A Lesson Taught Through Tilley

Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)

1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

She walked slowly into the beautiful church. She had dressed in her best dress and her favorite hat. A slight smile touched her lips. She was in God’s house, and she was so happy. She had no idea that her coat smelled of moth balls and the hat was stained.

Heads turned toward her and whispers were going strong in the congregation.

Tilley put her head down and walked to a pew to sit down. When she sat down, a couple got up and moved. It was as if everyone in the place was looking at her. How she wished Sharon would hurry up.

Sharon walked into the church with a warm smile that soon faded. She saw Tilley sitting alone in a pew with tears rolling down her cheeks. Sharon sat down and put her arm around Tilley and held her close.

She whispered to Tilley, “We can leave if you want. We don’t need to stay here.”

Tilley shook her head. She had dressed up and come to church and she was going to stay.

By now the pastor noticed the stir in the church and looked around. He soon became well aware of what was going on. He walked to the back of the church to welcome both Tilley and Sharon.

He leaned over and asked Tilley, “Would you ladies do me the honor of sitting in the front pew with me?”

A shine entered into Tilley’s eyes and she nodded.

The music had started and it was just beautiful. Tilley was now so glad she had stayed.

After the music stopped, Sharon leaned over to ask the Pastor a question.

He smiled and said, “Please do.”

Sharon stood in front of the church and squared her shoulders. “Today is a very special day for Tilley, it is her birthday and she is 90 years young. All she wanted for her birthday was to go to church. We picked this one out for it is lovely. I want to personally thank each of you for your kindness.”

One could have heard a pin drop.

The Pastor stood and walked to the pulpit. He looked over the congregation and said, “I had a sermon all ready for today but I do believe I need to change it. Today we need to go to Hebrews 13:1&2.

He read the Scripture loud and clear. Once again he looked at the congregation and said, “I hope each and every one of you go home and think on not only this Scripture but how Christ-like you acted today. May God go with you all.”

Sharon and Tilley stood to leave and he walked over to them and gave each of them a hug. “Tilley, I pray that you have a blessed birthday and I so thank you for coming here and sharing your day with us. I also thank you for showing all of us a hard lesson, one we needed to learn.

Dear Lord, We pray that we would show Your love to all those around us whether it be friends or strangers. Help us be a blessing to all those around us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Saint Patrick

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

St Patrick was born in Britain in the 4th century AD.  It is believed that as a young man, Patrick was kidnapped and taken into slavery to Ireland.  He claimed that his escape from Ireland and his eventual return to Britain was based upon God’s instructions, given to him in a dream.  After his return to Britain, he began to study for the Catholic priesthood.

Later in life, as a Catholic bishop, Patrick said that he was called to return to Ireland to win over the  Irish who held a belief in many Gods.  It is believed that he used the shamrock to illustrate the doctrine of the trinity.

Although originally being associated with the color blue, gradually green became the representative color for St Patrick’s Day.  It is believed the color green has been associated with the celebration due to the color of the shamrock and the green vegetation found in Ireland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick’s_Day

The symbolic use of the color green is not limited to the St Patrick’s Day holiday.  In the Bible the color green is often associated with a state of blessing from Almighty God.

Do your know that St. Patrick was a missionary?

Saint Patrick was the first Christian missionary to Ireland.

Who was Saint Patrick?

"Saint" Patrick (389 - 461 AD) actually went to Ireland twice - first as a slave, and later as a missionary. Born in Britain, Patrick is widely known as the first Christian missionary to the Irish people. During his youth (from 16 to 22 years old), he was captured and taken to Ireland. While there, young Patrick repented of his sinful, backslidden condition. Years later, after escaping to his homeland, he received a vision from God calling him to return to the Irish people to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Patrick obeyed God's call and went back.

For the remainder of his life, Patrick ministered among the unreached tribes of Ireland - confronting Irish idolatry and sorcery, converting many to Jesus Christ, and baptizing thousands of people. Tradition says he used the three-leaf Irish clover to teach the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

According to historian William Federer, who wrote St. Patrick: The Real History of His Life, From Tragedy to Triumph, "He was actually a missionary and he converted 120,000 druids from paganism to Christianity." Federer claims that in the fifth century A.D., Patrick did more than perhaps anyone in history to spread Christianity in Europe. Although druids attempted to kill him over a dozen times, Patrick continued to preach the message of Jesus Christ, and throughout his ministry he pioneered over 300 Christian churches.

Dear Lord, we pray today for peace throughout Ireland and Europe. We pray for the true message of God's salvation will spread throughout the world. We pray for missionaries like Saint Patrick who are sharing the Gospel. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Greatest Love.

Matthew 27:50 (NIV)

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Ernest Gordon was a World War II prisoner-of-war who survived the horrors of the Japanese death camp by the River Kwai in Burma. In his book "Through the Valley of the Kwai", Gordon described how the unbearable despair of the death-camp was transformed into a spiritual triumph of a "Church Without Walls." The POWs were turned into slaves and forced to build a Railroad of Death for transporting prisoners to death camps and Japanese soldiers to the battlefront. These prisoners were tortured, diseased, starved and worked to the point of exhaustion. "Every man's hand was against every other's," wrote Gordon.

At one day's end, as the tools were being counted and the prisoners were about to return to their camp, the Japanese guard declared that a shovel was missing. He demanded to know which prisoner had stolen the shovel. "All die! All die!" shrieked the guard. He cocked his rifle, aimed it at the prisoners and promised to shoot them all. At that moment one Scottish soldier stepped forward. Standing at attention he calmly declared, "I did it." The guard viciously clubbed the hapless prisoner to death. When they returned to the camp, the tools were again counted, and no shovel was missing. That soldier sacrificed his life so that his companions could live.

Christ willingly laid down His life so we may know God.

Dear Lord, we praise You for Your matchless love that You have for each of us.  Thanks You for Your sacrifice on the Cross for each of our sins. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Finding a Better Situation.

1 Thessalonians 5:11-13 (NIV)

11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

The story goes like this:

A long time ago, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Days passed days, and weeks passed weeks. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish.

All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing the poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it. Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.

Li-Li said, “Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do.”

Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, “You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body.”

“Every other day prepare some pork or chicken and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.”

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument in six months with her mother-in-law, who now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said, “Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law! She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.”

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. “Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. All of the herbs I gave you were simply to improve her health.”

“The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.”

It is easy for us to pray and ask God to change someone who is not acting the way we wish, but if we take a moment and look at ourselves, I am sure we will find a way to better the situation by our acts that will make a positive impact towards that person who was not treating us the way we wished.

Dear Lord, we pray that today we would be the one to make a bad situation better. Help us treat others the way we ourselves want to be treated. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Weight of Snow and Being Saved

Acts 16:30-32 (NIV)

30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

Much like this winter a number of years ago, Chicago had a very nasty winter.

The weight of snow on the roofs of many homes, apartments and offices exceeded structural recommendations. Bob McGrath had one such building: his garage. McGrath wasn't too concerned about things until his wife went into the garage to get some boxes and, shortly afterwards, he heard a great crash.

A glance out the window revealed the garage roof had buckled and caved in. McGrath didn't stop for hat or coat. He ran from the house, grabbed a snow shovel and called out for the neighbors to help. The sweat on his face froze, as he dug at the snow and pulled the debris from the wreckage. Eventually, thankfully, he heard his wife's voice and saw her hand.

In moments the crying couple was reunited. Those who were there say it was a touching moment. In answer to her husband's repeated question, Mrs. McGrath assured him she was all right, and she was. In fact Mrs. McGrath had always been all right. That's because she wasn't in the garage when it collapsed. She had entered the garage through the side door but had come out through the back. She was in the house and quite comfortable, when the garage roof went down.

But rather than throwing cold water on her husband's noble efforts to save her, Mrs. McGrath snuck back into the garage and waited patiently to be rescued.

The story of the McGraths is a beautiful story of love. Unfortunately, it is not very similar to the story of our rescue from this world's forces of darkness. Indeed, there are a number of differences.

The first difference is that we, unlike Mrs. McGrath, have never been safe and secure. On the contrary, the sins of our hearts and minds, and the disobedience of our actions had condemned all of us to temporal and eternal death.

The second difference is that we, unlike Mrs. McGrath, had no desire to be saved. Many of us much preferred to ignore the Lord and try and do those good works that would eventually balance out the scales of good and evil. In a futile and false endeavor, we decided to try and save ourselves.

About the only similarity I can see between the McGraths and condemned humanity is this: we both had a dedicated rescuer. Mrs. McGrath had her husband, and we have Jesus Christ. So that we might be rescued from the death and destruction caused by our disobedience the Lord sent His Son into this world to take our place.

So that we might be rescued, Jesus lived a perfect life for us. So that we might be saved, Jesus resisted every temptation for us. So that we might know death had been transformed from our enemy into a gateway to eternal life, Jesus rose from the dead.

With single-minded purpose, without a flaw or a failing in His entire life, Jesus did for us all that we could not do. His success assures that we have been rescued. This is the assurance Paul held out to the jailer at Philippi. It is also the same for each of us today.

Dear Lord, we are thankful that You have rescued us through Your life, death and resurrection. May our lives reflect our appreciation for You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Loving or Rebelling?

John 15:10 (NIV)

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

Icelanders have been utilizing their abundance of geothermal energy for many good causes. Not only do they use this energy to generate electricity, to heat their homes, and to fill their hot water tanks, they also utilize it to heat greenhouses for the purpose of growing fruits and vegetables.

Utilizing this kind of energy for greenhouse cultivation began in 1924, and now more than 175 000 square meters of the country are used for this sole purpose: growing tropical plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables, all geo-thermically! In a land where light is almost non-existent during the winter months, where winds are almost always present, and temperatures are far from ideal for the cultivation of plants, an abundance of fruit and vegetables is possible.

In these naturally-heated greenhouses, plant life thrives. There is no lack of heat, water or light. Everything they need to grow is provided for, and anything that could hurt them has been removed. There is nothing to keep them from growing, and grow they do!

We, each, however, in similar situations, would look through the window panes of the greenhouse and sigh: "It feels so claustrophobic in here! It looks so much nicer outside! Why do I have to be stuck in here, anyway? It's not fair! I want to be free!"

Our cozy shelter suddenly becomes a threat to our well-being, and a deep desire to break free seeds itself in our hearts. The very rules that permit us to thrive become a threat to us. "I don't need geothermal heat!" We cry. "I don't need geothermal water! I don't need geothermal lights, either! I want to be free!"

But once free, we would wither and die in the harsh weather conditions. Isn't that what happened in Eden?

Jesus is trying to bring us back into that cozy shelter where growth is possible:

"If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15 NIV)

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21 NIV)

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:23-24 NIV)

We don't like to obey! Speed limits are there to be broken. No trespassing signs are indications of where it would be the most fun to snoop around. Those who are honest are the weak ones!

But are we truly happy living this way? Do we feel loved? Do we love others in such a way that we feel fulfilled? Are we truthfully thriving, or are we withering away in a world where no one seems to care?

The truth of it all is that when God urges us to obey, it is for our own good. Listening to His voice will fill us with love undefined. It will make us thrive beyond anything we could ever imagine.

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." (John 15:10 NIV)

Obedience is all about love. Love from our Maker and Savior, and love for others and ourselves. We either love or we rebel. It's as simple as that. It's really our choice.

Dear Lord, help us be obedient to Your word today. Help us not rebel but to show Your love in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Have You Forgotten God?

Jeremiah 2:32 (NIV)

Does a young woman forget her jewelry,

    a bride her wedding ornaments?

Yet my people have forgotten me,

    days without number.

In Tennessee Williams' short story "Something by Tolstoi," centers on Jacob Brodzky, a shy Russian Jew who inherits a bookstore. Jacob is married to Lila, his childhood sweetheart. He enjoys being a bookseller, but she wants more adventure-and she leaves Jacob for the theater. Brodzky is devastated. At their parting, he reaches into his pocket and hands her the key to the front door of the bookstore. "You had better keep this," he told her, "because you will want it someday. Your love is not so much less than mine that you can get away from it. You will come back sometime, and I will be waiting." She kisses him and left.

To escape the pain, Brodzky withdrew deep into his bookstore and immersed himself in his books while he waited for his love to return. Nearly 15 years after they parted, at Christmastime, she returns. But when Brodzky rose from the reading desk that had been his place of escape for all that time, he did not take the love of his life for more than an ordinary customer. "Do you want a book?" he asked. That he didn't recognize her startled her. But she regains her composure and replied, "I want a book, but I've forgotten the name of it." Then she told him a story of childhood sweethearts. A story of a newly married couple who lived in an apartment above a bookstore. A story of a young, ambitious wife who left to seek a career, who enjoyed great success but could never relinquish the key her husband gave her when they parted. She told him the story she thought would bring him to himself. But his face showed no recognition.

Gradually she realized that he had lost touch with his heart's desire, that he no longer knew the purpose of his waiting and grieving, that now all he remembered was the waiting and grieving itself. "You remember it; you must remember it-the story of Lila and Jacob?" After a long, bewildered pause, he said, "There is something familiar about the story, I think I have read it somewhere. It comes to me that it is something by Tolstoi." Dropping the key, she fled the shop. And Brodzky returned to his desk, to his reading, unaware that the love he waited for had come and gone.

Does your love still burn for the Lord?

Dear Lord, Help us not ever forget You. Help us keep Your love alive and active in our live. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.