www.1001TopWords.com |
Do You Have a Name For Me?
MAN: Good afternoon Professor Knowledge. Let me cut to the chase. I am interested in a name whereby salvation can be found. I came to you because you were highly recommended and I need your help desperately. I have been led to believe that salvation is predicated on the schools I have attended and the academic credentials that follow behind my name. Well, I have several degrees and so now I want to know if you have a name that will help me. Do you have a name I can call out to when I get to the chilly banks of Jordan? Please, check out your libraries; your dictionaries, encyclopedias, references, concordances and anything else you have available to you, to see if you can find me a name that will help me when I'm being tossed and driven on the restless sea of time. Look among your Who's Who and see if you have a name whereby my salvation can be found. In other words professor, do you have a name that will save me? KNOWLEDGE: I'm sorry. I have names that will help you understand the universe. I have names will help you comprehend theories and behaviors. I even have names that will help you grasp all aspects of technology and science. But in all my books, I cannot find a name that you can call on for salvation. MAN: Good afternoon Mr Power. You count a great deal among your sons, Hitler, Napoleon, Mussolini, Hussein, Arafat and all the demigods that we read about. Mr Power, with your nuclear bombs and your inter-continental ballistic missiles, and your lasers, surely you can help me. I need a name I can call on when I must lay down my sword and shield and study war no more. Do you have a name that will save me? POWER: No, I'm sorry, but I cannot help you. I can help you fight wars with countries. I can even help you gain control over people's minds. I can promise you a position on top of the world for as long as you live. But when it comes down to pressing a dying pillow, I can't help you. I am strong and mighty but I can only go so far. I do not have a name for you. MAN: Well, can you help me Doctor. I am familiar with your progress and I know that you specialize in fixing up these old bodies. I know that you take the Hippocratic Oath seriously and that you do all that is humanly possible to try and keep up alive. I am looking for a name that will help me when my clay house must return to the dust from which it came. I need a name that I can call on to reassure me when I must lay down on my bed to rise no more. Tell me Doctor, do you have a name that will give me eternal life. DOCTOR: I'm sorry. I can give you all kinds of surgeries to make you look better and feel better. I can prescribe all sorts of mediations to take away all your aches and pains. I can prolong this life, but I do not have a name that can save you from eternal death. MAN: Riches, do you have a name for me? I have heard about Bill Gates, Li Ka-shing, the Waltons and Albrecht. I know all about what money can do. But all I want to know is do you have a name for me? Is there any way money can go with me when I have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death? Is there any way for money to go with me when I've reached the end of my journey and the last chaper of my book of life is done? Can riches buy me salvation? RICHES: I'm sorry. I can help you obtain all the material things you desire. I can even buy you friends and influence. But, I cannot help you with salvation because the last time I got news through the grapevine, it was free. So if you are looking for a name that will save you, I'm sorry, I cannot help you. I have looked among all my possessions but in all my wealth, I cannot come up with a name for you. MAN: Mother Earth, can you help me? MOTHER EARTH: I'm sorry. I can't help you. I do not have much time to talk because I'm on my way around the sun. I'm due every 24 hours. Salvation cannot be found in nature. MAN: Apostle Peter, can you help me? You are my last hope. I need a name whereby salvation can be found. Because you see, every now and then I find my back against the wall; hemmed in and hedged in. Do you have a name that regards my helpless estate? Peter, do you have a name that will save me? PETER: Yes. It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 12:10b-12 (NIV). Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Bible and Kabbalah: The Hardening of Pharoahs Heart There is continuous creation, out of the new ideas discovered in the Torah. Possibilities in Prayer Prostrateology is the theological term for the doctrine of prayer. Prayer is the oldest form of worship and is universal to all types of religions and believers. Even atheists rely on prayer in some form or another to make it from day to day. Man has always marveled at how things happen in life and how to change those things that have not yet happened. The answer for the Christian has always been prayer to God, Jehovah, in the name of His son Jesus. Balancing the Apple Cart About forty women squatted in small clusters on the floor in the room. They had assembled for a special meeting of the self-help groups that would be led by their supervisor. The poor women, whose husbands were marginal farmers, depended on the loans they could secure from the banks through their groups. Sex, Lies, & Videotape; Part 2 Acts 5:1-5:10 Sex, Lies and Videotape Part 2. Lies. What are lies? Is a lie an untruth, an omission of all the facts, is it a sin or unrightiouness, is it something that people use to cover-up lawlessness , or is a lie when you withhold all the facts? Yes, to all the above. A lie is a degration of ones own spirit, it gets into a persons attitude and lingers there like a leach, draining the lifes force out of them so that after a while, it becomes second nature not to tell the truth. Speaking of Speaking in Tongues A young bible college student once wrote and told me how the college she attends has been teaching that "speaking in tongues" is the sole evidence that one is filled with the Spirit and that no one WAS filled with the Spirit UNLESS they've spoken in tongues. Apparently, that didn't sit well with her and she wanted my opinion. Brief History of Jerusalem; Part 1 Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel.....it is the city of hope.....a city sacred to the Jews, Christians and the Moslems.The city existed before David captured it.In the days of Abraham the Holy city was called Salem " peace". Gen 14:8 and itwas called Jebus. Judges 19:10. It is called Zion ( IKings 8:1); the holy city ( Neh 11:1); the city of God ( Ps. 46: 4)......A brief outline of this city's 3000 years of history King David captured the city of Jebus, that is Jerusalem ( Judges 19: 10), the stronghold or fortress of the Jebusites round B.C 1010/ B.C 1000.II Sam 5: 6 - 9.He then took residence in the fortress ( fortress of Zion, also known as the City of David). The Story of Joshua and Caleb The story of Joshua and Caleb is one of the most powerful and dramatic stories in the entire Bible. There are major lessons in this story for all Christians to grab hold of! Religious Tolerance and the Internet The internet is a great resource of information on all kinds of topics, including religion. Unfortunately, there is also no shortage of religious intolerance and just plain bad information on the internet as well. Become Enlightened The other day I had a meeting on the web with a few friends. We are planning our class reunion and since no two people were ever available at the same time, we decided to set up a CHAT group and meet over the web. The Judgment Seat of Christ The thought of a public examination before the Judgment bar of our Lord should be incentive enough to awaken even the most slumbering saint of God. Yet few, if any, ever give it a second thought. Paul declared, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). Perhaps if the doctrine of judgment and reward were expounded more from our pulpits there would be more attention given to living a life of holiness and obedience. Think of it. How will you stand in that day? Will you approach Him with confidence or will you stand before Him red-faced and embarrassed over a life of waste and neglect? It is something that we as Christians will all have to do. Are you ready to appear before the judgment seat? And if you say that you are, perhaps you are speaking without the necessary contemplation of the task that lies before you. Yes, the judgment seat will be a most solemn occasion for many in that great day. Isnt There But One God? I heard a pastor say, regarding people of the Muslim faith, "Too bad they are praying to the wrong God!" This was during a Sunday morning sermon. I flinched. Doesn't the Bible say that there is only one God? I believe it does. I found at least six scripture references: Gods Billboards Invade Cyberspace Once upon a time, Americans traveled the highways searching for the latest word of God. But not anymore! Those same roadside messages, plus a batch of new ones, can now be viewed anytime at home on your own personal computer. Living Without Blueprints Some people look at the biblical book of Revelation as a blueprint for the end of time. It tells exactly when the end will come, how it will come and who will be punished when it happens. Those with this perspective buy up apocalyptic fiction like the "Left Behind" series and confidently pronounce that we are in the "end times." They may even associate certain modern day figures or happenings with supposed end-of-times events. There are three basic problems with this perspective: (1) It is counter to the pronouncements of Jesus himself; (2) It ignores the long history of people who have tried to use Revelation in this way; and (3) It is counter to the nature of faith itself. Let's look at these three problem areas more closely. Is It Good For Man Not To Marry? Are we doing what the word of God say to do. Please allow me to give you some insight about the purpose of marriage and the single person. Let's start first at 1Corinthians 7:1 it says Now for a matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. Now if you look further in the chapter at verse26 it says Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. Great Seats And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: What That 70s Show Taught Me About Christianity What in the world could I have possibly learned about Christianity from "That 70's Show"? I'm sure that's what everyone is thinking right about now. Gods Providence in a Jericho Journal What if excavators uncovering ancient Jericho found the following journal? Mexican Catholics Forgotten Many Mexican and Latin Catholics are dismayed that the Cardinals picked a German Pope, Benedict XVI, over a Latin Pope. Latin and Mexican Catholics are some of the biggest supporters of the Catholic Church. Some Mexican, Latino and Hispanic Catholics are saying; "This just proves white men still run the world." Many Mexicans who have proud Indian Aztec and Mayan Heritage whose civilization was destroyed by European Explorers and conquerors, which brought this religion with them are thinking twice about their loyalty to the Catholic Church. Books of the Living and Dead Revelation 20:12 makes a powerful claim: "And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, [called] the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books." Tongue of the Power The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out. Proverbs 20: 5. It has been said that to be careful what you ask for you just might get it. The Bible says; ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7. What a blessing to know that whatever you ask for you will receive it as long as it is in line with the word of Jesus Christ. Did you know that we have powerful tools we can use which is our speech, and minds. The Bible tells us over and over again that if we ask for anything in Jesus name we shall receive it. |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |