Ehab Raeef Wahib

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

الاثنين, 13 اغسطس, 2007

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM (Author Unknown)

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead they were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made a bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things are not always what they seem."

The next night the angels came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income , lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first family had everything, yet you helped them. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die. Why? "Things are not always what they seem" the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the family was so greedy and unwilling to share in their good fortune, I sealed the wall so they wouldn't find it. Then last night when we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead."

Things are not always what they seem. If you have faith and a good heart, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later.

SHIP WRECKED (Author Unknown)

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to Divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the other side of the island, the second man has nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food. The next day like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning a ship docked at his side on the island. He boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming: "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them, the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me", the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

UNSELFISH GIVING (Author Unknown)

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. by now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he could not have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

This little boy knew the meaning of sacrifice more than most. When we give to Jesus, out of what portion do we give? Is it just a percentage of all we have, or do we give unselfishly, even though we may need to sacrifice something else we may desire.

GIVING WHEN IT COUNTS (Author Unknown)

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and said, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away? Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

The Apostle Paul once said "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers..." (Romans 9:3) It may be difficult for us to understand how Paul could be willing to give up so much, even his own salvation so someone else could be saved. He and this little boy knew the true meaning of giving everything for the sake of another.

EXPLAINING GOD: (by Danny Dutton, a third grader from Chula Vista California)

Although this letter can be found all over the web, we feel it is worth repeating.

"One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.

He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps Him pretty busy. So, you shouldn't be wasting His time by going over your mom and dad's heads asking for something they said you couldn't have.

Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think that there are any in Chula Vista . At least there aren't any who come to our church. Jesus is God's son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK.

His Dad (God) appreciated everything He had done and all His hard work on earth, so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore, He could stay in Heaven. So He did. And, now, He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of Himself without having to bother God -- like a secretary, only more important.

You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you, because they got it worked out so that one of them is on duty at all times.

You should always go to church on Sunday, because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong! And, besides, the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.

If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you are scared in the dark or when you can't swim very good and you got thrown into really deep water by big kids.

But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.

And that is why I believe in God."

WHO'LL TAKE THE SON? (Author Unknown)

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later.

There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting.. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets every thing!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

RIGHTEOUS JUDGE (Author Unknown) Submitted by Kelli Grim

Once upon a time, there was a righteous judge. He always made fair judgments. He was also a father to a wonderful boy named Buddy. The judge was a very good father and loved his son very much. Buddy was a good boy. He adored his father and always tried to please him. Buddy also loved playing baseball with his friends. One day his friends told him there was a great game going on in the empty lot behind old Wilson’s place. Buddy knew he wasn’t supposed to play in that lot, because old Wilson was a mean stingy old man who was very wealthy. He hated Buddy’s father because the Judge had made him pay for a ticket. Old Wilson thought he shouldn’t have to pay, because he was rich and powerful. Now Old Wilson had a stained glass window that was very valuable and could never be replaced. It was one of a kind. That’s why the judge had asked Buddy not to play on the lot, because he was afraid Buddy would break the window. But Buddy had never hit a ball that far before and besides his dad was at work and wouldn’t find out.

When Buddy got to the lot, the game had just started and he was very excited because he had received a new baseball bat for his birthday. Everything was going fine and the game was almost over. His team was about to win. It was Buddy’s turn at bat and the bases were loaded. He stepped up to the plate with his brand new bat in his hand when the pitcher threw the perfect pitch. Buddy watched the ball until it was in the perfect spot, then… he swung with all his might. He felt the ball crack against the bat and he knew right away that he had hit a home run. No sooner when he hit the ball that the realization of what was about to happen hit him! The other kids gasped and Buddy could only watch in horror as he heard and saw the beautiful window crash and all the colorful pieces fall to the ground. Almost as soon as the window broke, Old Wilson burst out of his house. Buddy felt frozen to the spot as he watched all his friends run away, and he was left to himself on the field to face Old Wilson’s wrath.

"Oh, its you, the Judges’ son," Old Wilson spat. "Let’s see if he makes his own son pay the price for his crime. That window was worth a million dollars and we all know you don’t have that kind of money," he said pointing his bony finger in Buddy’s face.

Old Wilson seemed almost joyful as he pulled Buddy into his fathers’ court room by the arm later that evening. Buddy felt mortified as he looked into his fathers’ eyes. They looked back at him with such sadness and love. Although Buddy was ashamed of himself, he was much relieved that his papa was the judge. He would never send his own child to juvenile detention. Although Buddy knew in his heart it was the punishment he deserved. But Buddy’s relief was short lived when he heard his father, the Judge say guilty as charged! I order Buddy to pay one million dollars to Mr. Wilson or spend a year in juvenile detention.

"But Poppa," Buddy wailed. "You’re my father. Can’t you let me off because I am your child? I am sorry for what I did. I know I deserve the punishment, but you know I don’t have a million dollars and if I go to juvenile detention we will be separated for a whole year!"

"So be it," said the judge. "Your sentence is pronounced." Even Old Wilson looked as if the wind was knocked out of him as the gavel came down on the pulpit. The officers started toward Buddy with the handcuffs. Just then, the Judge said, "wait!" Every one watched as the Judge took of his robes and folded them, then laid them neatly on his chair. He came down off the bench and stood next to Buddy. He said, "I am no longer the Judge, I am now your father. I will sell everything I own to pay the price to keep you out of jail and so we won’t be separated."

We are like Buddy. We have all sinned. Heaven is perfect, and if God allowed us as sinners to go to heaven, it would no longer be perfect. It would be defiled. The Bible says, "the wages (or price) for sin is death

—separation from God." God, being perfect, judges all of us righteously, and like Old Wilson, Satan accuses us. However, Jesus is like the father in this story. He chose to be born a man and he was perfect. He paid the wage or price for our sin if we accept the gift.