PROVERBS 14:4

Walking into my kitchen after being away for the afternoon, I was dismayed to see the sink full of dirty dishes where just that morning all had been clean.

Passing on to the laundry room, I noticed that someone had been clearing all the dirty clothes out of their bedroom. Laundry baskets overflowed.

At such times I am tempted to complain about the never-ending nature of housework or to think of how difficult it is to have so many people to care for. Then I am ashamed.

I have the blessing of a family to share my life. Piles of laundry and dirty dishes are indications that we have clothes to wear and plenty of food to eat. The busyness that fills my days comes from the many ways God has blessed me. The blessings of life are often messy! By Sherry L.Poff

SMIALL MIRACLES OF FRIENDSHIP

1 Peter 4:10

A little Jewish boy was living in Poland during the tense prewar years - when relations between Jews and Gentiles had already become strained.

This 5 year old Jew is particularly friendly with a Christian boy and they used to exchange toys, foreign stamps, stories, jokes etc. One day, they playfully decided to swap ....... prayers.

"You teach me a Jewish prayer, and I'll teach you a Christian one," proposed the Polish lad.In their sweet, trusting innocence, both thought it would be fun. Their repertoires were, understandably, limited, so they both chose important prayers, cornerstones of their respective faiths.

"Let's memorise them!" the Polish child exclaimed. And so they did.

Ten years passed, and everything changed. By then, most Jews were either in concentration camps or were dead.

This young lad, now fifteen and orphaned, was fleeing Europe, disguised as a Gentile, aided by his Germanic facial features and forged documents. So far, he had been successful in eluding the Nazis.

One day, he was on a train when a Nazi soldier boarded his car and demanded to see everyone's papers. This young man handed over his forged documents, but for some reasons, the soldier was suspicious. Finally, the Nazi turned to him and said with a sneer, "So, you are a Christian, my friend? Well, just to prove that you are who you say you are, why don't you recite-right now, here on the spot-such and such Christian prayer that all good Christians know!"

And the soldier smiled in glee, waiting to pounce on his obvious prey.

But somewhere inside him, a long-buried memory stirred. So the young man obliged the Nazi, reciting the prayer perfectly. The soldier, surprised, let him go, never knowing that the Christian prayer he had requested was the only one the Polish lad knew.

SMAILL MIRACLES

2 Corinthians 9:8

An old story is told about a tough, weather-beaten, leather-skinned Alaskan, morosely nursing drink after drink in a bar in Anchorage He tells the bartender, with acrimony in his voice, that he has lost the faith he used to have in God.

"I had a terrible accident in the Alaskan wilderness," he confides. "My twin-engine plane went down in the tundra, hundreds of miles away from civilization. I lay pinned in the wreckage for hours, believing that God would somehow help me. I cried out to God, I prayed with every ounce of strength I had left. I begged for rescue. But even as I started freezing to death, God didn't lift a finger to help me. So now, I'm done with that charade," the Alaskan concludes bitterly, "and my faith is God is gone."

The bartender squints at the Alaskan in puzzlement. "But I don't understand," he protests. "Your're here, alive, telling me the story. Obviously you were saved."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," concedes the Alaskan. "Because finally some Eskimo came along...."
Taken from the book 'Small Miracles of Love & Friendship'

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Remember to give thanks to God for the obvious and the obscure.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

PRAYING FOR PATIENCE IS RISKY!

In our impatience we pray to God to make us patient, NOW! A student one day prayed."Lord, please teach me to be patient." The next day the student discovered to his disappointment that he was still as impatient as ever. Moreover, later he discovered to his dismay on coming back to the dorm in the university that he will be having one of the most difficult people in the dorm as his new roommate.

That semester the Christian student had to put up with a next to impossible roommate. He banged the door even when the Christian student was having siesta. He switched on his radio to loud volume even when the latter was studying. He scattered his things all over the furniture including the top of the bed of the Christian student. He used the latter's slippers and other things without prior permission and he did a thousand and one other irritating things.

Throughout the semester the Christian student struggled hard to put up with his difficult roommate. At the end of that semester the Christian student discovered to his pleasant surprise that he had, in fact, become a very patient person! The Lord has answered his prayer to be taught patience-in a way that he never envisioned or even wanted.

HOW TO GROW IN PATIENCE

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

I would like to continue to share with you what the author teaches in his book 'i don't want to feel this way' on PATIENCE

Growing in patience is not something we could do on our own. Growth in patience is the work of the Holy Spirit. Only He alone can transform us. But the Holy Spirit does not work in a vacuum. He uses means - doable means - for us to grow in our character.

The Holy Spirit uses spiritual disciplines for our spiritual growth. We learn patience by learning and keeping the disciplines needed for spiritual growth and by directly getting involved in the lives of others.

The fruit or character of the Spirit has to do with relationships-with how we respond to others.Patience, which is part of the fruit of the Spirit is learned by being with people. Patience is not learned in an isolated retreat house in a prayer mountain away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Do you want to learn patience? A good way is to get married! It is the intimate relationship of marriage where you have to relate 24/7 with someone who has had a different upbringing, different sets of habits and different ways of looking at things that you learn patience. It is in marriage where your patience will really be stretched. To be fair, your spouse too has to go through the same stress-perhaps the greater stress, considering the kind of person that you are.

Patience is learned only in the context of relationships. This is why it is important for you to be directly and actively involved with a local church or a Bible study group or a care group.

How do you grow in patience?
1) Keep the disciplines for spiritual growth
2) Develop meaningful personal relationships
3) faithfully obey God's Word

COLOSSIANS 3:12

I WANT TO BE PATIENT, NOW!

How you can ruin your day by your impatience!

One day, a father was hurriedly eating breakfast with his grade school son when the child accidentally spilled his coffee on his fresh school uniform. The father angrily shouted at his son so that the child burst into tears and ran to hide in his room.

It took some time for the child to calm down and dress again. But by that time he had already missed his school bus. The father was then forced to drive his son to school and as a consequence he was late for work. Of course he was reprimanded by his supervisor. That made him so upset he made numerous mistakes during the day. When he came home he had to deal with his wife who was sulking because of the way he treated their son that morning.

If only the father did not raise his voice and just calmly said to his son."It's OK, son. It was an accident but next time be more careful. Now go and ask your mommy to help you change into a new uniform. Be quick. Your school bus will be here in fifteen minutes," all the problems of the day could have been avoided.

We need to learn patience because impatience is destructive and counter-productive. Impatience strains relationships. It only complicates problems rather than solve them. We need to learn patience, moreover, because God's Word commands us to do so.

Extract from the book entitled 'i don't want to feel this way'

SHARE GOD'S DELIGHT IN YOU WITH OTHERS

Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your hearts's desires"

Taken from 'A Cup of Comfort Devotional'

I have an eighty-five year old friend who sends inspirational e-mails to all of her friends. Joan learned how to use a computer when she turned eighty-four. When I asked her why she wanted to learn the newfangled technology, she replied, "It's just another tool to spread joy!"

When I read this, I am most touched by this woman's love for people. She overcame all difficulties and learned how to use the computer just to encourage her friends. I am humbled by her. She just reminded me not to give excuses for myself when I can do just a little to help others.

Luke 4:22

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.

Jesus has just gone through the Devil's temptations and returned to Galilee. He went to the synagogues to teach and had not even performed any miracle. Yet, already people were amazed by Him - His gracious words.

When I read that, I asked the Lord, "Jesus, what gracious words did You speak that people are amazed?". I know words that can build up, edify and encourage others. But what exactly are gracious words. I look up the dictionary and the word gracious means - pleasant, kind, polite to somebody of a lower social position. Wow!

Reflection:Lord, enable me to guard my words, tone and sincerity of what I said and mean it. Many times when I chit chat too much, I forget to consider how other people may interpret my meaning and feel offended. Lord, may my words by gracious and glorify You. Amen

A LITTLE CHILD WILL LEAD THEM:ISAIAH 11:6

Extracts from book entitled 'Teatime for Women'

A Child's Wisdom by Cheryl Kirking

A few years ago, we decided to give my father a surprise birthday party. My son, who was then four, was especially excited about the party for his grandpa. Bryce spent all day making streamers and paper hats and decorating the house. He instructed his brother and sister where they should hide and how to yell "Surprise" with the proper inflection and zeal.

When the moment of Grandpa's long-awaited appearance finally arrived, Bryce led the troops in the noisy revelry. But, as so often happens in life, reality failed to meet expectations. The party horns refused to toot properly, the guests weren't appropriately enthusiastic, and the cake was not chocolate. Finally, Bryce could take no more disappointments and melted into a sobbing little heap on the floor. Scooping him up in my arms, I took him to a quiet room where he poured out his troubles to me.

"Sweetheart," I asked, as he flopped across on my lap, "what can we do to help you feel better?"

"Oh, Mommy," he cried between heaving sobs, "can we rewind the party?"

"Honey, I wish sometimes that we could do that, but we can't rewind time," I answered, smoothing his golden hair from his damp forehead. "But we can start from right now and find a way to make the rest of the day better."

"Well," he sniffed, "maybe - maybe we could just hit 'pause' a little while before we go back, ok."

"That's a good idea," I answered.

As I quietly rocked my little boy, smelling his sweet hair and feeling his warm little body relax, I realised what an important lesson I had just learned from my child. Sometimes, when life is overwhelming, the best thing to do is to just "hit pause" for a little while.

THE RICH YOUNG MAN

In Mark 10:17-20, a rich young man asked Jesus,"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answered,"Why do you call me good?.......You know the commandments. Do not murder....."

Reflection:It's strange why Jesus' answer is not Believe in the Lord and you will be saved OR throw this young man the first 4 commandments, but instead Jesus told him not to commit murder etc. Do not be mistaken that by doing good or not doing wrong, one will inherit eternal life. So why did Jesus tell this young man this? Perhaps the answer lies with the word Good teacher and Jesus question of Why do you call me good?

JONAH 4:9

When a person expresses the wish to die, normally this person is suffering with much distress, pain, sadness, hopelessness, loss, no way out etc.

How will an angry man response? Normally an angry person wants to execute justice or take revenge, right? So I find it very strange that Jonah said "I am angry enough to die"

The book of Jonah ends with God chiding Jonah for his 'selfishness' but did not tell us whether Jonah repented or not. If you write a story about Jonah, what will the ending be?

This morning, something happened in my family and I was very angry too. But I remember God said Be Angry But Do Not Sin. So I kept quiet and did not scold anybody or give 'advice' etc. When I was all alone in the office, I let out my anger and just scold, scold, scold. I thank God that I can just vent out my frustration and not say any wrong and hurtful things. Later while taking a walk and while reading a book, God was very good and revealed to me that relationships are more important than anything. And praise God, in the evening the whole issue was resolved! Hallelujah! God is there with me all the time.

SUPER-SLOW READING OF THE BIBLE

In her book 'Listening to God', Joyce Huggett mentioned a book she read entitled 'YOU'. The author introduced a simple reading technique called 'super-slow' reading. This method of reading is reflective reading. You take a verse of scripture or a familiar passage and instead of studying it analytically, you read it as slowly as possible, presenting yourself to the situation described so forcibly that you begin to experience, with your imagination, the sights, sounds and feelings that are painted for you by the author.

Joyce experimented with this art of super-slow reading with Mark's account of the Crucifixion. This scene(using this reading technique) changed her life when she see Jesus writhing on the cross before her very own eyes. Her personal response is a humble and grateful surrender to Jesus' depths of loving for her.

Incidentally I was also reading Mark - about the faith of a Syrophoenician Woman. I tried to put myself in this woman's shoes. I picture myself asking Jesus to heal my child and was quite stunned at Jesus' response,"First , let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Jesus' compassion is well known, that's why people from all over the country seek Him out - so why was His response so harsh? Or so I thought. I also imagined the woman's desperation and also her faith when I read her answer. How would I have responded to Jesus? Would I have been offended or would I humble myself? To give an answer as a third party is easy - but what would my respond be if I were the woman? I am distressed for my child, I come to seek the healer, the doctor. Instead of healing my child, He embarassed me by calling us names in the presence of so many strangers (Jews)? Why, oh why did I come?

It's a most exciting and rewarding method of Bible study!!!

Matthew 6:26-28:CONSIDER THE LILIES

I am amazed by You, I am amazed by You, how You love me!

This morning I woke up early and looked out the window. Hanging as the perfect picture was the bright and brilliant moon. Thank You God for watching over me while I sleep.

On my way to the train station, I noticed two men taking photos. There were also some curious passers-by. I looked behind me and realised the Lord had painted a very glorious sky. Red patches here and some orange stripes there! Thank You God for entertaining me while I traveled.

While walking to the office, I noticed a beautiful blue bird chirping happily. Sometimes, a big bird (like an eagle) soaring high above me, screeching and catching my attention! Yes Lord, I shall mount up with wings as the eagle.

Along the pathway, I notice a tree with light pink flowers - just like the cherry blossoms. I see the morning glory trumpeting songs to me as I walked past the fences. Thank You Lord for Thy creation - they all glorify Thee. How Great Thou Art!

EPHESIANS 5:25

Keith Miller is the author of the challenging book 'The Taste of New Wine'. But one of the battlegrounds which troubled Keith's marriage in the early days, it seems, was the conflict which erupted over role delineation. When they married, Mary Allen, his wife, assumed that he would empty the pedal bin in the kitchen each day. He, meanwhile, felt insulted by the suggestion. This was woman's work in his view. He refused to capitulate to his wife's demands.

After his conversion to Christ, Keith Miller tried to convince his wife that he had found something wonderful in God, that God was changing her husband's personality. In an attempt to convince her of the strength of this claim he looked for ways of demonstrating this truth by his behaviour.

He goes on to explain how the word of wisdom flashed into his awareness: 'While I was looking around for some ..... way to convince my wife that I had really changed, my glance fell on the waste basket standing full by the back door, "No, Lord," I groaned quietly to myself. "Not the waste basket. Take my income, anything."

After a struggle, he obeyed. He emptied the waste basket. 'Without saying a word I took it out, and didn't even mentioned it to her.'

Mary Allen, of course, took note of this change in attitude. She continued to refuse her husband's invitations to Christian meetings but she did begin to ask a friend penetrating questions about the Christian faith. These discussions resulted, in time, in her own conversion to Christianity. When she retraced the way God had wooed her to Himself she recognised that her husband's gesture that day he emptied the waste basket had been one of the prongs God had used to prod her in His direction.