Do You Carry?
Headed to Lubbock last weekend, we made a pit stop for lunch in Brownwood TX to eat at a favorite restaurant, Underwood’s BBQ (established in 1945). Underwood’s BBQ is a family-owned business and now the 3rd generation, great grandson carries on the business.
Mr. Underwood welcomed us in and gave us a play-by-play of all the delights that the buffet provided. He pointed us to a picture on the wall of the first Underwood’s, a small building.
The food was delicious, but the décor is what stole my attention. All sorts of guns and photos of cowboys and their horses decorated the walls. Mr. Underwood approached our table. To me, he looked like a police officer as he had two black boxes attached to his belt. He asked if he could help us in any way. I asked: “Do you carry?” I meant, “Are you carrying guns?” Yes-sir-ee — he was carrying!
No question, this town and its people are American Conservatives. I am stretching the point of my starting sentence above “Do YOU Carry?
Oh, yes, I do! In fact, I “carried” my Bible with me to our Grandmothers’ Prayer Group on Monday. Though I didn’t need to use it during our meeting, I still quoted scriptures that were firmly nestled deeply in my heart and soul.
The Apostle Paul better explains what I mean by “carry”. Philippians 2:16 says “Hold firmly to the word of life.” Aw! Therein lies the answer to every question, the recipe for success, the roadmap for our faith and life journey and the prescription for a fulfilled life that is full of God’s peace, joy, hope and love.
God has promised us so many wonderful benefits in our lives if we will treasure the “Good Book”, as some folks call the Bible. Finding the answers to everything is found there and we, who meditate, ponder, and dive deep into God’s promises and apply it to our lives, find LIFE and fulfillment!
Meditate. Ponder. Dive deep. What do those words mean? Let’s think about how we meditate, ponder and dive deep into something besides the Bible.
If we know how to worry, then we already know how to meditate. Worry is when we take a negative thought and think about it over and over. On the other hand, when we take a passage of Scripture and think about it over and over, that’s meditation.
If all we do is hear the Word of God when we go to church, then we’ll have a weak grip on the Word of God, and it easily can be pulled out of our minds.
Psalm 119:16 says, “Your laws make me happy. I will never forget your word.” So, if we want to be happy, at peace, settled into God’s comfort, embracing His wisdom, then His Word is our GO TO place.
Following God’s principles produces what we need for any situation. We remember those principles by memorizing them, meditating on them, and then applying them.
Psalm 119:35 says, “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.” Typically, we’re looking for happiness in all the wrong places. God says happiness is found in the path of His commands.
Today, we can CARRY God’s Word in our hearts as we listen to His Word through wonderful sermon series found online, by reading His Word in our daily devotion times and many other ways. The question is DO YOU CARRY?