| PASTOR's BUSINESS CARD
A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10." Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales
of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door
and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden
and I was afraid for I was naked." You are trapped at the window of a building that is on fire. You hear a man's voice through the smoke below you shouting, "Jump! I'll catch you." Will you jump? The answer probably is: "It depends!" It depends upon how much immediate danger you believe you are in. Do you have other options? But it also depends upon how much you know about the person who is shouting to you. Is this man reliable? Will he let you fall to the ground or can he be depended upon to support your weight? Can you trust this person? So it is with all of our relationships. What do we know about the people we would like to trust? Are they reliable? Will they be there tomorrow? Will they stand by you when circumstances change? Can you depend on them to support you? It's like a woman who once purchased two watches from a street salesman
on London's Oxford Street. When she asked if the street vendor could furnish
her guarantees, he said, "Certainly, madam. I can give you five-year,
ten-year or even lifetime guarantees." Then he added, "The only
thing I can't guarantee is that I will be here this It's true that not all people are trustworthy. But it is equally true that many people can be relied upon, and that our very lives may depend upon our ability to trust. It requires some trust to leap into a new relationship, a business venture or an unknown future. Trust is needed to allow others to hold us up. It takes trust to jump. You may be deciding to make a jump. Staying in the burning building is always an option...but not one you'll want to make for long. And though it feels risky to leap into the smoke, you may discover there a safe and secure landing. You may also discover that there are those who can be trusted -- those who can be relied upon to stand by, to keep an eye out for you or to cushion your fall. You may discover how to trust. Will you risk the fall by trusting others? It can be worth the jump. A distraught man went to a psychiatrist and exclaimed, "Doctor, I believe that I am possessed by an evil spirit." After talking to the patient at some length, the psychiatrist said, "You do appear to have a problem. I'd like to see you again next Wednesday." After a second session of psychotherapy, the psychiatrist pronounced his patient completely cured. For the next nine months, the psychiatrist sent the man a monthly statement
for his professional services, but the man wouldn't pay and refused to
acknowledge the debt. Finally, the psychiatrist took the man to court
and had him repossessed.
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