All day and all night my Lord Jesus is with me

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:9-10

There is a line from a commercial at the start of the Covid period that captures the essense of growing older- " this isn't my first rodeo" which is meant to describe the hardships of life that come our way. Political hardship, of late,is a reminder that not everyone holds our views as Christians who have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.

As I was walking into Church last Sunday, my eyes went to the cornerstone when this church building was completed. In Concrete I saw the date 1977 etched in concrete. I share that because like these buildings which were design by architects who sat at their slanted drafting boards with their protractors, sharpened pencils and painstakenly laid out the floor plan of this church long before the first concrete was poured, we have a God who intimately knows our insides long before we're born. Each of us who accept Christ into their heart has a date marked on the cornerstone of their life. This cornerstone serves as a reminder of the day when each person prayed that salvation prayer. Some people will write this date down in their journal and mark it on their calendar as a reminder of their Spiritual birthday each year.

The date of my cornerstone was 1974. I remember that clearly because of the looming gas crisis and listening to my parents wonder if life would ever be the same.

I remember my dad swearing that if gas went over a dollar he was going to quit driving. Did he? He tried taking the bus to work, but quickly learned that he liked the independance of driving.

Since that gas crisis, our cars have improved in terms of gas milage and efficiency.

The recent political turmoil shook us to the core once again with the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the rhetoric used by both political parties-sigh, 'this isn't my first rodeo'

Which brings me to the verse from Ephesians 1:9-10- he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

As the world participates in those intensive, sometimes, brutal dialog, we have a living God that reveals to us the mysteries of His will through His living word, described in Hebrews4:12:'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

We have a Savior that guide us to the harbor when the storm approaches. If I may, I would like to ask you what is on your cornerstone? If you're not sure, that's okay because you can be sure simply by asking Jesus to come into your life through this CRU link that explains the salvation message.

By Simply knowing Jesus Christ and reading the bible will give you the tools you need to survive not only your first rodeo, but all of the other rodeos that come your way. If you said the prayer of salvation at the link I gave you, please tell your pastor so they can give you the resouces you need to survive these and future 'future rodeos ahead'.