Jacob's Well

It was a typical blistering Saturday afternoon in the middle of August in Tempe, Arizona and Bobby was making his way down a rural stretch of road that was void of any buildings for over 50 miles. Bobby had decided to go out for a ride on his new Honda Motard motorcycle and was planning on enjoying a few hours of wind and road.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Bobby noticed another biker parked on the side of the road. It looked like the guy was having some sort of trouble, so Bobby stopped and asked the guy if he needed any help.

After over an hour working on the Harley in the 115 degree heat, Bobby eventually helped the guy get his bike working well enough to ride. Bobby insisted that he'd follow the guy home (45 miles from the current location) to make sure he made it back without any difficulty.

Before the guy on the Harley turned down the street toward his house, he waved Bobby over and handed him his business card. Bobby pulled out his wallet and did the same. Each gave the other a silent wave and off they went in separate directions. Bobby never even considered the fact that he had gone out of his way. He was in the mindset that if a fellow biker needed help, then he would help. It was just an unwritten rule of the road.

* * *

What this story doesn't tell you is that the guy on the Harley was actually the CEO of the same company that Bobby worked for. It wasn't until Bobby got home and cleaned out his pockets that he read the business card. He nearly choked on his Coke when he read the title... "CEO".

After reading the business card, Bobby's shock must have closely resembled the Samaritan women who spoke with Jesus at Jacob's Well in John 4. Here Jesus tells her that He knows who she is, the number of husbands that she's had, and that He is the Christ. I can't help but try and picture the look that must have been on the woman's face when she heard those words. I'm sure you could have heard a pin drop.

The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

John 4:25-26

The point is that we never really know who we are going to meet throughout our journey in life. Many people that we meet, might only be placed in our lives for a short time. Others might be with us for many years. However, one thing is for certain...we will all see Christ one day and stand before Him to give account.

As you walk down this road in life, allow others see Christ in you so that you can see (and enjoy) the surprise on their face as you remain obedient to God and emulate the footsteps of Christ.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Beyond the goal

Tim was a very gifted athlete. He was a high school standout in baseball, football, and track. Tim had been offered over 10 different scholarships from various universities (in both baseball and football) and when it finally came time for him to decide which sport he wanted to play, he choose to go the baseball route.

While playing college baseball, Tim worked extremely hard each and every day to get stronger, faster, and more fundamentally sound in his game. During that time, he had dedicated his life to achieving one goal - get drafted to play in the Major Leagues.

After a successful collegiate career, Tim was drafted 15th overall in the Major League Baseball draft. Along with being picked so high, he also received a $3 million signing bonus and a 4 year contract worth $7 million a year ($28 million over 4 years).

But, a funny thing happened after Tim reached the Major Leagues...

He somehow lost his drive. He still loved the game, but somehow he fell into a comfort zone (or false sense of security) and stopped training as hard as he once had. Tim was living a very comfortable lifestyle and had it in his mind that he could retire after re-signing for another 4 years. Tim had it all planned out. He would play 8 years in the major leagues and retire at the age of 30. By then he would have enough money to take care of any "troubles" for the rest of his life. He could relax on the beach, go jet skiing, go fishing, surf...do just about anything he wanted to do.

However, during the 3rd year into Tim's contract he suffered a shoulder injury. The team trainer told him that he needed to work hard to rehabilitate his shoulder in order to avoid re-injury. Unfortunately, Tim was never able to fully rehab his shoulder and ended up getting released from the team prior to starting his 4th season.

Tim never played professional baseball again.

* * *

In the story above it's obvious that Tim had a singular goal in mind - to play professional baseball. He prepared himself physically, mentally, fundamentally, and worked day and night to reach his goal. However, what happened after he got there?

Tim fell into a comfortable state of mind where he was living the glamorous life of a professional athlete. He had money and popularity...and most importantly...he had achieved his goal. For him, that was satisfying enough. However, Tim also had a choice. He had a choice to either continue to work hard or slack off. He had a choice to possibly put himself in a position where he could play the sport for many more years to come. He had a choice to adhere to the same level of standards and rigor that he had practiced during his high school and collegiate career.

Many of of us are in a similar situation...we have a great passion and desire to get "drafted" into God's kingdom. But, just as the Major League draft, it doesn't matter if you're drafted 1st or 100th. It only matters that you are picked and given an opportunity. (or "chosen" as it relates to scripture)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

For professional athletes there is not a set of "black and white" criteria that must be met in order to play professionally. Professional athletes come in all shapes and sizes; however, one thing is certain - each had a desire to make it to the next level. We too, should live daily with a desire and passion to meet the criteria set out by God. Unlike professional sports, Christians have a criteria to adhere to. It's called The Word of God...the Bible, which tells us how we must to act. There is no question that it's the truth, because in many passages we hear things that directly go against modern culture...and for many people the commands are difficult to hear, (but not impossible to obey).

There are numerous citations written that prove that the bar is set really high to enter Heaven. The passage from Revelation 21 helps to re-emphasize this point very clearly...

Nothing impure will ever enter it (Heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 21:27

Let us never get too comfortable in our daily relationship with God, because Satan is always waiting for an opportunity to strike. If Tim's story tells us anything, its that we should never take our blessings for granted. So take some time and think about what you are going to do (next) once you reach a goal in your life...think about what you are going to do beyond the goal.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Rhyme

I have never heard anything like this in my lifetime. I really enjoyed it and hope you will too!
(Thanks to EW for sharing this)




Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Sweet Joe

There was once a boxer named Joe. "Sweet Joe" to be exact. Sweet Joe had trained for 5 solid months for an upcoming fight that could (if he won) make him a top contender for the heavy weight title. After 5 grueling months of training not only was Joe in the best shape of his career, he had also worked out a solid strategy to defeat his upcoming opponent. Actually it was Joe's trainer (who had been in the boxing business for 30 years) that had come up with a solid game plan to help him be victorious. His trainer had told him many times to be patient and stick with the plan. "It will work." He would say. "Just stick to the plan."

Joe's trainer was totally convinced that if Joe listened and "stuck with the plan", he would win and be next in line for a title fight.

On fight night Joe's adrenaline was pumping. He had never felt so confident and prepared for a fight like he did tonight. During the fight, Joe was controlling the tempo and was winning the after the first 5 rounds of the 12 round bout. He had stuck with the game plan and thus far, was doing rather well.

About 1 minute into the 6th round, Joe slightly dropped his hands and took a hard jab that broke his nose. Joe immediately knew his nose was broken and became furious. He fought back with a vengeance and in his fury nearly knocked his opponent down before the end of the round.

Joe won the 6th round.

In between rounds Joe's trainer evaluated the break and told Joe to settle down and stick with the game plan. Basically, the plan was to conserve his energy and not throw more than 25 punches for the first 2 1/2 minutes of each round. The idea was to conserve as much energy as possible up until the last 30 seconds of each round and then get really aggressive. The conservative game plan had worked up to this point, as it was really frustrating his opponent. Joe's opponent was stronger, had more knockout power, and did not fight well against conservative opponents.

Joe's strategy was to stay light on his feet, move around, and limit his punches. The strategy was to wear down his opponent and knock him out in the late rounds.

As the bell rang for round 7, Joe was reminded to stick to the plan. After a few exchanges Joe got caught (rather lightly) in the nose again. It didn't take much force to aggravate his already broken nose as the fresh break was swollen and extremely tender. At that moment Joe decided he had enough. He wasn't going to let his opponent continue to tear his nose up for the next 5 rounds...he was going to end this now.

As Joe hurled a flurry of punches at his opponents head, he could hear a distant voice from his trainer yelling, "Stick to the plan....stick to the plan, Joe!"

Joe blinked his eyes several times and was suddenly startled at the sight of his trainer kneeling beside him only inches away. "You okay, Joe?" The trainer asked.

It was then that Joe realized he had been knocked out. In his fury, he abandoned his strategy and got caught with an uppercut. Joe was knocked out cold before he ever realized what happened.

* * *

We all get advice. Sometimes we ask for it and sometimes we don't. Some advice is good and some...eh...not so good. Then there's advice that we just really need to listen to regardless of what/how we feel. Sweet Joe's story above ties into the Story of the Wise and Foolish Builders in the Gospel of Matthew...

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Matthew 7:24-27

Sweet Joe trained for 5 grueling months and had a solid game plan that should have aloud him to defeat his opponent. Then in the midst of adversity (and thinking he knew better than his trainer), he abandoned the plan and paid the price. He was knocked out and lost a chance to fight for the heavyweight title.

If we are to listen, remain obedient, and put God's word into daily practice then we emulate the wise man that built his house on the rock. Meaning that when the storms of life come (temptation, impatience, selfishness, greed, etc.) we are grounded in the foundation God's word and remain steady. However, if we abandon, get out of practice, or alter our path because we think that we have a better way...then we will soon meet a similar fate to Sweet Joe and the man who built his house on the sand.

There's only one way to salvation... and it's not your way... and it's not my way.... it's God's way.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Nine words

Unfortunately, there are many poor and crippled people on this earth. I think in many instances, we have become so use to seeing beggars/panhandlers that we tend to ignore then. In some situations (mostly in larger cities), there are people who intentionally panhandle for a living. These individuals deliberately seek and take advantage of the good will and charity of others in order to make a living. In fact, there are numerous surveys where (depending on the location) a panhandler can make between $150-$200 a day.

There are many things that have changed over the past 2,000 years, but petitioning the charity of others certainly has not...

and many less fortunate people actually rely on it for their very survival.

* * *

Gospel Story:

One day, (this was after Jesus' ascension) Peter and John were making their way to a temple around prayer time (3p in the afternoon). As they made their way up the temple stairs a crippled man called out to them. He had been a cripple since birth and begging was his only means for paying for a meal. Upon hearing him both Peter and John turned toward the man and Peter instantly said...

"Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping, and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.

Acts3:3-11

* * *

Try to imagine the absolute joy felt by the man as he stood up for the first time in his life. Imagine the emotion and adrenaline that poured through his body. I'm quite sure that before that day he had accepted his fate. He most likely had come to terms with the fact that he would never walk and would remain a crippled beggar for the remainder of his difficult life.

He was down, but through the power of Jesus Christ he stood up.

For many us we get knocked down on a daily basis. Most of us have the power to stand back up. For God has blessed us with the ability to walk and work in order to take care of ourselves and our families. It's these small things that we take for granted every day. But for this man...his life changed the instant Peter spoke those nine words. "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Acts 3:6

The road in life is riddled with challenges and the walk down the path toward Christ is not easy. Read 1 Peter 4-18

So my question is this...Do we have to wait for a miracle before we go walking and leaping and praising God? Does it always need to be a "what's in it for me" scenario? The answer to that question is simple.

What's in it for us = Eternal Life.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!