you will live like it every day of the year. It should show not only in a negative way, in that we don’t drink, we don’t beat our wives, and things of that sort, but also in that we have Christ on display through us in every thing we do. Some of the devil’s chil dren, remember, live beautiful lives, but they are not saved. A Christian is one who is interested in the Lord Jesus Christ. He certainly ought to be for the Bible teaches that he is a part of the bride of Christ. I remember a man in the laundry business who was telling me that he claimed to be a Christian. One day, however, he gleefully spoke of how he got ahead of one of his customers. He thought it was clever and smart to conduct his business like that in order to make money. At one time I was in the laundry business, and I knew what compromising he had done. But what about his testimony? One day his driver came back with a report of a problem. It seems a woman had sent six towels to be cleaned. When they came back, however, there were only five. She told this man, “Mister, the towel you lost was my best embroid ered one. In itself it cost $1.50; then I had to put all the hand work on it. It took me hours. You’re going to pay for that towel, and you’re going to pay dearly.” The driver said, “I’m sure my boss will be glad to. Just let me talk with him about it.” She was still furious. At another stop a woman told him that she had sent six towels, however, she received seven back. “The seventh,” she reported, “had someone else’s initials on it.” The mys tery was solved. Sure enough they were the initials of the woman who lost the one. When he saw it, he was very amused. It was a cheap 50 cent towel which already looked like it was ready for the rag bag. He went out to see her himself. “I’m the owner of the laundry and I understand you lost a towel.” She didn’t know he had it. She started, “I’m glad to speak to you, sir! You’re going to pay dearly for that towel. It was one of my finest! It was an expensive one to begin with
and then I spent hours in embroidery work on it. Yes, you’ll pay plenty.” He nodded in agreement and then quietly took the towel out of his pocket and showed it to her. He said, “Are these initials yours?” She was rather shocked and grabbed for it. “There has been a mistake,” she stammered. Then with a little nervous laugh, “I guess I made a mistake, didn’t I?” He looked her in the eye, and said, “You lied to me. You’re nothing but a cheater trying to beat me out of this money. You keep your towel, but don’t ever call us again. We don’t need your kind of business.” Telling me the story he said, “How do you like that?” I thought for a moment and then I said, “Friend, as a Christian, that woman will never listen to you give the Gospel. You sold her out to the devil for a cheap towel. You would have been better off paying her for it. You didn’t act like one who knew the Lord. You acted like a very wicked person. How do you expect to ever reach her for the Lord?” He saw the point. I realize what he did was only human, and we are all only hu man ; but we need to remember Paul’s testimony, which should be our desire to say, “I am what I am.” Beloved, if you claim to be a Chris tian then be one, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and the rest of the week. That means the fourth of July and all of the other holidays, too. He took the place of being exactly what God called him to be as a child of His. I love that. We know we should let everybody realize to Whom we be long and what affect it has had upon our lives. This is the way in which your own soul can be blessed as you are what you really claim to be. Take the challenge of the wonderful five word sentence sermon, and with the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit, as a born-again believer say, with confidence and assurance, “I am what I am!” * * * Education without God is like a ship with out a compass. * * * The danger in stretching the truth is that it's apt to snap back! 14
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs