There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quiet so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand," it said, "I haven't always been a teacup." "There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Let me alone,' but he only smiled, 'Not yet.' "Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.' "Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips, as he shook his head, 'Not yet!' "Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible; I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.' "Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded, I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet!' "Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.' "'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. "'I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in the second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. "'Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began you.'" Jeremiah 18:6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." Talent is God-given, be humble.
Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful. ~John Wooden~ When I was young, I thought the cost of living in my parents’ home was too high. Looking back, I laugh at how ridiculous it was to complain. My parents never charged me a cent for living at home. The only “cost” was obedience. I simply had to obey rules like clean up after myself, be polite, tell the truth, and go to church. The rules weren’t difficult, but I still had trouble obeying them. My parents didn’t kick me out for my disobedience, however. They just kept reminding me that the rules were to protect me, not harm me, and sometimes they made the rules stricter to protect me from myself.
The cost of living in the Promised Land was the same: obedience. In his final address to the nation, Moses reminded the people that the blessings God wanted to give them depended on their obedience (Deut. 30:16). Earlier he had told them that a good life would be determined by obedience: “Observe and obey . . . that it may go well with you” (12:28). Some people think the Bible has too many rules. I wish they could see that God’s commands are for our good; they allow us to live in peace with one another. Obedience is simply the “cost” of being part of God’s family on this glorious globe He created and allows us to call home. The Bible is not a burden but a guide to joy-filled living. You may pray for an hour and still not pray. You may meet God for a moment and then be in touch with Him all day. --Fredrik Wisloff
Thank you God for bearing our burdens and carrying us day by day. To us You are a God of deliverance and salvation. Adapted from Psalm 68:19-20
A mother was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school on his own. He was at that age where he didn't want his mother to walk with him. She accepted this and wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe.
So she thought of a way to handle it. She asked a neighbour if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, but stay at a distance, so he probably wouldn't notice her. The neighbour said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, and agreed to follow the lad to school. The next school day, the neighbour and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with a friend from school. She had been following Timmy for a week when Timmy 's little friend asked him 'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?' 'Yeah, I know who she is.' Timmy nonchalantly replied,. The little girl said, 'Well, who is she?' 'Oh. That's just Shirley Goodnest and her daughter Marcy ' Timmy replied. 'Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?' 'Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, ' Shirley Goodnest (surely goodness ) and Marcy (mercy) shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!' May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always. Seeing an assignment or project from God to the finish is extremely important. Many people start things enthusiastically but never finish them. Luke 14:28-30 says that we should count the cost before we begin to build and make sure we have what it takes to finish. Statr today and make a choice to finish.
Jeb Magruder, assistant to President Nixon during the infamous Watergate scandal of the '70s, stood before Judge John Sirica to be sentenced for his part in the crime. "Do you have anything to say," the Judge asked.
Magruder replied, "I know what I have done, and your Honor knows what I have done. Somewhere between my ambition and my ideals, I lost my ethical compass." Whether it be a ship on the high seas, a plane jetting through the sky, a hiker in the Rocky Mountains, or a man trying to make his way through life – nothing but disaster can come when we lose our compass. Edmund Burke, famed British Statesman (1729-1797), said, "When ancient opinions and rules of life are taken away, the loss cannot possibly be estimated. From that moment, we have no compass to govern us, nor can we know distinctly to what port to steer." No one can anticipate all the situations you will encounter in life, or all the specific answers you will need for your journey ahead. But what we can do is avail ourselves to the guiding principles of life found in the Bible — principles that will help you set your soul to the course God has charted out for you. Open your heart to God's Word and He will fill you with understanding of such clarity that you will be able to navigate the course of your life no matter how dark the night, thick the fog, or long the trek – be it filled with calm or strife. He will guide you along the Directed Path. Mark 11:22 tells us to have faith in God constantly. None of us have perfect faith although we should always strive to have it. God however remains faithful even when we are faithless 2Tim2:13 do not rely on your ability to believe but rather on God Himself.
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Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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