A older man pulls into a car dealership in his 12 year old Hyundai. Like hungry sharks, the always eager salesmen look over the potential buyer. The man is dressed in old sweat pants, a v-neck undershirt, and sneakers with an emerald stain (no doubt after years of cutting grass).
Quickly, the group of sharp dressed salesmen lose interest and go back to their water cooler discussions or start surfing ESPN.com on their iPhones.
The old man enters the dealership and literally has to tap a salesman on the shoulder in order to get his attention. As the salesman turns (we'll call him Dave) he offers a half-hearted smile, and can hear his buddies snickering in the background. This is going to be such a waste of his time he thinks to himself.
Just then another man pulls into the parking lot in a 2 year old Lexus. Before he even steps one foot out of the car, Dave feels a rush of wind as his associates sprint to meet the potential buyer. They are literally fighting over this guy.
The old man smiles at Dave and asks to see some of the higher end vehicles. Dave sighs and waves his hand for the old man to follow. After 15 minutes looking over various cars (Dave had finished giving the old man the revised version of his sales pitch 14 minutes earlier) the old man stuns him with a sudden remark.
"I'll take 3 of these." The old man says. "1 is for my daughter, the other is for my grandson, the other is for my wife of 35 years."
Dave is shocked and pauses for a minute just to make sure the old man isn't pulling his leg (these are $55k cars for crying out loud, is this guy serious he asks himself).
"Is cash okay?" The old man asks. "I'd like to get this taken care of before the end of the day. I'd like to surprise them before they get home."
Later that day, after the old man had left, Dave is finishing up his paperwork and he notices one of his buddies, Ralph, (the one who was lucky enough to get to the Lexus driver first) comes over, sits in the chair across from him and just stares.
"What?" Dave asks.
"I didn't sell a darn thing today," Ralph replied, as he tapped his lips with his finger, eying Dave up and down. "But you Dave, you get this old nobody who comes from nowhere and he buys not 1, not 2, but 3 cars from you...like that! (snapping his fingers). Dave just sat there, shrugged his shoulders, and marked it up to dumb luck.
Later that night Dave was cleaning out his bookshelf. He had just bought a $95 book titled, 'The Wine Connoisseurs Encyclopedia.' It was a nice thick hardcover book that he had been wanting for quite some time. After today's sale, the commission gave him the flexibility to purchase it. As Dave wiggled the book into the shelf he accidentally knocked over another book. It was an old bible that had been passed down from his father. Dave had never really opened it, mostly because he felt that he couldn't really relate to any of the stories. The bible was lying page up and as Dave reached down he noticed the page had opened to a chapter in book of Romans. For some reason that he could not understand, Dave began reading the page starting at verse 9.
9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans14:9-12
Then and there Dave got on his knees and began to weep. He knew that he had unjustly judged the old man at the dealership earlier that day. And for some reason that he could not comprehend, God blessed him with the sale of 3 cars.
Dave spent the remainder of the night reading his fathers old bible. God had taught him a valuable lesson to never judge someone by their appearance...
Let us remember to do the same.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Road Trip
Do you remember the last time you went on a long road trip in your car? At some point along the way you had to make the decision whether or not to get gas. Depending on where you live and where your going, chances are that you can find a gas station with little difficulty.For this example, let's say that you are going on a cross country road trip....
You fill up your gas tank and hit the road, your tires are smoking as you wave goodbye. Throughout the trip there are several places you could stop for gas; however, you decide to pass these up for now under the certainty that you'll come across several other gas stations sometime down the road.
You are just having too much fun in your new red convertible to take the time to stop for gas. The top is down, the wind is blowing through your hair, your sunglasses look cool, the sun is out, people are waving and admiring your sweet ride.
After a few hours you notice that the thrill of the ride has zoned you out and you suddenly realize that you are lost somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert. That's 25,000 square miles of sand, rocks, and blistering sun. Immediately you realize that your flashy convertible is not very good at keeping the sun out. To make matters worse you look down at the gas gauge and it shows near empty. The plethora of gas stations that you passed are now no where in sight. You are lost, alone, low on gas and no ones going to hear to hear your cries for help. So what do you do?
You turn to the only person that can help you...God. And so you begin to pray.
The story above is an example of when some people decide to pray. Why is it that the situation has to be serious or even life threatening before people suddenly "change their tune" and turn and toward the Lord?
This is a classic example of using God as a toy. In other words, the toy is always there, if you want to play with it you can, but most of the time you don't use it. It's exactly the the same way that a desperate act of prayer works. We use the Lord as a "God-in-the-Box" toy. Winding him up when we need him and then suddenly He pops out of the box and comes to our rescue. Do you think this is how God wants to work in our lives?
God looks forward to us praying to Him everyday. He expects it so that He can help us understand our daily direction. If we don't pray, then we will mostly likely pass up all those opportunities (gas stations) and some day realize that we've been "zoned out" for years and are suddenly in immediate and desperate need of Him.
Don't wait until the desperation sets in to pray and ask God for direction. Pray daily for the wisdom, patience, love, and guidance that only He can deploy into your life.
Seek Him daily and you will never get lost.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Ever Vigilant
There is an old native American (Cherokee Indian) legend about a youth's rite of passage into manhood. His father takes him deep into the forest one evening, blindfolds him and sits him on a stump. The boy is required to sit there all night and cannot remove his blindfold until the sun comes up in the morning. He also cannot cry for help and must persevere any encounter. If he survives the night, he will become a man.
As night comes the boy's senses scramble in his mind and his ears are on full alert. He hears the rustling of leaves, the howl of the wind, the beats of heavy wings, and footsteps of unknown creatures. The boy is naturally terrified and wild animals must surely be all around him. Perhaps even another human being might do him harm. But, he must sit there stoically, never removing his blindfold. It is the only way he can become a man.
Finally, after a night that seems to have lasted a week, the sun rises and he removes his blindfold. It is then that he discovers his father sitting on a stump next to him. He had been keeping watch throughout the night, protecting his son from harm.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
We too, are never alone. For our Heavenly Father is consistently watching over us even during our lowest times when we feel lost, depressed, and alone. Even the times that we pray and do not think that He hears us...He does. Remember that even Jesus felt alone and abandoned on the cross...
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 (NIV)
God will not forsake us. What we need to remember is that everything is working according to His master plan. We may not know the reason(s) why things happen the way they do, but we must maintain our faith in His plan and stay faithful to His words.
May you walk in faith even during your most troubled times.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
As night comes the boy's senses scramble in his mind and his ears are on full alert. He hears the rustling of leaves, the howl of the wind, the beats of heavy wings, and footsteps of unknown creatures. The boy is naturally terrified and wild animals must surely be all around him. Perhaps even another human being might do him harm. But, he must sit there stoically, never removing his blindfold. It is the only way he can become a man.
Finally, after a night that seems to have lasted a week, the sun rises and he removes his blindfold. It is then that he discovers his father sitting on a stump next to him. He had been keeping watch throughout the night, protecting his son from harm.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
We too, are never alone. For our Heavenly Father is consistently watching over us even during our lowest times when we feel lost, depressed, and alone. Even the times that we pray and do not think that He hears us...He does. Remember that even Jesus felt alone and abandoned on the cross...
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 (NIV)
God will not forsake us. What we need to remember is that everything is working according to His master plan. We may not know the reason(s) why things happen the way they do, but we must maintain our faith in His plan and stay faithful to His words.
May you walk in faith even during your most troubled times.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Come Home
The following short story was posted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on her site: http://www.seekinghim.com/(I added the 2 passages from Ephesians)
Lorna Wilkinson had just left her alcoholic husband of twenty-one years when she came across our radio program, Revive Our Hearts. There she learned about the forgiveness God is willing to extend to us. Soon she came to faith in Christ.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
Right about that time she also received news that her husband had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. She was convicted to go there and forgive him for the pain and chaos he had brought to their home.
“The Lord spoke in my heart and said, ‘Go and whisper in your husband's ear that he doesn't have to worry about a place to live, to come home.’"
Lorna’s life and marriage were miraculously transformed. Four months later her husband had another heart attack and was suddenly taken home to be with the Lord.
Now Lorna says, “I can’t imagine where I’d be today if I hadn’t made the choice to forgive.”
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
Final Thoughts and remembering 911:
Sometimes forgiveness is the one of the hardest things for us to do. Many times we devote "lip service" to the act of forgiveness, but in our hearts we may not truly mean it.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 (NIV)
God makes it very clear that if we do not forgive others their trespasses that He will not forgive our own. (Luke6:37 & Matt6:15).
On this 8th anniversary of the Sept. 11th 2001 attacks, take a moment to stop and pray for the families of those that lost friends and loved ones. Then pray for those that selflessly came to the rescue of those in need (firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and all volunteers). Finally, take another moment to pray for those that committed that terrible act. There cannot be any room in our hearts to say "never will I forgive them for what they've done". The Lord will judge each of us and He alone will have vengeance.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 (NIV)
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Obedience
In the book of Genesis, God places what could be called the "test of all tests" upon Abraham. God tells Abraham to journey into the land of Mount Moriah. There Abraham was to build an alter and kill his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God.
"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
Genesis22:2
Without hesitation Abraham left the next morning with his son and two other servants. After a 3 day journey he came to the place where the Lord told him to go.
Then Abraham took his son up the mountain, built an alter for the Lord, bound his son, and set him on the alter. Before Abraham was able to deliver the death blow an angel of the Lord called out to him...commanding him to stop.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
Genesis22:12-13
Does this selfless act sound familiar?
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John3:16
Just like Abraham was willing to do, God offered up His own son to die on the cross in order to wash away our sins. Jesus paid the ultimate price in order for us to be cleansed and have an opportunity for eternal salvation. God was willing to do this out of love for us, even though man was consistently disobedient to Him.
How many times have we decided not to give our our time and efforts to God? How many times have we decided to either skip church, not pray before a meal, go to bed without saying a prayer, or be selfish when we know we shouldn't? God doesn't ask us to sacrifice a loved one in order to prove our love for Him. All He asks is that we obey Him. How do we do this? We do it by following Gospel. Some might respond to that by saying, "Well the Bible is a big book, how do I know where to start?"
Start with refreshing your mind with the 10 commandments. See Deuteronomy 5:6-21 to review the Commandments.
"Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, "After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, 'This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'"
Final Thoughts:
In the days to come, let's try to free ourselves from the heavy pressures and stale promises of the world. Instead, let's revisit the 10 commandments and really think about how we can obey/apply each commandment in our daily lives. If we don't know God's laws then how can we obey them?
You've probably heard the old saying... "The only thing certain in life are taxes and death." We all know that 10 out of 10 people will die. But, will 10 out of 10 people enter into eternity? Not likely if we don't read, repent, and release ourselves to follow God's laws.
On the day of judgment how will you respond if God asks you if you wholeheartedly followed His commandments?
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:14
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
Genesis22:2
Without hesitation Abraham left the next morning with his son and two other servants. After a 3 day journey he came to the place where the Lord told him to go.
Then Abraham took his son up the mountain, built an alter for the Lord, bound his son, and set him on the alter. Before Abraham was able to deliver the death blow an angel of the Lord called out to him...commanding him to stop.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
Genesis22:12-13
Does this selfless act sound familiar?
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John3:16
Just like Abraham was willing to do, God offered up His own son to die on the cross in order to wash away our sins. Jesus paid the ultimate price in order for us to be cleansed and have an opportunity for eternal salvation. God was willing to do this out of love for us, even though man was consistently disobedient to Him.
How many times have we decided not to give our our time and efforts to God? How many times have we decided to either skip church, not pray before a meal, go to bed without saying a prayer, or be selfish when we know we shouldn't? God doesn't ask us to sacrifice a loved one in order to prove our love for Him. All He asks is that we obey Him. How do we do this? We do it by following Gospel. Some might respond to that by saying, "Well the Bible is a big book, how do I know where to start?"
Start with refreshing your mind with the 10 commandments. See Deuteronomy 5:6-21 to review the Commandments.
The following quoted excerpt was taken from gotquestions.org and explains the difference between the 10 Commandments and the new covenant that Jesus gave us.
"Many people mistakenly look at the Ten Commandments as a set of rules, that if followed, will guarantee entrance into heaven after death. In contrast, the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to force people to realize that they cannot perfectly obey the Law (Romans 7:7-11), and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace. Despite the claims of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16, no one can perfectly obey the Ten Commandments (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The Ten Commandments demonstrate that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace, available only through faith in Jesus Christ.""Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, "After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, 'This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'"
Final Thoughts:
In the days to come, let's try to free ourselves from the heavy pressures and stale promises of the world. Instead, let's revisit the 10 commandments and really think about how we can obey/apply each commandment in our daily lives. If we don't know God's laws then how can we obey them?
You've probably heard the old saying... "The only thing certain in life are taxes and death." We all know that 10 out of 10 people will die. But, will 10 out of 10 people enter into eternity? Not likely if we don't read, repent, and release ourselves to follow God's laws.
On the day of judgment how will you respond if God asks you if you wholeheartedly followed His commandments?
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:14
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Wisdom of Hesitation
Please bear with me on the formatting for this post. The preview looks fine, but for some reason I am unable to get it to post in the proper format.
The following story is provided by Jim Shaver from West Virginia!
"On a cross-country journey in the summer of 2009, I stopped at a rural
New Mexico freeway rest area. I noticed an elderly gentleman with a
small dog climb into his pickup truck and leave. Moments later an
elderly woman approached the parking space with a confused expression. I
asked if she was looking for the man in the white pickup.
She confirmed and I explained I'd watched him drive onto the highway. It
was her husband; she asked to use my cell phone. When she dialed his
number his phone rang in her purse; she was unable to call him.
For nearly an hour, I and several truck drivers patiently waited with
her. Quite a crowd gathered. At times, she appeared angry and
frustrated, other times more confused and worried. Finally, a truck
driver and wife escorted her to their rig for coffee, while he used his
CB to notify other drivers to be on the lookout.
Then I saw the white truck pull back into the same parking spot. A
frantic elderly man jumped out. I let him know where his wife was. I let
his wife know her husband had returned.
They both hurriedly approached each other from across the lot until only
a few steps apart. Suddenly, they both stopped and just looked at each
other. The standoff lasted several seconds, neither uttering a word.
Then the man began to weep. He ran to her arms and sobbed
uncontrollably. After several attempts of his unintelligible attempts at
speech, she gently took her husband's cheeks into her hands, forcing him
to look into her eyes.
Over and over she said, "It's OK." I looked around through my blurring
eyes to see numerous tears flowing in the nearby crowd.
After a few moments of tears and hugging, he regained enough composure
to explain he'd realized his error within seconds of merging onto the
highway. However, there was no safe place to turn around on the divided
highway until the next exit, 12 miles away. Needing to backtrack again,
he'd driven 48 miles to return.
The wife is the real hero in this story. When the couple both first saw
each other, she had every right to unleash her anger for being
forgotten. She had every right to chastise, and belittle until her heart
was content. Most people would have vented anger on first seeing the
perpetrator.
But at that moment, even though she had every "right" to lash out, she
hesitated. By delaying her tirade, she transformed a situation of anger
and bitterness into one of unforgettable mercy and kindness. Even though
only observers, those of us who witnessed this event were graced by her
demonstration of forgiveness and genuine love.
To this day, whenever I feel slighted and ready to lash out, I think of
this experience and hesitate. Just because I have every right to be
angry, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice."
-Jim Shaver
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:14-15
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
The following story is provided by Jim Shaver from West Virginia!
"On a cross-country journey in the summer of 2009, I stopped at a rural
New Mexico freeway rest area. I noticed an elderly gentleman with a
small dog climb into his pickup truck and leave. Moments later an
elderly woman approached the parking space with a confused expression. I
asked if she was looking for the man in the white pickup.
She confirmed and I explained I'd watched him drive onto the highway. It
was her husband; she asked to use my cell phone. When she dialed his
number his phone rang in her purse; she was unable to call him.
For nearly an hour, I and several truck drivers patiently waited with
her. Quite a crowd gathered. At times, she appeared angry and
frustrated, other times more confused and worried. Finally, a truck
driver and wife escorted her to their rig for coffee, while he used his
CB to notify other drivers to be on the lookout.
Then I saw the white truck pull back into the same parking spot. A
frantic elderly man jumped out. I let him know where his wife was. I let
his wife know her husband had returned.
They both hurriedly approached each other from across the lot until only
a few steps apart. Suddenly, they both stopped and just looked at each
other. The standoff lasted several seconds, neither uttering a word.
Then the man began to weep. He ran to her arms and sobbed
uncontrollably. After several attempts of his unintelligible attempts at
speech, she gently took her husband's cheeks into her hands, forcing him
to look into her eyes.
Over and over she said, "It's OK." I looked around through my blurring
eyes to see numerous tears flowing in the nearby crowd.
After a few moments of tears and hugging, he regained enough composure
to explain he'd realized his error within seconds of merging onto the
highway. However, there was no safe place to turn around on the divided
highway until the next exit, 12 miles away. Needing to backtrack again,
he'd driven 48 miles to return.
The wife is the real hero in this story. When the couple both first saw
each other, she had every right to unleash her anger for being
forgotten. She had every right to chastise, and belittle until her heart
was content. Most people would have vented anger on first seeing the
perpetrator.
But at that moment, even though she had every "right" to lash out, she
hesitated. By delaying her tirade, she transformed a situation of anger
and bitterness into one of unforgettable mercy and kindness. Even though
only observers, those of us who witnessed this event were graced by her
demonstration of forgiveness and genuine love.
To this day, whenever I feel slighted and ready to lash out, I think of
this experience and hesitate. Just because I have every right to be
angry, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice."
-Jim Shaver
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:14-15
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
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