Take Heart

TAKE HEART? TAKE HEED? PAY ATTENTION, MY FRIEND…

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

***WATCH OUT YOUR CAN GRUMBLE, COMPLAIN, MURMUR AND HURT YOURSELF AND KILL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS…

*** Grumble: to complain quietly about something or someone. To talk in an un unhappy way. To mutter discontent.

***MURMUR: A half suppressed, muttered complaint, gripe, complain, whine, fume, quarrel...

Psalm 106:25 But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.

Psalm 106:25 (NIV) hey grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.

Psalm 106:25 (MSG) They found fault with the life they had and turned a deaf ear to GOD's voice.

LISTEN:

**TO TAKE HEART: IDIOM, hard to understand if we get the meaning by individual words, TO TAKE SERIOUSLY, to ruminate, mediate, internalize,

** TAKE HEED: focus, pay attention, take notice, listen to warnings, to take note of,

***Take heed is an old phrase that means listen closely and follow the directions.

TAKE HEED TO MY INSTRUCTIONS LITTLE BOY, said the old man. My portion will only work for the one who wears the ring.

Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Recently we discussed TOMB STONES.

A catchy commercial ask: WHAT DO YOU WANT ON YOUR TOMB STONE? This was a pizza commercial about how do you like your pizza.

We discussed your name will be on the tombstone, your date of birth and your date id death. While those dates are important … we must realize that the real issue is the DASH between your birth and your death. WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR DASH? How will you be remembered? Sweet, giving, loving, caring? Mean, temper, sharp tongue, hurting?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR DASH? CAN WE CHANGE?

DO WE TEND TO TAKE HEED OR DO WE TEND TO IGNORE …

The doctor says: Smoking will harm you? The salt will catch up with your blood pressure?

Lose that weight? Diet drinks can harm you?

Your attitudes and words will scar and lead to D-I-V-O-R-C-E?

COSTLY MISTAKES CAN OCCUR BY IGNORING THE WARNING SIGNS?

Several times recently I was driving my BUG (VW) and my RED TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON… After a minute a beep, beep, beep started. I pulled over and purchased a gallon of antifreeze. That seemed to cure the problem? Some days later the RED TEMPERATURE LIGHT was on again. I added more antifreeze? A few days later the same problem but only worse.

I had a friend that drove their car with the TEMPERATURE LIGHT on and they warped the head. They spent several hundreds of dollars and had a NEW HEAD GASKET put on the engine. That was only a temporary fix. The mechanic told them that driving with the engine hot not only WARPED THE HEAD GASKET, it often cracked the head and that they would have to REPLACE THE ENGINE. ALL THIS BECAUSE THEY IGNORED THE WARNING RED LIGHT AND THE TEMPERATURE GAGE.

I KNEW BETTER THAN IGNORING THE RED TEMPERATURE LIGHT --- I PULLED OVER AND LET THE ENGINE COOL AND I PRAYED. Not only did I know I had something wrong, but I HAD TO PUT THE BUG IN BETTER HANDS THAN MINE. A friend recommended a RADIATOR … after the engine cooled and I added more coolant, I drove a few blocks and discussed it with the mechanic. I LEFT IT THERE AND WALKED A FEW MILES AND MEET MY WIFE.

The mechanic replace a fan? Still over heated, THE RED LIGHT! He replaced the MODULATOR, still over heated. After 2 weeks he told me it was electrical not mechanical issues. I took the BUG to a friend’s house, he read and studied about my problem and HE REPLACED A $3.00 FUSE and the problem was corrected.

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE RED TEMPERATURE LIGHT AND THE BEEP, BEEP, BEEP THAT INFORMED ME I HAD A OVERHEATING PROBLEM. I knew better than driving with the engine overheating.

OUR SOCIETY AND I FEAR, THE CHURCH FORGETS HOW IMPORTANT THE WARNINGS AND TAKE HEEDS ARE…

THERE ARE RED FLAGS ALL AROUND US… RED FLAGS--- CAN WE SEE?

GRADUALNESS? SPIRITUAL EROSION? TAKE HEED TO SPIRITUAL ISSUES? WILL WE TAKE HEED OF THE WARNINGS RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES?

Preacher Noah was the laughing stock of his day. The newspapers wrote of a crazy preacher and how foolish his message was.

IT IS GOING TO RAIN? What is rain? RAIN IS WATER FALLING FROM THE SKY?

It has never rained before? Water comes up from the ground?

Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that NoAH entered into the ark.