! kidding

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources person asked the young MBA fresh out of MIT, "And what starting salary were you looking for?"

The candidate responded, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

The HR person said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5-weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% salary, and a company car leased every two years - say a red Corvette?"

The graduate sat up mouth agape and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"

And the HR person responded, "Certainly.....but you started it!"

That's the trouble with a lot of young people today (I never thought I would be old enough to say that!) -- they want to start at the top and work their way up from there.

We as Christians are sometimes the same way, though.  We want what's at "the top" without going through what lies below.  For example, we want patience (and we want it right now!), but we don't want the trials that develop patience.  We'd rather start at the top.  James said,

"My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience." (James 1:2-3, NCV)

Have you prayed for patience lately?  You need to expect that God will give it to you immediately.  And, on top of that, you will never have any problems in life at all.  None!  Everything will always go smoothly.  You'll suffer no injustices, experience no heartaches, and never know what it means to fail.  Am I kidding?  Certainly........but you started it!

May the troubles you experience today lead you toward patience and maturity in the days to come (no kidding!).
-alan smith

tale

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another...If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone... If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."  (Romans 12:15-16; 18-20)

For many years an elderly lady in our neighborhood was noted for her beautiful tulip garden, Just passing by the colorful display made the heart want to sing; her garden represented earth's beauty at its best.

Next door to her was the unkempt home of an old bachelor. His fence was battered and broken, weeds shot up everywhere, and the paint was peeling.

Such extremes of appearance, it seems, could not coexist for long. Neighbors wondered why the elderly lady didn't complain or make a phone call to city officials. Yet no confrontation ever occurred. The beautiful tulip garden and the messy yard remained the same year after year.

But this spring an odd thing happened. As I drove down the street, I was surprised to see a few brilliantly colored rows of tulips in front of the old man's house. The rest of the yard still looked like a disaster, but

those new, gorgeous tulips stood out. Curious, I stopped my car and walked up to the lady's home. She was outside weeding her flowers.

"Hello!" I greeted her. "I've always admired your beautiful tulips."

"Well, thank you," she said, smiling in a way that made those gray-blue eyes of hers twinkle. "If you will wait a minute, I will cut some for you to take home. They don't last long, mind you, but they sure brighten up a room!"

Within a few minutes, she had cut a dozen gorgeous blooms for me. I thanked her and then said, "I noticed your neighbor planted tulips, too."

"Oh, no," she said, winking at me. "I planted those for Mr. James. He lost his wife a few years ago, and his children have all grown and moved faraway. He lives such a bitter, lonely life," she sighed. "I call that my plot of hope."

"A plot of hope?" I asked, not sure what she meant.

"Yes, to give him back the hope that his own home can be beautiful again, that there is still goodness in life, and to let him know that Jesus loves him just as much as He loves me."

I clutched my bouquet of tulips and left that garden feeling I had learned much more about the meaning of brotherly love.

Dear Lord, remind me that handling a matter wisely is to do so with kindness. Let me offer hope instead of criticism. In Jesus name, Amen

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galations 5:20)

-author unknown

still

..."Stand still and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...." (Exodus 14:13)

The Israelites had just left 400 years of slavery in Egypt. They had fled to the desert, but they had come to a dead end at the Red Sea. Word reached them that Pharaoh had changed his mind. He was sending his troops to recapture the Israelites. They cried out to their leader Moses, complaining that he had brought them that far only to die in the desert.

Learning when to move and when to stand is the greatest challenge for a workplace believer. We are trained for action. We are not trained to sit idly and wait. We are trained to solve problems, not wait for them to resolve themselves. However, God says there are times to wait. We are to wait until He says go. If we go before He says go, we likely will make our situation worse.

If the Israelites had attempted to cross the Red Sea before it parted, they would have drowned. If they had fled north to try to avoid the Egyptians, God would not have moved in a miraculous way. God cannot work on our behalf if we continually try to solve our problem when He has instructed us to stand still. Standing still is sometimes the greatest action we can do, although it is the most difficult thing to do in the Christian walk.

Stand still when He says stand and see the deliverance of the Lord.

-os hillman

? Jesus

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.

In their rush, with tickets and brief-cases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did. The 16 year old girl selling the apples was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping, and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $20 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?  That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, His life and His grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye  - even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.  Let us live like we are worth the price He paid.

-author unknown

questions

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace."   John 16:33

If I live to be a hundred there are some things I will never understand. Why do some people live, and some die? Why do some people have debilitating diseases and others, perfect health? Why do some have loads of money and others struggle to survive? Why do some get caught and others go free? Why do some people recover and get well, others don't?

Don't we all wonder about these questions? I do, from time to time, and my answer is always the same, "I don't know." I don't know much, and even less the older I get. My list of questions I want to ask when I get to heaven is pretty long.

In this life, there are a lot of mysteries. We will not humanly understand many things. Yet underlying all the unknowns is the one great thing we do know: God is still on his throne. He is still sovereign, still in charge. He knows what is going on. He doesn't just wake up one morning, look down, and say, "Oh wow, look at that!!"

We may not be able to trust in the system, in people, in circumstances or luck. But we can trust in the Lord God. And the promise is that one day, every tear shall be wiped away. Every sickness, every injustice, every heartache.

Jesus said we will surely have troubles here on earth, but to be undaunted and confident because He has overcome the world's power to harm us permanently.

Bottom-line: the answer to all these questions really is...  hang onto the promise, and hold onto the Lord.

-sally kennedy

bible

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?"

 

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water."

 

The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.  This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home.

 

Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard  enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

 

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."  The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.

That is the work of God in our lives.  To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His Son.  Take time to read a portion of God's word each day.

"Show me a Bible that's coming apart, and I'll show you someone who isn't"

zeal

The following story is one that is reported to have been told by Napoleon to spark patriotism among his men:

Once, while visiting a province he came upon an old soldier in full uniform but with one sleeve hanging empty.  He proudly wore the coveted Legion of Honor.  Napoleon asked, "Where did you lose your arm?"  The soldier answered, "At Austerlitz, sire."

Napoleon asked, "And for that you received the Legion of Honor?"

The man said, "Yes, sire.  It is but a small token to pay for the decoration." Napoleon continued, "You must be the kind of man who regrets he did not lose both arms for his country."

The one-armed man asked, "What then would have been my reward?"

Napoleon answered, "I would have awarded you a double Legion of Honor."  And with that, the proud old fighter drew his sword and immediately cut off his other arm.

What a great story of patriotic duty!  It apparently was quite effective in stirring up in Napoleon's men a desire to sacrifice even more for the cause of France!

There's only one problem with the story.  You may have already noticed the inconsistency.  But apparently it was years before anyone dared to ask Napoleon the question, "How did the soldier cut off his arm with only one arm to do it with?"

Nice story.  Stirring, moving, motivating......but it wasn't true.  And it's possible for the same thing to happen to us in a religious sense.  We can get all "fired up" without much thought as to the truth of what we're getting excited about.  Paul said of those who were motivated in such a way:

     "...They are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." (Romans 10:2, NIV)

Zeal is good.  We all need more of it.  But we need to make certain that our enthusiasm is firmly based on our knowledge of God's will.

-alan smith

praying

1. Pray that NOTHING hinders your child from accepting Christ as his/her personal Savior early in life. 

(Matthew 19:14)

2. Pray your child learns to know God and will have a deep desire to do God's will for his/her life. 

(Psalms 119:27,30,34,35).

3. Pray your child hears stories from the Bible that will be the basis for his decisions throughout life. 

(Ecclesiastes 12:1, Psalms 71:17).

4. Pray your child will develop a keen sense of right and wrong and that he will truly abhor evil and cling to that which is good. (Psalms 139:23-4).

5. Pray your child will increase in wisdom (mentally) and in stature (physically) and in favor with God (spiritually) and man (socially). (Luke 2:52). 

6. Pray your child will develop a thankful heart and a positive mental attitude. (Psalm 126:2-3, Romans 8:31)

7. Pray that God will protect your child from Satan and his wiles in every area of his/her life. 

(John 17:55, Psalm 121)

8. Pray that God would make your child successful in the work God has for him to do. (Psalm 118:25, 139:9-10)

9. Pray he/she will have a strong sense of belonging to a family that is loving and dwells together in unity 

(Psalms 133, Colossians 3:12-14).

10. Pray that his/her entire life will be a testimony of the greatness and love of Christ. 

(Philippians 2:15-16 Thess 5:2-3)

forgive

It was a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck.

He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there -- the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie's pain-blanched face.

He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. "How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!"

His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.

Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? "Lord Jesus," I prayed, "forgive me and help me to forgive him."

I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. "Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness."

As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.

And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.

Corrie Ten Boom

retention

How to Keep Young People Like Me in Church

Commentary: Millennials need to be moved from being spectators to participants.

There has been a lot of talk lately about my generation, the Millennials, leaving the church in droves. 

Numerous books and studies have been released about this problem and what churches can do to dam the flow. If the pattern continues, our current church leaders may not have anyone prepared to relieve them when they retire. This is certainly a concern for the future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Expectations about church involvement and attendance have shifted over the years. As Adventists, we like to think of ourselves as biblically grounded, not changing on the whims of society. But we are influenced by society. I spent more than a year extensively studying the Medical Cadet Corps, an Adventist Church program started in the 1930s in the United States to prepare young men of draft age to serve in noncombatant roles in the armed forces. I found that Adventists in the United States closely followed U.S. society in relation to opinions about the government and military service. Adventists are influenced by society, and we are changed by society.

The same has happened with church attendance. It used to be a cultural expectation for Americans to attend church. The older generations could count on their peers noticing and sometime commenting on any lapses. Adventists and many other Americans attended church regularly, just as mainstream society expected.

Now society has changed.

The expectation for regular church attendance has disappeared from mainstream society.

My peers and I do not feel as much pressure to regularly attend church. We are reflecting a cultural change in U.S. society. I do not expect my friends to attend church every week, and they feel the same way. It is not necessarily a decrease in spirituality that keeps my generation away, but more of a change in expectations.

The question remains: What can we do to keep young people in the church? I’m not here to talk about what has been suggested by others, but rather what has worked for me.

Obviously, I am still an attending and involved member of my church. I don’t stay for the varied song services or the dynamic Bible studies. Currently, my main reason for staying with my home church is my involvement and responsibilities in Pathfinders.

I have been a staff member for more than three years and enjoy interacting with the Pathfinders at church. I know for myself that my spiritual walk with God will always be changing and fluctuating. On the other hand, my involvement in Pathfinders provides a steady reason for church attendance and participation while my spiritual life sorts itself out.

I believe the key to retaining my generation is moving young people from spectators to participants.

I became a participant when I served on my first committee at 14. My father and I were elected to the committee that planned the annual church campout. My specific responsibility was to write and direct short skits to reflect the worship talks given throughout the weekend.

The skits turned out well, but the success was not all my own. Nervous and shy about my new responsibilities, I was encouraged by the presence of my father sitting next to me in the committee meetings. I believe my personal experience could be applied on a much larger scale to prevent a leadership void in our church.

Young people do not always have the experience needed to be leaders, but there are many in the church who could mentor them. Through involvement and development of leadership skills we give young people a tangible reason to remain involved in the church.

Here is a suggested model for including more young people in committees and in church leadership through a mentorship program:

1. Start young. Academy and college-aged students are at the perfect age to begin training for future leadership. They are already looking for reasons to retain their faith and involvement.

2. Assign mentors. Any young person being considered by the nominating committee should either select or be assigned a mentor. That mentor can be a relative, close friend, or someone experienced in the area of interest.

3. Ballots and elections. I would suggest that the young person and mentor be elected as one person on the ballot. The young person will be the official committee selection. The mentor’s priority will be the development of the young person’s abilities and leadership, not the agenda of the committee.

This model is simple and broad but I see in it a purpose to train and involve young people in the leadership of their local church. If implemented quickly, perhaps the leadership gap can be avoided and our young people will become participants instead of spectators. Dedicated involvement will decrease the likelihood of an absent generation

-kelti barcelow adapted from Adventist Review October 6th, 2015

---

mistake

I'm always struck by this passage. Joshua gives a command to the heavenly bodies, and God rearranges the laws of physics so that they obey him. It's one of the greatest miracles in all of scripture. In its scientific magnitude, it is an even greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea.

But that isn't the main reason I'm so taken by what happened here. I'm struck by the context. Joshua just blew it. The Gibeonites, posing as distant travelers, deceived Joshua and the other leaders into making a prohibited treaty with them. Joshua was clearly negligent for failing to inquire of the Lord before ratifying the treaty. Now, here in chapter 10, he's dealing with the aftermath of his mistake. The Gibeonites are in trouble; Joshua and all Israel are called upon to save them.

God could have washed His hands of the entire affair. He could have said, "You got yourself into this mess; you get yourself out of it. Don't look to Me to help you defend these wicked Gibeonites."

But He doesn't do anything of the sort. God is a God of people who make mistakes, people who blow it, people who mess up.

I don't like making mistakes, but when I do, God gently reminds me that the work of God isn't about me and how perfect I am; rather, it is about the God who shows up despite our failings.

-dwight clough

accident

My mother's father worked as a carpenter.  On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen in one of the crates, which he had nailed shut.

His brand new glasses were heading for China!

The Great Depression was at it's height and Grandpa had six children. He had spent $50 for those glasses that very morning.  He was upset by the thought of having to buy another pair.  "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."

Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Saturday (Sabbath) at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my co-workers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top."

The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued, "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me!  I want to thank you for being a part of that."  The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses.  But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought.  There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.  But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking Him!  Perhaps it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you God for not allowing my car to start this morning."  He may have been saving your life from a car accident.  May God bless your day today.  Look for the perfect mistakes!

“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)

-author unknown

.....guit

A retired gentleman spent most afternoons at the local golf course.  Every day he would spend about three hours out on the course, playing a round by himself.  When he would return to the club house, the resident pro would inquire about his score.

"Ed, how'd you shoot today?", to which the man would always reply, "Another perfect par."

The golf pro knew that there was no way the old man was shooting straight par every day, but since he was a regular customer, he didn't want to insult the man by accusing him of lying.

Finally, one day, the pro decided to accompany the old man on his daily round, just to see for himself.  On the first tee, the older gentleman sliced the ball way off into the rough.  He found his ball, but his second shot was even worse.  Finally putting it into the first hole (a par 4) took him 8 swings.  The golf pro thought to himself, "I knew it.  This old geezer's been lying all this time.  There is no way he is gonna shoot anywhere near par."

They continued on, and the old man's game stayed the same, never once getting a par on any one hole.  After almost 3 hours, they teed off on the 13th hole.  The old man actually hit it straight down the middle -- it was the best shot he had made all day!  He promptly walked down the fairway to his ball, picked it up, and began walking back to the clubhouse.

The pro was confused. "Hey, that was a great shot.  Where are you going now?"

"Oh, I'm done," the old man replied with a smile,  "That shot was number 72...another perfect par!"

I'll have to try that sometime (of course, I'd never find out what the back nine looks like!  :-)   I guess the moral of the story above is:  If you know when to quit, you can shoot par every time!  As Christians, it's also important for us to know when to quit (and what to quit!).

"But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk.  Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before.  You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you...." (Col. 3:8-10a, NCV)

If you're having trouble "shooting par" in your Christian life (our goal is to become like Christ), maybe you just need to learn when to quit!

-alan smith

handle

"Because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."   So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (I Corinthians 10:13)

When a mother is preparing to feed her baby, she always tests the temperature of the milk before giving it to the baby. She may place a drop or two on her hand, she may feel the bottle itself, or even taste the milk herself. The mother simply wants to ensure that the bottle is just right for her baby. When the baby receives the bottle, the parent knows that he or she can handle it.

Many times, we find ourselves in places in life that seem unbearable. We often question whether we will be able to stand the test of time. We wonder if we will be able to handle the weight of the situation. 

We find ourselves in the very situations we never imagined ourselves being in...  the situations that we looked at from afar and said, "I can’t handle that."  Many of us are dealing with situations that seem too hot too handle and we feel like throwing in the towel and giving up all together. 

However, EVERY trial and tribulation has been tested by the Father before it is allowed to enter our lives. We must know and understand that God has not forgotten about us and He knows what we can bear better than ourselves. When we feel as though we can't go on, God knows what we’re going through, what we can handle and he will never leave us or forsake us. 

-timothy jackson, jr.

policy

"You may be sure that your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

Coming home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper. The butcher reached into a barrel grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight. She thought for a moment. "I really need a bit more chicken than that," she said. "Do you have any larger ones?"

Without a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as though finding another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the scales. "This chicken weighs one pound more," he announced. The woman pondered her options and then said, "Okay. I'll take them both."  

 

Don't you just love it?

Honesty is still the best policy - and we can be sure of this, our sins will find us out - even if it is eventually!

"Dear God, please help me to always be honest with myself, with you and with others in all of my dealings. Please forgive me where I have sinned and, wherever possible, help me to put right any wrongs that I have done to others.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

-dick innes

value

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $50 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $50 bill?"  Hands started going up.  He said, "I am going to give this $50 to one of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" He dropped it on the floor, and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked up the $50 bill, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value... It is still worth $50.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make or the circumstances that come our way.  We feel as though we are worthless.  But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes.  To God, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him. 

"So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31)

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesian 2:1-9)

good

“The Lord is Good”  -  period!

Everything about God is good, including everything that is related to me...
   His thoughts about me,
      His plans for me,
         His actions toward me,
            His guidance in me, 
               His blessings to me,
                  His protection of me, 
                     His purposes fulfilled through me and
                        His ordained circumstances that surround me at this very moment in my life.

They may not look good,
   seem good,
      sound good or
         feel good, but because they are ordained of God,
            THEY ARE GOOD.

Colossians 3:3 says that “your life is hid with Christ in God.” Every detail of your life is contained in Him, including your present circumstances, your trials, and your needs.  Trust Him!   “Your life is hid with Him - With Christ in God”
-shad williams

sponge

 

There are 5 sponges laying on your kitchen counter top. Each member of your family has been cleaning up different areas of your home, but all the sponges look the same. You are curious as to what was cleaned in your home, but you can't tell by looking... they all look the same... so what do you do?

 

You squeeze each sponge to see what comes out. As you squeeze the first sponge, you see that cola comes out, and so you decide that someone cleaned the kitchen with that one.

 

Upon squeezing the second sponge, you find tub and tile cleaner - that one was used to clean the bathroom.

 

Next, in the third sponge, you find motor oil - hubby was cleaning the garage!

 

In the fourth sponge, baby powder puffs out when it is squeezed - yep, the baby's nursery was done with that one!

 

And finally, in the last one, is floor wax - that was the one you used on the hall floor!

 

As you lay the last one down, you look again at their similarity.  They all look the same until they're squeezed. Christians are the same way. As life squeezes us, different things come out - remorse from one; a need for revenge from another; tears from one; anger from yet another; greed is squeezed out of one and untruth from another; and finally, from one saint, pours forth the love of Christ.

Just like the sponge, we can only squeeze out what is put in.  Stay in the Word daily, and be in continuous prayer, so that when life puts the squeeze on you (and it WILL), Jesus, and Jesus ALONE will shine forth from you!

 -sandy blair

learning

     The 31st season of the TV show "Survivor" has recently started.  In the past, this show has taken contestants to remote locations in places like Australia, Kenya, Brazil, Thailand, Guatemala, Panama, Philippines and Fiji.  This season, the contestants find themselves in Cambodia.  Where else can the show possibly go?  Plans for the next "Survivor" series have already leaked out.

Mark Burnett, producer of "Survivor", plans to enlist 12 men who will be dropped in an unidentified suburb with a van, six kids (each of whom play two sports and take either a musical instrument or dance class) and no access to fast food.

They must keep the house clean, correct all homework (receiving at least a "C+" on all papers), complete one science project, cook (OK, they can bring one cookbook), do laundry, care for a dog and a cat, grocery shop, buy birthday presents for kids' friends, etc.

Oh, and they also have access to television only when the kids are asleep and all chores are done, and none of the TVs have remote controls.

The competitions will consist of such things as attending a PTA meeting and accurately reporting the results; cleaning up after a sick child at 3:00 a.m; getting kids to church; making an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla and one marker; and getting a 4-year-old to eat a serving of peas.

The kids vote them off.

The winner gets to go back to his job.

We all have to learn to survive.  Survival that has little to do with living on a desert island or in the Outback of Australia, but much to do with just "getting by" from day to day.  Perhaps you've had to learn to "survive" after being diagnosed with a deadly disease.  Perhaps you've learned to "survive" while raising several children alone after the death or desertion of a mate.  Perhaps you've had to "survive" the last few days of a month as you juggled expenses to make sure that there was enough money to cover meals before the next payday.

If you're in "survival mode," it's difficult for you to plan years down the road.  It's all you can do to get through the day.  And, as much as you might pray for it, you may find that there is no "immunity."  The hardships don't disappear.  And you learn that there is nothing you can do but lean on God.

Which is exactly what He wants you to learn.

"Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:8-10)

May God's grace be with you as you strive to "survive" the difficulties you face today (and be assured that his grace is sufficient).

-alan smith