Scars of love

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, ...an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go.'

You and I can realte with that little boy. We have scars, too. Not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unseen and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Bible teaches that God loves you and wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wander into dangerous situations. The swimming hole called life is filled with peril and we forget that the devil is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins and if you have the scars of Gods love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not let you go.

God knows the heart

MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTSIDE! GOD LOOKS ON THE INSIDE!

“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

This happened after King Saul had rebelled against God, and God rejected him as king.

God sent Samuel, the prophet, to Jesses house to anoint the new king God had chosen. So Jesse got all his sons together, but one, and had them line up before Samuel.

When Eliab stood before him, Samuel thought, “Hey, this is a fine, young handsome man. Surely this is the NEXT king!!”

But God said, “NO!!!”

It ended up, that his youngest son, David, was the one God chose. He was not in the line-up, but was out with the sheep. So after God had rejected all the other boys, they went and got David. Then God said that he was the ONE, so Samuel anointed him, “and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”

So we have to remember that things are not always as they seem. The understanding, even of the godly, is limited. But God sees through all that, and looks straight at the heart.

Blood of Jesus

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the ...church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son.

The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand.

The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this: "My fiancee's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin."

"Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?" The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A lot of times, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against other Christians. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the word of God.

If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble. What can wash away my sins?... Nothing but the blood of Jesus! End of case!!!!

By their fruits you shall know them

Some people go to church everytime the door is open. Some people go to church on Easter, Mother's Day and Christmas only. Some do not go at all. But they all say they are Christians. Some say " I am a work in progress.". Some say " I am a Christian but I do not go to church because their are to many hypocrites in the ...church." Some say "I don't have to got to church to be saved." Some say " I do not have anything to wear to church."

My question to everyone is how do I know if you are a Christian? How do you know if I'm one?
There must be evidence. Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). If someone examined your life, would they find any spiritual fruit—hard evidence to prove that you are a true follower of Jesus Christ? Or, let me put it another way: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? By "evidence," I don't mean how many Bibles you own, or how many bumper stickers you might have on your car with Christian sayings on them. I mean hard evidence. If your family members, neighbors, and coworkers were interviewed and asked the question, "Is (your name here), in your opinion, a real Christian?" we might not be happy with the response. The only way others can tell whether you are a Christian is by your works. While all the good works in the world won't save a person (Titus 3:5), they are reasonable evidence that someone is saved.
In other words, God has taken care of your salvation through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. He cried out, "It is finished!" He purchased your ticket to heaven at the cross. But having received that ticket, your life should reflect your commitment to God. Works won't save you, but if you really are saved, then works will follow (2 Corinthians 5:17). Has that happened to you? Has there been a change in your life?