gold

At one time Andrew Carnegie was the wealthiest man in America. He came to America from his native Scotland when he was a small boy, did a variety of odd jobs, and eventually ended up as the largest steel manufacturer in the United States. At one time he had forty-three millionaires working for him.

A reporter asked Carnegie how he had hired forty-three millionaires. Carnegie responded that those men had not been millionaires when they started working for him but had become millionaires as a result. 

The reporter's next question was, "How did you develop these men to become so valuable to you that you have paid them this much money?" Carnegie replied that “these men were developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get one ounce of gold.  But one doesn't go into the mine looking for dirt -- one goes in looking for the gold.” 

That's exactly the way that Christians need to view other people.  Don't look for the flaws, the warts, and the blemishes, look for their godly qualities.  Look for the gold, not for the dirt.  Look for the good, not the bad. Look for the positive aspects of their life. Like everything else, the more good qualities we look for in people, the more good qualities we are going to find.

Today, you may have to look through several tons of dirt - but keep looking, fof the gold!!!

“I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" (Zechariah 13:9)

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:3)

 

boat

There was a little boy who built a sailboat. He built the sail and had it all fixed up, tarred and painted. He took it to the lake and pushed it in hoping it would sail. Sure enough a wisp of breeze filled the little sail and it billowed and went rippling along the waves. Suddenly before the little boy knew it, the boat was out of his reach. All he could do was cry as he watched it sail away.

Some time later, the little boy was downtown walking past a second hand store when he saw his boat in the window. He immediately went in and told the store owner.  The owner of the shop said, "Actually it’s my boat. I bought it from someone. If you want it, you'll have to buy it." 

The kid rushed home and counted his pennies. He had just enough, so he went back and bought the little boat. As he left the store he said, "You’re twice my boat. First I made you then I bought you!"

That's exactly what God did for you.  First, He created you, then He bought you on the cross.   

"For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."  (1 Corinthians 6:20)

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)  

4

Tell a child you have a secret and you have his undivided attention. All of us children - big and little, young and old - love secrets; love to hear them, love to tell them. Today, I am opening the vault and revealing four of the best-kept secrets in the Kingdom of God.

Secret #1 - God has big plans for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 says it best. "I know the plans I have for you: plans for your welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." His plans for us fall into two categories - earthly and heavenly.

Secret #2 - He is not going to tell you what they are.

In His compassion, God makes big plans for us. In His wisdom, He does not tell us what they are. He protects us from knowledge of the future for two reasons.

(1) We could not handle it.

(2) We would mess it up.

Suppose you found out that your brothers were going to fake your death and sell you into slavery, and that you would end up forgotten and forsaken in a foreign prison for years. Who could handle such news? Most of us would grieve over such a future and grow bitter toward our brothers and angry at God. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, Joseph experiences precisely such a fate.

Suppose the Lord told you that one day you would become the king's second-in-command and live in power and luxury for the rest of your life. Who could handle news like that without becoming distracted? This too is the story of Joseph in Genesis.

Scripture promises the Lord will not put more on us than we can bear. One way He does that is by withholding details about our future. The burdens would rob us of our joy and threaten to destroy us in advance, while the blessings would distract us from our responsibilities of the moment.

Secret #3 - God is working on His plans this very moment.

He is getting you ready for the future and getting the future ready for you. Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-6). He is getting Heaven ready for us. He is getting us ready for Heaven.

One way God prepares us for future challenges is by giving us difficulties and hardships. He strengthens us the same way a personal trainer builds our muscles: by laying on stress. "It is good for me that I was afflicted," the psalmist said, "that I might learn thy statutes." (Psalm 119:71) That's how it works.

Secret #4 -- Your job is to be faithful today.

Bloom where you are planted, as the saying goes. The way to be ready for tomorrow's opportunities is to do our job today, no matter how insignificant or routine.

Writing in the Spring, 2003 issue of "Columns," the alumni magazine of Louisiana College, Curt Iles pays tribute to science professor Charles Cavanaugh. Early in Curt's sophomore year, he paid Cavanaugh a visit to tell him he planned to drop chemistry.

"Prof," said the 19-year-old, "I thought it was God's will for me to become a science teacher. I enjoyed the biology classes you taught last year. But chemistry is killing me. That little rural high school I attended did not prepare me for this. I failed the test yesterday and I am not going to be able to pass this course. So, I plan to drop chemistry. Maybe God will have something else for me since I can't be a science teacher. I need to find His will."

Suddenly, the professor cut him off. "God's Will? God's Will? Son, I'll tell you what God's Will is for you! Get in there, go to work, and pass chemistry. That's what God's Will is for you!" And he stormed out of the office. Curt sat there in shock. Finally, realizing the professor was not returning, he went back to his dormitory. That night, he studied chemistry, and the next day, made a D on the test. At least, it was passing.

"That day," Curt Iles writes, "I decided that nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goal of teaching. I was going to pass this course or die trying." A month later, the chemistry professor said, "Iles, what's happened to you?"  He had totally changed.  He was a student with a purpose.

Before leaving the disciples, Jesus began to prepare them for the future. Peter listened, absorbed all he could, then turned to the apostle John. "Lord," he said, "what about him?" Jesus said, "What is that to you? You follow me." (John 21:22)

God has big plans for you. He is mercifully not going to tell you what they are. At this moment, He is at work getting you ready for them and them ready for you. Your job is to do the work He has put on your plate today.

-joe mckeever

on

When we moved to New York City, one of the first landmarks I wanted to see was the Statue of Liberty. A guide actually told me an amazing fact about that lady in the harbor. From that first day in the late 1800's when her light was first lit up, right up to that moment he saw her, the lamp of liberty has never gone out. Even when everybody else's lights went out - like, say in the daytime, for example - Lady Liberty has always had her light shining.

During World War II, all of New York City was under a blackout for security reasons, but they kept this little 60-watt light bulb glowing in liberty's torch. And the night all the lights went out in New York because of a power blackout, the light still stayed on because it's powered by electricity from across the river in New Jersey! As wave after wave of immigrants sailed into New York Harbor, they'd strain for a first look at that Statue, the symbol of the freedom that they had risked so much to find. And whenever they arrived, they saw the light of liberty. It was always, always on.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4:4-7. "Now Jesus had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar... Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour (noon). When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Will you give me a drink?'"

Now, this encounter starts a chain reaction that, in turn, starts a massive revival in this Samaritan village, and much of the village comes to Christ as Savior. It started at a time when Jesus was feeling tired, and thirsty, and ready for some rest. It was one of those seemingly "off duty" moments, the kind of times when we want to post a sign like buses sometimes do: "Out of service."

But along comes a woman who needs Him, and He opens up her life to His claims. Now here's Jesus, totally worn out, but as "on" at this resting spot as He is in a crowd on a sunny hillside. In fact, it is, humanly speaking, Jesus' thirst that puts Him at the right place at the right time. And that's the same way God is directing your steps. He wants to use the everyday events of your life to position you to affect someone else's life, if you're willing to do the Statue of Liberty thing, and never turn off your light.

You never know how God will get you to be at the right place for someone who needs you - for someone who needs him! It's important to be "on" for Jesus when you go to lunch, when you're in a store, when you're waiting in line, when you're in a cab or on a plane. If you're going to be like your Lord, you can't put your service into little compartments: "OK, it's ministry time now." When isn't ministry time? Today, in the middle of your journey, there is someone who needs Jesus, someone who needs encouragement, someone who needs a hand, someone who needs to be prayed with.

Life really becomes an adventure when you consciously open up your day to God's sovereign bringing you together with other people for His glory and for their good. In fact, it's exciting to begin each day, praying something like this, "Lord, use my everyday activities today to put me in the path of someone who needs me, who needs you." Like that lady in New York Harbor, you never know when you'll be holding the light that someone is desperately looking for. Just be sure that your light is always on!

-ron hutchcraft

part

I heard about a junior high music teacher who had just organized a band in her school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that without consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the entire school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready to give a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the concert, to no avail.

Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music teacher stood on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her nervous musicians, "If you're not sure of your part, just pretend to play."

And with that, she stepped back, lifted her baton and with a great flourish brought it down. Lo and behold, nothing happened! The band brought forth a resounding silence.

I can't help but wonder if we have the same problem in the church at times.  Christians may have the idea that since they're unsure of the part that they are to play, they'll just sit and pretend.  The problem is, when everyone is unsure of what part they're supposed to play, the result is silence -- nothing gets done.

What is the solution?  The solution is helping each and every member of the body of Christ to learn their part.  In I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, Paul pictures the church as a body with all of the different parts of that body having different functions.

     "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them..." (Romans 12:6).

I can't do everything, and I certainly can't do everything well.  But that's OK.  The saxophonist in an orchestra isn't expected to know how to play the drums.  His talent is playing the saxophone.  His job is simply to make use of his talent and do the very best that he can.

Learn what your gift is, and then use it to the glory of God.  Paul offers a list of possibilities.  Maybe your gift is speaking, or serving, or encouraging, or giving, or leading, or showing mercy (Rom. 12:6-8).   Perhaps your gift is in that list, perhaps it's something else altogether.

But, if you're not sure of your part, please don't sit and pretend to play.  Find out what your gift is and then make use of it to the glory of God!

-alan smith

defeat

Are you discouraged?  Remember, the game's not over until it's over. Anyone going through a difficult time needs to remember that the end has not yet come, and that our Heavenly Father may have all manner of wonderful things in store just around the bend in the road. 

USA TODAY once reported a story which demonstrates this fact very well.  Milwaukee Hamilton High School had a 22-15 lead against Milwaukee Marshall with just a few seconds left in a football game one Friday night in September of 1983. It appeared to be a sure victory. With only four seconds remaining, Hamilton, which was on its 40-yard line, snapped the ball to Jose Alba. Alba ran back toward his end zone to run out the clock, then tossed the ball into the air as time expired, thinking the game was over, and the victory belonged to him and his teammates.

But, remember - in football, the play is not finished until the ball is downed while in the possession of a player. So when the ball came down, one of Marshall's players, Floyd Heard, picked it up on the five and ran it in for a touchdown. Then with time expired, Marshall attempted the two-point conversion - and made it. They won the game 23-22.

There are many times in our lives when we're on the losing side of the scoreboard, and time is running out. If Floyd Heard had believed what the circumstances told him, he would have walked to the sideline, accepting defeat. Yet that is what we do so many times in our lives. The game - nor life - is over until it's over. Be encouraged! Don't give up! Stay the course!

-rocky henriques

adversity

Did you hear about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on? He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked and, sure enough, they were. 

It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on-this time on the right feet. He then announced, "These aren't my boots." 

She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear them." 

She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots..." 

As I read that, I thought about how many of our frustrations come about as the result of having to do something over and over. Let me give you an example. A number of years ago, I was having some back trouble and the doctor told me I needed surgery. I counted down the days until I could find some relief. The surgery went well (in fact, I went home less than 12 hours after surgery), but the recuperation didn't go as planned. Instead of getting relief, I found myself back under the doctor's knife six weeks later. 

I remember that the greatest source of frustration wasn't the surgery itself. It was the fact that I thought I was getting better, but I had to start all over again. Just when I thought I was making progress, I encountered a setback. I was able to easily muster the emotional strength to face the first surgery, but it was much tougher the second time. 

I've seen the same thing happen in a number of different areas. I suspect you have, too. Maybe you were hoping to get bills cleared up only to be hit with an unexpected dentist bill or car repair. Maybe it's harsh criticism you're dealing with, a situation at work that's making it difficult to maintain your Christian standards, or perhaps the struggles of dealing with a rebellious child. You think, "I can handle the difficulty I'm going through as long as I can see the light at the end of the tunnel". Only just when you're about at the end of the tunnel and you taken about all you can take, you realize that there's more adversity ahead and the light is barely visible. I understand; I've been there. 

The Christian life is long and sometimes difficult. There are times we feel we just can't take it anymore and we want to give up, especially when we've had to face the same adversity over and over and over again. May this passage serve as a source of comfort and strength to you: 

"He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." (Isa. 40:29-31). 

I pray that your strength will be renewed this day as you wait upon the Lord. Hang in there! 

-alan smith 

................live.......

Melvin McDonald served in the Canadian navy during World War II. There are certain mementos he values from that season of his life. It turns out that one of them created quite a ruckus several years ago at police headquarters in Winnipeg. 

Early one Monday the 79-year-old McDonald and his wife showed up at the front desk. His opening line to the police officer who offered to assist him was, "I got a grenade." He wasn't making a threat, mind you – just stating a fact. With that he took a hand grenade out of a brown paper bag and gave it to the officer. 

The shocked constable kept his head. He did, however, call the bomb squad immediately. Then things really started to happen. Most of the main floor of the Public Safety Building was evacuated, the fire department was put on alert, and the bomb squad showed up with all its sophisticated paraphernalia. 

The grenade was still primed with explosive, and its fuse was intact. "I've had it in the house all these years," the veteran said. "I used to have it on a stand." His nephew had suggested it ought to be turned over to the police.

An embarrassed McDonald apologized for all the commotion he caused. It was only a keepsake from a training exercise in Scotland in the early 1940s. 

It makes me think of the stuff some of us have kept around far too long – things that still could do a lot of harm. We bear grudges from old offenses. The resentment lingers from months, years, or decades ago. There is bad blood between departments in your company, families in the neighborhood, or people who are members of your church. Maybe your heart is seething with anger.

If something isn't done to deactivate those feelings, there could be a major explosion. There will be casualties. A business could be ruined. A marriage might be destroyed. A church could die. Innocent souls will suffer for someone's folly. 

The Apostle Paul wrote: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice" (Ephesians 4:31). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why he gave that counsel. Explosions maim and kill! 

Winnipeg police discouraged anyone else with such items from trying to deliver such devices to the authorities. "Please call the police," said a spokesman, "and we will arrange for a pickup. Don't drop it off on our front counter." 

You may need to call on God to handle some bad – and potentially deadly – feelings tormenting you. He can supply the balm of compassion and pardon. 

-rubel shelly

pattern

Many times, God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a "holding pattern". We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us.

God put Jonah in a "holding pattern" because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interferences, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray.

When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.

A few of God's holding patterns:

1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed but you are not yet healed, you are in a holding pattern.

2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.

3. When you have been praying for a loved one to return to God, and they have not come back yet, you are in a holding pattern.

4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.

5. When the doors slam shut before you can even knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.

When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. Like Jonah, we cannot run from God, because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys that are low enough, rivers that are wide enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden from Him.

We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting, and remember three things:

   1. The pattern has a purpose.

   2. The pattern has a plan.

   3. The pattern has a process.

So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."

clean

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

I remember when my children were much younger, and after a full day of rough and tumble sports and play activities, they would arrive home shortly before supper, filthy! Their little bodies looked like they were rolling in dirt, their clothes stained with grass marks, and the smell of sweat from the hot summer sun was clearly evident.

"In to the bathtub you go!" I would say. "And don't forget to scrub!" Thirty minutes later, the two of them would walk down the stairs sparking in their cute pajamas, wet combed hair, clean and sweet-smelling bodies! "My! How nice you you look!" I would say. "Are these the same dirty children I saw a few minutes ago?"

God can do something similar, but in more miraculous proportions in our life. When we invite Him in to our life, we make a choice to reject evil, repent of past sins, and to cleave to a better way: His way. Our slate is washed clean, and we are presented with a new heart and spirit. 

The pristine light and love of the Lord makes us a new creation! And, just as we may need to bathe our physical bodies daily to ensure we remain clean and sweet smelling, so too should we bathe our mind with the truth of His word, the Bible, so that we will not fall back in to a path of impurity.

list

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.  Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.  It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.  On Monday, she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in VietNam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to pass the coffin.  As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her.  "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.  "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket.  "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."   "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary"

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists"

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.  So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

"Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

"Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today."  (Hebrews 3:13)

"Encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25)

"My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God's grace for you. Stand firm in this grace." (1 Peter 5:12) 

prop

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old fellow who always prayed, "Lord, prop us up on our leaning side."  After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, "Well sir, you see, it's like this...  I've got an old barn out back.  It's been there a long time.  It's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years.  It's still standing.  But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit.  So, I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about how much I was like that old barn.  I've been around a long time.  I've withstood a lot of life's storms, and I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing, too.  But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop me up on my leaning side.

I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times. Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, "Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again to glorify You.  We need You, Lord, to give us the strength to stand whenever we get out of balance.  In those times, Lord, prop us up on our leaning side."

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  (Isaiah 41:10)

-author unknown

? groom

Fed up with the way the bride invariably steals the show at her own wedding, the university at which Rob Tombes works (exact school unknown) carried in its news weekly its own "unbiased" account of his recent marriage to Mary Beth Snyder:

Mr. Robert Tombes, son of Dr. and Mrs. Averett Tombes of Fairfax, Va., became the bridegroom of Miss Mary Elizabeth Snyder today at Fairfax Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Tombes was attended by his brother Thomas Hamilton Tombes as best man.

As the groom approached the altar he was the cynosure of all eyes. Blushing handsomely, he replied to the questions of the clergyman in low but firm tones.  He was charmingly clad in a 3-piece suit consisting of coat, vest and pants.  The coat, of some dark material, was draped handsomely about the shoulders and tastefully gathered under the arms. A touching story was current among the guests that the coat was the one worn by his father and grandfather on their wedding days.  Mr. Tombes would neither affirm nor deny the truth of this sentimental touch.  The vest was sleeveless and met in the front.  It was gracefully fashioned with pockets and at the back was held together by a strap and buckle of the same material.

The groom's pants were of some dark material, and were suspended from the waist, falling in a straight line almost to the floor.  The severe simplicity of the garment was relieved by the right pantelet which was caught up about four inches from the floor by a Boston Brighton worn underneath, revealing just the artistic glimpse of leather, laced with string of the same color.  The effect was rather chic.

Beneath the vest the groom wore blue galluses attached to the pants fore and aft and passing in a graceful curve over each shoulder.  His neck was encircled with a collar characterized by a delicate sawedge, and around the collar a cravat was loosely knotted so that it rode up under his left ear with a studied effect of carelessness which marks supreme artistry in dress.

The best man's costume was essentially the same as the groom's, and as the two stood at the altar, a hush of awed admiration enveloped the audience.

As Miss Snyder led the groom from the nuptials, it was noted that she wore the conventional white veil and orange blossoms.

Unbiased?  Hardly!  It sounds so strange because we are used to the splendor of the bride being described.  It just doesn't seem fitting for that same sense of "glory" to be attached to the groom.

And yet, in a spiritual sense it is most fitting.  For those who are in the church are the "bride of Christ", and the groom is none other than Jesus Christ himself.  And while we are used to hearing about the splendor of the bride, in this relationship, it is the groom who is to be held in awe.  Any glory that is ours is only because of what the groom has done for us.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27)

May I draw your attention to the Groom and his magnificent glory!

-alan smith

?waiting

Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. 

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. 

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. 

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.  They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified. 

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled." 

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!" 

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his." 

We are so busy living in a world that is full of noise and clatter, like that office. People are distracted and unable to hear the still, small voice of God as He speaks in creation, in the Scriptures, and in the life and work of Jesus Christ. 

So I ask you, as I ask myself, "Are you listening, or are you waiting to be called? Do you hear the Lord when he speaks to you? 

-steve blair

time

"Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night". Psalm 1:2 (NRSV)

A real Christian stands out in the crowd!

Their character is deeper,

their ideas fresher,

their spirit softer,

their courage greater,

their leadership better,

their concerns wider,

their compassion more genuine,

their convictions more concrete.

They're joyful in spite of difficult circumstances and show wisdom far beyond their years. And they're full of surprises... You think you have them boxed in, but they turn out to be unpredictable. When you're around them, you feel slightly off balance because you don't know what to expect next. Over time, you know that their unexpected ideas and actions can be trusted.

Why? Because these people have a strong relationship with the Lord - one that's renewed day by day. David said: "Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate both day and night."

They have a spiritual root system that reaches down to streams of living water. Consequently, what they put their hand to prospers. Too few of us ever reach this level. How come?  Because we're just too busy!   The arch-enemy of spiritual growth is business, which is closely tied to something the Bible calls "worldliness" - getting caught up with society's agenda, to the neglect of walking with God.

Anyway you cut it, a key ingredient in real Christianity is  -  T I M E.

Not leftover time, not throw-away time, but quality time.

Time for contemplation.

Time for meditation.

Time for reflection.

Time for prayer

Time for listening to God's Voice

Time for reading God's Word

Unhurried, uninterrupted time with God.

sacrifice

I heard a story once about two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, who traveled with a group that was going around the world. As they were visiting in Korea, they saw by the side of the road, a field in which a boy was pulling a crude plow and an old man held the plow handles and guided it. The lawyer was amused and took a snapshot of the scene.

He turned to the missionary, who served as their interpreter and guide, and he said, "That's a curious picture. I suppose they are very poor."

The guide replied, "Yes, that is the family of Chi Noue. When the place of worship was being built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money, so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring, they are pulling the plow themselves."

The men were silent for several moments. Then the businessman replied, "That must have been a real sacrifice." The guide said, "They do not call it that. They thought it was fortunate that they had an ox to sell."

I am reminded of a parable Jesus told: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matt. 13:44).

Notice carefully the words "for joy." This man doesn't just sell everything he has; he does so with joy. He doesn't regret it. He doesn't complain about the sacrifice he has to make. In fact, he probably doesn't even consider it to be a sacrifice. He gives a lot for the field, but he gets so much more in return.

When I perform a wedding ceremony, I often include these words: "Whatever sacrifice you will be required to make to preserve this covenant life, always make it generously. Sacrifice is usually difficult. Only love can make it easy; and perfect love can make it a joy."

The same thing holds true in our walk with Christ. Sacrifices will be necessary, and only a deep love for Christ will make them a joy. The real test of our commitment is not so much whether we are willing to make sacrifices for our Lord, but whether we are able to make those sacrifices with joy.

 -author unknown

storm

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. 

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us... and all of us will experience them... we can rise above them by setting our minds and hearts on Jesus, and putting our faith in Him.  

The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. 

The Bible says, "Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." (Isaiah 40:31).