Ladders in Life

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (James 1:2-6).

Do We See the Ladders in Life?

Just getting started in church bible study (Book of Job), find myself trying to find time to meditate on God's Word. Do I have time to do this? What does God want me to learn from this? Is there just enough time to fill in the blanks to the questions? I knew when I had signed up, didn't have time, life was too busy, been spiritually beat up this year. I had been defeated, struggling with spiritual battles.

I found a little time early in the morning before work, so I got out of bed and went to our spare bedroom I had been trying to make into an office to finish painting. Grabbed kids' pool ladder to work on touch-up paint on the ceiling. As I was painting, I started remembering the ladder I was standing on. Several years ago, when all the kids were still home they used this ladder to climb into the above-ground pool we had in the backyard. I didn't swim, so the pool was more work for me, memories of cleaning the pool, and leveling the ground with sand before putting it up. Memories after taking the pool out of trying to get the grass to regrow in the area again. Plenty of good memories of my kids playing in the pool but mostly I didn't like that pool. So years after tearing the pool down, only one thing still remained, the ladder. Kids had moved out, but the ladder never left me. It was just the right size for most things in the house.

Started thinking about how useful this ladder has been through the years. Funny how we grab things we are used to to help us. Just like chairs, we trust they work to sit on, we just use them automatically most of the time. The ladder is more of a tool we use to reach something, we trust it is sturdy, we know it will help us reach something, and then we use it without thinking about it. So as I was thinking about how useful this ladder was, I reflected on the Book of Job Study. The things Job went through, hardship, suffering, loss, then came the "Why" that seems to always be constant in my life, Why do things happen?

Why the Ladder?

Started thinking about how I didn't like using the ladder when I was doing work (pool) that I didn't like to do. Now I didn't suffer like Job in working, but it made me think of our spiritual life. Job worked, endured through it all. Scriptures never say why Job went through this. One could make the point to show Satan God's servant would endure, and these are good points, but scripture doesn't specifically say why. Here I am on the ladder of my life using it to reach the ceiling, and touch up my paint job. I just automatically trusted the ladder, and it held my weight, and I finished the painting. When we read about Job, we see what he endured. Job's story is about a Ladder for Believers, we trust in God, and we climb the rungs that God has built for us. We have faith in the ladder, the rungs. We reach as far as the rungs God has built in our life. Sometimes, they are lessons God teaches us in stories in the bible like the Job rung, and loss of family we trust that ladder rung and step closer to heaven. Loss of friends, we keep climbing that ladder. Health issues we have faith in God will bring us to an expected end (Verse insert here).

Where Did My Ladder Go?

Ever find yourself looking for a tool, shouting where is it? "It was right there, who took it?" Usually hear my wife saying "Look with your eyes, not your mouth." I find that helpful in my search; no really. When we find a difficult spiritual event in our life, do we automatically look for the Ladder God has made for us? Do we find ourselves shouting, where is my ladder(patience)? We don't usually shout where is the tool you gave me God. We don't even necessarily recognize our need for it. We just go "Why" is this so hard to do. God gave us the tool, the spiritual ladder, the rung of patience, the rung of love to help us. Let us remember the ladder God has built, and know where it is . It is in the scriptures, we keep in our heart. These should come to us easily without thought, without anger.

When I need to love my enemies, let me step on the rung God gave me in Daniel Study. Have faith that God will bring me through. When I need patience getting through health issues, let me remember the past year, the struggles, the prayer, the heart improving when it was nearly impossible.

The swimming pool is long gone, but that ladder has survived for 15 years. So our trials are never gone, we use that ladder when God needs us to paint the ceiling edges in our lives.

When we need that patience ladder, when we need that loving ladder, when we need that faith ladder, trust ladder, God has provided even that ladder(faith is a gift of god) for us...spiritual ladders..let us praise God for the ladders in our lives.

God taught me a lesson so I could hand it to someone else to use....heal relationships with a ladder....love with merciful kindness.

Why So Many Rungs?

We will always see the ladder for the trial, for cleaning the pool, but eventually, we will use it so much that we don't even see the trial, we don't even know we are using it so to speak. We grab it and go...we trust it. We lean on it. So what did Job learn or were his trials for us... ladders for millions.

So the Book of Job is not about trials or loss,..it wasn't intended for us to focus on the bad things....focus on the gifts God gives us,...thanks for the ladder "dad".

One minister preaching on David, handed me a ladder when I needed. The spirit moved through the minister, through the scripture, through King David, through a defeated David. I needed to hear someone defeated, someone near their end, when God steps in to help through others. <Insert Scrtipture here> . I needed to hear, to feel that Praise God THIS DAY. I needed to feel, there will be battles in the future, there will be challenges in the future, there will be losses in my life to come, but not today. Praise God This Day, . We hear these words, but it is when it is at the moment we need to hear, and feel God moving in our life that we treasure the most. So without knowing, the minister handed me a ladder that day; the Praise God Today ladder rung. So today, this day I praised God for the victory today.

Another minister preaching handed me a ladder of .a father on his knees praying(gift encouragement)....love with merciful kindness. I needed that ladder, that prayer ladder, that love others ladder with merciful kindness. Sometimes it feels like we are climbing a ladder to heaven, but it is not our works that will get us through the gate. There is only one way, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

These ministers didn't make the ladder, God made the ladders in their life, and in our life. They unknowingly like Job, handed me a ladder. My hope in these stories of my life is that they will help someone, and give them a ladder to climb and maybe make it easier for them to reach the ceiling.

How upset do we get when we can't find the ladder?

A time will come when God thinks you need a bigger ladder, and when it comes... count it all joy...trust God is building a strong ladder for the world to use. It may not be a ladder rung for you ..but for others.

He Prepared Me

Driving to work thoughts ...sin commission vs omission...Job didn't trust...didn't praise God through the last trial. We see the loss of family through death, the loss of a wife through spiritual abandonment, and the loss of friends through bad advice.

Truth site.....10.12.2022

First, we need to be clear that our pursuit of good deeds does not earn God’s favor. We do not do good to be saved but because we’re saved. Without grace as its foundation, the call to virtuous living is pure externalism and will either exhaust us or puff us up. Second, we need to remember that our pursuit of good deeds does bring God pleasure; we live “not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). So, we are to be marked by God-honoring, Christ-exalting goodness as a living testimony to our great salvation.

How Tall is Your Ladder, 3',6',9'12'?

Do we climb the ladder joyfully? Probably depends on what we are doing. Just cleaning the pool, or jumping in the pool. When we get high up on the ladder, are we afraid, does our faith start to shake like the ladder? Tries our faith. The ladder is just an analogy of our faith, our trials, and whatever in our life. Our relationship with God, shouldn't waiver like the ladder, the higher we get shakier it gets. There are not a limited number of rungs (trials) in our life. God is steadfast, and so should our faith be. When we need to reach something or someone in our life we can trust God without thinking about "Why" God, "How", or "When" in our lives. I say that, but I know that on the very next trial, I will probably be asking, Why God? I already know the answer, it is God's will. He allows it. Now there could be times when it is just my stupidity. God gives us free will, to make mistakes. He doesn't take every step for us, he is there to catch us when we fall. At times in my life, he hinders me from something that would be a mistake in my life and may interfere with his will for others in my life. He guides us.

Journey to Praise God

Also thought with ladders we sometimes are afraid we will fall. Take that step...no I will fall

I will set mine "... house in order."(2 Kings 20:1). Not in the way the world sees order, but in a spiritual order that blesses God, that praises Him.

2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect."

I believe God makes all our ladders perfect. The rungs in our ladders are built by God, they a strong and sturdy. They are just what we need to do God's will. Some of us live simple lives, God has given us a 3 foot ladder, and that is all we are supposed to do. Let us not look at other ladders, and think what a great ladder let me use it. We don't have the faith that God has given us in that ladder. We may climb it , and may get to top, but we won't be doing what God wanted us to do. Sometimes we just need to paint the walls, not the ceiling. Someone else, may be better at it.

Meditation 1.5.2023

When you set out to praise God in what you do, wuth a sincere heart you will hit Satans brick wall. It will be the hardest thing in your life. Just remember your faith can move mountains...and brick walls.

Thank you, God, for all the blessings in my life.