NEVER UNDERESTIMATE WHAT YOU HAVE

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE WHAT YOU HAVE

Many years ago, a ragged and unkempt man shuffled into a little music shop in London, which was owned by the Betts family. Clutched under the man’s arm was a violin. “Will you buy this old violin from me?” the old man muttered. I’m starving and I need to buy something to eat.” Betts replied, “Well, I already have several violins, but I don’t want to see you go hungry. Will a guinea ($5.00 at the time) help you out?” “Oh, yes,” the man responded eagerly. “Thank you!” And taking the money, he disappeared into the night. Betts picked up the violin, took the bow and drew it across the strings. The violin gave forth a deep mellow tone. Surprised, Betts took a light, peered into the inside of the violin. and could scarcely believe what he saw. Carved into the wood were these words: “Antonio Stradivari, 1704.”  It was a priceless Stradivarius violin!  Betts ran out into the street to find the old man and pay him more for the violin. But he had gone.

My friend, our God has deposited something entirely unique and extremely valuable within your personality, or your character, or your life – something that is absolutely priceless.  Discover it, treasure it and use it for His glory and your blessing.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

HOW DO YOU DEFINE WINNING?

HOW DO YOU DEFINE WINNING?

At the age or 47, former North Carolina State basketball coach, Jim Valvano, was suffering from terminal spinal cancer.  In an interview with a news reporter, he looked back over his life and shared a very transparent story about himself as a 23-year-old coach of a small college team.

“Why is winning so important to you?” one of his players unexpectantly asked.

“Because the final score defines you,” Valvano responded confidently.  “You lose, ergo, you’re a loser.  You win, ergo, you’re a winner!”

“No,” the young athlete insisted somewhat sheepishly.  “Participation matters.  Trying your best whether you win or lose – that’s what defines you."

It took Jim Valvano 24 more years of living.  It took him getting out of bed 3 or 4 times a night with his soaked pajamas and his teeth rattling from the fever chill of chemotherapy.   It took the terror of seeing himself die repeatedly in nightmarish dreams.  It took all of that for him to come to this conclusion: “That kid was right.  It’s about effort, not always about results.  It’s about trying.  Dear God, what a great human being I could have been if I had this awareness way back then.” 

My friend, are you a winner – in the ways that really matter?

A winner goes through a problem; a loser goes around it, and never gets past it.  A winner makes commitments; a loser makes promises.  A winner says, I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be; a loser says, I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.  Winners have a habit of listening; losers just wait until it’s their turn to talk.

Invest the necessary time, talent, treasure, effort, enthusiasm, commitment, character and love to actually be a winner.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

NO HARM IN WAITING

NO HARM IN WAITING

G. Campbell Morgan presents helpful insights for the occasional times in life that we must simply wait on the Lord.  He writes, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort.  Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; and third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

David admonishes, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.  Wait, I say, on the Lord!”  (Psalm 27:14, NKJV) And Isaiah promises, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.  They shall mount up with wings like eagles.  They shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and not faith.” (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)

Wait on the Lord…

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

JESUS CHRIST, OUR MATCHLESS AND MARVELOUS SAVIOR

JESUS CHRIST, OUR MATCHLESS AND MARVELOUS SAVIOR

Gregory of Nazianzus, penned these inspirational words about Jesus Christ in 381, A.D.

Jesus began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.

Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.

Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.

Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.

Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.

Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.

Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

Amen!  Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THE ORIGIN OF "ROCK OF AGES"

THE ORIGIN OF “ROCK OF AGES”

Charles Wesley wrote several hymns to promote his brother John’s doctrine of sanctification. The second verse of his “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” asks God to “take away our bent to sinning.” This view was too much for the Calvinist, Augustus Toplady. In a magazine of which he was editor, Toplady wrote an article detailing a picture of man’s potential for sinning. Somehow, he arrived at the mathematical conclusion that a man of eighty is guilty of many millions of sins, a debt he could never hope to pay but for which he need not despair because of the sufficiency of Christ. He closed the article with an original poem, entitled “A Living and Dying Prayer for the Holiest Believer in the World.” This poem became one of the most beloved Christian hymns of all time.  We know it by the title, “Rock of Ages.”

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure;

Save from wrath and make me pure.

Amen, Brother Toplady, Amen!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

HOPE

HOPE

A self-made millionaire by the name of Eugene Land virtually transformed the lives of 59 sixth-grade minority students in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to them and was totally at a loss, wondering what to say this group of students that most people expected would eventually drop out of school. What could he possibly say to inspire these struggling students? Scrapping his notes, Land decided to speak from his heart.

“Stay in school,” he admonished them cheerfully, “and I’ll pay the college tuition for every one of you!” In that moment of unexpected hope, their lives were miraculously changed. For the first time, they had real prospects for the future. One student later shared, “I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling!” Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school and quite a few commenced and completed college.

Hope is an awesome and contagious experience, a lifting and life-changing reality.  It is the tangible stepping-stone to a bright tomorrow.  So share hope…wherever, whenever and however you can.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

SELF-CONTROL = TONGUE CONTROL

SELF-CONTROL = TONGUE CONTROL

The sage, Solomon, penned the following wise saying about our tendency to occasionally over-use our tongues: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23)  It’s true.  It’s true!  To be transparent, most of my ripples in life’s waters are traceable to my tongue.  And I’m confident that I have one or two tongue-kinfolk out there somewhere!?!

Indeed, Jesus declares that whatever emerges from the mouth is a direct reflection of the heart. (Luke 6:45)  Publius, a Greek philosopher, put it this way: “I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.”  Hmmm…think about it.

I read a short paragraph today with a tongue-in-cheek reference (pun intended) regarding our talking:

On a windswept hill in a country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone.  The quaint stone bears an epitaph not easily seen unless you stoop over and look closely. The faint etchings read:

Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young,

Who on the twenty-fourth of May began to hold her tongue.

Of course, I never intend to throw any stones at the ladies because we men do more than our fair share of tongue-wagging as well!  Relax, my friends, and have an enjoyable, peaceable, tongue-controlled day. 😊

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!