Freedom

Bible Reading: Romans 8:1-17

Key Verse: Verse 15 - "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

Key Words: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage 

A man who lived in a foreign country became a citizen of the United States of America. In the country where he was raised and grew up, there was a curfew overseen by the military. Beyond a certain time, the streets had to be cleared and everyone had to be in their homes. When he immigrated to the United States, he began immediately sightseeing to see part of the country that he was now becoming a part of. However, when he saw darkness set in and looked at his watch, he saw that he was about to pass his curfew time.

Seeing a man getting in his car, he said, “Sir would you please rush me to my hotel so that I won’t overstay my curfew and get in trouble?”

The gentleman in the car couldn’t figure out what in the world the man was talking about until it dawned on him that he was a foreigner and that he was a little mixed up about his new life in America. He explained to and assured the man that in the U.S. the law that he had been used to no longer applied. He explained that he was no longer under the jurisdiction of the country he came from. He was in a new country now and that meant he was free to stay up and stay out. The restrictions of the old homeland no longer applied. This man was in the United States but had not yet learned to cast off the bondage of the old country.

A lot of us are in Christ, but we’ve not yet learned how to cast off the old bondage of being Adam. So we sing about freedom, talk about freedom, and yet we feel the pressure of the curfew and the bondage and oppression of the old law system under which we operated. Far too many Christians today are in chains because they’ve just spent so much time in the old country. In getting used to this thing about being free in Christ, they have not adapted yet.

                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:  

✞God’s freedom is not the freedom to do as you please but to do as He pleases.

Created for His Workmanship

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 -"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Key Words: we are his workmanship 

Everybody has in their homes manufactured products. Appliances such as a toaster, refrigerator, stove, microwave, or an electric can opener are commonly found in people’s homes and each of those has a different workmanship. They are designed differently. They have different parts that make them operate. Each one has its own unique reason for being. Now, if that appliance operates outside of its reason for being there, we have a problem. If you want to cook things in the refrigerator and freeze things in the stove, you are going to have a difficult situation in the home because that’s not what the workmanship is for. Workmanship is used for whatever the creator designed it to do. The toaster does not tell the creator what it’s going to do today. The stove does not tell the creator what it’s going to do today. It is the creator that dictates to the appliance the reason why the appliance exists. The appliance does whatever it’s been designed to do.

            In the same way, we are God’s creation and He dictates to us why we exist and can tell us what we are designed to do. He gives us our purpose. If we operate outside of our reason for being, that’s when we experience problems. Walking in the purpose God designed for us is how we fulfill our unique reason for being.

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞ Not fulfilling God’s purpose for our life leaves us unfulfilled.

Letting Them Go

 Bible Reading:  Luke  15:11-24

Key Verse: Verse 12 -  “And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.”

Key Words: give me the portion of goods that falleth to me 

So the father did; he gave his son his portion and off he went thinking that he had life by the throat and all would be well. Well, it won’t. The boy left with his head held high and an arrogant spirit. He wound up with his head bowed low and a humble spirit. He left full of himself and came back empty.

            A young man, a successful wrestler, challenged his father once. He was the all-state wrestling champ, in the unlimited weight category in fact. He weighed 360 pounds as a senior in high school – really big and strong. He had a period of rebellion where his father wanted him to do something and he told his father he wasn’t gonna do it. His father thought he was hard of hearing. “What?” The young man then got more indignant. “I said, I isn’t gonna do it.” The father simply turned around and started walking upstairs, beckoning his son to come with him. When they got to the top of the stairs, he said, “I’m going to help you pack, because it’s obvious you are grown and don’t need me. Since you are grown and can make it on your own, I’ll help you pack.”  The young man started packing with an attitude, huffing around the room and throwing things into a suitcase. Item after item got unpacked as his dad pulled things out as he told his son, “No that’s mine. I paid for it!”

            The teenager was mad. He was determined to be autonomous and independent from his dad. He took the suitcase and walked out of the house, angry and mad, only to discover that he had no car. Even his friend’s parents wouldn’t let them come out to help him. It was freezing outside and snow was falling heavily. This guy discovered that while he didn’t prefer home, compared to what was happening outside, home really wasn’t that bad.

            See, the father, the loving father, had to let the prodigal son go and discover that while he didn’t like everything at home, out in the world on his own there was no protection, covering, or love. He had to let him experience the harsh reality.

            Thirty minutes later, that prodigal son rang the doorbell. “I’m sorry.”

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do: 

✞Sometimes in order to get them back we have to let them go.

 

Its Not About Me

Bible Reading:  II Corinthians 10:7-13

Key Verse: Verse 7  - "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.”

Key Words: as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s 

Life is not about you; life is not about me; life is all about Jesus Christ.

Some time back a young pastor asked me how to go about evaluating the church, its ministry, and even how to go about evaluating himself. The following is a portion of the letter I sent to him.

Have definite goals for your church. The achieving of these goals will be an indication that you are making progress. The pastor who simply lives from week to week will always stay discouraged because he doesn’t know where he is going.

            II Corinthians 10:7-13 is a clear warning against the wrong kind of self-evaluation. It is easy for a church to become a mutual admiration society. The true measure of a church’s success is not what it is doing compared to other churches, but is it fulfilling its own potential?

            Don’t forget that churches go through stages of growth, not unlike the human body. The babyhood stage of the church is new and exciting, much like having a newborn baby in the house. But then things settle down and you reach childhood stage. This is the stage when people seem to manufacture problems. Next is the spiritual maturity stage. This is when the church sees the importance of soul-winning, faithfulness to God’s house, and they come for God’s glory.

            One word of encouragement: the Lord rarely lets a pastor see how much good he is doing. When you feel the most discouraged, God is probably using you in the greatest way. Be faithful!! God will take care of the rest (I Corinthians 4:2). Always remember, it’s not a popularity contest.

·         Preach the Word.

·         Be instant in season and out of season,

·         Reprove,

·         Rebuke, and

·         Exhort… with all longsuffering.

May God bless you as you labor for His glory.

This young pastor now pastors a growing church and God, indeed, has been good to him. Praise the Lord! I occasionally pull this letter out and read it just as a reminder that I am here for God’s glory, and that it is all about Jesus, not about me. Should that not be your motto for 2019? 

                                                                                         Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞Put Christ first, that’s what life is all about.

Was It Worth it?

Bible Reading:  II Timothy 4:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 7 - " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

Key Words: I have fought a good fight…I have kept the faith 

I’m nearing the winter years of my life; and I evaluate the life I’ve lived and sometimes ask, “was it worth it?”   The answer always comes back a resounding, yes!

Dave and Nikki McDonald were missionaries to Iraq. They were shot into pieces by mortar fire with AK-47’s while in Iraq working on a water purification project and sharing the Gospel. Dave was shot destroying his spleen and breaking his back. Still, he managed to get a call out on his cell phone to an ambulance. He was concerned for his wife who was also hit. When the wife went in for surgery, she asked about Dave. They assured her he would be okay. It was only when she woke in a hospital in Dallas, TX, that they told her he had died and was buried several days ago while she was still unconscious. Still, before she was released from the hospital she was making plans to return to Iraq and continue their mission! His parents were asked if it was worth it, and they said that they would have supported Dave to do it all over again! Don’t depart from the path God put you in; finish like Dave McDonald, and you will have no regrets.

As my mother used to say to me continually, “Only what’s done for Christ will last.” 

                                                                                         Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

            ✞ Always put God first.  It is a worthy cause you know.

 

We Are Poor Listeners

Bible Reading:  Revelation 2:8-17

Key Verse: Verse 11 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”

Key Words: He that hath an ear, let him hear 

One of the things I have learned as the pastor of a church with a school ministry is that children are poor listeners, at least according to the achievement test scores. I do believe that children get their poor listening skills from their parents. The truth is that we all need to develop better listening skills.

Do you know which organ of the body requires the most energy? The first two obvious guesses might be the heart or brain. Actually the inner ear demands the most bodily energy. Attentive listening can be a draining experience, so God made sure the ears got all of the necessary power to carry out this important task.

President Roosevelt once became tired of the smiling superficiality that accompanied many White House receptions. On this particular evening he decided to see whether anyone was actually paying attention to what he said. As he shook hands with each guest filing through the line, he smiled really big and said, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” No one even noticed. People just gave the usual protocol, “How lovely!” or “Keep up the good work.” One foreign diplomat was listening and added humor to the night as well. When FDR told of his scandalous deed, the diplomat tactfully commented, “I’m sure she had it coming to her.”

Jesus’ half-brother, James, initially had trouble hearing his brother’s message (John 7:5). Perhaps that’s why James later wrote, “Everyone should be swift to hear.” (James 1:19)

Well, I’d better go for now. I’ve had people talking to me… I’d better go find out what they said.

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞Ask God to help you be a good listener.

Being Generous

Bible Reading:  Luke 10:30-42

Key Verse: Verse  34 - " And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

Key Words: took care of him 

There is something to be said for generosity. We do need a “generous” spirit for those in need.

We on occasion will receive a notice of someone in need and the request will go something like this:  “Pastor, I know an individual or a family that has a need; is there something the church can do to help them?”  My response is usually, “What have you done for them?” In our text the Good Samaritan did what he could do, and so should we if the Lord leads us.

The story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside asked for alms from Alexander the Great as he passed by. The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to lift a solicitous hand. Yet the Emperor threw him several coins. A courtier was astonished at his generosity and commented, “Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar’s need. Why give him gold?” Alexander responded in royal fashion, “Copper coins suit the beggar’s need, but gold coins suit Alexander’s giving.”

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse                                       

What to do:

      ✞It never hurts to have a heart of generosity.

Results of Maturity

Bible Reading: II Samuel 9

Key Verse: Verse 1 – "And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?”

Key Words: I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake 

Jonathan had been a close friend of David’s down through the years, and now both Jonathan and his father King Saul had died in battle with the Philistines.

After David became king he desired to show kindness to anyone in Saul’s family.  There was one who he could show kindness to, the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, who was lame from an accident. David did show kindness to Mephibosheth but it was because of Jonathan that Mephibosheth received kindness from David.

One stormy night an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk said they were filled, as were all the hotels in town. “But I can’t send a fine couple like you out in the rain,” he said. “Would you be willing to sleep in my room?” The couple hesitated, but the clerk insisted. The next morning when the man paid his bill, he said, “You’re the kind man who should be managing the best hotel in the United States. Someday I’ll build you one.” The clerk smiled politely. A few years later the clerk received a letter from the elderly man, recalling the stormy night and asking him to come to New York. A round-trip ticket was enclosed. When the clerk arrived, his host took him to the corner of 5^th Avenue and 34^th Street, where there stood a magnificent new building. “That,” exclaimed the man, “is the hotel I have built for you to manage.” The man was William Waldorf Astor, and the hotel was the original Waldorf-Astoria. The young clerk, George C. Boldt, became its first manager.

            Kindness does pay.

                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞We will choose today to be kind or unkind and then we will see the result of our actions. Which will you choose?

Giving

Bible Reading: Acts 20:28-38

Key Verse: Verse 35 - “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Key Words: It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

I could give one testimony after another of how God has blessed my wife and me. I believe because of our faithful giving of money, time and energy to the Lord’s work.

I have a plan for how much we give; it goes like this. I will never give more to pay any bill than I give to God. Then if I have a big mortgage payment, I pay it and we give more than that to God in one tithe. My number one financial output   goes to God.

A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson, She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church. “Put whichever you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself,” she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked the daughter which amount she had given. “Well,” said the little girl. “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.”

I can almost assure you the little girl was a Baptist.

                                                                                     Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Most every person at some point in their ministry is accused of always asking for money. My response to that is always, “Well if you’d give it voluntarily, I wouldn’t have to ask for it!” So remember it’s more blessed to give than to receive.

 

Being Responsible

Bible Reading:  Luke 15: 11-21

Key Verse: Verse 21 - "And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

Key Words: I have sinned 

To me there is something refreshing about hearing someone say…I have sinned, or it’s my fault, or I did that!

I guess it’s refreshing to me because I hear it so seldom.  Normally we hear… It’s not my fault or they made me or I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do that.

Taking responsibility for our mistakes; how refreshing!

Prussian king Frederick the Great was once touring a Berlin prison.  The prisoners fell on their knees before him to proclaim their innocence-except for one man, who remained silent.  Frederick called to him, “Why are you here?” “Armed robbery, Your Majesty,” was the reply. “And are you guilty?” “Yes indeed, Your Majesty.  I deserve my punishment.”  Frederick then summoned the jailer and ordered him, “Release this guilty wretch at once.  I will not have him kept in this prison where he will corrupt all the fine innocent people who occupy it.” 

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do: 

✞If you take responsibility for your wrongs, mark yourself as a part of a small group of people.

 

Excuses

 Bible Reading:   Luke 14: 15-24

Key Verse: Verse  18 - "And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.”

Key Words: And they all with one consent began to make excuse 

Nothing makes us look as bad as ‘excuses’.

Here according to a Bits & Pieces article are the top ten excuses as to why people didn’t do their job.

1.       I forgot.

2.      No one told me to go ahead.

3.      I didn’t think it was that important.

4.      Wait until the boss comes back and ask him.

5.      I didn’t know you were in a hurry for it.

6.      That’s the way we’ve always done it.

7.       That’s not my department.

8.      How was I to know this was different?

9.      I’m waiting for an O.K.

10.   That’s his job-not mine.

Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, once an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves and cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons, is the only athlete to have hit a Major League home run and scored an NFL touchdown in the same week.  Sanders grew up on the mean streets of Fort Myers, FL., where exposure to some would-be athletes spurred him to make a success of himself.  He explains: “I call them Idas. ‘If I’da done this, I’d be making three million today.  If I’da practiced a little harder, I’d be a superstar.’  They were as fast as me when they were kids, but instead of working for their dreams they chose drugs and a life of street corners.  When I was young, I had practice; my friends who didn’t went straight to the streets and never left.  That moment after school is the moment we need to grab.  We don’t need any more Idas. 

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞Do what you are supposed to, where you are supposed to; when you are supposed to and do it that way all the time – with no excuses.

 

Disagreeing Without Being Disagreeable

Bible Reading:  Acts 15: 36-41

Key Verse: Verse 39 - "And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and

sailed unto Cyprus;”

Key Words:  And the contention was so sharp between them 

If the Lord was to line all the believers up in a straight line both Paul and Barnabas would be so far ahead of me that I would never see them.  But with that said, I can’t fathom these men of God having such a sharp contentious disagreement.

Disagreements come because two or more people see things differently and both demand to have their own way.

I do believe that Satan and the world smile with delight at believers arguing and belittling one another.

The two key elements in solving a disagreement are humility and more humility.

Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel.  When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.”

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞It’s always best to disagree without having a disagreeable spirit.

Communication

Bible Reading:  I Corinthians 15:26-34

Key Verse: Verse 33 - "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Key Words: evil communications corrupt good manners 

We are told to speak the truth in love.  I’ve often said you can say pretty much everything you need to if you say it in the right way, at the right time, and in the right place.

A tip about communication is this – to make sure that we are not the problem.

Let me explain.

A man was having difficulty communicating with his wife and concluded that she was becoming hard of hearing.  So he decided to conduct a test without her knowing it.  One evening he sat in a chair on the far side of the room.  Her back was to him, and she could not see him.  Very quietly he whispered, “Can you hear me?”  There was no response.  Moving a little closer, he asked again, “Can you hear me now?”  Still no reply.  Quietly he edged closer and whispered the same words, but still no answer.  Finally he moved right in behind her chair and said, “Can you hear me now?”  To his surprise and chagrin she responded with irritation in her voice, “For the fourth time, yes!”  What a warning to us about judging! 

                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞It’s always wise to make sure that the communication problem is not on “our” end.

 

If You are Backing Up You are Going in the Wrong Direction

Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 3:11-25

Key Verse: Verse 11 -"And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.”

Key Words: The backsliding Israel hath justified herself 

These are the keys to identify a backslider according to Proverbs 14:14. First, you can tell because they are filled with their own ways. (They see nothing wrong with what they are doing.) Number two, the backslider is satisfied with where they are spiritually.

If you’re not moving forward spiritually then you are a backslider.

Jeremiah says the end result of the backslider is they will lie down in shame and will be put to confusion.

John Charles Ryle says of backsliding: “It is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose ‘backsliding’ is the worst. A stranded ship, a broken-winged eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without strings, a church in ruins – all these are sad sights. But a backslider is a sadder sight still. That true grace shall never be extinguished, and true union with Christ never be broken off, I feel no doubt. But I do believe that a man may fall away so far that he shall lose sight of his own grace, and despair of his own salvation. And if this is not hell, it is certainly the next thing to it! A wounded conscience, a mind sick of itself, a memory full of self-approach, a heart pierced through with the Lord’s arrows, a spirit broken with a load of inward accusation - all this is a taste of hell. It is hell on earth.”

                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

      ✞Return to God, where you are always accepted.

Let Others Know You Love Them

Bible Reading:  I Corinthians 13

Key Verse: Verse 8 - " Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Key Words:  Charity never faileth 

On this Valentine’s Day it is wise for each of us on this day of “self-gratification” to remember that love, real love doesn’t focus on self but on the one they love.

William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice of the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child’s breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, “Momma, kiss me!” Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and some days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord. Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t count the cost. The Bible says, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song of Solomon 8:7).

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Every day we should let our spouse know that we love them.

It is Dangerous to Fall in Love with the World

Bible Reading:  I John 2:15-20

Key Verse: Verse 15 & 17 – " Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever...”  

Key Words:  Love not the world 

Becoming attached to this world is a dangerous thing. Let me explain with an illustration:

Dr. George Sweeting wrote in Special Sermons for Special Days: “Several years ago our family visited Niagara Falls. It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river. As I viewed the large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls, I could see that there were carcasses of dead fish embedded in the ice. Gulls by the score were riding down the river feeding on the fish. As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would go out, and they would escape from the falls.

“I watched one gull which seemed to delay and wondered when it would leave. It was engrossed in the carcass of a fish, and when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings. The bird flapped and flapped and even lifted the ice out of the water, and I thought it would escape. But, it had delayed too long so that its claws had frozen into the ice. The weight of the ice was too great and the gull plunged into the abyss.”

The finest attractions of this world become deadly when we become overly attached to them. They may take us to our destruction if we cannot give them up. And as Sweeting observed.  “Oh, the danger of delay!”

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

 What to do: 

✞It’s always wise to obey God and “love not the world.”

 

Respect is Earned

Bible Reading:  Genesis 4:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 4  – "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:”

Key Words: And the LORD had respect unto Abel 

Respect comes from doing the right things. If you consistently do people right, you’ll earn their respect.

In an unscientific survey I asked some of our youth to name “the reason they respect others.” The number one answer, and I might add, the only answer was, “Because of the way they treat me; right or with love.” Then I asked, “Why do you not respect some people?” The answer will not shock you, but it was, “They do not treat me right.”

How we treat others has everything to do with how they respect or disrespect us.

Waiting to board a plane, on which he had a reservation, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., overheard the plea of a private at the ticket window: “I’m going overseas in three days. I want to see my Ma before I go. I can go home and back only if I travel by plane!” It was explained to him that every seat on the plane was taken. Just then, Brigadier General Roosevelt stepped forward and said, “I’ll surrender my seat to him!” “But,” protested a fellow officer to the general, “this is a matter of rank!”  “That’s right,” quickly replied General Roosevelt, “he’s a son, I’m only a general!” God conferred the highest honor upon us when He called us His sons!

                                                                                 Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

      ✞ Give respect and you’ll reap it in return.

  

Problems are an Opportunity

Bible Reading: Daniel 3: 13-25

Key Verse: Verse  20 - " And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.”

Key Words: Cast them into the burning fiery furnace 

            Now I think you would agree with me that being cast into a fiery furnace is a problem, but it’s also an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to see God work, it’s an opportunity to show others the supremacy of our God, and it’s an opportunity for promotion (vs. 30).

Some years ago an energetic young man began as a clerk in a hardware store. Like many old-time hardware stores, the inventory included thousands of dollars worth of items that were obsolete or seldom called for by customers. The young man was smart enough to know that no thriving business could carry such an inventory and still show a healthy profit. He proposed a sale to get rid of the excess stuff. The owner was reluctant but finally agreed to let him set up a table in the middle of the store and try to sell off a few of the oldest items. Every product was priced at ten cents. The sale was a success, and the young fellow got permission to run a second sale. It, too, went over just as well as the first. This gave the young clerk an idea. Why not open a store that would sell only nickel and dime items? He could run the store, and his boss could supply the capital.

The young man’s boss was not enthusiastic. “The plan will never work,” he said, “because you can’t find enough items to sell at a nickel and dime.” The young man was disappointed but eventually went ahead on his own and made a fortune out of the idea. His name was F. W. Woolworth.

Years later his old boss lamented, “As near as I can figure it, every word I used in turning Woolworth down has cost me about a million dollars!”

Problems are an opportunity. We just have to have wisdom and discernment from God to see it.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do: 

✞Remember opportunities look a lot like problems!