excuses

I'm not perfect. I have all kinds of problems. I don't know the Bible well enough. I have no ability. I don't have any gifts. I'm limited. I'm just not worthy.  Well, did you know that....

Moses stuttered.

David's armor didn't fit.

John Mark deserted Paul.

Timothy had ulcers.

Hosea's wife was a prostitute.

Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.

Jacob was a liar.

David had an affair.

Solomon was too rich.

Abraham was too old.

David was too young.

Peter was afraid of death.

Lazarus was dead.

John was self-righteous.

Naomi was a widow.

Paul was a persecutor of the church.

Moses was a murderer.

Jonah ran from God's will.

Miriam was a gossip.

Gideon and Thomas both doubted.

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.

Elijah was burned out.

Martha was a worry-wart.

Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?

So did Peter, Paul - well, lots of folks did.

 

God doesn't require a job interview for salvation. He's our Heavenly Father. He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. He knows who we are, what we are, what we've dnoe and loves us in spite of ourselves.

Satan wants us to look back and see our sins. 

God wants us to look back and see the cross and an empty tomb!

There are a lot of reasons why God shouldn't call us. But if we are in love with Him, if we hunger for Him, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, what we have done, or the fact that we are not perfect!

-author unkown

wait

My nephew's 10 year old son came for a visit one hot, July weekend. I was enticing him to stay inside by joining him in a Wii game. After being mercilessly defeated by a more experienced player, I suggested that we relax awhile. I collapsed into my favorite recliner to let my neck muscles relax and my ego recover from such a beating. He had slipped out of the room and I was catching a few relished moments of peace and quiet.

"Look, Alice," he said enthusiastically as he ran over to the chair where I was recovering. "I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?"

Glancing out a nearby window, I noticed there was not a breeze stirring. "I'm sorry, Tripper," I said, sad to see his disappointed eyes, but thankful for the respite from more activity. "The wind is not blowing today. The kite won't fly."

The determined 10 year old replied. "I think it's windy enough. I can get it to fly," he answered, as he hurried out the back door.

 

I peeked through the slats in the venetian blinds to watch determination in action. Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string. The plastic kite, proudly displaying a picture of Batman, remained about shoulder level. He ran back and forth, as hard as his ten year old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in. I asked, "How did it go?"

"Fine," he said, not wanting to admit defeat. "I got it to fly some." As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, "I guess I'll have to wait for the wind."

At that moment I heard another Voice speak to my heart. "Alice. Sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the Wind." And the voice was right. How easy it is to use our own efforts to accomplish what we want to do.

We wait for the Wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted our own strength. We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!!!

　

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith". (Galatians 5:5)

-Author Unknown

side

After diminutive Olympic athlete Gabby Douglas captured two gold medals in the 2012 London Games, she made this proclamation: “God will never fail you. He’s always on your side.”

Sometimes this kind of statement by an athlete can be misunderstood. It can be taken to mean that if I’m competing against you in a sports contest and I have God’s help, there is no way I can lose. But if we turn to Psalm 118:5-6, we get the true picture of what this line means. The psalmist wrote, “I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lordis on my side; I will not fear.”

Another version translates verse 6 as “the Lord is with me” (niv). It’s the idea that when trouble comes into our lives, God, who is full of mercy and love (which “endures forever,” v.4) will always be attentive to us and provide the protection we need.

We don’t have to be an Olympic champion to appreciate this kind of divine attention. This is what we need when the economy falters and our finances can’t keep up. It’s what we need when a relationship we cherished falls apart. No matter what our situation, as Christ-followers we know where to find help. “The Lord is on my side.”

Be still, my soul—the Lord is on thy side!

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

Leave to thy God to order and provide,

In every change He faithful will remain. 

—von Schlegel

type

                         

     A couple's garage was piled high with duck decoys, fishing rods, hunting boots, waders and outdoor gear of all kinds.   Staring at the mess, the wife sighed, "I hope I die first, so I don't have to get rid of all this."

     "Look on the bright side," the husband said, "If I go first, you can put an ad in the paper. When all the men come by to check out the gear, you can pick out a replacement for me."

     Looking at the pile the wife said, "No, any guy who would want all this stuff would not be my type."

     It's true that we can learn something important about a person by paying attention to what that person is interested in.  It's critical that single Christians understand this.  Whatever captures the interest of the person you are dating, whatever they spend their time and their money on, will tell you a lot about that person (and, whatever you do, don't go into marriage thinking you can change that!).  Decide early on what "type" of person you are looking for in a spouse.  If you meet someone whose interests obviously lie in areas that are ungodly or unspiritual, keep looking until you find someone who's "your type".

     And I believe that God is looking for people who are "his type".  I don't mean by that that God is looking for people who are perfect.  But God is looking for people who have a passion to be with Him just as He has a passion to be with us.  I think that's what James meant when he wrote:

     "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4)

     When we focus on adopting the attitudes of this world -- such as selfishness, pride, and materialism -- and when we show by our actions that we want more than anything else to be a part of this world, God says, "Anybody who would want all this stuff would not be my type."

     Rather, here's what He's looking for -- "Draw near to God...Purify your hearts...Lament and mourn and weep...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord." (James 4:8-10).  

That's God's type!

-alan smith

forgotten

During seminary, I worked in a nursing home. As I spent time talking to these men and women, at some point nearly every patient would describe the loneliness of their present lives and the realization that they were outliving their peers. Most wondered if anyone would remember them when they passed from this life.

It isn’t just the elderly who can feel lonely and forgotten. In fact, many of us feel trapped and alone, set aside by circumstances fair and unfair. Sometimes we even experience what the Old Testament character Joseph did: people failing to remember us when there’s every reason they should.

Genesis 40 describes Joseph’s experiences as he’s trapped in prison. The cupbearer had been freed and returned to the king’s service, just as Joseph told him would happen (vv.9-13). Joseph had asked to be mentioned to Pharaoh, but the cupbearer forgot him (vv.14,23).

We may feel forgotten. Yet, like Joseph, we are not (42:9-13). Jesus sits at the right hand of God, and our prayers reach the throne of the King without fail because our Savior is our Mediator. When we feel alone, let’s remember to rest in the confidence of Jesus’ promise to be with us forever (Matt. 28:20).

Lord, let me be found serving others, as Joseph

did, in those hours when I feel most forgotten.

May I never be the “cupbearer” who fails to bring

the lonely and hurting to Your attention in prayer.

Jesus never abandons or forgets His own.

- randolf kilgore

hope

Psalm 10:17 "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them." 

"The hopes of the helpless."  Interesting phrase don't you think?  What are the hopes of the helpless?  Help.  Escape. Relief.  Freedom.  Deliverance. Strength.  Energy.  Light.  Refreshment.  Revival.  Renewal.  Dreams. "Immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine."

"The hopes of the helpless." Would those descriptive words apply to you? Weak. Weary. Worn-down. Restless. Barely holding on. Holding on to hope even though there are times you wonder why? Hoping that something totally beyond your power and beyond your comprehension will happen. Hope that something will bring about a change. Hope that something will happen that you have never even dreamed of... something "out of the blue."

A hope of the helpless might involve the doctor coming into your hospital room with a puzzled look on his face saying, "The tumor is gone. We can't explain it, but it's gone."

A hope of the helpless might be waking up in the middle of the night concerned about your husband but not sure there is anything you can do to encourage him or lift his spirits.

A hope of the helpless might take the shape of accidently bumping into the professor of the class you're struggling in and having her say, "I think you can do this. Just don't give up."

A hope of the helpless might come from meeting a new family after they visited your church and hearing them say, "We loved it! We want to be involved."

The hopes of the helpless may come in all shapes and sizes that surfaces at the least expected time. The hopes of the helpless may come at a time when you feel totally drained. The hopes of the helpless may come may come at a time when you wonder if there is any reason to hang on to your hope.

According to David there are at least three reasons for the helpless to have hope.

1. The Lord knows the hopes of the helpless.
The Lord knows what you are going through. He knows the pain you are feeling. He knows that the pain has been with you for longer than you can remember. He knows that you have exhausted yourself trying to fix things, restore things, and rebuild things. He knows you feel helpless.

2. The Lord hears the cries of the helpless. 
He hears your heart. He hears the words that you cannot speak. He hears voice inside you crying out for help. He hears the cries for an end to the suffering.

3. The Lord comforts the helpless.
Not only does He know the hopes of the helpless and hear their cries, but He also comforts them. There may be no human way to describe this comfort from the Lord, but when you experience it, you will know it. You will have no doubt about the One who providing the comfort. It will be clear that your hopes known and your cries are being heard.

He knows. 
He hears. 
He comforts. 
There is hope for the helpless.
-Tom Norvell

springs

To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. 1 Corinthians 12:7,11-12

Little Springs

I almost missed it, there where the ground was soggy and the trail muddy and puddly .When I looked more closely to where the sound was coming from, a little spring was visible coming from under a rock to the right of the trail. One little spring. Enough water to give drink to animals, birds. As it meandered across the road, and downhill on the massive mountain, it would join other little springs.  The little springs would merge and eventually flow together into one mighty river at the base of the mountain. Together they would make beautiful music as one, as they rolled through the floor of the mountain valley. Little springs. Like different gifts and talents, I thought. Individually they are wonderful, and have a purpose. Sort of like musical instruments. Good individually, but great together as, they create bands and orchestras. God gives the gifts as He sees fit. And every believer is guaranteed one or more. He alone knows what beautiful music they will make together - for us, as well as for others. That is good news!  -Sally I. Kennedy

thanks

I want to thank You for what you have already done.

I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards,
    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better,
    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me,
    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears,
    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves,
    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet,
    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job,
    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief,
    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed.
    I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I'm thanking you because Father, you haven't given up on me.

"In every thing give thanks; for this is will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
-Author Unknown

word

"I believe in God's words as I believe that the sun exists, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

hopeless

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. 1 Peter 3:8. 

Christ came to bring salvation within the reach of all. Upon the cross of Calvary He paid the infinite redemption price for a lost world.... His mission was to sinners, sinners of every grade, of every tongue and nation.... The most erring, the most sinful, were not passed by; His labors were especially for those who most needed the salvation He came to bring. The greater their need of reform, the deeper was His interest, the greater His sympathy, and the more earnest His labors. His great heart of love was stirred to its depths for the ones whose condition was most hopeless and who most needed His transforming grace....

We should cultivate the spirit with which Christ labored to save the erring. They are as dear to Him as we are. They are equally capable of being trophies of His grace and heirs of the kingdom. But they are exposed to the snares of a wily foe, exposed to danger and defilement, and without the saving grace of Christ, to certain ruin. Did we view the matter in the right light, how would our zeal be quickened and our earnest, self-sacrificing efforts be multiplied, that we might come close to those who need our help, our prayers, our sympathy, and our love! ... If our hearts are softened and subdued by the grace of Christ, and glowing with a sense of God’s goodness and love, there will be a natural outflow of love, sympathy, and tenderness to others.

Come close to the great heart of pitying love, and let the current of that divine compassion flow into your heart and from you to the hearts of others. Let the tenderness and mercy that Jesus has revealed in His own precious life be an example to us of the manner in which we should treat our fellow beings, especially those who are our brethren in Christ.... Never, never become heartless, cold, unsympathetic, and censorious. Never lose an opportunity to say a word to encourage and inspire hope. We cannot tell how far-reaching may be our tender words of kindness, our Christlike efforts to lighten some burden. The erring can be restored in no other way than in the spirit of meekness, gentleness, and tender love.

-e g white

? full

A little boy came up to her mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper , and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said: 

For cutting the grass: 50.00 

For cleaning up my room this week: 10.00 

For going to the store for you : 05.00 

Baby- sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: 25 

Taking out the garbage 10 

For getting a good report card: 50 

For cleaning up and raking the yard: 20 

Total owed = 170 

Well his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he had written on , and this is what he wrote: 

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me : 

NO CHARGE 

For all the nights that I have sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you. 

NO CHARGE 

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you have caused through the years: 

NO CHARGE 

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and worries I knew were ahead: 

NO CHARGE 

For the toys, food , clothes, and even wiping your nose: 

NO CHARGE 

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: 

NO CHARGE 

When the boy had finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, he looked straight at his mother and excitedly said, “Mom , I think I really really love you.” And then he took the pen and in big great letters he wrote : 

“PAID IN FULL” 

Moral of de story: You will never know your parents worth till you become a parent. Be a 

Giver not an acquirer, especially with your parents. There is a lot to give besides money. 

BECAUSE MONEY IS THE WORST WAY OF MEASURING HAPPINESS!!!!!

funny!

A kid was happily reading the 
Bible while waiting for a bus to 
convey him to school....Every now 
and then he wud exclaim,"Alleluia, 
praise the Lord, Amen"...And on 
and on as he read on. A mAn heard him and cAme to ask 
wAt he's reading. 
The kid ansed,"I'm reading how 
God parted the red sea and let 
the Isrealites go through-dat's a 
... miracle! 

The mAn explained:"don't believe 
everything the Bible tells U..The 
truth of the matter is dat, the 
wAterbody was only 6 inches deep- so dat wasn't a miracle.. 
The kid nodded in disappointment, but kept on reading...As the mAn was walking away feeling proud dat he's set the kid straight, he 
again heard a big,"Alleluia, praise 
the Lord!, from the kid..., 

The mAn cAme back to the kid and asked,"wAt's it this time? 

The kid excitedly said,"this one is 
real miracle; God drowned the 
whole Egyptians army in a 6 inches deep of water WAt an amazing miracle 

......? here

Don't you think Moses, after a discouraging day, may have pulled open his tent flap to see the pillar of fire high in the sky and said, "Everything's fine. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

And what about Daniel, charter member of the Lion's Club. He laid his head on the mane of a lion and said, "I'm not afraid. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

King Nebuchadnezzar had those three fellas thrown in the fire but when he looked down he saw four. Shadrach and Company were just fine. "LOOK WHO'S HERE."

And what about Elijah? Water was scarce and still he ordered twelve barrels to be poured upon the altar. God or Baal? Choose you this day whom ye will serve! Ol' Elijah just chuckled to himself and said, "LOOK WHO'S HERE."

David, the shepherd boy who would become King, looked at Goliath, loaded his slingshot, and said, "Your time's up. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

Remember when Walter Cronkite signed off every evening with, "And that's the way it is." A preacher friend of mine would say "No, Walter, that's not the way it is, that's just the way it looks. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus said "roll the stone away." But Lazarus walked out of that tomb because Almighty God turned death on its heels and said "LOOK WHO'S HERE."

One of these days, "it may be at morn when the day is awakened, it may be at midday, it may be at twilight, it may be per chance in the blackness of midnight" - in one mighty shout around the world we will look up and cry "Hallelujah!  He's back!  LOOK WHO'S HERE!"

-Vance Havner

near

"And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years" Acts 13:21

One of my friends said it yesterday. I had heard it before. I have said it before. "You had better be careful what you ask for (in prayer), you might get it."

Indeed, that is exactly what happened to Israel. All the other nations had kings. Israel had an old prophet. All the other countries had national leaders. Israel had a high priest. Israel asked the aging prophet for a king. They wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a figure they could look to for protection. They wanted a king. (If you remember, Moses said this time would come. He prophesied that they would want a king. He also said that king would lead them in wrong paths.)

So God gave them a king. Saul. He reigned for forty years. He was an imposing figure, head and shoulders taller than his countrymen. He was strong.  He was promoted to king of all Israel -- and he was a failure.

As time passed, Israel began to see that their king was just a man with all of man's weaknesses. He may have been strong as an ox, but he was as weak as a hollow tree in spirit. He lacked the mental strength to be a powerful leader. He became overwhelmed with his own authority -- his own ambition. And he fell. And he almost took Israel with him.

We have all been in Israel's position. We want what we want and we want it now! Not only do we want it, but we demand that God provide it. We don't want to wait for it. We don't want to pay the price for it. We don't want to save for it. We want it -- NOW! And God had better come through because if He doesn't we will do it ourselves.

And we pay the price. And that price is much higher than the cost of the thing we want. It is a spiritual price that goes far beyond a few dollars. It saps the soul of strength. It drains the spirit of energy. It taps the resources we have reserved for God's mission, and we suffer for it. We are in pain. We are weakened. Because of our weakness, others begin to suffer with us. We no longer have the spiritual fortitude to help our brother or our sister. Instead we are pulling from them the strength they need for their own battles.

A downward spiral has begun. The trail of smoke can be seen for miles around. Doom and defeat seem eminent. But wait. Inside that hulk of a dying body is a pilot -- no, The Pilot. He has not bailed out yet. He has not given up the ship. He is pulling. He is fighting the battle for us. And He has the strength to pull us out of that fatal nosedive we have forced upon ourselves. At the last moment, the flaming hulk of our life is saved and set on a path to recovery. Not because of our strength, but because of the authority of the One who knows how to save the dying.

Israel had his David. 

We have our Jesus. 

Both are redeemers. 

David saved a dying nation. 

Jesus saves a dying soul. 

Behold, your redemption draws near.

den

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. The king said to Daniel, 'May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!' (Daniel 6:6) 

           

No question,  Daniel got a rough deal.  He was set up by jealous, lesser men who wanted him out of the way.  It seemed like they succeeded, except for one thing they overlooked:  Daniel's trust in God.

The interesting thing, however, about Daniel being thrown into the den of lions is that God didn't deliver him out of the den before Daniel found deliverance in it.  Imagine if Daniel had fought against being thrown into the den (which he would have been justified in doing) and gone into the den fighting against it every inch of the way, chances are the lions would have torn him to shreds before he hit the bottom.  But Daniel didn't. He accepted his lot and trusted his life to God who shut the lion's mouths.

           

On more than one occasion I have asked God that if I am not going to be delivered out of my "lion's den" (naming the frustrating situation I'm in), would he please deliver me in it.

Sometimes, like Daniel, God has a lesson for us to learn in our present difficult situation and before he delivers us out of it, like Daniel, we need to find deliverance in it.

pearl

David Morse, American missionary to India, became great friends there with the pearl-diver, Rambhau. Many an evening he spent in Rambhau's cabin reading to him from the Bible, and explaining to him God's way of salvation.

Rambhau enjoyed listening to the Word of God, but whenever the missionary tried to get Rambhau to accept Christ as his Savior, he would shake his head and reply, "Your Christian way to heaven is too easy for me! I cannot accept it. If ever I should find admittance to heaven in that manner... I would feel like a pauper there... like a beggar who has been let in out of pity.  I may be proud, but I want to deserve, I want to earn my place in heaven... and so I am going to work for it."

Nothing the missionary could say seemed to have any effect on Rambhau's decision, and so quite a few years slipped by. One evening, however, the missionary heard a knock on his door, and on going to open it he found Rambhau there.   "Come in, dear friend," said Morse.

"No," said the pearl-diver. "I want you to come with me to my house, Sahib.  I have something to show you. Please do not say 'No'."

"Of course I'll come," replied the missionary. As they neared his house, Rambhau said: "In a week's time, I start working for my place in heaven; I am leaving for Delhi... and I am going there on my knees."

"Man, you are crazy! It's nine hundred miles to Delhi, and the skin will break on your knees, and you will have blood-poisoning or leprosy before you get to Bombay."

"No, I must get to Delhi," affirmed Rambhau, "and the immortals will reward me for it!  The suffering will be sweet... for it will purchase heaven for me!"

"Rambhau, my friend... you can't. How can I bear you to do it... when Jesus Christ has suffered and died to purchase heaven for you!"

But the old man could not be moved. "You are my dearest friend on earth, Sahib Morse. Through all these years you have stood by me in sickness, in want... you have been sometimes my only friend. But even you cannot turn me from my desire to purchase eternal bliss... I must go to Delhi!"

Inside the hut, Morse was seated in the very chair Rambhau had specially built for him... where on so many occasions he had read to him the Bible.

Rambhau left the room to return soon with a small but heavy English strongbox. "I have had this box for years," said he, "and I keep only one thing in it. Now I will tell you about it, Sahib Morse. I once had a son..."

"A son! Why, Rambhau, you have never before said a word about him!"

"No, Sahib, I couldn't." Even as he spoke the diver's eyes were moistened. "Now I must tell you, for soon I will leave, and who knows whether I shall ever return? My son was a diver too. He was the best pearl diver on the coasts of India. He had the swiftest dive, the keenest eye, the strongest arm, the longest breath of any man who ever sought for pearls.

What joy he brought to me! Most pearls, as you know, have some defect or blemish only the expert can discern, but my boy always dreamed of finding the 'perfect' pearl... one beyond all that was ever found. One day he found it!  But even when he saw it... he had been under water too long... That pearl cost him his life, for he died soon after."

The old pearl diver bowed his head. For a moment his whole body shook, but there was no sound. "All these years," he continued, "I have kept this pearl... but now I am going, not to return, and to you, my best friend... I am giving my pearl."

The old man worked the combination on the strongbox and drew from it a carefully wrapped package. Gently opening the cotton, he picked up a mammoth pearl and placed it in the hand of the missionary.

It was one of the largest pearls ever found off the coast of India, and glowed with a luster and brilliance never seen in cultured pearls. It would have brought a fabulous sum in any market. For a moment, the missionary was speechless and gazed with awe. "Rambhau! What a pearl!"

"That pearl, Sahib, is perfect," replied the Indian quietly. The missionary looked up quickly with a new thought: Was not this the very opportunity and occasion he had prayed for... to make Rambhau understand the value of Christ's sacrifice? So he said, designedly, "Rambhau, this is a wonderful pearl, an amazing pearl. Let me buy it. I would give you ten thousand dollars for it."

"Sahib! What do you mean?"

"Well, I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, or if it takes more... I will work for it."

"Sahib," said Rambhau, stiffening his whole body, "this pearl is beyond price. No man in all the world has money enough to pay what this pearl is worth to me. On the market a million dollars could not buy it. I will not sell it to you. You may only have it as a gift."

"No, Rambhau, I cannot accept that. As much as I want the pearl, I cannot accept it that way. Perhaps I am proud, but that is too easy. I must pay for it, or work for it..."

The old pearl-diver was stunned. "You don't understand at all, Sahib. Don't you see. My only son gave his life to get this pearl, and I wouldn't sell it for any money. Its worth is in the life-blood of my son. I cannot sell this... but I can give it to you. Just accept it in token of the love I bear you."

The missionary was choked, and for a moment could not speak. Then he gripped the hand of the old man. "Rambhau," he said in a low voice, "don't you see? My words are just what you have been saying to God all the time."

The diver looked long and searchingly at the missionary, and slowly, slowly he began to understand. "God is offering you salvation as a free gift," said the missionary. "It is so great and priceless that no man on earth can buy it. Millions of dollars are too little. No man on earth could earn it. His life would be millions of years too short. No man is good enough to deserve it. It cost God the life-blood of His only Son to make the entrance for you into heaven. In a million years, in a hundred pilgrimages, you could not earn that entrance. All you can do is to accept it as a token of God's love for you... a sinner.

"Rambhau, of course I will accept the pearl in deep humility, praying to God that I may be worthy of your love. Rambhau, won't you accept God's great gift of heaven, too, in deep humility, knowing it cost Him the death of His Son to offer it to you?"

Great tears were now rolling down the cheeks of the old man. The veil was beginning to lift. "Sahib, I see it now. I have believed so many things about Jesus for the last two years, but I could not believe that His salvation was free. Now I understand. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I will accept His salvation!"

-author unknown

smoke

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

Remember next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

spider

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2)

 

Last Saturday (Sabbath) our pastor told an interesting story and, had it not been serious, it would have been funny. He told about a fellow in a support group who for months on end kept praying about a personal problem but never did anything about it. Week after week he would pray with seemingly great conviction, "Oh God, clean the cobwebs out of my life... clean the cobwebs out of my life!"

 

Finally, in utter frustration the leader of the group broke into the man's prayer and prayed rather boisterously, "Oh God, KILL THE SPIDER!" 

 

I can identify with this leader in that I, too, know of people who have been confessing the same sin and/or problem for years, asking God for deliverance but never doing anything about it.

If we are struggling with a besetting sin or bad habit, what can we do about it? Certainly pray and ask God for deliverance - but also pray that he will show us the root cause of our problem because, more often than not, our repetitive failures are the fruit of a deeper root. God not only wants to deliver us from habitual sins but also free us from the deeper root cause.

-inez