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What is best for me ?

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Building A Noble Character !• In a great cathedral in Europe, there is a

window made by an apprentice out of the bits of stained glass that were thrown away as worthless refuse when the other windows were made; this is the most beautiful window of all.

• We can take the bent and broken pieces of our lives and make something truly special. The parts don’t have to be perfect when we start to make something great in the end.

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• 1 Cor 1:26-28 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

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Christian Liberty !• As in the natural body, so in the mystical body

of Christ, the Church, a large measure of liberty is granted to each member. But this liberty may not pass the bounds by which another member would be injured or suffer loss. My liberty to stretch out my arms depends on how close I am to the other fellow.

• Christians cannot be self-centered, self-willed, interested in self-gratification or to become desirous of personal vain glory as all these things will destroy the very essence of who Christians are to become.

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• Gal 5:13-17 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

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Fruit Needs Light !• Some time ago we noticed that a tree planted at the

sunny end of a house had large and beautiful blossoms. It was a feast to the eyes; but what an amazing difference in some of the branches trained round the corner of the house where they got much less sun. The blossoms were starved and drooping, and there was little promise of fruit. They had the same root and stem in common, but while one part of the tree was in the full glorious light, the other branches were in the shade.

• Our character is affected in the same way by insufficient enlightenment. The dark places produce unfruitful branches: strange weaknesses, distortions, immaturities, indirection, failures in practical life and conduct.

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• Luke 11:35-36 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

• John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

• John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

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No Spiritual Blind Spot !• Cricketers talk a great deal about visual imperfection,

for sooner or later the bowler finds the blind spot, the batsman misjudges the ball, and his sport comes to an end. The devil plays for the blind spot, and if there is such a defect in our spiritual vision, sooner or later it gets us into trouble. The blind spot in the natural eye is a necessary, unavoidable, physiological defect of which the brightest and most skillful athlete cannot rid himself. However, morally and religiously no part of our nature need be dark, and we may successfully defend ourselves in every assault. If for any subtle, selfish reason we harbor some bias of the mind, some prejudice that warps the judgment, some neglect of charity, some inertia that obstructs conviction, some deviation of aim, some deflection in action, we lay ourselves open to grievous losses and sorrows.

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• Matt 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

• Matt 23:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

• Matt 23:24-26 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

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Faithful In This World !• The student in the lower grades who is always

idly dreaming of the time when he will be a senior, and thus neglects his present studies, will never be prepared to take his place with any distinction in his senior year. If we scholars in the larger school of life are so fascinated by revelations of the unseen world that we lose interest in the present one, we will never be prepared to even receive a reward when the time comes, because it takes a lot of preparation and effort in the here and now.

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• Matt 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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A Good Reason For Politeness !

• "My boy," said a father to his son, "treat everybody with politeness, even those who are rude to you; remember, you show courtesy to others, not because they are gentlemen Christians, but because you are."

• 1 Cor 13:4-6 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

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Perils of Conscience !• It is essential that we should exercise conscience, but

let us not forget that in this matter, as in all others, privilege is linked with responsibility. Of course, we may attribute unworthy motives to authoritarian churches that proclaim the right to dictate to the individual what is right and what is wrong. Their action is generally based on the danger of individual judgment and the peril of the individual conscience, because this privilege that we all claim does have it perils. It is so perilous, indeed, that while we pay lip service to its sanctity and sacredness, we are compelled to curtail its freedom. . Freedom is the basis of joy, but if it oversteps the bounds of moral responsibility it is too perilous.

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• Luke 12:56-57 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

• Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

• Acts 8:21-22 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

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Conscience Must Be Tested !• Not every coin that bears the exact stamp is a genuine

coin. Very often, the counterfeit, the base and worthless coin, bears the right stamp also. It isn't the impression that matters so much as the nature of the metal. Many an action that bears the impression of a good conscience is condemned before God as perilous, injurious, and destructive in its issues. The coin must be tested on the touchstone to discover if it rings true. Conscience must be tested on the touchstone of Christian principle and the Spirit of the Master. It is not enough to say, "It seems right to me." We must ask how does this action, this line of conduct, ring on the touchstone of Christian principle? Not what we think but what Christ thinks, what the Master thinks, matters most. (acid test, litmus test)

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• Prov 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

• Prov 16:8-9 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. 9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

• Prov 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

• Prov 21:2-3 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. 3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

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Conscience Like A Pet Dog !• Speaking of conscience, a wise man said,

"Honestly, what use do we make of our God-given reason? I know what use I make of it. I use it chiefly to provide reasons for what I want to do without admitting it is for pursuing some personal ambition. A man may have his conscience so well disciplined and trained that, instead of blazing a trail before him, it is like a pet dog which just trots obediently at his heels and never so much as barks! 'If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!'

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• John 8:7 He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

• Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

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Shut The Door !• A man went inside a telephone booth and dialed the

number of a friend. When the connection was made, the friend kept saying, "I can't hear you; speak louder; I can't hear you." All he could hear was the roar of traffic in the background. "Shut the door so I can hear," he said to the caller. In order to hear God's voice speaking to you, you've got to shut the door to the outside world so that its enticements won't distract you. Doing this could change your whole life. Then when you go back into the crowd, you'll not only be able to listen to what the world has to say, but you'll have something to say to the world that you've personally heard from God and his word!

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• Matt 13:13-15 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand

• 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

• 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

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• Matt 13:17-18 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

• Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

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The Right to Pursue !

• Someone cursed Benjamin Franklin, charging that the Constitution of the United States was a farce. "Where is all the success that it guarantees us?" he sneered. Franklin, smiling, answered, "My friend, the Constitution guarantees only the right to the pursuit of happiness."

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• Ps 34:14-19 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.