How'd He Get Here?

By David A. Sargent

    The Omni William Penn Hotel is one of Pittsburgh’s swankiest hotels.  Imagine the surprise when some hotel guests checked into the Presidential Suite and found a homeless man sleeping on the couch!
    When hotel security officers arrived on the scene, they woke him up, took him to their office, and called the police.  Jeffrey Lennon Watson, 48, told police he was from Los Angeles and was passing through the city to return to California.  He informed them that he had been in Pittsburgh for over a month and “sleeps wherever he can locate somewhere comfortable to rest his head.”
    According to the Associated Press, there aren't too many places more comfortable than Watson's chosen location. The 16th-floor suite features a 1,300-square-foot parlor plus three bedrooms, and includes crystal chandeliers, a dining room, grand piano, a full kitchenette, and sitting room, according to the hotel's website. The site doesn't state how much the room costs.
    So how did he get in there?  Police don't know how long Watson had been in the suite or how he got in.  Hotel general manager Eric DeStefano offered the following explanation:
    The parlor area of the Presidential suite is "a general-use area for receptions and small events. The door had been programmed to remain unlocked for an event earlier that day. As soon as the occupant was discovered, he was escorted off the property," DeStefano said.
    Police took Watson to the Allegheny County Jail, where he remained Wednesday unable to post $15,000 bond. He faces a preliminary hearing Nov. 19 on charges of criminal trespass and theft of services, according to online court records. *
    God has promised that those who follow Him will live forever with Him in heaven (see 1 Peter 1:3-5).  Contemplating the splendor of heaven (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9) and the pristine holiness of God, one may feel as “out of place” as a homeless man in a ritzy hotel!
    Imagine one angel saying to another concerning you or me: “How’d HE get in here?”
    And the answer is: Jesus!
    Although our SIN separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and can keep us out of heaven and destined for the second death (cf. Revelation 21:8), God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).  Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we can be saved and live eternally with Him in heaven (Hebrews 10:19-20)!
    Jesus will save and give eternal life to those who accept His offer on His terms: place your faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continually cleanse the sins of those who continue to walk in the light of His word (1 John 1:7).
    And one day when, by the grace of God, we are in heaven and we’re asked, “How’d YOU get in here?”  We can answer with loving adoration and endless praise: “Jesus!”
    Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6
    Won’t YOU accept Jesus’ offer on His terms?

* Information gleaned from Joe Mandak of the Associated Press

- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled Living Water."  To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org

Just A Step Away

By Kippy Myers

    My wife's grandparents had obtained tickets for a steamboat ride. It was going to be a little "getaway" for them. But when they got to the dock and were ready to board, the grandmother decided that she did not want to go. The husband tried to persuade her to get on the steamboat since they were all prepared, had their luggage with them, etc., but she said that she had a bad feeling about it and was afraid that the boat would sink. Oddly enough, some friends of theirs approached them. They had tried to purchase tickets for the boat ride but the tickets were all sold out and thus, they could not go. The grandparents explained why they were not going and gave their tickets to the friends who were happy to receive them. Sadly, they boat sank, taking the friends with it.
    Country singer, Waylon Jennings, was playing a concert trip with several other musicians. Rather than take the tour bus to the next town, however, one of the artists was able to rent a private airplane and pilot to take him there. There was room for one more to ride, so Waylon and Buddy Holly flipped a coin to see who would go. Buddy won and happily climbed on board. Waylon lost ... he thought. The plane crashed, killing all on board.
    A young preacher sat on a streetcar in San Fransisco when some thugs boarded and sat beside him. He carried a Bible which drew their attention. One "tough guy" stood and began to ridicule the preacher. The young preacher sat in silence until the boy asked him, "Hey, Preacher. I guess you know everything, huh?" Well, tell us this - how far is it to eternity?" The other boys laughed, but the preacher responded, "Just a step."
    Eternity is only a heartbeat, a breath, a car trip, a street crossing, etc., away. STAY ready and you'll BE ready" ... for in an hour that ye think not, the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 24:44).

Source:
Kippy Myers, Illustrations that Illustrate, The World Evangelist, Feb. 1996.

Satan's Seeds

    An old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wondering for days in a dark, overgrown forest. Seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm that seemed to rage perpetually in the forest, he let his eyes grow accustomed to the dark and then, to his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where Satan kept his storehouse of seeds to be sown into human hearts. More curious than fearful, he lit a match and began to explore the piles and bins of seeds around him. He couldn't help but notice that the containers labeled "seeds of discouragement" far outnumbered any other type of seed.
    Just as the man had drawn this conclusion, one of Satan's foremost demons arrived to pick up a fresh supply of seed. The man asked him why the great abundance of discouragement sees. The demons laughed, "Because they are so effective and they take root so quickly!" The man then asked, "Do they grow everywhere?" At this the demon became sullen. He glared at the man and admitted in disgust, "No. They never seem to thrive in the heart of a grateful person."
    Be thankful for what you have, today. And trust the Lord to take car of what you don't have.

Source:
The weekly bulletin of the Macon Ave. Church of Christ, Memphis, TN; date unknown.

Think Nobody's Watching?

By Alan Smith

    A family was rushing to get to the movies. The parents told the children they had to leave "right now" at which point their teenage daughter headed for the bathroom to apply makeup.  Her father yelled for her to get in the car immediately, and headed to the garage grumbling.
    On the way to the theater, the father glanced in the rearview mirror and saw his daughter applying lipstick and blush, which produced the predictable lecture. "Look at your mom," he said.  "She didn't put on any makeup just to go sit in a dark movie theater."
    The daughter's response was, "Yeah, but Mom doesn't need makeup."
    The mother's heart was swelling with the compliment, and she turned back to thank this sweet, wonderful daughter just as she continued, "Nobody looks at her."
    I'm sure there have been times when your choice of clothing or the way you got yourself ready in the morning was determined by whether anybody would see you or not.  If you're just going to be around the house where no one can see you, you may dress one way.  If you're planning to be out in public, you'll likely dress another way.
    Sometimes, though, we make the mistake of determining our actions in the same way.  If we think someone is watching, we're careful to do what's right.  But if we think no one is paying attention, we tend not to be quite as careful.  We think, "Nobody's looking at me anyway!"
    The truth is, though, you constantly being watched (and not just by God!).  If you have children, you can be sure they see and hear everything you say and do!  When you're in line at the grocery store, others are watching.  When you work in your office, others are watching.  When you go out to eat at a restaurant, others are watching.  When you go to the Post Office, others are watching.
    That shouldn't make us nervous or bothered.  Rather, it reminds us that everywhere we go, we have an opportunity to live in a way that honors and glorifies God!  Always be conscious of that opportunity.
    "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).
    Somebody's watching!
    Have a great day!

- Alan Smith, author of the popular "Thought For Today," and minister for the Fayetteville Church of Christ in Fayetteville, NC, may be contacted at alansmith.servant@gmail.comAlan Smith, Thought For The Day (Sept. 12, 2013)

Turtle On a Fencepost

By David A. Sargent

     The late Alex Haley, who wrote Roots, had a unique picture on his office wall of a turtle sitting on top of a fence post. Whenever someone asked about it, Haley would say, "If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know that he had some help. Any time I start thinking, 'Wow, isn't this marvelous what I've done?' I look at that picture and remember how this turtle, me, got up on that post." *
     Great point!  But, Ken Stegall helps us to realize a great truth: “That’s not really true. [The turtle] didn’t have HELP; someone PUT  it there!
     Receiving HELP to accomplish something implies that you accomplished PART of the task yourself, but lacked the ability to finish the job.  A turtle can’t climb an upright fencepost. Not even a little bit. If it were to try, all its efforts would equal absolute failure.” **
     The point is: We CANNOT save ourselves!  We could never be personally “righteous” enough to merit salvation from sin and “earn” our way to heaven.
     Consider the words of the Apostle Paul: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).
     We “accept” Christ’s offer of salvation and life and are found “in Him” by submitting our lives to His Will through our trusting obedience: placing our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) INTO CHRIST for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).
     This we do, NOT to EARN our salvation, but to RECEIVE it.  Then, as we continue to place our hope in Christ and focus our lives on following Him, the blood of Jesus will continue to wash away our sins (1 John 1:7).
     A turtle CAN'T get on top of a fence post unless a hand picks it up and places it there.  You and I can’t “climb our way” to heaven either.
     We must ALLOW Christ to save us!
     It is ONLY His blood that was shed on the cross for our sins that can wash away our sins (Ephesians 1:7) and cause us to be declared righteous and be given the GIFT of eternal life.
     Won’t YOU accept His offer on His terms?

* Philip Barry Osborne in The Handbook of Magazine Article Writing as qtd. In http://bible.org/illustration/alex-haley

**  Ken Stegall, Woodland Oaks Church of Christ, The Woodlands, TX, in “How Did He Get Up There?” via Dan Williams’ PREACHER STUFF RESOURCE EXCHANGE (1/31/13)
- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled Living Water."  To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org

Working For the County

By Alan Smith

    A fellow stopped at a rural gas station and, after filling his tank, he paid the bill and bought a soft drink. As he stood by his car, drinking his Pepsi, he noticed a couple of men working along the roadside. One man would dig a hole two or three feet deep and then move on. The other man came along behind and filled in the hole. While one was digging a new hole, the other was about 25 feet behind filling in the old.
    The men worked right past the fellow with the Pepsi and went on down the road. "I can't stand this," said the man, heading down the road toward the men. "Hold it, hold it," he said to the men. "Can you tell me what's going on here with this digging?"
    "Well, we work for the county," one of the men said.
    "But one of you is digging a hole and the other fills it up. You're not accomplishing anything. Aren't you wasting the county's money?"
    "You don't understand, mister," one of the men said, leaning on his shovel and wiping his brow. "Normally there's three of us - me, Rodney and Mike. I dig the hole, Rodney sticks in the tree and Mike here puts the dirt back. Now just because Rodney's sick, that don't mean that Mike and me can't work."

- Alan Smith, author of the popular "Thought For Today," and minister for the Fayetteville Church of Christ in Fayetteville, NC, may be contacted at alansmith.servant@gmail.com

You Are Dead

By David A. Sargent

     Donald Miller Jr. was declared legally dead in 1994.  He had vanished from his home eight years earlier.  Miller, 61, told Hancock County Probate Court Judge Allan Davis, that he disappeared in the 1980s because he had lost his job and he was an alcoholic. His ex-wife claims that he vanished because he owed $26,000 in overdue child support payments.  Miller lived in Florida and Georgia before returning to Ohio around 2005.

     He said his parents told him about his "death" when he came back to the state.

     Miller went to court this week to ask the Probate Judge to reverse the 1994 ruling that declared him legally dead.  He wants to obtain a driver’s license and reinstate his Social Security number.

     But Judge Davis, admitting that this is a “strange, strange situation,” turned down his request, citing a three-year limit for changing a death ruling. "I don't know where that leaves you, but you're still deceased as far as the law is concerned," the judge said. *

Consider...

     Because of our sins, YOU and I are dead!  The Apostle Paul diagnosed the condition of those in Ephesus before God saved them:  “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2).

     Even so, WE are dead in our transgressions and sins – separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), under the condemnation of death (Romans 6:23), and completely unable to resurrect ourselves!

     Despite our sins, however, God loves us and has provided the Way for us to have eternal life.

     To those who were dead in their transgressions and sins, the Apostle Paul wrote: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us ALIVE with Christ even when we were DEAD in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7).

     Because of His great love for us, God sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16).  Jesus “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

     He suffered the “death penalty,” so that you and I can have eternal life!   “He died for us so that... we may live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:10).

     God has promised to raise those who are dead in their transgressions and sins when they place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

     The Apostle Paul explained to Christians in Rome how God had raised them up:

“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).

     We are dead in our transgressions and sins but God provides eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son.

     Won’t YOU submit to the Savior so that He can give you new life?

* Information from: The Findlay (OH) Courier, http://www.thecourier.com

- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled Living Water."  To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org