Traffic Ticket

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down : 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand.

Bob? Bob from church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A Christian cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little anxious to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.

Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform. "Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."

"Hello, Jack." No smile.

"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."

"Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain. Good.

"I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit-just this once." Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct."

Ouch! This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics. "What'd you clock me at?"

"Seventy-one. Would you sit back in your car, please?"

"Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.

"Please, Jack, in the car."

Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license? Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again.

A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand. Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.

"Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice. Bob returned to his car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost? Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket.

Jack began to read: "Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters. All three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. . . Pray for me. And be careful. My son is all I have left. Bob"

Jack twisted around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he, too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived. Life is precious. Handle with care.

Author Unknown

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A Little Faith

The temporary church-school teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cupboard. She thought that perhaps she'd forgotten the correct combination, so she went to the pastor's study and asked for help.

The minister came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment. Then he lifted his eyes upward and whispered something too faint to be heard. He finally turned back to the lock, entered the final number and opened it.

The teacher was amazed. "I'm in awe at your faith, Pastor," she said.

"It's really nothing," he answered. "The number is taped to the ceiling."

Of course, he still may have been a man of great faith. Or he may have been a man of little faith. Not that it matters, for even a little faith can move a mountain-sized obstacle. Often, if we just begin with a tiny bit of belief and fertilize it with desire, even some of the most impossible obstacles imaginable can be surmounted and some of the most outlandish aspirations can be realized. Just a little belief, firmly held, can accomplish a great thing.

Many Warsaw Jews died during the German occupation of their city during World War II. But some survived, and some were sustained by faith. During those dark years, an unknown hand wrote this graffiti on a Warsaw ghetto wall:

I believe in the sun, even if it does not shine.
I believe in love, even if I do not feel it.
I believe in God, even if I do not see Him.
Faith, little or great, can make a big difference.

Steve Goodier -- From *Prescription for Peace* by Steve Goodier

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Believe In Yourself

Please forward this to all our Friends.

Never believe what the lines of your hand predict about your future,
Bcoz people who don't have hands also have a future... Believe in yourself

BE HAPPY ALWAYS.

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Let Your Life Begin Again

Behold, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:2

Did you know that Jesus has unlocked the prison doors of guilt that have kept you captive? It doesn't matter who you are or what you've been. I don't care if you've been a prostitute, a murderer, a thief, a drug dealer, or a churchgoer who's never made Jesus Christ Lord of your life. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation.

A new life is only a prayer away.

Gloria and I discovered that for ourselves more than 25 years ago. Actually, it was Gloria who took the first step. She found out that the Bible said that not even a sparrow falls without God's knowledge. "Well," she thought, "if God knows and cares when the sparrows fall, He must know what terrible shape my life is in right now. And if He cares, maybe He can do something with it."

Gloria didn't know anything about the Bible. She didn't even know for sure that God would let her start over. But when she told Him she wanted Him to take over her life, something supernatural happened on the inside of her. She was born again.

"But what about my past?" you may say. "I feel so guilty about it!"

When you've been born again and made a new creature in Christ--that past doesn't belong to you anymore. And it would be ridiculous to walk around feeling guilty about someone else's past, wouldn't it?

What would you think if I took a little baby on my lap, a pretty little thing just a few months old, and said, "Oh, isn't she precious? But just think about her past."

You'd think I was crazy! "What past?" you'd say. "She doesn't have any past!"

Well, it's the same way with you once you've been born again. You don't have any past. Your life begins again the day you make Jesus Lord of your life. Then, when Satan comes around trying to remind you of what a worm you were before, just tell him he's knocking on the wrong door.

You've been kicked around long enough. There's no need to wait any longer. The prison door is open. Walk through to Jesus and let your life begin again today.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:29-33:

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Tantangan dan Ketaatan

"Setelah Barnabas datang dan melihat kasih karunia Allah, bersukacitalah ia. Ia menasehati mereka, supaya mereka semua tetap setia kepada Tuhan" (Kisah Para Rasul 11:23)

Ada berbagai reaksi orang terhadap tantangan atau masalah yang ia hadapi. Reaksi itu digambarkan dengan 2F yaitu flight dan fight. Fight dalam pengertian seseorang berusaha untuk menghadapi persoalan atau tantangan itu dan berusaha menyelesaikannya. Sedangkan flight adalah menghindari persoalan alias tanpa penyelesaian memadai.

Setelah Stefanus dihukum mati, timbul reaksi dari para orang percaya. Mereka tetap setia memberitakan Injil dan tetap taat kepada Allah. Mereka tidak lari dari tantangan. Kematian Stefanus tidak mengendorkan semangat mereka untuk melaksanakan pemberitaan Injil, justru mereka semakin bersemangat melakukannya. Ketika Barnabas datang dan melihat situasi orang percaya itu, ia bersukacita dan menasehati mereka untuk tetap setia kepada Tuhan. Ketaatan dan kesetiaan mereka di tengah tantangan itu membuat syukur yang naik di hadapan Allah dari Barnabas. Kesetiaan itu membuat Barnabas memiliki semangat untuk memberitakan firman Tuhan. Sebagai sesama orang percaya, mereka saling mempengaruhi secara positif.

Firman Tuhan saat ini mengajak kita unutk tetap taat dan setia kepada Allah di tengah situasi dan tantangan yang kita hadapi. Janganlah iman dan ketaatan kita kendor saat tantangan itu datang. Jadikanlah tantangan itu suatu dorongan bagi kita untuk tetap taat dan setia pada-Nya. Allah menuntut kita untuk taat dan setia. Tidak akan sia-sia jerih payah orang yang taat kepada-Nya. Mari kita menghadapi tantangan dan masalah bersama Tuhan. Karena di dalam Dia tidak ada yang mustahil. Hari ini pasti akan meraih kemenangan! (hen)

TANTANGAN ADALAH DORONGAN UNTUK TAAT

Renungan Pagi

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