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CONTENTSHUGS 'N
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CONTENTSHUGS 'N
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DON’T BE DECEIVED |
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Of course, Ali was only joking, but there are many people who are deceived by their pride. "The pride of your heart has deceived you" (Obadiah 1:3). A.W. Tozer described the kind of Christians the Lord longs for as "men and women who have stopped being ‘fooled’ about their own strength and are not afraid of being ‘caught’ depending on their all-sufficient Lord." —Adapted from Our Daily Bread |
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LIFE IS A MEASURE TO BE FILLED, NOT A CUP TO BE DRAINED. |
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ACCURATE CALCULATION |
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| The balances of God never lose their adjustment. With them, a pound is a pound, right is right, wrong is wrong, a soul is a soul, and eternity is eternity. —T. DeWitt Talmage |
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HUGS 'N TUGS |
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By Wendy GreinerForgive me if all I seem to write about lately is our
kids, especially the younger ones. I sometimes learn more from them Are we as tender hearted toward those around us who don’t know the Lord? Do we eagerly desire to see them come to a saving faith in Christ? Are we so desirous of their salvation that we will go to great lengths to share the good news with them? I learned a lesson from my son that day, and I pray the Lord places in my heart as great a burning desire for those lost around me as Christian had for his little sister that day. "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:8). |
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THE BEST OF LIFELINE |
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By Rev. Larry W. GreinerJohn Thompson was a loyal carpenter, working for a successful building contractor who called him into his office one day and said, "John, I'm putting you in charge of the next house we build. I want you to order all the materials and oversee the whole job from the ground up." John accepted the assignment with great enthusiasm and excitement. For ten days before ground breaking John studied the blueprints. He checked every measurement and every specification. Suddenly he thought, "If I am really in charge, why can’t I cut a few corners, use less expensive materials, and put the extra money in my pocket? Who would know the difference? Once the house is painted, it will look just great." So John set about his scheme. He ordered second-grade lumber, while his reports indicated it was top-grade. He ordered inexpensive concrete for the foundation, put in cheap wiring, and cut every corner possible. Yet he reported the purchase of much better materials. When the home was completed and fully painted, he asked the contractor to come and inspect it. "John," said the contractor, "you have done a magnificent job! You have been such a good and faithful carpenter all these years that I have decided to show my gratitude by giving you this house you have built, as a gift!" Whether we realize it or not, each one of us is
building a house. The house we are building is made up of materials which
are called works, either good or bad. It is an eternal house which will be
tested by fire one day. Some Christians want to do just enough good works
to look nice and maybe ease their conscience, but most of their works are
for purely selfish reasons. Others sacrifice everything they have and seek
to do as many good works as they can for the Glory of God. The kind of
house we are building will determine our eternal reward and position in
the heavenly kingdom. Oh, may we live in constant awareness of the eternal
significance of each good and bad work we do! Is your house going to be
fireproof? "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is" (1 Corinthians 3:11-13). |
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WATCHING, WAITING |
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| So I am watching quietly every day. Whenever the sun shines brightly, I rise and say, "Surely it is the shining of His face!" And look into the gates of His high place beyond the sea, For I know He is coming shortly to summon me. And when a shadow falls across the window of my room Where I am working my appointed task, I lift my head to watch the door and ask If He is come; and the angel answers sweetly in my home, "Only a few more shadows, and He will come." —Author Unknown |
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FINISHING WELL |
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A short time later the Lord walked Paul into heaven. While a slow tortuous death from brain cancer is not an easy way to die, it can be said of Paul Henry that he finished well. He left behind the fragrance of a vibrant faith and transformed life. You, too, can finish well. To do so, you must first make sure you are a member of God’s family. Acknowledge your sin, admit your need of God’s forgiveness, believe what the Bible says about Jesus dying for you and receive Him as your Savior (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 10:9-13). This assures you of arriving in heaven, but it’s only the beginning of your journey. If you want to "live and die happily," you must make it your life’s aim to "express your gratitude to God" for His salvation. Grow spiritually by keeping in touch with Him through confessing your sins (1 John. 1:8-9), loving your enemies (Matthew 5:44), and letting the Holy Spirit take control of your life so that you are "filled" with Him (Ephesians 5:18-21). If you will follow this path as an expression of your gratitude to God, you will finish well. What more could anybody want? —Herbert Vander Lugt |
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A LASTING REMEMBRANCE |
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THE BENT KNEE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SHARP TONGUE. |
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By E. Ruth GreinerIn loving memory of John Kinch |
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Save only good memories for the past.
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worthless flesh. For me—a
nobody, nothing but a despicable sinner—He applied the blood of Christ
directly to my bankrupt account. He forgave me, redeemed me, saved me, put
a new song in my heart and reserved a place for me in Heaven where I will
one day take up my eternal abode. Pardon me, my brother, but my fountain
is bubbling. I’m excited from head to toe, and I think I’m going to
shout. 
than
they do from me, especially in their formative years when they have such a
fresh perspective on the world around them. Through their eyes, life
lessons abound! This was the case recently when I passed by the room in
which our two youngest were playing. Seven-year-old Christian was sitting
across from three-year-old Grace, clearly intent in conversation.
Christian stopped talking and with a shy smile glanced my way as if to
plead for privacy. I happily obliged and went about my work. A few minutes
later they came bouncing into the other room. "Tell Mommy what you
just did!" Christian said. Grace threw her arms open wide and
cheerfully exclaimed, "I asked Jesus into my heart!" Not
expecting something like this in the least, I asked Christian, "How
did this happen?" In a very matter of fact manner he said, "I
told her to." To explain further he added, "I just wanted to
make sure it was done." I talked with Grace then, and many times
since, about what it means to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, but it’s
hard to tell how much her little mind and heart can truly grasp. Only the
Lord knows if it was a true conversion. Even if it’s not, the ground
work has been laid for the time when she can make up her own mind and make
that all important decision for herself on her own initiative. What
thrilled us most was the tender heart of her "big" brother in
his innocent and eager desire to see his sister come to know his Savior
and stake her claim for eternal life just as he had done a few years ago.
He wanted so much to make sure she was saved that he decided to draw upon
his clout as big brother to urge her to do so! She followed right along,
at least in word, and only the Lord knows if it took root in her heart.