If We Can Just See The Shore

"In 1952, Florance Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, California, determined to swim to the mainland. An experienced swimmer, she had already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.

The weather that day was foggy and chilly; Florance could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still she swam steadily for fifteen hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her that she was close and that she could make it. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, Florance stopped swimming and was pulled out. It wasn't until she was aboard the boat that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day, she said, "All I could see was the fog... I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it."

"As you face discouragement, difficulty, or fatigue, or as you are surrounded by the fog of uncertain circumstances, are you thinking- "If only I could see the shore, I could make it?"

So set your sights on Jesus Christ, the Rock of salvation. He is the one who has promised to prepare a place for those who put their hope in him, a place where they will live with him FOREVER! If we can learn to fix our eyes on JESUS, to see through the fog and picture our eternal home in our mind's eye, it will comfort and energize us, giving us a clear look at the finish line."

No matter how tough life becomes, if we can see the shore and draw our strength from Christ, we WILL make it!

Education: From A Christian Point Of View!

An education from the modern dictionary is:

“the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge—developing the powers of reasoning and judgment and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.”

From the modern point of view an education is a means for a better life. When one is “formally” educated they have the opportunity to have a better job which brings in more income, which in turn leads to a more comfortable lifestyle which in the end results in a more prosperous life.

However, from a Christian point of view an education is seen in a very different light. As Christians we were created solely for the purpose of glorifying the Lord and enjoying Him forever. Our duty is to serve the Lord and to honor Him and to bring Him glory through all that we do. We are to let the light of Christ shine through us for the entire world to see.

He is the potter and we are the clay. The Lord is molding us, shaping us, and forming us exactly the way He wants us to be. We are the work of His hands—a masterpiece in the making. Just like there are many different kinds of pots, each to serve a different function. In the same way we He has created us all differently because He has a different function for each person to fulfill. As we discover our gifts and how we might use them and in seeking an education whether it be a “formal education”—a structured, prearranged, “by the book” system, OR an “informal education”—because life itself is a huge vehicle for learning and becoming educated. Wherever we are called to go or whatever we are called to do, the sole purpose of it all is in learning how to serve the Lord to the best of our abilities.

In the Webster’s Dictionary an education is defined as:

“the bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts, and science is important, to give them a religious education is indispensable.”

This definition focuses fully on developing the child as an individual. It takes into account that God created us in His image each with a purpose and a specific plan for each of our lives. And to give a child a religious education is absolutely necessary. Each one of us needs spiritual understanding and insight into that special knowledge revealed only by God Himself. Without that substantial spiritual foundation, our basic natural understanding will always fall short. As the scriptures say:

“I am the vine, you are the branches, He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

We can do no good apart from our Lord. Therefore, being educated in such a way that the Word of God is at the base of all subjects I believe is how God truly intended us to be educated. As stated before—our purpose on this earth is to glorify God. The Lord has every step of our lives planned out—He has arranged every single detail for a specific purpose for us individually. Our God is creating a story and each one of us has a special part in His-story. Knowing this helps us persevere and gives us that motivation we all need to keep pushing towards our goals.

NOW imagine not having this knowledge.

Without the spiritual motivation sometimes our only motivation is selfish ambition. Ones education now becomes a means to accomplish selfish goals. We are often driven by the desire for wealth, status, or pleasure. Also our nature wants to be recognized and seen as important. Ways of accomplishing this is by pursuing an education to gain more knowledge than others to maintain a feeling of superiority.

Education is a good thing—but when our reasoning, and our motivation, and our goals become self-centered it is no longer a good thing in God’s eyes. Any good thing can be turned into a bad thing with the wrong motivation. The purest motivation is that of serving God. When your motivation is to serve God—your education now becomes a vehicle by which you can serve Him better!

THE TEACUP!

"There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone.' But he only smiled, and gently said; 'Not yet!'" "Then. WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy! I'm going to be sick,' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly; 'Not yet.'

"He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then… Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. Help! Get me out of here! I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, 'Not yet'."

"When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! Ah, this is much better, I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Oh, please; Stop it, Stop it!' I cried. He only shook his head and said. 'Not yet!'."

"Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited ------- and waited, wondering "What's he going to do to me next? An hour later he handed me a mirror and said 'Look at yourself.'" "And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!'

Quietly he spoke: 'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you."

"The moral of this story is this: God knows what He's doing for each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.

So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to "stink", try this....

Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest teacup, sit down and think on this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter."

Faith...

Faith means we have a confidence of what we hope for and a certainty of what we do not see. It is to perceive what is behind the curtain. A belief in things unseen. Christian faith is a spiritual decision. A knowing from within that the thing you are hoping for is firmly established, even before you see any material evidence that it is true or has happened. Faith causes you to know in your heart before you see with your eyes. “For we walk by faith not by sight,” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith in God is from the heart, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

On the other hand, our Christian faith is not only a personal or private relationship we establish with God, but also ought to be a public confession and profession. Remember Peter—one of Christ’s disciples who proclaimed to have a great love and faith in Christ, and yet on the night before Jesus’ death he denied even knowing Christ three times. Even Peter, a hero of the faith showed a wavering when it came to openly expressing his faith and friendship with Christ. However, later his faith was displayed greatly even to the point of martyrdom.

What is it that keeps us from expressing our faith? Is it not fear? Yet, we are called to be fearless in our profession of faith. Jesus was very clear that our faith is not just a private matter. We are to be salt and light in this world. Our good works ought to be recognized by everyone as a reflection of Christ, ruler of all--so that they might glorify Him in all of His greatness.

How often do we have the opportunity to share our faith, to share the gospel, or to pray with someone? Don’t be afraid of what others might think—rather consider what God might think.

On a similar note, “What good is it if you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone” (James 2:14)? For a man to have faith and a man to “say” he has faith are two different things. It is one thing to say you believe in God and His word—but a whole different thing to act out and live out your life based on this belief. Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good fruit, it is dead and useless.

As Christians, we are held to a higher behavioral standard. Christ gave us commands which we are to obey. These commands are not a means of salvation—they are instructions of how we ought to live. We are to obey Christ not out of fear of punishment, but simply because He is our Savior, and because we love Him. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. It is also the greatest motive for obedience. We obey Him because we love Him and we love Him because He first loved us and has graciously adopted us as His children.

You may claim to have faith and believe that God is: omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent—all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere at all times. You may believe that God holds all things together, works all things together for the good of those who love Him, fulfills all of His promises, and puts us through nothing we can’t handle. Knowing that if God is truly for us, than we have no reason to fear—for who could possibly be against us? You may profess to believe all of these biblical truths, but does your state of faith motivate you to action? And what is that action?

Perhaps you’ve come to a fork in the road. Maybe a door has been closed on you and its time to open a new one. Maybe its time to move, or go to a different school, or time to leave a job in order to pursue something else. When we don’t exactly know what’s around the next corner of life, are we really willing to step out of the boat in faith?

Consider Abraham—when God said to him, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). By faith Abraham obeyed God, “He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned” (Hebrews11:17). God fulfilled His promise to Abraham by providing a substitute sacrifice for his son, Isaac—just as He fulfilled His promise to us, as believers, of sending a substitute sacrifice, in Christ Jesus.

The defining question is this—if we were put into such a position would we be able to respond with such faith? For faith is only as genuine as it is when it is tested.

"It is good to be a Christian and know it, but even better to be a Christian and show it."

What are you thinking about?

What are some of the things you tend to think about?

Are they usually positive thoughts or negative thoughts?

Is it the truth or are they lies?

Rather than thinking only of what you've lost, think about how God may be using your loss to benefit you. Rather than thinking about how miserable you are, ponder how you can make someone else happy. Rather than worrying about what will happen tomorrow, figure out how you can be a blessing to someone today. Instead of grumbling and complaining, PRAISE God for all the things He has done for you!

SO often what we choose to think about is what directs our attitude... our mood... or how we respond to something.

"The way we think determines the way we feel and the way we feel influences the way we act!"

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or worthy of praise— dwell on these things!" (Philippians 4:8)