Counting The Nuts

Galatians 5:25-26 – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

There was as story recently in which some passengers on a major airline were complaining that the first-class passengers got more cashews in their snacks than rest of the folks.  Somebody sat there and counted how many nuts of each kind he had.  He didn’t think the mix of almonds, cashews, and other nuts was fairly divided.  I hate to break it to you, but if you’re counting your nuts, you might be nuts.  Happiness never comes from comparing your blessings to somebody else’s. That’s called envy, and it will rot your soul.  Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”  Maybe you don’t count nuts, but do you keep track of who has a nicer house or car than you?  Does it bother you when someone else gets a promotion at work?  Do you become jealous of friends having fun together and spending time together if you’re not there?  The Bible says love doesn’t keep a count of the bad things, but rejoices in the good things. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.” (1 Cor. 13:4) Instead of getting upset when someone has extra, why not be glad for them?  If you have to count something, count your blessings.  When you concentrate on what you have, instead of what you don’t, you’ll be surprised how much more joy you’ll find. The things that really count in life are how much we love God, and how much we love and serve others.  Everything else is just peanuts.

You Took My Place

One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!"

The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!"

The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out,

"What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place."

A Mouse, A Pig, A Cow, And A Snake

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

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"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

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Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.

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"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

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The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me... I cannot be bothered by it."

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The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

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The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

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The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

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The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

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So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

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That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap

catching its prey.

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The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

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The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

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But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

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The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

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The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

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So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

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Pancakes

Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard, and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.

He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk, and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor

which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and he didn't know how the stove worked!). Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor.

Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky. And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process.

That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky, we insult a friend, we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in

tears because we can't think of anything else to do.

That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets allover Him. But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes," for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried ...

~ Author Unknown ~

 

God's Scales

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.  She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.  John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."   John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.  Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list? Louise replied, "Yes  sir".   "O.K." he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever  your grocery  list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."  Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it.  She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.  The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.   The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."  The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.  The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.  It was not a grocery list; it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my Needs and I am leaving this in your hands". The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.  Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs. 

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Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 

1.  Free your heart from hatred. 

2.  Free your mind from worries. 

3.  Live simply. 

4.  Give more. 

5.  Expect less. 

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No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.   God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. 

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It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride. 

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We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give. 

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Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his place.  Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older. 

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We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.

Time

Imagine there’s a bank that credits your account every morning with 86,400 dollars. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? DRAW OUT ALL OF IT, of course!!! Each of us has such a bank. It’s name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of one year

Ask a student who has failed a

final exam.

To realize the value of a month:

Ask a mother who has given birth

to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly

newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour:

Ask the lovers who are waiting to

meet.

To realize the value of one minute:

Ask a person who has missed the

train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of one second:

Ask a person who has survived an

accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond:

Ask the person who has won a

silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special … special enough to spend your time.
And remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift — that is why it is called the PRESENT!

A Visit From The Pastor

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services I regularly, suddenly stopped coming to church. 

After a few weeks, the Pastor decided to visit.  The Pastor found the ·man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for the Pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The Pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. 

Alter some minutes, the Pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched this in silent contemplation as the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and lifeless. 

The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more   the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. 

I As the Pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

We live a world today which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes, the best sermons are the ones left unspoken