FOODFORTHOUGHT

"WWJD Today?" (excerpts)

"Fine!' screamed Lauren as she slammed the front door. She ran down
the steps on her sidewalk and fumbled with her keys. All she wanted
to do was leave and never come back.

Lauren fought back the tears as she drove away. "I'm going to be just
fine," she assured herself. "I've got the money my parents were
saving for college tuition, and I've got friends who will let me stay
with them until I find a place of my own."

For the next eight months, Lauren stayed with various friends. She
spent her money on junk food, parties, and cigarettes. She stayed out
late every night and never got around to finding a job. When the
money ran out, so did her welcome. Her friends didn't want her
anymore, and Lauren found herself on the street with nowhere to turn.
She stayed in a shelter for a couple of weeks, but soon realized that
she wanted to go home.

She went to a pay phone, lifted the receiver, and thought for a long
time about what she would say. She dialed the number, waited, and
heard her mom pickup. "Mom," Lauren cried.

"Lauren! Thank God you're alive! Tell me where you are, and I will
come and I get you -- no questions asked."

No questions asked. Just the fact that Lauren called was enough for
her mom. The prodigal daughter returned home.

Jesus told the story of the prodigal son. Like Lauren, the prodigal
son committed a deliberate and will-planned rebellion against his
family and against God. It was fun for a while, but one day the money
and friends were gone. The prodigal son realized how foolish he had
been and longed to return home. He carefully planned what he would
say to his father as he walked the long road home, but he never had a
chance to say it. The father welcomed him home -- no questions asked.

Deliberate and willful sin against God is the most heinous crime you
can commit. You know what God wants, but you want something
different. So you turn your back on God's instructions, and you walk
away to live life your way. You think you'll have more fun. You think
you'll be free. The truth is, if you walk away from God, you're going
to hit rock bottom one day. You'll realize you were wrong, and you'll
turn back to the Lord.. When you do, He'll be waiting.

Are you actively involved in something that you know is contrary to
God's will? When are you going to give up this sin and turn back to
God?

PRAYER: DEAR LORD, no matter where I go, I cannot hide forever from You.
How I've made a mess of my life! I'm truly sorry that I've willfully
rebelled against You. Recall me from my wanderings, and lead me back
to you once more. Lord, I know it is not the end of the road for me,
for I can always trust in Your great compassion and love. Please
embrace me with Your forgiveness...please don't give up on me, Lord.

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© 2006 FoodForThought

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Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance
communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator.
Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that
was listed.

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and
clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign
on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a
form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other
applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man
stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right
in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on.
They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.

They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake
and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out
of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you
very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up
saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in,
and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job.
That's not fair!"

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while
you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following
message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right
in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This
young man did. The job is his."

We are so busy living in a world that is full of noise and clatter,
like that office. People are distracted and unable to hear the still, small
voice of God as He speaks in creation, in the Scriptures, and in the
life and work of Jesus Christ.

So I ask you, as I ask myself, "Are you listening, or are you waiting
to be called? Do you hear the Lord when he speaks to you?

PRAYER
"Lord Jesus, grant this day, to direct and sanctify, to rule and govern our hearts and bodies, so that all our thoughts, words and deeds may be according to your Father's law and thus may we be saved and protected through your mighty help."

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You received this message because you are subscribed to the daily "F O O D F O R T H O U G H T". To subscribe: subscribe@dailyfoodforthought.org or to unsubscribe from this group, send email to DailyFoodForThought-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

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DISCLAIMER: FoodForThought shared this message as submitted and do not claim to own any copyright privileges on it. All the messages are believed to be free for circulation or public domain. All messages come in either by email in original form or copied from the internet sites. The work was submitted to us as an item for distribution, and it was posted solely on the basis of its quality. It's a FREE service.

© 2006 FoodForThought

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"If you are..."

I wish you well and pray that... if you are upset, you find peace.

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You received this message because you are subscribed to the daily "F O O D F O R T H O U G H T". To subscribe: subscribe@dailyfoodforthought.org or to unsubscribe from this group, send email to DailyFoodForThought-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

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DISCLAIMER: FoodForThought shared this message as submitted and do not claim to own any copyright privileges on it. All the messages are believed to be free for circulation or public domain. All messages come in either by email in original form or copied from the internet sites. The work was submitted to us as an item for distribution, and it was posted solely on the basis of its quality. It's a FREE service.

© 2006 FoodForThought

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