Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Changed Life

Luke 5:13-14
(The Message)

13 Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.
14-16 Jesus instructed him, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done."


I talk to a lot of people who are looking for change to happen to them when in reality change happens because we sought it.  I understand that Jesus is the One that changes us but first we have to allow Him access to our lives.  When we come to a place where our life speaks more volumes than our lips, we are close to where Jesus wants us. "Your life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done." The weakness in many peoples lives is that they want the impact without the commitment. This cannot happen. In the Kingdom of God, change happens when we grant Jesus Christ access.

Measure not men by Sundays, without regarding what they do all the week after." -Thomas Fuller


Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Ultimate Donation


There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She
hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

What does this mean?
This is such an accurate picture of how we treat God. He gave so much to us. As this boyfriend gave his eyes, so God gave His Son. Grace sustains us and when we are going through our storms and we welcome that. But when things settle and I have a chance to trust Him without a storm, we shelve Him. This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. We are quick to forget where we came from. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations. Life Is a Gift and the gift is Jesus.

Think about this:
-Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
-Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
-Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
-Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
-Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
-And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

Just thinking out loud.
Tony