The Chocolate Truffle Caper

My youngest tucked his last Lindt milk chocolate truffle from his Christmas stocking into the candy drawer in December and announced, "Anyone who eats this candy owes me $50!"

My husband handed me a wrapped Lindt chocolate the other day. 

"Where'd you get it?" I asked. 

"From LeighAnn (our niece)." 

"Let's leave the empty wrapper in the car so Joel can see it." I snickered thinking of what my son might do if he thought we ate his precious candy. 

True to form, an explosion happened moments later. 

"WHO ATE MY CANDY!" My ten-year-old huffed and puffed like a fire-breathing dragon. "I TOLD YOU. YOU OWE ME $50!!!" 

"I'm sad to inform you Joel, that when you get home, you'll see that your candy is still there." 

The moment he walked into the door he raced to the candy drawer and yanked it open. He held his prized chocolate in his hand and looked at me. 

"Why don't you eat it?" I asked. 

"No, he cried. "I can't." 

I patted my son on the shoulder. "I'll buy you more for Valentines Day." 

How quickly do you think that candy disappeared?

God's Personal Message for You!

For God so loved the world (that means You)

that He gave His only begotten Son (that means Jesus), 

that whoever (that means You) believes in Him (that means Jesus)

should not perish but have everlasting life. (that means You)

For God did not send His Son (that means Jesus)

into the world to condemn the world,  (that means You)

but that the world (that means You) through Him (that means Jesus) 

might be saved. 

John 3:16,17 explained

What will YOU do with this message?

Only One Life 'Twill Soon Be Past, Only What's Done for Christ Will Last

These words came to my mind this morning...

Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last.

While the Bible is very clear that our good works do NOT contribute to saving our souls (only by faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross can we be saved from our sin and be given a home in Heaven), we are called to good works.  It is an EVIDENCE of our salvation.  What we do for the Lord here on earth has everlasting value.  It contributes to our standing and our rewards in Heaven.

There are many things in life that can crowd out what God wants us to do.  Let's remember that we have a limited amount of time to serve the Lord.

C.T. Studd (1860-1931)

C.T. Studd wrote a poem after hearing the same two phrases.  A native of England, he attended university and was an elite Cricket player.  However, he realized how short life can be when his brother became seriously ill.   He understood that the sport and the fame that came with it paled in light of eternity.    God worked in his life to be a witness for Christ through Dwight L. Moody meetings.  C.T. met with missionary Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, spoke at evangelistic meetings at universities in England and Scotland and later began his missionary journey sailing to China.  His motto was: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."  To find out more about the life and times of C.T. Studd and other missionaries, click this link to the Wholesome Words site.

“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”
— extra stanza —
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”

C.T Studd

Speak the Truth in Love

I believe the little things in life matter.  

My godly grandmother would often stop and speak to people and give them a compliment, encouraging them in some small way.  I have watched my mother do the same through the years whether with people she knows or she meets in her daily life.  I try to do my best to speak words of comfort and joy to people along life's journey, although there are times (like today in Panera Bread) that I fall short.  I am thankful for God's forgiveness and that He is still working on me.

What about you?  Don't be afraid to speak hope into someone's life today.

"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."  Ephesians 4:15

Below is a portion of a story about "Truth Telling" from Elizabeth Elliot's website.  She lost her first husband in the 1950s when, as a missionary in Peru, Jim Elliott was martyred (along with four others) by the Auca Indians. Amazingly, she went to be a missionary among the very tribe members who killed her husband, living with the Aucas for two years. Their story was told in a Hollywood movie a few years ago.

Recently I met a friend for lunch whom I had not seen for twenty years. As I approached the restaurant I was thinking the usual thoughts: Will she have changed much? Will I recognize her? Will we be able to find things to talk about?

I saw her as soon as I got there, and I knew that if I said, "Why, Helen, you haven't changed a bit! " it would be a bald lie. The truth was that Helen was beautiful now. She had never been a beauty in college. The years and her experiences (some of them of a kind of suffering I knew nothing about) had given her a deep womanliness, a kind of tender strength. Her eyes glowed, there was passion about her mouth, and the lines of her face revealed a strength of character she could not have had when she was a college student. So, instead of the usual pleasantries, I simply started with the truth. I told her what I saw in her face. Of course she was taken aback, but I am sure that this unorthodox beginning did not render further conversation more difficult. We were able to get down to the real things in life, things that matter and that had changed us both, rather than spending an hour on the ages of our children, their mates and careers, and our latest diets and recipes.

We all know that the truth often hurts. We use this cliche as a defense for having hurt someone, and sometimes it is indeed necessary to tell this kind of truth. But there is truth which does not hurt--truth which encourages and surprises with delight and gratitude. What if a teacher sees that a colleague of hers has succeeded in breaking down the resistance of a pupil who has been the despair of the other teachers, the talk of the faculty lunchroom? The change in the student is noticed, a sigh of relief is heaved, but who goes to the teacher herself and says, "Thanks! You've done what the rest of us couldn't do!" How many are free enough from themselves to recognize the worth of others and to speak of it honestly?

A lady who is a good many years older than I tells me often of the aunt who was a mother to her throughout her childhood. "Auntie'' impressed her with the need to tell the truth--the welcome kind--and she would add emphatically, "Tell them now." My friend calls me on the telephone--sometimes to thank me for a note or a little gift, sometimes to tell me what my friendship means to her.

"You remember what Auntie always said," she will say, ''so, I'm telling you now." There would be no way for me to exaggerate how she has cheered and helped me.

I was talking with a lady who had been a missionary for forty years, and I noticed that she had exceptionally lovely hands. "Has anyone ever told you your hands are beautiful?'' I asked. The dear soul was so flustered one might have thought I had committed an indecency. She looked at her hands in amazement.

"Why . . . why no. I don't think anyone ever has!'' But she saw that I meant it, and she had the grace to hear the truth. She said thank you.

"Tell it like it is," is the watchword today. But suppose it's lovely? Suppose it's actually beautiful? C. S. Lewis said that the most fatal of all nonconductors is embarrassment. It seems to me that life is all too short to let embarrassment deprive us and our friends of the pleasure of telling the happy truth. Suppose the boy who does your lawn does it fast, trims it perfectly, and takes care of the tools? Suppose the clerk who waits on you happens to be the most gracious one you've ever encountered? Suppose even that your husband--when you stop for once to look at him, to think about him as a person and as a man--seems to you to be the best man you know?

Tell them.

Tell them now.

Copyright 1988, by Elisabeth Elliot

A Christmas Quiz - test your knowledge of biblical truth vs. holiday tradition

This Christmas, during the most holy season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, let’s stop for a moment to test our biblical knowledge.  First, read the Scripture passages below and then quiz yourself with the following seven questions to see if you can separate biblical truth from holiday tradition. 

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree

went out from Caesar Augustus that all the

world should be registered. 3So all went to be

registered, everyone to his own city. 4Joseph also

went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth,

into Judea, to the city of David, which is

called Bethlehem, because he was of the house

and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with

Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days

were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she

brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped

Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a

manger, because there was no room for them in

the inn. —Luke 2:1,3–6 (NKJV)

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the

wise men, determined from them what time the star

appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said,

Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when

you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I

may come and worship Him also. 9 When they heard

the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they

had seen in the East went before them, till it came and

stood over where the young Child was....11 And when

they had come into the house, they saw the young Child

with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped

Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they

presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they

should not return to Herod, they departed for their own

country another way. —Matthew 2:7–9,11: (NKJV)

This quiz in an excerpt from a free PDF booklet from Answers In Genesis entitled Uncovering the Real Nativity.  AIG is a ministry that answers questions on the origins debate, the Bible, Christianity and other topics.  For more information about AIG, click this link. 

Now, are you ready to take your quiz?

True or False?

1.    Mary was in labor when she got into town,

so Joseph had to take whatever lodging

he could get.

2.    The Bible uses the Greek word kataluma—

translated “inn.” Kataluma means “small

hotel.”

3.    The Bible says that Mary and Joseph spent

the night in a stable.

4.    The innkeeper told Mary and Joseph there

was no room for them in the inn.

5.    The innkeeper’s wife brought water and

towels to Mary and assisted in Jesus’s birth.

6.    The Bible says there were three wisemen.

7.    The wisemen were present the night of

Christ’s birth.

Believe it or not, all of these statements

are false.

Answers to the quiz:

Q1. Mary was in labor when they got into town, so Joseph had

to take whatever lodging he could get. False—“And so it was,

that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that

she should be delivered.” Luke 2:6

Q2. The Bible uses the Greek word kataluma—translated

“inn.” Kataluma means “small hotel.” False—Kataluma is

best translated “guest room.”

Q3. The Bible says that Mary and Joseph spent the night in a

stable. False—There is no mention of a stable, only a manger,

but we now know through archaeology that there was a

manger in the lower level of the average house of the area.

Q4. The innkeeper told Mary and Joseph there was no room

for them in the inn. False—There is no mention of an innkeeper

in the biblical account of Christ’s birth.

Q5.The innkeeper’s wife brought water and towels to Mary

and assisted in Jesus’s birth. False—There is no mention of an

innkeeper’s wife in the biblical account of Christ’s birth.

Q6. The Bible says there were three wisemen. False—The

Bible tells us there were three gifts, but it does not tell us how

many wisemen were there.

Q7. The wisemen were present the night of Christ’s birth.

Probably false—The text doesn’t really say, but if you carefully

read Matthew 1 and 2, you can see that Jesus could have been

as much as two years old when the wisemen visited Him.

For more detailed information about the kataluma, see: “The Manger and the Inn,” by

Kenneth Bailey, PhD

Jesus - The Sweetest Name I Know

Joel (on left) with his friend Ben

Lately, my ten-year-old son has had a fascination with the meaning of people's names.  He recently looked up his name, Joel, which means Jehovah is God and so it multiplied from there.  He looked up the meaning of his brother's name, my name, his dad's name, his grandparents names, his cousins names, his friends names - you name it and he looked it up on an app he downloaded on his I-Pod Touch or on the computer.

God loves names too - namely people and God felt it was important enough to include genealogies in the Bible, especially the genealogy of Christ our Lord.  As my son and I read through Matthew chapter one the other night during family devotional time, we saw how Jesus was in the line of King David, just as God promised the coming Messiah would be when He came into the world.

God tells us what the name Jesus means.  Jesus means Jehovah Saves and God explains in Scripture, specifically in Matthew chapter one along with other references, that Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins. (see Matt. 1:21)

What a wonderful Savior we have in Jesus!  In the words of one of my favorite songs:  "Jesus is the sweetest name I know and He's just the same as His lovely name.  And that's the reason why I love Him so. Oh Jesus is the sweetest name I know."

Matthew 1

 ¹The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
 ²Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
 ³And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
 ⁴And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
 ⁵And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
 ⁶And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
 ⁷And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
 ⁸And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
 ⁹And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
 ¹⁰And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
 ¹¹And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
 ¹²And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
 ¹³And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
 ¹⁴And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
 ¹⁵And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
 ¹⁶And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
 ¹⁷So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
 ¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
 ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
 ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
 ²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
 ²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
 ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
 ²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
 ²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

A Day of Thanksgiving

A Day of Thanksgiving

by Susan Kelly Skitt

Whilst leaves on the trees of November fall,

I think about my favorite blessing of all,

Of that time of year when family gathers,

Sitting round the turkey and platters,

Thanksgiving Day with loved ones dear,

Thanking God for each one here.

And even though we are missing a few,

We hold in our hearts, each one, it's true.

For we know one day at God's banquet table we'll eat,

We'll gather together at a wonderful feast.

So as I bow my head to pray,

I'll thank my Lord for that wonderful day!

As I sat down today to write this poem, I thought about all the wonderful family gatherings at Thanksgiving.  I remember when my grandmother would lovingly bake her homemade potato stuffing and golden, pastry pies.  I miss my Nanna and the joy she brought to our family.  Her life, love and prayers have left a permanent mark in our lives.  I think about other loved ones that are missing, some who have gone home to Heaven and one that is missing this year because of studying abroad for college - my oldest son, Jared.  This will be the first Thanksgiving he hasn't been at home.  In God's time, we will all gather together at His banquet table and feast at a wonderful supper prepared by the Lord.  I look forward to that day of purest pleasure, where we will see each other and our Lord  Jesus Christ, our God and our Savior who loves us with an everlasting love!

Revelation 19:8-10 King James Version (KJV)

 ⁸And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
 ⁹And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
 ¹⁰And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.