A Glass Of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water.

She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. 

He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said, "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Year's later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. 

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

 After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested from the business office to pass the final billing to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. 

She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. 

 She read these words:

"PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK....

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly."

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love is shed abroad through human hearts and hands."

~Author Unknown~

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Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin

This is one I can honestly say I have never seen circulating in the e-mails so; I'll start it, if it touches you and you want to forward it.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this.... The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side. Was that important?  Absolutely!     Is it really significant?  Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant,  and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating,  and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.. Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard,  and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table.. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant,  "I'm finished.." But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate,  the servant would not dare touch the table, because.......... The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

Vision

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 would 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.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. 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.  Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak. I

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 I  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.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

Your Cross

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,

There will always be sunshine after the rain.

Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall,

But God’s always ready to answer your call.

He knows every heartache, sees every tear,

A word from His lips can calm every fear.

Your sorrows may linger throughout the night,

But suddenly vanish at dawn‘s early light.

The Savior is waiting somewhere above

To give you His grace and send you His love.

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,

God always sends rainbows after the rain.

—-Andrew Chase

The Land Of Hope

Today's Scripture

"I've pitched my tent in the Land of Hope" (Acts 2:26 Message).

Today's Word

Where have you pitched your tent today? What are you expecting to happen in your life? What kind of attitude do you have? If you're focused on what's wrong, or what's not working, it's time to dig up your tent stakes! It's time to pack up your belongings and move out of the land of discouragement. Move out of the "Not-going-to-happen" sub-division. Move out of "Can't-do-it-ville." It's time to leave "Self-pity Estates." Get out of those areas and move into the land of hope, faith, and expectation. Maybe you don't quite know how to get there, but now's the time to start looking for that new place. Open your heart to the Lord and ask Him to direct your thoughts and expectations. The Bible says that those who hope in the Lord will never be put to shame. You can trust God to order your steps. You can trust Him to move you from the land of disappointment to the land of hope today!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, thank You for ordering and directing my steps. Thank You for taking me to the land of hope! I release all my past hurts and disappointments to You today and ask that You fill me with Your faith and expectancy for a bright future! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A Lover's Prayer

Father, I ask you to forgive me for my lack of patience and for being self-centered and always thinking about myself and what I want and wanting to be comfortable all the time instead of trying to be a help to other people. Most of all, I pray that you'll help me to always be gentle and good and understanding with this woman who's chose to live her life with me. She loves me with all her heart, with a love that's innocent and trusting and unselfish. You've had your hand on our lives since the day we met. We'd both been hurt a lot and neither one of us was ready to open our hearts again. But there was something wonderful about that moment almost like the world had conspired to place an emphasis on our meeting when we came together that day. I realized immediately how much she was. There was this bright burning knowing in her eyes that cut right through her shyness and it was weird how we trusted each other right from the start. Whatever kind of carpet there was in that room caused an electric shock when our hands touched and we both laughed and it all got started in a relaxed and easy going way. And you brought us along and brought us through everything that could have wrecked us along the way. Every time I look at her I see the little girl who believes the world's a good place, that everybody's got good in them, and that darkness is just a place that the light hasn't got to yet. Father, help me to trust you the way she trusts you. I want to have that kind of faith. No matter how bad things look, she believes if she does her best and tries hard enough, everything will turn out all right. Forgive me for being in such hurry all the time and being worried. But there really isn't any reason for it. I think some times I look for the worst in people, trying to find something wrong with them so I can feel better about me. She's always looking for the good in people and the funny thing is, she always seems to find it. Help me to be as gentle and thoughtful and kind as she is and to not always be making everything about me, to not always be trying to get everything the way I want it all the time. She's the one that's taught me about kindness. And when I do remember to give a little bit of it back to her, when I remember to be thoughtful, she's so grateful that tears come to her eyes and she touches my face with her hand and I've never seen love like that. I'll never understand why she loves me the way she does. Of all the gifts You've given me, that's the greatest gift of all. Help me to comfort her when she troubled and to some how make her realize how beautiful and wonderful she really is. I don't deserve her, but Lord how I love her. Help me to be good to her. Amen

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!