Cornerstone

Acts 19:8-20

I stood looking at the large colorful poster on the store front. My emotions were mixed. My thoughts struggled with what I saw and read. On the poster was a picture of heavily muscled men. They wore little clothing. Their pose displayed confidence and strength. Around them were the various implements of weight lifting. My eyes dropped to the bottom of the poster and I read about this “Power Team.” They were going to be leading a service in a neighboring church. In this evangelistic service they promised to tear huge telephone books in half with their hands. They would strike a stack of cement blocks with their forearms and bust them in two. They would lift more weight than would seem humanly possible. They would give their testimony. I turned away from the poster musing. Why do we settle for what man can do? Why are we so amazed at the display of human strength when we can have so much more? Jesus promised that if we only obey Him that we could be the recipients of spiritual power that would dazzle the strongest he-man alive. So much rests upon our desire and our reaction. Why are our churches dry and spiritually weak? Why do we quake when the devil causes a stir in our community? We either do not believe God’s promise of power or we desire to continue to flirt with the world so much that we can never receive what God wishes to give to His people.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Numbers 14:13-19 (17)

The young man was busily installing a window air conditioner in his home. He wanted his visiting parents to be comfortable. He placed the case in the window and then carefully secured and braced it. The opening on either side of the casing was then measured, filled and chalked. Finally he was ready to place the air conditioner into the case. He maneuvered the heavy appliance into place in front of the window. Next he lifted the back of the air conditioner onto the edge of the case. Reaching down he tried to lift the front up so that he could slide it into the case. Then unexpectedly one corner of the air conditioner slipped off the case. The weight of the appliance jerked the young man off balance. Using all his strength, he awkwardly held the tilting hunk of steel in place. His mind raced. What should he do? It was then that the unpremeditated cry sprang to his lips, “DAD, come and help me quickly!”

So many times we try to work out all the details in our lives. We seem to do well for awhile. Then things go wrong. At that time we cry out, “God, help me!” What we know and yet repeatedly seem to forget is that He would come to our aid before we get into a crisis situation if we would just call upon Him.

Dr. Gayle Woods