The Devil & the Duck (I'M IN THE 93%)

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.

He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see hisSister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day

Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes' But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen..' Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?' So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.' Sally just smiled and said, 'well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help? She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?' So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; hefinally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you..'

Thought for the day and every day thereafter: Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)....whatever it is....You need to know that:

God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He has seen your whole life... He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness;

He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember: God is at the window!

When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

If you are one of the 93 % who will stand up for him

TERJUN BEBAS

Tak berkesudahan kasih setia TUHAN, tak habis-habisnya rahmat-Nya,selalu baru tiap pagi; besar kesetiaan-Mu! (Ratapan 3:22,23)

Bacaan : Ratapan 3:19-27

Selama 45 tahun, hidup Ken Karpman nyaris sempurna. Ia lulus dari salah satu universitas terbaik di Amerika dan menikah dengan gadis impiannya. Kariernya sebagai pialang saham terus menanjak dan memberinya penghasilan hingga Rp8,8 miliar per tahun. Lalu tibalah saat itu. Tahun 2008 resesi menghantam perekonomian Amerika. Hidup Karpman pun “terjun bebas” dalam sekejap. Ia kehilangan pekerjaan, tabungan, dan hartanya.

Guna menghidupi keluarga, Karpman mengambil langkah drastis. Ia melamar pekerjaan sebagai pengantar piza dengan penghasilan yang amat pas-pasan, bahkan untuk orang kebanyakan. Kehidupannya pun berubah 180 derajat, tetapi ia tidak menyesalinya, “Ini hanya sebuah proses. Saya mensyukuri tiap sen yang saya dapat. Ada pelajaran berharga dari setiap potong piza yang saya antar, yaitu kerendahan hati.”

Yeremia juga pernah merasakan perubahan drastis ketika bangsa Israel ditaklukkan Babel. Yerusalem hancur. Semua berubah dalam sekejap. Dari bangsa merdeka, menjadi bangsa terjajah. Patah arangkah Yeremia? Tidak. Ia sungguh percaya Tuhan tidak pernah meninggalkan bangsanya. Karena itu ia tetap bisa melihat karya Tuhan, “Tak berkesudahan kasih Tuhan, tak habis-habisnya rahmat-Nya,” begitu ia berkata.

Hidup di dunia ini memang serba tidak pasti. Apa yang ada kini, bisa tiba-tiba hilang tak berbekas. Hari ini kita berhasil, besok gagal. Usaha yang semula maju mendadak bangkrut. Kita semula sehat, tiba-tiba sakit. Namun, tak usah khawatir. Sejauh kita berjalan bersama Tuhan, semua itu takkan “melumpuhkan” kita. Bersama Tuhan, kita akan siap menghadapi perubahan apa pun yang terjadi.

KETIKA MENGALAMI PERUBAHAN DRASTIS DALAM HIDUP

INGATLAH KASIH SETIA TUHAN TAK PERNAH BERUBAH

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Ratapan 3:19-27

3:19 "Ingatlah akan sengsaraku dan pengembaraanku, akan ipuh dan racun itu."

3:20 Jiwaku selalu teringat akan hal itu dan tertekan dalam diriku.

3:21 Tetapi hal-hal inilah yang kuperhatikan, oleh sebab itu aku akan berharap:

3:22 Tak berkesudahan kasih setia TUHAN, tak habis-habisnya rahmat-Nya,

3:23 selalu baru tiap pagi; besar kesetiaan-Mu!

3:24 "TUHAN adalah bagianku," kata jiwaku, oleh sebab itu aku berharap kepada-Nya.

3:25 TUHAN adalah baik bagi orang yang berharap kepada-Nya, bagi jiwa yang mencari Dia.

3:26 Adalah baik menanti dengan diam pertolongan TUHAN.

3:27 Adalah baik bagi seorang pria memikul kuk pada masa mudanya.