Do You Have A Broken Tail?

Driving through Dothan, I got behind a little blue Toyota pickup with one of those Jesus fish on the rear window. The fish had part of its tail broken off and I had to chuckle. I wondered what happen. Did one of those Darwin fish bite part of the tail off or did the constant pressure of swimming upstream brake it off? Then my little chuckle turned to deep thought. Do you feel that the battle to live a pleasing life to the Lord Jesus has left you a little broken? It has become harder to swim in any waters, missing a part of your tail.
The Bible shows us from front to back that we as Christians should not depend on our own strength and abilities but totally trust in the Lord to use and work through us. That is where His glory comes from.  When we become broken and humbled we cry out for the Lord to heal us, when in fact, it is our brokenness that He rejoices in because He knows the end result. Our good!

The Little Penny

Walking across the parking lot tonight I saw a spot on the dark asphalt. It looked like a coin so I bent down and picked it up. My first thought was that it might be rare and important. But it turned out to just be a common copper penny, tarnished and damaged from being run-over too much. You could barely see Lincolns face imprinted on the one side. It was useless.  I quickly saw how it reflected my life in such a way. I felt tarnish, ran-over and useless. Cast away onto the dark asphalt of life.  
I will keep this coin that is useless to the world and keep it in my pocket to remind me how the Lord had picked me up from my uselessness and saved me and making me precious to Himself.  As I carried the little coin and stuck my hand in my pocket and felt its rough edges, I would rub it and thank the Lord for what He had done in my life. Then I noticed something strange. The little coin’s rough edges were becoming smooth from my rubbing.
I saw quickly how the hard times I was going through was the Lord rubbing me to a copper shine. The way the coin was made. The way I was made. All this time I thought the Lord’s hand was rubbing me too hard and hurting me, but He was rubbing me lovingly to make me valuable to Himself. He is making me new again.

Stand By Me: 2 Timothy 4:18

"The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly Kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen"

2 Timothy 4:18 NAS

Paul wrote these words after noting that at his first defense, "no one stood by him". v.17 Have you ever really felt alone? And you just needed someone to defend you. Not give excuses for your sin and mistakes, but to just stand by you as you try to get free. Although Paul's only addiction was the Word of God, he states that the Lord stood by him when he needed that someone. He is saying that if you will seek the Lord's will in your life, He the Lord will stand by you.

The Lord has also promised in

Hebrews 13:5 and 6,"Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you , nor will I ever forsake you ," so that we confidently say, "The Lord is my helper , I will not be afraid . What will man do to me ?"

Choose this day not to deal with you problems alone. And if there is no one around to help, trust in the Lord to Stand By You.

Poem: Brass Garden

Marketplace Christian


Flowers planted carefully in a brass garden,

The blossoms could soften the heart of the hardened.

The colors soothed us and gave us great joy.

But then our lives got busy and they were forgotten as toys.

They were left unattended, flowers in a brass garden.

We took a moment to allow life to catch up,

as we sat in the yard as our tea grew cold in our cups.

The blossoms were no more, but what stood in its space,

was a message from God that put us in our place.

We allowed time to pass and the world caught up.

Where the flowers were, seeds had planted their roots.

Weeds had taken over, more than shoots.

They took over the sod and drained all the life.

No more fighting for space, no more strife.

The garden of brass had no more room for flowery roots.

If we had only weeded the problem at the first breaking of
ground.

We could have saved our blossoms and all the others we've found.


The flowers were there still, wilted and brown.

The blossoms were just a memory, nowhere to be found.

The joy was gone and the birds made no sound.

I silently prayed, "let not my heart be hardened",

The answer was clear, we received our pardon.

Let's pull the weeds together, all the way to the roots.

Removing all signs of even the shoots.

once again we'll have joy and flowers in our brass garden.

by

Wayne Brooks
2/18/99