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Sunday, May 31, 2009

BUT GOD....LOOKS AT THE HEART!

I have two cousins, one is older, a good deal older then the other. Lets call her Joan, the younger one we will call Pat.
Joan visits her mum on a regular basis, say roughly every 5 weeks or so. Her mum is a widow.
Uncle died two years earlier. It's a good one and half hour drive so the visits are not all that long.
Pat lives close by and keeps her eye on her mother.

Aunt is getting on in years too, she will be 90 soon, and her eye sight is not what it used to be. She had a cataract removed from each eye which did help, but, well, you know how it is!

Pat has younger children and they love running through nanna's house, which nan does not mind, but, they also have left vegemite finger marks all over the hall way wall.

So, Joan noticed this on her last visit, and has decided that next visit she will bring a bucket and brush and spray cleaner, and when her mother is getting lunch ready, Joan will clean up the wall a little for her mum.

She puts the gear in the car and off she goes.

As she arrives and she has a coffee with her mum....... Pat also arrives.

This is nothing unusual as it is a good opportunity for the 2 sister to also have a chat and a catch up. Besides their mother loves to have the two of them there too.

Pat comes in and after she's had her coffee, calls Joan aside and explains that....

"I noticed mum had some marks on the hall way wall, so......while you chat with mum, keep her busy, I will go and clean the wall for her so it won't look so bad"

Meanwhile......three ladies from aunt's church arrive, to also have a visit and coffee with my aunt.

They are let in by Pat, and see Joan sitting, talking to her aunt, while Pat is busy working her fingers to the bone.

They say nothing while visiting, but, as soon as they all leave and get back into their car, the conversation starts.

"Did you see poor Pat doing all that hard work while Joan is sitting there not doing anything, just chatting with her mum?"

Now tell me........isn't that how gossip starts?

Those ladies had no idea what plans Joan and Pat had...... before they arrived....

Aren't we blessed that GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART AND OUR INTENT?

Bless you

Yaddy

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sometimes it feels like God had left me.......

Don't you sometimes feel, God is not there?

In my life, I guess that’s where faith comes in. God hasn’t really left me/us, He just sometimes seems veiled to us.
I once read in an illustration, where a child out walking with his mother was continually stopping and getting distracted and running off., as children will often do....don't we all know that!

The mother briefly stepped out of view into a doorway. It took a few moments for the errant child to realize his mother was missing.
Suddenly....... the distractions stopped to attract him and his one passion was to find his mother’s face. Scary.....
The child learned his lesson and kept his hand in his mother’s for the rest of the way.

Could that be why God sometimes obscures himself for a time in our lives?

Maybe He also wants our single-minded attention and wants us to just look or and find Him!

A friend told me once, of putting her little girl to bed.
Until the light was put out, she was happily playing in the crib, oblivious to her mother, in the room.

But, when the light went out, the little one immediately stood up and gripped the edge of the crib, anxious to know that someone familiar was there. My friend then told me how sweet the baby’s arms were, tightly placed around her neck. The baby had needed security and found it in her mother. She didn’t have the need until the lights around her were out.

Sometimes the light in our lives goes out. Plans we have made, hopes and dreams we have had are totally rearranged by the Lord. Things seem murky and senseless. Those are the times, especially, when we need to reach out for the Lord and grasp tightly to Him. As His children, we are so easily distracted and so quickly removed from that kind of love and security in His presence.

Bless you...

Yaddy


Thursday, May 21, 2009

The 95 year old lady!

"One of the sweetest ladies I have ever known just died recently. She was 95 years old. I knew her all my life. She never said a harsh word to anyone. Love for others oozed out of every pore. She was always so helpful and kind and the most non-judgmental person I have ever known. However she was not a Christian, she was Buddhist. I just can't believe she ever did anything to deserve being cast into a place of eternal torment. If that's what Christians really believe then I don't want any part of it." Starstuff

I have no doubt that she was a sweet lady, and it's great that you think that she never said a harsh word to anyone. I'm sorry that you lost a dear friend. My dad died a few years ago, and I thought the world of him.

Still, I have to be honest with you and ask how you knew that in her 95 years she never said a harsh word to a soul. Perhaps you are being charitable yourself and kindly giving your friend the benefit of the doubt. But let's say that she was almost morally perfect, except for three slips a day. Just three times each 24 hours did she perhaps think a lustful thought, or fail to love God with her heart, mind, soul, and strength, or she didn't love her neighbor (everyone) as much as she loved herself (which is the essence of the requirement of God's Law). Maybe she became angry without cause, was greedy, unthankful to God, or selfish. But she only slipped three times each day. So she sins against God a thousand times a year. If we take a count from the age of ten, that's 85,000 sins (crimes against His Law) that God has seen and must punish because of His perfect holiness.

Most of us would sin ten times as much as that, with our lustful, selfish, self-righteous, unthankful, and greedy thoughts, as well as our lying, stealing, blasphemy and our failing to do that we know we should. That's why the Bible says that each of us have a "multitude" of sins (see
James 5:20).

So, if your elderly friend was as perfect as you say she was, she doesn't need a Savior. She will be fine on Judgment Day. However, if she was like the rest of us, and she actually became pious in the old age because she was driven by a guilty conscience, she desperately needed God's forgiveness. And she could have found that in the person of Jesus Christ, not in atheistic Buddhism.

A simple answer to a simple question

"I would like a simple answer to a simple question. Do you believe that people who die without believing in Jesus Christ as their savior will be saved and go to Heaven?"

God promised that He would liberate the human race from death, and that He would do this through the suffering death of the Jewish Messiah (see Isaiah 53). The result would be peace with God for all who would humble themselves, repent and trust the God-given Savior (see
Isaiah 55:1-3). Peace with God would mean everlasting life for humanity.

The Old Testament said that the result of conversion would be a new heart with new desires--desires that wanted to please the God, with Whom we were once at enmity (a "heart of stone" towards Him):

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (
Ezekiel 36:25-27).

The salvation of God (eternal life) would be offered to all men: to the Jew first, then to the Greek, the Indian, as well as Chinese, Russian, Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Kiwis, Aussies and even to atheists--those who are red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight. Anyone can be saved from death and Hell (see
Romans 10:13).

There is only one stipulation. They must come to the God-provided Savior, not through a man-made religion which cannot wash away sin. Jesus Christ is the only One who can forgive sin and give peace with God because He was God manifest in human form. There is a big reason for this exclusivity.

All man-made religions are "works righteous" religions. They think that they can get to Heaven by being good, praying, fasting, doing good works, through repentance, etc. (see
Romans 10:2-3). This is because they don't understand one very important truth. God is utterly perfect. His Law therefore demands moral perfection. It says that lust is adultery in His eyes and hatred is murder. His moral Law (the Ten Commandments) shows us that He is a Judge and we are desperate criminals in His sight. That changes everything. Now, anything we offer the Judge isn't "good works," but a despicable attempt to bribe Him, and that is an abomination in His sight (see Proverbs 21:27). The only thing that can save us is the mercy of the Judge.

Fortunately, we are told that God is "rich" in mercy. In His kindness He provided a Savior--someone to pay our fine in His life's blood. That happened at the cross.

This is what that Savior said about Himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father but through me" (
John 14:6). Old and New Testament Scripture is consistent: "They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them" (Jeremiah 32:38), "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Tragically, whoever dies in their sins will get fearful justice. Whoever dies in Christ will have mercy and thus have everlasting life. It's very simple. See
Romans 2:6-9.

So let's not complain about God being unfair because people perish if they die in their sins. Instead, we should become missionaries and spend our lives telling this God-hating world the good news of eternal salvation for all humanity. I did. by: Ray Comfort

Friday, May 15, 2009

THIS IS SO TRUE!

I read of a man, who stood at a funeral, to speak of a friend.
He referred on the dates on the tombstone...from the beginning, to the end.

He noted that....first came the date of birth....then a "dash" then the date of death, of which he spoke.....with tears in his eyes.

But, he said....what mattered most...was the "dash" in between the two dates.

1934 - 2009

For that 'dash' represented all the years that were spent alive...on earth.
And now, only those who loved her, know what that little "dash" is worth!

It does not matter how much we have owned,
the car...
the home....
the cash....

What matters is "how we live and love and "how" we spend our "dash"

If we treat each other with respect...
and wear a smile a bit more often....

remembering that this special "dash" might only last a little while.

If we can truly slow down enough to consider what is real and always try to understand....

the way other people feel.....
and be less quick to anger....
and show appreciation more.....
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before....

so then...when your eulogy is being read..with your life's action to rehash....
Would you be proud of the things they say, as to "how" you spent your "dash"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two university professors wrote a book together called " RARE EARTH"

Both of them said, and I quote....

"Humans are lucky in that, planet earth has just the right conditions for live to have evolved
in what is a protective atmosphere and magnatosphere...etc."

Then they go on the show that, "even our location in the Milky way" has been pretty fortunate
in protecting us from SUPER NOVA

( hmmmm....lucky aren't we??????)

God Bless...

Yaddy

Friday, May 8, 2009

WHY......GO TO CHURCH?

A church go-er wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper and in this he complained that
"it made no sense" to go to church every Sunday.

"I've gone to church every Sunday for the past 30 years...." He wrote, "And in that time, I must have heard 3000 good sermons, but for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them!"
"So, I think I'm wasting MY time, and the pastors are wasting theirs as well!"

This started a real controversy in the "letters" column, much to the delight of the editor.
It went on for weeks...until some one wrote this clincher!!!!!


"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife has cooked some 32000 meals, but,
for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.
But I do know this.....they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.
If I hadn't eaten those meals, I would be physically dead today!
Likewise...... if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead by today!"

And this too.....

Several years ago, a preacher moved from Melbourne to Sydney.
Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the inner city.

When he got to his seat, he found the driver had accidentally given him 20 cents too much in his change.
As he thought about "what to do" he decided he'd better give it back.... it would be wrong to keep it!
Then he thought....." Oh, forget it....it's only 20 cents.....the bus company already gets too much fare....they'll never miss it.... accept it as a gift from God, and keep it quiet..."

When the bus pulled up at his stop, he got up to get off the bus, he paused momentarily at the door, then handed the 20 cents back to the driver and said...."You gave me too much change..."

The driver replied with a smile..."Aren't you the new preacher in town?
I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere.....I just wanted to see what you would do....if I gave you too much change...."

When the preacher stepped off the bus....he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on to it tightly and sobbed...." Oh God....I almost sold your Son for 20 cents!!!"

Bless you....

Yaddy

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Basket!

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm way back in the out back of Western Australia.

His young grand son lived there with him.
Each morning grand pop would sit at the table and read from his old worn out Bible.
The young boy watched, as he wanted to be just like his grand pop!

One day the young boy said, "Grand pop, I try to read the Bible every day, just like you do, but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I can't remember! what's the good of me reading it, when I can't even remember what I read?"

His grandfather quietly turned from putting coal on the stove, and said," Would you take this coal basket....and take it to the creek and bring it back to me filled with water?"

The boy did as he was told, and although it was sprouting water everywhere, and all the water had leaked out before he got it back, he brought it back...

His poppie laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster, next time..." and sent him back to the creek for more water. This time the boy did run faster, but, again, the basket was empty before he got back to the house.

Out of breath, he told his grand pop that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket..."
and he went to get a bucket instead.
But his poppie said, "I don't want a bucket full, I want a basket full, you can do this....you're just not trying hard enough..."

He stood in the door way to watch the boy try yet again....

Even though the boy now knew he would never be able to bring his poppie a basket full of water, he tried again, but he knew the basket would be empty before he got back.
He got to the creek, scooped the basket full and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but when he reached his grand father, the basket was again empty! Out of breath he said, "See poppie....
it's useless..."
"So....you think it's useless?" asked his grand father.
Look at the basket!!!

The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time, he noticed something different....instead of a dirty old basket...it was clean!

"Son, that is what happens, when you read the Bible....you might not understand everything, nor remember it all, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out!"

And....that is how GOD works in our lives. He changes us from the inside out, and to slowly transform us into the image of His Son.

TAKE TIME TO READ A PORTION EACH DAY, FROM GOD'S WORD...AND THEN TRY AND SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND....

God Bless you

Yaddy