Discontent but Content

I heard a sermon at church about God's

promise of strength for daily living. The main
verses the message was based on were
Phillipians 4:10-13. Christians have a
contentment so long as they hold to Christ
for everything. Knowing that nothing can
separate us from the love of God gives us
the ability to not be discontented by our
circumstances. I am reminded of Romans
8:38-39.
However, in a way, we should never be
content. We sell ourselves short if we
become complacent; we should always be
longing to have a closer relationship with
God and eager to do more good for others in
the name of Jesus Christ. This opportunity is
a privilege. The sort of discontentment that
motivates us to not miss this opportunity is
different from discontentment that results
from negative circumstances. It is a source of
joy because though we were the lowest of
the low, God has chosen us to be His children
and called us to be involved in His holy work
(Ephesians 2:10).

keep your fork

Attributed to Roger William Thomas
Submitted to Ann Landers by Kay in California

The woman explained, "In all my years of

attending church socials and potluck dinners, I
always remember that when the dishes of the
main course were being cleared, someone
would inevitably say to everyone, 'Keep your
fork.' It was my favorite time of the dinner,
because I knew something better was coming,
like velvety chocolate cake or deep dish apple
pie - something wonderful. So, I want people to
see me there in that casket with a fork in my
hand and wonder, ' What's with the fork?'
Then, I want you to tell them, ' Keep your fork,
because the best is yet to come.' "
The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as
he bid the woman goodbye. He realized she
had a better grasp of heaven than he did, and
knew something better was coming.
At the funeral, when people asked him why she
was holding a fork, the pastor told them of the
conversation he had with the woman before
she died. He said he could not stop thinking
about the fork, and knew they probably would
not be able to stop thinking about it either. He
was right.
"Keep your fork. The best is yet to come."

A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness

and given three months to live. She asked her
Pastor to come to her home to discuss her final
wishes. She told him which songs she wanted
sung at her funeral, and what scriptures she
wanted read, and which outfit she wanted to
be buried in.
Then she said, "One more thing... I want to be
buried with a fork in my hand."
The pastor was surprised.

GODs EMAIL
One day, God was looking down at Earth and
saw all of the rascally behavior that was
going on. He decided to send an angel down
to Earth to check it out. So, he called one of
His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a
time.

When he returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad

on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and 5% are
not."

God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe

I had better send down a second angel to get
another opinion." So God called another
angel and sent him to Earth for a time too.

When the angel returned he went to God and

said, "Yes, it's true. The Earth is in decline;
95% are misbehaving and 5% are being
good."

God was not pleased. So, He decided to email the 5% that were good, because He
wanted to encourage them, give them a little
something to help them keep going.

Do you know what that e-mail said?

No?

Oh, so you didn't get one either?

Time passed, but his question still lingered,

so he approached his mother: "Mom, can
anybody ever really see God?" "No, not
really," she gently said. "God is a spirit and
he dwells in our hearts, but we can never
really see him."

Somewhat satisfied but still wondering, the

youngster went on his way. Not long
afterwards, his saintly old grandfather took
the little boy on a fishing trip. They were
having a great time together -- it had been
an ideal day. The sun was beginning to set
with unusual splendor as the day ended.

The old man stopped fishing and turned his

full attention to the exquisite beauty
unfolding before him. On seeing the face of
his grandfather reflecting such deep peace
and contentment as he gazed into the
magnificent ever-changing sunset, the little
boy thought for a moment and finally spoke
hesitatingly: "Granddad, I - I wasn't going to
ask anybody else, but I wonder if you can tell
me the answer to something I've been
wondering about a long time. Can anybody,
can anybody ever really see God?"

Inspirational and Inspiring Gifts

can anybody see god?
-- Author Unknown

The old man did not even turn his head. A

long moment slipped by before he finally
answered. "Son," he quietly said. "It's getting
so I can't see anything else."

A small boy once approached his slightly

older sister with a question about God.

---

"Susie, can anybody ever really see God?" he

asked. Busy with other things, Susie curtly
replied: "No, of course not, silly. God is so far
up in heaven that nobody can see him."

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the

skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day
after day they pour forth speech; night after
night they display knowledge. There is no
speech or language where their voice is not

heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world."

-- Psalm 19:1-4