THE ABANDONED HOUSE

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DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE UNATTENDED

HOUSEBY Ken Blue

Joyce and I had traveled the same route to Lynnwood every day for about ten years. We knew every house and mailbox along the way. A couple of winters ago, I notice that one of the houses appeared to be empty. There were no curtains on the windows, the porch light was on in the mid-afternoon, and old news papers were accumulating at the door. In the spring the lawn went unattended.

One day I noticed that a window was broken. Days later, I noticed others were being broken also. No doubt children in the neighborhood took advantage of the empty house and hurled stones through the glass.

Little by little you could see the vandalism and abuse. Much of the time the front door stood open a few inches. Someone had evidently pried it open and broken the latch. Occasionally, I noticed old cars parked outside and some kind of activity going on inside.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Each sign of destruction only invites others to inflict more damage.[/perfectpullquote]

Had the owner rented the house, hired a care taker or came by to check on it, the house could have been salvaged. But, it went unattended and was an invitation for abuse and destruction.

On Saturday afternoon, I decided I would investigate and see what was going on. I went to the door; it was closed, but unlocked. I knocked, but no one answered. So, I let myself in. The stench was enough to gag a garbage man. Human feces was in one corner. Graffiti was on all the walls, and the furniture looked like it was brought in from the garbage dump.

The vandals had taken possession of the unkempt and abandoned house. Each sign of destruction only invited others to take additional possession and inflict more damage. The house was beyond repair. As it was, it only invited more intruders and more destruction.

Your life is like that house, so don’t leave it unattended. I left instructed and wiser.

KEEP YOUR FORK

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By Ken Blue

 

Recently I attended a funeral where the story was told of a woman who was dying of cancer. She gave some last instructions to her pastor and one of them was that she was to be buried with a fork in her hand.

The pastor was puzzled at her request and asked for her reason. “Well, you see, when you eat at a fancy banquet, and they remove the plate after the first course, they always tell you to keep to your fork. That means something real good is about to follow.”

“My life has been good and God has greatly blessed me. However, I know the best is yet to come. So I want to keep my fork. Also, all those who see it will be reminded when they see a fork, the best is yet to come. So, you see Pastor, I’m counting on you to see that the fork in my hand is visible to all, because the best is yet to come.”

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:” Philippians 1:23.

THE BLAME GAME

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 By Ken Blue

And the LORD God said unto the woman, “What is this that thou hast done?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

To deal with sin just lie and deceive,
And do like Adam; blame it on Eve.
Or you may, like Eve, the Devil blame,
Quoting his promise in the Lord’s name.

Aaron was weak and such a disgrace;
Made a calf of gold; God to replace.
His excuse was both, lame and feeble,
Laying the blame on all the people.

Now, old King Saul never took the blame;
Could find someone and fill in his name.
Was told to destroy both man and beast,
But brought them home “for the Lord a feast.”

Satan blamed God for Job’s righteous stand.
Said Job was not the best in the land.
Said God blessed him just to get his praise.
Take all away, You’ll discover his ways.

Now, there’s only two, how can that be?
Why don’t I blame you and you blame me?
Don’t worry, others, they do the same.
You see, that’s how you play the blame game.

A FLOCK OF BIRDS

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By Ken Blue

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

There are a few things said to us in life that become milestones; we never forget them. When I was a young man, in my twenties, I worked for the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle. I was a new Christian and struggling with old thoughts and habits.

I was attending church, reading my Bible and had a desire to live for God. But the attacks on my mind seemed to be demonic. I informed another Christian of my struggle. His reply was one of those bits of wisdom I never forgot. He said, “Ken, you can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you don’t have to let the nest in your hair.”

Over the years I’ve had opportunity to give this advice to others and apply it to myself as well. However, as true as the advice was, I’ve considered that there might also be a way of thinning out the flock. Since these birds fly over uninvited, let’s consider where some may be coming from.

Perhaps if we guarded our mind in the first place, there would be fewer birds to contend with. One way to do that is limit the profanity and filth talk we expose ourselves to. Controlling what we see and read would greatly thin out the flock. Do not make friends with those who have no respect for your Christian beliefs. Remember, in five years from now you will be the same person you are today, except for the books you read and the people you associate with.

So, if the birds are flying over your head, as they do all of us, thinning out the flock will help. Remember, it only takes one or more to bring you down. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

THE WORST DAY OF YOUR LIFE MAY BE YOUR BEST DAY

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NAAMAN THE SYRIAN

Naaman

By Ken Blue
“And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” 2 Kings 5:2.

Did you ever pause to think that the worst day of your life might be the beginning of your greatest accomplishments? I’m sure that few of us, if any, ever looked at it that way.

Israel and Syria were at war constantly. On one occasion, Israel was defeated and many of them were slain or taken captive. One unknown family had a young daughter. My guess she was between 10 and 12 years old; only a guess.

We have no idea about the circumstances surrounding her capture. Were her parents murdered before her eyes, or were they too transported to Syria and then separated? Certainly, she was in shock over the ordeal. She is taken from her homeland, and in a strange land where people spoke a different language. In addition, she is assigned the position of a slave girl to serve in a strange home.

However, by the providence of God, she was placed in the home of a great man by the name of Naaman. He was greatly respected and loved by the King and the people; but he had leprosy.

The little maid said to her mistress that if Naaman could get to the prophet in Israel, he could be healed of his leprosy. By the grace of God and diplomatic channels, Naaman arrived at the home of Elisha. Elisha sent word for Naaman to dip in the Jordan River seven times and he would be clean. At first he protested, but his servant persuaded him to dip and be clean.

We can only imagine the joy and excitement when Naaman came up from the river with his flesh made whole! He offered to pay Elisha, but all offers were refused. He then requested a few sacks of earth from Israel that he might kneel on and pray to the LORD. His request was granted.

Let us try to visualize the scene at the homecoming in Syria. The servants have much to tell. Naaman’s wife runs out to greet him. His servants who remained home bowed to the earth before him, and his children expressed joy unspeakable over the miraculous healing.

But there was one who remained on the porch. She has not been acknowledged yet. You can see the satisfaction on her face. She is happy for Naaman and his family. But, perhaps she is most satisfied because of all the people who now believe in the one true God and others who will believe because of their word.

What a glorious day the worst day of her life accomplished. Don’t be discouraged or dismayed by the worst events that come your way. They may be the beginning of the best thing that could happen to you, the cause of Christ, and the salvation of others.