Resources for September 24, 2006
"Biblical faith speaks of ethics always in terms of putting off' and putting on,'" wrote Eugene Wherli. "To become a person in Christ means to put one way of life away in order that the other can be put on. The decisiveness of covenant faith lies in the fact that something must be abandoned in order that this new relationship can be claimed."
Bruce Larson, co-pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, tells of one of his earlier ministries in New York City where he worked with people struggling with the pressures of everyday living and with the choice of where they would put their ultimate trust.
"For many years I worked in New York City and counseled at my office any number of people who were wrestling with the yes-or-no decision of turning their lives over to Jesus Christ. Often I would suggest they walk with me from my office down to the RCA building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under his burden. "Now, that's one way to live" I would point out to my companion, "trying to carry the world on your shoulders. But now come across the street with me." On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick's Cathedral and there, behind the high altar, is a little shrine to the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, who with no effort is holding the world in one hand. I would then say, "We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders or we can say, 'I give it to you, Lord. Here is my life. I give you my world. I give you my self."
“This Is the Day” by Les Garrett Hymn # 657 United Methodist Hymnal
This is the day, This is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord had made; We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it. This is the day that the lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day that the lord has made.
Marsha Kaitz, a psychology professor, conducted a test to investigate how well mothers know their newborn babies. Of the forty six mothers chosen for the test, blindfolded, nearly seventy percent of the mothers correctly chose their baby. Most of the mothers said they knew their child by the texture or temperature of the infant's hand. If that is how well a mother knows and loves her child, how well, then, does the Lord know and love His children? The Lord is the ultimate parent; God never forgets the people, even in times of failure, God keeps us permanently before his watchful eye. God has engraved us on the palms of his hands
The power of choice is real.
We can . . . Choose to love--rather than hate.
Choose to smile--rather than frown.
Choose to build--rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere--rather than quit.
Choose to praise--rather than gossip.
Choose to heal--rather than wound.
Choose to give--rather than grasp.
Choose to act--rather than delay.
Choose to pray--rather than despair.
Choose to forgive--rather than curse.
Each day brings a new opportunity to choose. What kind of choices will you make today?" Fr. Norbert Weber
When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else comes crashing in? This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. That will not be the time for choosing; It will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side.
C.S. Lewis.
The words of Eleanor Roosevelt ring true: One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.
Tim Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, p. 143.
When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.
William James.
Former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, "Do you want square toes or round toes?" Unable to decide, Reagan didn't answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn't decide, so the shoemaker replied, "Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready." When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! "This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you," the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. "I learned right then and there," Reagan said later, "if you don't make your own decisions, someone else will."
Today in the Word, MBI, August, 1991, p. 16.
It may be true that there are two sides to every question, but it is also true that there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper, and it makes a big difference to the fly which side he chooses.
Traditional.
Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be contented with half truth when whole truth can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth are in jeopardy.
Prayer said at West Point during chapel services.
Dear Lord,
When I am torn and troubled because of decisions I have to make, calm my emotions and clear my mind so that I can see the effect of my actions on my own life and the life of others. Give me the courage to do what I have to do and the willingness to shoulder the responsibility. Amen
David Jenkins