Faith and Hope

"…Faith looks backward—hope looks onward and upward. Faith is concerned with the Person who promises—hope with the One and the things promised. Faith accepts—hope expects. Faith appropriates—hope anticipates. Faith believes and takes—hope desires and waits. Faith comes by hearing—hope comes by experience. Faith the root—hope is the fruit." -- G.H. Knight

Kindness is the "common-language" of Love

"One time Paul Harvey spoke about a man named Carl Coleman who was driving to work when a woman tried to pass him with her car and got too close and dinged his fender with hers.

They both pulled over and when she saw the damage she started crying. She admitted that it was her fault, but it was a brand-new car, it had only been out of the showroom two days!

How was she ever going to face her husband?

Mr. Coleman was sympathetic but explained they had to exchange their licenses and registrations.

When the woman reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the papers the first paper was a note, obviously written by a man; it read: "In case of accident, remember, Honey, it's you I love, not the car." (Paul Harvey Jr., Paul Harvey's for What It's Worth, 1992, p. 31)

Attributes of God

"There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, no not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely tried, our eyes bedimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the outworkings of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we can no longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice. Cherished plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have failed us, a professed brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We are staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud hides Him from us. We find it difficult, yea, impossible, for carnal reason to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering soul, severely tried fellow pilgrim, seek grace to heed Isa. 50:10..." (A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God, pp. 53-54)

Meeting God in your prison of circumstances.

"Whenever you get into a prison of circumstances, be on watch. Prisons are rare places for seeing things. It was in prison that Bunyan saw his wondrous allegory and Paul met the Lord and John looked through heaven's open door and Joseph saw God's mercy. God has no chance to show His mercy to some of us except when we are in some distressing sorrow. The night is the time to see the stars." -- F. B. Meyer

Do you really want to see a revival begin?

“Do you really want to see a revival begin?  Then go back to your home and draw a circle around you on the floor. Then get down on your knees in the middle of the circle and ask God to convert everybody inside that circle. When you do that, and God answers, you are experiencing the start of revival.” -- Gypsy Smith

"In omitting the Cross you have cut the Achilles' tendon of the Church: it cannot move, nor even stand, when this is gone. Holy work falls to the ground: it faints and dies when the blood of Jesus is taken away. The Cross must be put in the front more than ever by the faithful, because so many are unfaithful." -- Charles Spurgeon

The Letter

While on vacation as a child one year, I happened upon a gold watch that was lying face down in the parking lot of our motel. It was covered with dirt and gravel. At first glance, it did not seem worth the effort to bend down and pick it up, but for some reason I found myself reaching for it anyway.

The crystal was broken, the watchband was gone, and there was moisture on the dial. From all appearances, there was no logical reason to believe this watch would still work. Every indication was that its next stop would be the trashcan.

Those in my family who were with me at the time laughed at me for picking it up. My mother even scolded me for holding such a dirty object that was so obviously destroyed. As I reached for the winding stem, my brother made a comment about my lack of intelligence.

"It's been run over by cars," he chided. "Nothing can endure that kind of treatment!"

As I turned the stem, the second hand of the watch began to move. My family was wrong. Truly, odds were against the watch working, but there was one thing no one thought of. No matter how broken the outside was, if the inside was not damaged, it would still run, and indeed it did keep perfect time. This watch was made to keep time. Its outside appearance had nothing to do with the purpose for which it was designed. Although the appearance was damaged, the inside was untouched and in perfect condition.

Twenty-five years later, I still have that watch, I take it out every once in a while and wind it up, and it still works. I think as long as the inside remains untouched, it always will. However, unless I had bothered to pick it up and try to wind it years ago, I never would have known the part that really mattered was still in perfect condition. Although it looks like a piece of junk, it will always be a treasure to me, because I looked beyond the outside appearance and believed in what really mattered, it's ability to function in the manner for which it was created.

Thank you, Neil and Joanne, for making the effort to "pick up the watch," and "turn the stem." You are helping me to see that my emotions may be damaged but my inner self is still in perfect condition, and that is what was created to be with Christ. The only permanent part. The part that really mattered. I know that deep within my heart, no matter what my feelings are telling me, this is true. I also believe that with the help of God's servants, even the "casing" can be repaired, and maybe even that will become functional again.

There are people all over the world who have been "run over by cars." Damaged people. Desperate people who are crying out for mercy and grace. We have the privilege to "pick up the watch" and "turn the stem." We have to look beyond the casing and extend God's mercy and grace and connect these dear people to God. Perhaps you are one of those people. God has made a wonderful provision for your true recovery: Every hour of every day and for all eternity, we can go to our Great High Priest and receive mercy and grace in our time of need." (Neil T. Anderson, pp. 170-172. The chapter from the book it comes out of is titled, I can find Grace and Mercy.)