The Weaver

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me. I may not choose the colors; He knows what they should be. For He can view the pattern upon the upper side.While I can see it only on this, the under side. Sometimes He weaveth sorrow, which seemeth strange to me, But I trust His judgment, and work on faithfully. 'Tis He who fills the shuttle;He knows just what is best. So I shall weave in earnest and leave with Him the rest. Not till the loom is silent, and the shuttles ceases to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas, and explain the reason why. The darker threads are as needful in the weaver's skillful hand. As the threads of gold and silver for the pattern He has planned.

 -Author Unknown'

 

A Broken Will

I thought I had a broken will
Because I did not speak my mind.
But deep inside I murmured still
When my ideas were left behind.

I do not care, whatever you say,
I’ll get onto your plans today.
But deep inside my heart still said,
Why can’t I ever have my way?

And you call this a broken will?
Why it’s nothing but some self restraint.
If deep inside the heart says still
Why must I go without complaint?

A broken will, will gladly go,
thankful another plans the way.
Because the heart loves Jesus so,
It matters not the path today.

I’m thankful for a broken will,
It’s bringing me treasure life cannot dim.
His hand outstretched in mercy still
Will bring me safely home to Him.

-Bill Walker

The Touch Of The Master's Hand

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time
on the old violin, but held it up with a smile; "What am I bidden, good folks," he cried, "Who'll start the bidding for me?" "A dollar, a dollar"; then two!"

"Only two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three? Three dollars, once; three dollars twice; going for three.." But no, from the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.

A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and gone," said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not quite understand what changed its worth." Swift came the reply: "The touch of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin, Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin, A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on.

"He is going" once, and "going twice, He's going and almost gone." But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul and the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.

~Myra 'Brooks' Welch

Being An Example

I Timothy 4:12, “Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” In the margin it says “be a teaching example.” We teach by our example, which is far more reaching than our words. People may forget our words, but they will not forget our example. We want to be an example of the believers. We are people who have their heart set, not in Mormon, not in Jehovah’s Witness, but in the believing of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

I want to follow Jesus. He is my great example. In His pure life I see what God the Father has chosen for me to be. Jesus has the control, the ownership of our life. We have been bought with a price. Human nature is prone to look to others for example rather than being an example, and none can do it without an indwelling power. Paul could write to the Christians and say, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” As we sang in that hymn, “And every virtue we possess, and every conquest won, And every thought of holiness are His alone.” 

Paul wrote of those who were professing Godliness but denying the power thereof. Jesus’ power was not having control, not having ownership. It is His power that enables us to be different. Jesus said, “I do always those things that please my Father.” He taught with authority because His life backed it up. 

Once I was waiting at a bus stop and a man offered me a cigarette. I thanked him and said, “I don’t smoke.” I could tell by his breath that he just didn’t drink lemonade. He said, “I don’t want my young boy to smoke and drink when he grows up.” He had had the example of his father before him. A parent’s example is a child’s copy book. 

One day I was in a shop, waiting to be served, and a lady with a young girl was at the counter. This lady had ordered a lot, and the man was writing all the items in a docket book. This little girl leaned over the counter and said to her mother, “Mummy, he’s not writing on the line.” She had learned at school to write on the line. Parents, if you want your children to write on the line, you do it first. 

One day our beloved Queen came to visit a popular tourist place, Queenstown. She was invited to come to afternoon tea. Everyone was in a circle, and the Queen came in and was introduced to a number of people. She went to sign the visitors’ book. It is the privilege of royalty to sign in the middle of the page, and a little boy saw her begin to write in the middle and he blurted out, “You don’t write there, you’ll spoil the page.” The Queen thought quickly that this little boy had been taught to start at the top of the page so she graciously signed at the top of the page. Children are watching. Most people are watching our lives and we are an example in word. 

In my first meeting in W.A. on Sunday morning, there were twenty-four people in the meeting and the meeting was over in an hour and the people left time for me to have a word. It was a lovely, live meeting to be in. It is not good to be long in word or in prayer, but it is good to be an example. Sometimes people say that they do not have anything for the meeting that day then go on to speak for ten minutes. This is not being an example. “Let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth.” This is not edifying to others. 

One time a man went along to a priest to confess and afterwards, for penance, the priest said, “Go and bring me a bag of feathers.” The man thought this was easy, so he came back and gave the feathers to the priest. The priest opened the bag and let all the feathers go. It was a very windy day and they went everywhere. “Now,” the priest said, “you gather all the feathers again.” The man said, “This is impossible,” and the priest said, “The words you have passed on, it is impossible to bring them back again.” We can pass on words and they will go on and on. Let us be an example in word. 

A soft answer will turn away wrath. It tells us of the virtuous woman, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” During the year, a mother in our field told us about a phone call she received from the principal of her son’s college. The teacher of the class had been trying to get her boy to go on a camp, for a week away. The boy had no interest in going away for a week with worldly company so he declined. The teacher thought it would not be the parents’ wish for him to decline, so he went to the principal who said, “I’ll ring the mother.” 

He had a lot to say about the benefits of going on a camp and he finished by saying, “We don’t want him to miss out on anything that will be able to help him.” The mother just said quietly, “Have you seen his school report?”  He said, “No.” This boy had the top report in the school, he had top marks. The mother told the principal to send for his report and to look at it, and after he had seen it to phone her again and tell her what the boy was missing out on. She did not get into any arguments. She opened her mouth with wisdom, and she never got that phone call. 

Psalm 141:3 “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” I have a member and I can’t control it. It is an unruly member and I need the help of God to control this member. A father in our field this year has a twelve year old son. At his school there was a big boy who was a bully, and he would pick on this boy David, who did not want to go to school because of this bullying. This man was the foreman of a bus company, and one morning he said to the driver of the bus, “I’ll take your bus out to try it out.” The big bully boy got on with a lot to say, and when the bus stopped at the school, he was the last one out. 

The father asked him if he knew his boy David. He said he did. The father said that there were some boys at the school who were knocking David about and he would like a big strong boy to look after him. He said, “Would you look after him?” He threw out his chest and said he would and from that time on he shadowed David and looked after him. This man opened his mouth with wisdom. 

Those who are an example in word are the best feeders in the meeting. They are living what they speak. To be an example in conversation means our daily manner of life. “May my daily walk and words and actions, Prove to all that Jesus lives in me.” It means our living in the home life; it means our modesty, our standard of dress. One of our young friends was leaving school and there were forty-nine girls who applied for a job in an office. They had to come before three bosses and our sister was chosen. It was not because of her qualifications, but because she had a standard, and they picked a winner. They were not disappointed. 

We do not lose in keeping a standard. We remember whose we are and whom we serve. The standard of modesty is in the ministry. Keep as near to the standard of the sister workers and as far away from the falling standards of the world as you can. God loves modesty, and we all have a responsibility in this respect. 

We depend on everyone to be consistent, to be the same on Monday morning in your dress as you were on Sunday. One daughter of our friends went to work with two other girls who belonged to a religious group. These other girls kept a nice standard, a better standard than the girl who was professing. She was missing out on her opportunity and privilege to show a Godly standard. 

Be an example in charity. We cannot be an example if we do not have the love of God in our hearts. Love moved Jesus to lay down His life as a Lamb without spot. Colossians 3:14, “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” There are things that we must put off first, before we can put on. The love of God binds us together. Sometimes people come to convention and they would like to have the fellowship that we have, but they cannot have the fellowship that we have because they do not have the salvation that we have. 

God has given us the spirit of God, not the spirit of fear, but of power. It is not just a form of Godliness but a power to love one another. There is a wall here on these grounds made of stones cemented together, and if you tried to put your finger between the stones, you cannot do it because there is mortar there holding the stones together, the bond of perfectness. If I have the love of God in my heart it is the bond of perfectness. 

Proverbs 17:9, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” This means not spreading it around, seeking to have more of His love. Be an example in spirit. It is very important to have the right spirit to go with the right words. Proverbs 11:13, “A talebearer revealeth secrets, but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” A faithful spirit will keep things hidden from other people. Paul wrote to Philemon about a servant who had run away, and he ended the letter with these words, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” It is good when we can come together with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Daniel was an example in spirit. He had an excellent spirit. He did not let himself get upset when he was accused wrongfully and was put into the lions’ den. He did not blurt out that they had told a lie. Those men went to the king and told a lie. They said that all the presidents and princes had consulted together but that was all except Daniel. 

We need to be an example in purity. We need to look continually to the life of our Master to feed on what is pure.  We can be taken up with trash and literature and we will never be pure. We need pure motives, pure thoughts. The line of a hymn says, “Obedience to the mind of Christ brings mental purity.” “Bid my carnal mind depart.” The grace and power of Heaven can enable me to be a better example. 

Jeroboam set a wrong example and all the kings of Israel were affected after him. Jehu said, “Come and see my zeal for the house of the LORD.” But this was a zeal to destroy. It was not a zeal to follow the Lord, like the standard David had set. We need to strive to be an example.   ~ ~

L. HILL - 1985 - Being an example - Convention - Williams, W. Australia

Sheep And Shepherds

*Sheep feed on the same thing whether out behind the barn or by the fence where everyone can see them.

*Sheep know if pasture is living or dead. Grass grows again; hay doesn’t. We can go to the Living Word.

*Nothing is expected of a sheep but to give itself, whether its wool or meat.

*The best sound to a lost sheep are the footsteps that have come to take it home.

*A sheep’s fleece has the capacity to absorb the dew of heaven. The quality of the fleece depends on what sheep have fed upon. Ticks or burs don’t hurt fleece, just the one feeding upon them.

*Sheep were Moses’ master. His days and night were controlled by their needs.

*Though defenseless, there are now more sheep in the world than ever, because they have shepherds. Animals that can protect themselves are becoming extinct. 80% of sheep would die in six months without a shepherd and could live two years at most. 

*Sheep fall easily when not shorn, can’t get up, lie there and die. 

*The nature of sheep is to be together; something wrong if alone. No defensive weapon except togetherness. Other animals have teeth for defense; sheep have just eight, all on the bottom for eating. Things we eat express our nature. Lambs don’t eat flesh. Only time sheep “baaaaas” is when it is looking for fellowship. Rough shearers take skin, wool, sheep never murmur. No animal suffers like a sheep and gives more. It clothes us, feeds us.

*Peter was born a fisherman, but not born a shepherd. We don’t learn how to be a shepherd at school. David learned how to be a shepherd from his father.

*The shepherd must bring up the rear at times, or what would happen to the stragglers? *John the Baptist not only had a shepherd’s garb and grub, but a shepherd’s heart.

*Sheep never chew their cud if not satisfied. Sheep don’t eat garbage. Sheep seek light. *Sheep nearest the shepherd gets tidbits from his hand. Sheep seek fellowship with other sheep; don’t care to be with other animals. They are called dumb, as they are so defenseless. Jesus never once defended himself. He had the slain lamb nature.

*Things like ticks sap sheep’s very life. Well-fed sheep can resist and throw off these things, disease. 

*Sheep follow example, whether good or bad. Jesus never had the nature of a ram, but of a lamb. 

*Lambs and sheep feed in the same pasture. Sheep chew their cud on their knees.

*For water, sheep will climb down a steep embankment that almost no other animal could. 

It is easy for a sheep to die; easy to kill a sheep. Lamb of God gave no resistance.

*Sheep don’t lie down before they are filled. Need a shepherd, not a policeman who makes them obey. Feed them and they’ll follow you anywhere. Sheep thrive on grass less than 24 hours old. Never lead sheep faster than the weakest can follow. 

*We can’t run with goats all week and smell like a sheep on Sunday.

*Two sheep dogs: goodness and mercy.

*There’s a difference between a lost sheep and a dissatisfied goat.

*The lambing season is short, but the shepherd lives all year in light of it, and all his care is with that in mind. If the flock is healthy, lambs will come. If lambs miss even a few feedings, they will be left weakened. 

*If the sheep hadn’t scattered when the shepherd was smitten, they wouldn’t have been sheep. 

*If we continue to be sheep, heaven is assured. No lost goats are saved.

*Sheep won’t drink from troubled waters because of nostrils at end of nose. They sleep in a circle at night around the fire. Enemies outside wait for one to step out.

*Although Jesus was the great Shepherd, he was also a sheep, the Lamb of God. He had a leader. He wasn’t original. God told him what to say and he did just what he had seen in heaven. 

*Most animals are led by a halter, but sheep are led by a voice.

*Sheep dogs must keep an eye on the shepherd for his signal.

*Foxes bite tongues and eyes of lambs and leave them to die.

*A sheep doesn’t stand out among sheep, but does among goats.

*Sheep, unlike other animals, have no way to cleanse themselves. Neither do they have any ability to find their own way.

*Sheep never get together and hire their own shepherd.

*Sheep would never walk in the water they drink.

*Sheep cannot make it on their own; must group together. They fall down in rushing water because of wool, need still waters. Sheep feed on tender grass, chew cud; but goats can swallow anything and don’t chew it afterwards. 

*When sheep have been worried by dogs their wool is inferior. 

*Moses would have led as a general at 40, but at 80 he led as a shepherd.

*True shepherds never drive, but true sheep never need to be driven. You can drive an unwilling person, but you can never lead them. A sheep can’t be told from a goat until the shepherd’s voice reaches their heart.

*God can’t be a shepherd to us unless we are sheep to Him.

*Shepherds are known by their voices, not their clothing.

The Train

 
At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel by our side. However, at some station thereafter, our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.

As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant, i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life.

Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize they vacated their seats. 

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers, requiring us to give the best of ourselves. 

The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way… love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step off and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life. 

I wish you a joyful journey this year on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love. 

Lastly, I thank you for being one of the passengers on my train. 

Author Unknown

Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. 

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.
We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand. We just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.

 -unknown