Thursday, April 17

Emailed thought for the day....

One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job.

His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had, that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment, and frustration.

Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there. And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:'Lord- You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot, I don't know how. It is not fair Lord, I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray you teach me to do the one thing I cannot do: Teach me to forgive.'

As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.

He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.

'Have you ever told a lie?' He asked?

The man answered - 'Yes, Lord.'

'Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?'

The man answered - 'Yes. Lord.' And the man sobbed more and more.

'Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?' Jesus asked?

And the man answered, 'Yes, Lord.'

Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?'

The man, crying now, answered - 'Yes, Lord.'

As Jesus asked many more times, 'Have you ever'? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer - 'Yes, Lord'.

Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.

Jesus said, 'I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you.'

It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is.

Read the following first line slowly and let it sink in.

If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

Shout! Let it all out!

"Ezekiel 33:6 (BEB) But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not give a note on the horn, and the people have no word of the danger, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them; he will be taken away in his sin, but I will make the watchman responsible for his blood."
There is a story, recounted in the Worthy News Devotional for yesterday, about a man who tried to save the city of Sodom from destruction.

He shouted and screamed, trying to warn them of their coming judgment if they don't turn away from their sin, but the people ignored him. One day someone asked the man, "Why bother everyone? There's really nothing you can do to change them." "Well, maybe I there isn't," he said, "but I still shout and scream to prevent them from changing me!"

The point being made is simple, as the redeemed warriors of the Kingdom, we have (as our sacred duty) the obligation and honor of shouting loudly from every mountaintop and hillside, in the urban streets of our country and the high rises of our nation's industrial complex that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is coming to call us all into accounting for our choice. It isn't good works, it isn't good persons that will be saved, but only those who have claimed the blood.\

Why bother? Why try and proclaim that which no one seems to want to hear? Because if we sleep through the immorality of our nation, our world, we will know that sorrow on the day when we watch those who we didn't speak to fall into the fire. And know we should've spoke.

Too, there is a danger of being lured into false teachings, false prophets, and false hope. These are the days in which our voices can overcome the lure of the world's sinful ways.

The wickedness may be increasing, but so should our voices of triumph and warning.