MEM

Matt 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

It is easy to say one thing and do another. It is easy to make a commitment and fail to keep it. It may be easy but is it right?

Good intentions are not just good enough. Thinking that burying your talent is a good thing will not be received well by the coming Judge. We may not feel highly gifted but we can all let our light shine. Despite any shortcomings we can make a difference.

Ordinary or not each is called to make a difference therefore seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.

January 5, 2014 by robingilman

Not Weary in Well Doing

Thoughts from a homeschooling mom of ten (Robin Gilman)

One person can make a difference.

Take Noah for example. Reading about Noah encourages me to no end! Sometimes if I feel overwhelmed at the state of things today, I read about Noah’s day, when concerning the wickedness of mankind, God said, "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5).

But in the midst of this where "the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence" (Gen. 6:11), Noah "was a righteous man, blameless in his generation" (Gen. 6:9). And so he made a difference. He obeyed God, built an enormous ark, and God used this one man to save mankind and animals from utter destruction.

Even if the whole world is wicked, violent, and corrupt, I don’t have to be. I can make a difference.

Oskar Schindler, a business man, saved 1000 Jewish people from death. One man…and not a terribly noble one to begin with.

The mother of the famous Ten Boom family was always serving people and making a difference. Even after she suffered paralysis and could only say "yes" or "no", she would have her family ask her "yes" or "no" questions, and in this way get them to send a birthday greeting to this one or an encouraging message to that one. She brought joy to people even in her paralyzed state.

One doesn’t have to have amazing abilities to make a difference. A loving, caring heart is enough.

Several of our friends have made a difference in their places of work, simply by being a kind and loving ear, being ready to share the hope that they have in God. Lives have been totally transformed by these "normal" individuals in an average work environment.

I love the story Corrie Ten Boom tells in chapter 31 of "Tramp for the Lord", where she recounts visiting an elderly lady in communist Russia many years ago. This lady’s body was "bent and twisted almost beyond recognition by the dread disease of multiple sclerosis" and was unable to move off the sofa. Each day her husband would feed her and prop her up with cushions, bring her a typewriter, and she would type with the one finger that worked on her gnarled and deformed hand. She would type with her one finger, translating portions of the Bible and Christian literature into Russian, Latvian, and Lithuanian. When Corrie was in anguish that God hadn’t healed this woman, her husband explained that every other Christian in the city was watched by the secret police, but because of her extreme deformity, she was left alone and therefore able to do this. She worked on this right until she died.

One person making a difference with what she had…one finger. And a heart of love for God and others.

A mom can make a difference. Giving her children a solid, loving foundation, teaching them truth, training them in the way that they should go…I have seen that a normal mom like myself can make a difference. So can a dad. So can a boss. Or an employee. Or….

One person…each person…YOU can make a difference.

So…let’s do it. :)

Matt 25:31 " When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Matt 25:32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

Matt 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

2Cor 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Let us, each, make a difference - Amen

Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.

Proverbs 3:30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.

Proverbs 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

Proverbs 25:28 Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit.

Proverbs 31:13 She looks for wool and flax, And works with her hands in delight.

Be a Delight

Jim O’Brien

Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners…

"The surest way of arriving at a knowledge of God’s eternal purposes about us is to be found in the right use of the present moment." F. W. Faber

How does one make a difference in life? By the right use of our time, every moment, in everything.

Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

1Cor 14:26 … Let all things be done for edification.

1Cor 14:40 …let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.

Eph 5:20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Exert from ‘One Year Christian History’ E. Michael and Sharon Rusten October 24

Robert Nassau was the fruit of the life of Archibald Alexander. The death of Alexander was used by God to bring new life to Nassau, who in turn passed it on to hundreds in West Africa.

Matt 5:15 NLT Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.

Matt 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

1Cor 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

1Pet 4:16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.

Do you divide believers into those who perform ministry and those who do not? The Scriptural illustration is for the church to be a body in which everyone plays a part. The body benefits from that which every joint supplies. Yet at the same time every part of the body draws its very life and energy from the body as a whole. You should take pleasure in fulfilling the unique calling The Creator assigned you according to the gifts He has given you. At the same time be aware that those who give also need to receive. Those who minister should walk in the grace and humility to know that they need ministry themselves and the more visible their ministry the more important that they know it.

(Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap)

Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell. ...... . Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas’ porridge cold, peas’ porridge in the pot nine days old. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would Sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive... So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

1. 

When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

2. 

The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger… The chef's claim was approved.

3. 

After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

4. 

An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

5. 

A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. (If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?)

6. 

Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

7. 

As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

8. 

The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast... The frustrated gunman walked away.

9. 

When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street by sucking on a hose, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had and the perp had been punished enough!

Ps 26:12 My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the LORD.

Ps 40:9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest.

Ps 40:10 I have not hidden Thy righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation.

Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…)