No Unsung Heroes

This morning I started thinking about an incident that happened to me. I was reading a verse of scripture when this came to mind.

“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”
—Hebrews 6:10

I remember when I implemented a program in a former church years ago to have a variety store for the poor. I went and set up an account with Second Harvest, a food warehouse where you pay pennies on the dollar for items. I solicited the help of my best friend who was a minister in the church as well. We asked the pastor for space in an industrial park the church owned to set up a free store. He said yes.

We stocked it with food, medicine, personal hygiene products, clothes, furniture and toys. My girlfriend and I were the ones who went and picked the items up and unloaded them. Furniture and heavier items we had delivered.

We worked the store 2 days a week. We also traveled 2 hours one way to pick up food for a couple of years before they would send a truck our way. Never asked for gas money, and half the time paid for the food. We did this at least twice a month.

We made these items available to people that had fallen on hard times for free. People that came in for assistance traded time working in the store for items given. It made them feel good to be able to contribute. During this time we had the opportunity to share the Love of the Lord with them.

Many came to the Lord through this outreach, and joined the church as well. After a year the pastor wanted to re-evaluate whether we needed to continue with this project and if it brought "any value" to the ministry. After fighting with him on this issue, at the end of two years we handed it back over to him to do with as he wished.

Someone else joined the church a little later with like vision and went to him and said how the church could get publicity for the store. He went for it. Mind you the church had been getting publicity all along on a local level. He wanted "his" "name" recognized regionally.

When it was all said and done, the pastor credited this person to the media for piloting the program and doing all of the work. My girlfriend and I were never mentioned.

I don't know if you have ever experienced this before: you do the work and turn in a great performance someone else gets the credit. They may not have done all that much to earn it, they were just there at the right time or simply knew how to "suck up" to the “people that matter.” They get the credit deserved by others who end up forgotten.

As Christians, this leaves us in a tough position. We don’t want to be selfish and egotistically toot our own horn. But it hurts. It’s not fair. It can lead to discouragement, anger, and resentment. I know it did with me for about a year I held on this.

When we find ourselves in this situation, I believe it is helpful to remember two things. First, we don’t work for our employer, teacher, manager, or boss or pastor: we ultimately work for the Lord. (see Ephesians 5:6-8)

If He is pleased, then we should be proud of our work and feel our goal has been accomplished even when we are not pat on the back. Yes, we all need some affirmation for a job well done, but sometimes it doesn’t come until the Father says, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Second, God who sees will not forget what we have done. He knows who really did the hard work and who deserves the credit. He will be the one to reward us for doing His work for His Glory even if no one else knows or cares. So if you’ve found yourself in this situation, IN GOD’S FAMILY, THERE ARE NO UNSONG HEROES!


Shalom,
Candace

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Sleeping Through The Storm

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Where to take it from here......

When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God.

Author Unknown

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

The Devil Made Me Do It According to Bishop Weeks

What kind of mess is this? Bishop Thomas Weeks, the estranged husband of Prophetess Juanita Bynum, claimed anonymity when he said "The Devil Made Me Do It." Like we church folks say" The devil is a lie!" I guess when He stands in court he will also tell the judge this same ridiculous story.

This story below is taken from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Weeks took the pulpit two days after his surrender to authorities in connection with the alleged attack on Bynum. His remarks included appreciation for the prayers and support that he said have come in for him and his wife and thanks to those in attendance in spite of the controversy.

Weeks sparked thunderous applause and cheers when he asked members to tell those seated next to them: "We've got certain things going on right now, but I refuse to stop coming to the house God built."

Weeks, wearing a dark suit and his customary bow tie, blamed the devil for the accusation that has him facing two felony charges. He didn't, however, offer any specifics before introducing a guest minister who preached in his stead, then exiting the room.

Weeks, wearing a dark suit and his customary bow tie, blamed the devil for the accusation that has him facing two felony charges. He didn't, however, offer any specifics before introducing a guest minister who preached in his stead, then exiting the room.

After turning himself in, he spent six hours in the Fulton County Jail before being released on $40,000 bond Friday.

Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He Himself tempt anyone. BUT EACH ONE IS TEMPTED WHEN HE IS DRAWN AWAY BY HIS OWN DESIRES AND ENTICED. THEN WHEN DESIRE HAS CONCEIVED IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN, AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FULL GROWN BRINGS FORTH DEATH”- JAMES 1:13-16. Sin here comes about when people are drawn away AFTER THEIR OWN DESIRES AND ENTICED!

The Lord is cleaning house. He is sweeping back the rug so that the Church can look at itself in light of His Word. We are not alright! But thank God, HE will not leave us in the state we are in. He will uncover and expose so that we can acknowledge that there is a problem. Once acknowledge the problem can be dealt with.

Individuals come to the church for a healing of their souls. It supposed to be not just a place to fellowship but a place to worship! Time out for all of the prosperity messages and let us do the work of true ministry.

Candace House

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Michael Vick Is Not Inhumane-The Animal Rights Actist Are

I am so sick and tired of hearing about Michael Vick abuse of animals. It is really starting to get to me. The news media is in a frenzy concerning him and this dog fighting issue. Why everyone has their panties in a wad over this is beyond me. Just slap him with a hefty fine and move on.

Today they announced that Vick, according to CNN made apologies and pleaded guilty. That is good however that does not warrant the stiff sentence they are trying to give him for dog’s lives. Give me a break!

According to the Washington Post, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said in a statement this morning that federal sentencing guidelines had appeared to call for a prison term of up to six months and that a first-time offender like Vick normally might not have received any jail time.
But because Vick's conduct was so "heinous, cruel and inhumane,'' Rosenberg said, prosecutors insisted that the sentencing range be adjusted upward to 12-18 months, and Vick's attorneys agreed. "It is highly unusual for a defendant to agree to recommend a sentence above the advisory guideline range,'' Rosenberg said.

How crazy is this? The world is so concerned about a dog’s right to life and human treatment but not concerned with human life. Animal Rights Activist would love to see this man go to jail for 5 or more years if they had their way. But these same people wouldn’t go to bat for babies with no voice.

Michael says it is time for him to grow up and he is concerned about his image to young people. All of that is commendable. But now that he has “found Jesus”, instead of going on the “save our animals circuit” he needs to turn his attention to the save our babies circuit.

This country has its priorities backward. It is a travesty! Why isn’t the media showing clips from partial birth abortion videos over and over again? No instead we had to watch the same clip of these same dogs fighting 50 thousand times!

Here is a quote from a partial birth abortion website.

“During the first year after the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was introduced in mid-1995, many opponents of the bill, such as NARAL's Kate Michelman and syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman, insisted that anesthesia given to the mother painlessly kills the babies before they are pulled feet-first from the womb and stabbed through the back of the skull. But in congressional testimony in 1996 -- virtually ignored by the news media -- this myth was emphatically refuted by the heads of the two major professional societies of anesthesiologists. Other experts testified that the babies are alive and fully capable of experiencing great pain during a partial-birth abortion. To learn more about the pain that partial-birth abortion inflicts on pre-mature human babies, and about the "anesthesia myth,"

With just this little bit of information about this horrible procedure to you see why I can care less about dogs fighting. Human life is much more valuable than that of animals. Where is the outcry of the media over this issue?

Candace House
http://www.candacehouse.org/
© Candace House, All Rights Reserved.

Candace

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

LIVING ON BORROWED TIME!

We need to be cognizant of the times we are living in. Truly it is the last days.
We have heard this said from days of old and many have grown immune to the
clarion call to be aware of the times. Twice we see in scripture a story concerning the usefulness of the fig tree.

First we see Him Matthew 21:18-19

“Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.
And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing
on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”
Immediately the fig tree withered away.”

In verse 19 Jesus cursed the tree. Why would He do this? The scripture gives no explanation of this. However, it is a fact that a fig tree should have figs by the time the leaves are evident. The fig tree actually produces green figs before the leaves appear and if no figs are produced by that time, then that tree will not have any figs that year. Therefore, this fig tree was professing something that it didn't have even though it was still too early for figs.

And again in Luke 13:6-9

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that[a] you can cut it down.”

The fig tree represents the nation of Israel. The Lord planted the nation to bring forth the fruits of righteousness unto Him (Mt. 7:16-20), but they had been barren. The whole nation was worthy of judgment ("cut it down"--Lk. 13:7) just as we would cut down an unproductive tree and replace it with a good one. However, Jesus, who is represented by the dresser of the vineyard, interceded for the nation and gained an extension of God's mercy to see if the nation would bring forth the fruits of repentance (Mt. 3:8). They did not and therefore were "cut down" in A.D. 70 when the Roman army under Titus destroyed Jerusalem.

WHAT IS THE LESSON?:

Let us take a lesson from the children of Israel yet once again. Note thatat the end of Luke 12, Jesus reminded his disciples to always be readyand live with a sense of urgency about his return. Jesus began the nextchapter by calling on people to repent. Now Jesus is basically reminding usthat we are on borrowed time. We need to repent now. We've beenextended a season of grace to become fruitful, so we've got to befruitful. No more playing “church”. It’s time to BE the CHURCH! No more hypocritical living. No more operating in dead works. No more religious talk without living spiritual. He said to walk in the light as He is in the light. It's time to put up or shut up! And I am talking about producing fruit unto righteousness, not unto unrighteousness.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, Please help us to bear fruit unto righteousness. Please let it be fruit that remains. Prick our hearts by your Holy Spirit to be cognizant of the time and to live lives that are laid down for you. Let passion burn in our hearts for the things of you. Let our souls be set on fire for those that do not know you. Today let us not harden our hearts to Your voice but hearken unto your call when you say “come up hither.” We want to be sold out for you and not concerned about the trappings of this world. Help us to not procrastinate but do all for you with a sense of urgency knowing our time is short and there a more souls to be saved. This we ask in the precious name of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach. Amen

Candace House

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.