As I was walking down life's highway many years ago I came upon a sign that read
Heavens Grocery Store.
When I got a little closer
the doors swung open wide
And when I came to myself
I was standing inside.
I saw a host of angels.
They were standing everywhere
One handed me a basket and said
"My child shop with care."
Everything a human needed
was in that grocery store
And what you could not carry
you could come back for more.
First I got some Patience.
Love was in that same row.
Further down was Understanding,
you need that everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom
and Faith a bag or two.
And Charity of course
I would need some of that too.
I couldn't miss the Holy Ghost
It was all over the place.
And then some Strength and Courage to help me run this race.
My basket was getting full but
I remembered I needed Grace,
And then I chose Salvation for
Salvation was for free
I tried to get enough of that
to do for you and me.
Then I started to the counter
to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything
to do the Masters will.
As I went up the aisle I saw
Prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside
I would run into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful,
the last things on the shelf.
Song and Praise were hanging near so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel
"How much do I owe?"
He smiled and said
"Just take them everywhere you go." > > > Again I asked "Really now,
how much do I owe?"
"My child " he said,
"God paid your bill a long,
long time ago."
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Hold high the Torch !
You did not light its glow –
,Twas given you by other hands you know .
‘Tis yours to keep it burning bright !
Yours to pass on when you no more need light:
For there are other feet that we must guide
And other forms go marching by our side :
Their eyes are watching every smile and tear .
And efforts which we think are not worthwhile
Are sometimes just the very help they need ,
Action to which their souls would give most heed :
So that in turn they’ll it hold it high
And say :”I watched someone else carry it this way .”
I think it started down its pathway bright
The day the Maker said , Let there be light .”
“Ye are the light of the world –
Go Shine For Me
,Twas given you by other hands you know .
‘Tis yours to keep it burning bright !
Yours to pass on when you no more need light:
For there are other feet that we must guide
And other forms go marching by our side :
Their eyes are watching every smile and tear .
And efforts which we think are not worthwhile
Are sometimes just the very help they need ,
Action to which their souls would give most heed :
So that in turn they’ll it hold it high
And say :”I watched someone else carry it this way .”
I think it started down its pathway bright
The day the Maker said , Let there be light .”
“Ye are the light of the world –
Go Shine For Me
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Neglect Of Prayer
Some years ago 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, "Start Monday!"
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today."
Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," answered 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 on Wednesday."
"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 boy's integrity thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your ax?"
The young man replied, "I've been working too hard to take the time."
How about you? Have you been too busy, too hard at work to sharpen your ax? Prayer is the hone that gives you that sharp edge. Without it, the more work you do, the duller you'll get.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today."
Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," answered 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 on Wednesday."
"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 boy's integrity thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your ax?"
The young man replied, "I've been working too hard to take the time."
How about you? Have you been too busy, too hard at work to sharpen your ax? Prayer is the hone that gives you that sharp edge. Without it, the more work you do, the duller you'll get.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Firmly Established Security
Christ's Finger
A little girl had just finished witnessing to a small group of friends. Joyfully she told of God's saving grace and how His love had touched her heart. With assurance, she appropriately concluded her testimony by quoting these comforting words of Jesus recorded in John's gospel: "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father who gave them to Me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:28, 29) Just then a joshing, doubting friend piped up with the question, "But Maggie, supposed you slip through His fingers? Quick as a flash she replied, "Never, never! You see, I'm one of the fingers!"
Maggie may not have been well versed in the language of theology, but a Biblical principal had been lodged in her heart; namely that "we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph. 5:30). She knew that she had been joined inseparably to Jesus and that she belonged to Him.
A little girl had just finished witnessing to a small group of friends. Joyfully she told of God's saving grace and how His love had touched her heart. With assurance, she appropriately concluded her testimony by quoting these comforting words of Jesus recorded in John's gospel: "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father who gave them to Me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:28, 29) Just then a joshing, doubting friend piped up with the question, "But Maggie, supposed you slip through His fingers? Quick as a flash she replied, "Never, never! You see, I'm one of the fingers!"
Maggie may not have been well versed in the language of theology, but a Biblical principal had been lodged in her heart; namely that "we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph. 5:30). She knew that she had been joined inseparably to Jesus and that she belonged to Him.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Thank you Lord for grace !
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
--Ephesians 2:8-9
After all these years of being a Christian, God’s grace still amazes me.
His grace that is eternal, extravagant, illogical, outrageous, immeasurable, and indescribable. His grace means that we can experience not only salvation, but security, strength, sustenance, and satisfaction in life.
And what’s amazing is that grace is a gift. But more than a gift, it is a free gift!
And more than a free gift, it is a gift that is given to those of us who are totally and completely unworthy of this amazing gift.
Grace is the unmerited, unmitigated, kindness and favor of God that is given to those who do not deserve it. That’s why God’s grace is so amazing!
So let me ask you: Have you accepted God’s grace?
His grace is the only thing that will set you free from your sin, from your shame, from your brokenness, and from your bitterness. His grace will make you a brand new person!
Grace is God’s lifeline to the lost. It is infinite. And it is immeasurable.
GRACE IS THE UNMERITED, UNMITIGATED, KINDNESS AND FAVOR OF GOD THAT IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO DO NOT DESERVE IT.
--Ephesians 2:8-9
After all these years of being a Christian, God’s grace still amazes me.
His grace that is eternal, extravagant, illogical, outrageous, immeasurable, and indescribable. His grace means that we can experience not only salvation, but security, strength, sustenance, and satisfaction in life.
And what’s amazing is that grace is a gift. But more than a gift, it is a free gift!
And more than a free gift, it is a gift that is given to those of us who are totally and completely unworthy of this amazing gift.
Grace is the unmerited, unmitigated, kindness and favor of God that is given to those who do not deserve it. That’s why God’s grace is so amazing!
So let me ask you: Have you accepted God’s grace?
His grace is the only thing that will set you free from your sin, from your shame, from your brokenness, and from your bitterness. His grace will make you a brand new person!
Grace is God’s lifeline to the lost. It is infinite. And it is immeasurable.
GRACE IS THE UNMERITED, UNMITIGATED, KINDNESS AND FAVOR OF GOD THAT IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO DO NOT DESERVE IT.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Amazing! }{Grace}{
Romans 5:12--21
"... how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace ... reign in life ..." (v. 17)
If we are to go deeper with God, we need to know how to avail ourselves of God's grace. Our text for today talks about "those who receive God's abundant provision of grace." Though God's grace may be abundant, it is only effective in our lives if it is received. But what do we mean by "grace"? Grace is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments, and the root meaning of the word is that of kindness and favor. In the New Testament it is used chiefly in connection with God's undeserved mercy in redeeming humankind. Grace, as undeserved favor, is a term still used in business -- especially the world of insurance. Sometimes a representative of a firm will write to a client and say something like this: "In the circumstances you have no claim, we will give you a certain sum as an act of grace." They acknowledge no indebtedness, but out of their kindness (and in hope of business to come) they give the client something to which he has no legal right. A definition of grace I like very much is this: "Grace is the strength God gives us to obey His commands." Grace is not just a kindly attitude but an impartation of power too. We can be sure that the people who seem to know God in a much deeper way than we do have received more of that power which God imparts "unmerited and free." It is by grace that they leap over all the impediments on their onward way. Grace truly is amazing!
Prayer:
O Father, how can I thank You enough that just as the atmosphere wraps itself around my body so Your grace wraps itself around my soul. May I respond to Your grace as my physical body responds to the atmosphere -- and lives. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"... how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace ... reign in life ..." (v. 17)
If we are to go deeper with God, we need to know how to avail ourselves of God's grace. Our text for today talks about "those who receive God's abundant provision of grace." Though God's grace may be abundant, it is only effective in our lives if it is received. But what do we mean by "grace"? Grace is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments, and the root meaning of the word is that of kindness and favor. In the New Testament it is used chiefly in connection with God's undeserved mercy in redeeming humankind. Grace, as undeserved favor, is a term still used in business -- especially the world of insurance. Sometimes a representative of a firm will write to a client and say something like this: "In the circumstances you have no claim, we will give you a certain sum as an act of grace." They acknowledge no indebtedness, but out of their kindness (and in hope of business to come) they give the client something to which he has no legal right. A definition of grace I like very much is this: "Grace is the strength God gives us to obey His commands." Grace is not just a kindly attitude but an impartation of power too. We can be sure that the people who seem to know God in a much deeper way than we do have received more of that power which God imparts "unmerited and free." It is by grace that they leap over all the impediments on their onward way. Grace truly is amazing!
Prayer:
O Father, how can I thank You enough that just as the atmosphere wraps itself around my body so Your grace wraps itself around my soul. May I respond to Your grace as my physical body responds to the atmosphere -- and lives. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sacrificial Love
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just after taking off from the Detroit airport, killing 155 people, One survived: a four-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, named Cecelia. News accounts say when rescuers found Cecelia they did not believe she had been on the plane. Investigators first assumed Cecelia had been a passenger in one of the cars on the highway onto which the airliner crashed. But when the passenger log for the flight was checked, there was Cecelia's name.
Cecelia survived because, even as her plane was falling, Cecelia's mother, Paula Chican, unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and then would not let her go.
Nothing could separate that child from her parent's love - neither tragedy nor disaster, neither the fall nor the flames that followed, neither height nor depth, neither life nor death.
Such is the love of our Savior for us. He left heaven, lowered himself to us, and covered us with the sacrifice of his own body to save us.
Cecelia survived because, even as her plane was falling, Cecelia's mother, Paula Chican, unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and then would not let her go.
Nothing could separate that child from her parent's love - neither tragedy nor disaster, neither the fall nor the flames that followed, neither height nor depth, neither life nor death.
Such is the love of our Savior for us. He left heaven, lowered himself to us, and covered us with the sacrifice of his own body to save us.
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