Forwarded Messages

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. - Proverbs 13:20 Your companions are like buttons on an elevator. They will either take you up or take you down... Companionship choices are difficult to make. Jesus spent time with many people of low reputation, even to the point of being accused of being a low-life Himself. Yet, we are cautioned in Proverbs that "bad company corrupts good character." The key to following Jesus' example and protecting ourselves lies in discernment.

After winning the grueling Tour de France in 1999, cyclist Lance Armstrong went on to repeat the feat in the year 2000. Armstrong won both these races and a score of others after battling cancer, a cancer so devastating that it had spread throughout his body, even to his brain. After his remarkable victory in the 1999 Tour de France, Armstrong said that he wouldn't have been able to win if not for the cancer! The drive, the perseverance, and the courage that he developed while battling his internal enemy made him strong enough to ride faster and harder - and with more determination - than all of his opponents.

Envy takes the joy, happiness and contentment out of living. Jealousy isn't referred to as the "big green monster" for nothing. God hates jealousy so much that it made His top-ten list -- the Ten Commandments. He etched in stone the following words: "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." In workplace terms, this commandment from the book of Exodus could read, "You shall not covet your co-worker's salary, his corner office or award plaques, his title, budget, or privileges, or his favored status with the company president."

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories. He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands. He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on. Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two. Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak. Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket.. Hesitated, and then put them back. S

Maybe it is time for some of us Christians to apologize. In our desire to have others become Christians, we may have been less than honest with our non-Christian friends. We have talked in terms of "converting," "being saved," "joining with us," and other religious sounding words. In truth, becoming a Christian can be explained by a much simpler term: it is an invitation to die.   Becoming a Christian requires you to die. Jesus came to this world because God wanted you to live with him forever. He offers eternal life. The perfect God wants the imperfect man to live with Him forever. He made that possible by letting Jesus die for all the things we did that were unlike God. Jesus came here to die for you, so you could live.

Some people would rather endure an enema than love an enemy... Is there any tougher commandment than the one that instructs us to love our enemies? Not tolerate them or simply do kind things for them. Love them. Those obnoxious, cruel, hateful people. The boss who treats you unfairly. The co-worker who pretends to be your friend, then back - stabs you. The unhappy customer who unfairly criticizes you to your superiors. The technical support person who is consistently rude. Or that certain someone who is simply annoying.