A Gentle Reminder

"Put your hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all, and especially of those who believe. Teach these things" (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

I was reminded recently about something I had forgotten, beloved, namely that there is a reason for all that we do as Christians and likewise for all that we endure along the way. I was thinking back over the span of my life, specifically of the years of ministry as a preacher and teacher of God's Word, and seeking to evaluate to this point what had been and had not been accomplished. I happened to be standing where my gaze could fall upon a small memento that I was given as a gift along the way, a wooden paper weight upon which is mounted a small silver shepherd's crook below which appears the word "Pastor" along with the Scripture passage listed above. I am not even sure of the particular translation from which this reading comes. But all of a sudden, I realized that the Spirit of God had given to my heart one of His amazing "gentle reminders" of what is really important in life. I cannot describe for you the sense of reassurance that it spoke to my heart!

I believe with all my heart that God is constantly putting such "gentle reminders" in our pathway, beloved, each one intended to keep our thinking and living focused upon the road that He has set before us. As the Apostle Paul reminded the believers in Ephesus, we have before us a life of "good works" which God has "prepared beforehand" and in which He wants us to walk as His servants (Ephesians 2:10). These gentle reminders, then, are intended to keep our attention fixed upon that life of service and those specific acts of ministry for the sake of His kingdom. So we can and should put our hope in the living God, trusting Him to keep us each stayed upon the path that He has for us to walk!

Have you been watching for those "gentle reminders" that the Spirit of God places in your path, beloved? What a blessing they are to us as we continually battle the wiles of Satan and his attempts to draw our focus away from where it needs to be! By our words and our deeds we have been commissioned to teach these things to others so that they too may stay on track and themselves watch for God's "gentle reminders."

Watch for them, beloved! God loves you and cares about your service too much not to remind you from time to time of all that is truly important in life. May God bless you and encourage your hearts as He points out to you His "gentle reminders" of His love for you and His plan for your life!

Ron