One day a
Christian farmer spent the day shopping in the big city. At lunch time, he
entered a restaurant and sat down near some young men who happened to not care
much for religion. When the farmer’s meal was served, he bowed his head and
silently gave thanks for the food. One of the young men looked at the farmer
and said in a loud voice, “Does everyone do that where you come from?” The farmer
replied, “The pigs don’t!”
Once upon a
time there was a man who called himself a Christian. But he was indeed a
strange one. On Monday while he was at work, something went wrong. He
forgot about God and cursed using the name of God freely. On Tuesday he heard
something evil about a brother and he passed it on without taking the trouble
or time to determine whether it was true or not. He even made the story a
little worse than when he heard it. On Wednesday while making a business
transaction, he saw an opportunity to take advantage of a customer and he did
it for the few dollars involved. On Thursday he went to a friend’s home
for a little game of cards – he didn’t lose much. Naturally there was a
cocktail and a few beers. “A very cheap night of entertainment,” he told
himself. On Friday he became angry with everyone with whom he was
working. They could not see that all ought to be done his way and he told them
off – really good! On Saturday his grocer made a mistake and did not
charge him for a pound of butter. He rationalized it was the grocer’s fault and
said nothing. On Sunday morning he went to church; took part in the
services – the part where one sits in the pew and mutters to himself that the
service is going too long. That night he stayed home to rest up, getting ready
for another week.
Two brothers
were caught stealing sheep. The villagers punished the young men by branding
their foreheads with a hot iron marked ST for “sheep thief”. One brother ran
from the village to another to hide from the stigma. When those villagers
learned the meaning of the letters branded on his forehead, he fled to the next
town. His life was lived in this manner until he died, hopelessly unhappy. The
other brother, however, stayed in his home village determined to gain back the
love and respect of his fellow villagers. He turned away from sheep stealing,
and he paid back his debts. Over the years he became a highly respected citizen
of his community. After many years had passed, a stranger traveled through the
village one day. Upon seeing an old man with a strange brand on his forehead,
he asked a life-long citizen about it. “It happened a long time ago,” the old
timer replied. “And I don’t remember the particulars,” he said while scratching
his head and searching his memory, “but I believe the ST stands for ‘saint’.”
[Psalm 40:1-5] “I
waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He also
brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a
rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to
our God; Many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is the
man who makes the Lord his trust and does not respect the proud, nor such as to
turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You
have done; And Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; If
I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”
It is said that
God has a short memory. When we confess our faults, repent of our sins, obey
the commands of God – then when God forgives, He forgets. May our memories be
equally poor with our fellow man. Rather, let us look to ourselves that we might
stand before God, in that day, with clean hands and a pure heart. Lord save us.
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