Your Son For A Quarter...

Several years ago, a new preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks
after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the
downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had
accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered
what to do, he thought to himself, "You'd better give the quarter
back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it,
it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount?
Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it.
Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet." When his stop came, he
paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the
driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change." The driver with
a smile replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been
thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see
what you would do if I gave you too much change.  I'll see you at
church on Sunday" When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he
literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, "Oh God,
I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a
really almost scary example of how much people watch us as Christians
and will put us to the test! Always be on guard and remember (as I try
to remember) that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when
you call yourself "Christian".
I hope you all continue to have a great day and also pray for me so
that I will be a doer of His Word!!!

Just meditate on it.

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw 
a kid from my class was walking home from school. His 
name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his 
books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring 
home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." 

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football 
game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I 
shrugged my shoulders and went on. 
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward 
him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his 
arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses 
went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten 
feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible 
sadness in his eyes. 

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and 
as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw 
a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 
"Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked 
at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. 
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where 
he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him 
why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private 
school before now. 

I would have never hung out with a private school kid 
before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some 
of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I 
asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my 
friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the 
more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my 
friends thought the same of him. 

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the 
huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 
"Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles 
with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and 
handed me half the books. 

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best 
friends. When we were seniors, we began to think 
about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I 
was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be 
friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He 
was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business 
on a football scholarship. 

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the 
time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for 
graduation. 

I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and 
speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He 
was one of those guys that really found himself during high 
school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. 
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. 
Boy, sometimes I was jealous. 

Today was one of those days. I could see that he was 
nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back 
and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me 
with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. 
"Thanks," he said. 

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and 
began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped 
you make it through those tough years. Your parents, 
your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly 
your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a 
friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I 
am going to tell you a story." 

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the 
story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill 
himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had 
cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do 
it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from 
doing the unspeakable." 

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular 
boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same 
grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. 

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With 
one small gesture you can change a person's life. For 
better or for worse. 

God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another 
in some way. Look for God in others. 

Every Sunday  afternoon, after the morning service at the church,
the Pastor and his eleven-year-old  son would go out into their town
and hand out Gospel Tracts.

This  particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and
his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it  was very cold
outside, as well as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in his 
warmest and driest  clothes and said; "OK dad, I'm ready."  
 
His Pastor dad  asked, "Ready for what?"
"Dad, it's  time we gather our tracts together and go out."
Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down
rain."
The boy  gives his dad a surprised look, asking  "But Dad, aren't
people still going to Hell, even  though it's  raining?"
Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this  weather."
Despondently, the boy ask, "Dad, can I go? Please?"
His father  hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here
are the tracts, be careful, son."
"Thanks  Dad!" And with that, he was off and out into the rain.

This eleven-year-old boy walked the streets of the town going from
door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel
Tract. After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking,
bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT.

He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a  tract to,
but the streets were totally deserted.
Then he  turned toward the first home he saw and started up the
sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell.
He rang the bell, but nobody answered.  
He rang it again and again, but still no one answered.  
He waited but still no answer.
Finally, this eleven-year-old trooper turned to leave, but something
stopped him.  

Again, he turned to the door and rang  the bell and knocked loudly on
the door with his fist.
He waited, something holding him there on the front porch.
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.  
Standing in  the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady.
She softly asked, "What can I do for  you, son?"
With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy
said,  
"Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you
that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU
and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you
all about JESUS and His great LOVE."
With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.
She called to him as he departed.
"Thank  you, son! And God Bless You!"

Well, the  following Sunday morning in church, Pastor Dad was in  the
pulpit. As the service began, he asked, "Does  anybody have a testimony or
want to say anything?"
Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her
feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her
face, "No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before.
You see, before last Sunday, I was  not a Christian.
My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this
world.  
Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even
more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no
longer had any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic
of my home.
I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on
the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck.  
Standing on  that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to
leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs
startled me.
I thought, 'I'll wait a  minute, and whoever it is will go away.
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder
and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking
loudly.  
I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever
rings my bell or comes to see me.'  
I loosened  the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all
the while the bell rang louder and louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for
there on my front  porch was the most  radiant and angelic little boy
I had  ever seen in my life.  
His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!  
The words that came from his mouth caused my heart  that had long
been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice,
'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU.'
Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.  
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I
closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract.
Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair.
I wouldn't be needing them any more.  
You see I  am now a Happy Child of the KING.  
Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel
Tract; I have come here to personally say THANK YOU TO God's little
angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my
soul from eternity in hell."
 
There was not a dry eye in the church.
And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very
rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the
front pew where the little angel was seated.
He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.  
Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this
universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor
for his son except for One.
This Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark
world.
He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of  heaven
shouted praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son
on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that
is named.
Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.  
Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others.
We will meet in Heaven.