I'm driving along and was in grossed in a sermon I was listening to; and I was not paying attention to my speed. I got pulled over by a police officer. I was under liberty when I was not speeding, but now that I was speeding I was under the law. If that officer was to show me mercy, which he did not, and let me go I would now not be under law but under grace. So now that I am under grace I rev my engine and I peel out and start speeding again. No, I would I turn my signal on to merge and ease off slowly because I would not want to insult his mercy.

In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:

“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”

A police officer one Sunday morning was staked out in a driveway, when he saw a large dog trot up to his car. The dog stopped and sat just out of arms reach. No matter how much the officer tried to coax him to come for a pat on the head, he refused to budge. After a few minutes, the officer decided to move to a another location. As soon as he pulled out of the driveway, the officer looked back and learn the reason for the dogs behavior. As soon as the car moved, the dog quickly picked up the newspaper the car had been parked on and faithfully ran back to his master. That's funny, but it also says to me that if a dog could be that focused and that committed to his assigned task, then shouldn't we also? To the dog, the task look impossible: the paper was under the car and he couldn't get to it. But he didn't do what we so often do: when we are faced with"Impossible" challenges many times we just turn and walk away, saying"oh well, maybe we weren't meant to do that". Perhaps today we could learn something from that dog.(1) he was faithful to do what his master expected of him;(2) he was focused on the assignment and let nothing, not even a pat on the head, distract him; and(3) he knew instinctively that the car didn't belong there, and would eventually move, so he patiently waited until that happened. Here are the lessons for us today.(1) Our Master expects us to be His Body, fulfilling His Commands and Sharing His Gospel;(2) we should be focused on our assignment and not be distracted by other things that come along, however good they maybe; and(3) we should know instinctively that this world is not our home, and be patient as we wait for that Great Day When Yeshua Will return. When Yeshua Said," if anyone loves me, he will obey My Teaching." That's about as clear as it could be said. No wiggle room. No reading between the lines. No loopholes. So, Is there a car parked on your newspaper?
- Local "The GoodNews Weekly (Year 9 Week 21)

While John Wesley was in Oxford, "He had just finished paying for some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a cold winter day, and he noticed that she had nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown. He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a coat but found he had too little left. Immediately, the thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased with the way he had spent his money. He asked himself, Will thy Master say, “Well done, good and faithful steward?” Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice! O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?"
- Charles Edward White

I once knew a couple who were slowly fading apart. They loved each other at one time, got married, and started a life. The man, though, had his love fade into another; a race car. Every bit of time and money went into that car, while his wife sat on the sidelines. She once asked him, "If you had an extra couple hundred dollars, would you buy something I wanted or something for the car?". He replied, "For the car"

Unless there were some changes, that couple is probably separated today. There was only one thing that could have fixed it.

In the church, many are looking for revival. They are trying to play the right music, have the right sermons, and trying to have the most powerful prayer. They are trying to uplift the people, get a movement going. Like this marriage, there's only one thing that can be done. We are spending more time in the things of this world then we are spending with Christ, and our relationship is fading. The proof can be found in the apostate manner of the church today.

That man, in the story, needed to put aside his car and spend some time and money with his wife. He could have told her over and over he loved her. He could have taken a couple hours a week and played some romantic music for her. Yet, none of this would have helped. She wanted something more, his devotion by a show of his time and his money.

A 757 was flying from New York to England; packed out with passengers. Suddenly, the pilot comes over the PA system saying:

“The co-pilot and I have been speaking. He believes this plane will also double as a submarine. I wasn’t too sure but he is very sincere in his belief that it can be done. So, we would like to give it a try”

Does the sincerity of a person mean they are right? Does it mean it’s ok to do a thing, just because we are sincere? Saul of Tarsus was very sincere in his service of the God of Abraham; yet he ended up being against Him.

The only way we know we are right is by a study of God’s Word, doing what He says in it, and gathering into the kingdom.
Luke 11:23 (KJV) 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Police say that a big portion of accidents are caused by indecision. People will be coming to a ramp on the highway and they can’t make a decision, or they realize too late, that they need to take that other road. What ends up happening is they have an accident.

On the road of life, we need to be sure to follow the Spirit of God. We need to avoid living our lives in an indecisive state, trying to follow the world and the things of God at the same time.

Chameleon lizards are primarily known for their ability to blend in with their environment. Unlike what cartoons depict, they never can look exactly like their environment, but they blend in quite well. Chameleons also have an ability to operate their eyes independently. They can have one eye focused on one thing while moving the other around. They can move both around focusing each on different object; making themselves look quite goofy.

There are many “christian” chameleons to which look like the church when they are at church, and look like the world when they are not at church. They never do quite fit in with either side, they get close, but the just kinda blend having one eye on the things of God and another eye on the things of the world; and they look goofy, to both sides actually.

James 4:4 (KJV) 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

A wealthy christian woman had a chauffeur and one day she asked him, "As well as I pay you, why don't you buy better clothes and a better car?" He told her that he gave his money to missions and other works to help other people. She told him he needed to start taking care of himself.

They both died and an angel took her to her mansion. It was very nice, much nicer than on earth but she looked up on a hill an there was this huge mansion beyond imagination. She said, "wow, who lives in that mansion; one of the patriarch's?" The angel said, "no, your butler lives there". She said, "How did that work out?". The angel said, "He sent more material ahead than you."

I read a true story in the newspaper about an elderly couple who was in a car accident and taken to intensive care. The couple had been together since a very young age and the hospital staff knew better than to separate them. Side by side in separate beds, they were both hooked up to machines and holding each others hand. A few hours later the husband died.

The family was thrown off though, the heart monitor of the husband was still beating; showing a heartbeat. The nurse explained that the monitor was picking up the heartbeat of the wife. Her heart beat was traveling through him by the connection made in the holding of their hands.

We, being dead with sin, need to allow ourselves to be placed in the hand of Christ and allow His heart to register through us.

Pick pockets often work in teams, as so do professional shoplifters. The diversion gets everyone looking at the diversion while the other preforms the actual task. Satan is a professional at creating diversions for the church to look at, while He sneaks up behind to steal your most prized possession… eternity.

Planes are watched by air traffic control as they move from one region to another. Pilots often can’t see the dangers and are happy that someone cares and is watching out for them. Often, christians get offended when a brother or sister is watching and concerned of their approaching danger. Many times they say, “do not judge” or “it’s between me and the Lord”. We should be happy that the family is watching and warning; and heed to such warnings.

A man was on a ship which sank. He was alone on a dingy and drifted to a small island. Shortly after landing, he heard rustling in the forest and out came a large group of natives. They snatched him up and took him back to camp. All the way, he thought we was going to be dinner. As time passed they gave him all the best clothing and the best foods. They treated him like royalty.

After a short time, he had picked up on enough of their language to be able to communicate a little. He asked his “servant” who they though he was.

The servant said, “you are our king.”

The man asked, “what happened to your last king?”.

The servant replied, “every three years we get a new king, and the old king goes to that island over there”, as he pointed to a small deserted island.

The man asked, “What happens when they go over there?”

The servant replied, “They die within a few months because there is no food, shelter, or water on that island.”
For the next several years the man started going over to that deserted island. He was taking supplies and building a home, digging a well, stocking seeds and grains, and planting fruit trees. He spent his entire time as king, working as a servant. Because he knew the place he was at was not his permanent home.

Many times we get engrossed with the pleasures of this world. We forget that we are here only a short time, this is not our permanent home. We need not to care for the pleasures here but be servants to the most High King; preparing for our place of permanent stay.