Our Own Way

Currently, we have our seven-year-old grandson visiting us. Julian is delightful and thoroughly enjoyable to be around, when he is getting his way. One day this past summer, as we were on our way to the swimming pool, I stopped to indulge his request for an ice cream cone. He decided he wanted a “Big Blast.” He was all smiles as he devoured the horrid-looking blue drink with whipped cream topping.

Our next stop was the video store. When we finally found one he had not seen, I checked it out and was on my way out the door, when I noticed that Julian was not behind me. He had discovered a Nintendo game. By the time we finally left the store, he’d talked me into letting him play for about 30 minutes. Then I had to make a quick stop at a nearby department store for the pair of jeans I’d promised him.

By the time we came out of the department store–without the jeans (he had now decided he wanted a type of jeans the store did not carry)–it was 4:40 pm.

“Julian,” I said, “we are going to have to wait until tomorrow to go swimming. It is too late to swim today.”

He folded his arms abruptly across his chest, stuck out his bottom lip and began to pout and cry. “I want to swim today!” he said, pouting all the way home.

I thought how we adults are like that. Even though many of us are more indulged than most people on this planet and get most of our heart’s desires, we do the same thing in more subtle ways when things don’t go our way.

Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way.” When you think about it, our “own way” is one of the things we cherish most in life and the thing that keeps us as our own “lord,” or boss of our own lives. Our own way is usually in direct opposition to God’s will and sometimes in opposition to the will of those closest to us. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.”

If we left Julian to his own way, he would be so spoiled that he could not get along in life and could never have working relationships. He must learn that sometimes, when he gets his way, he will not get what he really wants in the long run, which, in this case, was to go swimming on that particular day. Instead, he had frittered his time away doing things that– while not really wrong– were not what he most wanted to achieve that day. He needed the guidance of a wiser, caring mind. He needed discipline with love that would teach him and direct him to the wiser path. Had he listened to this guidance, he could have had what he most desired.

If we ask Him, God will show us the path He has for us, but He does not force us. “`For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. `For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'” Isaiah 55:8-9.

Jesus said, “I AM the WAY, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me.” In Christ’s life, in His death, burial and resurrection on our behalf, the way of salvation and the way of life has been made available to us through faith in Him and what He has done for us. To take our own path is to perish. To take His is life eternal.

By Daphne Harrington

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Best Way To Excel

Compartmentalising our dispositions is the best way to excel on all fronts; no same disposition is suitable for all life contexts. Intelligence, humility, confidence, aggression, etc. are examples of dispositions. Where you need intelligence to perform, humility, confidence or aggression may not be necessary to deliver there; the same way intelligence may not serve you where humility is required, and so on.

-Babatunde Oladele

Hearing VS Listening

Hearing is passive; listening is active. You can hear something without really making any meaning out of it. But, in order to understand what you are hearing/is being said, and then take an intelligent action afterward, you’ve got to actively listen.

The Woodpecker's Story

As my husband and I were working inside, we heard something hit the window. Looking out and seeing nothing, we stepped outside and there on the front porch was the still body of a woodpecker — a beautiful yellow-bellied sapsucker. He had flown into the window, and, we presumed, broken his neck. My husband picked him up for a moment and stroked the red cap on his head and laid him back down.

Just then, I saw an eye blink. I was holding a utility cloth in my hand, and I picked him up and covered him, all but his head. His heart was racing wildly, and I felt just a twitch of his foot. I realized that this now helpless creature, if only knocked out, could revive at any moment and give me quite a pecking.

Instinctive caution urged me to leave the bird there and hope he would come around, and that was my plan, that is until I saw the neighbor’s big black cat approaching in his most stealthy stalking mode.

I took the bird inside and found a box with a lid — if he revived and got loose in the house he probably would kill himself trying to get out.

I placed the bird in the box in a quiet place and went about my work. About half an hour later, I walked close enough to the box to detect any activity, but there was none. Then my husband came in and spoke to me. Suddenly, there was scratching and a flurry inside the box that made me fear the lid would not remain closed.

We took the box outside, and carefully began to open the lid. As it opened an inch or so, the bird burst out and flew vigorously away to resume his place in God’s grand scheme of things.

As I saw that cat approaching earlier, I remembered 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

That little bird, in his natural healthy state, would never fall prey to the cat, but he was knocked out.

My thoughts went back 34 years to a time in my life when I was spiritually “knocked out,” I was dead in my sin and as helpless to ward off the attacks of the enemy of my soul as that little bird lying on my porch.

Then a wonderful, loving Savior reached down and picked me up. He sheltered me and let me know I was loved and protected — I only needed to trust Him. He didn’t put me in a box, but he gave me strength and the desire to “vigorously fly away” spiritually to take my place in His wonderful design for my life in His kingdom.

By Marie B. Corn

Meditation: We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” – Romans 15:1-3

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Master's Expectations

 

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He ‘shoos’ him away. But later, the dog is back again.

So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads, “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please?”

The dog has money in its mouth, as well. The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a $10 note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it’s about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog. So off he goes.

The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button.

Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus.

The dog then shows a ticket, which is tied to its belt, to the bus conductor. The butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers on the bus.

The dog then sits near the driver’s seat looking outside waiting for the bus stop to come. As soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor.

Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out of the bus and runs to a house very close to the stop. It opens the big iron gate and rushes inside towards the door.

As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him.

The butcher, surprised with this, runs up, and stops the guy. “What in heaven’s name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!” to which the guy responds:

“You call this clever? This is the second time that this stupid dog’s forgotten his key this week!”

Moral of the story: You may continue to exceed onlookers’ expectations, but may fall short of the master’s expectations.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do. – Luke 17:10

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Interest Is Not Enough

You may have interest in doing many things, but available resources will always guide you as to what is expedient.

-Babatunde Oladele

Bad Luck, Good Luck

 

An ancient Chinese story:

A farmer had one old horse that he used for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer’s neighbours heard about it, they sympathized with the old man over his bad luck. “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” said the farmer.

A week later, the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?” said the farmer.

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone agreed that this was very bad luck. Not the farmer, who replied, “Bad Luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and forced every able-bodied young man to go fight in a bloody war. When they saw that the farmer’s son had a broken leg, they let him stay. Everyone was very happy at the farmer’s good luck.

“Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Life is a lot like that. Sometimes it seems like things are going well, and at other times, things seem to be going badly. And we let those things dictate our feelings and our outlook on life. When things are going well, we’re happy and we think God is with us. If they are going badly, we get discouraged and think that God must have abandoned us. We end up being tossed around by our circumstances.

But the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4 that he had learned to be content, even happy, in all circumstances. He was happy when things were bad (he was in jail at the time), and he was happy when things were going good as well. That’s the great thing about being part of God’s family. We really don’t have to worry about our circumstances, because no matter what, we have hope in Christ. We know that in everything, God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

— Author Unknown

Meditation: And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; – Deuteronomy 31:8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!