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| Title: | The CHRISTIAN Notesfile |
| Notice: | Jesus reigns! - Intros: note 4; Praise: note 165 |
| Moderator: | ICTHUS::YUILLE ON |
|
| Created: | Tue Feb 16 1993 |
| Last Modified: | Fri May 02 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 962 |
| Total number of notes: | 42902 |
564.0. "Draw close to Thee" by DPDMAI::HUDDLESTON (If it is to be, it's up to me) Wed Sep 14 1994 11:35
I heard this on the Ken Copeland show yesturday (6am), and wanted to share
it. Its not exact, but close (moderators, feel free to move this to an
appropriate note)
A man walks in to a pet store and looks around the store for a while.
Finally a sales clerk comes up to him and asks if he can help him. The
man says yes, that he is looking for a pet, but doesn't know what to
buy. Well, would you like a dog? "No, I don't like dogs. What else
do you have?" How about a cat? "No, I don't like cats." Ok, how
about a bird? "Yes, I like birds. Do you have one that sings? I
won't buy it if it doesn't sing." Yes, I have just the bird for you.
The man buys the bird and starts to walk out of the store when the
clerk says Wait a minute! You need a cage for the bird so he doesn't
hurt himself. "Are you sure the bird will sing if he's in a cage?"
Yes, says the clerk, he'll sing in the cage.
The man brings the bird home and waits for the bird to sing. He waits
and waits and waits all night, but the bird never sings. He begins to
get angry and the first thing in the morning brings the bird back to
the pet shop and angrily says to the clerk "I thought you said the bird
would sing! I waited and waited all night, and he never sang a tune!
I want my money back."
Now wait a minute, the clerk says. You just need a perch for the bird
to sit on. He probably got tired, and that was the reason he won't sing.
The man says ok , buys the perch, and goes home. The bird still refuses
to sing, and the man takes back the bird the next day. The clerk
suggests that he try a bell instead. "The bird must be bored". The man
buys the bell, waits and waits for the bird to sing, but he never does.
He goes back to the pet store and the clerk sells him a mirror. "He must
be lonely. He'll see his reflection, think there's another bird with him,
and he'll start singing.
The man puts the mirror up. The bird doesn't sing, and when the man
woke up he found the bird dead in his cage. He storms into the pet
store. "You sold me a bird that doesn't sing, and now he's dead! I
want my money back." The clerk thinks and thinks what could have
caused this situation to happen. "Aha!" says the clerk "Did you forget
to buy birdseed?"
The point of the story is that you can go to church, say and do
"christian" things all the time, but if you forget to dig into and
learn the word of God (the bible) your missing out on the wonderful
things God has to share and teach you, and missing out on being as
close as you can to God. [good as dead spiritually?]
| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 564.1 | | CSLALL::HENDERSON | I'm the traveller, He's the Way | Wed Sep 14 1994 11:37 | 3 |
|
AMEN!
|
| 564.2 | | JULIET::MORALES_NA | Sweet Spirit's Gentle Breeze | Wed Sep 14 1994 14:02 | 11 |
| Double Amen !!!
It sort of goes hand in hand with my discussion about the perfect will
of God that I've been having with the boys.
I told the boys that serving God and knowing His will is the most
important path they need to follow. I explained that there are many
things I could do in the church, that would be "good", but if I'm out
of God's will then I am denying myself God's best.
|
| 564.3 | and from Copeland too! | FRETZ::HEISER | Maranatha! | Wed Sep 14 1994 14:41 | 3 |
| Re: digging into the Bible
now where have I heard that before!
|
| 564.4 | | DPDMAI::HUDDLESTON | If it is to be, it's up to me | Wed Oct 26 1994 09:47 | 25 |
| THE CHRISTIANS TEN WAYS TO HAPPIER LIVING
1. Determine to know the truth about yourself.
1 Cor. 15:10
2. Focus on your potential insteaad of your limitations.
Phil. 4:13
3. Replace fear of failure with a clear picture of yourself
functioning successfully and happily.
1 John 5:4-5
4. Cultivate people who help you grow.
1 Cor. 15:33
5. Refuse to allow rejection to keep you from taking the initiative
with people.
1 Cor. 4:7-10
6. Break away from other people's expectations of you.
Rom. 12:2
7. Rejoice and be glad in each day that you live.
Ps. 118:24
8. Make God your focal point and anchor in life.
Matt. 22:37
9. Be as loving with others as you are with yourself.
Matt. 22:38
10. Pray alot!
Phil. 4:6
|
| 564.5 | Prayer | DPDMAI::HUDDLESTON | If it is to be, it's up to me | Wed Oct 26 1994 09:56 | 17 |
| To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to
thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of
spending time with other people.
Rather, it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as
we begin to divide our thoughts into thoughts about God and thoughts
about people and events, we remove God from our daily life and put him
in a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and
experience pious feelings.
Although it is important and even indispensable for the spiritual life
to set apart time for God and God alone, prayer can only become
unceasing prayer when all our thoughts--beautiful or ugly, high or low,
proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful--can be thought in the presence
of God.
--Henri Nouwen
|
| 564.6 | | ICTHUS::YUILLE | Thou God seest me | Wed Oct 26 1994 10:08 | 4 |
| Amen Donna. Jesus was no less God while being a carpenter for 20-ish years.
Jesus wants to be a programmer (or whatever) through us day by day...
Andrew
|
| 564.7 | | BIGQ::SILVA | Memories..... | Mon Oct 31 1994 16:31 | 64 |
| | <<< Note 564.4 by DPDMAI::HUDDLESTON "If it is to be, it's up to me" >>>
| THE CHRISTIANS TEN WAYS TO HAPPIER LIVING
| 1. Determine to know the truth about yourself. 1 Cor. 15:10
This I think is VERY important for people to do. But I believe one also
needs to accept the truth's that one learns, both the good and the bad.
| 2. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Phil. 4:13
This one can be very hard, but I have found that #10 of this list
really helps out.
| 3. Replace fear of failure with a clear picture of yourself functioning
| successfully and happily. 1 John 5:4-5
I think the realization that #4 of this list will sometimes be needed
with this, as sometimes I feel we try too hard to do things ourselves, and
forget that Jesus is there for help (#10), and that He has people waiting for
us a lot of times to help deal with the fear of failure.
| 4. Cultivate people who help you grow. 1 Cor. 15:33
#10 helps this one. :-)
| 5. Refuse to allow rejection to keep you from taking the initiative
| with people. 1 Cor. 4:7-10
I think there is more to this one. Rejection could be from a lot of
different things. Possibly with one's method, the message, etc. Check in with
Jesus a lot to make sure the rejection isn't caused by something one might be
doing wrong. When there are so many reasons for rejection, both because of the
messenger and the one receiving the message, it makes sense to check in with
Him to clear up one's end of things.
| 6. Break away from other people's expectations of you. Rom. 12:2
AMEN! This one is oh so important, as it really is between you and God,
not other people and God.
| 7. Rejoice and be glad in each day that you live. Ps. 118:24
Another one that I think slips by some people. It's kind of taken for
granted.....
| 8. Make God your focal point and anchor in life. Matt. 22:37
This one is probably the MOST important. Without God, you really have
nothing.
| 9. Be as loving with others as you are with yourself. Matt. 22:38
While this is definitely a hard one, it is a good one.
| 10. Pray alot! Phil. 4:6
I think this one is needed in each of the other 9 steps.
GREAT LIST!
Glen
|