INSPIRATIONAL FILES

“ The pen is mightier than the sword ” is a statement coined by English author, Edward Bulwer – Lytton. What he left out of the statement is that for the pen to be mightier than the sword really depends on the person holding the pen. In the hands of a child, a pen could be really nothing more than an obje ct of fascination or even a mere plaything. Even in the hands of most adults the pen is nothing more than a mere writing instrument, but the same pen in the hands of a skillful writer could turn out to be a very powerful instrument of persuasion or a very destructive weapon of slander. In the hands of most shepherds, the shepherd's staff or rod served as a mere instrument of protection and rescue for endangered flock as well as a symbol of assurance of the shepherd’s power, but the same rod in the hand of Moses became a very powerful instrument of the enabling power of God for ministry. Moses’ “burning bush” encounter with Jehovah could be considered one of the most powerful calls...

“ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some will even dare to die. But God commends his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ” [ Romans 5: 7, 8 ]. The text in quote implies that there is a “line” between good and righteous as there is a difference between a righteous man and a good man. The concept of “line” signifies a line of separation, usually between two opposing ideals, and it is abstract rather than physical. Such line of separation between two opposing ideals is expressed in statements such as “the line between good and evil,” “a thin line between love and hate,” and “the battle line being drawn.” “The line between good and righteous” on the other hand is neither abstract nor is it physical, but spiritual instead. The statement, “This is where we draw the line” also implies that whenever and wherever there is a line, there is always someone who draws that line. In the line between good and righteous, i...

The 1954 musical film, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell tells the story of a backwoods man named Adam and his new bride Milly who marries him after knowing him for only a few hours. On returning with Adam to his cabin in the mountains, Milly found out that Adam is just one of seven brothers (Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank and Gideon) living in the same cabin. And through a chain of hilarious events, Adam’s six brothers decided to have their own brides by kidnapping six girls named Dorcas, Ruth, Martha, Liza, Sarah and Alice. One Bride for Seven Brothers is really nothing more than a short narrative from the Bible but the lesson in it could turn out to be a blockbuster. As the story has it, some Sadducees came to Jesus in what was apparently a premeditated attempt to justify and support their own belief and said, “ Teacher, Moses said, ‘if a man dies childless, his brother should marry his wido...

“For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth” [Isaiah 54: 5]. What does Isaiah 54: 5 mean to a 100 year old, African American woman from Mississippi? The answer could really make you see your circumstance the way God intends. “Married to Jesus?” is the story of one woman who saw more in herself than the world saw in her. Ella Mae Cole was a frail, elderly Christian woman who had it all when others thought she did not have much. She gave freely to others even when she didn’t have enough for herself. She was never married and never had any children of her own. She was the last surviving child of a family of fourteen children. And that could be the reason why she was so quick to tell others that she had seen more people buried in her lifetime than she had seen born. The story of Ella Mae Cole is definitely one good illustration of what Christians’ way of thinking about life’s circumsta...

I n his 2000 autobiography " The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography " screen legend Sidney Poitier reflects and explores the depth of character and personal values as a man, a husband, a father, and an actor. Mr. Poitier takes a punch at the nature of sacrifice and commitment, price and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. How does one measure a man? Do you measure him by his earthly riches or by his heavenly treasures? Do you measure him by his victories or by his losses? Do you measure him by his successes and his accomplishments? Or do you measure him even by his failures? The measure of a man is really what is at the core of human value and validation. The scale that society often uses to measure men and women, especially the scale of success, would make most of us worthless or even failures in life. The truth is most people never make it to the top of the ladder in their career or profession. Most of us would nev...

Ben is a seven year old boy who lived with his grandparents in Brooklyn, New York. It was on a hot summer afternoon, and like most of the children on this block of row houses, Ben waited in the street with excitement for the arrival of the ice cream truck.   His excitement suddenly turned into sadness when his grandpa shouted to him through the window of their Brownstone that the ice cream man will not make his incursion into their particular neighborhood until the next day. Ben was suddenly filled with disappointment and sadness. Then as if it was by revelation, his face suddenly lights up. He ran to the window and with eyes as bright as the sun, he asked, “Grandpa, can I get two ice creams tomorrow, one for today, and one for tomorrow?” Grandpa looked at him and with eyes ever assuring he replied, “Of course, Ben of course, you can have two ice creams tomorrow”. And now with much greater excitement and restored hope, Ben uttered the words, “Thank you grandpa, thank you...

We read about two significant trees in the Genesis description of the environmental splendor of Eden [Genesis 2: 8-17]. One is called “the tree of life” and the other is “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. In the first instance of how knowledge could determine the distance between God and man, God’s instruction to Adam and Eve included a prohibition from touching or eating fruits from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The instruction was in the form of a very strong and clear imperative - DON’T TOUCH! DON’T EAT! What followed was Satan’s first score in getting man to disobey the word of God in one process of distortion and guided deception. In one twinkle of disobedience and clear violation of God’s prohibition, Eve picked the fruit from the forbidden tree and somehow convinced Adam to do the same. And in a moment of justice, the first spiritual distance between God and man was established. The first line of spiritual demarcation between God and man was drawn, at ...