My devotional today comes from Proverbs 27 the first nine verses. And as a departure from my normal format I am posting those verses first:

Proverbs 27:

1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.

2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
    an outsider, and not your own lips.

3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
    but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
    but who can stand before jealousy?

5 Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
    but an enemy multiplies kisses.

7 One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
    but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

8 Like a bird that flees its nest
    is anyone who flees from his place.

9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
    and the pleasantness of a friend
    springs from their heartfelt advice.

Notice verse eight? The last word is place. Some translations use the word home, but I think the word place has more meaning and more power. How does one find one’s place in this world? A place is not necessarily a physical place, not just a house or home, it is comprised of many decisions including, 1. What you believe in, 2. Who you marry, 3. Where you work and 4. Where you live. Choices 3 and 4 are connected, so finding your place comes down to the first three decisions. They require very wise choices in order to find your place.

1. What you believe. This one is simple for me, one must give their life to Jesus in order to escape Hell.

2. Choose the right spouse, choose carefully or the person you will spend your life with will make you feel like you are living there already.

3. Choose carefully what you will do for a living because your vocation is most likely going to take up a great part of your life. If you have a passionate desire to do what you do, it will not feel quite so much like work. I was fortunate to do just that for most of the last 25 years of working before I retired.

Number 1 is very critical. We all need a savior and a guide for our lives. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the LIfe. We cannot have a true relationship with God without going through him. We won’t find it anywhere else, no matter how much we convince ourselves. It won’t come through good works, politics, relationships, or work. The Thief on the cross, hanging next to our Lord, could not come down and do good deeds to get himself accepted into Paradise, now could he? All he could do was admit he was a sinner and ask Jesus to remember him when the Lord came into his kingdom.

What does that tell us? Yet, we are told to love one another, and do good for those around us, even if they despise us. As Annie Lennox said in one of my favorite songs “Money Can’t Buy It” neither can drugs or sex or anything else. That IT is Love, and God is love, all other things claiming to be love are just a facade at least and outright deception at worst.

Number 2. True love makes you want to be a better person for the one you love. You should want to give yourself to that person and help them to grow and they should want to do the same for you. Once again I am a very fortunate person because I am married to the most giving and loving person that I have ever met in my life.

Number 3. I am retired from the world of telecommunications, but not from life. Diane and I owned and operated our own business for 25 years. It not only paid our bills but it put our son through college, Willam and Mary, without borrowing any money at all. It was at times fun. It took me around the world to various ports, and to many states in the USA as well. We were able to help charities and churches have good phone and computer systems and one of those charities offered our son a good job where he worked for almost ten years. Before that, I worked in Christian and public television, and I was good at the jobs I had there too.

I am now a writer, not for money but for the pleasure it brings me. Ironically I used to have to write in school, I will not talk in class hundreds of times, so I guess I had some practice before I became a blogger. I am still a big talker, so my wife reminds me. I am now as always trying to do things for others, to do something that God wants me to do, something which helps even if in a small way, promote His kingdom, and get the word out so to speak.

You should want the same thing, No one will fill fulfilled in life, or find their place without first realizing that they need a come to Jesus moment, which is the beginning of a relationship with the creator of this world. Once that happens then God will put you in a place where you can work with passion and love with passion as well. He will guide you down the path to the place you should be in.