|
|
THE
"U" IN JESUS
Before U were thought of or time had begun, God even stuck U in the name of
His Son.
And each time U pray, you'll see it's true You can't spell out JesUs and not
include U.
You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name, For U, He was born; that's
why He came.
And His great love for U is the reason He died. It even takes U to spell
crUcified.
Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand He rose from the dead, with U in His
plan.
The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew, and this word resUrrection is
spelled with a U.
When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension, He felt there was one thing He
just had to mention.
Go into the world and tell them it's true That I love them all - Just like I
love U.
So many great people are spelled with a U, Don't they have a right to know
JesUs too?
It all depends now on what U will do, He'd like them to know
But it all starts with U.
--------------------------------------------
Heavens Grocery Store
As I was walking down life's
highway
many years ago
I came upon a sign that read
Heavens Grocery Store.
When I got a little closer
the doors swung open wide
And when I came to myself
I was standing inside.
I saw a host of angels.
They were standing everywhere
One handed me a basket
and said "My child shop with care."
Everything a human needed
was in that grocery store
And what you could not carry
you could come back for more
First I got some Patience.
Love was in that same row.
Further down was Understanding,
you need that everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom
and Faith a bag or two.
And Charity of course
I would need some of that too.
I couldn't miss the Holy Ghost
It was all over the place.
And then some Strength
and Courage to help me run this race.
My basket was getting full
but I remembered I needed Grace,
And t! hen I chose Salvation for
Salvation was for free
I tried to get enough of that to do
for you and me.
Then I started to the counter
to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything
to do the Masters will.
As I went up the aisle
I saw Prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside
I would run into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful,
the last things on the shelf.
Song and Praise were hanging near
so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel
"Now how much do I owe?"
He smiled and said
"Just take them everywhere you go."
Again I asked "Really now,
How much do I owe?"
"My child" he said, "God paid your bill
a long long time ago."
------------------------
The Baseball Game
Bob and the Lord stood by to
observe a baseball
game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team.
The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied
zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th
inning with two outs. They continued to watch
as a batter stepped up to the plate whose name
was Love.
Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single,
because Love never fails.
The next batter was named Faith, who also
got a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up was
named G! odly Wisdom.
Satan wound up and threw the first pitch.
Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass:
Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom
walked, because Godly Wisdom never swings at
what Satan throws.
The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned
to Bob and told him He was now going to bring in
His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace.
Bob said, "He sure doesn't look like much!"
Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace.
Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up
and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone,
Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen. But Satan was not
worried his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but
it
went right through his glove, hit him on the head
and sent him crashing on the ground; then it
continued over the fence for a home run!
The Lord's team won!
The Lord then asked Bob if he knew why Love,
Faith, and Godly Wisdom could get on base but
could not win the game. Bob answered that he
did not know why.
The Lord explained, "If your love, faith, and
wisdom had won the game you would think you
had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom
will get you on base but only My Grace can get you
Home.
------------------------
Three Trees....
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing
their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a
treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I
could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take
kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.
Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and
straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and
look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to
them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will
always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of
woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said,
"This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the
wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy,
because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure
chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I
should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy
because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because
he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the
woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take
this one," and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box
for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay.
This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of
being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a
man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in
the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree.
The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger
would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew
that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second
tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the
water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to
keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said
"Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it
had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the
streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a
stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top
of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong
enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was
possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way,
always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He
will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not
in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for
us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always
best.
Ship Wreck
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a
small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and
every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to
protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then
one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in
flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened - everything
was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do
this to me?" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by
the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue
him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his
rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. It's easy to
get discouraged sometimes when things appear to be going badly. But we
shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst
of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the
ground: it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
|
|