No Roaming Charges

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  In the cell phone world, coverage is vital.  Vital to good service.  Vital to good reception.  Vital to keeping costs down.  If you have ever had to pay a roaming charge you won't forget it.   It's the shocker cost in your bill that adds up so quickly it blows the cost way out of whack.  Roaming charges occur when you can't get a signal from an approved tower that is part of your network company and they have to tap into another tower to get your call completed with the reception it needs.  It's great to get

the call completed, but the roaming charge is a big downer.  Basically your phone is trying to find a signal, any signal to make the call, and if towers are few in the area you are making the call in, it can get a little expensive when the signal is picked up on a rival company's tower.  In the above scripture Jesus is telling all who were listening to look for God's ways and God's answers in life.  He uses the word "seek" in such a way as to show us we need to be connecting with God and His way of doing things.  That connection is made when we "seek the Lord" and the connection is made immediately as God's towers are everywhere and there are no "roaming charges" to deal with when seeking God.  At times we might ignore the seeking for God thing and try to do things on our own and that is when things fall apart and the direction we are traveling hits a snag.  But still, no roaming charges, as God is waiting for seeking hearts that truly want to follow Him and His way.  When we seek Him, which is a base level way of living our life as a believer, He starts to show us other great truths as a bonus.  Those bonuses take us to a new level of understanding and teach us the importance of seeking Him.  His righteousness is one of those bonuses that come along with a seeking attitude.  It should be our desire to come to know more about God and His righteousness and leave our righteousness behind.  The Prophet wrote in Isaiah 64:6 that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.  What does it mean to truly seek His righteousness?  Read the following story and think about the parallels.

In the Antarctic summer of 1908-9, Sir Ernest Shackleton and three companions attempted to travel to the South Pole from their winter quarters. They set off with four ponies to help carry the load. Weeks later, their ponies dead, rations all but exhausted, they turned back toward their base, their goal not accomplished.

Altogether, they trekked 127 days. On the return journey, as Shackleton records in The Heart of the Antarctic, the time was spent talking about food -- elaborate feasts, gourmet delights, sumptuous menus. As they staggered along, suffering from dysentery, not knowing whether they would survive, every waking hour was occupied with thoughts of eating. Jesus, who also knew the ravages of food deprivation, said,

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for RIGHTEOUSNESS." We can understand Shackleton's obsession with food, which offers a glimpse of the passion Jesus intends for our quest for righteousness.

We are not only to seek righteousness, but we are to hunger and thirst for it.  Which means without it we are left wanting and hungry and thirsty.  Who would want to live a life like that? Not me!!  But so many disciples of Jesus miss the joys of His righteousness and instead of moving to a deeper level with Jesus, feel lifeless and weak in their faith.  We are taught to be self sufficient, but in reality, we should be Jesus sufficient.  Anything less will always end up in defeat and weakness, instead of victory and strength.

It's time to tap into the righteousness that only God can give and get connected to the right power source, and that source is not us.  Lay down your pride and get connected with Jesus by seeking His ways and everything else will be added in to your life.  And guess what?  No roaming charges, cause God's cell towers are everywhere just waiting to hear your call.  1 Peter 3:12 -  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."  He's looking and listening.  Are you seeking?  Time to get going and send that signal up today...

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Are You Thirsty, Again?

John 4:14  "But whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst again.  Indeed, the

water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  

These are the words Jesus said to the Samaritan Woman at the well.   A very famous story about a very important meeting that impacts all who read  it and respond to it.  The text explains that the never ending supply of the water that Jesus gives at salvation satisfies our thirst throughout eternity.  (Thus the words never thirst again)  Two words scream at us from this wonderful scripture and they are found in verses 13 and 14.  The two words are everyone and whoever.  In verse 13 Jesus says, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again and In verse 14 he says, "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst."

Jesus gives a choice to the woman at the well and gives her a promise.  "Everyone who drinks the physical water of the well will thirst again."  The word everyone covers all who drink.  Jesus specifically says next "but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst again."  What an offer!!  To me the point of the whole thing is this.  Are you thirsty?  If you are, then what is your water source?  If I have just taken a big drink of something, I am probably not going to accept another drop because I am full.  My thirst has been quenched.  But for how long?  Some people aren't thirsty.  They believe they can last out without any water, but that changes when they actually start doing something that causes their body to function and thus needs replenishing.  If you are doing nothing you probably won't get very thirsty.  If you are active and doing something you will NEED WATER, and that need will drive your next move.  The move involves getting a water source.  The woman at the well was at the well to fill her water pots to take back to her home to supply her liquid needs.  Perhaps cooking, washing hands, drinking, or many other needs.  Jesus shared with her an eternal water source that would take care of all her spiritual needs.  Perhaps peace, joy, forgiveness, and of course, eternal life.  Spiritual needs vary, but Jesus' water satisfies those needs.   The trouble is I don't think many Christians feel like Jesus water does much for them, so they seek out ways to quench the thirsts of their soul through temporal worldly sources.  When that water runs out they find some in other areas, but some of those areas involve compromise and that compromise shows just how tainted and temporal that water is.  Yet, they continue to seek out the world's supply of water to quench their thirsts because their thirsts are not for eternal things, but temporal things.  That is a major problem, so what should we do about it?  We must satisfy our thirsts from the eternal well of Jesus.  His water satisfies our thirst continually and that consistent supply is what powers our spiritual motor.  You can always tell a person who is tapping into the supply of water Jesus gives.  They are satisfied with what they have and their thirst is quenched by what God supplies.  Then they live a complete life that bears fruit from the way that water has grown them as it supplies ongoing nourishment for spiritual growth.  That's when they start bearing good fruit from their life that is planted and nourished by God's eternal fountain that lives inside of them.  That fruit draws others to God's well (Jesus) and then they have the chance to drink of the salvation that only Jesus can give.  Now that's what I call the "circle of life."  Forget the lion king!!  This circle is real and causes us to say hakuna matata for eternity.  So if you are thirsty and you are relying on the world to quench your thirst.  NOT GONNA DO IT!!  Drink from the eternal source of eternal life and eternal living only offered by Jesus Christ and see what kind of fruit you bear from your life tree.  I bet it will be good.  Are you thirsty?  Time to drink up!!  Jesus is offering you His water today.

Driving up from Beersheba, a combined force of British, Australians and New Zealanders were pressing on the rear of the Turkish retreat over arid desert. The attack outdistanced its water carrying camel train. Water bottles were empty. The sun blazed pitilessly out of a sky where the vultures wheeled expectantly.  "Our heads ached," writes Gilbert, "and our eyes became bloodshot and dim in the blinding glare...Our tongues began to swell...Our lips turned a purplish black and burst."  Those who dropped out of the column were never seen again, but the desperate force battled on to Sheria. There were wells at Sheria, and had they been unable to take the place by nightfall, thousands were doomed to die of thirst. 

"We fought that day," writes Gilbert, "as men fight for their lives... We entered Sheria station on the heels of the reteating Turks. The first objects which met our view were the great stone cisterns full of cold, clear, drinking water. In the still night air the sound of water running into the tanks could be distinctly heard, maddening in its nearness; yet not a man murmured when orders were given for the battalions to fall in, two deep, facing the cisterns" He then describes the stern priorities: the wounded, those on guard duty, then company by company. It took four hours before the last man had his drink of water, and in all that time they had been standing twenty feet from a low stone wall on the other side of which were thousands of gallons of water. 

How thirsty are you?  Are you desperate for the water that quenches your thirst forever?

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Chip off the Old Stumbling Block

Stumbling Block - any impediment or obstacle

Napoleon's genius had been attributed to many things, but, above all, he was a superb natural leader of men. Like any wise leader he was aware that his own success would have been nothing had his men not been willing, even eager, to follow him. Obviously he could not know and personally inspire every man in his vast army, therefore he devised a simple technique for circumventing this difficulty. Before visiting a regiment he would call the colonel aside and ask for the name of a soldier who had served well in previous campaigns, but who had not been given the credit he deserved. The colonel would indicate such a man. Napoleon would then learn everything about him, where he was born, the names of his family, his exploits in battle, etc. Later, upon passing this man while reviewing the troops, and at a signal from the colonel, Napoleon would stop, single out the man, greet him warmly, ask about his family, compliment him on his bravery and loyalty, reminisce about old campaigns, then pin a medal on the grateful soldier. The gesture worked. After the review, the other soldiers would remark, "You see, he knows us--he remembers. He knows our families. He knows we have served."

Appreciation is something we have lost in the ongoing effort to keep everyone we meet as humble as possible.  We have put on God's humbling crown and made it our own and go about humbling as many as we can.  We like to see people humbled also, and the enjoyment of getting to see someone humbled is in stark contrast to the encouragement we are commanded to give.  Through the years I have been humbled sometimes by the Lord, but many times by people.  Usually the humbling is detrimental to me staying on task in something I am doing for the Lord and it only causes me to doubt myself and the ministry I am investing in.  In other words, it becomes a "stumbling block" to me and slows down or stops whatever God is trying to do.  Jesus had to deal with stumbling blocks too.  Here is one example of what a stumbling block was to Him.  Matthew 16:23 - Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."  Wow.  I wouldn't want to be that stumbling block, would you?  I guess we need to have in mind the things of God don't we?

You see, I believe we are either building each other up or tearing each other down.  To not compliment someone and encourage them when they should get it is being a stumbling block by not saying anything just as much as saying something to put someone else down.  We should be on the offense when it comes to building others up.   Sometimes an encouraging word will be the thing that puts a person over the top in making a strong decision about something.  So not saying anything is wrong as well.  That's a long way from those who go out of their way to put us down or become a stumbling block.  I  believe those people are a "chip off the old block" and satan is the block!!!  Time to start serving for the right team and start encouraging people around us.  You never know what will happen to a person who gets the right encouragement.  They may be the  most vital person in the whole picture.   Here is a story of someone who was not appreciated and  was thought insignificant.

The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier by a young town councilman to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town.

With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise have choked and contaminated the fresh flow of water.

The village soon became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.

Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer." By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.

For several weeks, nothing changed.

By early autumn, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water.

One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A few days later, the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.

Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they rehired the old keeper of the spring, and within a few weeks, the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps.

Which are you?  Are you the encourager or the stumbling block.  If you are the stumbling block, then you will soon see the evidence of your negative efforts and it will be devastating.  Be the one who appreciates those who serve and the one who encourages them to do even more.  It will impact the kingdom for good like you have never seen.  Here's what Paul said about being a stumbling block.  2 Corinthians 6:3 -  "We put not stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited." 

Here it is in laymen's terms...STUMBLING BLOCK BAD - ENCOURAGEMENT GOOD

Is that clear enough for you?  It is for me....

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

The Pool of Self Denial

"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean

having a low opinion of your own gifts. I means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all." William Temple, "Christ in His Church"

At a reception honoring musician Sir Robert Mayer on his 100th birthday, elderly British socialite Lady Diana Cooper fell into conversation with a friendly woman who seemed to know her well. Lady Diana's failing eyesight prevented her from recognizing her fellow guest, until she peered more closely at the magnificent diamonds and realized she was talking to Queen Elizabeth! Overcome with embarrassment, Lady Diana curtsied and stammered, "Ma'am, oh, ma'am, I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't recognize you without your crown!"  "It was so much Sir Robert's evening," the queen replied, "that I decided to leave it behind." Can we all just put aside our crowns for just a moment to learn from  the one who was the most humble, Jesus Christ?  Even our humility is self serving at times.  You know it's bad when that happens, because that means it is just an all out lie!  As Christians we read about the denying or feeding our self, but that's about as far as it gets....reading.  It's tough to deny self, but we do have the ultimate example of self denial in our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Paul wrote about Jesus to the church at Phlippi in 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."  That is the essence of true humility and that example is ever before us as we live our lives.  I look at humility like it is a pool of water and that pool looks inviting but we worry about what might be in there so we don't dive in.  Here are some of the things we might worry about when it comes to the pool of water.

The water might be too shallow....We think if we dive in the water it might not be deep enough to hold the depth of our dive and we might get hurt.  The depth of humility is found in the affect of it.  True humility is life changing for those who see it and those who experience it.  The depth of it's effect on our lives is wide-ranging and powerful.  Of all the teachings of the Christian faith, humility is one of the deepest and most impactful in the spreading of the gospel.  

Wakefield tells the story of the famous inventor Samuel Morse who was once asked if he ever encountered situations where he didn't know what to do. Morse responded, "More than once, and whenever I could not see my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and understanding."

Morse received many honors from his invention of the telegraph but felt undeserving: "I have made a valuable application of electricity not because I was superior to other men but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone and He was pleased to reveal it to me."

The water might be too cold......  Even though we aren't used to living a humble life, the more we practice humility, the more we warm up to it.  Why?  The effect it has on those around us, and in turn, the effect it has on us.  We might think we will put ourselves at a disadvantage by taking a back seat in the bragging department.  That back seat is actually the front seat in God's reasoning, so that seat will sit just fine.

The water might give me a disease.....  A pure heart none can find.  You cannot find a more pure heart than the heart of a truly humble person.  True enough, when  you experience, yes, experience, true humility in your life,  you experience a freedom that is unsurpassed.  The battle that is found in competitive living is over and done.   You will be so radically changed and that change will innoculate you with a good preventive medicine to put you  in line with the humility you only read about in God's Word.  Those around you will suddenly see Jesus in you like never before and you will have a calm that draws others to you for answers.

So as you can see, the pool of self denial is a pool that is not only inviting for Christ followers, but satisfying for those who swim in it.  As you approach this pool that is always accessible for believers, don't be scared.  Jump right in and see how much God will lift you up and bless you.  James wrote in 4:10 - "Humble yourselves in the sight of the lord, and He will lift you up."  Sometimes we worry about drowning in the pool of self denial, but God is faithful to lift us up and keep us breathing in His good air, so we will live as never before. Humility is our greatest form of honoring God.  The following story illustrates how to honor greatness.

On a visit to the Beethoven museum in Bonn, a young American student became fascinated by the piano on which Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works. She asked the museum guard if she could play a few bars on it; she accompanied the request with a lavish tip, and the guard agreed. The girl went to the piano and tinkled out the opening of the Moonlight Sonata. As she was leaving she said to the guard, "I suppose all the great pianist who come here want to play on that piano."

The guard shook his head. "Padarewski [the famed Polish pianist] was here a few years ago and he said he wasn't worthy to touch it."

We are so unworthy  of God's grace and His love for us, so may we honor Him by humbling ourselves before Him who is worthy of all glory.  To Him be the glory and the honor forever.

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Runaway Trolley Car

Our family lived in Northern California from 1984-1988.  The community we lived in was Pleasanton and the church we served at was First Baptist Church, Pleasanton.  Moving from Missouri to California was quite the culture shock for us, but we enjoyed the area and the people.  Some of the fun things for us to do as a family was to go on a Saturday to the city (San Francisco)  and play at Gateway Park under the Golden Gate Bridge, walk on Pier 39, which had some cool shops, and ride the trolley cars on the tall hills that make up the city.  Trolley Cars are loud and the engineering that goes into making them work is fantastic, and we were very impressed with the ride we got going down Market Street to the bay.  When riding down the hill I got to thinking, "What if this thing's brakes don't hold" and I spent most of the time devising a plan to get me and my family off alive.  Of course, the brakes did work and we got off at Fisherman's Wharf and went along with the rest of our day.   As I look back, my plans on how to get off the Trolley Car should the brakes not hold were very detailed and were prompted by what I thought was an incredible downhill ride, which seemed almost out of control.  I am a thrill seeker and the scarier the ride, the better, but I am always thinking of an emergency situation and how to handle it when I'm on that ride.  My daughter Jessica and I went on some incredible rides at Dollywood when I was on vacation last month.  One paricular ride, called the Mystery Mine Ride, was a vicious, straight up, intense ride that had me questioning my sanity for getting on it.  It took us straight up, I mean STRAIGHT up and then we went straight down!  It was so intense I almost couldn't come up with a good plan should the whole thing fail, but I did.  I saw a hand rail to the side of where my car was and if it let loose, I was going to grab that rail and grab Jessica and hang on.  Of course, it probably wouldn't have been that easy, but I still made my plans.

We live in a world that has become one, intense roller coaster, trolley car ride, after another.  Things we thought we would never see as Americans, and specifically American Christians are happening on a daily basis.  I think we are at the top of a big downhill track and we are out of control with no brakes to stop us.  The only thing is I can't seem to get focused on how to put the brakes on,  as it is falling apart.  I do know that God is my only hope in all of this so my plans need to be centered in His strength and His power.  In America we have been lulled to sleep in our prosperity, and in so many ways we have been blessed.  This sleep has caused our hearts and minds to become unguarded and now we are reaping the result of this slumber. It is very discouraging, and yes, a little scary.  Our plans for the days ahead should be very focused and prepared.  The crash at the bottom of this hill is going to be disastrous and the foundation we stand on will be shaken, but not crushed.  We just need to make sure that Jesus is our foundation so we know how to handle the crash.  Let's look at the cause.  In Mark 4:19 Jesus shares a parable about the seed sown and the different effects on that seed that is sown.  In verse 19 he talks about a seed that has been sown and then taken away by what society does to it.  Verse 19 -  and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  At times Andra and I will say, "How can people believe and do these things when they are Christians?"  The truth is, they are being choked into submission.   Submission to a lost and dying world!!  The Word of God is fruitless in their lives and the ways of God fall to the wayside.   That is a battle that satan is winning because they have let the deceitfull ways of the world control their faith.  But I have to ask, "I thought the battle had been won!"  Of course, we STILL know that is true, but satan's deception causes victors to doubt their victory and thus we try to fight a new battle "on our own."  We won't win that battle though.  Why?  Because we are fighting it!!  So what do we do?  For me, I need to quit trying to fight  something that is past tense.  Quit battling with life itself and start living in the glow of that great victory won by Jesus.  Also, quit listening to satan as he tries to draw me back into fighting on my own.   I need to bring up Jesus' victory every time he tempts me and live in the wonderful grace of Jesus.  Back to the out of control world.  As Christians we must quit living in doubt and start  living in faith.  Faith in God, which comes through having enough faith in God's Word to start reading it and living it.  We need to be "true to the core" in our love for Jesus and those who live in this world with us.  God's top two commandments are  Love the Lord Your God and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself- Matthew 22:36-40  Believe it or not those two will work when the world falls apart.  We will first of all need God to strenghthen us and then we will need to be a strength for our neighbors who need some hope.  So, if this trolley car that is running away hits the bottom and crashes, the very basics of our faith will be the most essential elements in making it through the crash.  If it means our life, then we will be in glory.  If it means persecution then Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake." Matthew 5:10 Whatever happens in the crash,  I hope we as Christians are found to be steady and true to the end.  Not choked out by our desire to hold on to the  American Dream.  A dream that has lulled us to sleep.  The only true foundational hope for the world is Jesus Christ, who is Faithful and True.  Trust in Him and you will be comforted and empowered.  By the way, He is coming again....and soon!!!!

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Raiders of the Lost Kindness

Kindness - One of the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22.  Kind - of a good or

benevolent nature or disposition.  In other words, at your core it is who you are....  Kindness is one of those things you can't whup up at anytime and just do it.  You have to be it!!!  Some people are kind.  That's just the way it is!!  When Christ invades your heart, He changes you and you do have the ability at your source to be kind.  Why do so many people fight being kind?  Because kindness many times will get you "walked on."  You know, abused because you are so giving when you are kind.  When a person isn't kind you can almost see into their heart and the facial difference is amazing.  I can honestly meet a  person for the first time and tell if they are kind or not, just by their disposition.  Not judging, just looking.  An unkind person carries a certain aura around with them and makes everyone around them just a "little bit uncomfortable."   Unkind people prey on kind people and victimize them because they know they can.  Unkind people are some of the most hatefull, depressed people you will ever encounter and they many times know they are that way, but are too prideful to change.  But what about the changes of an encounter with the grace of Jesus through salvation?  Shoudn't that make a difference?  Yes it should, but a person who has become comfortable with unkindness actually thrives off the damage it does to those around them and they enjoy the "rush." They would never admit that, but it's true.  And what is the fallout of unkind people?  They are actually crew members on the ship going to hell, as they misrepresent their Lord (if He really is their Lord) and cause many lost people to question the difference Christ is supposed to make in a person's life.  They maybe aren't going to hell, but you can smell their singed clothing because they live so much like they are from hell.  These people have become Raiders of the Lost Kindness.  They have pilfered their Christian Faith and given way to living a double identity.  They are posers!!!  People who put on a good act of being a Christian, but do not bear the fruit that goes with that relationship.  They take what Jesus gives to all who know Him, the fruit of kindness and steal that gift and replace it with a heart that wants to hurt anyone who gets in their way.  Their way is not the narrow way of righteousness that is evidence in a disciple.   They have raided the fruit of kindness and drug it through the sin of hatefulness and mean spiritedness.

In the first Indiana Jones movie Harrison Ford's character started out the movie by raiding a cave of an artifact that was very valuable and almost lost his life raiding it.  His next move though was his  biggest as he searched for the Ark of the Covenant.  He honored the Ark enough to want to keep it in the right hands, that would cherish it and protect it.  The bad guys wanted it's power for their own use.  In the end they got the power, but it fried them when they opened it up.  End of story.  Raiders of the Lord Kindness are the bad guys who want to use the power of them saying they know Christ to be able to do unkind things and get away with it again and again.  Their end will be the same as the bad guys in the movie as they have opened up something that will consume them because they are not honoring God by living a life of truth and love.  Those who try to live a life of kindness and try to protect what it represents guard their hearts against using their faith for evil power and in doing so keep the integrity of that fruit in place.   For those who have kind hearts, don't despair!!  God will bless you for protecting one of the most important fruits, called kindness, and your continued love for Christ will keep the kindness fruit preserved and pure.  Don't give it to the unkind people of the world, but give them Jesus and His power will defeat their wrong way of living.  The following scriptures classify the king and unkind person.

Matthew 5:11  Blessed  are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against  you falsely for My sake.

Matthew 5:39 - But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Matthew 12:35 - A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the vil treasure brings forth evil things.

Matthew 15:19 - For out of the heart proceed evil thought, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

No matter how much they raid kindness, protect it in your heart and let Jesus shine through and they will be defeated!!  Kindness can never be overrated!!

British statesman and financier Cecil Rhodes, whose fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes Scholarships, was a stickler for correct dress--but apparently not at the expense of someone else's feelings. A young man invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes's home in his travel-stained clothes. Once there he was appalled to find the other guests already assembled, wearing full evening dress. After what seemed a long time Rhodes appeared, in a shabby old blue suit. Later the young man learned that his host had been dressed in evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his young guest's dilemma.

Do you show a witness of being kind?  What's the hold up?

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren