You are currently browsing articles tagged Edification Corner.
When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. Hard work does not hurt us. We all know what it is to go full speed for long hours, totally involved in an important task. The resulting weariness is matched by a sense of achievement and joy. Not hard work, but doubt and misgiving produce anxiety as we review a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks. We sense uneasily that we may have failed to do the important. The winds of other people’s demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration. We confess, quite apart from our sins, “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”
Tags: Edification Corner, prayer, priorities, Tyranny Of The Urgent
Is there any escape from this pattern of living? The answer lies in the life of our Lord. On the night before He died, Jesus made an astonishing claim. In the great prayer of John 17 He said, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (verse 4).
What was the secret of Jesus’ work? We find a clue following Mark’s account of Jesus’ busy day. Mark observes that “… in the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). Here is the secret of Jesus’ life and work for God: He prayerfully waited for His Father’s instructions and for the strength to follow them. Jesus had no divinely-drawn blueprint. He discerned the Father’s will day by day in a life of prayer. By this means He warded off the urgent and accomplished the important.
Tags: Edification Corner, life, The View From The Cross, Tyranny Of The Urgent
The modern businessman recognizes this principle of taking time out for evaluation. When Greenwalt was president of DuPont, he said, “One minute spent in planning saves three or four minutes in execution.” Many salesmen have revolutionized their business and multiplied their profits by setting aside Friday afternoon to plan carefully the major activities for the coming week. If an executive is too busy to stop and plan, he may find himself replaced by another man who takes time to plan. If the Christian is too busy to stop, take spiritual inventory, and receive his assignments from God, he becomes a slave to the tyranny of the urgent. He may work day and night to achieve much that seems significant to himself and others, but he will not finish the work God has for him to do.
Tags: Edification Corner, evaluate, meditation, The View From The Cross, Tyranny Of The Urgent
Freedom from the tyranny of the urgent is found in the example and promise of our Lord. At the end of a vigorous debate with the Pharisees in Jerusalem, Jesus said to those who believed in Him: “If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free…. Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin…. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31-36).
Tags: Edification Corner, prayer, sin, The View From The Cross, Tyranny Of The Urgent
Over the years the greatest continuing struggle in the Christian life is the effort to make adequate time for daily waiting on God, weekly inventory, and monthly planning. Since this time for receiving marching orders is so important, Satan will do everything he can to squeeze it out. Yet we know from experience that only by this means can we escape the tyranny of the urgent. This is how Jesus succeeded. He did not finish all the urgent tasks in Palestine or all the things He would have liked to do, but He did finish the work which God gave Him to do. The only alternative to frustration is to be sure that we are doing what God wants. Nothing substitues for knowing that this day, this hour, in this place we are doing the will of the Father. Then and only then can we think of all the other unfinished tasks with equanimity and leave them with God.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” [Matthew 5:13]
For the longest time I did not know what Jesus was talking about in this section of the Sermon on the Mount. Although it is just one verse in the bible, it is filled with meaning, even in our day and age. So much, in fact, that I wish to share with you today, just how much this one little verse should have an impact on your life!
Tags: Edification Corner, Mini Sermons, salt, thirst
Once there was this very wealthy young man. He lived in a great, elaborate house with dozens of rooms. Each room as more comfortable and more beautiful than the one before it. There were paintings and sculptures. Crystal chandeliers, golden, ornate railings on the stairs. More beauty than most have ever seen. One day he decided to invite the Lord to his home and stay with him. When the Lord arrived, this young man offered him the very best room in the house. The room was upstairs and at the end of the hall.
Tags: Edification Corner, forgiveness, parable, Short Stories
After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s pastor once again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak, “A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast,” he began, “when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean.”
Tags: Edification Corner, father, sacrifice, Short Stories, son
There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak…
Tags: Edification Corner, forgiven, Short Stories, sin
The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Edification Corner, prayer, Short Stories
During WWII is was the custom in the US for a family who had a son serving in the military to place a star in the front window of their home. But a gold star indicated that the son had died in support of his country’s cause. Years ago, Sir Harry Lauder told a touching story about this custom. He said that one night a man was walking down a New York City street accompanied by his 5 year-old son. The little fellow was interested int he brightly lighted windows of the houses and wanted to know why some houses had a star in the windiow. The father explained that those families had a son fighting in the war. The child would clap his hands as he saw another star in the window and would cry out, “Look, Daddy, there’s another family who gave a son for his country.”
Tags: Edification Corner, father, Short Stories, son
After living a “decent” life, my time on earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the “prosecutor,” he was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me, he definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed very familiar to me.
Tags: Edification Corner, Hell, Short Stories, sin
One day while walking down the street a highly successful Human Resources Director was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself. “Welcome to Heaven,” said St. Peter. “Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we’ve never once had a Human Resources Director make it this far and we’re not really sure what to do with you.” “No problem, just let me in” said the woman. “Well, I’d like to, but I have higher orders. What we’re going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in.”
Tags: deception, Edification Corner, Heaven, Hell, Short Stories
A water bearer in India had two large pots; each hung on each end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pot full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
Tags: Edification Corner, flaws, Short Stories, strength
I dreamed I drove on a Florida road, still and straight and empty. On either side were groves of orange trees stretched back endlessly from the road, their boughs heavy with round yellow fruit. This was harvest time. My wonder grew as the miles slipped by. How could the harvest be gathered?
Tags: dreams, Edification Corner, Short Stories
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
Tags: Edification Corner, happiness, Short Stories, sorrow
He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground. All of the Garden’s inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.
“You will love me, nature,” God said. “I made you that way. You will obey me universe. For you were destined to do so. You will reflect my glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like me. This one will be able to choose.”
Tags: choice, Edification Corner, Max Lucado, Short Stories
Ruth went to her mailbox and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I would like to visit.
Love Always,
Jesus
Tags: Edification Corner, offering, Short Stories
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1934 - 1998)
Tags: Edification Corner, life, Short Stories
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’-or-whatever mules do when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened. . .and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: adversity, Edification Corner, parable, Short Stories
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “People I Have Liked”. I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.
And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match.
Tags: dreams, Edification Corner, Joshua Harris, Short Stories
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said “Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver, and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.”
Then the second tree said “Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”
Tags: dreams, Edification Corner, hopes, Short Stories
Long Ago, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern.
The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known joy. The spirit in the cave was death, but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known life.
Tags: Edification Corner, light, Max Lucado, Short Stories
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
Tags: Edification Corner, obstacles, Short Stories
“O divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.”
- Saint Francis of Assisi
Tags: Edification Corner, master, Short Stories
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.”
Tags: dirty, Edification Corner, priceless, Short Stories, worth
There once was this turntable bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day, the bridge sat parallel with the tracks, allowing ships to pass freely on both sides. But at certain times each day a train would come along, and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the trains to cross.
Tags: bridge, Edification Corner, father, Short Stories, son
The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Tags: box, daughter, Edification Corner, father, forgiveness, gift, kisses, Short Stories
God’s Boxes of Love:
I have in my hands two boxes
Which God gave me to hold
He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black,
And all your joys in the gold.”
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I store
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before
With curiosity, I opened the black
Tags: box, Edification Corner, joy, Short Stories, sorrow
There was once a dad who had a three-year-old son named Brandon. One day, Brandon sees his dad eating chocolate chip cookies in the living room and says to himself, ‘Daddy loves chocolate chip cookies with milk. So I’m going to give Daddy a glass of milk.’ With that thought Brandon goes into the dining room and drags a chair from the dining room into the kitchen, leaving a trail of scratch marks on the floor.
Tags: Edification Corner, father, Short Stories, son
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” -John 1:1, 14.
Tags: Dream, Edification Corner, Max Lucado, Short Stories