–a castaway.—1 Cor. 9:27

“There is only one thing,” said a village blacksmith, “that I fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap.

“When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first beat it, hammer it, and then suddenly plunge it into this bucket of cold water. I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in the process. When I discover after one or two tests that it is not going to allow itself to be tempered, I throw it on the scrap heap and sell it for a cent a pound when the junk man comes around.

“So I find the Lord tests me, too, by fire and water and heavy blows of His heavy hammer, and if I am not willing to stand the test, or am not going to prove a fit subject for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me on the scrap heap.”

When the fire is hottest, hold still, for there will be a blessed “afterward”; and with Job we may be able to say, “When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold.” –Copied

It takes eleven tons of pressure on a piano to tune it. God will tune you to harmonize with Heaven’s key-note if you can stand the strain.

—-in as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40   Luann Prater writes,”Our culture struggles with the ‘I wants’. When children receive ‘things without strings’ they begin a life of self-centered discontentment. Adults, in an effort to find happiness, reach for whatever they don’t have, thinking that thing must be what is missing—we often convince ourselves that our wants are really our needs.”   Wow, that really hits the nail on the head! It, sadly, describes more of us than we would like to admit. Here in America it is easy to get spoiled. We get so accustom to living in luxury we start thinking we deserve it, and we quickly get all bent-out-of-shape when we feel we’re being deprived. The problem is that enough is never enough for most people. They always more more, bigger,and better. That explains the spirit of discontent that is so common today.   So what’s the solution? Answer–it is to shift our focus from self to service, to realize that it is better to give than to get. The happiest people on earth are those who put the needs of others ahead of their own. So, how happy are you? Are you being honest? It’s your choice.It is only when we truly forget ourselves that we do things that are remembered and rewarded.   Forget yourself for others and others won’t forget you.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Isaiah 43:2

Anyone who has seen a rampaging river or a burning house knows the terror of flood and flame. The destructive power of fire and water is dreadful to see. Yet these are the dramatic images Isaiah uses to describe our own trials and troubles in life.

The Lord hasn’t promised to keep us out of hardship, but He has given us two great promises to sustain us when we’re in it: He will be with us, and our troubles will not overwhelm us. I will be with you… They shall not overflow you.

Remember how the Lord brought the Israelites through the waters of the Red Sea in Exodus 14, and how He stood with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- Nego in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3? If a problem is pressing down on you today, claim Isaiah 43:2. Picture the Lord as though He were really beside you, for He is. Trust Him to keep you from being swept away or consumed by your circumstances, for He has promised that His grace is sufficient.

When through fiery trials, thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
John Keith                                                   ————–From Turning Point

Paul Harvey tells how an Eskimo kills a wolf. He coats his knife blade with blood and lets it freeze. Then he adds another coat of blood and then another. As each coat freezes he adds another smear of blood until the blade is hidden deep within a substantial thickness of frozen blood.

Then he buries the knife-blade up-in the frozen tundra. The wolf catches the scent of fresh blood and begins to lick it. He licks it more and more feverishly until the blade is bare. Then he keeps on licking harder and harder. Because of the cold he never notices the pain of the blade on his tongue. His craving for the taste of blood is so great that he does not realize his thirst is being satisfied by his own blood. He licks the blade till he bleeds to death, swallowing his own life.

That is the way the devil works on us. He gives us a taste of sin, knowing we will crave more. We go deeper and deeper in satisfying our desires. We never notice the blade inside till it is too late. Only when we are dying do we realize we have swallowed our own life in sin.

In a recent “New York Times” article, Leonard Mlodinow told the charming story of a father, his son, and a ballgame at old Yankee Stadium. It took place on a July day in 1945, as soldiers were returning from World War II.

Some of the former men-in-arms coming home to the United States were men who had been professional baseball players. Although it is hard for us to imagine now, star athletes left their careers to be citizen-soldiers in those awful days. Such famous ballplayers as Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Warren Spahn, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto answered their country’s call. And there was no more famous baseball player who donned the uniform than Joe DiMaggio.

On this particular day, “Joe D” — who had his record 56-game hitting streak in 1941 — was trying to be simply a fan at the game with his four-year-old son, Joe Jr., before rejoining his old team and playing for the pleasure of the crowds again. But someone seated nearby in the mezzanine recognized him.

Within a matter of minutes, the buzz had spread through the stands. Then a chant began. “Joe, Joe, Joe DiMaggio!” they repeated. In his typical style, a moved DiMaggio nodded to his admirers and looked down to see if his son had noticed the spontaneous acknowledgment that had more attention now than the game being played on the field.

Sure enough, the four-year-old Joe Jr. had noticed. “See, Daddy,” said the little DiMaggio, “everybody knows me!”

I call the story charming because it illustrates the way small children read the world. They are ego-centric and believe everything revolves around them. Who can fault them? They are children, immature, and understandably self-absorbed.

The same trait in adults, though, is anything but “charming.” Part of the business of growing up is to understand “It’s not about me” and to “Get over yourself!” The sad fact is that more and more of us seem to struggle these days with growing up and relinquishing the idea that it really is all about me.

It isn’t just the superstar athlete or entertainer with a fawning entourage. It’s a student who will not be disciplined or the employee who will not be accountable. It is the mate who will not be faithful and the self-indulgent individual who cannot deny the urge to drink or spend. For such people, nobody else really matters.

Childishness may be both tolerable and charming in four-year-olds, but it is utterly irresponsible for the rest of us. ————by Rubel Shelly