Could be used as an introduction to the question – Who is Jesus? Includes street interviews in the UK.
All posts by SandyM
A Prince Who Wanted To Find A Wife
Soren Kiekegard, the great Danish theologian of another century tells a story of a prince who wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But he had a problem. How would he seek her hand?
He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved, into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.
Humility Is …
Humility is not minimising your gifts and abilities. Humility is knowing what God wants and going for it for all you’re worth, and admitting your weaknesses, failures, mistakes along the way.
Graham Cray, Soul Survivor 2002
Smart
Since the beginning of time, man has thought he was smart enough to know everything about this world. Whether it was the shape of the earth or how computers would affect our lives, man always develops a theory. We just seem to be consistently wrong.
While knowledge is a noble pursuit, Proverbs reminds us to trust in God wholeheartedly rather than rely on our own understanding. As theories come and go over time, we can find comfort in knowing the God who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Video from Igniter Media a high quality edition is available from www.ignitermedia.com
Hope Shines Brightest
Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest. Hope motivates when discouragement comes. Hope energizes when the body is tired. Hope sweetens while bitterness bites. Hope sings when all melodies are gone. Hope believes when evidence is eliminated. Hope listens for answers when no one is talking. Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping. Hope endures hardship when no on is caring. Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing. Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking. Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging. Hope dares to give when no one is sharing. Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.”
John Maxwell from Think on These Things. Quoted from net153.com Email list
Desmond Tutu
In 2001 an interviewer asked Desmond Tutu – “How do you remain optimistic in the light of all the problems in South Africa?”.
Desmond Tutu replied – “I am not an optimist, I have hope, I think that is far better.”
Trevor Pearce – Community Transformation Consultation Swanwick Nov 2002
The Seed
A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, ‘It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. ‘The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued.’ I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – One very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO’
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew . Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by–still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room.
When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful–in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!”
Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; They were dead – It was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!”
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
So, be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap later.
The Holy Spirit’s Presence
“A Christian may not always be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s presence, but he would not even be a Christian in his absence.”
John Blanchard
To Be Filled With The Spirit
“To be filled with the Spirit is to have the Spirit fulfilling in us all that God intended him to do when He placed him there.”
Lewis Sperry Chafer
Character
“The fruit of the Spirit is not excitement or orthodoxy: it is character.”
G B Duncan
Birthright
“The Christian’s birthright is the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Lionel Fletcher
Before And After
“Before Pentecost the disciples found it hard to do easy things; after Pentecost they found it easy to do hard things.”
A J Gordon
Engagement Ring
“The Holy Spirit is the heavenly Lover’s engagement ring given to us.”
Michael Green
Textbook of Pharmacology
“If it were possible to put the Holy Spirit into a textbook of pharmacology I would put him under the stimulants, for that is where He belongs.”
D Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Proper Understanding
“Proper understanding of the Scriptures comes only through the Holy Spirit.”
Martin Luther
Men’s Circumstances
“The Holy Spirit loves so to arrange men’s circumstances that they are brought within the sphere of God’s influence.”
Maurice A P Wood
The poet William Blake wrote a poem about Pentecost. Part of the poem says:
Unless the eye catch fire, God will not be seen.
Unless the ear catch fire, God will not be heard.
Unless the tongue catch fire, God will not be named.
Unless the Heart catch fire, God will not be loved.
Unless the mind catch fire, God will not be known.
The Greatest Reward
There is an old story about the Greek Marathon. Muscular, conditioned runners paced nervously near the starting line for the long-distance race. The time was near. They “shook out” their muscles, inhaled deeply, and put on their “game faces.”
In the midst of it all, a young stranger took his place at the starting line. His physique was awesome. Taking no notice of the other contestants, he stared straight ahead. Two prizes would be awarded the winner of the Marathon: a magnificent bouquet of flowers and the honor of standing beside the king until the conclusion of other contests.
There seemed to be no question among the runners about who would win the prize. It is alleged that the stranger was offered money not to run. Someone else attempted to bribe him with property. Refusing the offers, he toed the mark and awaited the signal to run. When the signal was given, he was the first away. At the finish line, he was the first to cross, well ahead of the rest.
When it was all done, someone asked the young man if he thought the flowers were worth as much as the money and property he had refused. He replied, “I did not enter the race for the flowers. I ran so that I could stand beside my king!”
Those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ are “running the race” (I Cor. 9:24-25). It is a race that has a prize for those who finish (notice, not those who finish first, but all who finish). This prize, according to Paul, is an “imperishable crown.” The rewards for those who enter heaven are described in scripture with a lot of terms — “many mansions”, “streets of gold”, “tree of life”, and the list goes on and on. All of those things are attractive. That’s why God tells us about them.
But I would be willing to give up all the streets of gold and settle for a small corner of a shack as long as I can know the reward of being able to stand beside my King. That’s what I look forward to more than anything else. It is the one thing that will make heaven the wonderful reward that it will be.
“…The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” (Rev. 22:3)
Run the race with diligence. Your King is watching and waits for you at the finish line!
Alan Smith – Quoted from CCECstorylist: www.injesus.com/index.php
The Miser
Old man Fielding, the miser, at last went to his reward and presented himself at the Pearly Gates.
St. Peter greeted him with appropriate solemnity and escorted him to his new abode.
Walking past numerous elegant mansions finally they arrived at a dilapidated shack at the end of the street.
Fielding, much taken aback, began, “Why am I left with a rundown shack when all of these others have fine mansions?”
“Well, sir,” replied St. Peter, “we did the best we could with the money you sent us.”
Quoted from www.cybersaltlists.org email lists
World’s Largest Donation Viewed As Path To Heaven
In June of 2006, Warren Buffet, the world’s second-richest man at the time, announced that he would donate 85 percent of his $44 billion fortune to five charitable foundations.
Commenting on this extreme level of generosity, Buffet said: “There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way.”
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/business/main1753895.shtml