Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front! t of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy ~
When I see my image in it."
MY ATTORNEY
After living what I felt was a "decent" life, my time on earth came to the 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 Attorney, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.
The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.
As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin."
The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell."
He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others.
Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.
As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not Offering any form of defence at all.
I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done?
Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.."
When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench.
The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.
As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty.
I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, "Hi, Dad," and then He turned to address the court.
"Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished."
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine."
My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the book of life and no one can snatch him from Me.
Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy."
As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, "There is nothing else that needs to be done.
I've done it all."
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips.. This man is free."
The penalty for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed."
As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up, I will win the next one."
I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case?"
Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,
~Paid In Full~
The Diamond Ring;
A married lady was expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had admired a beautiful diamond ring in a showroom, and knowing her husband could afford it, she told him that was all she wanted.
As her birthday approached, this lady awaited signs that her husband had purchased the diamond ring... Finally, on the morning of her birthday, her husband called her into his studyroom.
Her husband told her how proud he was to have such a good wife, and told her how much he loved her. He handed her a beautiful wrapped gift box.
Curious, the wife opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the wife's name embossed in gold.
Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, 'With all your money you give me a Bible? and stormed out of the house, leaving her husband.
Many years passed and the married lady was very successful in business.
She managed to settle for a more beautiful house and a wonderful family, but realized her ex-husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to visit him. She had not seen him for many years.
But before she could make arrangements, she received a telegram telling her that her ex-husband had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to her. She needed to come back immediately and take care of things.
When she arrived at her ex-husband's house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart.
She began to search through her ex-husband's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as she had left it years ago.
With tears, she opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. Her ex-husband had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, 'And if you, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?'
As she read those words, a tiny package dropped from the back of the Bible.
It had a diamond ring with her name engraved on it, the same diamond ring which she saw at the showroom. On the tag was the date of her birth, and the words...'LUV U ALWAYS'...
How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others.
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKAGED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKAGED THE WAY IT IS!
THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO BIGGER THINGS
The Law of the Garbage Truck
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"
That is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call The Law of the Garbage Truck. "People are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and some times they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.....
Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't."
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Author Unknown
WRITTEN BY A SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA:
New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)! Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore, because the word "God" is mentioned.... A kid in Arizona wrote this poem;
NEW School prayer:
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
Its scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the schools a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
Think About It
When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced.
Live your life in such a way that when you die...
The world will cry... and you will rejoice!
Pastor and Evangelist
Dana Bohanske 1998
~Food for Spiritual Thought ~
Don't Let the Devil Get you Down!
The clock is my Sheppard
I shall not rest
He makes me to lie down only when I am exhausted
He leads me into deep depression
It hounds my soul
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity sake
Even though I run frantically from task to task
I will never get it all done
For my idea is with me
Deadlines and my needs for approval
They drive me
They demand performance from me beyond the limits of my schedule
They anoint my head with migraines
My in basket overflows
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever
Writer Unknown
Hell is Waiting for You
I had on new clothes new sneakers on my feet, I was there for class on time. Went to the back and took my seat.
Yeah, I'm moving up, I'm already grown. Soon I'll be graduating, and out on my own.
I talked to some of my friends, we were all having fun. Said some things I shouldn't have said. Did stuff I shouldn't have done.
I knew I was different... I felt God touch my heart, I knew I should set a standard, But then I'd be set apart.
Walking to the bus, I was not looking for strength. I heard the car tires screeching, but now it's too late.
I'm standing in this room, and I can see the heavenly gate. Oh no! I never prayed. I thought I had time to get it straight!
An angel walked to me, he had a book in his hand. I knew it was the Book of Life, When would this dream end?
I told him my name, and he began to look. Then he looked at me sadly and said, your name is not in this book.
Angel, this is a dream, No, I can't be dead! He closed the book and turned away, He whispered - You cannot proceed ahead.
No...no this can't be real, Angel, you can't turn me away. Let me talk to God, Maybe he'll let me stay.
He led me to the gate, Jesus came to me. He did not let me in but said, beloved what is your need?
Jesus, I cried, please, don't cast me away from you. Tears ran down his face as he said, you knew what you needed to do.
Lord, please I'm young, I never thought I would die. I thought I'd have plenty of time, death caught me by surprise.
Lord, I went to church, please Jesus, I believe. He said you would not accept me, my love you would not receive.
Lord, there were too many hypocrites. They weren't being true.
He took a step back and asked what does that have to do with you?
Lord, my family claimed to be saved, they weren't real.. You know. He said, I died for you, now I have to go. I fell to my knees crying to Him, Lord, I planned to be real tomorrow.
I couldn't make Him understand, I had never felt such sorrow.
Then it hit me hard, I said, Lord, where will I go?
He looked into my eyes and said, my child you already know.
Please Jesus, I begged, the place is so hot. It seemed to trouble and grieve him,
he whispered, DEPART FROM ME, I KNOW YOU NOT.
Lord, you're supposed to be love, how can you send me to damnation?
He replied, with your mouth you said you loved me, But each day you rejected my salvation.
With that in an instant, day turned into night.
I never knew such torture could be; now too late, I know the Bible is right.
If I can tell you anything, Hell has no age.
It is a place of torture, separated from God and full of rage.
You know, I thought it was funny, a joke, but this one thing is true.
If you never accept Jesus Christ, HELL IS WAITING FOR YOU!
So please, ask Him into your heart.
Author Unknown