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We should never allow ourselves to get agitated or frustrated because
things don't seem to be going our way. We are to have God's perfect peace
at all times and allow His Word to dwell in us richly. The Lord Jesus
reminded us that in the world we will have tribulation, but then He went on
to reassure us to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world for
us. No matter the trials or tribulations that come near to you, you stay
in peace, and allow the Lord to comfort your heart where nothing will be
able to steal your joy or move your faith in Him. (Colossians 3:12-17)
I hope you are encouraged by this message to stay in peace no matter the
trials or tribulations that come to tempt you to lose your patience, joy
and your peace.
WANNA BORROW A JACK?
One day I went to a lawyer friend for advice.
“I'm in real trouble” I said. “My neighbors across the road are going on
vacation for a month; and instead of boarding their dogs they are going to
keep them locked up and a woman is coming to feed them, if she doesn't
forget. Meanwhile they'll be lonely and bark all day and howl all night,
and I won't be able to sleep. I'll either have to call the SPCA to haul
them away or I'll go berserk and go over there and shoot them and then
when my neighbors return, they'll go berserk and come over and shoot me.”
My lawyer patted back a delicate yawn. “Let me tell you a story,” he said.
“And don't stop me if you've heard it because it will do you good to hear
it again.”
“A fellow was speeding down a country road late at night and Bang, went a
tire. He got out and looked but he had no jack.
“Then he said to himself. 'Well, I'll just walk to the nearest farmhouse
and borrow a jack.' He saw a light in the distance and said, 'Well, I'm
in luck; the farmer's up. I'll just knock on the door and say I'm in
trouble; would you please lend me a jack? And he'll say, why sure,
neighbor, help yourself, but bring it back.'
“He walked on a little farther and the light went out so he said to
himself, 'Now he's gone to bed, and he'll be annoyed because I'm bothering
him so he'll probably want some money for his jack. And I'll say, all
right, it isn't very neighborly but I'll give you a quarter.
And he'll say, do you think you can get me out of bed in the middle of the
night and then offer me a quarter? Give me a dollar or get yourself a jack
somewhere else.'
“By the time he got to the farmhouse the fellow had worked himself into a
lather. He turned into the gate and muttered. 'A dollar! All right, I'll
give you a dollar. But not a cent more! A poor devil has an accident and
all he needs is a jack. You probably won't let me have one no matter what
I give you. That's the kind of guy you are.'
“Which brought him to the door and he knocked angrily, loudly. The farmer
stuck his head out the window above the door and hollered down, 'Who's
there? What do you want?' The fellow stopped pounding on the door and
yelled up, 'You and your stupid jack! You know what you can do with it!'”
When I stopped laughing, I started thinking, and I said, “Is that what I've
been doing?”
“Right,” he said, “and you'd be surprised how many people come to a lawyer
for advice, and instead of calmly stating the facts, start building up a
big imaginary fight; what he'll say to his partner, what she'll say to her
husband, or how they'll tell the Old Man off about his will. So I tell
them the story about the jack and they cool off.
“The next time I hear from them, one tells me that the partner was glad to
meet him halfway; the gal says she can't understand it, her husband was so
reasonable she thought she must have gotten somebody else on the phone; the
relatives found out the Old Man had already been asking a lawyer how he
could give everything to them before he died, to save them inheritance tax.”
I thought, “How true! Most of us go through life bumping into obstacles
we could easily bypass; spoiling for a fight and lashing out in blind rages
at fancied wrongs and imaginary foes.
“And we don't even realize what we are doing until someone startles us one
day with a vivid word like a lightning flash on a dark night.”
Well, the other night I was driving home from the city. I was late for
dinner and I hadn't phoned my wife. As I crawled along in a line of cars,
I became more and more frustrated and angry. I'll tell her I was caught in
the heavy weekend traffic and she'll say, “Why didn't you phone me before
you left town?”
Then I'll say, “What difference does it make anyway, I'm here!” And she'll
say, “Yes, and I'm here, too, and I've been here all day waiting to hear
from you!” And I'll say, “I suppose I haven't anything else to do but call
you up every hour on the hour and make like a lovebird!” And she'll say,
“You mean like a wolf, but you wouldn't be calling me!”
By this time I am turning into the drive and I am plenty steamed up.
As I jumped out and slammed the car door, my wife flung open the window
upstairs.
“All right!” I shouted up to her, “Say it!”
“I will,” she cooed softly. “Wanna borrow a jack?”
By J.P. McEvoy
When you are tempted to begin an argument with your spouse, child or family
member because of something they have done wrong, either real or imagined,
take a moment of perspective and ask yourself if it's worth it to lose your
peace. You will find sooner than later, that whatever the situation was
that tried to cause you to lose your peace was trivial and not worthy of
causing you to miss God’s best in that situation. (James 1:19-22)
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Proverbs 15:1-5 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir
up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of
fools poureth out foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life:
but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. A fool despiseth his
father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.”
Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus declares “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may
be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun
to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on
the unjust.”
James 1:19-22 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity
of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is
able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: TRUE LOVE AND PEACE
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem177.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: THE PRAYER OF AN ATHEIST
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony25.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry
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