Monday, March 17, 2014
"But love your enemies and do
good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and
you will be sons of the Most High, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and
evil men" (Luke 6:35). (NASB)
Dr. Luke followed this power-packed
verse with another power-packed verse that has been engrained in my heart and
life: "Give, and it shall be given to you. They will pour into
your lap a good measure - pressed down, shaken together, and running over, for
by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
(Lu. 6:38).
Hey Gang: I came across this
neat, but very understandable, explanation of the difference between heaven and
hell- this is only a story!!
A holy man was having a conversation
with God, one day, and asked Him to show him heaven and hell. God led the
Holy man to two doors. The holy man opened one of the doors and then
looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table which a
fantastic pot of stew that made the holy man's mouth water.
But the people sitting around the
table were thin and sickly; they appeared to be famished. They were
holding spoons with very long handles which were strapped to their arms. Each
found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but
because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons to
their mouth. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and
suffering. The Lord said you have seen 'hell'.
They went to the next room and opened
the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the
large round table with a large, fantastic pot of stew, just like the one before,
which also made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with
the same long- handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and
plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, "I don't
understand". "It is simple," said the Lord. “Entering
heaven requires but one skill, (different from accepting Jesus) you see, they have
learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves. In
other words, those in heaven, having received Jesus, were focused on the
Golden Rule: ‘do unto others as you pray they will do unto you’.
In the very early years of developing
the Village, making budget was always a very tough chore. God supplied
but did not spoil us with a dime more than we needed! It was time when I
learned that sacrificial giving was very difficult for many folks, including
myself. Coming out of the depression, the son of a coal miner, I tended
to have a fear that if I gave it away, I would come up hungry.
And then a dear elderly lady, who
resided in a local nursing home, taught me a wonderful lesson. She sent me a
very special gift, three dimes, a nickel and two pennies, I knew this is what
she had left after taking care of her financial responsibilities. One
thing I have learned, in my sojourn on this earth, ‘you cannot out give God!’
Soooo, friends and neighbors, remember
when Jesus died on the Cross He was thinking of you (John 17:20). When He
defeated Satan and rose from the grave, He was thinking of you. When He
ascended into the heavenlies and sat down at the right hand of the Father, you
were on His mind and He now is your intercessor and one day, soon, He will hear
His Father say – ‘time, go for it’. Soon, He will come and collect all
those who love Him as Savior and Lord and are committed to Him totally.
Blessings,
Gramps
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