REFLECTING THE IMAGE OF GOD

REFLECTING THE IMAGE OF GOD

This is an eye witness account of an inspirational encounter in New York City, on an extremely cold and snowy day in December.

A small boy about 10 years old was standing in front of a shoe store on Broadway.  He was barefooted and shivering in the intense cold as he stood there, peering longingly through that store window.  A concerned lady approached the young lad and inquired in a warm and friendly voice, “Son, why are you looking so earnestly in this window?”  “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the little boy’s sober reply.

The lady immediately took him by the hand, went inside the store, and asked the clerk to bring six pairs of socks for the boy.  She also asked if he could get a basin of water and a towel.  He replied, “Certainly,” and quickly brought the water basin as requested.  She took the little child to the rear of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, and washed his soiled feet, drying them afterwards with a towel.

By this time the clerk had returned with the socks.  Placing a soft pair on the boy’s now-warmed feet, she then purchased him a pair of shoes.  Tying up the remaining pairs of socks, she presented them to him with a smile.  She patted him on the head and said, “No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now.”

As she turned to walk away, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and with eyes sparkling with admiration and tears, he asked, “Are you GOD’S WIFE?”  This generous woman started to cry; she lovingly embraced the child as said “Goodbye, and thank you for blessing me.”

In your daily routine of life, have you ever had the opportunity to reach out and touch someone in need and somehow failed to do it?  Who knows?  Maybe someone will ask you the same question the needy little boy asked that blessed lady.  It might be your opportunity to demonstrate and display that Jesus Christ is alive and well, inside of you.

-Author Unknown

Sisters and brothers, whenever it is possible, let us strive to become the answers to the prayers of others.  Prayerfully consider The Word of The Lord:

I John 3:17 (King James Version)

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

I John 3:17 (New International Version)

¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

I John 3:16-17 (The Message Bible)

^16-17  This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us.  This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.  If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love?  It disappears.  And you made it disappear.

Amen?  AMEN!

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF ALL

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF ALL

Raising children is no easy task.  At various and sundry times, parenting has resulted in sheer frustration, frayed dispositions, utter exhaustion, and graying hair.  Nevertheless, it is the ultimate act of sacrificial love which, since time immemorial, has breathed unlimited joy and fulfillment into the lives of parental participants.  Unfortunately, there is no how-to-do-it book that accurately covers every practical aspect of parenting.  Child rearing is definitely an on-the-job training situation, definitely a learn-as-you-go-and-grow type of enterprise!  However, wise persons seek counsel from their predecessors.

Of course, there are those who look at it from the ‘outside’ and feel they have somehow mastered all the necessities and nuances of parenting.  But every experienced parent can croon in chorus to them: “Are you kidding me?”  Parenting takes continuous work and serious (lifetime) commitment.  The following tale of a young minister who thought he had it all figured out never fails to amuse me:

When this young minister was still single, he preached a sermon entitled, “Rules for Raising Children.” After he got married and had children of his own, he changed the title of the sermon to “Suggestions for Raising Children.” When his children got to be teenagers, he stopped preaching on that subject altogether.

The earliest childhood years seem to virtually fly by, at least in hindsight.  Yet, while we are engaged in raising our younger children, it does not always ‘feel’ that way.  Tiny tots can be surprisingly hyper, loud, mobile, demanding and self-absorbed.  We must constantly summon large measures of enthusiasm, energy and enlightenment to proficiently perform the job.  Central pillars of parental stewardship are as follows: shaping family and social values, molding intellect, motivating respect for lifelong learning, teaching social graces and (of course) inspiring a reverential and abiding love for The Creator.

Whatever you do…don’t you dare give up!

My children are all grown up now, but as a young parent, I enjoyed playing with them, engaging their minds, experiencing diverse cultural events and nurturing their spirits.  However, looking back, all of us older parents wish we had shared more time and given more attention to their developmental needs, especially during the critical formative years.  There’s a lesson somewhere in there for younger parents.

What do the scriptures say on this subject?  I believe they strongly suggest that family is the basic building block in the Kingdom of God, and that children are indispensable components in His divine plan.

Psalm 127:3

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

So how must we handle God’s “heritage?”  Just how serious is this business of raising our children?  Bottom-line: It is a matter of life or death.  What we do with our children today, i.e. the decisions we make, the guidance we provide, the precepts we model, the love we share…will strongly resonate throughout time and eternity.  Think about it.  Our choices, attitudes and actions will not only affect the lives of our children, but they will overwhelmingly impact the destiny of our grandchildren and their respective families.  If we are faithful and diligent, we have divine assurances that God will bless and endow our efforts.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Remember.  Eventually, our children will bless us.  It might not seem apparent today.  But sooner or later, our children become our friends, our companions, and even our caretakers.  So raise them right.  Treat them right.  Love them right.  Talk to them; listen to them; learn with (and from) them.  Great will be your reward in this life and in the world to come.  Never forget: It is entirely possible that you are now teaching them how to deal with you in your later years!

NO MATTER WHAT...YOU HAVE WORTH!

NO MATTER WHAT…YOU HAVE WORTH!

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.  In a room filled with 200 people, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”  All hands rapidly rose into the air.

Then he said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.”  He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.  He then asked, “Who still wants it?”  Still those hands were raised up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?”  And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.  He picked it up, then somewhat crumpled and dirty.  “Now who still wants it?”  The same hands rose high into the air.

“My friends,” he concluded, “you have all learned an extremely valuable lesson.  No matter what I did to this money, you still wanted it because it never decreased in value.  It was still worth $20.  Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make or the circumstances that come our way.  And at times we feel as though we are worthless.  But no matter what has happened to you, or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes.  To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless.  So don’t wallow in your mistakes, get up and make a change!”

Psalm 17:8 states that God will keep us, “as the apple of His eye.”  The worth of our lives comes not by what we do or who we are, but by WHOSE WE ARE!  Regardless of your past, IF you can stay connected to JESUS, you will always be very special.  So don’t ever forget it!  Sisters and brothers, please read and meditate on my favorite Psalm (below).  Be encouraged to continue, and know your faith is the victory! (I John 5:4)

Psalm 27

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³ Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

⁴ One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

⁶ And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

⁸ When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.

¹¹ Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

CHRIST, OUR REFINER

CHRIST, OUR REFINER

Have you ever wondered whether there is purpose in the pressure of your personal tests and trials?  Well, carefully consider this story: Some time ago, a group of women met in a certain city to study the scriptures, and to follow up with thought provoking discussion.  While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

One woman’s opinion was that this verse intended to convey the concept of the sanctifying power of Jesus Christ.  She proposed to visit a silversmith and to report to her classmates what he would have to say.  Accordingly she visited the silversmith, and without divulging the object of her errand she inquired about the process of refining silver, which he described in detail to her.

“Sir,” she asked, “do you sit here all the while during the process of refining?”

“Oh, yes, madam,” replied the silversmith with conviction.  “I must sit here vigilantly and keep my eyes steadily focused on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining is exceeded by even the slightest degree, the silver is surely injured.”

The woman at once saw the beauty and comfort of Prophet Malachi’s expression, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  While Christ finds it necessary to allow His children to experience the furnace, He does it for our ultimate good, and His eye is steadily intent on the gracious work of purifying us.  During that sanctifying process, His wisdom and love are fully engaged for the best possible results in the lives of His children.  Therefore, your trials do not come at random or without purpose, for in the words of Jesus Christ, “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Luke 12:7) 

As the inquiring woman departed that shop, the silversmith called her back and said he had something more that was extremely important mention.  He said, “The silversmith only knows that the process of purification is complete when he sees his own image clearly reflected in the silver.”  The woman smiled knowingly.

“What a beautiful illustration!” she thought.  When Christ sees His own image reflected and shining brightly in His people, the sanctifying work of The Holy Spirit will surely have been accomplished, by the grace and mercy of God.

The Apostle Paul confirms the sovereignty of God and the safety of the children who are in His hands as they pass through The Refiner’s fire.  “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)  May you experience the matchless grace and abundant peace of a life that fully trusts in Him.