New Testament – Page 2

Bible Stories

TONIGHT I prepared for my weekly Life Pointe Church Life Group which I will be meeting up with tomorrow night. (Yes Patricia and Venus – I actually did my homework for this week.)

I read a couple of excellent recommended parables tonight within the Book of Luke in the New Testament:

Story Of The Good Samaritan – Luke 10:30-37
This dude was viciously attacked and brutalized by street thugs and left for dead by the roadside. Two cats just walked on by and ignored him as he laid there crippled. Then along came a good neighbour who stopped everything that he was doing to help the dude out and bring him to comfort and safety. He was a rare man then, and I think that he’s still a rare man today. Why can’t we all be more like that Good Samaritan ?

Story Of The Lost Son – Luke 15:11-31
This crazy young cat explored the world all around him and loved it all. He lavished in the evil and the darkness until he had nothing left. He was left for dead due to his own devices. He went back home and begged for mercy. His Father totally embraced him and forgave him for his sins. The crazy young cat was once lost and dead to Satan, but now he was found and reborn again to his Lord and Saviour. He experienced a euphoric new Life forever after. It was a journey that he had never experienced before. I can relate to that crazy young cat. I am him !

Bedtime Stories

‘The Fortune Cookie Message Of The Week Club’ posted earlier tonight got me thinking about what the Bible says about success and complacency through it all. I went digging into the New Testament – specifically the 2ND Book of Corinthians.

I found this intriguing passage in Chapter 3 (New Living Translation):

1 Are we beginning again to tell you how good we are ? Some people need to bring letters of recommendation with them or ask you to write letters of recommendation for them.
2 But the only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves ! Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.
3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ prepared by us. It is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on stone, but on human hearts.
4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.
5 It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God.

The way that I read that Scripture above is that you don’t need to bother God with boasting of how good you are and what good you’ve done. Your true success can be seen easily in your heart and in your soul. If one can see the goodness that you have done for others there – then that is the ultimate measuring stick of success. It’s not the material goods and possessions that surround you on the outside that matter, but rather what’s going on in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul. That’s what God cares about. That’s what He always sees. If He sees good in there then you are His, for that goodness – it came from Him.