Devotions by Ralph Chambers

IT'S GOOD NEWS - TELL IT!

First, I want to tell you a story about two crows and a frustrated preacher. A story that may cause some farmer to shoot me. Here goes anyhow.

I had some corn on the cob left over from our summer garden and I wanted to give it to two hungry-looking crows that hang out around the parsonage. So, I erected a small platform and place some corn on it. Then I waited for the crows to come and help themselves. You know what, they completely ignored my fancy platform and my corn offering! I guess they figured that because they were so hungry they were having hallucinations. For them, it was just too good, to be truly free corn and no strings attached? No, Preach, you won't catch me on that!"

Then I had a brilliant idea: If I could get one crow to taste the corn and report back to his buddy, I'd have the problem solved. But, neither of them is willing to take the risk-So, I still have two hungry crows flying around.

Now, how do those crows relate to you? (No offense intended). Well, you have tasted of the goodness of God's salvation thru Christ (If you haven't, you should). To you-it is real and it is wonderful, others, who haven't been saved, are suspicious and a little afraid. Consequently, they stay away from the teaching or preaching of the Gospel and continue to starve spiritually (like my two crows).

NOW, another brilliant ideal. Why don't you go and tell them how good the salvation of the Lord is and how they too can have this glorious experience of feasting at the table of God's grace?

January 31, 1979

IT'S YOUR CHOICE

In 1 Kings, chapter 3, the great wisdom of Solomon is displayed in the manner in which he handled the unjust claim of the mother whose own child had died and she was seeking to steal the live child of the woman who stayed with her.

To determine whose child was the live one, Solomon offered to cut the live child in two and give each mother half. Of course the real mother, while she still yearned for the possession of her child, quickly gave up her rights to the child so that her child might live. You see; the life of the child was more important than her possession of him. She was willing to give up what she knew to be her rights and surrender to injustice for the greater good the life of her child, happily, she received both.

During the season of Lent we are reminded again of the passion, death and resurrection of our Christ.

One of the events of those action packed days is the prayer that Jesus made to the Heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. There was still time for Him to change His mind and refuse to give up His life. All the powers of heaven stood ready to answer His call for help and to hurl that crowd of would-be crucifiers into the deepest pit of hell, but it was for the purpose of giving His life a ransom for the souls of men that Christ had come into this world and although His flesh shrank back from the cruel agony of the crucifixion, He quickly made His choice. He gave up His right to live and surrendered to the injustice of man. "Not My will but Thine be done," we hear Him pray. As a result of that choice, the children of men have assurance of forgiveness for sins by accepting His atonement for them and Christ returned to glory that He had had with the Father from the beginning.

In the Christian life we must often face the choice of giving up "our rights" in this present world, but; what is "our rights" in this present world compared to what Jesus has prepared for His own? We give up rags and receive riches. We give up time and receive eternity. We give up a painful, perishing body and receive a body like unto His glorious body.

Are you concerned about the sacrifices you are called on to make? Do you resent and seek revenge for the injustices you are forced to bear? Do you resent being poor and unnoticed because of your Christian convictions while others seem to prosper and are often in the high places of society? Remember the warning Jesus gave to all mankind, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole would and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

February 24, 1970

ANOTHER CROW CHAT

Since our last newsletter I have been asked about the two crows that refused to eat the corn I had so generously provided. So, in case you are interested here is an update: The two crows disappeared and probably died or left the country. They were just too smart to take a chance.

Meanwhile, some smaller birds and less sophisticated have been helping themselves to the corn. Now, isn't that the way God said it would be with humans in regards to the Gospel? He said that "not many wise and not many mighty would be saved" and "except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."

March 13, 1979

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