I'm Not Getting It And That Is A Good Thing

We ask the waitress, “What’s good here that I will like”? We ask the politician “What you will do for me if I put you in office”? We ask the clerk “Do you have the item I want”? We ask the employer “What benefits do you offer”? We ask the church “What programs do you have for me and my family”?

We want. Not only do we want, we want it faster, better, cheaper, and more convenient. Our consumer mentality isn’t just limited to the retail world. It’s in the schools, the home and the even the church

Provide for my needs. I want it. Give me. Now.

The leech has two daughters, "Give," "Give."

Proverbs 30:15

The call of Jesus is something altogether different. Not to be served but to serve. To be last instead of first. The least of these not what's best for me.

How can I help? Let me assist. I’ll volunteer. Whenever

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave

- Calvin Coolidge

The ironic thing is the more we want the less satisfied we are. It is never enough. Yet the more we give the more we get.

Honor. Happiness. Heaven.

“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

Acts 20:35

Instead of asking what is in it for me, why not think of what I can do. Using our hands instead of holding them out. Not to get but to give.

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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 ...

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.

Mysterious Ways

William Cowper didn’t see any reason to live. He decided that he’d jump off the bridge over the Thames. So, he called a cab to take him there. But that night in 1763, a thick fog enveloped London. It was so thick the cab driver couldn’t find the bridge and couldn’t even find the way to take William home. In frustration, he ordered the driver to stop and get out to get his bearings. He walked up to the nearest house to read the number and it was William's house. Gone now were William’s thoughts of suicide and instead a new idea came into his head. So, he went in and wrote these words: God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. You fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. I sometimes wish we could see all the ways God watches over us when need it. There are...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

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