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to Sept. 11, 2001 "Christian" Merchandise † "If You Were The Father" |
Luke 11:23 "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth."
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.
Well, as such things go, one thing led to another. The sales meeting went longer than anticipated and the meeting ran overtime.
Their flights were scheduled to leave out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and they had to race pell mell to the airport. With tickets in hand, they barged through the terminal to catch their flight back home.
In their rush, with tickets and brief-cases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table that held a sales display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did. The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her - no one stopping, and no one caring about her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, putting them back into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $20 for the damage we did. Are you okay?"
She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister…." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"
He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered as he slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"
Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.
If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.
You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall.
He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Let's start living like we are worth the price He paid.
Subject: Isaiah 65:24
This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa…
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle.
She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while you are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say," Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.
Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the…..could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.
I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
"Before they call, I will answer" (Isaiah 65:24)
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.
"This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.
It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this… They all nourished me and gave me t he strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.
Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing…. God is UP to something. Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible. Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment.
When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"
A Man Phoned His Physician A man phoned his physician and exclaimed: "Please come at once as my son has swallowed my fountain pen!" "I'll be there as soon as I can, but what will you do in the meantime?"
"Use a pencil," answered the father.
What do we do "in the meantime" is of vital importance to our lives --- and to the lives of others.
While we wait for a traffic light to change, we can pray for our president, our Nation and World. While we wait for an elevator we can be still and know that God is, and He is still in charge of the Universe. While we drive or ride to work, we can affirmatively and joyously meditate on that which is true, and positive and what blessings we do have and not on what we don't have. While we are waiting in line, we can pray for our family and loved ones.
While we wash the dishes, mow the lawn or perform other tasks that require less than our complete attention, we can meditate on Jesus and His promises - sing, whistle or hum the tunes of great hymns with words that can make life more meaningful for us.
While we sit in the waiting room of our physician or dentist, we can thank God for dedicated professional people, and we can pray for the doctors as well as those patients who might be anxious, fearful, and despondent or in pain.
What we do with our golden "in the meantime" moments can bless and brighten our important corner of the world. Let Christ's love be seen in the way you treat other people, as your life may be the only Bible that some people ever read.
"Road Rage"
Two cars were waiting in tandem at a stoplight. The light turned green, but the man didn't notice it A woman in the car behind him is watching traffic pass around them and go through the light. The woman begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move.
The man doesn't move.
The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel and dash. The light turns yellow and the woman begins to blow the car horn, flips him off, and screams a stream of profanities and curses at the man.
The man looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turns red. The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection.
As she is still in mid-rant she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a very serious looking policeman. The policeman tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in sight. She complies, speechless at what is happening. After she shuts off the engine, the policeman orders her to exit her car with her hands up. She gets out of the car and he orders her to turn and place her hands on her car. She turns, places her hands on the car roof and quickly is cuffed and hustled into the patrol car. She is too bewildered by the chain of events to ask any questions and is driven to the police station where she is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked and placed in a cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door for her. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the original officer is waiting with her personal effects. He hands her the bag containing her things, and says, "I'm really sorry for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. Then I noticed the: "Choose Life" license plate holder, the "What Would Jesus Do" bumper sticker, the "Follow Me to Sunday School" bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. So, naturally … … . I assumed you had stolen the car."
"The Other Side of the Door"
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing… I know my Master is there and that is enough."
"P.U.S.H."
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and God appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.
The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might.
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan), decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind:
"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved."
Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.
Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough.
That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter.
What is wrong?
Why am I failing?"
The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done.
Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. Is that really so?
Look at yourself.
Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard.
Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.
True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done.
Now I, my friend, will move the rock."
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him.
By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves mountains. When everything seems to go wrong…just
P.U.S.H.
When the job gets you down… just P.U.S.H.
When people don't react the way you think they should… just P.U.S.H.
When your money is "gone" and the bills are due… just P.U.S.H
When people just don't understand you… just P.U.S.H.
P= Pray
U= Until
S= Something
H= Happens
"AN OLD DECK OF CARDS"
A young soldier was in his bunkhouse all alone one Sunday morning over in Afghanistan. It was quiet that day, the guns, the mortars and the land mines for some reason hadn't made a noise. The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. As he was sitting there he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.
Just then an army sergeant came in and said "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?"
The soldier replied "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the lord."
The sergeant said "Looks like you're going to play cards."
The soldier said "No Sir, you see, since we are not allowed to have bibles or other spiritual books in this country I've decided to talk to the lord by studying this deck of cards."
The sergeant asked in disbelief "How will you do that?"
You see the ace, sergeant, it reminds me that there is only one god.
The two represents the two parts of the bible, old and new testaments.
The three represents the father, son and Holy Ghost.
The four stands for the four apostles; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The five is for the five virgins that were ten, but only five of them were glorified.
The six is for the days it took god to create the heaven and earth.
The seven is for the day god rested after working the six days.
The eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives, in which god saved the eight people from the flood that destroyed the earth the first time.
The nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of Leprosy. He cleansed ten but one never thanked him.
The ten represents the Ten Commandments that god handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.
The jack is a reminder of Satan. One of god's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.
The queen stands for the Virgin Mary.
The king stands for Jesus, for he is the king of all kings.
When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.
There are a total of 52 cards in a deck, each is a week, 52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represent the four seasons; spring, summer, fall and winter.
Each suit has 13 cards; there are exactly 13 weeks in a quarter.
So when I want to talk to god and thank him I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.
The sergeant just stood there and after a minute with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart he said "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?"
**This is said to be a true story :-)