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Vol. 13 – No. 1711 April 23, 2011
Thought for the week: "You make your reservations here on earth for your eternal destination." – Billye Brim
"When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go. Only one of two things will happen; either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!" – Unknown
"God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close." – Unknown
"In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it." – Robert Heinlein
"You miss 100% of the shots you never take." – Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Great
"We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons." – Jim Rohn
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." – African Proverb
As you might remember, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the New Jersey turnpike because of an auto accident.
One missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One couldn't get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work, but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.
Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, you can't seem to find the car keys, and you hit every red traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; it may be just that God is watching over you.
For example: The eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; those of the canary in 14 days; those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; the eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; those of the mallard in 35 days; the eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. They are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!
God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.
The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first.
God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.
Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. Each orange has an even number of segments. Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!
A farmer was nailing shingles on the peak of his roof when he suddenly lost his footing. Sliding down the roof, headed for destruction, he said, "Lord, if You're there, save me and I'll give you my life."
Just then, as he reached the edge of the roof and was about to plunge to his demise, his belt loop caught on a nail and halted his fall—at which point he looked up to heaven and said, "Never mind, Lord, the nail saved me."
We often condemn politicians for election time promises that they have little or no intention of keeping. But how often have you and I made a commitment and/or a promise to God when things were tough and, like the farmer above, have never kept them?
– Source: Jon Courson's Application Commentary, Vol. I.
Marta was a hard-working single mother. When her minister sermonized about "living a life that matters," she worried that working to raise her kids and going to church wasn't enough. So, on the bus to work she made a list of other jobs she could do and volunteer work she could try.
Sylvia, an elderly woman, saw the worry on Marta's face and asked what was wrong. Marta explained her problem. Sylvia said, "Oh my, did your minister say you weren't doing enough?"
"No," Marta said, "but I don't know how to live 'a life that matters.'" "You don't have to change jobs or do more volunteer work," Sylvia consoled her. "It's enough that you're a good mother. But if you want to do more, think about what you can do while doing what you already do. It's not about what you do, but how you do it." "You don't understand," Marta said. "I sell hamburgers. How do I make that significant?"
"How many people do you deal with every day?" Sylvia asked.
"Two to three hundred."
"Well, what if you set out to cheer, encourage, teach, or inspire as many of those people as you could? A compliment, a bit of advice, a cheerful hello or a warm smile can start a chain reaction that lights up lives like an endless string of Christmas bulbs."
"But that's just being nice," Marta protested.
"Right," said Sylvia, "Niceness can change lives." Marta looked at the old woman. "What do you do?"
"I was a housekeeper until I retired," Sylvia said. "Now I just ride the bus talking to people."
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
As a kid I was in the Boy Scouts. The one thing I remembered above everything else I learned was the Boy Scout motto which said: "Be prepared."
As an older teen I did my required two-year part-time service in the National Service with the Royal Engineers in the Australian Army. We, too, were taught to always be prepared no matter what the situation was and to always make the best out of what we had.
In life and for doing God's work opportunities come to those who are prepared—and available. And as an old preacher friend used to say, "It's better to be prepared and not called than to be called and not prepared."
Do you want to achieve something worthwhile with your life—regardless of your age? If so, be prepared. Do you want to serve God? Then the better prepared you are the more effective job God can do with your life. When preparation meets opportunity—plus with commitment and hard work—success is all but guaranteed.
In God's economy, whether you are called to be a "butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker" be thoroughly prepared so you can be the very best "butcher, baker, candlestick maker," or whatever you can be, and do your very best all for the glory of God.
And above all, be prepared for eternity, for as God's Word says, "Prepare to meet your God," and also, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."2
If you are not sure that you are ready to meet your Maker, whatever you do, do that today for none of us has any guarantee of tomorrow. God's Word also says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."3
God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life is available to all. His invitation is: "Whosever will may come."4 To help you be prepared to meet God be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian—without having to be religious" at: www.actsweb.org/christian.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you have a purpose for my life. Help me to know exactly what it is and get the training and preparation necessary to be the very best I can be at whatever that might be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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