A baby camel asked his mother, “Mom, why do I have these huge three-toed feet?” His mother replied, “Well, son, your toes help you stay on top of the soft sand when we trek across the desert.”
A few minutes later the baby camel asked, “Mom, why do I have these long eyelashes?” His mother replied, “Well, son, your eyelashes help keep the sand out of your eyes on our trips through the desert.”
A few minutes later the baby camel asked, “Mom, why do I have these great big humps on my back.” His mother, who was getting a little impatient with her son, replied, “Well, son, your humps store water for our long treks across the desert, so you can go without drinking for long periods of time.”
“That’s great, Mom,” the baby camel said. “We have huge feet to stop us from sinking, long eyelashes to keep sand out of our eyes, and humps to store water. But….Mom?”
“Yes, son?”
“Why are we in the zoo?”
God created you for a purpose. He’s provided you with gifts and talents so that you can serve Him and make a difference in the world. Are you doing what God created you to do? Maybe you feel a little like the camel in the zoo. Life is easy, things are going along pretty smoothly, but you have a nagging feeling inside that maybe you aren’t living up to your God-given potential.
Living in a zoo isn’t all bad, but it’s certainly not what camels were created to do. Living outside the will of God may not be all bad for you, either. Perhaps you’ve got a well-paying job, a supportive family, and few troubles. But ask yourself, “Is this what God created me to do?” Jesus said, “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy. But I have come that you may life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) Let Jesus set you free and give you the abundant life that you were meant to live.
(From Hot Illustrations for Youth talks)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Characters Welcome
Imagine that leadership is like a ladder. Like any ladder, it has two legs. One leg represents competency, which is another word for skills and abilities. The other leg represents character, which is moral and ethical strength. You can develop your competency to a great extent, but without the character to match it your leadership will fall – the same way a ladder with one leg can’t stand up.
In 2 Peter 1:5-8, he says “Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, contemplating your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With those qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward…” Peter was clear; work hard to have good character.
You might be able to force some people to follow you because of your position, knowledge or power. But if you have character, people will WANT to follow you. God will open opportunities because He trusts you. God doesn’t measure greatness based on accomplishments. He defines greatness based on the depth of your character.
In 2 Peter 1:5-8, he says “Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, contemplating your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With those qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward…” Peter was clear; work hard to have good character.
You might be able to force some people to follow you because of your position, knowledge or power. But if you have character, people will WANT to follow you. God will open opportunities because He trusts you. God doesn’t measure greatness based on accomplishments. He defines greatness based on the depth of your character.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
God's Will
An overweight man decided it was time to shed some pounds. He informed his co-workers he was going on a diet and would no longer be bringing donuts to the office. He knew it would be hard to resist stopping at the bakery on the way to work, but he committed himself to remaining strong and resisting temptation.
His co-workers were surprised one morning to see him arrive at the office with big box of donuts. When they reminded him of his diet, he just smiled.
“These are very special donuts,” he explained. “When I left for the office this morning, I knew I was going to drive by the bakery, and I wondered if maybe the Lord might want me to have some donuts today. I wasn’t sure, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to stop and buy some donuts, let there be an open parking place directly in front of the bakery.’ As you know, parking spaces in front of that bakery are hard to get!”
“So the parking space was there?” one of his co-workers asked.
“It was a miracle,” the man replied. “The eighth time around the block there it was!”
We need to remember that God’s will is not always our will. When we pray for God’s will to be done, we shouldn’t be trying to manipulate God into rubber-stamping what we have already decided to do. The Bible tells us that our hearts are wicked and “deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Most of the time, what we want to do is not what God wants us to do.
Jesus did not want to die on the cross, but rather than demanding His way, He prayed, “Father…not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 2:42) God always knows what’s best for us. We must submit ourselves to doing what He wants, not what we want.
His co-workers were surprised one morning to see him arrive at the office with big box of donuts. When they reminded him of his diet, he just smiled.
“These are very special donuts,” he explained. “When I left for the office this morning, I knew I was going to drive by the bakery, and I wondered if maybe the Lord might want me to have some donuts today. I wasn’t sure, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to stop and buy some donuts, let there be an open parking place directly in front of the bakery.’ As you know, parking spaces in front of that bakery are hard to get!”
“So the parking space was there?” one of his co-workers asked.
“It was a miracle,” the man replied. “The eighth time around the block there it was!”
We need to remember that God’s will is not always our will. When we pray for God’s will to be done, we shouldn’t be trying to manipulate God into rubber-stamping what we have already decided to do. The Bible tells us that our hearts are wicked and “deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Most of the time, what we want to do is not what God wants us to do.
Jesus did not want to die on the cross, but rather than demanding His way, He prayed, “Father…not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 2:42) God always knows what’s best for us. We must submit ourselves to doing what He wants, not what we want.
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