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The Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee Cup of Life

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things- your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with God. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

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Author Unknown - First appeared in 2001

A Promise From God

If your conscience is clear when you pray, then you can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, and come to God without fear and doubt, then by faith you will receive all the promises God made to you, through His will in Christ Jesus.� �(I John 3:21-24)

The Lord desires to hear the praises of His people. Come and join us in worshiping the Lord at�East Marion�Pentecostal Holiness Church. We are located on�Baldwin Avenue in��Marion, NC. We should count it an honor to be in the presence of Jehovah, our God.

A Sinners Prayer

Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I want to turn away from the sinful life right now and open my life to Jesus Christ. I know Jesus died for me. By faith, right now, I receive Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord for the gift of eternal life. Thank you for coming into my life. Amen.

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Our Christian Responsibility

We are found, to find another.

We are told, to tell another.
We are won, to win another.
We are saved, to save another.

John Wesley once said, "do all the good you can,
in every way you can, for all the people you can,
for as long as you can!"�� We agree!

My Day In Court

After living a "decent" life my time on earth came to an end. �The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. �The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.

As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor". �He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. �He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.

I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed very familiar to me.

The corner door flew open and there appeared the judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as he moved across the room and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. �As he took his seat behind the bench he said, "Let us begin."

The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in Hell." �He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole and in the past when I cheated others. �Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke the further down in my seat I sank. �I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.

As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my representative who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. �I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I've done.

Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in Hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise. �Justice will finally be served this day."

When it was his turn, my lawyer first asked if he might approach the bench. �The judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned him to come forward. �As he got up and started walking I was able to see him now in his full splendor and majesty. �Now I realized why he seemed so familiar, this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.

He stopped at the bench and softly said to the judge, "Hi Dad" and then He turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. �And yes the wages of sins is death and this man deserves to be punished."

Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with out-stretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so He is mine."

My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the Book of Life and no one can snatch him from Me. �Satan still does not understand yet, this man is not to be given justice but rather mercy."

As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at his Father and replied, "There is nothing else that needs to be done, I've done it all." �The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down and the following words bellowed from His lips

"This man is free,
the penalty for him has already been paid in full,
case dismissed."

As my Lord led me away I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up, I'll win the next one."

I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case?" �Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,

Paid in Full

FOOTPRINTS

(A New Version)

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace.

But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.

For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling, His consistently.

You and Jesus are walking as true friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.

Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.

Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.

This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.

You are amazed and shocked.

Your dream ends. Now you pray:

'Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You.'

'That is correct.'

'And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely.'

'Very good.. You have understood everything so far.'

When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way.'

'Precisely.'

'So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first.'

There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice.

'You didn't know? It was then that we danced!'

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.