GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

 

 

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family.

“You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman, “you should be working rather than lying on the beach!” The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?” “Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling.

The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!” “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again. The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said. “And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.

The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!” Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?” The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”

Contentment is a difficult attitude to learn, but so important.

It’s easy to get caught in the world’s trap of working harder and harder to earn more and more, when we may well already have what can provide us with the greatest possible happiness. May you know true contentment today?

Now godliness with contentment is great gain, For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 1Timothy 6:6-8

A STORY OF MAN AND HIS BENCH

I was walking from my office one day and saw a man sitting on bench!

As I got closer to him I noticed he smelt horrible!

His clothes were dirty and they had holes all in them! I saw a man of much poverty! I saw a man of hunger!

I looked at him and he looked at me! Our eyes locked and as soon as I noticed eye contact I looked away quickly praying that he would not ask me for anything!

 

As I continued to walk down the road, I saw a Mother with two little boys.

I noticed that one of the children was bouncing a ball then the other child ran to catch the ball

What I saw next was a nightmare before my very own eyes!

The other boy charged to get the ball! He was so excited showing off that he was not paying attention to his surroundings!

As he turned around to get his footing to catch the ball, he saw the the bus, the bus ran right over him!

Nothing was left of that little boy, not even a breath to say goodbye!

I began to freak out, frantically I screamed!

I ran to the limp lifeless child seeing that he had passed on, I knew that I had to help his Mother and brother!

As I wiped the little boy’s blood off my hands, I paused and said a silent prayer asking God to help this family who was just robbed of a loved one!

The mother tried to run to her child but I stopped her and begged her not to go! I told her that he had gone home!

The mother collapsed in my arms! The emergency personnel came and saddened as I was I prayed for the family and went to my home!

Two or three weeks went by and I could hardly sleep or eat!

I would beg God for comfort but yet I could find none! I prayed desperately to God, begging him to help the grieving family!

One day I laid down and I guess out of pure exhaustion I fell asleep! I began to dream of the accident!

The dream kept playing over and over in my head! I could remember the dream as if it was happening all over again!

But something I could not understand that was in the dream:

The old man that sat on that bench kept appearing in the dream and as the dream would play over and over he would be there too, sitting lonely and quietly on the bench!

I awoke screaming and terrified of the nightmare! I got myself together and began to pray to God to please let this memory dissipate! This is when the mighty Lord spoke and said:

My child you have asked me to let this memory from your thoughts go away but yet you do not realize what I am showing you!

That man that will not leave your thoughts or your dreams was in the same situation as the little boy who died that same day!

But yet you walked away from him! Insulted by his smell and frightened at his look!

This man had no friend or fow, no food to eat, but yet the saddest thing was, the Lord spoke boldly:

You sold my unconditional love away!

Both needed my love but yet you ran to the obvious and left the unknown alone! Death of loneliness was upon that little old man!

Later that day he committed suicide but yet no one cared to run to him because of his condition!

He died lonely, buried in an unknown grave.

No one could find his loved one's until the day the mother of his children read the paper and saw his picture and realized that very day she lost her son and her husband in a very bad way!

The Lord went onto say:

The saddest thing is you sold my unconditional love away, both needed my love but yet you put conditions on my love and ran to the obvious and left the unknown poor alone!

Though my words are harsh and my wrath is great my love is sufficient and I forgive you now go and find your way!

©2009-2010

WRITTEN BY MATTHEW Q. DAWSON

DROWNING MEN

1 Cor 3:8 "The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor."

Walking through the forest, a seasoned hiker came upon a broad, slowly moving river. He stopped to gaze over the waters, appreciating the beauty, when suddenly he heard a faint cry coming from upstream.  Looking in the direction of the noise, he saw an obviously drowning man floundering in the river and drifting slowly toward him.

The hiker was stunned momentarily, but he sprang into action when he saw the man disappear beneath the waters. Throwing off all of his cumbersome gear, he dove into the river and swam like a madman toward the spot where the man went under.

Upon reaching the spot he plunged below the surface and frantically
hauled up the helpless man. He then laboriously towed the victim to shore.
Heaving the lifeless body up on the riverbank, the hiker attempted to revive
the man, who eventually spit up water and began to breathe.

Relieved, the hiker paused to catch his breath. But no sooner had he done so than he heard another voice out on the water. Another drowning person!

Once again he swam out and pulled the person to shore, a little more slowly this time. As the hiker-turned lifeguard revived the second victim, he heard yet another cry for help.

All day long the hiker worked, rescuing one person after another as they came drifting down the river. There seemed to be no end of drowning victims, and the hiker didn't think he could keep it up.
Just when he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he spotted another man walking rapidly beside the river, headed upstream. "Hey mister!" he cried out. "Please help me! These poor people are drowning!" Amazingly, the man kept walking upstream. The astonished hiker called out again. Without even acknowledging the cry, the man kept going. Indignant and angry, the hiker leapt to his feet, ran toward the seemingly uncompassionate man, stood directly in his path, and in a loud voice demanded, "Sir! How can you possibly walk past all these drowning people? Have you no conscience? Must I force you to help me save these people?"

The stranger stopped, looked at him for the first time and said with a calm,
focused voice, "Sir, please get out of my way. I am headed upstream to stop the guy who is pushing all these people in."

Each of us has a role to play in rescuing those who are drowning in sin.
Some of us pull people from the water and resuscitate them with counseling, food and shelter, a rehabilitation program, a support group, or financial aid. Affirm those doing these important ministries. Others of us find our place of ministry upstream, opposing the one pushing people into the river. We do this by introducing those people to Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ sets a person free from sin and releases them from Satan's power over them. By itself, pulling people from the water isn't enough. We need to help people deal with the problem of sin at its source.