trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.  They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said,

"Someday I hope to be a treasure chest.  I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems.  I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship.  I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.  Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.   When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree,  I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong  tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard."  The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true.

One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down."

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a  feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay.  This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree.

The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but  this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep.   While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe.  The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said  "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it.

When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.

When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you.  If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us.  We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

? whose

The following news item appeared in the Associated Press last week:

"A mailman who hoarded thousands of letters and parcels at his home was jailed for four months on Friday. Christopher Meek, 19, admitted hoarding 13,819 postal items, saying he had taken them home because his mailbag was too heavy for him to carry.

"He was arrested in December after the Royal Mail received complaints from people who had not received Christmas gifts sent through the mail....Meek opened more than 1,400 of the items and stole the contents, including compact disks and DVDs, jewelry and gift vouchers.

"Meek's lawyer, Peter Thubron, said his client ” who is short and slight ” had struggled to carry his mailbag and had taken the mail items home to deliver later but then let the situation get out of control."

The thought of a mailman taking letters and packages home for his own use is appalling to us. He has no right. They don't belong to him! To use a biblical term, a mailman is a steward -- he is someone who is given the responsibility of taking care of something that belongs to someone else. And Paul tells us what the most important trait of a steward is -- "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (I Cor. 4:2).

Before we get too outraged, perhaps we need to reflect on the fact that we are all stewards. Everything that we have in our possession is not really ours. It belongs to God and He has given it to us to take care of for him. God intends for us to use what we have -- our money and possessions -- to help those who are in need, to further His work, to allow His glory to shine.

How often have we, instead, carried God's blessings home, opened them up and selfishly used them for our own pleasure? A mailman who does that would be fired (and imprisoned). Let us develop a mindset not of ownership, but of stewardship. Our job (like that of the mailman) is simply to deliver God's possessions to where He wants them to be used.

"And the Lord said, 'Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." (Luke 12:42-43)

watch

The story is told about three accountants who doubted their three engineer friends. They were traveling by train to a conference. The accountants bought three tickets, but the engineers only bought one. "How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" an accountant asked.

"Watch and you'll see," said an engineer.

They all boarded the train. The accountants took their seats, but the three engineers crammed into a restroom and closed the door behind them. The train departed the station and soon the conductor came through the car asking for tickets. He knocked on the restroom door and said, "Ticket, please." The door opened a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor took it and moved on.

The accountants agreed that this is a rather clever idea so after the conference, they decided to duplicate the engineers' feat. They bought only one ticket, but were astonished when the engineers bought no ticket at all! "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" the accountants asked. "Watch and you'll see," replied the engineers.

When they boarded the train, the accountants crammed into a restroom with their ticket while the three engineers did the same in a nearby restroom. After the train departed the station, one of the engineers left the restroom and walked over to the restroom where the accountants were hiding. He knocked on the door and said, "Ticket, please."

Watch and you'll see.

I wonder how many times those words have been spoken by our Lord throughout the centuries. I imagine there were many questions that were asked by the angels in heaven that received those words as a response. "God, how are you going to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the powerful Egyptians?" "Watch and you'll see." "What is your plan to bring about man's salvation?" "Watch and you'll see." "Your Son, Jesus, has been born a helpless baby in a poor, powerless family. How can he possibly make a difference in this world?" "Watch and you'll see."

And I'm sure Jesus must have spoken those words countless times to his apostles. "Lord, this man has leprosy. That one is a paralytic. What can possibly be done to help them?" "Watch and you'll see." "Jesus, this woman's son has already died. Surely there is nothing you can do." "Watch and you'll see." "Jesus, if you're crucified, how can you possibly save the world?" "Watch and you'll see."

In fact, I suspect those same words have been spoken to you and to me at difficult times in our lives that we questioned God. "God, how can I go on living without someone I love so dearly by my side?" "Watch and you'll see." "How can I cope in the midst of all this physical or emotional pain?" "Watch and you'll see." "God, this addiction has a hold on me and I don't see any way that I'll ever have the strength to conquer it." "Watch and you'll see."

"He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth -- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust..." (Psalm 40:1-3)

Watch and you'll see!

? who

 The following fictitious story was written by S.I. Kishor.  I have shared it before but want to share it again.

"John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose.  His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library.  Taking a book off the shelf he found  himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.  In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell.  With time and effort he located her address.  She lived in New York City.  He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond.

"The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail.  Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart.  A romance was budding.  Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like.

"When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. 'You'll recognize me,' she wrote, 'by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel.'  So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.

"I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:  A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim.  Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers.  Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive.  I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose.  As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. 'Going my way, sailor?' she murmured.

"Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell.  She was standing almost directly behind the girl.  A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat..  She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.

"The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.  And there she stood.  Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate.  My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.

"This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.  I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.  'I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell.  I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?'

 "The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.  'I don't know what this is about, son,' she answered, 'but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat.  And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street.  She said it was some kind of test!'

"It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom.  The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.  'Tell me whom you love,' Houssaye wrote, 'And I will tell you who you are.'"

Thanks be to God that He doesn't choose to love only those who are attractive.  As Paul said, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8).  God loved us when we were unattractive (to say the least).

 And he calls us to do the same:  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13:34).  Loving only those who are attractive (or pleasant or loving) is easy.  Are we willing, like God, to love the unattractive, the unpleasant, and those who don't love us in return?  Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are!

difficult

I heard about an office whose answering machine was set up to instruct callers to leave their name and address, and to "spell any difficult words."

Early one Monday, when the secretary was reviewing the weekend messages, she heard an enthusiastic young woman recite her name and address, and then confidently offer, "My difficult word is reconciliation. R-E-C-O-N-C-I-L-I-A-T-I-O-N."

Reconciliation can be a difficult word.  It's not that it's difficult to understand.  Webster defines the word "reconcile" as "to restore to friendship or harmony, to settle or resolve."  The word can be used in a variety of ways, but when it's applied to people it basically means to get two separated people back together again.  So we talk about a husband who wants to be reconciled to a wife who has left him, a father who wants to be reconciled to a wayward son, or a lost sinner who needs to be reconciled to God.

While not difficult to understand, reconciliation can be a difficult word to put into practice.  It can be very difficult to get two family members who are at odds to be reconciled.  And it can sometimes seem very difficult for us (or for others we know) to be made right with God.

A man once went to a preacher because he was having some family problems. He wasn't a very well-educated man and sometimes got his words confused.  He said, "Me and my wife need a re-cancellation."  What he meant to say was reconciliation, but the word re-cancellation wasn't a bad choice.  Because there can be peace for those who have been separated only when sin has been canceled.  As sinners before a righteous God, we need a "re-cancellation". And that's exactly what Jesus made available when he died on the cross.

"....by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight." (Col. 1:20-22)

Thanks be to God for making this difficult word a reality in our lives.

-alan smith

4

Fear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus can understand you.

--J. C. Ryle

Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings!

--Phillips Brooks

A prayerless Christian is like a bus driver trying alone to push his bus out of a rut because he doesn’t know Clark Kent is on board.

--John Piper

He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life. Satan had rather we let the grass grow on the path to our prayer chamber than anything else.

--E. M. Bounds

-posted at the timothy report

 

name

The majesty and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ should keep us confident in His ability to protect us, strengthen us and lift us up when we are feeling down or discouraged.  He holds all strength, comfort, wisdom and power and at the mention of His name all demons must bow.  He knows all things at all times in all places and nothing can ever surprise the Lord.

He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent and holds the keys to death, hell and the grave.  If problems have been trying to bring you down, I encourage you to think on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess to Him that your eyes are not focused on the problem, but rather your focus is on the Great I Am.  He is the answer to our every problem and has promised to calm our hearts and strengthen our spirits to fight the good fight of faith. 

I hope you are encouraged by today's devotional to rest in the ability of the Lord Jesus Christ and know that He has the answer to your every problem. 


JESUS, NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

He is our Elohim, our Sovereign God 
He is our El-Olam, our Eternal God 
He is our El-Shaddai, our Almighty Provider 
Jesus is our Adonai, our Loving Lord 

His name is so beautiful 
His name is so wonderful 
His name is our comfort in distress 
His name is our strong fortress 

When you are in need call upon Jehovah - Jirah 
And He will provide 

When you are in bondage call upon Jehovah - Mkaddesh 
And He will sanctify 

When you are downtrodden call upon Jehovah - Nissi 
He is our Banner 

When you are in despair call upon Jehovah - Rophe 
He is the Healer 

When you feel defeated call upon Jehovah - Tsaba 
For He is the Lord of the army 

When you need a cleansing call upon Jehovah - Tsidkenu 
For He is the righteousness 

When you are tormented call upon Jehovah - Shalom 
And He will give you peace 

When you are lost and lonely call upon Jehovah - Rohi 
He is the Good Shepherd 

When you want to feel His presence call upon Jehovah - Shammah 
And you will know that He is here 

Jesus, Name above all names....
-author unknown

help

A composition teacher asked the class to write about an unusual event that happened during the past week. Little Johnny got up and read his essay.

It began, "Daddy fell into the well last week..."

"Oh, my!" the teacher exclaimed. "Is he all right?"

"He must be," said the boy. "He stopped yelling for help yesterday."

We are surrounded in the church, in the workplace, in our community with people in need crying out for help. Sometimes the cries stop and we assume they're now all right. The truth may well be that they have grown weary of seeing their pleas unanswered.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is

this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)

Do you hear the cries for help?

web

The following story is reported to be a true story. This version came to me by way of Nathan Ray:

Robert the Bruce, a young soldier, found himself in a terrible battle during the Scottish Reformation around 1300. The enemy was soundly defeating this young man's army. He and his comrades found themselves hastily retreating from the battlefield in defeat, running away in fear of their very lives. The enemy gave chase. This young man ran hard and fast, full of fear and desperation, and soon found himself cut off from his comrades in arms.

He eventually came upon a rocky ledge containing a cave. Knowing the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted from the chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled in, he fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to God to save him and protect him from his enemies.

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave. As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony. He thought, "I asked God for protection and deliverance, and he sent me a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"

His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover his hiding place and kill him. And soon he did hear the sound of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for those in hiding. One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.

As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade, "There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

Years later, a young man wrote about that ordeal: "Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."

I love that line. Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web. How true!

"We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests. Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Psalm 20:5-7)

words

The following story is adapted from a true story sent in to and published by Reader's Digest. Unfortunately, I do not know which issue nor the original author.

One day at lunch a group of preachers was discussing sermon preparation. One minister explained that he devoted the month of July to writing a year's worth of sermons. Another preacher said that he outlined his weekly sermon on Mondays and wrote on the following days. Still another preacher said that he set aside Wednesday mornings for preparation. A fourth preacher confessed to hurrying to meet his deadline late Saturday nights.

A fifth preacher had the final say. "I usually schedule a long hymn before the sermon."

I think I've heard a few of those sermons! :-) Seriously, good sermons require time and thought. It's important to think before we speak. That's true not only from the pulpit, but also in our daily lives. How many problems that you are facing right now would never have arisen if you had only taken the time to think things through before opening your mouth?

Solomon's advice is still as valuable as it was when he gave it:

"Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God......Therefore let your words be few......A fool's voice is known by his many words." (Ecclesiastes 5:2-3)

content

Jones, a wealthy financier, had on many occasion in the good old days -- when trains were flourishing and coaches were the last word in technological luxury -- crossed the continent by Pullman. He was well known and well served and was accustomed to every convenience, particularly when dining. Imagine his exasperation, then, when it turned out that the chef did not have tutti-frutti ice cream.

"No tutti-frutti?" he shouted. "I always have tutti-frutti."

"I'm sorry, sir," said the waiter, soothingly. "We have chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, black walnut, cherry, mocha almond --"

"I want tutti-frutti," cried Jones, banging the table and turning red. "I have always had tutti-frutti and I won't have anything else."

For miles he muttered, scowled, growled, and snarled at everyone, so that every train employee on board had visions of angry reprisals. Finally, the train stopped at a station; a word to the conductor kept it there while the crew scoured the town for tutti-frutti ice cream.

A whole pint of the dessert was found and all of it was presented to Jones, with huge gobs of cherry sauce on it, together with a sliced banana and a swirl of whipped cream.

"Here is your tutti-frutti ice cream, Mr. Jones," said the quaking waiter.

Jones looked at it with a scowl, then with a sudden swipe of his arm hurled it to the floor, shouting, "I'd rather have my grievance!"

As embarrassing as it is to admit it, I have been in that same situation. There are times when I have been most content to be discontent and have received great enjoyment from being unhappy. And pity the person who tried to appease me and deprive me of the "pity party" I was throwing myself! Have you been there as well?

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

May you find joy this day in a God who richly supplies all your needs!

-alan smith

boss

A boss was complaining in his staff meeting that he wasn't getting any respect. Later that morning he went to a local sign shop and bought a small sign that read, "I'm the Boss". He then taped it to his office door.

Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said. "Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"

Everyone likes to be the boss, to be in control, to be respected. That's the natural attitude of the world around us. But Jesus calls us to an attitude that is not very natural:

"You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority. But it should not be that way among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to become first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people." (Matthew 20:25-28, NCV)

Concerned that everyone be aware that you're the boss? Be more concerned about what you can do to serve others (by the way, God wants His sign back!)

! wait

"WAIT" 

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried, 
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied. 
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate, 
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait." 

"Wait?  You say, wait! " my indignant reply. 
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! 
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? 
By Faith, I have asked, and I am claiming your Word. 

My future and all to which I can relate 
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to "WAIT"? 
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign, 
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign. 

And Lord, You promised that if we believe 
We need but to ask, and we shall receive. 
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry: 
I'm weary of asking!  I need a reply! 

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate 
As my Master said once again, "Child, you must wait." 
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut 
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting... for what?" 

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine, 
And he tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. 
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun. 
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run. 

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be. 
You would have what you want  -  But, you wouldn't know Me. 
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint; 
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint. 

You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair; 
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there; 
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me 
When darkness and silence were all you could see. 

You'd never experience that fullness of love 
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove; 
You'd know that I give and I save... (for a start), 
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart. 

The glow of My comfort late into the night, 
The faith that I give when you walk without sight, 
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked 
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST. 

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, 
What it means that "My grace is sufficient for Thee." 
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true, 
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you! 

So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see 
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me. 
And though oft may My answers seem terribly late, 
My most precious answer of all is still, "WAIT." 
-russell kelfer

way

Currently, we have our seven-year-old grandson visiting us. Julian is delightful and thoroughly enjoyable to be around, when he is getting his way. One day this past summer, as we were on our way to the swimming pool, I stopped to indulge his request for an ice cream cone.  He decided he wanted a "Big Blast." He was all smiles as he devoured the horrid-looking blue drink with whipped cream topping.

Our next stop was the video store. When we finally found one he had not seen, I checked it out and was on my way out the door, when I noticed that Julian was not behind me. He had discovered a Nintendo game. By the time we finally left the store, he'd talked me into letting him play for about 30 minutes. Then I had to make a quick stop at a nearby department store for the pair of jeans I'd promised him.

By the time we came out of the department store -without the jeans (he had now decided he wanted a type of jeans the store did not carry) - it was 4:40 pm. "Julian," I said, "we are going to have to wait until tomorrow to go swimming. It is too late to swim today." He folded his arms abruptly across his chest, stuck out his bottom lip and began to pout and cry. "I want to swim today!" he said, pouting all the way home.

I thought how we adults are like that. Even though many of us are more indulged than most people on this planet and get most of our heart's desires, we do the same thing in more subtle ways when things don't go our way.

Isaiah 53:6 says, "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way." When you think about it, our "own way" is one of the things we cherish most in life and the thing that keeps us as our own "lord," or boss of our own lives. Our own way is usually in direct opposition to God's will and sometimes in opposition to the will of those closest to us. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death."

If we left Julian to his own way, he would be so spoiled that he could not get along in life and could never have working relationships. He must learn that sometimes, when he gets his way, he will not get what he really wants in the long run, which, in this case, was to go swimming on that particular day. Instead, he had frittered his time away doing things that - while not really wrong - were not what he most wanted to achieve that day. He needed the guidance of a wiser, caring mind. He needed discipline with love that would teach him and direct him to the wiser path. Had he listened to this guidance, he could have had what he most desired.

If we ask Him, God will show us the path He has for us, but He does not force us. "`For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. `For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9. Jesus said, "I AM the WAY, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." In Christ's life, in His death, burial and resurrection on our behalf, the way of salvation and the way of life has been made available to us through faith in Him and what He has done for us. To take our own path is to perish. To take His is life eternal.

-daphne harrington

? help

Sign seen in a textile mill, "When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman."

A young woman was new on the job. Her thread became tangled and she thought, "I'll just straighten this out myself."  She tried, but the situation only worsened. Finally she called the foreman. "I did the best I could," she said.

"No you didn't. To do the best, you should have called me."

How often does our pride and our "self-sufficiency" lead us to try to fix things ourselves when God wants us to come to him first. 

"Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."  (Matthew 6:33)

flute

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."  (Hebrews 12:11)

 

As the story goes, a little piece of wood once bitterly complained because its owner kept whittling away at it, gouging it and making holes in it. But the one who was cutting it paid no attention to the stick's protests. He was making a flute out of that piece of ebony, and he was too wise to stop when the wood complained so bitterly.

The man said, "Little piece of wood, without these rifts and holes, and all this cutting, you'd be just a stick forever - a useless piece of ebony. What I am doing now may seem as if I am destroying you, but instead it will change you into a beautiful flute. Your sweet music will charm the souls of many and comfort sorrowing hearts. All my cutting on you is the making of you, for this is the only way you be a blessing in the world."

The meaning of this little parable is clear: That flute, whose music will blend so sweetly in the orchestra, was made a flute only by the knife and file that filled it with rifts and holes - which seemed to be its very destruction. But the purpose of the master was that it might become a melodious instrument to the praise of God.

The Lord is shaping us. Let's be patient and allow His chastening to do its work in our lives so we will able to praise Him..

-m.r.dehaan

.....pecker

As my husband and I were working inside, we heard something hit the window. Looking out and seeing nothing, we stepped outside and there on the front porch was the still body of a woodpecker -- a beautiful yellow-bellied sapsucker. He had flown into the window, and, we presumed, broken his neck. My husband picked him up for a moment and  stroked the red cap on his head and laid him back down.

Just then, I saw an eye blink. I was holding a utility cloth in my hand, and I picked him up and covered him, all but his head. His heart was racing wildly, and I felt just a twitch of his foot. I realized that this now helpless creature, if only knocked out, could revive at any moment and give me quite a pecking.

Instinctive caution urged me to leave the bird there and hope he would come around, and that was my plan, that is, until I saw the neighbor's big black cat approaching in his most stealthy stalking mode.

I took the bird inside and found a box with a lid -- if he revived and got loose in the house he probably would kill himself trying to get out.

I placed the bird-in-the- box in a quiet place and went about my work. About half an hour later, I walked close enough to the box to detect any activity, but there was none. Then my husband came in and spoke to me. Suddenly, there was scratching and a flurry inside the box that made me fear the lid would not remain closed.

We took the box outside, and carefully began to open the lid. As it opened an inch or so, the bird burst out and flew vigorously away to resume his place in God's grand scheme of things.

As I saw that cat approaching earlier, I remembered 1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"

That little bird, in his natural healthy state, would never fall prey to the cat, but he was knocked out.

My thoughts went back 34 years to a time in my life when I was spiritually "knocked out," I was dead in my sin and as helpless to ward off the attacks of the enemy of my soul as that little bird lying on my porch.

Then a wonderful, loving Savior reached down and picked me up. He sheltered me and let me know I was loved and protected -- I only needed to trust Him. He didn't put me in a box, but he gave me strength and the desire to "vigorously fly away" spiritually to take my place in His wonderful design for my life in His kingdom.

-marie b corn

lose

I suspect there are some reading these words might take exception to the title: "We Do Not Lose Heart". You do not mean to lose heart. You do not want to lose heart. You know that you should not lose heart. But, you are. You are losing heart?or at least you feel like you may be losing heart.

You have dreams that seem to be fading. You think about opportunities that have passed by, or never came. You see obstacles that are too big and too powerful to overcome. You are faced with problems that seem to have no solution. You feel the pressure, you are perplexed, you feel you are being attacked on every side and from the most surprising people, and are afraid that if you are knocked down one more time you make not be able to get back up.  You feel weak, tired, and defeated.

What are you going to do? What can you do?

Start here. Read what Paul wrote, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, NIV)

Does that sound like you? At least the "hard pressed, perplexed, in despair, persecuted, abandoned, and struck down" parts sounds familiar?   The other things? Not so much right now.

Read what he wrote at the end of the chapter, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Feel any better? Does it help to know you are not alone in your struggles?  Do you find any comfort in hearing that others have experienced the same difficulties? Maybe? Maybe not? I know. I have been there.

Before you quit take a deep breath. Before you slump off into depression and hopelessness because you still cannot figure out how to fix all the stuff that is wrong in your world read this third paragraph that fits between the other two. This is where Paul reveals the reason he does not lose heart.

He wrote, "It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 4:13-15, NIV)

Did you see it? It is right there in the middle of the paragraph. One sentence: because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.

That is the secret. That is the key. That is what can keep us from losing heart. Look up. Look at Jesus. Rely on the fact that He will raise us up. Our struggles show that the Gospel is at work in us. Our difficulties will be turned into His glory. There is a lot we cannot see if we stay focused only on what we can see. This is temporary stuff. We are about the eternal.

I pray that through our faith in Jesus Christ who will raise us up we will not lose heart.

-tom novell