226 Times!!
Current mood: excited
According to the Associated Press, some Lincoln , Nebraska police officers apprehended a man last Sunday morning after a brief chase and found burglar tools in his possession. The criminal, Kevin Holder, is very well-known to Lincoln police officers. You see, this was his 226th arrest!
Holder's rap sheet is 43 pages long, dating back to 1980, including convictions of criminal mischief, marijuana possession, violation of a protection order, assault, resisting arrest, assault on an officer, possession of cocaine. Many of his convictions were misdemeanors, but he also has been sentenced to at least three prison terms for felonies, including a four-year stretch starting in 1996.
Arrested 226 times. Can you believe it?
Would you believe that this is not the record for Lincoln ?
Holder's list of arrests doesn't even come close to setting a record for Lincoln-Lancaster County . The record is held by Edward Rooks, who died in 2004, with 652 arrests. With 226 arrests, Holder is only No. 40, according to police spokeswoman Katherine Finnell. A number of people have more than 500 arrests in Lincoln , and Lincoln is a city of only 226,000 people!*
Have you ever stopped to think about how many times YOU have made mistakes? No, our misdeeds may not be crimes against the law of the land, but
we frequently make blunders due to ignorance, negligence or disobedience. We get involved in gossip. We think about things that we shouldn't. We don't treat others properly. Our attitude is wrong. And the list goes on and on. Yes, we too are "repeat offenders". Now then, 226 doesn't sound like a lot anymore, does it?
The Scriptures remind us: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
No, Holder must not be excused from his crimes; obviously he is a habitual offender and must "do the time." However, WE cannot excuse our sinfulness, either. Because of our sins, we too will be judged (Romans 6:23).
But God loves us so much that He gave His Son so that we might be forgiven of our sins. Jesus paid the price for us when He died on the cross. He "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Our "record" can be wiped clean if we will submit our lives to Him.
But first, we MUST turn from our sins and purpose to do God's will; this is what the Bible calls repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). Then believing that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 16:30-31), we must confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10) and be baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Then, by His grace, we are forgiven of our past sins!
Grace does not give us a "license" to sin. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2). we must determine to follow Jesus and do our best to stay away from sin (1 John 1:7).
Our "rap sheet" undoubtedly includes more than 226 sins. ALL of us need forgiveness AND it is available in Christ, if only we will trust and obey Him.
God bless you!
Searching For Pennies
Category: Religion and Philosophy
There was a small boy who when walking down the street one day found a bright copper penny. He was so excited that he found money, especially because it didn't cost him anything. This experience led him to spend the rest of his days walking with his head down, eyes wide open, looking for treasure.
During his lifetime he found 296 pennies, 48 nickels, 19 dimes, 16 quarters, 2 half dollars and one crinkled dollar bill, for a total of: $13.26
He got money for nothing, except that he missed the breathless beauty of 31,369 sunsets, the colorful splendor of 157 rainbows, and the fiery beauty of hundreds of maples nipped by autumn's frost. He never saw white clouds drifting across blue skies, shifting into various wondrous formations. Birds flying, sun shining, and the smiles of a thousand passing people are not a part of his memory. *
How sad, but how true of so many people today! In fact, you and I are often guilty of "searching for pennies" and missing out on the greatest blessings of life.
"Searching for pennies" for us may mean spending an inordinate amount of time and energy on our jobs or any other pursuit. As a result, we often "miss out" on the blessings of a loving family, close friends, and a vibrant faith in God.
Jesus said... "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your TREASURE is, there your HEART will be also" (Mat 6:19-21).
"Searching for pennies" in the things of the world is to spend time focusing on those things that are material and temporary in nature. Jesus instructs us to place our focus on things that are spiritual and eternal. The greatest blessings of God are spiritual blessings including the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of living eternally with Him in heaven (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-4).
Those greater spiritual and eternal blessings are found in Christ! To be
"in Christ," one must believe in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin to Him in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Him for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:27). Then to CONTINUE to enjoy those greater, spiritual blessings, one must CONTINUE to follow Him faithfully (1 John 1:7).
Don't waste your time "searching for pennies." Invest your time in the
GREATEST blessing that will last ETERNALLY: your relationship with God!
God bless you!
Bro. B.
Note: I in no way claim originality...Just agreement
Still Searching...
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Dr. Christopher, an old minister, went to London to seek for his son who had dishonored his home and left father and mother. "There was no address to guide him, " writes J. W. Stevenson. "Only after many days was the name of the street discovered; and when the old minister, with his white hair, stood at the end of it, he knew it was beyond him to go from door to door because of its length. But a street musician came by just then and Dr. Christopher stopped him. Did he know an old tune, one that had been a favorite in the home when the children were young? Would he walk with him along the street as he played? And he told him why."
"So they went slowly, the street musician and the old minister with his hat in his hand so that his face could be seen, taking this last slender chance to find the son who had no use for him; seeking him who had no understanding of the love in his father's heart." *
Similarly, the Heavenly Father continues His search for those who are LOST in sin, seeking to offer the OPPORTUNITY for reconciliation. This offer came at GREAT COST, for the Father gave His Son in order to redeem man from sin (Ephesians 1:7), making reconciliation possible. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Reconciliation is realized when we: believe in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Once reconciled, it is the Father's will that we continue to live obediently to Him (1 John 1:7).
"The Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). And, the search continues…
Will YOU be "found" by Him, by responding to His call through the gospel (GOOD NEWS) of Jesus?
God bless you!
RSS Feed