Light It Up!

I once heard a businessman say one of the saddest statements I have ever heard in my life. He said, “Ever since I started this business I have not had the time to go to church.”

That’s just so sad. Tells you know where and what his priorities are. Maybe this is the very reason why Jesus Christ said, “It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven…..”

Make sure you go to church. So much have changed; consider this.

During the long vacation, a family left the city and stayed with their relatives in a distant place. Sunday morning, the father decided that the family should attend church. Driving past a church in a small town and pointing to it, the father told the children that it was St. Joseph’s Church.

“It must be a franchise,” her eight-year-old son said. “We’ve got one of those in our town too.”

Isn’t it sad when children begin to think this way?

From an unknown author comes this very provoking article entitled “How Will The Church Be Lighted?”

Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished.

At its grand opening, the people gathered and marvelled at the beauty of the new church. Everything had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece. But then someone said, “Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted?” The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship.

“Each time you are here,” the nobleman said, “The place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God’s house will be dark.

That’s a poignant story, isn’t it?

What if every member of the church supported the church? What kind of church would you have? What if every single member served the church, attended the church, loved the church, shared the church, and gave to the church exactly as you do? What kind of church would you be?

Many churches today especially the ones in the western hemisphere of our globe have lost their light. Some are sold and are now converted to museums, while others have been converted into bars and pubs. Only the old and the dying go there. The light is diminishing.

Many churches have lost their calling. Rather than bringing the lost to the Savior they are too preoccupied with their own programs, exalting themselves rather than the Risen Savior.

Many churches today no longer have light. No compassion for souls and no burden to bring the Lost to the Savior. And when churches lose their sense of mission, the whole society is plunged into darkness. Spirituality becomes a game people play. The Bible is mocked by the lifestyles of its religious leaders. Salt loses its taste and light turns into darkness.

A lot of people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. Somebody says: “Sunday is the day many of us bow our heads. Some of us are praying and some of us are putting.”

Go to church. Bring your children with you. What blesses my heart is when I go to church and I see familiar faces of very successful business people and professionals who are deeply committed to their faith.

One businessman told me, “Francis, this is the time I go to church. I do this twice. Christmas and Easter Sunday.” The day Christ is born and the day Christ rose from the dead?

Be careful. This one may be funny but it carries a ring of truth to it. Somebody says: “I wish you folks would come to church, If only for a visit. For someday they will carry you in, and the Lord will say, “Who is it?”

— By Francis J. Kong

Meditation: Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? – Luke 18:8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Onion

I was an onion before Christ set me free.

Layers upon layers of iniquity.

An ugly old onion whose fragrance was strong;

That my Jesus bought and loved all along.

Unknown to me what He was going to do.

Of what He was planning, I had not a clue.

Pulling each layer off one by one.

In order to make me more like Jesus the Son.

The first layer wasn’t so bad.

I saw all the sins that I knew I had.

They were easy to fix, just change the way I talk.

And learn more of how He wanted me to walk.

Reading His Word, and learning again;

How to put aside my life of sin.

But the next layer was pulled which hurt more.

He was getting closer to the core.

Unknown what He would find there.

I simply gave it to Him in prayer.

As another layer was removed, He started to cry;

Pulling this layer brought pain to my Father on High.

And I was crying over the sadness I felt;

The brokenness and all of the guilt.

Past memories that I thought were gone;

They were buried under layers disguised in a fragrance so strong.

As onions peel more and more;

And they put tears in our eyes as we get close to the core;

So my Father wept over my pain;

Giving me a balm of comfort and strength to sustain.

“No More Layers.” I would scream.

As He continued to peel them off of me.

“I’ll have nothing left my Lord, what will I do?

I’ll be nothing but a worthless core to you. ”

But He just said “Trust me,” and continued to peel

I was sure He was blinded to my pain that was so real.

Year after year I shrunk more and more;

Until all that was left of this onion was a core.

It was then that I began to understand;

As the Lord embraced me in His loving hand.

He said, now and only now can you be;

The creation that will minister before me.

Clothed with the righteousness only from above;

Gone are your layers of self so you can be filled with my love.

He took my layers of sin, hurt and pain;

And clothed me with love, truth and mercy in His name.

Yes, we are all onions, learning with each day;

How to overcome as each layer is taken away.

Some layers tear and pull at our heart;

While others grieve us to our innermost part.

But we are nothing but an ugly onion without Christ.

Layers upon layers of pride, sin and strife.

Only God can take those layers away.

And clothe us with His righteousness in that final day.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. – Romans 8:18

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Love Yourself

One day, a teacher asked her students in the class to write the names of the other students on a piece of paper. “And leave space between each name,” she instructed.

When they finished, the teacher said, “Underneath each name, I want you to write the good things you see in that person.” Immediately, the kids busied themselves with the task and took the whole class to finish it.

The teacher took the papers home and collated the material. On one piece of paper per child, she wrote all the positive qualities written by their classmates. The next class, she handed out the papers to the kids. They were very happy to read the letters. “Wow, am I really this person?” some of them gushed.

Many, many years later, the teacher received a phone call. One of her former students, who had become a soldier, was killed in battle. Would she want to attend the funeral? She went and saw many of her former students condoling with the bereaved family. As she stood beside the coffin, looking at the lifeless body of a young man in a uniform inside, a middle-aged woman approached her. “Are you my son’s grade school teacher?”

“Yes,” she said, “you must be his mother; my deepest condolences.”

“I’d like to show something to you,” the mother said. “My son had this inside his wallet when he died.” She pulled out a worn-out piece of paper. It was obvious that it had been folded and unfolded many times. Even before it was opened, the teacher already knew what it was. It was the piece of paper that contained the list of positive qualities his classmates saw in him. Kept and read all through the years.

By that time, her other students had gathered around both of them. A young man beside the teacher said, “Uh, I carry mine wherever I go too.”

A woman from behind said, “I still keep mine. It’s in my diary.”

Another man said, “I display my list on my desk at home.”

Another woman said, “It seems like all of us kept that paper all these years!”

The teacher was moved beyond words.

Why would a simple piece of paper mean so much? Because, here’s the truth, life can be rough. At various time, it can even be cruel. Every time we fail, every time we receive criticism, every time we get rejected, we doubt our worth. We doubt our goodness. We are very desperate for love. We need to love the saint within us.

Friend, love yourself. Each day, celebrate your positive qualities. Celebrate your goodness. Celebrate your beauty. Thank God for how wonderful He made you.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, – Romans 11:13

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Start Over

When you’ve trusted God and walked his way

When you’ve felt his hand lead you day by day

But your steps now take you another way…

Start over.

When you’ve made your plans and they’ve gone awry

When you’ve tried your best and there’s no more try

When you’ve failed yourself and you don’t know why…

Start over.

When you’ve told your friends what you plan to do

When you’ve trusted them and they didn’t come through

And you’re all alone and it’s up to you…

Start over.

When you’ve failed your kids and they’re grown and gone

When you’ve done your best but it’s turned out wrong

And now your grandchildren come along…

Start over.

When you’ve prayed to God so you’ll know his will

When you’ve prayed and prayed and you don’t know still…

When you want to stop cause you’ve had your fill…

Start over.

When you think you’re finished and want to quit

When you’ve bottomed out in life’s deepest pit

When you’ve tried and tried to get out of it…

Start over.

When the year has been long and successes few

When December comes and you’re feeling blue

God gives a January just for you…

Start over.

Starting over means “Victories Won”

Starting over means “A Race Well Run”

Starting over means “God’s Will Done”

Don’t just sit there…

START OVER.

— By Woodrow Kroll

Meditation: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, – Philippians 3:13

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

10 Little Christians

Ten little Christians standing in a line,

One disliked the pastor, then there were nine.

Nine little Christians stayed up very late,

One slept in on Sunday, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians on their way to heaven,

One took the low road, then there were seven.

Seven little Christians chirping like chicks,

One disliked the music, then there were six.

Six little Christians seemed very much alive,

But one lost his interest, then there were five.

Five little Christians pulling for Heaven’s shore,

But one stopped to rest, then there were four.

Four little Christians, each busy as a bee,

One got her feelings hurt, then there were three.

Three little Christians knew what to do,

One joined the sports crowd, then there were two.

Two little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,

Differed with each other, then there was one.

One little Christian can’t do much ’tis true;

Brought his friend to Bible study, then there were two.

Two earnest Christians, each won one more,

That doubled their number, then there were four.

Four sincere Christians worked early and late,

Each won another, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians, if they doubled as before,

In just a few short weeks, we’d have 1,024.

In this little jingle, there’s a lesson true,

You belong to the building, or the wrecking crew.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works – Hebrews 10:24

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Life’s Storm

A pastor had been on a long flight between church conferences. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the aeroplane flashed on: Fasten Your Seat Belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, “We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened.”

As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive.

Later, the voice on the intercom said, “We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.”

And then the storm broke…

The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, “As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

“Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently, the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.

“Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity and all the adults were scared half to death, that marvellous child was completely composed and unafraid.” The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising, therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and the behaviour of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The child replied, “Because my daddy is the pilot, and he’s taking me home.”

There are many kinds of life’s storm that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and to be honest, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Meanwhile, let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and He is taking us home. So, we should not worry!

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Good Advice to Live By

For the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom. – 2 Samuel 17:14

If you want your dreams to come true, don’t oversleep.

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends….B1[be one].

The 10 commandments are not multiple choice.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

Minds are like parachutes…they function only when open.

Ideas won’t work unless YOU do.

One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.

One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.

The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.

Don’t learn safety rules by accident.

We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.

Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.

A turtle makes progress when it sticks its head out.

One thing you can give and still keep…is your word.

A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.

AND FINALLY…

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!

— Author Unknown

You will succeed in Jesus Name!