Cat’s Tale

Cat was walking along one early evening, heading toward the village.

Cat was a friendly sort. In her lives, she wore many hats. Sometimes she was a companion, listener and even a watch cat. Suddenly, out of the shadows leapt a massive dog. To cat, it seemed as if a chunk of the sky had fallen into her path.

In the shadowy darkness, the animal towered over cat and bared its great, sharp, yellow teeth.

“Run away,” the dog snarled.

Startled nearly out of her wits, cat knew that if she were going to survive she must not panic. She imposed a steely calm on herself and looked up at the beast.

“I beg your pardon,” answered cat, far more calmly than she felt. “I have business here. Let me pass.”

The dog had not expected this reaction. He usually left his victims weak with fear by simply looking at them.

“Run,” he repeated. “I don’t like the way you drift about these parts cozying up to people and making them feel so secure. This is my place. Everyone here does as I tell them to.”

Now cat was nearly paralyzed with fear and running was absolutely out of the question. Cat knew that if she did run away she would never be able to see her friends in these parts again. She also realized that if she did not stand, she would always live in fear of dogs. Perhaps she would spend her life cringing at shadows as so many other cats did.

It wasn’t right. There was nothing wrong with cat helping people. The wrong was in the animal she was facing.

Cat breathed a silent prayer; “Oh help me find my way home safe.” A little spark kindled in cat’s heart. The light in her heart began to fill her and unfreeze her muscles and nerves. Suddenly, cat was no longer pretending – she really wasn’t afraid.

Cat realized at that moment, nothing mattered more to her than shining her light in this dark creature.

“I invite you to come with me and meet my friends,” cat purred. “I hate to think of you out here all alone.”

Slowly, cat managed to put one paw in front of another until she found herself gliding past the menacing creature.

“Stop,” snarled the dog. “Take one more step and I will destroy you. Don’t you dare cross me!”

It was too late. Cat had found her feet and was going at a fast pace toward the village where her friends waited for her.

She rushed into the home of the village’s guard dog and told her story.

“Did I do right?” cat asked.

“You did just fine,” he answered. “You aren’t finished. Now you must go out and tell your tale so that others who find themselves in fear might recall it and find their light.”

And so cat did.

by Lisa Suhay

Meditation: You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; – 2 Chronicles 20:17

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

What Is Christianity?

Christianity means having faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
It means to trust in the Bible as God’s Holy Infallible Word.

It is realizing sin separates us from God who is righteous and just;
Knowing we can’t be reconciled on our own, so in Christ we trust.

It is understanding we cannot earn God’s grace by virtues or good behavior.
It is acknowledging we’re sinners who need the atonement of our Savior.

It’s realizing that laws and religion do not have the power to save us.
It’s knowing and loving Jesus and accepting the gift that He gave us.

It is believing that Jesus took our sins at the cross for our debt to be paid.
It is assurance we have eternal salvation because of the sacrifice He made.

It’s asking for God’s forgiveness and to help us make a fresh start;
Asking Him to be with us always, and to fill us in mind and in heart.

It is having faith in God’s sovereignty for He knows what’s best;
Thanking Him for all He has done and for how we’ve been blessed.

This is the message of the Gospel; Good News to those who will hear it.
And when we accept and follow Jesus we receive the help of the Holy Spirit.

Being a Christian transforms us within and in every part of life;
It gives us hope and joy along with comfort in sorrow and strife.

We know we’re not perfect but we want to please God and obey.
We continually ask God to mend us and to show us the way.

We understand this is an ongoing process; not just an event.
We strive to reflect Christ’s love for it is Him we represent.

We believe God loves everyone and has a purpose for us all.
We know He does not want any of us to be lost or to fall.

We seek to know, to serve and to love God more and more;
As we find understanding and meaning we did not know before.

If your faith isn’t evident and doesn’t mean this to you,
Carefully reconsider and assess, is your faith really true?

If you have any doubts, seek His wisdom and pray.
Invite Him into your life; ask Him to show you the way.

Written by Arlene Spanos

Meditation: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Eternal Life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. – John 3:16-17

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Watch Your Attitude

A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law’s habits. In addition, she criticised Li-Li constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li’s poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father’s good friend, Mr Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr Huang thought for a while, and finally said, ‘Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.’

Li-Li said, ‘Yes, Mr Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do. ‘Mr. Huang went into the back room and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, ‘You can’t use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving.

Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. ‘Don’t argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.’

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practised controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn’t had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law’s attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr Huang and asked for his help again She said, ‘Dear Mr Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She has changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.’

Mr Huang smiled and nodded his head. ‘Li-Li, there’s nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.’

Have you realized that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: ‘The person who loves others will also be loved in return.’ God might be trying to work in another person’s life through you. A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. – 1 Peter 3:3-4

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Have You Sharpened Your Axe?

A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job.

“That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, “You can start Monday.”

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by. Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”

Startled, the young man replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.”

“Normally we do,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last place today.”

“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”

The foreman, sensing the young man’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your axe?”

The young man replied, “No sir, I’ve been working too hard to take time for that!”

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to “sharpen the axe” In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp?

There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn’t want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read and study scripture or to listen to “the still small voice of God.”

We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. Take time today to sharpen your axe!

— Author Unknown

Meditation: If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success. – Ecclesiastes 10:10

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Sandbox Rock

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 lad 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 very 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, 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.

Do you have “rocks” in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don’t have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When we are broken in spirit and our strength is spent, we can turn to our Savior Jesus.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Master’s Card

There are some things money can’t buy, for everything else, there’s Master card.

I’m sure you’ve all received their applications in the mail. However, there is a different card.

It’s The Master’s Card.

That’s right, The MASTER’S CARD. Let me tell you about it. There are no finance charges, no payments due. Your bill has already been covered…it’s a prepaid deal… Because you couldn’t afford the price, Jesus stepped in and paid it for you.

It is accessible twenty-four hours a day from anywhere in the world.

The MASTER’S CARD has so many benefits it’s hard to list them all. Let me share some of them with you… You might want to apply for a personal card yourself. And best of ALL—IT’S FREE.

Just for starters, there is UNLIMITED GRACE. That’s right, there is no preset limit to the amount of grace you receive from The MASTER’S CARD.

Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places? Then, look no farther than The MASTER’S CARD. It offers the greatest rate on love that has ever been offered. The MASTER’S CARD gives you access to many “members only” benefits.

Want real joy despite the difficulties of life? Apply for The MASTER’S CARD.

Want a lasting peace? Apply for The MASTER’S CARD.

Looking for something you can always rely on in a jam? The MASTER’S CARD is perfect for you.

Another great thing about The MASTER’S CARD is that it never expires and will never be cancelled. Once you’re a member, you’re a member for life… eternal life, that is. Its membership has wonderful privileges.

So why not apply today if you don’t have yours? It’s only a prayer away.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Choice You Make (2)

The Choice You Make

Continued from yesterday…

Shortly afterwards her Ladyship went down followed by a retinue of servants, in case any harm might come to her. Seeing the beggar, she asked him kindly, “Well, my good man, what do you want?”

He bowed, and then said, “I have come to ask your hand in marriage today.”

Her Ladyship looked at him steadfastly for a moment, then stepping forward, said “Very well. Here it is.”

The beggar approached, bowed low, and taking her hand in his, kissed it, adding “And on what day will you marry me?” To which her Ladyship replied, “This day twelve months hence.” On hearing her reply, the beggar gathered up his crutches and hobbled away, greatly to the relief and delight of the servants standing around, who thought that she had got rid of the beggar very quickly and easily.

During the week of the festivities, many of the young nobles asked her hand in marriage, but all of them got the same reply, “I am betrothed already.” Many began asking who the ‘lucky fellow’ was, but no one could tell.

The servants, overhearing the conversations amongst the guests, began to wonder among themselves if it were really true that she had given away her hand in marriage to the beggar. At last, it came to her father’s ears that she had been asked by many, and all had been given the same refusal and that she had already given her hand in marriage to a beggar, with a promise that it should take place in a year’s time. Her father was heart-broken.

“Is it true, my daughter, that you have given your hand in marriage to a poor beggar man?”

“Yes, father, it is quite true, and it will be alright.”

The week of festivities ended rather abruptly, everyone being greatly disappointed at the news of her betrothal to the beggar. During the year, her father time after time called her to his side, saying “Oh, my daughter! Oh my daughter! Comfort me. Tell me it is all a mistake.” But her answer was always the same, “It is quite true, and it will be alright.”

At length, the year passed by. No preparation was made for the marriage, and on the day appointed, her father sent for her, and said: “You see, my daughter, there is no one coming.”

“Oh, but he will come!” she replied.

One o’clock chimed, yet no appearance of anyone coming. About two o’clock in the afternoon, however, a great noise was heard coming over the hill towards the castle. Everyone in the house rushed to the windows, and what they beheld was a wonderful procession of pipers, drummers and horsemen, in large numbers. Up to the front door of the castle came a guard of prancing horsemen, who lined both sides of the avenue. Wheeling around, they drew up, each horse facing the other and forming a guard of honour. Then, last of all, came a beautiful prancing steed, with a noble rider on its back. On reaching the steps leading to the doorway of the castle, this rider threw himself from the saddle, ran up the steps, and embraced his beloved.

Who was he? The King’s son!

That morning twelve months before he had disguised himself as a poor beggar, and came in that way lest he should be too late. Recognizing his eyes, she knew who he was, and kept his secret. So all were glad at the end.

Who is standing at your heart’s door and knocking? A beggar! One of Whom it was said, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” A Man whose faced was more marred than that of any man. A beggar knocking at your heart’s door, seeking admission. Open the door, for He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

— Author Unknown

Meditation: “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” – Revelation 3:20 (NLT)

You will succeed in Jesus Name!