Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Love and truth are in all you do. Psa 89:14 The single most difficult pursuit is truth and love. That sentence is grammatically correct. I know every English teacher would like to pluralize it to read: The most difficult pursuits are those of truth and love. But that's not what I mean to say. Love is a difficult pursuit. Truth is a tough one, too. But put them together, pursue truth and love at the same time and hang on baby, you're in for the ride of your life. Love in truth. Truth in love. Never one at the expense of the other. Never the embrace of love without the torch of truth. Never the heat of truth without the warmth of love… To pursue both is our singular task. The Inspirational Study Bible (Max Lucado) I can't remember the names of all seven of Snow White's dwarfs, but I don't feel bad about that. I do remember one - Grumpy. Actually I've heard that the Grumpy shirt is one of Disney's big sellers these days. I might know why. Grumpy is kind of the mood of a whole lot of people these days. I mean, you know, when you take just the state of politics in America, most people don't seem to be very excited about anybody. We've got one group who wants us to stop spending money, and then there are some who want people to stop making money. And there are some who don't like what the President's doing, and some don't like what Congress is doing. And a lot of people aren't impressed with any candidate so far. "Hello, Grumpy!" I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "None of the Above." See, if there was a "none of the above" choice on the ballot, he might just win. I mean, it doesn't matter whether you're in America or many other countries of the world, we're just hurting for a leader who won't let us down; who can actually do something about the baffling tangle of problems we have. And it's not just politicians who've let us down. Sometimes parents fail us...a church or a pastor fails us...a leader that we've looked to disappoints us...betrays us. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Our leaders are a lot like us. And I know I sure haven't been everything people needed me to be. I'm sure I've disappointed folks along the way. As much as human leaders may have let us down, it doesn't change the fact that our hearts are hungry for someone to look to; someone who can take us where we haven't been able to go ourselves. Who totally lives what he says...who not only promises hope but delivers it...who can fix the unfixable...who we can follow with the confidence that they care about us more than they care about themselves. That's Jesus, and only Jesus. As our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 10:11 tells us, "Anyone who believes in Him will never be disappointed." I sure haven't been. This Man who had the power to walk out of His grave has had more than enough power to change what I couldn't; people I couldn't change, problems I couldn't fix, dark parts of me that I couldn't control. He's led me on roads that didn't always make sense on the first mile, but always ended up putting me in a better place. And there's no doubt about Him caring more about me than about Himself. He offered Himself to be nailed to a cross and separated from God so my sins could be erased and I could be with Him in heaven forever. And anybody who loves me enough to die for me will never do me wrong. There really is a hole in our hearts that's starved for a loving leader for our life. A "shepherd" as Jesus said. He said, "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me." And where does following Him end up? He said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish" (John 10:27-28). That's a promise that only Jesus can make, and only Jesus can keep. And it may be that in a heart that's listening today that feels lost inside, needing someone to look to, looking for that person who can fix what you can't fix, take you where you've never been able to go, make sense out of the scattered pieces of the puzzle, then you're ready for Jesus and He's ready for you. Why don't you reach out to Him today and say, "Jesus, I'm Yours. You died for me; I can trust You. I'm Yours." Go to our website. Find out there how to be sure you've begun your personal relationship with Him. Go to YoursForLife.net. Remember a couple of years ago, we heard a plane crashed in the Hudson River? And I thought it was just going to be massive carnage. Instead we saw "the miracle on the Hudson." This jetliner's engines had been totally disabled, it looked like there was going to be a tragic crash. But their captain, Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, was a veteran fighter pilot, airline pilot and crash investigator; probably one of the few pilots who could bring them in safely. And he was the one at the controls. I've been on some flights where I wish I could have picked the captain in the cockpit. I've never been able to pick the pilot for my flight, but I got to pick the pilot for my life, and it's Captain Jesus. He's the one Pilot who can bring you in safely...no matter what happens. The LORD will always lead you. Isaiah 58:11 You've been there. You've escaped the sandy foundations of the valley and ascended his grand outcropping of granite. You've turned your back on the noise and sought his voice. You've stepped away from the masses and followed the Master as he led you up the winding path to the summit… Gently your guide invites you to sit on the rock above the tree line and look out with him at the ancient peaks that will never erode. "What is necessary is still what is sure," he confides. "Just remember: "You'll go nowhere tomorrow that I haven't already been. "Truth will still triumph… "The victory is yours…" The sacred summit. A place of permanence in a world of transition. The Applause of Heaven (Max Lucado) “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17b, NKJ)
One thing I’ve learned is that God calls the things that are not as if they already are. He doesn’t call you what you are; He calls you the way He sees you. That’s because He creates with His words, and you do, too. When I stepped up to pastor the church eleven years ago after my father went to be with the Lord, I’d never ministered before. I was afraid. I felt unqualified, inexperienced, and intimidated. The whole time, on the inside, I could hear that still, small voice saying, “Joel, you are well able. You can do all things. You have what it takes. You are strong in the Lord.” God was calling me something that I was not. I was not strong and bold and confident. I was weak, insecure, and intimidated. Somehow, I had the faith to believe what God said about me. And it didn’t happen overnight, but little by little, I became what God called me. Today, follow His example and call things that are not as though they are. Look through your eyes of faith and call it like you see it. Don’t use your words to talk about your situation; use your words to change your situation. Keep speaking words of faith, keep praying, keep believing and keep moving forward into the bright future He has for you! Father God, today I choose to look through my eyes of faith and call things that are not as though they are. I declare victory over every area of my life no matter what is happening around me. Thank You for the gift of faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. What happens when we turn on the light in a messy room? We see bugs running away from the light and we see clutter and dirt. 1 John 1:5 says God is Light . When He gets involved we see many things we do not want to deal with, things we want to keep hidden. But anything hidden has power over us because of the fear of being found out. The best and most freeing thing we can do is to face up to what God wants to expose and get beyond the fear of it. See 1 John 3:20 and 1 Cor4:5. Let the light of God shine on your hidden motives and dark places. He knows about them anyway and wants to bring you to a place of freedom.
As we see in Haggai 2:11-13 un-holiness is infectious holiness is not. this means when we associate with someone who is living a sinful life that individuals sinfulness can rub off on us. We can catch it like a disease. but holiness is not like that , we have to chose it on purpose. Chose to be Holy today.
At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story: Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day! AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY: We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said, every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them. May your day, be a Shay Day. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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