Follow the Leader

S.I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application form that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, the young woman received this letter from the college:
Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1, 452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

A Glimpse at Golf

John, an avid golfer, came in from the course one Saturday. His wife, Mary, asked him with whom he had played that day. He said, "Oh, no one in particular."
She asked, "Why don't you play with Bill anymore?"
John replied, " Would you like to play golf with someone who throws his clubs, swears all the time, lies about his scores, moves his ball in the rough, and won't stop talking while you're trying to play a shot?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Mary.
John said, "Well, neither does Bill."

Too Simple

An arrogant astronomer approached a minister at a party. "Pastor," the astronomer smugly asked, "Wouldn't you agree that all of Christian theology could be summed up in this simple song, "Jesus loves me, th is I know, for the Bible tells me so"?
"Yes," the pastor replied, "if you would agree that all of astronomy can be summed up in this song, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!"

As simple as it is to move into a relationship with God ("Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved") there are unfathomed depths of God's grace, mercy, love and forgiveness waiting for us to begin our exploration ... depths of many magnitude greater than the farthest reaches of the universe. Praise be to God Almighty!

Perfect Safety

In the forest fire, there is always one place where the fire cannot reach. It is the place where the fire has already burned itself out. Calvary is the place where the fire of God's judgment against sin burned itself out completely. It is there that we are safe.
...........................-- Corrie ten Boom

Huh?

A fellow always stopped at the pretzel stand outside his workplace, place $2 on the counter, but didn't take a pretzel. One day, the stand operator said, "I've got something I'd like to say to you."
"Oh, I know," the fellow says, "You want to know why I put down $2 every day and don't take a pretzel, don't you?"
"No," said the vendor, "I just wanted to tell you they've gone up to $2.50."

Now, can anyone tell me why once we've experienced a blessing for awhile, we begin to assume it's ours by right, and we get upset if it stops. We may never have asked for it. We didn't earn it. But we just ASSUME it will keep on and on. Somewhere it changes from a gift for which we're thankful, and turns into an obligation which we expect to be fulfilled.

How marvelous is God's patience with us, even when we're ungrateful!

How to Travel

A man at the airline counter tells the rep, "I'd like this bag to go to Berlin, this one to California, and this one to London."
The rep says, "I'm sorry, sir. We can't do that."
The man replied, "Nonsense. That's what you did the last time I flew with you."

Thoughts on Temptation

I remember a recurring sketch on some old kid's show called "How NOT to do things." Here are some thoughts on temptation that would have fit there:
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• I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it. -- Mae West
• The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. -- Oscar Wilde
• I couldn't help it. I can resist everything except temptation. -- Oscar Wilde
• The trouble with resisting temptation is it may never come your way again. -- Korman's Law
• Ever notice that the whisper of temtation can be heard farther than the loudest call to duty? -- Earl Wilson
• Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you. -- Winston Churchill

And a note about how we rationalize our sins, turning vice into "virtue":
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• I'm not committing adultery; I'm just finding the love I need.
• I'm not living a greedy lifestyle of overconsumption; I'm just pursuing the American Dream.
• I'm not acting unecthically when I cheat my customers; I'm just following the laws of the marketplace.
• I'm not abusing my child' I'm just enforcing a little discipline.

Temptation we can resist. But if we mix it with rationalization, we're headed for trouble. That's a very dangerous combination, and NEVER leads to anything good.