Christ Is Born

http://www.twoagespilgrims.com/doctrine/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-numbers-14/

Paid in Full

This is a true story of a boy named Howard Kelly. He was born unprivileged hence, he sells goods from one house to another just to earn a living and pay his education. One day he felt so hungry and decided to ask for something to eat at the next house he is set to visit. However, he lost his guts to ask for a meal when a beautiful young woman opened the door for him.

Instead of asking for a meal, he just asked for one glass of water. But the young lady noticed that he looked hungry. So instead of water she brought him one large glass of milk. He slowly drank the milk and asked “How much do I need to pay”? The lady replied, “You don’t have to pay me anything as mother taught us to never take any pay for kindness”.

He thanked her with all his heart and walked away. However, that little act of kindness made a mark on his heart and made him feel stronger and better. He was ready to give up in his life before that happened but because someone had showed him kindness in a very unexpected event, he regained his trust in God and man. Then he grew up and became a successful doctor.
Years had pass and the young woman became seriously ill. The local doctors were kind of baffled of her case so they sent her to the hospital in the big city. A specialist is needed to study her rare illness so they consulted Dr. Howard Kelly. He is a renowned Gynecologist who founded the Gynecologic Oncology division at Johns Hopkins University.

When Dr. Kelly heard the name of the town where the patient came from, an inexplicable light filled his eyes. He immediately went to see the patient and recognized her at one glance. Determined to save her, he went back to the consultation room and did his best to save the life of a woman who once made a difference in his life. After a long battle, he finally won.

Dr. Kelly requested the hospital accounts to forward the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and without any hesitation wrote something on the bill and had it sent to the woman’s room. The woman got the bill and was afraid to open it for she was so sure that the cost is high and would probably take all her life to pay for it. But when she finally opened it, something caught her eye. At the corner of the bill were words she hardly believe her eyes. It is written: “Paid in full with one glass of milk”.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, GOD, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God. —Romans 8:28

The first words that many people like to quote when misfortune hits are: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). But that’s hard to believe in hard times. I once sat with a man who had lost his third son in a row, and I listened as he lamented, “How can this tragedy work for my good?” I had no answer but to sit silently and mourn with him. Several months later, he was thankful as he said, “My sorrow is drawing me closer to God.”
Tough as Romans 8:28 may be to understand, countless testimonies give credence to the truth of it. The story of hymn writer F***y Crosby is a classic example. The world is the beneficiary of her memorable hymns, yet what worked together for good was born out of her personal tragedy, for she became blind at the age of 5. At only age 8, she began to write poetry and hymns. Writing over 8,000 sacred songs and hymns, she blessed the world with such popular songs as “Blessed Assurance,” “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” and “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior.” God used her difficulty to bring good for her and us and glory for Him.

When tragedy befalls us, it’s hard to understand how anything good can come from it, and we won’t always see it in this life. But God has good purposes and always remains with us. —Lawrence Darmani

What trial in your life have you found to be for your good? What good things have come from it? What are you now suffering that you pray will bring something good?
God always has good purposes for our trials.

Source: www[dot]rbc[dot]org

12 Self-Reflective Questions To Know Whether or Not You Have Caused Others To Sin or Stumble.

“We don’t cause people to sin or stumble, people choose to sin or stumble all on their own.” Ever heard that, or something like it? Is there any truth in that? Before answering, consider these:

We can be an agent of temptation. – “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” (Luke 17:1) Can you recall a situation in which you might have tempted someone to sin recently?

We can cause sin. – “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6) Can you clearly remember the last time you caused someone to sin? If not, is that a history that’s doomed to repeat itself?

We can decide to be a hindrance and a ‘stumbling block.’ – “but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” (Romans 14:13) It does seem from this text that believers have the ability to decide not to do that which might harm another. Have you purposefully made decisions to be a hindrance or stumbling block to another?

We can excessively defend our rights in such a way that weakens others. – “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” (1 Corinthians 8:13) And, “But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9) This would include defending our freedom in Christ by doing what is perfectly fine for us in front of those who do not yet have that freedom. Have you declared your rights or acted in such a way to be the demise of another?

We can manhandle scripture. – “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) This gets tricky. It is far too easy to get the approval of others for your actions when your peer group has all chosen to interpret or handle scripture in a way that’s most convenient for them. Have you misconceived scripture in such a way that enforces or invites another to sin?

We can be unhelpful. – “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) Have you been unhelpful to another in need and be a catalyst in their sin?

We can dress inappropriately. – “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness with good works. Before anyone has a brain rupture here, that’s guys and gals, and not, in my opinion to be taken absolutely literally. But there is a principle here. There are two questions to be considered here; first, “Am I adorning myself in such a way that will tempt others or cause them to sin?’ and second, “Am I doing it on purpose?” Feel free to unload on me in the comment section on this one.

We can be offensive. – “Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:32) Notice that this short verse includes everyone. We can be offensive to believers and unbelievers. Do you tend to be offensive to others?

We can be boastful. – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Has your boastfulness boastfulness deconstructed another or cause them to sin or stumble?

We can be doubtful. – “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23) You know when you’re doubtful about a particular action. Others know hen you’re doubtful too. They sense it. But, operating from doubt or ‘letting the chips fall where they may in our actions can wreak havoc in the lives of others. Has something you’ve been doubtful about pushed another towards sin?

We can love falsely. – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; …” (1 Corinthians 13) Have you faked love, and has this fake love caused another to sin or stumble?

We can be oblivious to the struggles of others. – “Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20) Now, this doesn’t justify heresy hunters or sin skinners, but neither does it permit us, as we go about the course of our daily lives, to ignore the works of service (Ephesians 2:10) that God places before us. Has your being oblivious or aloof caused another to sin or stumble?

This is not intended to be a hit list or a judgmental tirade. This should not be used to bolster your Pharisaism. This is a sifter of self-reflection. When ever I have read the warnings Jesus gave in Luke 17, Matthew 18, and Mark 9, to those who would cause others to sin or stumble, I probably thought “Wow! I’m glad I’m not one of those guys.” but in a bit of my own self-reflection today, I can clearly see that I have. I am thankful I can go to the one who can unburden me. How about you?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Source: www[dot]pathwaysinternational[dot]org

Why should we empty ourselves?

Philippians 2:5-8 "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."

Sometimes, what the Word of God says, and what the World says are exact opposites. When each tell you to do something different, which one do you listen to? And that brings us to the problem, there are a lot of people who listen to both, and so they’ve done the right thing. So let’s take this apart, and look more closely. When the Bible says hear, or listen to, even though it doesn’t always say it, it is implied, that when God says something you do it, and there is no question about doing it, ..... Why? Because God is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and to not do what the Lord commands [any Lord], is to be subject to punishment or death.

Let me put that another way, if you listen to God and the world, in effect you have two masters, and the Bible makes it clear that you can’t do that. Let me put it another way, if you listen to God and the world, the one you do, or follow is the one you have chosen as your master, and lord. Its that simple. In the Bible, when God says, Listen, what it is also saying at the same time is, Obey.

God and the world have different ideas of how things should be. The world says, God helps those who help themselves. The world says, if you don’t look out for yourself, who will? The world says, if you don’t toot your own horn, no one else will. While the Word of God says, be like Christ, empty yourself, humble yourself. That’s usually as far as we get, because while we may follow God and not lie, or steal, or murder.... to empty yourself seems like to large a price.

Why should we empty ourselves? Think about the mail, what would happen if year after year you kept all the junkmail that ever came, how long would it take before you filled up the house? Imagine if you kept everything, .... Soon, there would come a time when there as no more room, not even for good things.

Why do we empty ourselves? We empty ourselves, so that God can fill us with good things. God’s grace is so big, that most people just don’t have room in their lives to receive a fraction of what God offers to each person on a daily basis. So you can fill up your life with junk or let God fill up your life with good things that are useful now, and that will last forever.

And so it was that Jesus set off towards Jerusalem, along the way he told the disciples that it would not be long until he was handed over to die, but still he went to Jerusalem. The end was near, but Jesus didn’t toot his own horn, Jesus didn’t glorify himself. But something did happen, the word of God had worked on the hearts of people, they knew who Jesus was, they knew he was the promised Messiah. The knew he was their savior, even if they didn’t know the price he would pay to purchase for them their salvation, and ours. And so the people turned out to greet Jesus, and to praise God that the promised Messiah was now hear. And so it was that Jesus entered Jerusalem in a triumphal procession, and this is what we remember about Palm Sunday. There was not red carpet to roll out, but they prepared the way before him, covering the dusty road with palm branches and their clothes so that me might pass. Jesus emptied himself, Jesus humbled himself, not arriving on a mighty war horse, but humble, on a donkey. Jesus humbled himself, and God lifted him up. Jesus humbled himself unto death, and God lifted up the cross that it might be a sign of hope and promise. Jesus humbled himself, and God provided.

And that’s where it comes back to us. Will we empty the junk out of our life, so that God can fill us with good things? Will we come down off our hi-horse so that God can lift us up in a way that lasts forever? If it looks like you are in a rut, if it seems like you’re going and going and getting no where, couldn’t be that the horse you have chosen is a rocking horse, a rocking horse is pretty good about going and going and getting no where, a rocking horse is pretty good at crating a rut, and digging itself ever deeper. It doesn’t need to remain this way, change is possible, not because we can do it for ourselves, but God comes to us and calls us, enlightens us, creates faith in our hearts, makes us a new creation, forgives our sins, sanctifies us, and keeps us in this faith, for Jesus sake, unto life everlasting.

[http://www.richardajordan.com/Sermons/960331.htm]