​I have been thinking.
Please don’t tell my wife that. She will wonder what has happened in my head and be concerned about my mental state!
Seriously, in light of living life during what some call “unprecedented times” for you, me, our families, country and world, there is most likely a whole lot of thinking going on. Who hasn’t paused to give thought concerning their current situation and the future?
The Lord put on my heart the following thoughts, which are truths, about life.
Reflecting upon them and praying over them has helped me to positively face the realities of our day, maintain proper perspective, and center my life on what really matters.
Here we go into the files of my mental hard drive!   
LIFE HAPPENS.  Life can change in a moment, in a flash, without our permission or approval.  Sometimes the changing season is good, others not so good. Regardless, it is a fact that life doesn’t stand still, even when we wish it would for a while.
When life happens, though we may not know  exactly what is happening or why it is happening,  that is when we have to come to grips with present reality, deal with it successfully, and know that life, by its very nature, will change again!
LIFE IS RISKY. There is no guaranteed outcome in this life. None. Nada’. Zero. Well maybe, death and taxes! Why no guarantees?  Because life is full of risk.
 Driving down the highway is a risk. Boarding an airplane is a risk. Depositing your money in the bank is a risk. Getting out of the bed in the morning could be a risk!  
Even people of Christian faith face risk every day. The good news: God is with us to assist you and me to navigate through risk with His wisdom and guidance.
 LIFE REQUIRES FAITH. Living life is all about trust and faith. People believe and trust in someone or something. Trust is a truth we must acknowledge and then trust in who or what is trustworthy.
Not everyone or everything can be trusted. Walking by faith in God and not by sight is a decision you and I can make every day. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and you will never be disappointed (Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 10:13).
Put your faith in the One who is faithful.
LIFE IS RELATIONSHIPS. The greatest joy is life our relationships. Think for a moment about the people you love and who love you. Relationships sweeten life.
Relationships matter. God set it up that way. He is relational. He loves us and through Christ made it possible for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Now that is a relationship!
Do you value your relationships with God, family friends and fellow Christians? When push comes to shove in life, healthy, loving, caring, mutual-satisfying relationships will carry the day.
Cherish, nurture and thank God for your relationships every single day.
LIFE IS GOOD. Life can be tough at times. But overall, when you and I stop to think about it, our life is good. We are blessed!
 Life is good because God is good, and He gives us life. Certainly, bad things happen to good people. But God’s goodness overrules bad things. His goodness prevails in the hearts of those who trust Him to make good out of bad.
Praise God for your good life today. No matter your current situation, God has been good to you, is good to you, and will always be good to you.
LIFE IS SHORT. Time flies, especially when you are having fun!  Your and my days are numbered, appointed by our Creator. Our times are in His hands according to the Bible. Our days seem to pass by swiftly, especially the older you are!
Never waste your day. Every day is a gracious gift from God. Rejoice in your days (Psalm 118:24). Give God praise for today because life is short and your days on earth will run out!  
Count your days and make your days count by walking in God’s wisdom (Psalm 90:12).  
LIFE IS CHIRST. Have you discovered what life is all about? In John 14:6 in the Bible Jesus declared” I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through Me.”  In John 10:10 the Lord says “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”  
Clearly, Jesus is life. There is no abundant life and eternal life without God’s Son. Jesus loves us so much that He willingly gave up His life on a Cross and rose from the dead so that we could live free from sin.
Have you received Christ, who is life, into your life? Is Jesus your personal Lord and Savior? Now is the time to humble yourself before God, repent of your sins, receive forgiveness from the Lord, and live your life for Him the rest of your days.
 Those are my thoughts. Pretty thoughtful huh? What do you think about life?
My friend live your life for the glory of God and the good of people.
“For there the Lord commanded the blessing---life forever.” Psalm 133:3
A Word For Your Week: Think about life the way God thinks about it.

​Uncertainty.
Certainly, the Coronavirus, with all of its negative impact on our health and livelihood, has stirred up a spirit of uncertainty in many lives   
Uncertain things and situations make us uncomfortable.
It is natural and comfortable for human beings to gravitate toward what is certain, sure, known, predictable, calculable and controllable. Who amongst us doesn’t like to feel sure and secure, having everything figured out, laid out in a clear path? I am not ashamed to admit that I am a card-carrying member of the certainty club. 
Being unsure creates anxiety and hesitancy. Surety and certainty produces peace and instills confidence.
So how should you and I deal with uncertainty? Uncertain times and situations?
The best way to handle uncertainty is to know what you are certain of.
The Bible addresses both certainty and uncertainty. One example of this is found in I John 3:1-3.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him, purifies himself, just as He is pure.”  
As a believer in Jesus Christ, I love this passage. These comforting, encouraging words from the beloved apostle John warm my heart and give me spiritual goose bumps! John was certain of the following.

1. The Father has bestowed upon those who believe in Him a “great love.” It is certain that God’s loves us in a big way! No matter how uncertain life appears GOD LOVES US.
2.  The Father has called us His children. It is certain that followers of Christ are sons and daughters of the Living God. That is a very good thing to know! YOU AND I ARE GOD’S KIDS.
3. It is certain that the world doesn’t know God’s people. Worldly people don’t know us because they don’t know Jesus. GOD KNOWS US.
4. Jesus is coming back for His children. It is certain He will appear. When He does, we will see Him and be just like Him. GOD’S SON IS COMING BACK AND WE WILL BE LIKE HIM.
5. It is uncertain just when and how Jesus will appear. The time is not known to us. Exactly what our life will be like while we wait for His glorious return is often uncertain.
6. While we wait with some uncertainty, John exhorts us to purify ourselves as He is pure. In other words, keep working out the salvation that Jesus has worked in you. Pursue a holy, Christ-like life. Grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus. Keep growing spiritually with maturity in Christ as your goal. 

Thanks brother John. You have helped us to walk confidently and boldly in certainty when life is uncertain. Because God loves us, calls us His kids and Jesus is coming back soon for us, you and I can live with surety and security in an unsure and insecure world.
How To Be Certain When Uncertain

• Search the Scripture. Study the Bible. Know what God says about life. Build your life on the sure, certain foundation of Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 3:11).
• When you aren’t sure about something, focus on what you are sure of.
• Go with what you know. Let go of what you don’t know.
• Trust God for what you don’t know or cannot see. He knows and sees what you and I don’t know or see.  
• When moving forward by faith in uncertain times, remember how the Lord has been faithful to you in the past during times of uncertainty. You can be certain He will come through for you again!
• Be certain of what you are certain of even when others are uncertain

Many people today, maybe you,  are anxiously concerned about the future. Our world, the system apart from God’s Kingdom, is confused about what really matters. It amazes me how many folks focus on what is uncertain instead of what is certain. Speculation displaces revelation. What man thinks might happen overrides what God says will happen. Man glorifies man instead of glorifying God.
No wonder people are uncertain in uncertain times.
Don’t be one of those confused, deceived folks. Like you, I face some uncertainty every day. But I choose and do my best with God’s help to dwell on what I know is certain. That’s how I am able to remain reasonably sane and secure in an insane, uncertain world.
My sanity and security is based on knowing God loves me, Steve Roll, with a great love. Knowing I am God’s kid who inherits His Kingdom. Knowing Jesus promised to come back for me at the right time.  Knowing I shall see Him and be like Him. Oh my, Oh my! My soul soars with a holy hope, positively anxious anticipation and eager, enthusiastic expectation that mere words can’t express!
Being certain of where I am going makes it easier to live in uncertain times.
Do you have the certainty that God loves you? That He wants to call you His child? That His only Son Jesus will come back for you one day as you walk by faith and look to the eastern sky for His appearing? Are you sure that you are saved and will go home to heaven when you die?
 Are you certain of what you need to be certain of? The only way to be sure of what really matters is to receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior.
Read these few verses in the Bible. Meet with a Christian. See a pastor. Then, be sure that you invite Jesus into your life. (John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-10, John 1:12 and Revelation 3:20).
I can place my head on my pillow at night with peace because I am certain, without a single doubt, that I belong to Jesus. I will spend eternity with Him in heaven. Lights out. Good night. Sweet dreams of glory on the other side of this uncertain world.
How do you sleep at night?
A Word For Your Week: Be certain of what you are certain of and leave uncertainty to the Lord.

​When I was about ten years old, my Dad taught me to cast a fishing line into the lake. The picturesque setting was a snow fed, freshwater lake tucked in the towering mountains outside of Spokane, Washington. I remember well enjoying the warm sun and refreshing breeze while eating ham sandwiches and drinking a can of Cream soda.  
 
My father taught me a principle: Steve, you can’t catch fish with the line and wiggly worm in hand. So, my Dad schooled me in the art of tossing, or throwing the line out to where the fish were.
 
Dad was a really good caster! Me, not so good. I am sure my father recollected with fondness in his heart (frustration too!) how awkward and inexperienced his son was in throwing that baited hook and line out of the boat.
 
Dad casted like a professional because he had fished for decades. Casting was natural for him. Not so much for me. My initial casts snagged his pants, landed on logs jutting out from the lakes surface, and I even hooked myself once! But over time I did learn to cast the line and even caught some fish. Imagine that!
 
Jesus taught us not to worry about life (Matthew 6:25-33). The Apostle Paul exhorts us to not worry about anything and to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7).  Peter commands believers in Christ to “cast all their anxieties” (worries, cares, concerns, frustrations and burdens) on the Lord. Why cast our anxieties? To catch a fish?  Not exactly.
 
The Apostle Peter carried some heavy burdens and cares that crushed his spirit. Imagine how devastated his heart felt after denying the Lord when he swore that he wouldn’t? The Lord lovingly restored Peter’s relationship with Him. Years later, Peter wrote “Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”  I Peter 5:7
 
God desires that His children be carefree. To be carefree never means to be careless.
It means to be free from unnecessary care. It is not our Heavenly Father’s will for us to be burdened and bogged down with worry as we walk through life. 
 
Think about it for a moment. Why should we carry burdens, worries and cares that Jesus nailed to the Cross? Isaiah 53:1-6 makes it clear that Jesus bore or carried everything that would burden us down in life. He took upon Himself all of our cares so we would not have to carry life’s cares.
 
 
CAST YOUR CARE! Please note that tossing our worries, anxiety and cares on the Lord is our responsibility. My Dad didn’t cast my fishing line for me. God doesn’t cast our cares for us. Neither can other people. Each of us are to be our own care caster.
 
It takes a humble person to admit they are burdened and then do something about it. Verses 5-6 in I Peter 5 tell us that God resists the arrogant or proud person (the one who thinks he can handle his or her life without outside help). Arrogant people hang on to their cares and become buried by their burdens. Proud and burdened does not make for smooth sailing through life.
 
 On the other hand, God gives grace and assistance to the humble person. That’s great news! God takes our cares because He cares for us. Because He cares, He takes our cares. He shares our concerns. He invites us to cast our cares His way!
 
 Are you one of those discouraged people who thinks that nobody cares? Please think again. GOD CARES! You have His Word on it. He cares that you have cares and He is ready and waiting to relieve you of them.
 
Unburden your burdens. Lighten your load. Dare to cast your cares on the Lord who for cares for you.
 
Casting Exercise
 
1. Make a list of your “cares” on a piece of paper. Be very specific.
 
2. Write I Peter 5:7 over each one of them. Make the font of the verse                                     bigger and bolder than the care.
 
3. Toss each “care” on the Lord through believing prayer. Speak your care                             into the air of God’s faithfulness and leave it there.
 
4... Tear up the paper. Place it in the trash and move forward in life with                          a renewed faith and a lighter load. 
           
5. When the devil tries to remind you about your “cares”, remind him you                               cast them on Christ and they are history! Hallelujah!
 
I have learned throughout my forty-seven years as a Christian, that the more I cast my cares on the Lord, the better caster I am!
 
Your Heavenly Father loves you and simply asks you to toss your worries to Him! God has big hands, wide shoulders, and a huge heart. He can handle all your anxieties.
 
I can’t imagine why anyone would want to bear burdens and suffer with anxiety with an invitation like this. There is no joy or freedom in being stressed out over the cares of this life. We need to take some casting lessons from our Father in heaven.
 
Do you trust Him enough to toss your cares upon Him? 
 
“Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”                                                                         Psalm 55:22
 
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light.”             Matthew 11:28-30
 
A Word For Your Week: Cast your cares on the One who cares for you.

​As the COVID-19 crisis continues, how is your patience?
I have a pretty good idea that the mandated quarantine and shutdown is causing your patience to wear a little, or a lot, thin. Getting testy. I know my patience is!
As the “blursdays” drag on, impatience is stalking all of us.
“Be patient” is a phrase I have loathed in the past.  I know patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-24. At times I have had conversations with the Lord about that. I mean, love, joy, peace etc. I can do that. But patience is not my personal forte’.
 But over the years of my walk with Christ, I have slowly, slowly learned that patience is my friend, especially when I am waiting for adverse circumstance to turn around.
Job’s story in the Bible inspires me. His life is one of faith, patience and endurance.
James writes “As an example brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we count those blessed who endured.  You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” James 5:10-11
Job: an example of suffering and patience. A man of endurance when life was unbearable.
I encourage you to take some time and read through the entire book of Job. Yes, the whole book, all forty chapters, Read it as a continuing story.
The Cliff note version goes like this. Satan attacked Job. God allowed the devil to test him, but not kill him. Job’s sons and daughters lost their lives. Job’s servants, livestock, crops and wealth were wiped out.
His wife told him to “Curse God and die.” (Thank you for your love and support woman!). Job’s health deteriorated. He sat on an ash heap scraping boils off his body with rocks (I don’t like that picture). Three of his supposedly faithful friends, incessantly taunted him, accusing him of committing sin and evil while Job suffered.
During the trial that affected every part of his life, Job, like you and I would have, questioned God as to what He was up to. At a critical point Job declared “Though He slay me, I will trust in Him.”
 
Suffering. Enduring. Patient with the process. Job declared he would trust God no matter what. God was going to do. The Lord was not going to slay Job.
God is not in the business of killing His servants who go through severe seasons of suffering.
The end of the matter. Read chapter forty. Study it carefully. Be inspired.
Job’s faith was intact. He reveals that He now sees God in an even great way than before. When Job repented of his doubts and prayed for his accusing friends, the Lord restored double, that’s right, twice as much of everything that Job had lost.  For job’s sake, I hope his wife had a change of heart too!
Job is remembered as a faith hero. Job endured because he was patient.  
 How is your patience level with what is going on in our society? “Breaking News” dominated by bad news can definitely produce anxiety, fear and impatience in you and me. What in particular is testing your patience at this time?
Honestly, you and I aren’t facing anything like Job. So, if he had patient endurance because of faith in God, we certainly can!
Endurance is fueled by patience. Impatience sabotages endurance. Being patient with our faith gives us the strength to endure whatever adverse circumstances we may face.
Being Patient When Feeling Impatient

• Recognize the spirit of impatience. What triggers impatience in you? Know your foe if you want to defeat it.
• Resist the impulse to be impatient. Reject the impatience bug with all your might.
• When impatient, sit down. Take a deep breath. Maybe two. Or three. Then get up. Choose and resolve to be patient with your circumstance. Yes, patient!
• Tune out people who are impatient. Stay clear of them. Don’t catch what they have.
• Immerse yourself in God’s promises in the Bible. God’s Word has a calming effect on our impatient soul. Jesus taught “In your patience possess your soul.” Luke 21:19
• Bottom line: Patience is a measure of mature faith. Impatience is evidence of immature faith. Which kind of faith do you want to have, patient or impatient?
• Thank God for helping you to be patient when tempted to be impatient.

My friend, we may or may not be in the same boat. Whatever harbor our boat sails into depends on our attitude.
You and I get to choose patience or impatience.
Be patient. Trust God whether we stay locked down a little longer and, of course, when we are set free again.
“That you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:12
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8
A Word For Your Week: Be patient with your impatience.