Skip to main content

Life

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the pay cheque, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked! What a shame!

If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with shock we realise we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter.

Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, erect a wall. "Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the "house" you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!

Remember...
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody is watching.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

You will never walk alone

I said, "The path is steep." He said, "I'm at your side." I said, "But I am weak." He said, "For you I died." I said, "Dark valleys come." He said, "I'll guide you through." I said, "But I'm not brave." He said, "I'll walk with you." I said, "Be light to me, And strength as I go on." He said, "I'm more. I'm love, You'll never walk alone." -Author unknown

Quotations on Ministry

John Chrysostom (to his congregation) : To me it is nothing when I am applauded and well spoken of. There is only one thing I ask of you — to prove your approval of me through your works. That is how you can speak well of me, and that is what is going to do you good. This, to me, is the greatest honor. I prefer it to a material crown. I do not desire applause and being well spoken of. I have one request to make — for you to listen to me in quiet attentiveness and to put my advice into practice. This is not a theater. You don’t sit here in order to admire actors and to applaud them. This is a place where you must learn the things of God. Matthew Henry: Those who teach by their doctrine must teach by their life, or else they pull down with one hand what they build up with the other. A.W. Tozer: I do not preach any new truth. I do not have any new doctrine. . . . We must have a revival that will mean purity of heart as a normal standard for everybody. We must be clean people, and not o

Keep on praying, and God will do the rest

A new minister was walking with an older, more seasoned minister in the garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about what God wanted him to do,  he asked the older preacher for some advice. The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals. The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry. But because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact. It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do. Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the older preacher began to recite the following poem. It is only a tiny rosebud, A flower of God's design; But I cannot unfold the petals With these clumsy hands of min