Where's the fire

I have seen on other social media lately allot of excitement, angst, and drama. I have even been caught up in some of the political debate. While not deeply invested and I haven't lost any sleep over it, it did get me to wondering.. Where's the fire? Fire takes 3 elemental things to burn... fuel, oxygen and a heat source.  If any of the 3 are missing the fire goes out. Now I am sure by this point you are wondering why I am going on about fire, let me explain.   Proverbs 25v20a states...'Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;'
    Many an argument will die away if we just let it be. Yes it was wrong what they did or said. Yes, it was hurtful how they treated you. Yes, you have the right to stand up for yourself. But friends you can not change people, you can only have control over your part in any situation. Now they may be blowing a bunch of hot air(talking about or spitting hate-oxygen) they may be tossing verbal daggers( heat) but you don't have to add the wood. My dad constantly reminds me not to stir the pot. He says if you stir it it is going to stink. Like most people I have some old, new and very present hurts. I have discovered that if I don't constantly go over my 'they did this, I felt that list' that my hurt heals faster. I guess its like pulling off the scab on a wound. If you keep pulling off the scab it takes longer to heal. Does it make it right that someone yelled or called you a name? No however you got to let go and get to healing. Remove your wood from the fire. Don't feed it, don't stroke it, don't let it have reign over your life, for as long as you do they have reign over you. Turn to the Lord Jesus and ask for his peace and let it reign.
      Now please, don't misunderstand me. There are some people who constantly trample over the line and must be dealt with. However dealing with them may mean not acknowledging  them and letting them stew in their own juices. It may be you have to tell them that they are acting in an inappropriate manner you will no longer deal with them..have a good life! But above all you need to release(forgive) them. Forgiveness isn't for their benefit but your. I guess all this is a little rambling but in the common language--take your dog out of the fight. Because without wood the fire goes out, without your eyes or ears seeking out what or who said what, your pain will ease. Anyone who knows you will know if someone is lying on you.
    If the offender is someone you must deal with, limit the access they have to you. By pursuing a less dramatic existence you will have a more pleasant one.

Counting

Time is short, that is the long and the short of the matter. Weather life was minutes or 100 years in the space of eternity we are come and gone. We put off doing things until later. We will serve Jesus later. We will quit doing this or that later.
    Let us take a look at Psalms 90. It was a prayer of Moses to Father God. V1 acknowledge God as our refuge. Verse 2 acknowledges His eternalness. From everlasting to everlasting.The chapter also acknowledged the sins of  his, Moses, nation. But the verse that spoke the most to me is verse 12- Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
     How many times have we just drifted along doing the same old thing and expecting different results? Weather it be in the natural realm or the spiritual realm we drift. When I started contemplating this blog I was thinking of people who I know are not serving God or just plain old straddling the fence. I was thinking of ones who show up to church occasionally as fire insurance but, I have began to see that Christians have not been numbering their days well. And by Christians I mean me.
      How many times have I woke up and realized that it had been 2, 3, 5 days since I picked up a bible or took time away from the runaround world and prayed? How many times have I thought to myself I need to spend more time with God? There are many who read this who will recognize themselves here I am sure. We lack power in the house of God because we do not spend time with the creator of the house. We have same old church as usual because ritual is what is left when we lose relationship or it has grown lukewarm. The word tells us that Christ will spew the lukewarm from out of his mouth.
     This blog today is an accounting. This blog is a numbering of my days. I am contemplating, laying it out and being accountable before God. In doing so I will gain a heart of wisdom.  I want my relationship with the Father to be one of closeness not just a fond remembrance of the past. I want to a be what He wants me to be-being able to hear Him when He says go this way or go that way. I want to be able to pray for someone when He says pray and not have to think that He will be shocked to hear from me..ahem.. I want my relationship to surpass everything else in this world. So here on January 2, 2012--I begin anew considering my ways and counting my days.. How about you?