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We are to have perfect love towards one another at all times and fulfill
the command of the Lord. Many times we become preoccupied with what we are
doing and forget that there is a hurting world in need of our intervention.
If we confess that we belong to Christ, then our fruit should bear witness
to our confession. We cannot think so highly of ourselves that we focus
only on our importance and betterment and do not think of the needs of
others. As our example, the Lord Jesus gives us a lesson that we are to
always remember. The Lord Jesus declares in John 13:14-15 "If I then, your
Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's
feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you." The Lord did not think it to be beneath Himself to wash the feet of
His disciples, but wanted to show us how we are to treat one another.
I pray that we all keep in mind the pureness of heart that Jesus left as
our example and hope that we carry on as His disciples to care for, love
and have compassion towards all who are in need physically, emotionally
and spiritually. (Philippians 2:3-8) (Galatians 6:1-4) (1 John 4:11-12)
I hope you are inspired and encouraged by today's message to be a blessing
when the opportunity arises and allow the light that shines within you to
come forth to positively affect someone else's life that is sure to never
be forgotten.
THE CHRISTMAS ROSES
Andy was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow. Andy
didn't wear boots; he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any. The
thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of
keeping out the cold. Andy had been in his backyard for about an hour
already. And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his
mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, "This is
useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money to spend."
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five
had struggled. It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there
just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but
the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far. What
the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for
in love and family unity. Andy, the only boy in the family, had three
sisters, two older and one younger. His older sisters ran the household
in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already made
beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here it
was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Andy kicked the snow and started to walk down
to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy being six
without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to. Andy walked
from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed
so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Andy
reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer
of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the curb. He
reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never before has anyone felt so
wealthy as Andy felt at that moment. As he held his new found treasure, a
warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first
store he saw. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after
salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime. He
saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line.
When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Andy presented the dime and
asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop
owner looked at Andy and his ten cent offering. Then he put his hand on
Andy's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see what I
can do for you." As Andy waited, he looked at the beautiful flowers and
even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers.
The sound of the door closing as the last customer left jolted Andy back to
reality. All alone in the shop, Andy began to feel alone and afraid.
Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter.
There, before Andy's eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of
green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow.
Andy's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into
a long white box. "That will be ten cents young man." The shop owner said
reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Andy moved his hand to give
the man his dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing
for his dime! Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just
happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like
them?" This time Andy did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long
box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the
owner was holding for Andy, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry
Christmas, son."
As he returned inside, the shop keeper's wife walked out. "Who were you
talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?" Staring
out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, "A
strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things
to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen
of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I
had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few
minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for
his mother with one small dime. When I looked at him, I saw myself, many
years ago. I too was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas
gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told
me that he wanted to give me ten dollars. When I saw that little boy
tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very
best roses."
The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped
out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.
Author Unknown
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Isaiah 49:13-16 "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth
into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted His people, and
will have mercy upon His afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken
me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may
forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the
palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me."
Habakkuk 3:17-19 "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall
fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields
shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there
shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will Joy
in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and He will make
my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places..."
Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let
your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for
nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: HAVE FAITH IN GOD
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem97.htm
Today's Selected Testimony: WHO CRUCIFIED CHRIST?
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony192.htm
In Christ's Love and Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |
