Month: November 2016

While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem from Galilee, ten lepers came to Him begging for mercy. The Scripture says that He had compassion on them and told them to go show themselves to the priest. Taking Jesus at His word, they went and on their way, they got healed. Their horrible condition left them and whatever ravages the terrible disease had on their bodies were gone.

One of the ten came back praising God and thanking Jesus for His healing. Jesus was glad someone came to give thanks. But at the same time, He was sad that only one of them returned to say ‘Thank you’. His eyes were peering in the distance asking, “Were there not ten who were healed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:11-19).

Someone wondered why the nine did not return to give thanks for their healing. And the following reasons are suggested:

1. One waited to see if the cure was real.
2. One waited to see if it would last.
3. One said he would see Jesus later.
4. One decided that he had never had leprosy.
5. One said he would have gotten well anyway.
6. One gave glory to the priests
7. One said, “O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything.”
8. One said, “Any rabbi could have done it.”
9. One said, “I was already much improved.”

The above possible reasons why the nine lepers who were healed didn’t return to give thanks describe the attitude of the naturally ungrateful human heart. It shows how we are when we are unappreciative of what God has done for us and unthankful for the countless blessings we receive from His beneficent hand. We are proud, self-sufficient, indifferent, apathetic, arrogant and downright ungrateful.

God does not need our gratitude to fell good or happy. But just the same He is grieved when we are ungrateful and fail to acknowledge His blessings. He looks for us whenever we neglect to give Him our thanks.

Do we keep Him waiting to receive the thanks and gratitude that He deserves?

Too often, we give up on someone and in exasperation say, “He is a hopeless case. He is messed up and there’s no way he can turn around. Nothing can be done to make him change for the better.”

But we underestimate the power of God. The apostle Paul says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16.

When we think we have done everything we can to help someone turn around and make something out of his life and still see no positive results, we should not give up. It is at this point that we need to let go and let Go. And we will find that with God, there is nothing impossible. Truly, with Him, the difficult is easy, and the impossible? …just needs a little more time.

The following material states this point beautifully. No matter how messed up and dysfunctional our lives may b, if we give it up to Him, He will touch us and with the skill of Master’s hands, He will help us produce a melody that will sweeten and brighten the world we live in.

THE TOUCH

It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin. But he held it up with a smile:

“What am I biddin’ good folks,” He cried. “Who’ll start the biddin’ for me? A dollar;” then, “two! Only two ? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three ? Three dollars once, three dollars twice; going for three — ” But no.

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow. Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel’s wings.

There’s many a man with life out of tune, who’s battered and scarred, and is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin. A mess of potage, a glass of wine, a game, and he travels on. He is going once, and going twice, he’s going and almost gone. But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought by the touch of the Master’s Hand.

May we all with gracious understanding and patience wait on those God is touching with the skill of Hi hands knowing that we too in a certain degree are undergoing a similar process of restorative work. And better still, may we be instruments in His hands to help shape and mold others for His glory.

Americans went to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 2016 thinking that at day’s end they would be listening to an acceptance speech from the first woman ever to be elected president in United States history. But imagine their shock when they awoke Wednesday morning and watched unbelieving newscasters announce that Donald Trump had scored an unbelievable and stunning upset of Hillary Clinton for the presidency of the United States.

Hillary Clinton could have screamed “Rigged!” which Trump said he would do if he lost. The survey polls gave her as much as 2-digit leads over her rival in the weeks prior to election. Many odds were stacked up against Mr. Trump. Clinton’s campaign persisted in declaring that Trump was unfit and not qualified for the highest office of the land. Trump himself bungled things up and almost offended every group and segment of the constituency every time he opened his mouth during the campaign. But incredibly, he still won. And as several of his naysayers were threatening to do if he won the elections, they might as well start packing up and move to Canada or to some other planet in the universe.

Disaffection for Clinton and her performance or lack of it while in office may have been greater than people’s disdain over Trump’s flawed character. But the results of the election may also be a reflection of the panic that people had as they see the direction this country is going and want to change course. The horizon may look so bleak Americans in desperation want to try someone from outside the political arena to lead them to where America could be great again as Trump promised time and time again during his rallies.

Even as the president-elect is meeting with President Obama at the White House in order to map out a smooth transition of power, students and young people across the land are marching out on the streets protesting the election of Mr. Trump and refusing to acknowledge him as their president. In Los Angeles, they burned effigies of him and vandalized police cars.

We don’t know how a Trump presidency will affect day to day life in the United States or the role the US will play in world politics. We can only pray that God gives him wisdom to lead the country and the free world and that under his leadership, the church will be able to finish its task so that when his world as we know it comes to an end, Christ will come and usher in an everlasting kingdom of joy, peace and prosperity that has long eluded us under the rule of men.

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for themselves and their nine children to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.

The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their scheduled departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.

The family’s dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father filled with anger and disappointment, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave – without the Clark family. The father wept and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.

Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland – the mighty Titanic had sunk. The “unsinkable” ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.

When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.

At times, we lament our misfortune when things happen or don’t happen according to our plans and desires. But we need to remember that life is in constant motion and we must hold off giving our verdict until the real life drama has fully unfolded. For all we know, the bitter experiences in life are God’s way of preserving us and getting us ready for something more glorious than what we have ever imagined. We see them as tragedies but God intends them to be blessings for us. The Scriptures say “We know that all things work together for good to them who love God…for them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).