Mother Lode Christian School: July 2007

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

How Men Would Have Chosen Jesus's Followers

Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles.... Simon was one of the twelve, and Jesus named him Peter. There were also James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Jesus called them Boanerges, which means "Thunderbolts." Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. The others were Simon, known as the Eager One, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus. (Mark 3:14a, 16-19; CEV)

Christ’s choosing of the 12 disciples in Mark chapter 3 wasn't much like we would have done it. And that fact alone is a reminder of how our thinking can be totally different than God’s. Jesus would choose Peter and James and John and Andrew, etc., but if we were in charge we would have done better. Right? And yet they were the right ones for the job! And consider this as you read the following piece called “If Men Had Chosen The Apostles” - consider that it just might be the relationships God has for you that you've been trying to wriggle out of are the very ones that are the best for you to help you grow up to become what God wants you to be.

TO: Jesus, Son of Joseph, Woodcrafters Carpenter Shop, Nazareth
FROM: Jordan Management Consultants, Jerusalem

Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the résumés of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant. The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them carefully. As part of our service and for your guidance, we make some general comments, much as an auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation and comes without any additional fee.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have a team concept. We recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alpheaus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale. One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and right-hand man. All the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.

Sincerely Yours.
Jordan Management Commitee

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

Change Comes Easy?

"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." (Matthew 9:17)

Change comes easy for Christians? If you think it does I have some land to sell you in Jupiter, Tuolumne County, California. (You need to live here.) The following funny really says it all about how welcoming believers/church-goers are to something being different...

"How many church members does it take to change a light bulb?"

Whaddaya mean CHANGE??? That light bulb was given in memory of my Grandmother! My father installed it with his bare hands! He donated his time AND the use of his ladder to do it, too! My family's been members of this church for four generations! And if you think you're gonna come in here and make a bunch of changes all of a sudden, Pastor, you've got another thing coming! (from Clean Christian Jokes)

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Saturday, July 7, 2007

Trust The Guide

"And I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone." (Isaiah 42:16)

While reading my Bible the other day I came across this verse and I wanted to share with you from H. A. Ironside's commentary on it since it's just so very encouraging. I don't know what you're going through or what lies just beyond today for your life (or mine), my friends. (I guess if I did I could make a lot of money?!) But God knows. And because He does we can rest assured that we are safe in His loving care and He will complete the work He's started in us. Now here's what Ironside says: "If God explained all His ways with us beforehand we would no longer walk by faith, but by sight. He leads us along strange paths, and through new and peculiar experiences that we may learn how marvelously His grace can sustain, and how blessedly His wisdom can plan. It is not necessary that we should see the road ahead. It is only necessary that we trust our Guide. He knows the end from the beginning, and He never deviates from His purpose of blessing. When, at last, we have reached the city of God and look back over the way we have come, we shall praise Him for all His dealings with us, and we shall understand the reason for every trial."

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