A Penny’s worth of Trust
Words from God
Matthew 11:28 – 30
Many people have days when their hearts are heavily burdened. Today, I was looking in Matthew 11:28 - 30, which reads, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy lade, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and burden is light.”
I was thinking to myself about how I feel so rejected and how nobody seems to care, and today I was sent an email. It was almost like any that I get from friends. This friend, Nita, from Greenwood, Arkansas, sent it to me as a forward. It was a simple email that had been forwarded no telling how long. But, of all days, it came to me. The email read like this;
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. This gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? 'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words ' United States of America.’ 'In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And?' 'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.
This penny spoke to the wealthy man’s heart, just as before. He may have very well been wealthy because he put his trust in God, but who knows? Many times we choose to go our own directions, because we get tired of fighting the world and its problems.
Today was a down day for me and God knew it. A church, in Texas, had asked me to preach to them and I had explained my divorce before I went. They still wanted me to come, and I did. I enjoyed the time there and looked at all the possibilities. Last week this church called me to come back again, and I told them that I would get back to them. My job is behind and I called to tell them that I would not be able to come on the date they wanted me too. The man told me that he was just going to call me to tell me that one man in their small congregation didn’t want me to be their pastor, so there was no need for me to waste my time coming there.
I told Becky that I was giving up on ever pastoring again, because rejection just brings me too much heartache. After I read this email I was reminded of what the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 118:8, which says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” What a statement!
Today, many of us base our decisions on what we think rather than what God leads us to do or what HE teaches us in HIS WORD. We are all guilty of this corruptible sin. We need to remember what the Lord said in Isaiah 55: 8 - 9. He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” As I have said before, opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they all smell. When we have to make decisions about anything, we need to ask God and trust in HIM to show us what we need to do. If HE leads us to do something, then do it while we throw our opinions out the window.
When I think of the widow’s mite, I think of how Jesus used it to show us that HE wants our all. It would not be my all, if I chose to give up doing what HE called me to do. Jesus was rejected on all fronts, but HE continued to do what our Father told HIM too. The email about “IN GOD WE TRUST,” is a reminder to me that God does have something for me to do and HE is very much in control.
Trusting in God is the only way for me to serve HIM in the capacity that HE wants me too. All of this in a simple email. Thank God for good Christian friends who allows God to use them the way HE wants too. Thanks for the reminder of how I should trust in God Nita. Thank you for your encouragement Lord.
Words from God
Matthew 11:28 – 30
Many people have days when their hearts are heavily burdened. Today, I was looking in Matthew 11:28 - 30, which reads, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy lade, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and burden is light.”
I was thinking to myself about how I feel so rejected and how nobody seems to care, and today I was sent an email. It was almost like any that I get from friends. This friend, Nita, from Greenwood, Arkansas, sent it to me as a forward. It was a simple email that had been forwarded no telling how long. But, of all days, it came to me. The email read like this;
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. This gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? 'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words ' United States of America.’ 'In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And?' 'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.
This penny spoke to the wealthy man’s heart, just as before. He may have very well been wealthy because he put his trust in God, but who knows? Many times we choose to go our own directions, because we get tired of fighting the world and its problems.
Today was a down day for me and God knew it. A church, in Texas, had asked me to preach to them and I had explained my divorce before I went. They still wanted me to come, and I did. I enjoyed the time there and looked at all the possibilities. Last week this church called me to come back again, and I told them that I would get back to them. My job is behind and I called to tell them that I would not be able to come on the date they wanted me too. The man told me that he was just going to call me to tell me that one man in their small congregation didn’t want me to be their pastor, so there was no need for me to waste my time coming there.
I told Becky that I was giving up on ever pastoring again, because rejection just brings me too much heartache. After I read this email I was reminded of what the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 118:8, which says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” What a statement!
Today, many of us base our decisions on what we think rather than what God leads us to do or what HE teaches us in HIS WORD. We are all guilty of this corruptible sin. We need to remember what the Lord said in Isaiah 55: 8 - 9. He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” As I have said before, opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they all smell. When we have to make decisions about anything, we need to ask God and trust in HIM to show us what we need to do. If HE leads us to do something, then do it while we throw our opinions out the window.
When I think of the widow’s mite, I think of how Jesus used it to show us that HE wants our all. It would not be my all, if I chose to give up doing what HE called me to do. Jesus was rejected on all fronts, but HE continued to do what our Father told HIM too. The email about “IN GOD WE TRUST,” is a reminder to me that God does have something for me to do and HE is very much in control.
Trusting in God is the only way for me to serve HIM in the capacity that HE wants me too. All of this in a simple email. Thank God for good Christian friends who allows God to use them the way HE wants too. Thanks for the reminder of how I should trust in God Nita. Thank you for your encouragement Lord.
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