The Job Applicant

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

In the early 1900s, when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Morse code is a method of sending text messages one letter at a time by tapping out electronic signals on a telegraph key board, as seen by the telegraph operator in the movie Titanic.

Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. He walked into a busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. The receptionist instructed the job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man sat in the waiting room and filled out his form. A few minutes later, he got up and walked into the inner office. The other applicants in the room looked at each other in disbelief. Since his name had not been called, they thought he was unfairly jumping ahead of them.

Shortly after that, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and told the other applicants, “Thank you for coming, but the job has been filled.” One applicant complained, “That’s not fair! He was the last to come in, and we didn’t get a chance to be interviewed.”

The employer replied, “The entire time you have been sitting here, the telegraph has been sending the message in Morse Code: IF YOU UNDERSTAND THIS MESSAGE, COME NOW INTO THE INNER OFFICE. THE JOB IS YOURS. None of you deciphered the message, but this man did. He’s hired.”

Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9). All the applicants heard the sound of the telegraph, but only one had “ears to hear.” Ears to hear means willing to obey what God tells you to do. Every believer can hear God speak if they are willing to do what He says. If you hear His voice, don’t just sit there. Get out of your chair and follow His instructions. www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

I Touched His Sore Spot

One Sunday morning I greeted a friend as he entered the church. When I shook his hand, I placed my other hand on his shoulder. He immediately recoiled in pain, moaning "Owww!"

I had gently touched him on his shoulder, the same thing I had done to several other folks that morning. However, no one else had pulled away from me. This man reacted differently because He had injured his shoulder a few days before. He pulled away from me because I had touched his sore spot.

Suddenly I understood how physical injuries can teach us about spiritual wounds. A person with a wounded spirit will react abnormally to an innocent comment that wouldn’t hurt a healthy person. The slightest touch on their hurting area causes them to recoil in pain and lash out at others. And that’s why hurting people will hurt other people. They are protecting their sore spots to keep from being hurt again.

How can you detect when people have inner wounds? They are typically in a bad mood. If you make an innocent comment that triggers a painful memory, they will either lash out or withdraw in pain. That’s not a normal reaction.

A person with a toothache cannot fall in love because it’s hard to love others if you are hurting inside. All your attention goes to your pain. A wounded person’s greatest need is to be healed, and healing typically begins by forgiving the person who hurt you.

God can heal you. He says, “For I will restore you to health and I will heal your wounds” (Jer. 30:17). The sooner you deal with the issue that hurt you, or forgive the person who hurt you, the faster you will heal. Two weeks after I touched my friend’s sore spot, his shoulder was healed—and that’s when he started acting normally again. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net

Watch the Matt Maher song “And All the People Said Amen”

Everyone is Playing "Deal or No Deal"

This devotional comes from Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals  

The popular TV show “Deal or No Deal” is a game played with 26 numbered briefcases containing different amounts of money from one cent to $1 million. The contestant doesn’t know which case has the million dollars. The player chooses to eliminate cases one at a time. Each case is opened to reveal the amount inside.

The banker then offers the player a guaranteed amount of money to quit playing. If the offer is refused, the player keeps choosing briefcases to possibly win more money or lose it all.  

On one episode, a woman had eliminated all but two briefcases. One case contained $1 million while the other only had $5,000. The banker offered her a guaranteed deal of $530,000 if she would quit playing. She could take home over a half million dollars if she would accept his deal, or she could turn down the deal and take a 50/50 chance at winning $1 million. No one in their right mind would turn down the guaranteed $530,000 deal to keep gambling.

The audience yelled for her to go for the $1 million. A family member begged her to take the guaranteed $530,000. Instead, she listened to the audience and yelled, "No deal! I KNOW that I'm going to win the million dollars!" They opened the case she had picked, which only contained $5,000. She made the wrong choice and forfeited $530,000!

Everyone is playing Deal or No Deal with their souls. Jesus said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36-37). We’re betting our eternal souls that what Jesus taught about the afterlife is either true or not true. Like the woman choosing between the two suitcases, we are choosing between two eternal destinies—heaven or the place of torment.

Jesus died for your sins and is offering you a guaranteed deal of eternal life (John 3:15-17). If you will give your life to Him, He will rescue your soul for all eternity. If you ignore His offer, you’re gambling your soul. Deal or No Deal? www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Click here to find out how to make the right deal for your soul.