FINAL EXAM

I left work early so I could have some uninterrupted study time right
before the final in my Youth Issues class. When I got to class,
everybody was doing their last minute studying. The teacher came
in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test.
We went through the review, most of it right on the study guide, but
there were some things he was reviewing that I had never heard of.
When questioned about it, he said that they were in the book and
we were responsible for everything in the book. We couldn't really
argue with that. Finally it was time to take the test.
"Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one and I'll
tell you to start," our prof instructed.
When we turned them over, every answer on the test was filled in!
The bottom of the last page said the following:
"This is the end of the Final Exam. All the answers on your test
Fw final exam.ems are correct. You will receive an 'A' on the final
exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of
the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this
test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced...grAce."
He then went around the room and asked each student individually,
"What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving?
How much did all your studying for this exam help you achieve your
final grade?"
Now I am not a crier by any stretch of the imagination, but I had
to fight back tears when answering those questions and thinking
about how the Creator has passed the test for me.
Discussion afterward went like this "I have tried to teach you all
semester that you are a recipient of grace. I've tried to communicate
to you that you need to demonstrate this gift as you work with young
people. Don't hammer them; they are not the enemy. Help them, for
they will carry on your ministry if it is full of GRACE!"
Talking about how some of us had probably studied hours and some
just a few minutes but had all received the same grade, he pointed
to a story Jesus told in Matthew 20. The owner of a vineyard hired
people to work in his field and agreed to pay them a certain amount.
Several different times during the day, he hired more workers. When
it was time to pay them, they all received the same amount. When
the ones who had been hired first thing in the morning began complaining,
the boss said, "Should you be angry because I am kind?" (Matthew 2015).
The teacher said he had never done this kind of final before and
probably would never do it again, but because of the content of many
of our class discussions, he felt like we needed to experience grace.
Have you thanked your Creator today because of the grace you have experienced? 

THE BOX

The Box The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her 5 year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper so as to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning and said, "This is for you, Momma." The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she found the box was empty. She spoke to her in a harsh manner, "Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?" "The little girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Momma, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full." The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little girl, and she begged her to forgive her for her unnecessary anger. An accident took the life of the child only a short time later and it is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life. Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, and friends. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

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BUILD UP YOURSELF THRU THE WORD OF GOD

I.  ACCORDING TO PSALMS 37 AND PSALMS 119

FOLLOW THESE AND COME CLOSE TO GOD.....

1. COMMIT YOUR WAY UNTO THE LORD(PSALM 37:5)
2. TRUST IN HIM(PSALM 37:5)
3. WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM(PSALM 37:7)
4. TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD(PSALM 37:27)
5. DELIGHT THYSELF IN THE LORD(PSALM 37:4)
6. CEASE FROM ANGER AND FORSAKE WRATH(PSALM 37:8)
7. SEEK GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART(PSALM 119:10)
8. KEEP GOD'S WORD IN YOUR HEART(PSALM 119:11)
9. REJOICE IN FOLLOWING HIS DECREES(PSALM 119:14)
10. LIVE IN HARMONY(I PETER3:8)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               II. HOW TO PRAY TO ACHIEVE THE ABOVE MENTIONED WAYS?                                
11. TEACH ME O LORD THY WAYS(PSALM 119:33)
12. GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING AND I SHALL KEEP THY LAW(PSALM 119:34)
13. MAKE ME TO GO IN THE PATH OF THY COMMANDMENTS(PSALMS 119:35)
14. INCLINE MY HEART UNTO THY TESTIMONIES(PSALMS 119:36)
15. TURN AWAY MY EYES FROM BEHOLDING VANITY(PSALMS 119:37)
16. STABLISH THY WORH UNTO THY SERVANT(PSALMS 119:38)
17. TURN AWAY MY REPROACH WHICH I FEAR(PSALMS 119:39)
18. QUICKEN ME IN THY RIGHTEOUSNESS(PSALMS 119:40)

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments an

example of a moral code that man was (is) unable to keep

(Ex. 20:3-17).

1. You shall have no other gods before me God

demands man's exclusive worship.

Nothing can be set ahead of God. Not our families, our jobs, our recreation, or our

possessions. Sin is the exaltation of self at the expense of God. To keep this

commandment we would have to do as Jesus said, "love the Lord our God with all

our heart, soul, and mind.

2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image God

demands man's sincere and

spiritual worship (Jn. 4:24). Handmade idols are of course expressly condemned

here, but what of mental idols? We have attended worship, said prayers, and read

the Bible, but have we really worshipped, really prayed, and really let God speak

to us through His word? (Read Isa. 29:13; Mk. 7:6)

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain God

demands that

man respect His name. This respect includes refraining from profane language,

but further includes control of our thoughts and deeds. To call God "Lord" and

then disobey Him is to take His name in vain. To call Him "Father" and then not

to trust Him is to take His name in vain. Anytime we talk one way and act another

we are taking His name in vain we

are hypocrites!

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy God

demands that man worship Him

consistently, continuously, and periodically. As the Sabbath was the Lord's Day

for the Jews, so Sunday is the Christian's Lord's Day. It is a day in which time

must be set aside for Him, for His worship and His service.

5. Honor your father and your mother this

command is transitional. The first four

deal with man's duty to God and the last five deal with man's duty to man, this

command has aspects of both duties. Parents represent God's authority to children,

yet young people are often the most disobedient, selfish, and inconsiderate in their

parent's own homes. Parents are due our respect and affection, if they do not

receive these things from us as physical children, can God expect to receive them

from us as His spiritual children?

6. You shall not kill Jesus

took this command beyond physical murder and

extended it to "heart murder." John said, "Anyone who hates his brother is a

murderer." We can kill with a look, with a word, with our anger, with gossip, with

neglect, with cruelty, with spite and jealousy. Instead we must do all within our

power to foster health and life in others.

7. You shall not commit adultery this

includes any sexual activity outside the

marriage relationship. It includes not just actions, but thoughts as well. As Jesus

said, "everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery

17 Basic Christianity

with her in his heart." This command embraces every possible abuse of a sacred

and beautiful gift of God. Each one of us must have a right, healthy, and

honorable attitude towards each other.

8. You shall not steal taking

anything from a person that belongs to him or is due

to him. Tax evasion, dodging customs, working "short hours," or paying less than

a sufficient wage for work done are all forms of thievery. Not only did Paul want

the thief to stop stealing, he wanted him to start working. To start working so not

only would he not resort to stealing, but so that he could aid others.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor Among

man's greatest

God-given possessions are his life, his home and honor, his property, and his

reputation. Gossip, tale-bearing, perjury, slander, idle talk, listening to as well as

passing on rumors, making unkind jokes, creating untrue impressions, and not

correcting false statements are all ways to bear false witness.

10. You shall not covet this

command puts God's law beyond simply a legal code.

The law of the land cannot touch us for what we think we want, but only for what

we actually steal. As lust is to adultery, temper is murder, so covetousness is to

theft. What is covetousness? Its wanting what we have no right to want, be it a

man's house, his money, or his wife. Paul said, "It is idolatry." In contrast he said,

"There is great gain in godliness, with contentment."

BE HONEST-WHAT YOU SOW IS THAT YOU REAP........!

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.

I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.

She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure!

Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.

When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

     *Be not deceived;God is not mocked:for whatsoever a man soweth,that shall he also reap*

                              Galations 6:7

Think about this for a minute....!!!!!!!!!

                                                   " WHAT YOU SOW IS THAT YOU REAP"

                                      Sow the good Seed you will have the crop of goodthings.

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