HIGHER_CALLING

                 SAVE ROOM FOR THE BIG ROCKS

"One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a
group of business students, and to drive home a point, used an
illustration those students will never forget.

As he stood in front of high-powered overachievers, he said,
"Okay, time for a quiz."

Then he pulled out a one gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar and
set it on the table in front of him.

Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully
placed them in the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit
inside, he asked, "Is the jar full?'

Everyone in the class replied, Yes".

Then he said. "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled
out a bucket of gravel.

Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing
pieces of gravel to workthemselves into the space between the    big rocks.

Then he asked the group once more "Is the jar full?"

By this time the group was catching on to him.

"Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.

He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of
the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.

Once more he asked the question, "Is the jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted.

Once again, he said, "Good."

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began pouring it in
until the jar was full to the brim. Then he looked at the class and
asked: "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager student raised his hand and said, "The point is, no
matter how full your schedule is if you really try hard, you can
always fit some more things in."

"No", the speaker replied, "That is not the point.

The truth this illustration teaches us is:

If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them all
   in at all.

What are the Big Rocks in your life?

Your children, your loved ones, your education, your dreams,
a worthy cause, doing things you love, your health, your
significant other?

Remember to put those Big Rocks in first, or you'll never get to
them at all.

If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, sand), then you'll fill your
life with little things to worry about that don't really matter, and
you'll never have the time to spend onthe big, important things
(the big rocks)."

So, tonight or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this
story, ask yourself this question:

What are the Big Rocks in my life?

Then put those in your jar first.

      Gerald E. Lavey

Submitted by Calvin Williams and Lolita Tennon

WHEN GOD HAS "HIS" CALLING ON YOUR LIFE

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow ME
and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
and no one shall snatch them out of MY hand. MY FATHER,
WHO is given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is
able to snatch them out of THE FATHER'S HAND.
                                                                 John 10:27-29
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HE (God) sent redemption (YOU) unto HIS people: HE hath
commanded (of YOU) HIS covenant for ever: HOLY and
REVEREND is HIS name.
                                                                   Psalms 111: 9
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AS EVERY MAN HATH RECEIVED THE GIFT, EVEN SO,
MINISTER THE SAME ONE TO ANOTHER", AS GOOD
STEWARDS OF THE MANIFOLD GRACE OF GOD.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;
if any man minister, let him do it asof the ability which God
giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through
Jesus Christ,to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
                                                                  1 Peter 4: 10-11


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The Higher Calling.......

.....If God has called you to be really like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put on you such demands of obedience, that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

.....Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires,
and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

.....Others can brag on themselves, on their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

......Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money or having a legacy left to them or in having luxuries, but God may supply you daily, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, and that is a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of providing your needs day by day out of the unseen treasury.

.....The Lord may let others be honored, and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

.....God will let others be great, but keep you small, He will let others do a work for Him, and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work that you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy spirit will put a strict watch on you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seemed to distress over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and He will not expect from you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. God will take you at your word; and if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave; He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people say and do many things you cannot do or say. Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that others are not dealt with. Now, when you are so possessed with the Living God that you are , in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.

Author Unknown
Submitted by LaDor Frank

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Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which
is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
                                                                    1 Peter 4: 12
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Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in
HIS Holy Place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
                                                                    Psalms 24: 3-5
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The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that wesuffer with HIM, that we may be also glorified together. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
                                                                 Romans 8: 16-17, 24-25
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Christ gave you a special gift that is still in you, so you do not need any
other teacher. HIS GIFT teaches you about everything, and it is true,
not false. So continue to live in Christ,as HIS GIFT taught you.
                                                                       (NCV) 1 John 2:27