TEMPTATION

A co-worker asked a friend why he got donuts if he was trying to diet. He said, “Well, I came around the corner where the Crispy Creme shop was, and I told God, if He wanted me to buy some donuts to have a parking spot in the front. On the eighth time around, there it was!”

Friend, don't treat temptation like this. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:22 "FLEE also youthful lusts..." 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, "FLEE fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” I Corinthians 10:14 declares  "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, FLEE from idolatry. Proverbs 7:6-10 “For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street NEAR her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.” If you don’t go NEAR, you will not go the way. 

Proverbs 5:2-10 -That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.REMOVE THEY WAY FAR FROM her, and COME NOT NIGH the door of her house: Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger.”

A man advertised for a chauffeur. Three applicants came. His first question was, "How close to the edge  of a cliff can you drive without going over?"

One man said, "A yard." 

Another replied, "A foot." 

The third said, "As far away as possible."

The third man got the job.

Joseph was victorious because he FLED (Genesis 39:12) and did not linger. When faced with temptation don't go around the block and look back at it. Flee it and don't look back.

Don’t see how close you can come to temptation but rather how far you can stay away from it if you want to be a victorious Christian.

NO ACCIDENTS

A rough-and-ready cowboy applied for a large insurance policy. Worried about his life style, the agent was careful and cautious to ask questions to make sure that the cowboy would not take any foolish chances.

"Have you had any accidents?" asked the agent.

"No, not really," he answered. "Come to think of it, though, a rattlesnake bit me and a horse kicked me once."

"Well," questioned the agent, "aren't those accidents?"

"Oh no," he responded. "They did it on purpose!"

There are no accidents in the life of the Christian - only appointments from God to let us know He is with us and working out His will in our lives

Disappointments are His appointments.

Ruth 2:3 - And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her HAP was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

Ruth's hap was God's map.

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

A classic example of jumping to conclusions without all the facts is the following story:

A lady invited her friends to mushroom and steak dinner. When the mushrooms were opened, a slight scum was on the top. Since the quests were expected shortly, the lady suggested to the maid, "Give the dog a little, and if he eats it, it is probably alright." The dog liked it and begged for more, so the dinner was completed and then served to the quest. 

After the main course, the maid hurriedly whispered to the mistress, "Ma'am, the dog is dead." There was no time to lose. Some time later the guest were reclining after the use of the stomach pump. 

The lady asked the maid, "Where is the dog now?" "Out on the front steps, ma'am, where he fell when the car hit him."

The French have a proverb, "If we knew all, we would forgive all." Though that proverb may not be totally true, it does remind us to be slow to judge, because we know in part.

How often do we make rash judgments about others without knowing all the facts.

Proverbs 18:13  - He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. 

DECREASE TO INCREASE

A nearby church called a new pastor. He was well received and in a short time the church began to grow. The attendance at Sunday school and worship services increased beyond expectations. Even the number of people at prayer meeting surprised everyone.

“Congratulations on the way your church is responding to you,” I said after being introduced to him. “What are you doing differently than most other churches to see such growth?”

“I’m decreasing,” was his strange reply.

“Decreasing?” I asked with a question mark on my face.

“Yes,” came his quick reply. “It’s what John said about Jesus: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’"

 

Let God do the promoting. It’ll save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

GRATITUDE OR LACK OF

The story is told of two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"

The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."

"That’s a lot of money."

"But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."

"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."

"You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."

Now the friend was really confused. "Then, why do you look so down?"

"This week... nothing!"

What a picture of the the “entitlement mindset” that has permeated American society at almost every level. We have been blessed to live in a land of plenty; as a result, we become complacent and many times we are completely unwilling to give thanks to anyone for anything.

GOD HELP US!

WHAT ARE YOUR ACTIONS SAYING

 

Several years ago in Chicago, police had a warrant for the arrest of a man named Daron. The police stopped Daron as he left an apartment complex in area of town known for drug trafficking. The police asked the man his name. Daron claimed that his name was John Henry Jones. There was only one problem. Daron had a tattoo on his arm that said “Daron.” The police pointed to the tattoo, but Daron claimed that it was the name of his girlfriend. Needless to say, the police could not be snookered and took him into custody.

What we are is written into the very fabric of our being.  You are not what you say, but what you do. Actions speak so loud. You may say one thing, but what does your life say?

If it waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is duck.

TRUE HERO OF THE TITANIC

    John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents on May 29th, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was thirteen years old that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He never knew what it was to "sow his wild oats." He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years old by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul in earnest entreaty for men to be reconciled to God.

    As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was apparent...he was consumed by the Word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply "The Word of God!" After five or six years of toiling on street corners preaching the gospel and working in the mill during the day, Harper was taken in by Rev. E. A. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, England. This set Harper free to devote his whole time of energy to the work so dear to his heart. Soon, John Harper started his own church in September of 1896. (Now known as the Harper Memorial Church.) This church which John Harper had started with just 25 members, had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later.

    During this time he had gotten married, but was shortly there after widowed. However brief the marriage, God did bless John Harper with a beautiful little girl named Nana.Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life.When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of Twenty-six,he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps, God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next.

    It was the night of April 14, 1912. The Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in. On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year- old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling, "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people. That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young Man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not. Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no.

    John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation.

     Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how that after John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."

    Does Hollywood remember this man? No.

     While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved. John Harper was truly the hero of the Titanic!