Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Son

My friend sent this to me in an email and I thought I would share this with you.


A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, fromPicasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art..


  


When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
   
   
   
   
About a month later, just beforeChristmas,
   
   
There was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands..
   
   
   
   
He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.... He often talked about you, and your love for art..' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'
   
   
   
   
The father
   
Opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'
   
   
   
   
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
   
   
   
   
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
   
   
   
   
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'
   
   
   
   
There was silence...
   
   
   Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'
   
   
   
   
But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'
   
   
   
   
Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, theRembrandts. Get on with the    
          Real bids!'
   
   
   
But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'
   
   
   
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
   
   
   
'We have $10, who will bid $20?'
   
   
'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'
   
   
   
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
   
   
   
   
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
   
   
   
The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'
   
   
   
A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'
   
   
   
   
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'
   
   
   
   
'What about the paintings?'
   
   
   
   
'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
   
   
   
   
The man who took the son gets everything!'
   
   
   
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'
   
   
   
   
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
   
   
   
   
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE
   

   
   
    God Bless.


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sing O Barren One- For The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Have you ever been in a place where you needed to just shout so loud that only God would really understand how loud you were really shouting because no one else could hear you.....

I needed to give something to God. Something I had carried for 6 to 7 years. I gave it over to him and repented sincerely. Prayed earnestly. I cried unto Him as I was reading my bible. I heard my favorite words cleans me with hyssop and I went to Psalms 51. Tears staining the pages of my bible and shirt. Crying uncontrollably I knew I had been forgiven and He was giving me a new heart and creating right spirit within me.

As the Spirit of the Lord moved, I heard Isaiah, Sing o barren one and I knew it was Isaiah 54. I went and read it out of my inspirational bible and when I was done all I could do was cry the more. You see God had delivered me Sunday morning. God said, He is doing a new thing in me. He is rebuilding the city and because He loves me He took me to Ezekiel 36:26-38 the text he introduced me to 6 years ago which didn't make any since to me then, but is understood now.

I have never known God to give me a personal promise as I have heard others say God has done for them. Although I knew that all of Gods promises were mine. But I asked God "Did you ever give me a personal promise?" Nothing ever came to mind so I figured I had all of Gods promises anyway whether I received a personal one or not.

Well, in January 2009 God gave me a Four-fold promise.

1.Blessings are REAL
2.That He shall send me help from the Sanctuary-Psalms 20:2
3.He is going to give me the desires of my heart Psalms 37:4-7
3.He will fulfill all of my purpose for Him Psalms 138:8

Two month later I received a confirmation from the Lord through a friend on my birthday. I found my birthday email on this past Sunday, which I had printed off nine months ago.

The thoughts shared in my birthday email were the following from a sermon preached from Zachariah 4:1-10. My friend unaware of the original Four-fold promise of God shared the following.

1.God will empower you (by His Spirit)
2.God will remove obstacles
3.God gives promises
4.God gives hope

Two four-fold promises given exactly two months apart. The email with the second four-fold promise was found exactly at the time of God revealing to me that He has me in the palm of his hands. Confirming it the more as re-read my email. I tell you. I had three goals this year and one goal was to know God so intimately that I could see His face and I wouldn't have to go looking for him. All I can say is I want more and more and more of Jesus. I can not get enough of Him. I don't go looking for Him because He is with me all the time. I greet them in the morning, talk with them about what some would consider the menial things of the day, like what am I wearing to work or church or what am I eating today or I don't feel well today. Or Lord, Thank you for the Sunshine beyond the clouds and for riding to school with me. For the trees and grass and you know the menial things most forget about in life... Moreover,The revelation of who He is makes me desire His presence. It's about true worship.... knowing Him in The Spirit Knowing Him as The Truth.... and Worshipping Him in Both because HE IS.

He is,Always will be,and Always Shall Be the Lord that perfects that which concerns YOU and me. and I am sooooo thankful. Are you?