Category: Relationships

Three Stories That Will Give You Chills

There are probably plenty more. These are just two true examples of a father that chose to sacrifice his son for the sake of others. The ultimate story is the one where God chose to sacrifice His son for the lives of everyone. In the two examples, the people were saved without a choice in the matter although I am sure they were still grateful. As in the ultimate story, people have a choice to be saved or not. What a shame it is for someone to not accept something that has already been done for them. You can read one of these stories on utube below and the other under the video. The third story can be a reality in your life based on your decision to accept Christ’s salvation.

THIS WILL GIVE YOU CHILLS

AFTER A FEW OF THE USUAL SUNDAY EVENING HYMNS,
THE CHURCH’S PASTOR SLOWLY STOOD UP,
WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT &
BEFORE HE GAVE HIS SERMON HE BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST MINISTER
WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING.

IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE PASTOR TOLD THE
CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST MINISTER WAS
ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND
THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS
TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE WHATEVER
HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE…

WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.

“A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST,” HE BEGAN, “WHEN A FAST APPROACHING STORM BLOCKED ANY
ATTEMPT TO GET BACK TO THE SHORE.

THE WAVES WERE SO HIGH, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS AN EXPERIENCED SAILOR,  HE COULD NOT KEEP THE BOAT UPRIGHT AND THE THREE WERE SWEPT
INTO THE OCEAN AS THE BOAT CAPSIZED.”

THE OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS STORY.

THE AGED MINISTER CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY, “GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE:
WHICH BOY WOULD HE THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE?
HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE DECISION.

THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON WAS A CHRISTIAN AND HE, ALSO, KNEW THAT HIS SON’S FRIEND WAS NOT.
THE AGONY OF HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES.

AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT,
‘I LOVE YOU, SON!’
HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS SON’S FRIEND.
BY THE TIME THE FATHER PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT.

HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.

BY THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW,
ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MINISTER’S MOUTH.

 “THE FATHER,” HE CONTINUED, “KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS
AND HE COULD NOT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON’S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS.. THEREFORE, HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON’S FRIEND. ”

HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US,
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED.
I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE
LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE.”
WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK DOWN IN
HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.

THE PASTOR AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A BRIEF SERMON WITH AN INVITATION AT THE END.  HOWEVER, NO ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL.

WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE SERVICE ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN’S SIDE.

“THAT WAS A NICE STORY,” STATED ONE OF THEM,”BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON’S LIFE IN HOPES THAT
THE OTHER BOY WOULD BECOME A CHRISTIAN…”

“WELL, YOU’VE GOT A POINT THERE,”

THE OLD MAN REPLIED, GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN BIBLE.
A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW FACE.
HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE BOYS AND SAID,
“IT SURE ISN’T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT?  BUT, I’M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OFWHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ME…

YOU SEE.

I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR PASTOR IS MY SON’S FRIEND.”

God Is Bigger

Whatever God allows into your life, however good or bad, it has still been filtered through God’s hand and if we give it to God, He will use it. There are people that don’t share their history because of fear or other reasons. Sometimes God will call you to share your experiences in bits and pieces because of who needs to hear them. God will allow you to use your experiences to help someone else through their experience. If God would reveal the path that our life would take, we would most likely want to pick the good and attempt to leave the bad out of our experience. God chooses the pieces that will make us all that we can be. If we were given the choice, we would more than likely choose the wrong pieces for our life. The pieces He chooses are the ones that will make the biggest difference in who we become and the impact we can make for Him. As things unfold in our life, we will begin to see how all the pieces will collectively make us who God wants us to be. The key is allowing God to be able to use those experiences. We would realize if we change things in our past, we would not be who we are and we should be confident in the fact that God allowed us to experience everything that we did so that we can be made perfect in Him.

It is not what we experience in life but what we do with those experiences that matter. Our trials can draw us closer to God or take us farther away from God. It is how much we allow God to be involved in our circumstances that determines which direction we go. If you choose to walk away, chances are, your life will begin to crumble. If you choose to give God your hurts and expectations and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and not on the circumstance, God can use your experience.

We need to follow God and worship Him whether we feel like it or not, no matter what is going on in our life and no matter how long we struggle in a valley. Don’t ever allow your circumstance or the people in your life to allow you to lose your salvation. Satan will try to use anyone and anything to cause you to give up. Keep doing what you know to do so that you will not be defeated. Don’t allow your circumstance or the people that surround you to have power in your life. Allow God to show you the power that He can give you. God is bigger than anything you will face or have faced, He is bigger than anything that someone can say or do to you. He is bigger than your problems and bigger than your circumstances. Give God whatever you have and see how His intervention can work for you.

Sharing Our Problems With Our Children

If we have struggles in our life, we should share them with our children. The details of those struggles will depend on the age of our children. They need to know that we are not perfect and even if we were, we would still have troubles. They need to know that we will have problems in this life and they need to know how to handle problems by watching and learning. They will learn what works and what does not work. You can even ask them to help by praying for the situation so they know that we take our problems to God and want to have God guide us through the problem and the solution.

God allows problems to enter our lives. Don’t get mad at God. He allows problems so that we can grow in our relationship with Him and our relationship with others. He also allows them so that others can learn from watching us and how we handle the problem. It may be our children that will learn from us or anyone else in our circle of friends and family. Sometimes it may be the difficultly that our child is having that will be what God uses to teach us something.

No one really likes the pain that comes from difficult situations. God does not always take the pain away. God has a purpose for the pain. Seek the resources that God puts in place to help you get through the pain. God makes us more than conquerors. Too many children are turning to the world to escape from pain. They turn to alcohol and drugs and unhealthy relationships as a way to forget they have a problem. This is happening with younger kids than in the past. They see others deal with their problems in that way. They need to see us dealing with our problems in a positive manner. Running from the problem will not solve it. We need to face our problems.

By sharing our problems with our children, they will be more open to come to us when they are having a problem. If we are trusting them to pray for us and be a part of the solution, they will be more confident in knowing that we can work together to bring about solutions to their problems also. Problems are often overcome by people working together. They will realize we want them to overcome the problems they face in life just like God wants us all to be overcomers. When they see God work in the problems that we face, they will develop their own relationship with God and realize that God wants to be the source of our solutions.

About an Addict that God Redeemed

If you have an addict in your life, you know you can’t give up praying even if they are giving up. God heals and God can use whatever they go through for His glory.

If you are an addict, God has a plan for your life but you need to be willing to turn control over to Him. He can heal you and use whatever you have been through for His glory.

Shawn McDonald has a beautiful testimony. God has delivered him and God can deliver you or the addict in your life. God is bigger than anything we will ever face.

If you are an addict, what are you waiting for? Let’s see what great plans God has for you. Give Him a chance. See what the other side can do for you.

If you want to hear more, listen to another short testimony of where this song came from and then listen to the song again.

God will be faithful even when you fall down. He wants every part of you. What if you choose to just let go? What if you let God take full control?

Forgiveness

If you haven’t heard Jeff Allen’s testimony, you may want to hear it first. You can find it in:

Use Your Talents To Reach Others For Christ

It will help you understand this one. The testimony is about 25 minutes. It will be well worth your time. This one is only 2 minutes.

Forgiveness from our Father in heaven is the greatest gift we will ever receive. We all need to forgive and we all need to be forgiven not only by our Heavenly Father but other people. We will do things that will need to be forgiven. We will wrong people because we are not perfect. They will wrong us because they are not perfect.

Some may have to ask their children for forgiveness. People seem to think it is wrong to go to a child and ask for forgiveness. It may be as simple as not setting a good example in our behavior or acting inappropriately but our kids need to know that we are not perfect and people will fail them. They need to know forgiveness goes both ways and we can accept each other just as our Father in Heaven accepts us when we are not perfect.

Asking for forgiveness and forgiving someone is often a humbling experience but well worth it and it becomes easier as you realize its rewards.