Admitting We Need 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)
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Once upon a time there was a little grape stem.
She was so glad to be alive. She drank water and minerals from the soil and grew and grew. She was young and strong and could manage quite well... All by Herself. But the wind was cruel, the rain was harsh, and the snow was not one bit understanding. The little grape stem experienced pain. She drooped, weak and suffering. "It would be so easy to stop trying to grow, To stop trying to live," thought the little stem. She felt poorly. The winter was long, and she was weary. But then the little stem heard a voice. It was another grape stem calling out to her... "Here, reach out, hang on to me." But the little stem hesitated. "What would this mean?" she wondered. For you see, the little stem had always managed quite well... All by herself. Then ever so cautiously, she reached out toward the other grape stem. "See, I can help you," it said. "Just wind your tendrils about me, and I will help you lift your head." And the little stem trusted. Suddenly, she could stand straight again. The wind came...and the rain...and the snow. But when it came, the little stem was clinging to many other stems. And although the stems were swayed by the wind, and frozen by the snow, they stood strongly united to each other and in their quiet strength, they could smile and grow. One day, the little stem said, "Here, hang on... I will help you. And another stem reached up to the little grape stem. And together, all stems grew... leaves budded ... flowers bloomed ... and finally the grapes formed.... and the grapes fed many. "The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive." The story is told of a man in a fancy restaurant who started to choke on a bone. A doctor rushed over, identified himself as a doctor, and reassured the man that he was going to be all right. He performed the Heimlich Maneuver and the bone popped out.
As the man's breath and voice returned he said, "I'm ever so grateful, doctor, how can I ever repay you?" The doctor smiled and said, "I'll settle for one-tenth of what you were willing to pay while you were choking." It's true, isn't it, that when you're facing a crisis (especially a life-threatening crisis), you would give everything you have to get through it. Money is no object! We do the same thing on a spiritual level. How many times have you faced hardship and prayed, "Lord, if you'll just see me through this, I'll serve you faithfully the rest of my life!" or something similar? But what happens when the crisis passes? Those feelings of urgency about serving God pass as well. If we could commit ourselves to doing one-tenth of what we're willing to do in those moments, most of us would ascend to a new level of commitment. Paul wrote, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) Father, there are moments in my life when I am reminded of how much I need you and how urgent it is that I commit my life to you. All too often, though, those feelings disappear, and I quickly revert back to a less-than-satisfactory level of commitment. Please forgive me and strengthen me in my resolve to reach the point where I can say with the apostle Paul, "To me, to live is Christ." In Jesus' name, Amen Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale.
There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and back biting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares. The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will." God has a plan for your life. But did you know that He doesn’t have legal entry
to grant you His will unless you invite Him to through prayer? God may show you things for your future, but until you pray them out, they won’t manifest. When Daniel was held captive in Babylon, he found the writings of Jeremiah and discovered God’s promise that after seventy years of captivity, the children of Israel would be set free from Babylon to return to Jerusalem. Daniel counted the years and got excited when he found that it was now the time for freedom. So what did he do next? He prayed. Even though the 70-year promise was nigh, Daniel knew that prayer still had to be made for God to move. (See Daniel 9:1-19.) Matthew 9:36 says, When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. How do you resolve the problem of having sheep with no shepherd? Does Jesus tell His disciples to become sheepherders? No. Jesus told them, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So did Jesus tell them to become workers? Not even that. He says, Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (See Luke 10:2.) Even though Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest, He doesn’t have legal entry to send workers Himself. He has to have an invitation. Someone must invite Him through prayer. So if Jesus needs a prayer invitation to fulfill His plan, don’t you think He needs one to fulfill our plans? If we have to pray out His plan for His harvest, shouldn’t we have to pray out His plan for us? Every time you see the will of God declared in Scripture, notice from the time the will of God is declared to the time His will is manifested, prayer is always sandwiched in the middle. So how do we pray out God’s promises? When God gives you a vision for your future, the Holy Spirit deposits that vision into your spirit and then you pray it out in your heavenly language, giving God legal entry. We don’t know all we need to know, but God knows the end from the beginning; and during prayer, the Holy Spirit speaks mysteries, secrets and truths not obvious to our understanding. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. God’s plan is not automatic. You must pray out His plan to make it a reality. All Scripture references are taken from the New International Version. Ons almal is menslik, en almal kry seer. Ons het almal ons lesse om uit die lewe te leer.
Ons almal wil graag vergifnis hê, Maar dis soms so moeilik net om jammer te se. Ons almal het stories, van trane en spyt, Ons almal het verhale van liefde en verwyt. Niemand is perfek nie, en nie almal is mooi nie, Maar onthou, die lekkerste appels is nie altyd rooi nie. Vergewe en vergeet, is soos bitter en soet. Die soet laat jou hart klop en die bitter vergiftig jou bloed. Om kwaad te bly maak niemand dood behalwe jou nie. Dis nie die moeite werd om dinge teen mense te hou nie. Leer om te lewe en ander te laat leef, Leer om na die goeie in die lewe te streef. Daar’s net een van jou, en net een kort kans, Om op die ritme van jou geluk, in die lewe te dans. Verlos jouself en begin diep binne rond delf. Maak stupid grappies en lag hardop vir jouself. Daar’s beter dinge as rykdom en geld, Al bly jy in ‘n tent iewers in die veld. Dis jou eie keuse maak of breek, Kyk bietjie wat jy in jou binneste wegsteek. Tel op jou kop, hou jou transe vir ‘n ander dag, Dink terug aan goeie tye, en mis dit vir ‘n slag. Dink aan al die dinge wat jy al behaal het, En buitendien is dit God wat jou lewe bepaal het. Voel die verligting van vergifnis in jou are, Voel die speling van gevoel oor jou hart se snare Lewe en laat leef, die res kan maar staak, Want dis meer as asem haal, wat in jou lewe saak maak… ‘n Mens lewe nie van brood en water alleen nie, En God het jou nie verniet aan die wêreld geleen nie! Loving people is only a vague concept, unless we do these five things:
1) People are insecure; give them confidence. Beneath their façade lie memories of a painful past and anxiety over what's coming their way next. Tell them God says, '.I will never leave you nor forsake you' (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). When nothing else works, God's Word does. 2) People need to feel special; compliment them. Do it when they least expect it, and it's clear you seek nothing in return. Mary Kay Ash, founder of a major cosmetics company in the USA, said, 'Everyone has an invisible sign hanging around their neck saying, "Make me feel important!"' Notice how often God's Word tells us how much He loves us, how special we are, and His plans for us. 3) People are looking for a better tomorrow; give them hope. Let them know that when you put God in the centre of your life, your future can be better than your past. '.as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper' (2 Chr. 26:5 NKJV). 4) People need to be understood; listen to them. The trouble is this takes more time than we're willing to give. We're in too much of a hurry to hand out advice and move on, and it doesn't work. Before people can be 'fixed,' they must feel understood. 5) People need role models; be one. Paul told the Corinthians, 'Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ' (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV). Too often we're unaware of the example we set and the impression we're making. Like it or not, what you do, and don't do, influences others. When you leave this world, what you leave behind is your influence. Soul Food Reading: 2 Chr. 22-24; John 13:31-38; Ps 118:1-9; Pr 27: 23-27 "...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
Most everyone is interested in discovering their purpose for living--the reason for being born, the reason for existing. God has put that desire within you, for as your Creator, He has a purpose and plan for your life. Your role is to discover it and use the gifts, talents, and opportunities God has given you to make the most of your life. God's ultimate purpose is that everyone would have a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. And everyone can--through faith. Then there is more good news. God's Word says, "I am confident...that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus' coming." What a promise! Once we put our life and trust in God, He promises He'll begin to reveal our life purpose to us. He will also provide the power needed to see that we get it done. Hello God, I called tonight
To talk a little while... I need a friend who'll listen To my anxiety and trial... You see, I can't quite make it Through a day just on my own... I need your love to guide me, So I'll never feel alone. I want to ask you please to keep, My family safe and sound. Come and fill their lives with confidence For whatever fate they're bound. Give me faith, dear God, to face Each hour throughout the day, And not to worry over things I can't change in any way. I thank you God, for being home. And listening to my call, For giving me such good advice When I stumble and fall. Your number, God, is the only one That answers every time. I never get a busy signal, Never had to pay a dime. So thank you, God, for listening To my troubles and my sorrow. Good night, God, I love You, too. And I'll call again tomorrow! You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you,' Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'" Matthew 5:43-44
The word enemy has been defined as anyone who is not for us. In light of that definition, we can all think of folks we work with, cross paths with, and sometimes even live with, who are not for us. Yet, Jesus Christ said, "Love your enemies." To love our friends is not unique, but to love our enemies is. At the end of the Civil War, many Northerners were demanding that the South be punished for the devastation the war had caused the United States. Feeling he was too soft on the South, a group visited President Lincoln at the White House. One man became so intense that he pounded on Mr. Lincoln's desk and said, "Mr. President, I believe in destroying my enemies." President Lincoln reflected a moment, then slowly stood and said, "Do we not destroy our enemies when we make them our friends?" That is the spirit of Christianity that literally changes the world. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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