April 28, 2008

"Among you, whoever wants to be great must become the servant. And whoever wants to be first must become the servant. And whoever wants to be first must become the servant of all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to help others." Mark 10:43-45

"Oxymoron: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words" (Webster's) Read the verse above again and find the oxymoron. In God's Kingdom, the way to the top is to first go to the bottom. There is no place for those who believe and act like they are better than others. The way to be honored is to willingly become a servant. American culture tells us to seek our own interests first. Jesus tells us to seek the best interest of others first. If you spend a lifetime seeking and striving only for yourself, you may become an American success story. But in God's eyes, your life will be an irrelevant waste. Spend a lifetime serving others in the name of Christ and through all of eternity you will be honored by your Heavenly Father. You go figure. A few moments glory here that is irrelevant waste or forever glory there. How's your serve?

Thought for the week: Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. -- Flannery O'Connor

Funny for the week: "Lawn Burglars"

Brookpark, Ohio: Burglars recently broke in to an unoccupied house that was being renovated for sale. Among the items they stole were roofing shingles, a lawn mower, weed whackers, and lumber.

They broke into a storage area under the deck and also a shed in the back. Before leaving, though, they mowed the lawn of the residence.

Neighbors report seeing strange men walking around the home, but they never called the police because they figured the men were hired to do the lawn.

The owners are quoted as saying they will leave a pressure washer and painting equipment for the thieves next week as they did a better job than the lawn care company they had hired, and they were cheaper also.

Truth is often stranger than fiction………..Chaplain Barnes

Last week’s answer: How many "fruits of the spirit" are listed in Galatians? 9 (Gal 5:22)

This week’s question: Was Jesus ever circumcised? Yes (Luke 2:21)