₦airaland Forum

by Cindy Lu

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s mind such as: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.”

Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. “Why kill myself over this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough.”

And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

To this the Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.

“I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but it is still God who moves the mountains.

Meditation: So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. – 1 Samuel 15:22

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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podosci:
Nice write from the beginning....You spoilt it by bringing God into the issue,,,,,,,,,i tot u were even relating chasing tails and practicing religion

Saliu, what do you have against God? Why do you find His mention in the piece objectionabe?

- B. Killebrew

I had a little puppy dog
That loved to chase his tail.
He was especially quick,
And he chased it very well.

Although he never caught that tail
He kept it on the run
And got a lot of exercise
From dawn ‘til setting sun.

But there was nothing he could chew on
When he finally took his rest,
Although no one could ever say
He didn’t try his best.

That’s a lot like chasing dreams
You can’t hope to attain—
You can chase them all your life,
But your chase will be in vain;

But if you aim at things in front
That you can clearly see,
You’ll find that they are stepping stones
Toward where you want to be.

Meditation: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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Aunt Martha

My niece, Darcy, is an incredibly sweet child, always eager to please. She is three years old and she absolutely adores her slightly older cousin.

Recently the two were playing together and had gone into a bedroom together. Suddenly, Darcy came down the hall in a state of indignation, saying, “Jo-Jo slapped my face.” She had a slightly reddened place on her very pale cheek.

Jo-Jo followed her saying, “I didn’t do anything. Darcy banged me with her head and I know she did it on purpose.”

Now I love both little girls, but I knew Darcy did not do it on purpose. Bouncing around in her excitement, she had banged her head into Jo-Jo’s nose. The sudden pain made Jo-Jo fly off the handle and I knew she had slapped her without thinking.

We had a little talk about it and she finally allowed that she had put up her hand and it had hit Darcy’s cheek. I asked her to apologize to Darcy because her hand had hit her cheek. She refused, saying, “No. I didn’t do anything.”

Whereupon Darcy said, “Jo-Jo, I’m sorry my cheek hit your hand.” Now that is forgiveness. I’ve never seen anybody forgive any better.

Meditation: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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Princesschi:
Please can i share this outside nairaland?

Please do. As long as you credit the author. Cheers.

[We had earlier featured a version of this poem which we later learnt is adulterated. After a couple of correspondences with the real author, please read the original version of the poem below and be blessed by it:]

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting, "I’ve been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost sometimes
That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble
Needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak
And pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed
And cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion
Asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are all too visible
But God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache,
Which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority
I only know I'm loved

Used by Permission
Copyright ©1988 Carol Wimmer
All Rights Reserved
www.carolwimmer.com
www.whenisayiamachristian.com
www.facebook.com/whenisayiamachristian

Meditation: I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, - Ephesians 4:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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JOB DESCRIPTION:
Tell the living and the dying world about Jesus Christ

AVAILABLE POSITIONS:
Preachers, teachers, singers, musicians, missionaries, custodians, food servers, and YOU

PRINCIPAL (BOSS):
The Holy Spirit

QUALIFICATIONS:
Must have previously sinned and recognized this;
Must be willing to press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus

EDUCATION:
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things

EXPERIENCE NEEDED:
None necessary; experience will be earned on-the-job

BENEFIT PACKAGE/SALARY:
God (the employer) shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus

INSURANCE:
Access to the Divine Master Physician

PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES:
Love, joy, peace, patience, long suffering; Lawyer, Comforter, and a Wonderful Counsellor

RECOMPENSE FOR COMPLETING THE JOB ASSIGNMENT:
The most important benefit, ETERNAL LIFE with the employer.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:
Before the return of Jesus Christ; date/hour not known; wise to apply TODAY, RIGHT NOW

All are welcome to Gods’ Kingdom

JOY TO THE WISE.

Meditation: Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. – Matthew 9:37

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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One day Satan went to visit Jesus in the Garden of Eden, and Satan came all happy and boasting.

"Yes, Lord, now I have everybody captive, well nearly everybody down there. I set traps, I used the baits of temptation; I know well what each one of them can't resist. I nearly caught them all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. He was praying to God the Father.

Satan answered "Oh, I am going to have some fun with them! I’ll make them divorce after they have married so the foundation of humanity [the family] will never be established. I will make them hate each other and abuse each other, make them fall into alcohol and drugs without control. I will teach them to make weapons and bombs, so they kill each other. I am really going to have fun!

"And when you are tired of playing with them, what will you do?" Jesus asked. And continued praying. "Oh, I will kill them all and their souls will be mine forever. Lord, by all respect, it will be their decision."

"How much do you want for all of them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, you can't want these people. They aren't anything good. Why do you want them if they neither follow you nor love you? Many hate you! I have seen many of them spitting on you, cursing you and even denying you. What's more, they love me a lot. You don't want these people!"

"How much?" Jesus asked again. Satan looked at him with a nasty face "All your tears and all your blood, all the pain of the entire world, all together."

Jesus said, "DONE" and He paid the price."

How pathetic it is that people don't seek God, and then ask why the world is going to hell?

How pathetic that we seek the newspaper every day to read about tragedies and we never seek the Bible?

How insensible it is how everybody wants to go to heaven, thinking they can get there without having to believe. It is pathetic how some people can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan Who as matter of fact, does fear God.

Don't you think it's pathetic that we send each other thousands of jokes by email, so they spread like plagues, but when it's about the Lord's messages, we think twice before we share them; and we leave the mailboxes of our friends without this message?

Don't you think it is outrageous that the obscene, vulgar and crude is allowed freely to pass through the internet that even many people would desire to get into the screen. But it is forbidden to speak publicly about Jesus in the schools, places of work self-helping groups, etc., even after knowing what He did for us. Because the Romans didn't kill Him. It was our sin. That we may be forgiven and know Him in His glory with the Father.

Doesn't it seem incredible how somebody can be a light in the Church on Sabbath, worshipping and thanking the Lord for His mercy, for one more day to live etc. but during the rest of the week he is an invisible Christian! Does this seem just to you?

Meditation: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. – 1 Timothy 6:12

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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I wrote this story in September 2009 because I have had so many people, including my 3 sons, telling me I should start putting my life's experiences in writing. I never thought that my life would be of much interest to others until now. This story has been told twice by two different inspirational speakers, once in Philadelphia and once in Chicago. Therefore, I put in it writing. I raised my three sons by myself and taught them to pursue their dreams and never give up. Here is my "career" achievement story.

Who knows what the path of life will hold for us? Not even a crystal ball, fortune teller, or any other psychic being would have the answer. To get through this sometimes rough road called life, I have personally found that you must have faith in your own personal strength, pursue your dreams hoping they will become your reality, and never give up. Dreams are what reality is made of.

At the age of 17, like many young women, I had been mesmerized on a flight to Europe by a "Stewardess". She looked like a goddess to me. I couldn't take my eyes off her, watching her walk through the cabin performing her duties, impeccably dressed, coiffed, and manicured. My stay in Europe was for three weeks and all I could think about was the flight home, to watch another "stewardess" in action.

At the age of 19, I was in my second year of college and not sure what my major should really be. I was currently enrolled in liberal arts, not very exciting. All along I had in the back of my mind the desire to be just like the stewardess' I had observed 2 years prior.

I decided to embark on the application process to the airlines. I pursued this painstaking process for 3 years and back then, there was no computers, no email, and all forms were obtained by hand typed letters and the "pony express" mail service.

To my surprise I received 5 requests to be interviewed.

Every airline interview I undertook I was well versed in the airline, their "stewardess" colors, their routes, etc. I made sure when presenting myself at an interview that I was dressed in their colors to look as close to being one of their own.

Letter after letter came stating "thank you but we regret to inform you the position has been filled" came to my mailbox. Year after year I continued my pursuit until I finally realized I must lack something that prevented my acceptance.

This was a devastating reality. I stopped sending out applications and pushed my deepest desire, my passion deep down inside me and went on with what life was to bring to me without the airlines.

My future careers, from the age of 21 through 50, all held one common denominator; Customer Service related duties. Whether I was a receptionist or in management, I always dealt with the public. During this time period, at the age of 31, I had my first child, a set of identical twin boys. Two years later I had my third son. One year later I was divorced.

Life was hard. I was financially devastated, overwhelmed with massive responsibilities, and three beautiful sons who made it possible for me to endure all of it. I reminded myself every morning to keep my faith in God and myself that I could be successful in anything I pursued, but the reality of my suppressed desire to fly was still ever present.

Unfortunately my responsibilities as a mother came first and not what I personally wanted to fulfill for myself. They WERE my life, and so it went on.

The twins grew up, graduated from high school and left for college. When my third son was approaching high school graduation, in the Spring '05, I was currently unemployed from a company that did not understand compassion for their customers. It was all black and white style of business for them. I couldn't endure this cold environment anymore. In November '04, I left.

In January '05, I watched a T.V. program called "Airline" that depicted the everyday happenings of Southwest Airlines travelers. They profiled a Flight Attendant (not "Stewardess" anymore) that was a 50 year old widow, living alone since all her children were grown and had left home. She said she loved working with people and needed to get out of the house, her name was "Billy".

She said she had seen an advertisement for a Southwest Airline open house for flight attendants. She decided to attend and see what the position entailed. After going through the extensive application process, to her surprise, she was hired and sent to training. Because of her exuberance and excitement for the job I realized that she was the same age as I was and if she could get in - so could I! And so it began again.

I pursued a locally based airline so that I did not have to relocate. It took three months for this airline to have an open house in my area but I was ready to go. This open house took two hours and no matter what they said about any of the "torture" I would experience performing this job, I didn't care. I knew from the time I decided to go the open house I was going to be a flight attendant. I knew I wouldn't fail and this was it.

At the end of the open house we were told we would receive a call within the next two days, if they wanted to see us again for a second interview. I received one.

One week later I was back doing the infamous "airline interview" but I wasn't nervous this time. I knew the path I had traveled through life had prepared me for this endeavor.

They once again told us we would receive a phone call within the next two days, if they had chosen us for training.

My phone call came the next morning at 9 a.m. This was the end of March '05 and I was in training in Memphis, TN on April 9, 2005.

Enduring a three week training program, which included a massive amount of studying, (which I hadn't done in 30 years) evacuations, testing, and watching fellow classmates being sent home one by one kept your emotions strung out so tight you felt like a rubber band ready to snap. On top of all of this, we lived in a hotel but the special bond that was created between us all who survived this torture still lives.

While in training, on April 26th, I turned the young age of 51 and on April 27th, I took my final exam - in uniform and passed.

Graduation is a very special event and our bond with our trainers is embedded in our hearts forever. They make graduation very memorable and special for every class.

The moment my flight wings were presented to me I think the Hoover Dam broke. All I could think about was how hard I worked for 30 years to be able to have these wings presented to me. God works in mysterious ways and we are never to question our path. I realized that the mottos I had lived by my entire life by, "dreams are what reality is made of" and "never give up, it's never too late" had served me well.

I am still a flight attendant and have been enjoying every minute for the past 5 years. I realize that I had made the right choice by leaving a job I hated with a passion to pursue a "last" career that would fulfill me and I could say I truly loved.

When I arrived at my home airport, my three sons and my mother were all lined up waiting for me and each one was holding a red rose. They were there to show me their enduring love and support for a woman (their mother and daughter) who took the biggest risk of her life to pursue her dream (at 50), who believed in herself strong enough to try, and to see her in uniform for the first time; the uniform she had been waiting a lifetime to wear.

Meditation: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. – Proverbs 13:12

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence."

The fence will never be the same.

When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Meditation: And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. – James 3:6

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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Years ago, in a small fishing village in Holland, a young boy taught the world about the rewards of unselfish service. Because the entire village revolved around the fishing industry, a volunteer rescue team was needed in cases of emergency.

One night the winds raged, the clouds burst and a gale force storm capsized a fishing boat at sea. Stranded and in trouble, the crew sent out the S.O.S. The captain of the rescue rowboat team sounded the alarm and the villagers assembled in the town square overlooking the bay. While the team launched their rowboat and fought their way through the wild waves, the villagers waited restlessly on the beach, holding lanterns to light the way back.

An hour later, the rescue boat reappeared through the fog and the cheering villagers ran to greet them. Falling exhausted on the sand, the volunteers reported that the rescue boat could not hold any more passengers and they had to leave one man behind. Even one more passenger would have surely capsized the rescue boat and all would have been lost.

Frantically, the captain called for another volunteer team to go after the lone survivor. Sixteen-year-old Hans stepped forward. His mother grabbed his arm, pleading, "Please don’t go. Your father died in a shipwreck 10 years ago and your older brother, Paul, has been lost at sea for three weeks. Hans, you are all I have left."

Hans replied, "Mother, I have to go. What if everyone said, ‘I can’t go, let someone else do it?’ Mother, this time I have to do my duty. When the call for service comes, we all need to take our turn and do our part."

Hans kissed his mother, joined the team and disappeared into the night.

Another hour passed, which seemed to Hans’ mother like an eternity. Finally, the rescue boat darted through the fog with Hans standing up in the bow. Cupping his hands, the captain called, "Did you find the lost man?" Barely able to contain himself, Hans excitedly yelled back, "Yes, we found him. Tell my mother it’s my older brother, Paul!"

Meditation: For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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- Betty Killebrew

This morning a man came into the office where I work to transact some business with us. He was a slight fellow and had a little trouble pushing in our heavy front door; but other than that, he seemed pretty chipper.

Mr. Smith (his actual name) was cheerful and businesslike and extremely likeable. We chatted for a few minutes and he mentioned that people had been telling him to retire for a long time, but he thought the Lord would tell him when it was time. I learned that he is already retired from a factory position but buys and renovates little houses. The fact that he had already retired from a factory was not surprising because he looked to be around seventy years old—but when I asked his age, he told me he was 89.
This old gentleman mentioned to me that he had suffered from a heart attack followed by surgery and then by a stroke only last year—and on the day his heart became more painful than he could endure, he drove himself to the hospital. Apparently, at the hospital he mentioned that he had his car in the parking lot and would be going home when they were done with him. The nurses told him they wanted to talk it over with his doctor first.

By the time he went to surgery, his heart was in such bad shape that he remembers little of the next couple of weeks, but he says that his heart was so bad it wasn’t really even a heart anymore. He says that during his surgery every artery was either replaced or stinted and that his heart was repaired with numerous patches.

After the fact, his heart doctor told him that he had “died on the table” and that he and the other doctor in the operating room had tried everything to bring him back. When the heart surgeon gave up, he pulled the sheet over this old man’s head and went out to tell the nurses—but when he came back into the room, Mr. Smith had grasped the sheet in a fist and pulled it off of his face. The old man chuckled as he told me that the doctor told him he had said, “Don’t ever do that to me again,” but he says the doctor is a character and he thought that was just a tall tale.

However, the fact remains that the Lord spared this old fellow for some reason, which of course is known only to Him; but if he always cheers people up and gives them faith and hope as he did for me today, that may be the purpose the Lord had in mind. To me Mr. Smith was the blessing of the day.

When I told him he made my day brighter, he replied, “Everyone needs some “up” now and then.” He says he’s had a good life because there were always such good people around him throughout his lifetime. He particularly mentioned his mother and his wife, saying he couldn’t say which one was the best woman.

To someone like me who fully understands how important the people in your life are to your happiness, I was impressed when he articulated the sentiment. In fact, I’d like to say that all in all, I’m very grateful to God for sending Mr. Smith to the office today. He was carrying a dose of good cheer that I really needed.

Meditation: So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 8:15

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him.

"Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

The title of this letter is The "Big Rocks" of Life. What are the big rocks in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.

Meditation: Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. – 1 Corinthians 9:26

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

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During World War II, a young soldier became separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. In the smoke and the crossfire, he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock and quickly crawled inside.

Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will, though, I love you and trust you. In Jesus name, Amen."

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance of the cave. As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony. He thought to himself, "God really does have a sense of humor. I asked God for protection and deliverance and He sent me a spider instead. I needed a stone wall and God sent a spider. How can a spider save me?"

Soon he heard the sound of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for those in hiding. One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise the enemy in a last-minute, desperate attempt to save his own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control. As the enemy moved cautiously forward to enter the cave, he came upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade, "There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

The young man fell on his face and cried out to God, "Lord, forgive me, I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

Years later, this young man, who become a preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal. What he observed has stood by me in times of trouble, especially during those times when everything seemed impossible. He wrote: "Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."

Meditation: The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. – Psalm 18:5-6

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

A beggar lived near the king's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare? He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?" The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king's face.

"You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for. "You are now eligible to attend the king's banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.

One day as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince's words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. And the king wept with him.

We have been invited into a royal family - the family of God. To feast at God's dinner table, all we have to do is shed our old rags and put on the "new clothes" of faith which is provided by God's Son, Jesus Christ. But we cannot hold onto our old rags. When we put our faith in Christ, we must let go of the sin in our life, and our old ways of living. Those things must be discarded if we are to experience true royalty and abundant life in Christ.

Meditation: and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:23-24

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

www.maxlucado.com

My friend Kenny and his family had just returned from Disney World. "I saw a sight I'll never forget," he said. "I want you to know about it."

He and his family were inside Cinderella's castle. It was packed with kids and parents. Suddenly all the children rushed to one side. Had it been a boat, the castle would have tipped over. Cinderella had entered.

Cinderella. The pristine princess. Kenny said she was perfectly typecast. A gorgeous young girl with each hair in place, flawless skin, and a beaming smile. She stood waist-deep in a garden of kids, each wanting to touch and be touched.

For some reason Kenny turned and looked toward the other side of the castle. It was now vacant except for a boy maybe seven or eight years old. His age was hard to determine because of the disfigurement of his body. Dwarfed in height, face deformed, he stood watching quietly and wistfully, holding the hand of an older brother.

Don't you know what he wanted? He wanted to be with the children. He longed to be in the middle of the kids reaching for Cinderella, calling her name. But can't you feel his fear, fear of yet another rejection? Fear of being taunted again, mocked again?

Don't you wish Cinderella would go to him? Guess what? She did!

She noticed the little boy. She immediately began walking in his direction. Politely but firmly inching through the crowd of children, she finally broke free. She walked quickly across the floor, knelt at eye level with the stunned little boy, and placed a kiss on his face.

"I thought you would appreciate the story," Kenny told me. I did. It reminded me of the one you and I have been studying. The names are different, but isn't the story almost the same? Rather than a princess of Disney, we've been considering the Prince of Peace. Rather than a boy in a castle, we've looked at a thief on a cross. In both cases a gift was given. In both cases love was shared. In both cases the lovely one performed a gesture beyond words.

But Jesus did more than Cinderella. Oh, so much more.

Cinderella gave only a kiss. When she stood to leave, she took her beauty with her. The boy was still deformed. What if Cinderella could had done what Jesus did? What if she had assumed his state? What if she had somehow given him her beauty and taken on his disfigurement?

That's what Jesus did.

Meditation: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

– Author Unknown

Take time to think;
It is the source of power.

Take time to read;
It is the foundation of wisdom.

Take time to play;
It is the secret of staying young.

Take time to be quiet;
It is the opportunity to seek God.

Take time to be aware;
It is the opportunity to help others.

Take time to love and be loved;
It is God’s greatest gift.

Take time to laugh;
It is the music of the soul.

Take time to be friendly;
It is the road to happiness.

Take time to dream;
It is what the future is made of.

Take time to pray;
It is the greatest power on earth.

Meditation: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:12-14

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

One day a local evangelist bragged during a crusade that his God was more powerful than all the other gods in the town and the powers that the villagers worshiped put together. Just then, rainstorm started sounding overhead, threatening the progress of the crusade.

The evangelist lifted up his voice and declared with confidence that if the rains fell, then he wasn't a man of God; he would stop preaching. Before he finished speaking, the rains began to hit the crusade grounds so vehemently, without regard to his declarations. The whole town left the crusade ground for their houses, shaking their heads in dismay.

The evangelist, so distraught and angry, packed his belongings and left the town the next day. On his way through the next town, he checked into a local bar and drank himself to stupor. As he laid on the ground cursing God, an old seedy looking man tapped him gently on the shoulder.

"Man of God", the old man began. But the evangelist quickly cut in, "don't mention the name of God to me. He is fake. He is unreliable. I am no longer a believer in this God. A God who chooses to disgrace his servants. Leave me alone!"

But the old man would not let him be. He continued,” I am the fetish priest in the village you preached yesterday. During your one week stay in that village, you destroyed all the charms I had made on the people for 45 years. Your prayers and your words always came with some fearful fire and power. I tried so many times to eliminate you but I couldn't. My last chance came yesterday. I had loaded my gun with gun powder lying wait on the mountaintop where I had a very clear view of you.

My plan was to shoot you from a distance since I couldn't get close enough to you due to the fire around you. But just when I lifted the gun, the rains came from nowhere, wetting my gunpowder and covering you in a cloud so that I couldn't even see you. All I saw was a bright man holding a sword in front of you.

I was so terrified. I concluded that your God was indeed all powerful and Almighty. That is why I’ve been looking for you since then. I want to follow this your God!"

The ex-evangelist bowed his head in shame.

Sometimes, it is just wise for us to believe that our Father knows the way He is taking us. We should just trust His leading. Let our boast be in the Lord, not in ourselves. If we decree a thing and it doesn't happen, let us not see it as disappointment or dishonor from the Father. Let us just believe that the Father wants his perfect will to be done in all things.

Meditation: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

There was a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?

He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor - a veritable sea of milk!

When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?"

He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.

His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it."

The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we usually learn something valuable from it.

Wouldn't it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all respond to people we manage in a similar manner too by helping someone learn from his/her mistakes?

Meditation: For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. – Proverbs 24:16

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

May God bless you completely
And may
You be a blessing too

Granting
Others a path to enlightenment through the
Delight in you

Beacons of light
Let us be
Energy that we might shine
So that the good and divine
Send more of a lifeline ever so sweetly

You, may God bless you completely
On top of what you
Usually see

Completely
Outward, inward, indiscreetly
May you be blessed as God has blessed me
Peace be with you always
Love be with you
Endlessly
Truth be yours forever
Each breath never friendless be
Let today make
You receptive...

...To the gift that's come to pass
May God bless you completely
And may you realize that He has

Meditation: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves, he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.

They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.

Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls, with their hidden treasure, into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.

We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

Meditation: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask “How are you?” do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Ever told your child, We’ll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die
‘Cause you never had time to call and say “Hi”?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Meditation: And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:41-42

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

- Carol Ann

If I had only one more day to live,
All love, praise, and glory to you I’d give.
I’d try my best to put a smile on someone’s face
To share with them your saving grace.
I’d remember things about my life
The times you were there through fun and strife,
And thank you then for all you’ve done.
Without you no victories would have been won.

If I have one more day before I die
I would apologize to the kid I made cry.
I would take back the harsh words said to everyone,
And fill their hearts with laughter and fun.

If I only had one more day
I wouldn’t push anyone away.
I wouldn’t try to hurt a friend
Because I should love them to the very end.

Why not live each day as if it were our last
Looking towards our future and forgetting the past
To be a Christian each day we live
And most importantly to always give.

Meditation: So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

My nephew's 10 year old son came for a visit one hot, July weekend. I was enticing him to stay inside by joining him in a Wii game. After being mercilessly defeated by a more experienced player, I suggested that we relax awhile. I collapsed into my favourite recliner to let my neck muscles relax and my ego recover from such a beating. He had slipped out of the room and I was catching a few relished moments of peace and quiet.

"Look, Alice," he said enthusiastically as he ran over to the chair where I was recovering. "I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?"

Glancing out a nearby window, I noticed there was not a breeze stirring. "I'm sorry, Tripper," I said, sad to see his disappointed eyes, but thankful for the respite from more activity. "The wind is not blowing today. The kite won't fly."

The determined 10 year old replied. "I think it's windy enough. I can get it to fly," he answered, as he hurried out the back door.

I peeked through the slats in the venetian blinds to watch determination in action. Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string. The plastic kite, proudly displaying a picture of Batman, remained about shoulder level. He ran back and forth, as hard as his ten year old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in. I asked, "How did it go?"

"Fine," he said, not wanting to admit defeat. "I got it to fly some." As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, "I guess I'll have to wait for the wind."

At that moment I heard another Voice speak to my heart. "Sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the Wind." And the voice was right. How easy it is to use our own efforts to accomplish what we want to do.

We wait for the Wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted our own strength. We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!

Meditation: Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! – Psalm 27:14

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Projects. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

David Morse, American missionary to India, became great friends there with the pearl-diver, Rambhau. Many an evening he spent in Rambhau's cabin reading to him from the Bible, and explaining to him God's way of salvation.

Rambhau enjoyed listening to the Word of God, but whenever the missionary tried to get Rambhau to accept Christ as his Savior, he would shake his head and reply, "Your Christian way to heaven is too easy for me! I cannot accept it. If ever I should find admittance to heaven in that manner. I would feel like a pauper there... like a beggar who has been let in out of pity. I may be proud, but I want to deserve, I want to earn my place in heaven... and so I am going to work for it."

Nothing the missionary could say seemed to have any effect on Rambhau's decision, and so quite a few years slipped by. One evening, however, the missionary heard a knock on his door, and on opening it he found Rambhau there. "Come in, dear friend," said Morse.

"No," said the pearl-diver. "I want you to come with me to my house, Sahib. I have something to show you. Please do not say 'No'."

"Of course I'll come," replied the missionary. As they neared his house, Rambhau said: "In a week's time, I start working for my place in heaven; I am leaving for Delhi... and I am going there on my knees."

"Man, you are crazy! It's nine hundred miles to Delhi, and the skin will break on your knees, and you will have blood-poisoning or leprosy before you get to Bombay."

"No, I must get to Delhi," affirmed Rambhau, "and the immortals will reward me for it! The suffering will be sweet, for it will purchase heaven for me!"

"Rambhau, my friend, you can't. How can I bear you to do it when Jesus Christ has suffered and died to purchase heaven for you?!"

But the old man could not be moved. "You are my dearest friend on earth, Sahib Morse. Through all these years you have stood by me in sickness, in want... you have been sometimes my only friend. But even you cannot turn me from my desire to purchase eternal bliss. I must go to Delhi!"

Inside the hut, Morse was seated in the very chair Rambhau had specially built for him, where on so many occasions he had read to him the Bible.

Rambhau left the room to return soon with a small but heavy English strongbox. "I have had this box for years," said he, "and I keep only one thing in it. Now I will tell you about it, Sahib Morse. I once had a son..."

"A son! Why, Rambhau, you have never before said a word about him!"

"No, Sahib, I couldn't." Even as he spoke the diver's eyes were moistened. "Now I must tell you, for soon I will leave, and who knows whether I shall ever return? My son was a diver too. He was the best pearl diver on the coasts of India. He had the swiftest dive, the keenest eye, the strongest arm, the longest breath of any man who ever sought for pearls.

What joy he brought to me! Most pearls, as you know, have some defect or blemish only the expert can discern, but my boy always dreamed of finding the 'perfect' pearl... one beyond all that was ever found. One day he found it! But even when he saw it he had been under water too long. That pearl cost him his life, for he died soon after."

The old pearl diver bowed his head. For a moment his whole body shook, but there was no sound. "All these years," he continued, "I have kept this pearl, but now I am going, not to return, and to you, my best friend I am giving my pearl."

The old man worked the combination on the strongbox and drew from it a carefully wrapped package. Gently opening the cotton, he picked up a mammoth pearl and placed it in the hand of the missionary.

It was one of the largest pearls ever found off the coast of India, and glowed with a lustre and brilliance never seen in cultured pearls. It would have brought a fabulous sum in any market. For a moment, the missionary was speechless and gazed with awe. "Rambhau! What a pearl!"

"That pearl, Sahib, is perfect," replied the Indian quietly. The missionary looked up quickly with a new thought: Was not this the very opportunity and occasion he had prayed for... to make Rambhau understand the value of Christ's sacrifice? So he said, designedly, "Rambhau, this is a wonderful pearl, an amazing pearl. Let me buy it. I would give you ten thousand dollars for it."

"Sahib! What do you mean?"

"Well, I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, or if it takes more, I will work for it."

"Sahib," said Rambhau, stiffening his whole body, "this pearl is beyond price. No man in all the world has money enough to pay what this pearl is worth to me. On the market a million dollars could not buy it. I will not sell it to you. You may only have it as a gift."

"No, Rambhau, I cannot accept that. As much as I want the pearl, I cannot accept it that way. Perhaps I am proud, but that is too easy. I must pay for it, or work for it..."

The old pearl-diver was stunned. "You don't understand at all, Sahib. Don't you see? My only son gave his life to get this pearl, and I wouldn't sell it for any money. Its worth is in the life-blood of my son. I cannot sell this, but I can give it to you. Just accept it in token of the love I bear you."

The missionary was choked, and for a moment could not speak. Then he gripped the hand of the old man. "Rambhau," he said in a low voice, "don't you see? My words are just what you have been saying to God all the time."

The diver looked long and searchingly at the missionary, and slowly, slowly he began to understand. "God is offering you salvation as a free gift," said the missionary. "It is so great and priceless that no man on earth can buy it. Millions of dollars are too little. No man on earth could earn it. His life would be millions of years too short. No man is good enough to deserve it. It cost God the life-blood of His only Son to make the entrance for you into heaven. In a million years, in a hundred pilgrimages, you could not earn that entrance. All you can do is to accept it as a token of God's love for you... a sinner.

"Rambhau, of course I will accept the pearl in deep humility, praying to God that I may be worthy of your love. Rambhau, won't you accept God's great gift of heaven, too, in deep humility, knowing it cost Him the death of His Son to offer it to you?"

Great tears were now rolling down the cheeks of the old man. The veil was beginning to lift. "Sahib, I see it now. I have believed so many things about Jesus for the last two years, but I could not believe that His salvation was free. Now I understand. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I will accept His salvation!"

Meditation: By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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When I was a little boy, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. I told her that it looked like a mess from where I was. As from the underside I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat.

She would smile at me, look down and gently say, “My son, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side.”

I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear mother’s voice say, “Son, come and sit on my knee.”

This I did only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy. Then mother would say to me, “My son, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a pre-drawn plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing.”

Many times through the years I have looked up to my Heavenly Father and said, “Father, what are You doing?” He has answered, “I am embroidering your life. I say, “But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can’t they all be bright?”

The Father seems to tell me, “‘My child, you go about your business of doing My business, and one day I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee and you will see the plan from My side.”

Meditation: ‘Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity;’ – Job 10:8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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The creator created people, gave them words for communication and thinking, settled them in the fertile valley at the foot of the mountains, gave them longevity and started to observe how they would aspire to the development.

The time has passed, but people did not develop. Their feet did not go beyond their village and did not climb up the mountains. Their eyes did not look at the sky and did not look in the Heart. So they became old.

The Creator decided to find out, what was the matter. He became a man and came to them as a traveller. Before sunset people gathered at the square to talk with the traveller. He described them a life beyond the horizon and suggested:

“Do you want me to lead you there, and you will see how people live in these places?”

“Oh,” they answered sadly, “It is late, we became old...”

“Then come with me to the mountains to look at the world from the top!”

“Oh,” they suspired, “It is too late, we have no energy…”

“Look at the sky.” “The traveller said them, “And I will tell you about the life in the Kingdom of Heaven!”

They answered again: “It is late; our mind will not understand your story…”

The traveller became sad. He decided to cheer people.

“Let‘s sing a song!” he said and was going to sing first, but people noticed that the Sun went down.

“It is late,” they said, “It is time to sleep…” and went to their huts.

The traveller shouted to them:

“People, when life is continuous and infinite, it is not late for any achievements!”

But they did not turn back. Then the Creator told himself: “I will take away all words of limitation from people: ‘late’, ‘not’, ‘impossible’, ‘far’, ‘high’, ‘hard’, ‘will not understand’, and will place in their hearts the joy of infinity. Maybe they will perceive my Law: nothing is late, because there is no end, there is only the beginning!”

He did so and waited for the morning: will people change and will they go with him to the mountains?

Meditation: Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”[i][/i] – Nehemiah 8:10

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.

It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the young woman replied. The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened! The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" the mother asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong but, with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit but, after a death, a breakup, or a financial hardship, does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Meditation: He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” – Psalm 10:6

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After a while, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people. But when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and admire the other person’s good qualities, we get the best of one another. Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.

Meditation: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:22

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning.

They met.

Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river. When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue.

Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air.

Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when you were there?”

The boy replied, “Air.”

Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it. There is no other secret.”

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.

Meditation: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. – Proverbs 13:12

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"Well, no," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and…"

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"Umm, no, on the contrary…"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Meditation: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. – Ephesians 4:29

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Author Unknown

A group of frogs was traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.

The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump out of the pit with all of their might.
The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?"

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill him or her.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words, it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.

Meditation: Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. – 1 Thessalonians 5:14

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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