Are You Somebody Famous?

TV newsman Tom Brokaw told the story of when he first landed the job as the co-host of the Today show. This moment was the pinnacle of his career that had started first in the morning news in Omaha, then to jobs in Los Angles and Washington. He was feeling pretty famous when he noticed a man that just kept looking at him. Finally, the man approached him and asked if he was indeed Tom Brokaw. He told him he was and the gentleman responded, “The one that used to do the morning news in Omaha, right” “That’s right,” Brokaw said, expecting the man to gush on about how far he had come. “I knew it the moment I spotted you,” the man replied then paused, “So whatever happened to you?” Just when we think what we have done will be recognized by others, the truth will bring us crashing back to the ground.

Galatians 6:2-4 tells us, “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another." No one becomes truly great to others by lifting themselves up. It is when we serve others that we accomplish great things.

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The Gift You Give Yourself

I always hated buying gifts for my Mom. If I got her something like a new set of pans, it was like saying “Here’s something you can use to go make me something to eat”. A gift for her was seemingly a gift for me. There are however gifts you give that benefit you more than the receiver. For example, forgiveness. When you give it, you are giving it to yourself as much as you are giving it to them. Jesus said that when we forgive others it means God is forgiving us our wrongs (Matthew 6:14-15). I once read: “ Heaven is where everyone's forgiven. Hell is where nobody's forgiven. So, when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives. When we withhold forgiveness, we pull hell up into our lives ” Give yourself something nice today, Forgive.

Desire

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Until Midnight

In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back. I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

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