"The Spider and the
Bug"
"I Thought He Was with You!"
"Who is Walking in Our
Steps?"
"The Spider and the Bug"
(Unknown Author)
There was once a spider who lived in a cornfield. He was a big spider and he
had spun a beautiful web between the corn stalks. He got fat eating all the
bugs that would get caught in his web. He liked his home and planned to stay
there for the rest of his life.
One day the spider caught a little bug in his web, and just as the spider
was about to eat him, the bug said, "If you let me go I will tell you
something important that will save your life." The spider paused for a
moment and listened because he was amused. "You better get out of this
cornfield," the little bug said, "The harvest is coming!"
The spider smiled and said, "What is this harvest you are talking
about? I
think you are just telling me a story." But the little bug said,
"Oh no, it
is true. The owner of this field is coming to harvest it soon. All the
stalks will be knocked down and the corn will be gathered up. You will be
killed by the giant machines if you stay here."
The spider said, "I don't believe in harvests and giant machines that
knock
down corn stalks. How can you prove this?" The little bug continued,
"Just
look at the corn. See how it is planted in rows? It proves this field was
created by an intelligent designer."
The spider laughed and mockingly said, "This field has evolved and has
nothing to do with a creator. Corn always grows that way." The bug went
on
to explain, "Oh no. This field belongs to the owner who planted it, and
the
harvest is coming soon." The spider grinned and said to the little bug,
"I
don't believe you," and then the spider ate the little bug for lunch.
A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had
told him. He thought to himself, "A harvest! What a silly idea. I have
lived
here all of my life and nothing has ever disturbed me. I have been here
since these stalks were just a foot off the ground, and I'll be here for the
rest of my life, because nothing is ever going to change in this field. Life
is good, and I have it made."
The next day was a beautiful sunny day in the cornfield. The sky above was
clear and there was no wind at all. That afternoon as the spider was about
to take a nap, he noticed some thick dusty clouds moving toward him. He
could hear the roar of a great engine and he said to himself, "I wonder
what
that could be?"
(Luke 12:39-40 NKJV) "'But know
this, that if the master of the house had
known what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched and not allowed
his house to be broken into. Therefore
you also be ready, for the Son of Man
is coming at an hour you do not
expect.'"
(Matthew 13:36-43 NIV) "Then he
left the crowd and went into the house. His
disciples came to him and said,
'Explain to us the parable of the weeds in
the field.' He answered, 'The one who
sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world, and the good
seed stands for the sons of the
kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the
evil one, and the enemy who sows them
is the devil. The harvest is the end of
the age, and the harvesters are
angels. As the weeds are pulled up and
burned in the fire, so it will be at
the end of the age. The Son of Man will
send out his angels, and they will
weed out of his kingdom everything that
causes sin and all who do evil. They
will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom
of their Father. He who has ears, let
him hear.'"
"I Thought He Was with
You"
(By Esther Zufall, Cheswick, PA; "Heart to
Heart,"
"Today's Christian Woman")
One Sunday, our minister told the story of how Mary and Joseph left Jesus
behind at the temple. My husband, Bob, wondered, "How could a parent
forget
his child?" That question was answered as soon as Bob and I arrived
home in
separate cars. We realized neither one of us had brought our 11-year-old
daughter home.
Luke 2:41-52
"Who is Walking in Our
Steps?"
My three year-old was on my heels no matter where I went. Whenever I stopped
to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him.
I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. But he simply
smiled an innocent smile and said, "Oh that's all right, Mommy. I'd
rather
be in here with you." Then he continued to bounce happily along behind
me.
After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose patience.
When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with sweet
green eyes and said:
"Well Mommy, my teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps! I can't
see
Him, so I'm walking in yours!"
(Matthew 18:1-5 NIV) "At that time
the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?' He called a little child and
had him stand among them. And he said:
'I tell you the truth, unless you
change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles
himself like this child is the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever
welcomes a little child like this in
my name welcomes me.'"
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