From: "Dwayne Savaya" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> God's Work Ministry E-mail
Dear Friend, It is our greatest privilege to be able to be used of God to bless and minister grace to someone who is hurting and in need. Our words of love, compassion and understanding are sometimes the only thing needed to encourage someone to stand up and continue on. When there is no one else to stand in the gap, we must take it upon ourselves to be that voice of encouragement and let that one know that even though it is very dark right now, the sun will shine again and the pain will cease. (James 1:22-27) I hope this message encourages your heart to be that voice of encouragement when you see someone who is hurting around you. The difference you can make may only take you a moment, but the effects will last for all Eternity. LEO'S WORLD Leo smiled whenever he called himself a "diamond cutter." The statement, however, was literally correct. Leo pushed the lawn-mower that tidied the baseball diamonds. He also cut and chalked football gridirons and raked running tracks. However, cutting, chalking and raking was only part of his responsibilities with our town's Parks Department. He also planted and pruned trees and grew and transplanted flowers. But the job he cherished above all was printing panels with the names of local youngsters who entered military service. Leo worked neatly and with a great eye for space. After all "Joe Jones" and "Carmine Santodominguez" had to fit the same size panels on our civic honor roll. Leo made every name readable. Leo received the names of new inductees the same day the draft board approved them. And these names were lettered and tacked into position quickly and with the utmost care. And, sadly, the same day the War Department released its Killed In Action lists, Leo went to the honor roll and painted a gold star on the dead service-person's panel -- between the heroes's first and last names. Each hand-painted star seemed identical in its size and brightness. Our downtown honor roll was quietly beautiful and carefully maintained. Leo moved down to Connecticut from Maine in the late 1930's and he seemed to keep his job forever -- World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, and, just before he retired, the Gulf War. It was more than a job. It was Leo's obsession. Leo's world. While Leo cut the grass and tended the flora dispassionately, the Honor Roll stirred him. He'd call the parents of each new recruit and tell them, "Not to worry. God is on our side. And I will pray for your kid's safe return." To Leo, these young men and women were "kids" -- his kids. He watched them grow and saw many of them compete in team sports on his grass and cinders. And he watched them work in our hometown. And on those days he painted gold stars, he'd visit his kids' homes and shared their family's grief. He brought the ceremonial gold star flags to their widows and parents who displayed them on their front door or in their front window. Each badge of honor was softly spotted with Leo's own tears. He also brought a white rose, which would eventually threaten his job security. When Judson McComb, the Parks Commissioner, heard that some roses were missing from the city's greenhouses, he discovered Leo was the culprit. They confronted each other in a closed-door meeting in McComb's office. The pot-bellied Commissioner and the wiry suntanned diamond cutter rarely made eye-contact. Leo stared up at his boss's forehead and McComb stared down at his desk pens. "Who do you think you are, Robin Hood?" McComb asked. "Who are you, Sir?", Leo said politely, "the evil sheriff of Nottingham?" McComb's bloated face reddened. "These roses are city property -- part of our departmental budget. You can't steal them. We can't give a rose to every family who loses a son or a husband in this war," McComb said. Leo responded, "We're civil servants, aren't we?" McComb nodded yes. "Well, what's more civil than giving one white rose to someone who's given a son to protect us? If you and the mayor would visit these homes with me, you might change your minds. After all, I present the rose from 'Your Parks Department,' not from Leo Small." "OK, I see, Leo," the commissioner whispered. "You can call me Mister Small," Leo said with a grin, extending his hand. The commissioner shook Leo's hand and smiled. And the subject was never again discussed. Leo continued his daily routine -- cutting grass, planting flowers, pruning trees, chalking and raking athletic fields and updating the honor roll. The "boys" at Moon's Tavern had the same daily question. "What's new, Leo?" Leo would say, "Danny Gardella just joined the Navy. Remember what a great fullback he was? All state last year." After work one day, Leo was despondent. He told his buddies that Carl Paine was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. "Where's that?" Red Franklin asked. "In Belgium, you nit-wit" Moon said. And the "boys" celebrated Red's memory somberly, reverently and often. "I'll be visiting the Franklin home tonight. Anybody care to join me?" Throats cleared. Then silence. Though Leo Small never married, he had thousands of kids, most of whom returned home. When he finally retired, Leo was asked to run for Mayor. And, with his personal following, he probably would have won. But he declined. He had enough of politics just dealing with the Parks Commissioner. While savoring his retirement, Leo still spent a lot of time at the department's greenhouses. And he volunteered to update the reverence roll like only he could -- neatly and with great love, talent and affection. When our hometown paper interviewed him, Leo was asked why he still tended the civic honor roll. "It keeps me in touch with my kids. I know them by name -- all of them." By Ron Gold Read and meditate on these scriptures: Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus declares, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Philippians 2:3-7 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." Romans 12:3 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." John 13:12-15 "So after He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: ETERNAL INK Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem2.htm Today's Selected Testimony: HE WANTED ME Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony88.htm ============================================ God's Work Ministry E-mail Dear Friend, It is important to remember that God has created each of us as individuals with different gifts and talents which makes us unique. It is for this reason that we should love ourselves and use what God has given us for our betterment and not look at what others have in envy or jealousy. We who have trouble in this area of life must see our self-worth and know that God loves us just the way we are and has equipped us stand in confidence and to reach forth towards victory. (Galatians 4:4-7) (Ephesians 1:4) (Jeremiah 31:3) Be encouraged to love the person God made you to be. Never become envious or bitter when looking at what others possess, but rather stay faithful to the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. The Bible says it is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Use what God has given you and love yourself enough to see that you are worthy of good things and that you are exactly what God had in mind when you were created. (Luke 12:32) I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to see that you are special and unique and made in the perfect image that God had in mind before the foundations of the world. ORCHIDS AND DAFFODILS The flower of the Orchid sits in the field alone. Perfect in its tiny dress of white and purple, yet unnoticed by many amongst the grass and other wild flowers. Yet she is precious and rare -- a perfect embodiment of the light of her Creator. She is no more perfect, though, than the wild golden Daffodil, shouting its loud yellow trumpet over the landscape. But she is in solitude and rarity; a beauty that is enhanced by that very solitude that makes the observer who hunts her out looks at each detail with care and awe. Few look that closely at the Daffodil, though they are seen for miles, painting the scene with its stunning array. Neither is best, neither worse, and each form their own challenges. The challenge of the Orchid lies in its greatest gift. Its scarcity brings a loneliness -- a feeling of always being different, yet the wonder of its detail brings out a desire in others to look more closely at their own beauty. An Orchid would lose its truth in a field of Orchids. The challenge of the Daffodil is to feel the self-worth, since it is easy to feel lost amongst the masses. Yet it delights to the eye and brings such ready joy to those watching. Each Daffodil amongst the Daffodils needed to create the splash of color that makes the watcher's spirit soar. You, the one who is reading this, may be an orchid, or you may be a daffodil. Whichever, understand this as such, and move not to change your nature, since a human can no more change their base substance from one to another than an orchid can decide to become a daffodil. By Helen Whitworth Read and meditate on these scriptures: Ezekiel 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them." Isaiah 26:3-4 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." Psalm 37:3-5 "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 28:6-8 "Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed." Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: HAVE FAITH IN GOD Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem97.htm Today's Selected Testimony: GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony1.htm In Christ's Service, Dwayne Savaya God's Work Ministry Please feel free to visit the Website to read more Encouraging and Inspirational stories, poems and testimonies. Our E-mail Archives are available as well to read the messages that have been sent in the past. You can now hear our stories and poems right on our website. Volume One contains 15 messages that can be heard and enjoyed at Godswork.org. To hear our messages, please click on this link: http://www.Godswork.org/Audio.htm You can also send Free E-cards to friends and loved ones with the many choices available. You are also welcome to post your prayer requests in our Prayer Forum. All this and more available at --- http://www.Godswork.org You can also send prayer requests to --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Add your E-mail address if you'd like correspondence with the prayer partners.
