The River

Walking through the forest, a seasoned hiker came upon a broad, slowly moving river. He stopped to gaze over the waters, appreciating the beauty, when suddenly he heard a faint cry coming from upstream.

Looking in the direction of the noise, he saw an obviously drowning man floundering in the river and drifting slowly toward him.

The hiker was stunned momentarily, but he sprang into action when he saw the man disappear beneath the waters. Throwing off all of his cumbersome gear, he dove into the river and swam like a madman toward the spot where the man went under.

Upon reaching the spot he plunged below the surface and frantically hauled up the helpless man. He then laboriously towed the victim to shore. Heaving the lifeless body up on the riverbank, the hiker attempted to revive the man, who eventually spit up water and began to breathe.

Relieved, the hiker paused to catch his breath. But no sooner had he done so than he heard another voice out on the water. Another drowning person!

Once again he swam out and pulled the person to shore, a little more slowly this time. As the hiker-turned- lifeguard revived the second victim, he heard yet another cry for help.

All day long the hiker worked, rescuing one person after another as they came drifting down the river. There seemed to be no end of drowning victims, and the hiker didn't think he could keep it up.

Just when he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he spotted another man walking rapidly beside the river, headed upstream. "Hey mister!" he cried out. "Please help me! These poor people are drowning!"

Amazingly, the man kept walking upstream. The astonished hiker called out again. Without even acknowledging the cry, the man kept going. Indignant and angry, the hiker leapt to his feet, ran toward the uncompassionate man, stood directly in his path, and in a loud voice demanded, "Sir! How can you possibly walk past all these drowning people? Have you no conscience? Must I force you to help me save these people?"

The stranger stopped, looked at him for the first time and said with a calm, focused voice, "Sir, please get out of my way. I am headed upstream to stop the guy who is pushing all these people in."

Each of us has a role to play in rescuing those who are drowning in sin. Some of us pull people from the water and resuscitate them with spiritual support, counseling, food and shelter, a rehabilitation program, a support group, or financial aid. Affirm those doing these important ministries.

Others of us find our place of ministry upstream, opposing the one pushing people into the river. We do this by introducing those people to Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ sets a person free from sin and releases them from the enemy's power over them.

By itself, pulling people from the water isn't enough.

We need to help people deal with the problem at its source.

When I say ...

(shared by one of my newest friends and blessings at GSU!)


When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I was lost"
That is why I chose this way.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
And need someone to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And pray for strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are all too visible,
But God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
Which is why I speak His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority. I only know I'm loved.

Favor!

It's not what you do that will bring you favor.  It's what HE did!


God wants you to face life and expect good to happen to you today because of His grace. He wants you to believe that you no longer get what you deserve based on your actions, merits and self-efforts. Instead, you get what Jesus deserves—abundant favor and blessings—because of the divine exchange that happened at the cross.

Today, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, completely favored and completely blessed. And according to Ephesians 2, you are seated with Him in heavenly places, and so therefore, you can also receive and walk in this same favor and blessing.

Declare this today: "Because of Jesus' finished work, God gives me what Christ deserves, not what I deserve. I'm expecting good things to happen to me this week because God loves me! He has great plans for me!"

And the way for you to experience God's goodness every day is to stop trying to earn it, and focus on God's love for you—see how His grace has made you righteous and accepted in His eyes to receive His blessings freely.

This is God's heart for you today—to simply believe and fully receive His abundant blessings.

May you know today that you are greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved by our Savior, and experience more and more of His abundant grace! 

Using It All

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The little boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt.

With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. He was a very small boy and the rock was huge. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall.

Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed and shoved, but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers.

Finally, he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did. Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"

"No, son," corrected the father kindly, "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me." With that the father reached down, picked up the rock and removed it from the sandbox.

Sound familiar? We all have rocks (and some mountains too) to move, and we need to go directly to our Father to get the job done. 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  (Psalm 27:1)

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

Compliments that make you go hmmm...

I heard of a young student, attending a preaching school, who went home for Christmas break.  A horrible snowstorm stranded the regular minister in another town where he had been visiting a member in the hospital.  The leaders of the congregation asked the young man to substitute for the regular minister.

The young preacher started his sermon by explaining the meaning of a substitute.  "If you break a window," he said, "and then place a piece of plywood over the hole - that's a substitute."

After the sermon, a well-intentioned woman wished to compliment the young man.  As she enthusiastically shook his hand, she said:  "You were no substitute.  You were a real pane!"

Ever gotten a compliment like that, where you went away scratching your head wondering how to take it?  

It's easy to assume the worst.  We live in a world where people are more often inclined to put you down than to lift you up, where they would rather ridicule you than encourage you.

Make it a point to say something encouraging to someone today, and do it in such a way that there will be no doubt as to your intention.

"Exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today'..." (Hebrews 3:13a)

What's In Your Jar?

The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit.  He quoted 1 Samuel 16:7 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"
"These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different," he explained.

Then he upset one of the jars and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other jar, and vinegar spilled out.
 
"When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out.  Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed.

Until we are upset we put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts and attitudes, for "out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks' ( Luke 6:45)"
What if someone tipped you over today ??   What would flow out ??

Would you reveal the "honey" of grace and patience, or the "vinegar" of anger and sarcasm ??

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1Peter 4:8)Have a terrific day knowing that the one who upsets you may be just looking for some honey!!

Something to think about...

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his yonug grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do
understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?" The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked
out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead.  The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this.  You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."  The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean.   "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.

That is the work of God in our lives.  To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His son.

Have a greatly blessed day!!