|
|
|
|
||
 |
firstIMPRESSIONS
“I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the boy’s reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get a half dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she then purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, “No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?” As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words: “Are you God’s wife?” Neither you nor I are “God’s wife.” But, we are indeed His children. Matthew 25:40 tells us “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” How do those around you see you today? Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 7.03. Live for God, on purpose, for we are the only Jesus that many people will ever see! |
|
|
|
 If My People... Part 3
I have never liked “church gimmicks.” What’s a church gimmick? It’s something that many pastors have done to build up the attendance at their church. You’ve heard about them. One pastor promises to preach from atop the church roof if attendance will surpass a certain number. Another pastor promises a special gift to each person attending on a certain day. Contests to “pack a pew.” And the list goes on and on. These things may be done with the best of intentions, but they always miss the mark. They attempt to build involvement in something quite valid and valuable for all the wrong reasons. It has been said many times that the worst attended of all church services is the prayer meeting. Why would this be true? Why would the opportunity to people to gather together to communicate with the Creator of the universe be so weakly attended? I can think of only one reason. People question whether the prayer time will do any good at all – whether any real difference is made in prayer. Perhaps why some people question the results of prayer is that they haven’t felt the need or the invitation to pray. Two weeks ago, we spoke of the “Call to Effective Prayer.” Perhaps others don’t pray because they’ve not understood that there are “Conditions of Effective Prayer” that must be met, as we discussed last week. As we conclude our three part series, “If My People...” this Sunday, our desire is to encourage you that we need no “gimmicks” nor special offers to entice you to pray – because our God surely does answer our prayers! Be sure to join us the Lord’s Day for the conclusion to our series, “The Consequences of Effective Prayer.” Don’t miss it! (top)  Living Your Life Without Sin
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?” The father answered, “No, honey, 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. (top)  Leaving the City of Regret
I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet, I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant and I knew in advance that no real good would come of it. I’m talking about my annual “Guilt Trip”. I got tickets to fly there on “WISHIHAD” airlines. It was an extremely short flight. I got my baggage, which, I could not check. I chose to carry it myself all the way. It was weighted down with a thousand memories of what might have been. No one greeted me as I entered the terminal to the Regret City International Airport. I say international because people from all over the world come to this dismal town. As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they would be hosting the year’s most important event, the Annual Pity Party. I wasn’t going to miss that great social occasion. Many of the towns leading citizens would be there. First, there would be the Done family, you know, Should Have, Would Have and Could Have. Then came the I Had family. You probably know ol’ Wish and his clan. Of course, the Opportunities would be present, Missed and Lost. The biggest family would be the Yesterday’s. There are far too many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad story to share. Then Shattered Dreams would surely make an appearance. And It’s Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how things had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly applauded by Don’t Blame Me and I Couldn’t Help It. Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing party knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing so. And, as usual, I became very depressed. But as I thought about all of the stories of failures brought back from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and subsequent “pity party” could be canceled by ME! I started to realize that I did not have to be there. I didn’t have to be depressed. One thing kept going through my mind, “I can’t change yesterday, but I do have the power to make today a wonderful day”. I can be happy, joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as encouraging. Knowing this, I left the city of Regret immediately and left no forwarding address. Am I sorry for the mistakes I’ve made in the past? YES! But there is no physical way to undo them. So, if you are planning a trip to the city of Regret, please cancel all your reservations now. Instead, take a trip to a place called Starting Again. I liked it so much that I have now taken up permanent residence there. My neighbors, the I Forgive Myself and the New Starts are so very helpful. By the way, you don’t have to carry around heavy baggage, because the load is lifted from your shoulders upon arrival. You too, can find this new town, just ask the Lord to show you the way. Now I live on ICANDOIT street. (top)  Worship from the Heart
by Alan Smith A little boy asked his father what was the highest number he had ever counted. Replying that he didn’t know, the father asked his son his highest number. It was 973. “Why did you stop there?” wondered the father. “Because church was over.” I suspect that you have probably sat through worship services where your mind was focused on something just as trivial rather than on God. It’s easy to let the mind wander. “I can’t wait to see the ball game this afternoon.” “I wonder what we’re having for lunch.” “I’ve never noticed before that the carpet down there is starting to unravel a bit.” Is it any wonder that we so often leave the worship assembly with the feeling that it wasn’t very meaningful? Worship should be a time when we are confronted with the majesty and glory of God. As we reflect on God’s power, we realize how much we need Him in our times of weakness. As we reflect on God’s wisdom, we realize how much we need Him in our times of indecision. As we reflect on God’s holiness, we are made aware of our own sinfulness and the need for forgiveness. As we reflect on God’s love, we realize the effort God has gone to to make that forgiveness available. It’s not a ritual we go through every week. It is an opportunity to express our praise to the One who means more to us than all the earth. As we truly worship and praise God from the heart, we become more aware of how much we want to live close to Him. We leave with the challenge to “be holy as He is holy.” “For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:4-9) This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com (top)  Ob Portu
by Richard Innes “Behold, now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2 “Opportunity,” James Wallace said, “comes to pass – not to pause.” I have read that in the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for the flood tide to make it into port. The term for this in Latin was called ob portu. That is, a ship wanting to enter port had to wait for the moment when the tide was exactly right to carry it to harbor. The captain and the crew waited for the precise moment when the tide was right because they knew if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in. Shakespeare used this idea to write one of his famous passages: There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our venture. The English word “opportunity” is derived from the term, ob portu. God gives every one of us many ob portus or flood tides. That is, he gives us many opportunities to serve him, to dedicate our lives more fully to him, to grow and become more like him, and to make something beautiful out of our life for time and eternity. These opportunities rarely come gift wrapped, tied with a bow and ribbon. They come in much more subtle ways. And best of all he gives each of us the opportunity to accept him as our personal Lord and Savior, to have our sins forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. As God’s Word says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation.” For help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian – Without having to be religious” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9 Remember, “Opportunity comes to pass – not to pause.” So whatever it is God is calling you to be or do, don’t miss your ob portu. “Dear God, help me to recognize the opportunities that come every day for me to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. And, no matter how you call, when you have something special for me to do, help me to hear and obey that call no matter how quiet or subtle it may be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.” © Copyright 2007 ACTS International. Visit them online at http://www.actsweb.org (top)  The Bible In 50 Words
God made (top)  Let’s Do Golf
One man came out of his house on his way to church on Sunday morning just as his neighbor came out with his golf clubs. The golfer said, “Henry, come out and play golf with me today.” Henry, with an expression of self-righteous horror on his face replied, “This is the Lord’s Day and I go to church. Certainly I wouldn’t play golf.” After a moment’s embarrassed silence the golfer quietly said, “You know, Henry, I have often wondered about your church, and I admire your faithfulness. You know also, however, that this is the seventh time I have invited you to play golf with me – and you have never invited me to go to church with you.” (top)  The Last Impression...
Sister Mary, who worked for a home health agency, was out making her rounds visiting homebound patients when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it, a gas station was just a block away. She walked to the station to borrow a gas can and buy some gas. The attendant told her that the only gas can he owned had been lent out, but she could wait until it was returned. Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to wait and walked back to her car. She looked for something in her car that she could fill with gas and spotted the bedpan she was taking to the patient Always resourceful, she carried the bedpan to the station, filled it with gas, and carried the full bedpan back to her car. As she was pouring the gas into her tank, two men watched from across the street. One of them turned to the other and said, “If it starts, I’m turning Catholic.” Don’t run out of gas on your way to church this week! It’s going to be a great Sunday here at WFA! I am expecting God to touch each and every one of us in a very special way as we worship Him in Spirit and in truth! Hope to see you here! |
|
||
|
|
Yours for HIM, |
|
|
|
According to an old story, it was a cold December day in New York City. A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on Broadway wearing exceptionally old, dirty shoes, peering through the window, shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, “My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?”
