AN OLD HOUND DOG sat howling in a country store in Missouri, and he was howling in good fashion when a stranger walked in. The stranger took one look at the dog then turned to the storekeeper a n d asked, “Whafs the matter with your dog — sick?” The storekeeper replied lazily, “Oh, no, he’s just sitting on a cocklebur.” “Well, why doesn’t he get off it?” The dog’s owner drawled, “Oh, / guess he’d just rather holler!” Unfortunately, too many people would rather complain about the things that are wrong in the church, than patiently and humbly seek to rectify the problems. “Search me, Oh Lord, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me.” Perhaps the key note of the trouble more often lies in the one complaining. IN THIS WORLD OF FAST-PACED EXISTENCE let us stop and ask our selves if there are things of more importance. Rev. John Berridge, a friend of the Wesleys, had this epi taph put on his tombstone and it h a s preached its sermon down through the years: “Reader, art thou born again? There is no sal vation without the new birth. 1 was born in sin February 1716, remained ignorant of my fallen estate until 1730. Lived proudly on faith and works for salvation until 1751, fled to Jesus alone for refuge in 1756, and fell asleep in Jesus Christ in 1793.” In our hurried life, we should ask “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” "The man who is self-centered is usually off-centered."
"Those who possess gifts, ought not to be possessed by those gifts." * * * BENJAMIN FRANKLIN gave us the expression, “There are two things we can always be sure of, ‘death and taxed.” A cartoon of husband and wife figuring out the Income Tax forms carried the line, “And we wish they came in that order.” Perhaps many people face reality in that way. having the thought, “Oh, I wish I were dead.” The Apostle thought of deqth as bringing Christ closer to him, not as an escape from the doom of trials. And he thought of life as living it unto the glory of Christ. It is, indeed, a “Happy Day” when a life becomes hidden in Him and is no longer under condemna tion. 1 t h * "Why should it be that home is the place where we are treated best and yet grumble most/' h h * BY SOME CHILDISH PRANK OR ACCI DENT, most of us carry scars. And sin has a way of leaving scars, too. A father told his son to drive a nail into a post every time he did an evil thing. The father also instructed him to take one out every time he did a good deed. The son learned his lesson quickly. After driving many nails into the post, he suc ceeded in doing enough good deeds to remove most of the nails. He proudly called his father to show him the results but he was distressed at all of the ugly holes made by the nails. The wise father told him that such was the way in life—you may do good deeds, turn over a new leaf, and make amends for your mistakes, but the nail holes of sin will always remain as scars. Satan seeks to bring defeat. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” 10
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