The Copy Cats

This comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

President Calvin Coolidge once invited some friends to dinner at the White House. The guests didn’t know how to behave with the proper table manners, so they decided to just copy whatever the President did. 

When the coffee was served, Coolidge poured his into a saucer. The guests pulled out their saucers and did the same. Coolidge poured some cream and sugar in the saucer, so the guests added cream and sugar to theirs. Then Coolidge bent over, placed his saucer on the floor, and called for his cat.

If you choose to be a copycat, make sure you’re copying the right cat. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Some people spend their lives trying to become like the celebrities and movie stars they worship.

When Kay Kent of London was eighteen, she wanted to look exactly like Marilyn Monroe. She bleached her hair platinum blond, had plastic surgery, and hired makeup artists to fix her face like Marilyn. With the growth of her obsession, she learned to talk like Marilyn, walk like Marilyn, and dress like Marilyn. She turned herself into a carbon copy of Monroe. The Lookalikes Agency in London gave her a contract in 1982 and she was soon making $100,000 per year. She later became depressed and turned to liquor and pills. On June 12, 1989, she died of an overdose, just like Marilyn Monroe. She chose the wrong cat to copy.

Paul copied Jesus. He said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Paul followed Him. He acted like Him. Suffered like Him. And we’re also to follow in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21). Don’t copy the wrong cats. There’s only one cat worth copying and that’s the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5).

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It Only Takes a Spark ...

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

In 2022, the Felicity Ace cargo ship was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when it caught fire. The ship was transporting 4,000 luxury cars that included 1,100 Porsches, 189 Bentleys, and Lamborghinis, from Germany to the United States. Along the way, the ship caught fire and burned for nearly two weeks until it sank.

The total estimated loss for the entire cargo was $438 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. That figure doesn’t include the cost of the ship itself. The Portuguese navy rescued all 22 crew members onboard the Felicity Ace after it caught fire on February 16. Crew members believe the fire likely started in the battery of one of the electric cars being transported. One small spark was able to sink a 650-foot ship, along with the 4,000 cars being transported.

James writes, “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:5-6 NIV).

Hateful words can destroy someone like a small spark can destroy a forest or sink a ship. One short sentence can grow into a full-blown argument., which can lead to total destruction. Notice how the fire gets started—it is set on fire by hell. Satan lights a match and drops it into our minds.

If we don’t verbalize the hateful thoughts Satan plants in our minds, we blow out the match that could have started a forest fire. If we refuse to say a single insult or sarcastic remark, no demon from hell will be able to throw gasoline on the fire. Stop and think before you speak.

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The Polish Swimmer at the Olympic Trials

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals  

In the 1930s, a Polish immigrant’s son lived in a dreary apartment in Chicago. Because the boy only spoke broken English, he had no friends and no one to encourage him.

One day as the youngster was walking home, a man standing outside the YMCA called out to him. He worked at the facility and invited him inside to see the Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool. He asked the young man if he could swim. The boy said he could not. “Would you like to come here after school and learn how to swim?” the man asked.

The boy accepted his offer, learned to swim, and spent hours every day at the pool. As the months passed, the young man became a proficient long-distance swimmer. He entered a swimming contest and won the competition.

A few weeks later, the teenager won again. Two years later, after becoming the best distance swimmer in Illinois and then in the Midwest, he was excited to receive a letter bearing the Olympic seal. It was an invitation to join twenty of the nation’s best swimmers to compete to represent the USA in the upcoming Olympics! The two fastest swimmers would receive spots on the team.

On the day of the competition, the swimmers waited for the start signal and dove into the pool. As the swimmers swam their laps, the young man from Chicago kept up with the leaders for most of the race. However, he slowly slipped behind and was unable to keep up with the fastest swimmers. He finished in 4^th place, which meant he would not be going to the Olympics.

But if you think about it, finishing in 4^th place is nothing to be ashamed of. Not for someone with only one arm.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do it wholehearted as though you were doing if for the Lord and not for people” (Col. 3:13). The Lord calls you to do your best, even if you have a disability such as only having one arm. In God’s eyes, finishing in 4^th place can be the same as winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

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The Man Who Signed the Guest Book

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Tom Stonewall was speeding through a small town one night, looking for a public restroom. Finally, he came to a funeral home. Tom used the facilities, then paid his respect to the deceased. The funeral director, spotting Tom, insisted he write his name and address in the guest register. Tom thought it was a lot of trouble to go through just to use the bathroom, but he did it anyway.

Three weeks later, Tom got a call from a lawyer in the small town. It turns out that Tom had visited the funeral home on the night the town’s richest citizen was laid to rest. The rich man had no family or friends. In his will, this man had stipulated that whomever came to his funeral would inherit his entire estate. Tom was the only name in the guest register that night, so he received the full inheritance. (Small Miracles, 1997, 57-60)

The deceased man spent his entire life accumulating his wealth, and Tom did nothing to deserve it. He received the inheritance because the man stipulated the heir would be the name written in the register. Those who inherit God’s kingdom don’t deserve it either, but receive it because their names are written in God’s book of life (Rev. 21:27).

However, God doesn’t leave His inheritance to everyone. “The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9). Only those who receive Jesus Christ will receive this inheritance. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17).

By God’s grace, Jesus shares the inheritance with those who put their trust in Him. Like Tom Stonewall, we get it because our names are recorded in the book. As fellow heirs with Christ, everything in His kingdom will be ours forever.

RECEIVE THESE DEVOTIONALS FREE by EMAIL: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  NOTE: The subscription box will NOT usually appear on your smart phone, but it can be seen on your computer (or by opening the “desktop site” feature on your phone.) www.makinglifecount.net