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The Main Job

Our text for today is Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Before I read, let me explain what I am going to read. There are two commands. The first is to all folks. The second is to those who hold the most important job on earth. It is not the job of a king or a president. It is not the job of a teacher or a doctor. It is a job of a Godly mom or dad. 

The first verse we read is to all of us. 

[5] Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 

This is the greatest command.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. But the greatest job is found in the next four verses. It gives instructions to mothers and fathers.

[6] These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. [7] Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [8] Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. [9] Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

So the greatest job is to see that our children know about God. Nothing is more important. Remember these words from Deuteronomy 6. 

I will close with reading a poem that reminds us of why. It is called “The Bridge Builder.”

An old man going a lone highway, 

Came in the evening, cold and gray, 

To a chasm vast, both deep and wide, 

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The swollen stream was as naught to him;

But he stopped when safe on the farther side, 

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting your strength in labor here;

Your journey will end with the closing day,

You never again will pass this way.

You’ve crossed the chasm deep and wide

Why build you this bridge at eventide?”

The laborer lifted his old gray head,

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm which has been naught to me

To that young man may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim.

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.”

Miss Will Allen Dromgoole

Remember to help build a bridge for your children. Build is so they will have an easier path to God. 

Lonnie Davis

I call this writing, “Religion for Losers”

 The title of this article is a description of Christianity by billionaire Ted Turner.

In the end of his life, he changed his view. He said that he regrets his fifty years of negativism toward Christianity. He apologized and said Christianity is a positive influence. 

Why he turned against Christianity a lifetime ago is a sad story. When he was 15, his 12-year-old sister developed terminal lupus. He prayed for her for one hour every day for most of five years. Over those five years he saw her in pain and finally her death. His conclusion was that God her and so he quit God.

His is not an unusual story. We see it all the time. Someone prays for a heartfelt, specific outcome and God does not grant it. The praying person becomes frustrated with God and quits Him.

 The quitting does not always manifest itself in a “religion for losers” mentality or an “I’ll never go to church again” attitude. Sometimes the quitter just quietly quits worshipping or maybe continues to frequent services, but settles into a duty bound, joyless religion.

There is such a thing as “religion for losers,” but it is not true Christianity. Religion for losers is a religion that does not feel the joy or power of God. Religion for losers often worships but counts the minutes until it is over. Religion for losers does not lead us to our knees in prayer.

When those with true faith pray, they do not always get what they ask for in exactly the way they asked. God is not a genie in a bottle and prayer is not like rubbing the lamp.

True faith knows that the Father knows best and is willing to leave it with him. True religion knows that when life tumbles in, when our hearts break, and when struggles surround us, God is faithful. (1 Cor 1:9)  

You may not always understand Him, but God is always faithful.

Lonnie Davis

Our reading today is from Malachi 3:10-11

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you   such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

How to we learn to trust like this?

The Bible tells us about Abraham, who went to a place where God called him to go, even though he didn’t know where he was going. This has led some people to believe that we should always trust God, even when we don’t know what’s going to happen.

However, I think we get this wrong. Abraham’s faith was amazing, but God doesn’t ask us to leap into the dark. When the Israelites fled from the Pharaoh, he pursued them. Israel escaped to the Red Sea and the Pharaoh chased them there.

When Israel was safely on the other side of the Red Sea, an amazing thing happened. The water that had parted for God’s people came back and drowned the Egyptian army. Standing on the other side, the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians that washed up on the shore. 

Moses tells us, “When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.”

Did you catch that? When they saw with their eyes, their faith grew. It is good to grow from experiencing God. This is not the only time this happened. Gideon asked God to show him evidence of His power. Moses struggled with faith even after seeing a powerful sign from God.

God calls on us to test Him. As our text for today said, “‘Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'”

God knows we are made of clay. God knows we have weaknesses. He does not blast us for our weakness, but “leads us beside the still waters.” Our problem is not that we have tested God and found him to fail. Our problem is that we do not test Him at all. Learn to lean on Him. He is the only leaning post that will never fail you.

Lonnie Davis

Our text for today is John 9:1-3, 6-7

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

The story of the blind beggar teaches us three important life lessons:

1.      God helps us with what we need, not just what we ask. 
The blind beggar never asked for anything more than a few coins. He was born blind and begging was his life. God worked behind the scenes to heal him, even though he did not ask. This is a reminder that God knows our needs even before we ask, and that He is always working to help us.

1. God can help in the most hopeless circumstances. 
   The beggar had been blind since birth. He had never known what it was like to see. He had lived his entire life in darkness. He was poor and had no means of support. He was forced to beg to survive. Despite all these challenges, Jesus healed the beggar. This is a reminder that God is not limited by our circumstances. He can help us no matter how hopeless our situation may seem.
2. Jesus meets our needs in ways we do not expect. When Jesus healed the beggar, he did not use expensive medicine or surgery. He simply made some mud with his spit and put it on the beggar’s eyes. This is a reminder that God can help us in ways we do not expect. We should never assume that we know how God will help us. We should simply trust Him and obey His commands.

We may not be blind beggars on the side of the road, but God is still ready to help us with what we need. Just as the blind beggar was ready to receive Jesus’ gift of sight, we should be ready to receive the gifts that God has for us.

Lonnie Davis

Our Text for today is Psalms 2:1-4: It reads:

“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.”

In this passage, David asks a question that has been on the minds of people throughout history: “Why do the nations rage against God?”

The answer, of course, is that they do not know God. They do not understand his power or his love. They see him as a threat to their own power and control.

But David reminds us that God is in control. He is the one who sits in the heavens and laughs at the nations’ attempts to overthrow him. He is the one who will have the last laugh.

This is a good reminder for us in a time when our nation is facing so much turmoil. It is easy to get caught up in the anger and frustration of the moment. But we must remember that God is in control. 

What does this passage mean for us today?

• It reminds us that God is in control, even when the world seems to be falling apart.
• It encourages us to trust in God, even when we are afraid.
• It gives us hope for the future, knowing that God will ultimately triumph over evil.

How can we apply this passage to our lives?

In this way – Don’t be afraid. God is in control.

Do you about Joseph in the Bible? Not not the one who served in Egypt and saved his family from famine. The one who is most overlooked. The Joseph who was the earthly father of Jesus.

We know about Mary and even his brothers, but Joseph rarely gets mentioned in the story of Jesus. He must have been a great man because when God decided to pick someone to be an earthly father to his only begotten son, he picked Joseph.

I want to share with you a little of his story and then point out one special way that he was great.

Matthew 1:18-19

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

It is not a long reading, but it shows the special character of Joseph. Think about it. Joseph loved this special girl, Mary, but discovered that she was already with Child. What was he going to do? He could have exposed her behavior, but that is not what he did. He decided to quietly end the relationship. 

Why is that noble? To “secretly” end the relationship certainly exposed him to gossip. To secretly put her away meant that he was not going to tell everyone his side of the story. He would just leave.

We know how the story ended. Joseph stayed with Mary and obeyed God.

I wish I knew a whole book worth of information about this amazing man, but what I do know is that he is truly a great man.

If Joseph can follow God’s lead under very challenging circumstances, surely we can too.

Lonnie Davis

Our Text for today is

Genesis 3:1-6

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 

³ “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 

⁵ “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

From this great text, I would call your attention to the three great challenges of the serpent. He basically had three great questions for Eve. 

1.    First, he asked, “Do you know what God said?”

2.   Then he asked, “Do you believe what God said?”

3.   Finally, he challenged, “Wouldn’t you rather be your own God?”

Unless you read between the lines, you will not see these questions. Look closer.

In verses 1-2, he asked, “Has God indeed said?” His first question was about whether she knew God’s word. 

In verse 4, the serpent says that God is lying. “You shall not surely die.” 

In verse 5, the serpents tells Eve, “You will be like God.” He is really saying, “Eve, you don’t have to obey God. Ignore God’s teaching and decide for yourself.”

Satan’s strategy hasn’t really changed. He still challenges people. Do you know what God said? Do you believe what God said? Wouldn’t you rather just do whatever you want to do?

Unless you can answer these questions correctly, then you are in the same place as Eve. The devil tricked her. Don’t let him trick you.

Lonnie Davis

A writer once proclaimed, “Songs shape minds, laws matter less.” Might this claim seem exaggerated? Not in my view. Repeated songs mold thoughts and beliefs. This truth resonates in our own society. 

The same is true of our worship songs. In college, I knew a boy who knew his church songbook so well, that I could say a number and he would tell me the song on that page. His songbook was called, “Songs of the Church.”

I think Jesus knew his worship songbook that well also. Today we know the name of his songbook. It is called, “The Book of Psalms.” 

Psalms is not merely a book in our Bible but was the songbook of worship among the Jews in the time of Christ. Over the next few days, we will briefly examine that songbook. We will begin with the first song in the songbook of Jesus, Psalms 1. It is only 6 verses long and reads as follows:

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
²But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

³He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

⁴The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Let me call to your attention three great teachings in that first song of worship.

The first thought in the first song tells the importance of choosing godly companions: The psalm begins by highlighting the blessedness of those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners. It emphasizes the significance of surrounding oneself with those who follow godly principles and avoiding the influence of those who are ungodly. This is one of the great teachings of Godly parents for their children. It is a teaching for the parents as well. Be careful who you pick as your friends.

Secondly, the song teaches the value of delighting in God’s Word: It says, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

Finally, we note that the idea of the entire song is to show the contrast between the righteous and the wicked: It describes the righteous as flourishing and prospering, while the wicked are described as chaff blown away by the wind. 

Psalms 1 can be summed up in a sentence this way, Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and prospers in righteousness.

Lonnie Davis

Suppose someone were to ask you to pick two verses to anchor your life around. What would you choose?

In the Bible, there are two verses that change everything. Without them there would be no Christians, no faith, and no hope.

These two verses are Genesis 1:1 and Matthew 28:6. 

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It tells about the beginning of everything, the sun, the moon, and the stars.  It introduces us to “God.” It also tells us about time itself, “In the beginning.” 

As much as people attack the stories of the Bible, this verse is the one they would most like to exclude. Since this verse is true then nothing else is impossible. If God created the heavens and the earth, why would you doubt that he can heal a blind man or even cause a dead man to get up from the grave? Genesis 1:1 is only 10 words, but it is the foundation for every other miracle in the Bible.

The second verse, Matthew 28:6, tells us about the fundamental belief in Christianity. When the disciples came hunting for the dead body of Jesus, the angel told them, “He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.”

The angel could not show them the dead body. All they could do was show them the place where the body had laid. The enemies of Christ would have loved nothing better than to stop this new faith before it began. It would have been easy. All they needed to do was to show the followers, not the place where the body was, but rather the body itself. The fact that Christianity grew from here, tells us they could not show the body. They could not because Jesus was no longer dead.

On these two verses hangs all the reason for God and Christianity. This little note is too short to cover everything in these verses, but they would be a great starting point for your own study.

Lonnie Davis.

Here is something a little different. It is a list of sorts. I call these the “Five Rules for Time.” Each of us begins our day with a decision to make on how to use our time. So that you might be better able to make this decision, here are the five rules for time.

#1: “There is a cumulative value to investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.” One cannot pray for ten hours in one day and have the same effect as if one were to pray for thirty minutes a day for twenty days. Important activities must be done in small pieces over a long period of time.

#2: “There is a cumulative effect to neglecting important things over a long period of time.” An important activity neglected will always impact negatively your life. It may take time to show, but it will always damage your life. 

#3: “There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of time in any arena of life.” When you skip something important, the impact will not be felt immediately. That is the reason we skip it! Of course, the effect shows up later.

#4: “There is no cumulative value to the things we allow to interfere with what is most important.” For example, when you decide not to study the Bible daily and look back on the time you gained by neglecting to study, there will be nothing significant gained.

#5: “In the critical areas of life, you cannot make up for lost time.” Farmers know that you cannot go into the field and put in long days of planting the week before the harvest. If you did not plant in the due season, then it is gone. Plant in due season and reap in due season. You cannot make up for lost time and neglected opportunities.

Paul urges, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as  unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).

~Lonnie Davis

All people have struggles. All people have fears. All people have regrets. There are no exceptions. Your attitude is not about how smooth the seas are, but about who is piloting your ship.

One of my favorite advertisements was by Nationwide Insurance. One of their commercials had a theme “Life comes at your fast.” In one of those commercials, a guy parks his beautiful new car. Within seconds someone backs into it, paint is spilled on it, lightning strikes a tree near it and part of the tree falls on the car. “Life comes at your fast,” they said.  Things go wrong – for someone. Life is not about circumstances it is about what you do with those circumstances.

 One poet put it this way:

 I was regretting the past and fearing the future
Suddenly my Lord was speaking.
“My name is I Am” He paused.
I waited. He continued.
“When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets,
It is hard – I am not there.
My name is not “I Was.”

“When you live in the future, with its problems and fears.,
It is hard – I am not there.
“My name is not ‘I Will Be.’”

When you live in this moment, it is not hard,
I am here – My name is ‘I Am.’”

‘The circumstances of life come and go, but we must learn to live above the circumstances. Learning this skill may take a long time, but in the end, it is the only way we can have peace and joy.

One more thing. The difference between David the giant killer and the cowering soldier around him, was that David saw the giant through the eyes of God. The soldier could only see the giant.

David lived above his circumstances.

 Lonnie Davis

Our text for today is:

Proverbs 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Over the years many Christians have debated this truth. However, It is a proverb and not a law. We ARE given free choice by God and so a person can choose to turn their life around, but there is a strong pull towards one’s upbringing. This is explained in an amazing poem by Dorothy Nolte called, 

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. 

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. 

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. 

If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. 

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. 

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. 

If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate. 

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. 

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith. 

If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. 

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, 

he learns to find love in the world.

This is a truth all experienced parents should know.

Lonnie Davis

Life is filled with necessary but hard decisions. 

Should I change jobs? 
Should I get married? 
Should I get a divorce?
 Should I drop my friend? 

 There seems to be more questions than there are answers.

As you ponder your own questions that need answers, I would call your attention to Exodus chapters 3 and 4.

These chapters tell the story of Moses and the burning bush. Israel was suffering as slaves in Egypt. God decided to deliver them. He spoke to Moses from a burning bush and told him exactly what to do. Moses listened. doubted, and made excuses. He had excuses but from the burning bush, but God had answers, assurances, and direction.

Wouldn’t you love to find your own burning bush? A wonderful source for answers to all your questions. If only we could talk to a burning bush then we would know what we should do.

Really?

Moses tried not to listen to God from the burning bush. I think that most folks would respond just as Moses did. They too would make excuses rather than obey. I know this because I see it all around. Sometimes it is me who does not listen but hunts for an excuse.

For example:

· From His Word, God says we should live thankful lives. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18)

· He commands us to live faithful lives. “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Obviously, this list could be greatly expanded. The point of all of this is to encourage all who wish for a burning bush so you could hear what God wants you to do, ask yourself “Are you even listening?” 

We do have a burning bush. It is called the Word of God.

~Lonnie Davis

a

The Source of Help

Sometimes we don’t learn or even see the lesson for many years. Today’s thought is one of those lessons.

When I was in high school, I was presented with a puzzle. It was one of those where people were trying to cross a river with only one boat. It was a really good puzzle and I could not solve it. I, therefore, judged it unsolvable. 

All through college I challenged others with the puzzle. No one ever solved it. Later I was teaching 8th-grade school. To keep my class busy, I gave them the puzzle. Of course, I knew it was unsolvable, but wanted to challenge them to struggle with it. 

About 5 minutes into the puzzle, one little girl, said, “I’ve done it.” Of course, I knew she had not, but I let her come show me. She had no chance. She came to my desk to show me. Wow! She had solved it. 

I had prejudged her and decided that an 8^th-grade girl could never do this. 

The lesson I should have learned was that I should not prejudge. Sometimes answers come from unexpected sources. 

In 1 Samuel 17, the Bible demonstrated that principle. For 40 days, King Saul and all the Israelite warriors were tormented by a giant named Goliath. For 40 days, the Hebrews had lived fearfully. No one could get the victory for Israel. Finally, a teenage boy came forward and offered to fight the giant.

The mighty King Saul, told the teenager, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (v33).

Well, you know how that story ended. King Saul prejudged the youth but in the end, the youth delivered the solution by meeting and killing the giant.

King Saul almost lost the battle, because he prejudged the boy and was ready to reject the only one who could solve his problem.

I sometimes do that too, but we must not make Saul’s mistake. It is important to remember that help sometimes comes from unexpected places.

Lonnie Davis

It’s Saturday and I try to bring you something I didn’t write but wish I had. Today’s writing is by that famous “Unknown Author” and is called:

No Time to Pray

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn’t take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task,
“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me;
He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.

~ Unknown

Bible Study for Today – The Lord’s Prayer

One of the most familiar texts from the Bible are the words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:9-13. It is often called, “The Lord’s Prayer.”

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

In the 1950s, Texas’s children started their school day by reciting these words. Unfortunately, the children did not understand the meaning of the words they were reciting. Many of us still do not. For today’s Bible toolbox, let’s look at one great purpose of this verse.

These words are not intended to be a memorized form for prayer, but rather an example to teach us about prayer. Those who teach about prayer will often use this prayer example of Jesus to show want our prayer ought to cover. Notice these parts to a good prayer.

Prayer should:

1. Acknowledge God as our Father: The opening phrase of the prayer, “Our Father in heaven,” reminds us that God is not only our Creator but also our loving and caring Father.

2. Honor God: The phrase “hallowed be your name” acknowledges God’s holiness and reminds us of the need to honor and respect Him.

3. Pray for God’s will to be done: When we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are surrendering our will to God’s and asking Him to bring about His purposes in our lives and in the world.

4. Pray for our daily needs: The prayer includes the phrase “give us today our daily bread.”.

5. Confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.

6. Ask for God’s protection. The prayer includes the request “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” 

These lessons still provide insight and inspiration as we study and practice the blessing of prayer.

Lonnie Davis

The Great Request – Teach me to Pray

Think of all the things Peter, Andrew, James, and John might have asked Jesus. 

§  He was a great teacher. They might have asked him to teach them how to teach. 

§  He worked miracles. They might have asked him to show them how to work miracles. 

§  He was a great leader. They might have asked him for lessons in leadership.

On and on the list could go, but there is one thing they asked him to teach them. It is found in Luke 11:1

“When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.’”

Did you ever think about John the Baptizer teaching his disciples to pray? Probably not, but he certainly did. 

Did he have a special class where he gave pointers to his disciples? I don’t know, but what he did caused the disciples of Jesus to make a request to him for similar teaching. 

Of course, there was one other motivation for the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray – they heard his prayers and saw his prayer life.

I am so thankful that the disciples made this request. Prayer is a subject that needs to be taught. Prayer is also a subject that needs to be learned. 

Perhaps when we struggle with prayer, we are really struggling with not really understanding what prayer is or how to really pray.

For our own sake, each Christian should learn how to pray.

Lonnie Davis

I know I said, “Grandfather’s” toolbox instead of some other name, but that is because I am a grandfather, but whatever you are, – a grandmother, aunt, uncle, or just friend, we all need a toolbox of stories and lessons we collect to save for just the right moment. Those stories become our “words fitly spoken” that are “like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11). It becomes that wise story you can tell at just the right time.

We all need that toolbox, but how do we get them? The answer is that we collect them. We write them to ourselves. We store them for just the right time. Just the other day I told my son to write his stories down. I now say that to all of you. Write them down. One of the biggest lies that we tell ourselves is “I don’t need to write it down. I will remember.” Write down, not only your stories but also those you hear from others.

Each Wednesday, I will share one of mine for you to put into your toolbox. 

Today’s story is called “Doomed”

A bunch of really smart people got together in 1880 to predict the future, according to Jeff Stibel in his book Breakpoint. These experts were called on to predict how the rapidly growing New York City would manage into the next century and beyond.

The prognosis was not positive.

NYC was a major source of American innovation in 1880. Skyscrapers, subways, stock exchanges — and it was doubling in size every 10 years. The experts were concerned by this growth, because they projected that by 1980, you’d need six million horses to transport everyone who would live there.

Well, that is one little story I collected along the way. Why don’t you send me one of yours?

Lonnie Davis

Our Scripture study for today is Luke 12:39-40

It reads, “‘But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'”

The Spider and the Bug

Unknown Author

There was once a spider who lived in a cornfield. He was a big spider and he had spun a beautiful web between the corn stalks. He got fat eating all the bugs that would get caught in his web. He liked his home and planned to stay there for the rest of his life.

One day the spider caught a little bug in his web, and just as the spider was about to eat him, the bug said, “If you let me go I will tell you something important that will save your life.” The spider paused for a moment and listened because he was amused. “You better get out of this cornfield,” the little bug said, “The harvest is coming!”

The spider smiled and said, “What is this harvest you are talking about? I think you are just telling me a story.” But the little bug said, “Oh no, it is true. The owner of this field is coming to harvest it soon. All the stalks will be knocked down and the corn will be gathered up. You will be killed by the giant machines if you stay here.”

The spider said, “I don’t believe in harvests and giant machines that knock down corn stalks. How can you prove this?” The little bug continued, “Just look at the corn. See how it is planted in rows? It proves this field was created by an intelligent designer.”

The spider laughed and mockingly said, “This field has evolved and has nothing to do with a creator. Corn always grows that way.” The bug went on to explain, “Oh no. This field belongs to the owner who planted it, and the harvest is coming soon.” The spider grinned and said to the little bug, “I don’t believe you,” and then the spider ate the little bug for lunch.

A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told him. He thought to himself, “A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life and nothing has ever disturbed me. I have been here since these stalks were just a foot off the ground, and I’ll be here for the rest of my life, because nothing is ever going to change in this field. Life is good, and I have it made.”

The next day was a beautiful sunny day in the cornfield. The sky above was clear and there was no wind at all. That afternoon as the spider was about to take a nap, he noticed some thick dusty clouds moving toward him. He could hear the roar of a great engine and he said to himself, “I wonder what that could be?”

There were 5,000 men to feed. The disciples had no food and were at a loss about how to handle the big problem. 

Peter explained, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9)

Such a little amount seemed unimportant to the disciples. The feeling of the disciples is among us today. We look around and see the little that we have and think we are helpless. We have only a little talent. We only have a little money. We only have a little time. If only we had more we could do something.

God warned the Jews not to despise “the day of small things.” (Zechariah 4:10)  Small things sometimes make big differences.

There is a true story of a man who got up one morning and put on a new pair of shoes. On the way to work he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at the store to by a Band-Aid. The little stop made him late. It was the morning of September 11, 2001 and he worked at the World Trade Center. He is alive today because of a little thing.

In a circular called “Little Things” several more stories like this are revealed around September 11.

“The head of one company got in late that day because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow is alive because it was his turn to bring doughnuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One’s car wouldn’t start. One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.” All these people lived because of the effect of “little things.”

Little things make big differences. A little prayer time each day, a little time in the Word, a little giving, a little kindness, all these make you a great person. Everything starts with something little, but often ends in something big. With God’s help, the little boy and the five little loaves of barley bread and two little fish were able to feed 5,000 men plus women and children.

Do something little today. It will be huge tomorrow.

~Lonnie Davis

March 13, 2011