Forwarded Messages

Friends, success in this life isn’t necessarily about how popular, influential or educated someone is. Success is about living a life of excellence in obedience to God’s Word. When we step out to do what God has called us to do, scripture says that His favor surrounds us like a shield. When we have His favor, we have everything, and we have an advantage for success!

A veteran pastor began a custom during his Sunday service - a custom he continued for twelve years. Before dismissing the children for Junior church, he invited them all to the front of the sanctuary to march past his pulpit on their way to the special kid oriented service. As the kids walked past him, the pastor made a point to smile at each one. In return, all of them smiled at him. "It was one of the high points of the service," he once said.

An expert wood carver sat on his front porch, sipping lemonade and enjoying the view one spring afternoon. Around him on the porch sat his various creations. A friend of the carver's stopped by got a quick visit and was surprised to see the artisan relaxing. "It's only 1:30 in the afternoon," he observed,  "a little early for a break, isn't it?"

A Good Example  is the Best Sermon Four men stood in a church lobby. They were arguing over which Bible translation was the best. One argued for the King James Version, citing its beautiful, eloquent old English. The second man advocated the American Standard Bible, noting its literalism and the confidence he felt in its commitment to accurately representing the message of the original texts. The third man praised The Living Bible for its conversational, easy-to-understand prose.

A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,”(Teacher in Japanese) the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For