TODAY'S PROMISE

 

"He Personally carried our sins

in his body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin

and live for what is right.

By his wounds you are healed."

(1Peter 2:24 NLT)

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

One time when I was an auto mechanic they put

a young man in as a mechanic in the stall besides 

me.  He had gone to the Ford training school in 

the neighboring state.

He had to ask me which way to turn a bolt.

Had he ever had as much as a wrench in his hand?

Was all that he had a bunch of theory?

What was missing?

I see a lot of "Church folks" that same way.

They can tell you what the Preacher said.

They can quote you a memory verse.

They can even state some theological position.

But their life is no different than anyone else's.

We have to get the Bible out of our head and

down into our heart, life and actions or it will

no do us any good.

"Not everyone who calls out to me,

Lord! Lord! will enter the Kingdom

of Heaven.  Only those who actually

do the will of my Father in heaven

will enter.  On judgment day many

will say to me,  'Lord! Lord!  We

prophesied in your name and per-

formed many miracles in your

name.'  But I will reply, 'I never

knew you. Get away from me, you

who break God's laws."  

(Matthew 7:21 - 23 NLT)

 

TODAY'S QUOTE

“The grand edifices of today with their

lofty spires speak of the world and the

flesh rather than of the Spirit, and in 

many ways they are not nearly as well

suited to the purpose of Christian 

assembly as the private homes of God’s

people.”

- Watchman Nee in

The Normal Christian Church Life.

 

 

LASTING FAME

 

I just wanted to share an experience with a 

local politician that I thought was just so 

much like life.

This politician was outstanding in this area.

In the city that he lives in a park was named 

after him.  And on the state level because he

had something or other to do with highways

a tunnel on a major highway was named after

him.

No, we were not buddy buddies.  I worked 

in an automobile dealership and even politicians

cars require maintenance.  So over the years as

he came in I got acquainted with him.  This

was back in the day before I took such a dim view

of politicians.  Even his wife seemed to be a very

nice person.  My impression of her was a devout

Christian.  Of course, politicians are everyones

friend.  But, still we were acquainted.

Back in those days when this man came into the

dealership he of course went into the lobby where

"people" were.  He of course was well recognized

so people tended to gather around him.  I guess

this put him in politicians heaven.

Over the years our dealership sold out about

four times and changed locations at least three

times.  So for a period of time I lost track of

"my friend".  But I so well remember the last

time I met him.

I had changed positions with the dealership 

and was working with one of the offices.  I

happened to spot this politician friend up in 

the lobby with all the people.  But he was not

talking to anyone.  He was wondering around

like a lost puppy looking for someone to notice

him.

I watched this for a while and really begin

to feel sorry for this politician.  So I quit

what I was doing and went over to visit with

this man.

In just a few short years this man's fame 

dropped to the point that no one even knew

who he was anymore.

Isn't that just like life?

"Believers who are poor have

something to boast about, for God

has honored them.  And those who 

are rich should boast that God has

humbled them.  They will fade away

like a little flower in the field.  The

hot sun rises and the grass withers;

the little flower droops and falls,

and its beauty fades away.  In the 

same way, the rich will fade away

with all of their achievements."

(James 1:9 - 11 NLT)

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Yet it was our weakness he carried;

it was our sorrows that weighted him down.

And we thought his troubles were

a punishment from God,

a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion,

crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed."

(Isaiah 53:4,5 NLT)

 

HAVING FUN BUILDING ENDURANCE.

 

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you

encounter various trials.  Knowing that the

testing of your faith produces endurance.

And let endurance have its perfect result,

so that you may be perfect and complete

lacking in nothing."

(James 1:2 - 4 NASB)

I am trying to consider it "all joy", you know "FUN".

But it might be that my wife's car misses her after

she passed away,  Or even the possibility that the 

poor old car is tired and wants to retire.

In all fairness to the car it has served us very well.

We got it as a high milage car from one of the kids

probably ten years ago.  And now it is even higher

milage, 255,935 miles to be exact.

But, here is my story about it.

Just before my wife passed away it begin to develop

a miss on start up after sitting all night.  This usually

cleared up before getting out of the drive way.

But the computer gave no clues whatever.

After this miss got serious enough the computer 

showed it to be a miss on number four cylinder.

I wasted some time and money trying to cure it 

all to no avail.  But finally it got bad enough to

find out it was a blown head gasket.

Oh!  Joy number one.

So after putting a head gasket in at my leisure it 

ran fine.  I could of only been happier if my wife

had been here with me.

But, after about two weeks and a couple of short

trips into another county, still just a happy as could

be, a red dash light come on and the temperature gauge

dropped to nothing.  But it still was running fine

so I stopped to do some shopping

Joy number two.

It would not restart until I reset the computer.

But it would start and run fine until shutting it

off.  Then you had to reset the computer to get 

it started again.

The computer gave a code for a bad temperature 

sender unit.  But, that did not help.  Of course by 

now this old man is praying a lot.

After getting ahold of the manufactures wiring 

diagram book I found that Ford runs the temperature

sending units signal through the throttle position 

sensor.  Why, who knows.  But a new throttle

position sensor fixed it.  Praise God.  Back to 

running good and several more trips out of the county

for about two weeks.  Yes, oh! JOY.

Joy number three.

Again after about two weeks of running around 

just as happy as if I were smart  I stopped to get 

the mail at the mail box.  When I got out of the 

car I could hear a "clatter" in the front of the engine.

Joy, joy, joy.

After a few failed attempts to stop the noise in

the drive train I finally pulled the front off the 

engine.  Praise God.  There was the "noise"

just laying there in the front of the engine.  It

was a broken jack shaft chain tensioner.  And the

pieces were not scattered through the engine.

That's the image below.

And it was hiding there between the green dot which is 

anti-freeze and the chain.

Pray for this old man not to spend the rest of my life

just having fun.  I need to get some work done.

And now, a few weeks later the car is running fine.

It ran for a couple of weeks with no codes and seemed

to be fixed.

But, then it started giving the "check engine" light again.

Running very good, just some emission codes.  Oh, the 

joy of an old man owning an old car.

But as a friend of years ago used to say;

"PRAISE GOD ANYWAY!"

TODAY'S QUOTE

“We’re so busy with our own

plans, agendas, activities and

pleasures that we’ve lost sight

of the one and only purpose for

which Christ redeemed us.”

- K.P. Yohannan in

The Road To Reality