₦airaland Forum

Author Unknown

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. – Luke 6:35

The officer laughed and winced at the same time. The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun.

"Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George. "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun.

"Put that thing away," George said to the cop. "We got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need the money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pee shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry.

"I'm not very good at this, am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job. My rent is due. My car got repossessed last week..."

George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Being stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."

"Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn.

"Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other. "That guy works here," the wounded cop continued.

"Yep," George said. "Just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas, boy. And you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems." George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box.

"Here you go. Something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. A toy airplane, a racing car and a little metal truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier. "And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that, too. Count it as part of your first week's pay." George said. "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was getting a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will become a rich man and share his wealth with many people.

That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again." The stranger moved toward the door.

"If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the man's old leather jacket and his torn pants turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George, it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. – Luke 6:35

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. He had no decorations, no tree, no lights. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. There were no children in his life. His wife had gone.

He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead of throwing the man out, George, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the space heater and warm up.

"Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy. I'll just go."

"Not without something hot in your belly," George turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew. Made it myself. When you're done there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said.

There in the driveway was an old 53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked.

"Mister can you help me!" said the driver with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken."

George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold; the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But mister. Please help...." The door of the office closed behind George as he went in. George went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building and opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting.

"Here, you can borrow my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. George turned and walked back inside the office.

"Glad I loaned ‘em the truck. Their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new tires..." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The thermos was on the desk, empty with a used coffee cup beside it.

"Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought. George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator.

"Well, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on. "Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car.

As he was working he heard a shot being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Help me." George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention.

"Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The laundry company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound.

"Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease. "Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills.

"You hang in there. I'm going to get you an ambulance." George said, but the phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your police car."

He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting up.

"Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him. "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time you’re gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked.

"None for me," said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city." Then George added: "Too bad I ain't got no donuts."

The officer laughed and winced at the same time. The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun.

"Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George. "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun…

To continue tomorrow.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! – Matthew 26:63-65

The last set of authorities that require our fervent, sustained prayers and intercession are religious leaders. These people wield so much influence in our lives and they could be key to how we turn out, either well or badly.

Religious leaders exert great influence over their congregation and followers; what they say are often regarded as the counsel of God Himself, with the ability to spur the listeners to immediate action. So it is imperative they are upheld in prayer so that they are not overtaken by the spirit of deception and start to spill out falsehoods to their eager audience who could go to town with or take action based on such information.

In our reference passage, we see how Caiaphas a High Priest – the symbol of spirituality and devotion during his time – missed it big time concerning Jesus Christ. Firstly, he was ignorant of the identity of Jesus. Secondly, he led the whole nation of Israel astray by condemning Jesus, which provoked violent reaction from the crowd and culminated in his crucifixion.

Perhaps, if he had known who Jesus truly was, things might have been different (1 Corinthians 2:. But he was ignorant of His identity and he led the nation astray by renouncing Him and instigating them to do same. Such is the clout that our leaders have and the more reason we need to always pray for them so that they won’t lead us astray.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works - Hebrews 10:24

One day, a teacher asked her students in class to write the names of the other students on a piece of paper. "And leave space between each name," she instructed.

When they finished, the teacher said, "Underneath each name, I want you to write the good things you see in that person." Immediately, the kids busied themselves with the task and took the whole class to finish it.

The teacher took the papers home and collated the material. On one piece of paper per child, she wrote all the positive qualities written by their classmates. The next class, she handed out the papers to the kids. They were very happy to read the letters. "Wow, am I really this person?" some of them gushed.

Many, many years later, the teacher received a phone call. One of her former students, who had become a soldier, was killed in battle. Would she want to attend the funeral? She went and saw many of her former students condoling with the bereaved family. As she stood beside the coffin, looking at the lifeless body of a young man in uniform inside, a middle-aged woman approached her. "Are you my son's grade school teacher?"

"Yes," she said, "you must be his mother; my deepest condolences."

"I'd like to show something to you," the mother said. "My son had this inside his wallet when he died." She pulled out a worn-out piece of paper. It was obvious that it had been folded and unfolded many times. Even before it was opened, the teacher already knew what it was. It was the piece of paper that contained the list of positive qualities his classmates saw in him. Kept and read all through the years.

By that time, her other students had gathered around both of them. A young man beside the teacher said, "Uh, I carry mine wherever I go too."

A woman from behind said, "I still keep mine. It's in my diary."

Another man said, "I display my list on my desk at home."

Another woman said, "It seems like all of us kept that paper all these years!"

The teacher was moved beyond words.

Why would a simple piece of paper mean so much? Because, here's the truth, life can be rough. At various time, it can even be cruel. Every time we fail, every time we receive criticism, every time we get rejected, we doubt our worth. We doubt our goodness. We are very desperate for love. We need to love the saint within us.

Friend, love yourself. Each day, celebrate your positive qualities. Celebrate your goodness. Celebrate your beauty. Thank God for how wonderful He made you.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works - Hebrews 10:24

Ten little Christians standing in a line,
One disliked the pastor, then there were nine.
Nine little Christians stayed up very late,
One slept in on Sunday, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians on their way to heaven,
One took the low road, then there were seven.
Seven little Christians chirping like chicks,
One disliked the music, then there were six.

Six little Christians seemed very much alive,
But one lost his interest, then there were five.
Five little Christians pulling for Heaven's shore,
But one stopped to rest, then there were four.

Four little Christians, each busy as a bee,
One got her feelings hurt, then there were three.
Three little Christians knew what to do,
One joined the sports crowd, then there were two.

Two little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,
Differed with each other, then there was one.
One little Christian can't do much 'tis true;
Brought his friend to Bible study, then there were two.

Two earnest Christians, each won one more,
That doubled their number, then there were four.
Four sincere Christians worked early and late,
Each won another, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians, if they doubled as before,
In just a few short weeks, we'd have 1,024.
In this little jingle, there's a lesson true,
You belong to the building, or the wrecking crew.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it...” Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. – Joshua 7:20-25

Family leaders are also another set of authorities that we must always uphold in prayer. Just like the other categories of leaders we have considered, the consequences of their decisions and actions may not be limited to them alone, but could affect their family members as well.

From the above passage, Achan brought sudden destruction not just upon his own head but the entire members of his household because of greed. And that was even after he had brought calamity upon the nation of Israel who were routed by a minnow settlement.

Achan could not control himself and went to take for personal use what God had explicitly forbidden the Israelites from touching. By the time he was found out, his wife, his children, his animals and all his possessions were destroyed because they had all become abominable through the misdeed of their patriarch.

Our fathers and family heads deserve our sustained prayers and intercession, as their decisions, actions or inactions could have significant impact on our own lives and wellbeing by virtue of our being under their authority. Always remember to pray for the head of your family.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Now it came to pass...that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians...and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty... and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it...Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea...Not so much as one of them remained. – Exodus 14:22-28

Another category of leaders we ought to continually uphold in prayer are organisational or team leaders. These people deserve our intercession for the fear of God and His counsel to guide them in whatever they do, as their moves could affect members of their team in a positive or negative way.

From the passage above, Pharaoh mobilised his army to embark on an expedition that was doomed to fail and lead to loss of lives. Maybe if someone had been interceding for him before then, perhaps, things might have been different, and he wouldn’t have led the hundreds of thousands men with him into an agonising death in the belly of the sea.

In most cases, team members may not have much choice as to whether to join their leader in the move that has been sanctioned to mark their waterloo or not. So, they only need to set out to encounter the wrath that has been stored up to be unleashed on the leader. And, sadly, members of the setup who may be innocent usually suffer alongside the leader when he is facing the consequences of his/her action or disposition.

Another example of such fatal expedition in the Bible was the case of King Ahab who was exuberant about the idea of leading his army to go to a war that had been ordained to be his last (1 Kings 22:19-20). Even when he was warned about embarking on the expedition, he turned deaf ears to the prophet and went all the same. He did not return, and many lives were lost in the resultant rout Israelites suffered at the battlefront.

On the other hand, Abraham and Moses were examples of divinely favoured leaders whose teams benefitted from their right standing with God. Abraham’s followers prospered off him, while the lives of Moses’ team members were often spared because of Moses. This underscores the importance of praying our leaders into right standing with God, so that they can attract fortune to us, not disaster.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. – Hebrews 13:15

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview and had to see the director for the final interview.

The director discovered from the CV that the young man’s academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until postgraduate research, there was no year when he did not score A.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered, "None."

The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"

The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid my school fees.”

The director asked, “Where did your mother work?"

The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner.”

The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"

The youth answered, "Never. My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed clothes everyday to enable him pay his school fees. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price the mother had to pay for his academic excellence, graduation and his future. After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time. Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: “Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, “I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes.”

The Director asked, “Please tell me your feelings."

The youth said, Number one, I now know what appreciation is. Without my mother, I will not be where I am today. Number two, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number three, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, “This is what I am looking for in anyone who would be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort of others and the ability to work with others to get things done.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

- Nancy Leigh DeMoss

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against am November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole that from her.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come for the holiday. Then Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. She has no idea what I'm feeling, thought Sandra with a shudder.

Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? She wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.

"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving "Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Just then the shop door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara, replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her chest. And she left with her order.

"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no flowers!

"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.

"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."

"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and never questioned the good things that happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask questions! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving Special....12 thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided
to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said. "It's all too...fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for your roses; thank him for your thorns!

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel...Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword...And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. – 1 Chronicles 21:1-15

The passage above offers us an insight as to why we must always uphold our statesmen or political leaders in prayer. They require our fervent prayers because, to a large extent, our welfare depends on what they do or fail to do (1 Timothy 2:1-3). The same way we are affected directly or indirectly by their noble or base decisions.

The policies they promulgate can play a major role in either we are in business or out of it; and this has nothing to do with whether such decisions are righteous or not. Once they are instituted, everyone in their jurisdiction are bound to comply. That is why they deserve our prayers so that they can operate by the wisdom and counsel of God, and so that all they do will be influenced by the fear of God.

In the passage above, we see how Israel lost 70,000 men in one fell swoop on account of the mistake of their ruler. David had woken up one day and felt he needed to know the number of people he governed, so he commissioned a census which proved fatal. And isn’t it interesting that David wasn’t the one who suffered the consequence of his mistake? His subjects did. Perhaps, if the people had been committed to praying for him, he would have been hedged from the temptation to count the people and that would have saved the nation the huge loss of 70,000 lives.

The decision or indecision of our statesmen can impact our wellbeing in a good or bad way, and this has nothing to do with their religious affiliation. So, we must always pray for them to rule by the counsel and fear of God so that we can live in peace and prosperity.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. – 1 Timothy 2:1-3

It is easy to criticise and make disparaging remarks about rulers and leaders of thoughts in various echelons of our society, be it political, organisational, or religious. By virtue of their office, the persons in leadership are often under public lens and it does not take much effort to identify, nay criticise, their failings. After all, they are supposed to be public servants; therefore, they ought not to complain about the attention they attract and the criticisms that follow most of their moves.

Meanwhile, just as God has a counsel for every aspect of life, so does He has a precept concerning the way we relate with those who are in positions of authority. There was never a time in the Bible where God commanded that His children should take to the streets and tear down leaders through verbal onslaughts. If anything, God expressly commands in a number of places that prayers and supplications must be made for those in authority.

Why would He say that? The passage above says this is necessary so that “we may lead a a quiet and peaceable life.” And, as if sensing that some diehard critics may object to this instruction, the passage further affirms that this practice “is good and acceptable in the sight of God.” Therefore, there should be no disputing that praying and interceding for leadership is a divine injunction. God commands it and He expects us to comply.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility. – Proverbs 15:33

Another benefit that accrues from wisdom is spelt out in the passage above – it instructs you on how to fear God.

Wisdom has been described as the fear of the LORD (read Job 28:28, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10). And in the passage above, we are further enlightened as to the relationship between wisdom and the fear of God. Whilst wisdom is synonymous with or starts from fearing God, it also teaches how to conduct yourself in relating with Him.

At the heart of most personal sins or social injustice, and the calamities arising therefrom, is a disregard for God or an inappropriate sense of reverence for Him. And we know that sins and social injustice have various degrees of consequences. The same way that living right in acknowledgement of the omniscience of God and fear of Him has numerous advantages. Wisdom is therefore an effective instructor in achieving this, as it teaches us what to do and how we ought to conduct ourselves in different situations to make the most of life and be a positive influence.

Therefore, to live right, think right, do right and be right in the eyes of God, you need wisdom. Not the wisdom that comes from the principles of the world or motivational teachings, but the wisdom that evolves from first knowing God – His will, His preferences, His counsel, His commands – and conforming yourself to the demands of this knowledge such that if there is a conflict between the exigencies of life and what you know of God, His dictates will determine the course of action you take, not your pressures. That is the fear of God; that is wisdom.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

By Woodrow Kroll

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, - Philippians 3:13

When you've trusted God and walked his way
When you've felt his hand lead you day by day
But your steps now take you another way...
Start over.


When you've made your plans and they've gone awry
When you've tried your best and there's no more try
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why...
Start over.


When you've told your friends what you plan to do
When you've trusted them and they didn't come through
And you're all alone and it's up to you...
Start over.


When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone
When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong
And now your grandchildren come along...
Start over.


When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will
When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still...
When you want to stop cause you've had your fill...
Start over.


When you think you're finished and want to quit
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit
When you've tried and tried to get out of it...
Start over.


When the year has been long and successes few
When December comes and you're feeling blue
God gives a January just for you...
Start over.


Starting over means "Victories Won"
Starting over means "A Race Well Run"
Starting over means "God's Will Done"
Don't just sit there...


START OVER.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

It takes wisdom for the clever to understand the path they are on, but the fool is deceived by his own foolishness. – Proverbs 14:8 (VOICE)

Here is another benefit of wisdom for our meditation – wisdom helps the wise person to examine the course of their lives and ascertain if they are on the right track or not.

By virtue of the heightened mental engagement and reasoning that wisdom avails those who possess it, they are able to do an impassionate audit on themselves to determine if they have been living purposefully or not; if they are on the right path toward achieving their set goals or they have deviated, and what they need to do more of, if they are on the right track; or how they can get their lives back on track in the event they have missed it along the way. This advantage is only available to those who court wisdom.

The second part of that passage says that a fool is deceived by his own foolishness. That means whilst the wise person is hard on himself in self evaluation, which usually leads to not-so-sweet resolutions on what to stop doing and which discipline to adopt, a fool who is not capable of such mental rigour does not see anything wrong with himself, and only sweet-talks himself into believing that everything is okay. The danger of such self-indulgence is that it results into undesirable consequences that will showcase the fool to the world for who he really is, while the wise one will be proved smart.

The same way wisdom announces the wise as one worthy of associating with, so does folly proclaims the foolish as one to be avoided by all means.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4

A pastor had been on a long flight between church conferences. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten Your Seat Belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive.

Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke...

The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

"Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.

"Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The child replied, "Because my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and to be honest, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Meanwhile, let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and He is taking us home. So, we should not worry!

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. – Isaiah 28:10

If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends....B1 [be one].

The 10 commandments are not multiple choice.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

Minds are like parachutes...they function only when open.

Ideas won't work unless YOU do.

One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.

The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.

Don't learn safety rules by accident.

We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.

Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.

A turtle makes progress when it sticks its head out.

One thing you can give and still keep...is your word.

A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.

And finally...

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!!!

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

A man will be commended according to his wisdom, but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised. – Proverbs 12:8

Another benefit of wisdom is the commendation it brings the one who has it. Wisdom attracts acclaim to the person who demonstrates it. Because wisdom is not commonplace, whoever conducts his/her activities by it is easily identified and acknowledged by others, even though such person may not be popular at first.

Also, wisdom earns its possessor favours and business patronage, especially if such person is in a service or advisory business whose offerings are not tangible. The degree of wisdom of the proponent of such concern is usually what distinguishes his business from the rest in the same industry. As wisdom attracts acclaim to the person, so will his business be esteemed in the marketplace, as people will be willing to do business with him.

A reference case was King Solomon, who was not just universally acknowledged for his wisdom, but was also sought by everyone that mattered during that period from all over the world. They all came in droves to be afforded the privilege of his presence and to sample his mental resources; and they didn’t come to him empty-handed. Even when it was obvious to all that none of them was as wealthy as Solomon was, they still went to him with their own riches so that they could have access to him. That is an example of the kind of patronage that wisdom attracts. It makes you a hotcake; it wins you acclaim and favours.

“The wisdom of the wise wins praise, but there is no respect for the stupid” (NCV).

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace. – Proverbs 11:12

Another benefit that wisdom bestows is maturity. Wisdom confers those who possess it with the mental and emotional balance needed to put things in perspective and to accurately evaluate people, issues and circumstances.

According to our reference passage, lack of wisdom makes one despises his/her neighbour, whilst the presence of it makes one peaceable. In other words, it is the absence of wisdom that makes one disagreeable or prone to quarrel. And why that? Because one does not have a surplus of the mental and emotional resources needed to appreciate the matter at hand or the individual in consideration before relapsing into the offensive – blaming, criticising and fighting. Such resources are rub-off of wisdom.

One of the indications of wisdom is an agreeable bearing and ability to get along with most people. Even when the other person is not congenial, the Bible says a wise person will hold his peace and not return fire for fire. Wisdom makes one mature in disposition as well as friendly and pleasant. While those may seem like commonplace attributes, they are not. It takes more energy to go out of one’s way to be pleasant. In fact, being positive requires more mental and emotional discipline than just flowing with the negatives.

It does not take much ingenuity to attack, blame or identify faults in others. That is why the Bible says it easier for “People without good sense [to] find fault with their neighbors, but those with understanding keep quiet” (NCV).

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:15-16

A certain young man wished to marry the farmer’s beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and said, “Son, go stand out in that field. I’m going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter.”

The young man thought this was fair deal enough; so he went to stand in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided there and then that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate.

The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. They young man concluded and he ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, out the back gate.

The door opened a third time. a smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed… but the bull had no tail!

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass (often in hopes of something better), those opportunities may not be available in a long while. So always ensure you seize the moment and maximise make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

... And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; - Revelation 4:1-2

In life, what we see plays an important role in what we turn out to be as well as the extent of what we attain. Vision is an indicator of the possibilities that are attainable. That is why a popular saying holds that ‘seeing is believing;’ what you see is often what you get.

Vision is the difference between those that approach everyday life with energy and gusto as against those who go it with trepidation and uncertainty. Vision separates the high-fliers from those who are also-runs. The difference between these two categories of people is the vision they see about life, themselves, and the future. That is why eyes that look are many, but eyes that see are not common. It takes something extra to see beyond common sight and project into the future to see what will be, so you are adequately prepared and rightly positioned to take advantage of it when it comes.

That something extra is attained by “going up” or getting into the spirit. As the passage above highlights, the writer of the Book of Revelation was invited up so that he could see the things that would happen thereafter; and in the same breath, he found himself transported into the spirit realm where things were revealed to him.

If you must see the solutions to the problems of your time, or see farther than your contemporaries to know where opportunities are which you can exploit to put you ahead in your field, then you must cultivate the habit of constantly going up and getting into the spirit.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

-- Author Unknown

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; – Isaiah 43:2-3

The boy walked along the ocean shore trying not to stray. He looked up to his father saying, "Dad, I want to play."

His father looked upon him, with love showing in his eyes. "Do what you want to, my son. But do not leave my side."

"I would never leave you, Daddy. I love you way too much."

But the boy took a step away, out of his father's range of touch. He walked through the surf, the waves tickling one toe. "If I take one more step in..." he thought, "Father will never know."

His father called out to him, "Son, to me remain true!"

The boy thought with glee, "At the moment I don't need you!"

His father felt sadness, but he held his tongue. Sometimes lessons need to be learned, even when so young.

The boy stepped out a little further, the water covering his waist. His father spoke with urgency; his father spoke with haste. "My son, come back to me," he said, "The day is almost done!"

"Not yet, Dad," the boy yelled, "I'm having too much fun!"

But the boy did not have his father's insight so he could not yet tell, the tide was coming in fast, there would be no time to yell.

"Father!" he tried to scream, as the water covered his head. "I need you now, Daddy!" was what the boy had said.

And in a single instant his father was by his side. "I thought you left me, Daddy... I thought you went to hide."

The father looked upon his son, a tear streaming down his cheek. The boy looked upon his father and cried the sobs of the meek.

"I would never leave you son; for I love you just the same. I was only waiting for you to call upon me."

Isn’t this the way we are with God? Sometimes, we tend to think we are smart enough (or, even smarter than Him) and could handle the issues of life on our own. And when we get our fingers burnt in the course of trying to figure things all out on our own, God is ever there in the background waiting for us to call upon Him so that He could come to our aid. And the beauty of it is that He doesn’t judge or react to us when we are enmeshed in the storms through our mistakes. So call Him!

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. – 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at their church, the Pastor and his 11-year-old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel tracts. This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it
was very cold outside as well as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said "Okay Dad, I'm ready."

His Pastor Dad asked, "Ready for what?”

"Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out."

Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain."

The boy gives his Dad a surprised look, asking, "But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?"

Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this weather."

Despondently the boy asks, "Dad, can I go -- Please?"

His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here's the tracts; be careful son."

"Thanks, Dad!"

And with that he was off and out into the rain. This 11-year-old boy walked the streets of the town going door-to-door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel tract. After 2-hours of walking in the rain he was soaking bone-chilled wet and down to his very last tract. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell -- but nobody answered. He rang it again and again bit still no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally this 11-year-old trooper turned to leave but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch. He rang again, and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad looking elderly lady.

She softly asked, "What can I do for you, son?"

With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU! I came to give you my very last Gospel tract which will tell you all about Jesus and His great love."
With that he handed her his last tract, and turned to leave.

She called to him as he departed, "Thank you, son! And God bless you!"

The following Sunday morning in church, Pastor Dad was in the pulpit and as the service began he asked, "Does anybody have a testimony or want to say anything?"

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face. "None of you in this church know me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband had passed on, some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart as I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.

"So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. "Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted, I was about to leap off when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, 'I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.' "I waited and waited -- but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be?! Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me!' "I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder. When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes! "There on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life! His smile! Oh, I could never describe it to you! And the words that came from his mouth caused my heart, that had long been dead, to leap to life as he exclaimed with cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU.' "Then he gave me this Gospel tract that I now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out, into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them anymore.

"You see, I am now a happy child of the KING, and since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel tract I have come here to personally say, 'Thank you to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time, and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in
Hell.'"

There were now no dry eyes in the church. As shouts of praise and honor to the KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated. He took him in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Probably no church has had a more glorious moment and probably this Universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love and honor for his son, except for one: This Father, God, also allowed His Son, Jesus, to go out into a cold and dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of Heaven shouted praises and honor to the King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named. There may be someone, reading this, who is also going through a dark, cold and lonely time in your soul. You may be a Christian, for we are not without problems, or you may not yet know the King. Whatever the case, and whatever the problem or situation you find yourself in, and no matter how dark it may seem, I want you to know that I just came to tell you, "JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU!"

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

Author Unknown

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. – 1 Timothy 6:6-7

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

- Author Unknown

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. – 1 Peter 5:8

There was a little girl, whose father was a pastor.

One day, she came to her father and said, "Daddy, can a person go their whole life without sinning?"

"No, honey.” The father answered. “I'm sorry, but that's just not possible."

"What about a year, daddy? Can a person go a whole year without sinning?" She continued.

"No, I don't think that's possible either."

"What about a day, can a person go a day without sinning once?"

"It's very unlikely, no, I don't think they can."

"What about one moment, daddy, can a person go one moment without sinning?"

"Yes, that is possible."

"Then daddy, I want to live my life, moment by moment."

Isn't that how we should live our lives. Not looking ahead to our whole lives, or distant plans. But live moment by moment, as if this moment where your last one before you reach eternity.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones. God bless you!

When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. – Proverbs 11:2

Our reference passage today highlights another unique benefit of wisdom – it makes one humble. Unlike pride which requires little or no effort from anyone, and is a state of being that one can easily relapse into because of life’s acquisitions or privileges, it takes more than casual exertion of the mind to remain humble when endowed with privileges of life. It takes wisdom to maintain humility in a blessed state or exalted position.

Now, some people might have been forced into humility because of their impoverished background or the beatings they might have received in the course of living. But such individuals can easily become prideful when the table turns and they start to enjoy the comforts of life above measure. This is because pride in itself does not require much effort to assume, it naturally comes with the paddings of life.

But the humility that is fostered by wisdom is a continual exercise of the human will and reflexes trained by the regime of wisdom. Not that humility comes naturally to the wise; nay, wise people also have their struggles with pride, but they are schooled enough to put a rein on their impulses and put forward a measured restraint in their attitude, disposition and interaction with people, rather than strut in their walks or talk grandiloquently as prideful people would naturally do.

Humility is one of the special attributes that wisdom confers on the wise, and with it is insurance from shame and fall which come from pride.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom. – Proverbs 10:21

In continuation of our series on the benefits accruable from wisdom, the passage above highlights one more benefit for our meditation. The Bible says “fools die for lack of wisdom.” On the obverse side, wisdom preserves one’s life and sustains length of days. That means there are many deaths that could have resulted from folly on the part of the dying or dead individuals.

Now death could also include physical death, spiritual death, death of dreams, and abortion of destiny or potential. Whichever way we may choose to look at it, death signifies an extinction of something and a final stoppage to the continued existence of an entity or endeavour. Now, God has pointed out to us, as seen in our reference scripture, that lack of wisdom is one of the phenomena that lead to untimely death.

That means for us to live long and enjoy an uninterrupted run in the pursuit of our purpose, dreams and other life pursuits, we must eschew folly and embrace wisdom. How do we do that? We demonstrate wisdom or lack of it in our day-to-day choices and decision making. What we do, think or say, how we do them, where and when we do them, are reflections of wisdom or folly, and to what extent we are endowed with it.

Since we desire long life and fullness of days, now we know that wisdom is an important ingredient toward achieving that. And whereas fools cut short their own days and stint because of lack of wisdom, “wisdom gives life to those who have it” (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

Author Unknown

...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. – John 6:37

I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid-70's, with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit. Many times in the past, I had invited him to come. Several other Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to share the good news with him.

He was a well-respected, honest man with so many characteristics a Christian should have, but he had never put on Christ, nor entered the doors of the church.

"Have you ever been to a church service in your life?" I had asked him a few years ago. We had just finished a pleasant day of visiting and talking.

He hesitated. Then, with a bitter smile, he told me of his childhood experience some fifty years ago. He was one of many children in a large impoverished family. His parents had struggled to provide food, with little left for housing and clothing. When he was about ten, some neighbours invited him to worship with them.

The Sunday School class had been very exciting! He had never heard such songs and stories before!

He had never heard anyone read from the Bible! After class was over, the teacher took him aside and said, "Son, please don't come again dressed as you are now. We want to look our best when we come into God's house."

He stood in his ragged, unpatched overalls. Then looking at his dirty bare feet, he answered softly, "No, ma'am, I won't ever."

"And I never did," he said, abruptly ending our conversation.

There must have been other factors to have hardened him so, but this experience formed a significant part of the bitterness in his heart.

I'm sure that Sunday School teacher meant well. But did she really understand the love of Christ? Had she studied and accepted the teachings found in the second chapter of James?

What if she had put her arms around the dirty, ragged little boy and said, "Son, I am so glad you are here, and I hope you will come every chance you get to hear more about Jesus."

I reflected on the awesome responsibility a teacher or pastor or a parent has to welcome little ones in His name. How far reaching her influence was!

I prayed that I might be ever open to the tenderness of a child's heart, and that I might never fail to see beyond the appearance and behavior of a child to the eternal possibilities within.

Yes, I saw him in the church house for the first time on Wednesday. As I looked at that immaculately dressed old gentleman lying in his casket, I thought of the little boy of long ago. I could almost hear him say, "No, ma'am, I won't ever."

And I wept.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. – Romans 15:1

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 awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from one another and – alone and frozen – they began to die. 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.

Moral of this story: The best relationship is not the one that brings perfect people together, but one where each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. - Nehemiah 3:1

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, at the permission of King Artaxerxes, to rebuild the ruins of the city, many people teamed up with him to do the work. The entire Chapter 3 of the book of Nehemiah contains an account of individuals and families that took it upon themselves to participate in the rebuilding process, and what each of them did.

As it was in the days of Nehemiah, there are several God’s projects ongoing all around us or are begging for implementation. The question to you is, if the record of those who are actively engaged in the work of God in your church, locality or operational base is being written, will your name be there? Will you be counted among those who are faithful in service or committed to the work of God?

It is not the clergies alone that are called to do the good works, every one of us is. The Bible says, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Now God’s work is not restricted to preaching alone. There are many ways we can be useful to God without mounting the pulpit.

We are suppose to be the hand through which reaches out, and the leg with which He walks. He didn’t create any of us to be mere spectators; rather, we are here to glorify His name through our exploits and manifestation. And those two don’t come by being idle.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

Author Unknown

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ... So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. – Romans 14:10-13

Pray, don't find fault with the man that limps
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears
Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
Or the burden he bears placed on your back
Might cause you to stumble too.

Don't sneer at the man who's down today
Unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.

You may be strong but still the blows
That was his if dealt to you
In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time
Might cause you to stagger too.

Don't be too harsh with the man that sins
Or pelt him with word or stone
Unless you are sure - yea, doubly sure -
That you have no sins of your own.

For you know, perhaps,
If the tempter's voice should whisper as soft to you
As it did to him when he went astray
It might cause you to falter too.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” - Nehemiah 2:4-5

Recently, a group of youngsters were asked individually about what they wanted out of life. Surprisingly, only one of them could answer with some measure of clarity; the rest only mouthed some vague aspiration in response, evidence that they had not even taken time to think about what they really want to make of their lives.

Clarity is a virtue, and vagueness is a vice. It pays to be clear about what you want at any point in time. In the passage above, when asked about what he wanted, Nehemiah was unambiguous in his response to the king. He did not bore his listeners with an elaborate background details before stating what he wanted, by so doing wasting their time. On the contrary, he was unequivocal in his statement of intent. He wanted to go back to his native land to rebuild the ruins.

All of us are usually presented with life-transforming opportunities at various times. But part of maximising such opportunities is to first know what you really want, and if such break would serve your purpose. The fact that looks like an opportunity doesn’t mean that it is the one for you. Even if it is, you are best positioned to make the most of it after you must have ascertained in specific terms what you really need.

One vital key that helped Nehemiah answer wisely was prayer. He “prayed to the God of heaven” and was then guided in his request. Maybe we can learn from his example.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” - Nehemiah 2:1-2

There are some lessons on attitude and carriage in this passage for our meditation. Nehemiah had heard about the devastation of Israel, his land of origin, and he was concerned enough about what he heard for his countenance to change from cheer to gloom. And, according to him, he had never worn a long face before the king before, so the king was naturally concerned seeing him in such mood.

The first lesson here is that, Nehemiah might not have been appointed as cupbearer of the king if he was always with a gloomy face all the time. No matter how good he might have been as a wine-mixer, the sight of his long look would have disqualified him from being chosen to attend to the king; this thus underscores the importance of maintaining a cheerful countenance.

Secondly, even if Nehemiah had been given to forlorn expression and he had made it, against all odds, to become the king’s cupbearer because of his expertise, his depressed mood would have gone unnoticed by the king when it mattered most that fateful morning, and he would have continued to suffer in silence, getting agitated about happenings in his native land, but not having enough goodwill to do anything about it.

This underscores the importance of always wearing a cheerful expression and maintaining a positive outlook to life.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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

To download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device, click on http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

God bless you as you share!