pressed, I would characterize my friend John as one who helped me in that direction. 

Thank you, brother…may you rest in peace, and rise in glory.

For You Today

There are many people God brings into your life to help you think and live thoughtfully.  Listen closely, drink deeply, and follow the Spirit’s calling genuinely.  There’s a kingdom to gain.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©   

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