Christian Life
"Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without iscipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ."
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "The Cost of Discipleship"
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Rohlin, Robert wrote:
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read.
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too.
That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."
The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play,
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
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More Illustrations below
Many years ago, a newsboy, thinly clad and drenched by the soaking rain, stood shivering in a doorway one cold day in November. First one bare foot and then the other was lifted for a moment and pressed against his leg to get a little warmth. Every few minutes his shrill cry could be heard, "Morning paper! Morning paper!" A man who was well protected by his coat and umbrella stopped to buy the early edition. Noting the boy's discomfort, he said, "This kind of weather is pretty hard on you,
isn't it?" Looking up with a smile, the youngster replied, "I don't mind too much, Mister. The sun will shine again." What a picture of the Christian life! Chilling winds of adversity and grey skies of a sinful environment can easily discourage us. But we can always count on better days because we know God is working in our lives.
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We must have what he is in order to do what he did. - Major Ian Thomas
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The person who will not read is no better off than the person who can't read. The person who knows but will not use Biblical principles to live by is no better off than the person who does not know them. - Zig Ziglar
The Christian life is an exciting trip with more suspense than an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, more action than a John Wayne western, more drama than a Shakespearean play and more fun than a three-ring circus. It's immersed in love, filled with laughter,
and offers more true reward than King Solomon's mines. - Zig Ziglar
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There are two ways to get to the top of an oak tree. You can climb it or you can sit on an acorn and wait. We need to actively live the Christian life and not passively sit on our platitudes.- Zig Ziglar
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An incredible number of Christians believe in what Christ did for them in the past. They believe what He's going to do for them in the future. But for some reason, they don't believe He can do anything for them now. No wonder, they think He represents only future security, and their interest is in now benefits. - Zig Ziglar
God promised a safe landing, not smooth sailing.- Unknown
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The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become. - Unknown
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Written anonymously on the walls of a medieval castle were the following words:
You call me Master and Obey me not.
You call me Light and See me not.
You call me Way and Walk me not.
You call me Life and Desire me not.
You call me Wise and Follow me not.
You call me Fair and LOve me not.
You call me Rich and Ask me not.
You call me Eternal and Seek me not.
You call me Gracious and Trust me not.
If I condemn you, Blame me not.
- Unknown
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To avoid the risk of losing their religion, a lot of people don't take it to work with them. - Unknown
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The Christian life is like an airplane -- when you stop you drop. - Unknown
The prayers a man lives on his feet are just as important as those he says on his knees. - Unknown
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Back in the days of sailing ships a young sailor went to sea for the first time. The ship encountered a heavy storm in the North Atlantic. The sailor was commanded to go aloft and trim the sails. As the young sailor started to climb, he made a mistake and looked down. The roll of the ship combined with the tossing of the waves made for a frightening experience. The young man started to lose his balance. At that moment, an older sailor underneath him shouted, "Look up, son! Look up!" The young sailor looked up and regained his balance.
We Christians need to stop napping around down cast and hopeless and look up toward heaven, the source of our salvation. There is victory in Jesus and we need to start acting like it. - Zig Ziglar
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It's a pity more people can't travel the straight and narrow path without becoming straight-laced and narrow minded. - Unknown
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If you've never meet the devil, it's because you and he have been going the same direction. You just change direction by turning to Jesus and start obey him in life and you will meet the forces of hell head on! - Adrian Rogers
There are too many people who would rather hear a good sermon on Sunday, than live one through the week. - Unknown
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General Booth of the Salvation Army had ten rules for Christian
living. They are:
1. Consider your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and treat it with reverence and care.
2. Keep your mind active. Stimulate it with thoughts of others that lead to doing something.
3. Take time to be holy with daily Bible reading and prayer.
4. Support the church. Mingle with others.
5. Cultivate the presence of God. He wants to enter your life and will as far as you let him.
6. Take God into the details of your life. You naturally call upon Him in trouble and for the bigger things.
7. Pray for this troubled war-threatened world and the leaders who hold the destines of the various nations.
8. Have a thankful spirit for the blessings of God -- country, home, friends, and numerous other blessings.
9. Work as if everything depended upon work, and pray as if everything depended upon prayer.
10. Think of death not as something to be dreaded, but as a great and new experience where loved ones are met and ambitions realized.
- Robert G. Lee, SERMONIC LIBRARY, pp. 64-65.
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Christianity is a battle, not a dream. -Wendell Phillips
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; often-times, it has been found difficult and not tried. -Gilbert K. Chesterton
Christianity does not remove you from the world and its problems; it makes you fit to live in it, triumphantly and useful. Charles Templeton
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Sheldon Van Auken in his excellent book Severe Mercy has a piece that says, "The best argument for Christianity is Christians -- their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians -- when they're self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration. When they're narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."
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