Tag Archives: success

The Engine of Peace

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I look at what Man has accomplished.  How he has established law, regulation, procedure, and expectations, to force love upon the people for one another.  What I see is that punishment is the motivator.  Look with truth and you will see it also.

If you do what is evil the law will come and take from you.  If you contribute according to the law of the land you will reap what they say is great benefit.

I see how they encourage one another to do good works.  But again, the motivator is gain or severe loss.

Every day, every man wakes knowing that if he does not do what is expected he will lose horribly.  This is not the gospel of Christ.  It is the so-called good news of Man.

This good news of Man is dependent on the resources available.  There’s only so much money in the world.  There’s only so much food.  Politics restrains the gain for all.  And the vast majority find themselves suffering loss as the sun goes down on each day.  Even the so-called winners are exhausted from their efforts.  And there’s no need to itemize the broken families the come from the so-called good news.

In this good news of Man greed must be honed to a fine edge.  Look at the advent of training and implements that has been made available to help.  In all these things, the motivation for adherence comes from outside the man.

You know what’s funny?  With all this trust toward the ability of Man to create peace, the world is no better off. 

What does God say?  “14 . . . if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  (2 chronicles 7)   This Promise of God does not present itself as a manipulation.  It’s the offer of free and complete help.

Take note of how God strips the strength of greed.  In its place he only requires humility.

This is no empty promise.  But who will take up the mantle and respond?

More Than Conquerors

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Nothing warrants a red letter mark on the calendar than when you defy your fear.  How many people can say they remember the very moment they embraced the challenge with a death grip?

How many heroes were cowards until they faced an opportune moment to step up?  They will tell you they simply found a place where they had no further choice.

You likely know where I’m going with this.

Bruises and Stammering

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When you were a baby learning how to walk, you fell down a lot.  Did they beat you because you fell down? 

Eventually you learned how to walk.

When you went to school to learn how to read, did they pluck out your eyes because you didn’t read well?

Eventually you learned how to read.

You have learned how to do a great many things that humans are supposed to do.  Unfortunately for all of us, we were taught by imperfect people.  Still we learn.

They didn’t always love us through our troubles.  But we pushed ahead anyway.  We found the reason to make it happen.

An awful lot of Christians just tend to give up.  It seems to me that they attributed man’s form of love to God.  The expectations are steep.  But God’s patience and love are much higher.

When did you stop trying?  When did you start looking for the encouraging words?  At what number of attempts did you finally decide you can’t make it?

Look back.  I doubt you can remember, but you bruised your butt a whole lot before you took five steps.  Why didn’t you give up?  You struggled with letters until you thought you’d go blind.  Why didn’t you give up?

Christianity is only a matter of “want to”.  You had it then.  Why don’t you have it now?

By His Grace

The Dent

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There’s a dent in my hand,

In the palm near the side. 

I did not know it was there. 
But to my surprise,

A glorious great joy

Has appeared!

An object was taken by prayer. 

It does not impede my usefulness. 

To the contrary,

Now I can work.

But I marvel at the dent,

As it is;

That mark that had gone unnoticed. 

It has distinct markings

Of a well worn rope. 

Well formed calluses tell the tale.

I would never have known

The dent was there,

But that He took from me

A great heavy care. 

How pleased now

Is my soul to see!

To take note that He

Has sprung me

LOOSE,

To serve him faithfully!

What would you have

My dear friend,

Oh so loving,

Dear friend?

Oh I’m willing! 

Employ me.

Restrained as I was,

The profit was half. 

But now when I lift my arms,

They extend to equal length. 

Now each

Embrace of Mercy is full.

Glory to God in the highest! 
All praise to his Holy Son!

He has set millions free for his service!

And now I perceive I am one!

By His Grace

Anomaly

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An anomaly is when your dog talks to you in words you can understand.

An anomaly is when you have a day that goes perfectly well.

An anomaly is a building constructed within specified time and under budget.

An anomaly is a spring day when every driver in the United States does the speed limit, and obeys every traffic law.

An anomaly is when the Sun takes a vacation.

The gospel of Christ Jesus is not an anomaly.  It has been set before the foundation of the world.  We, my friends, are the anomaly.

It is very curious that man should desire to straighten out the Gospel.  It is very telling, as to what is in man’s heart, when he calls the Gospel anything but true. 

It is not an anomaly when someone rejects the Gospel.  Among men, it is an anomaly when the Gospel is received and performed.

By His Grace

Midnight’s Holy Voyager

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I took a ride on the floating vessel.  Yet not my body but my mind.

The ticket to ride was not purchased by any thing I owned.  It was given to me by reason of things that are true.  To whom does the truth belong?

I did not board from a dock made by man’s hands.  But I was transported by holy understanding to the deck of a holy ship.

In the light of a holy night, I was bid to look out across the waves.  The movement of which was like three foot swells.

The color of the water was similar to a silt filled pond.  And from the water came a murmuring, like the sound of many men speaking.

A splashing could be heard to my left.  It was like the sound of a man swimming frantically.

An amazing sight gripped me as I looked to see.  Holy hands were working on a portion of the sea!

In a moment the water was formed into the top of a man’s head.  Little by little the torso appeared.

Then with a touch of a finger, the forming aqua man began to glow.  His appearance became like that of water flesh.

Again and again the splashing occurred around the ship.  At random places an aqua man would appear.

I turned to the one who had picked me to come.  I asked.  “What is happening here?”  He pointed to the starboard side saying, “Watch these two”. 

Side by side two heads were forming.  But when the torso had appeared, one continued to form while the other remained only half.

I saw that the one who finished forming was changing in appearance.  From the top of his head toward his feet the color of the Caribbean Sea replaced the color of man’s fleshly tone.  The stilt of the place from which he was formed was abating back down into the sea.

There was a current in his body which drove the stilt to his feet.  And I saw small frothing at his soles which pulled the stilt back to the sea. 

Soon he stood with a radiant face, praising God for pulling him from the sea.  And he began to walk about in full praise of God showing himself to all the waves.

In his walking he became distant from the ship.  But I distinctly watched him evaporate into a beautiful white cloud of brilliance.

I watched the white cloud rise in the moonlight.  Then with a flash of lightning, he let go his water and ascended with great glory.

My companion tapped me on the shoulder.  “Watch now what becomes of the other.”

I looked back to the sea.  There the other was.  He remained half formed.

On his face was evident tumultuous pain.  It was an unhappy countenance, so vastly different from the joy of the other.

There was a frothing at his base.  Within the space of but a little while,  the half formed aqua man was pulled back to the sea.  In a very short time he was no more.

I marveled at the stillness of the water where he had been.  The difference between the two was an obvious and painful knowledge.

My arms had been resting on the railing as I watched all these things.  In astonishment I laid my head in my hands.  My companion allowed me some time to think.

Then he gently put his arm around my shoulders.  ‘Do you understand what you have seen?”  He whispered in a loving tone.

There were tears forming in my eyes as understanding came to me.  “Yes my lord.”  I said.  “I think I do.”

The tears in my eyes were like those of a chameleon.  One eye was watered with joy.  The other was soaked with sorrow.  One eye was held on the place of great glory.  The other transfixed on demise. 

And shall I mention the eyes of my soul?  Those eyes that cannot lie.  With the compulsion of truth, my soul’s eyes saw my own failure.

Perceiving my turmoil, my companion urged me to look about.  And in various places I saw the great creation taking place.  Some would rise to glory, most would fade to oblivion.

I turned to my companion and asked him, “What makes the difference, my Lord?”  His reply was but three words.  Yet they spoke volumes to my soul.  “Agreement or greed”, was all he spoke.

The next moment I found myself in the special place of prayer.  That holy understanding, only a distant frothing of waves.  But the affect is a useful deluge.  As I consider my service to God.

By His Grace