Monday, May 19, 2008
Love can do miracles - please never abandon your loved ones.
In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan tearsopen the wall.Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls.
When tearing down the walls, he found that there was alizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity, & at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built.
What happened?
The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible & mind boggling.
Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years without movinga single step--since its foot was nailed!
So he stopped his work & observed the lizard, what ithas been doing,& what & how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where itcame, appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.
Ahh! He was stunned & touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past10 years...
Such love, such a beautiful love! Such love happenedeven with thistiny creature ... What can love do? It can do wonders!Love can domiracles! Imagine? it has been doing that untiringlyfor 10 longyears, without giving up hope on its partner.
Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.
I was touched when I read this story & started wondering about relationships between family members, friends, lovers,brothers,sisters.
As information & communication technology advances,our access to information becomes faster & faster. But the distance between humanbeings . . . is it getting closer as well?I ask you...please never abandon your loved ones.
"When you look for the GOOD in others, you discoverthe BEST in yourself..."
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
.......PATIENCE in PRAYER........
When the idea is not right, God says, "NO".
No - when the idea is not the best.
No - when the idea is absolutely wrong.
No - when though it may help you,It would create problems for someone else.
When the time is not right, God says, "SLOW".
What a catastrophe it would be if God answeredevery prayer at the snap of your fingers.
Do you know what would happen?God would become your servant, not your master.
Suddenly God would be working for youinstead of you working for God.
When you are not right, God says,"GROW".
The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.
The cautious person must grow in courage.
The timid person must grow in confidence,
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.
The critical person must grow in tolerance.The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure-seeking person must grow incompassion for suffering people.
When everything is all right, God says,"GO".
Then miracles happen:
A hopeless alcoholic is set free.
A drug addict finds release.
A doubter becomes a child in his belief.
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.
The door to your dream suddenly swings openand there stands God saying, "GO!".
Remember:God's delays are not God's denials.God's timing is perfect.Patience is what we need in prayer.
No - when the idea is not the best.
No - when the idea is absolutely wrong.
No - when though it may help you,It would create problems for someone else.
When the time is not right, God says, "SLOW".
What a catastrophe it would be if God answeredevery prayer at the snap of your fingers.
Do you know what would happen?God would become your servant, not your master.
Suddenly God would be working for youinstead of you working for God.
When you are not right, God says,"GROW".
The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.
The cautious person must grow in courage.
The timid person must grow in confidence,
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.
The critical person must grow in tolerance.The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure-seeking person must grow incompassion for suffering people.
When everything is all right, God says,"GO".
Then miracles happen:
A hopeless alcoholic is set free.
A drug addict finds release.
A doubter becomes a child in his belief.
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.
The door to your dream suddenly swings openand there stands God saying, "GO!".
Remember:God's delays are not God's denials.God's timing is perfect.Patience is what we need in prayer.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa...
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. "All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm." The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me... I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "Send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while you are about it, would you please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know you really love her?"As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.. could it really be?.. grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon." Let's continue praying for one another: Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now. I am asking you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask you to give them understanding, guidance, and strength as they learn submission to your leading. Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask you to renew them by revealing your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with you. Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage. Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life... Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask you to do these things in Jesus' name.
"Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet."
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. "All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm." The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me... I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "Send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while you are about it, would you please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know you really love her?"As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.. could it really be?.. grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon." Let's continue praying for one another: Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now. I am asking you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask you to give them understanding, guidance, and strength as they learn submission to your leading. Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask you to renew them by revealing your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with you. Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage. Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life... Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask you to do these things in Jesus' name.
"Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet."
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Whatever your cross,
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