"Are you Jesus?" and "Adoption"
Two articles I recieved from E-mail today.
"Are you Jesus?" and "Adoption Child"
I believe it is good to share!
"Are you Jesus?"
A group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.
In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.
Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
ALL BUT ONE SALEMAN!!!
He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.
Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.He was glad he did.
The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."
As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, " Are you Jesus ?"
He stopped in midst ride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: " Are you Jesus ?"
Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not?
To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.
You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Please share this. Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know.
GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
"Adoption"
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
South Korean-born orphan Jade seemed to be born under a lucky star. When she was only four-months-old, Jade was adopted by a Dutch diplomat and his wife. Brought into a family who already had two biological children, it appeared as if things couldn't get any better for Jade who moved with the family to Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Life was good for Jade. At least that's the way it seemed. But Jade's new parents never applied for Dutch citizenship for their child. And now Jade's adopting family have taken her to the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department saying they could no longer take care of her.
Jade, they said, was 'emotionally remote.' In short, Jade's parents returned their adopted child. As the article said, they returned her like an 'unwanted Christmas necktie.' The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, has said the child was discarded like a "piece of household rubbish."
Now it's impossible for me to know any of the facts behind Jade's return, other than that which has been reported in the Time article.
So, please don't think of this devotion as being written as a condemnation upon Jade's adoptive parents. No, this devotion is written in thanksgiving that our adoptive Father in heaven hasn't, because of our ongoing disobedience, kicked us out of His family.
Because of Jesus' birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection, we have been adopted into the Savior's family of faith. In our new family, no longer are the forces of darkness able to lay claim to us.
Even so, we must confess we are not the best of adopted children. Each day we commit numerous sins. Each day we rebel against the loving hand of our adoptive Father.
Rather than banishing us from His presence, our heavenly Father forgives us of those transgressions. Because of Jesus' sacrifice we are washed of our sins and remain an adopted child in the household of the Lord.
THE PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, for sending Your Son to take my place under the law; for the forgiveness He has won and the faith You have given, I am most thankful. Today, as Your adopted child, I wish to express my appreciation for the forgiveness you continue to give. Send Your Holy Spirit so my life may show the appreciation my heart feels. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Well!! hope you people benefitted from the Ariticle. The former one is pretty good. I do wonder how many of us live out the true Christian life....that others can see Jesus in us.....I know I'm not there yet...Phew...well...well..Well...