By Alan Smith
I heard this story about the owner of a Rolls Royce. It
certainly sounds as if could be true:
The great British automaker takes great pride in the reliability
of their handcrafted automobiles. An obviously wealthy owner of a Rolls
took it to Europe on an extended trip. While traveling in France the car
had some mechanical problem. He called the Rolls Royce factory and asked
that they send out a mechanic straightaway to fix the problem.
The company responded in royal fashion. They put a mechanic
on a private jet with all of the necessary tools and flew him over to France to
make the repairs. The owner was so wealthy that he wasn't at all
concerned about the cost, and he would not spare any expense to assure that his
beloved Rolls Royce was properly repaired.
However, after several months he realized he had not received a
bill. He directed his secretary to contact the Rolls Royce factory to
inquire about the bill. He received a prompt reply from the Rolls Royce
company. With typical British aplomb, it said simply, "We have no
recollection or record of any Rolls Royce having ever had a breakdown or being
in need of repair anywhere in France."
That reminds me of how God treats us when he forgives us of sin.
Sometimes we have a harder time forgiving ourselves than does God. We
sometimes feel weighed down with the burden of guilt long after God has removed
the burden of sin. We need to follow God's instructions to find
forgiveness, then trust that God has kept his promise to forgive. Like
Rolls Royce, God says, "I have no recollection or record of any sin being
committed." Take comfort from these words:
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us." (Psa. 103:12)
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their
sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Heb. 8:12)
Praise be to the God who "forgets" when He forgives!
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.com
By Alan Smith
The story is told about a woman who called her husband
on his car phone as he was on his way home from work and she said, “Honey, you
need to be careful. I just saw on the news that there’s some nut driving
the wrong way on the Interstate.” Her husband said, “There’s not just one
nut, there’s hundreds of them!”
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt
like trying to do God’s will makes you go the wrong way down the
road? All the traffic’s coming the other way. Have you ever
thought, “If everybody’s going this way, it’s so hard to go against the
flow. Would God really mind if I just turned around for a little while?”
An article in The London Times a couple of years ago
reported that there are currently about 200 million Christians in over 60
countries who are being persecuted for their faith. Because we have
freedom in the United States to worship God, those of us who live here
sometimes we forget just how many people in this world live under oppression –
by Communist authorities or Muslim authorities, or authorities who simply
oppose God and the people who follow God.
And even if you don’t face governmental oppression,
there are no doubt many of you who live with oppression – in your home, in your
workplace or at your school – oppressed by a family member or boss or teacher
who makes it difficult on you as a Christian. More and more, we all are
living in an anti-God culture. We live in an environment that makes it
difficult at times for us to stand up for God.
We must remember the words of Paul: “Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
(Romans 12:2)
No matter which way the crowd around you is flowing,
may you have the courage to travel the direction that God would have you to
travel.
Source:
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
By Rubel Shelly
The March 13 issue of
Coin World carries exciting news for
coin collectors. The Philadelphia mint struck a number of
1995 pennies with a faulty die. What's so exciting about a
"boo-boo" at the mind? It makes those coins with the
out-of-focus words "Liberty" and "In God" valuable items for
collectors.
Early estimates are that the penny could be worth somewhere
between $175 and $225. That amounts to quite a return on a
paltry one-cent investment!
Source:
Pulpit Helps
, April 1996, p. 8.
