Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. ~ Proverbs 19:2
Church today was at the First Baptist Church Blanco. It was a wonderfully welcoming church and during the greeting time, I actually introduced myself to another first-time visitor. I wasn’t expecting to learn that because she was an elderly woman, and usually by that age, they’re ingrained in their own church family. Just goes to show . . . . never assume.
The gregarious pastor’s wife also greeted us and we discovered that she’s originally from Hudson, Ohio! Her grandmother just passed yesterday after 103 years. She was from Cuyahoga Falls. These are both close neighbors to Green, where we’re from.
Her husbands’ message today was directed at Christians, with the key verse being Romans 12:1-2. Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices; holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.
What is God’s will for our lives? Questions come up nearly every day in some form. Do we take that job? Should we marry? What college should we attend? What church does He want us to serve in? Should we volunteer for that position (in or out of church)? How should we budget our finances? How much to spend on that house, car, clothes? How do we address that particular issue?
The Pastor said that in order for us to discern God’s will, our values must align with God’s values. In other words, God will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4), but only if we delight ourselves in Him (Psalm 37:4). Why? Because once we delight ourselves in Him – – value what He values – – our desires will become the same as His desires for us. Therefore, we will be able to discern His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Because of the mercy of God, we can live every day in front of God’s face in such a way that He smiles. We exist to please God, to bring glory to Him. In him we were also chosen . . . in order that we . . . might be for the praise of His glory. ~ Ephesians 1:11-12. It is our spiritual act of worship.
There are physical acts of worship – when you go to church, when you sing hymns and spiritual songs, when you pray, when you read Scripture. But there should also be spiritual acts of worship. This is everywhere you go and everything you do, think and say. So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ~ I Corinthians 10:31. This is what Paul means when he tells us in Romans that our bodies are living sacrifices. When he tells us that we should no longer conform to the pattern of the world – believing, acting, talking like the world without God does . . . . the world without the saving power of Jesus.
John 4:23-24 tells us, But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
Because of the mercy of God, you can see through the false advertising of this age and gaze upon the true images of His kingdom. The ‘false advertising of this age’, particularly now with easy connections to practically everyone instantaneously, is all the fake news and social media bullying that goes on. The pastor said it’s like the world has play-doh molds and are trying to press us into them. If we don’t conform, then we’re tossed out. Our godly beliefs, convictions, and actions considered insignificant or outdated or hate-filled.
We should have different virtues – success is not significance, rebellion isn’t freedom, sex is not love, feelings are not truth, our impulses and feelings are not truth. These are the lies the world presses upon us.
The calling of God on our lives, this gospel that is worthy of our complete devotion, is not a demand God places on us, but an invitation He offers to us. This is life – – eternal and abundant.
What step do you need to take to align yourself with God’s truth in order to be able to properly discern His will for your life? A lifestyle change? A wrong rectified? A sin that needs repenting? Spending more time with Him in order to recognize His voice?
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
The plan today was to follow the example of our forefathers and take a scenic drive on a lovely Sunday afternoon. There was one listed in our National Geographic Scenic Drives book, called Devil’s Backbone, and it sounded like it had potential.
Not particularly.
We wondered if maybe the trees and shrubs that lined the roads today weren’t there when National Geographic originally went through here when the article was written for the first edition in 1995. Our book is the fourth edition and dated 2013, but I don’t know exactly what that means. Does that mean that someone went out and checked everything mentioned in the book for each of the “new editions”? If that’s the case, and it was still considered a scenic drive in 2013, a lot must have changed in the past 6 years.
Occasionally, we’d get a glimpse of the landscape that teased us with great views, but it wasn’t enough to actually see, let alone take pictures of.
But as usual, Blaine had an additional plan. He’d unearthed a Park along the way with trails for us to check out. Blue Hole Reginal Park. It was a lovely place, and much more interesting than our drive. 😊
They charge people to come in here, and you have to reserve swim times, which is quite different than anyplace else we’ve visited.
But we got in for free today. I guess because it’s the dead of winter around here and no one wants to brave the cool spring water that’s probably about the temperature of the air – or maybe the air is cooler than the water today?
So we walked around, and then headed back home the way the book told us.
Still nothing. . . . .
