Thought for Today

There was a young teen boy who had a bad reputation not only in his school, but his neighborhood and community as well. He didn't talk much yet managed to instigate plenty of fights. All the teachers had formed set-in-stone negative opinions about this young troublemaker and each year, he didn't let them down. No one liked him, he knew it and he didn't care - or so it seemed.

It appeared all was lost until one weekend when this boy signed up with 405 other students for a retreat created to help kids get involved in a local homeless project. Who do you think would make the best leader for such a group? Probably someone who had "been there, done that" right? Guess who shared the most innovative ideas and inspired that entire group of voluteers to begin the community's most successful project to date? Yep, the troublemaker! Some people would have us believe that those with dysfunctional backgrounds are hopeless and of no use - but we know different. Maybe you are suffering from believing this lie about yourself and maybe you believe all is lost. If that is true, you might find this 'Thought for Today' encouraging. A wise author once wrote:

"The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something they have not. The things of the world cannot satisfy their longing.The Spirit of God is pleading with them to seek for those things that alone can give peace and rest--the grace of Christ, the joy of holiness.Through influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is constantly at work to attract the minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures of sin to the infinite blessings that may be theirs in Him. To all these souls, who are vainly seeking to drink from the broken cisterns of this world, the divine message is addressed, "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17". - Steps to Christ

Believing that we can do it all on our own sounds noble but the reality is that no one makes it alone. There are events, people and objects that somehow make it into our lives to inspire and motivate at one point or another. This author believes that God is the One behind that every event, person and object. How he makes it happen without infringing on our freedom of choice is pretty fantastic! God shares our potential with us in a myraid of ways like perhaps through a great book, movie, song, friend, or even an enemy. However He does it, He indeed does it! We need not look far to find words of encouragement, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.

May the truth about how much God longs to befriend you be instilled in your heart today. May you know it to be fact and not fable,that the Creator of heaven and earth sees you as the apple of His eye.