There was a news story a few weeks ago, about a baby macaque monkey (snow monkey) at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Japan (about 20 miles east of Tokyo), the zookeepers named “Punch.”
His mother abandoned Punch at birth. The zoo staff stepped in and started raising Punch, even giving him a stuffed, orange orangutan to help him deal with the enormous amount of rejection he was facing and the loneliness. Even the other monkeys in the compound ignored him at first. Lately, though, the other monkeys have accepted him. Not sure if they realized he was now a celebrity, or, more likely, saw something in Punch they admired. Maybe they saw how he was handling the rejection. Maybe they noticed how he still cared for others even though others didn’t care for him.
I heard a line once in a movie that went something like this: “It’s not that they like you or that they don’t like you. You’re different from them. They don’t understand you, and sooner or later, people fear what they don’t understand.” Rejecting an individual because they are different from you is crazy. Sadly, people get rejected for most likely the stupidest of reasons every day. How you deal with it is important.
Take a cue from Punch. Don’t let it bother you. Know who you are and how special you are. Discover your talents and strengths and then excel in them. Know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made by God. (Psalms 139.14) And treat others the way you want to be treated. I wouldn’t necessarily walk around with a bright orange, stuffed orangutan, but a nice smile may do it. And remember, if you are really struggling, please talk to someone. And in America, you can dial 988 for help. Jesus was rejected. He knows your pain, and He is there ready and waiting to help if you will ask him to.
For copyright issues, I couldn’t show an actual photo of Punch, but you can go to any reputable news source and find one.
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.” — John 4:11
“The well is deep”—indeed! The well of human nature is even deeper than the Samaritan woman knew. Think of the depths inside you, the depths of your thoughts and your feelings, of your hopes and your fears. Do you believe that no depth is too deep for Jesus?
Imagine that there is a fathomless well of trouble inside your heart. Then Jesus comes and says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Do you reply, “But, Lord, the well is too deep. You’ll never draw quietness and comfort up from it”? It’s true; he won’t. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature. He brings it down from God above.
If we’re looking inside ourselves for the answers, diving into the wells of our incompleteness, we’ll only succeed in placing limits on God. Sometimes, we limit God by forgetting what he’s done for us; sometimes, we limit him by remembering. We remember how far we’ve allowed him to go for us in the past, and we think that he can never go any further. But God has no limits; God is almighty. As disciples, we must believe this fully. To believe in God’s almightiness means believing in the very thing that seems to challenge it. We find it easy to believe that God can sympathize with us, but when it comes to something we’ve already decided is impossible, we shrug and say, “God can’t do everything.” God’s ministry is infinitely rich; we impoverish it when we talk like this.
The reason some of us are such poor specimens of discipleship is that we don’t believe in an almighty God. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but we aren’t abandoned to our Lord. Beware of the satisfaction that comes from sinking back and saying, “It can’t be done.” You know it can, if you look to Jesus.
I write a lot about the subject matter above. I thought you all might enjoy hearing from one who walked with God about 100 years ago on this matter, but yet his words are still relevant today.
There is a TV commercial that seems as if it airs constantly. The gentleman is trying to get you to buy life insurance, and he mentions the 3 “P” s. Then, inquiring customers ask, “What are the 3 ‘P’s?” He explains that the 3 “P” s are: “A Price you can afford, a Price that can’t increase, and a Price that fits your budget.”
I heard this commercial the other day and thought of God’s three “P” s.
Salvation was God’s Plan, Jesus’ Participation, and the Holy Spirit’s Power!
You may be thinking, “That’s great, but what’s my price?” With God’s salvation plan, a Price you can afford, a Price that can’t increase, and a Price that fits your budget.
You see, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on a cross to pay for your sins, all the things you have ever done wrong in your life. All of them! So you owe nothing. This was God’s Plan that Jesus Participated in. You can never be good enough to earn your way into heaven. You can never follow the rules perfectly because with God, there are no rules, yet there is a better way to live than I would suggest you are now. After Jesus died on the cross, He was laid to rest in a tomb. But on the third day, the Holy Spirit raised him from the dead. So it was the Holy Spirit’s Power.
The price of salvation has been paid in full and so will never go up. I think that fits your budget quite well. To accept Jesus into your life and receive eternal life for the rest of time.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. John 3:16-18 (MSG)
Diet fads and beliefs seem to come and go. One day you should not eat meat, and the next day, you should drink a glass of red wine. (As in one!) They tell you not to eat eggs, then a few years later, they tell you it’s okay. I guess it had something to do with the yoke being bad for someone who suffered from high cholesterol. In my humble opinion, the yoke is the best part! I love eating an egg sunny side up.
In recent days, I have heard some Christians talking about Jesus and how, when He walked the Earth, He was both God and man. They go on to believe that is how He was able to know things and to perform miracles. The part that bothers me with this kind of thinking is when they believe that we cannot do what Jesus did. I feel this is wrong.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Phi. 2:7 (MSG)
Thinking as they do, I call them “High Cholesterol Christians.” They seem to miss the fact that Jesus was able to know things unseen and perform miracles because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity is like one egg, but the egg has three parts.
The shell, the white, and the yoke. With the Trinity, you have God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, yet they are one.
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. He demonstrated that is how we should walk this Earth as well. He became a man, a man filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives us power and supernatural gifts as He sees fit.
21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Luke 3:21-22 (NLT)
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, Luke 4:1
Then Jesus himself in Acts 1:8 said, “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.” (AMPC)
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. John 14:12 (NLT)
We must accept the whole Trinity of God. We should walk with confidence because Jesus said we could. And if you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit, ask God to fill you. Don’t be afraid of what perhaps you have not been taught. Use the faith you have that brought you to God in the beginning. When you sense the Holy Spirit stirring inside, you will be moved to say things for God that you have never said before. You will be bold in asking someone if you can pray for them. When in what used to be uncomfortable situations, you will have the power from God to handle them. You will know what to say and what to do. As a Christian, eat the whole egg. It’s good for ya.
“She died because not enough people prayed.” I heard those words once in my spirit after a friend of mine passed away with cancer. I have never mentioned this until now. Why? Because I wasn’t sure if it was scriptural or something I made up. But after years of reading God’s word, I might be able to say it is.
Prayer, combined with faith, is a powerful force. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, even a little can move mountains. We read in James 5:16 that the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. These are verses about one person praying. But what about groups of people praying?
Matthew 18:20 states that when people pray together that Jesus is in their midst, therefore, making their prayers more powerful.In Acts 1:14, we see where the early church joined together in prayer daily.
When I was a child, perhaps I was about nine years old, one Sunday morning, there was a commotion in church while the pastor was preaching. I don’t recall her name, so let’s call her sister Hawthorne, an older woman cried out, stood up, and then collapsed. We had several firemen who attended our church, and they rushed to her aid and started CPR. She had died. Of course, as time passed, about fifteen minutes, more and more people were looking at what was going on than listening to the pastor.
Reverend H.D. Pieratt finally noticed and, being the man of God that he was, asked, “What is going on?” One of the firemen responded, “Sister Hawthorne has died.” He asked, “Did you pray?” When the reply came back, “No,” he said, “Church, let’s pray.” We did. As soon as “Amen” was said, sister Hawthorne got up. She said she was fine but was encouraged to go to the hospital anyway.
There is power in corporate prayer! Then I have to turn my attention to the scripture in Deuteronomy 32:20:
“How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them,and the Lord had closed them up?”
Deuteronomy 32:30 emphasizes the power of divine assistance, illustrating that with God’s help, even a small number can achieve great victories against overwhelming odds.
So, do I believe that some situations, needs can only be accomplished if enough people know about it and pray? Yes! Is there a certain number? I don’t think so, but when someone has a need, we should spread the word, not as gossip, but as a call to prayer, so that we will be obedient in making our request known (to man) and to God, so God can fight for you!
You remember when you were a kid, and you and your friends were outside playing? You decide to have a race or something, and one kid would lose and claim, “That’s not fair! I wasn’t ready!” They will probably be the same ones to complain to God about not being ready when He sends His Son, Jesus, to call us home. Too bad. They will be left behind.
Numerous scriptures discuss the end times. Some warn us about “fake news,” while others provide key insights into what’s to come, but the overall message is to be prepared. Ready to meet up with Jesus when He comes to take his bride or church.
No one knows when this event will take place, not even the Son of God, believe it or not. I remember hearing a word spoken in church when I was about eight or nine. One of the elders stood up and said something about Jesus coming soon. But this part I remember. He said, “Jesus’ return is so close it’s as if He is standing up now to leave.” I thought, “Wow! I had better put my shoes on!”
You don’t have to be left behind. You can be ready to meet Jesus in the air and be ushered into heaven. Or ready to stand before God and give an account of how you lived your life if you happen to die before Jesus returns. We never know when we will take that last breath. Instead of focusing on what is happening on Earth, it is more important to be mindful of the things of heaven.
God is fair and just. He has given us all enough time to be ready. There will be no excuses and no exceptions.
Mark 13:14-37 (NLT)
14 “The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[e] standing where he should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 15 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 16 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 17 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 18 And pray that your flight will not be in winter. 19 For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. 20 In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 23 Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!
24 “At that time, after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
28 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generationwill not pass from the scene before all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!
34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
I’ve always liked lighthouses. At one time, I had a large collection of them. It grew so big because once people knew I collected them, that is all they bought me for a gift. A lady in my church collects hippos. Her husband says, “They are everywhere!” I let my lighthouses go when I thought I was going to move into an RV and travel as my retirement. In an RV, you can’t collect much of anything except perhaps stickers of where you have been.
I think I am drawn to lighthouses, like a bug at night, because of what they symbolize: light penetrating the darkness. There is a lot of darkness in our world these days, and there has been throughout time. Even when Jesus, the Light of the world, was born, times were dark.
Lighthouses have helped mariners for a long time find their way into safe harbors and away from dangerous rocks. As soon as you flick on a light switch, darkness diminishes. As an analogy in life, whenever I sense darkness, I start turning to Jesus.
As I sat in church last Sunday, while the minister was preaching, I turned my attention to the small Christmas trees decorated with white lights that were behind him. All of a sudden, the thought came into my head, “We celebrate light on a tree on both big celebrations in the Christian faith!” I had never heard that before, but it’s true. You see, Jesus, being Light, hung on a tree, the cross, when He was crucified.
1 1-5 At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, was with God, and was God, and he existed with God from the beginning. All creation took place through him, and none took place without him. In him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind. The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out. John 1:1-5 (Phillips)
If you are feeling as if your life is being swallowed up by darkness, then you need the Light! If you feel overwhelmed, down, or depressed because of the lack or absence of Light, then perhaps you should consider inviting Jesus into your life. Ask for forgiveness of your sins and then embrace the Light of the world. Immediately, sense his presence, his comfort, and feel hope.
Invite Jesus into every area of your life and allow him to dispel any darkness that may be trying to hide and remain. You don’t have to be afraid of the dark when Jesus is with you. Not sickness, disease, joblessness, financial hardship, homelessness, or even death. One of the best sermons I ever heard lasted about ten seconds. A street evangelist said, “I don’t care what’s going on in life. I would rather go through it with Jesus than without.”
Celebrate Christmas with lights, because that is when Light entered the world. Celebrate Easter, because that is when Jesus, the light of the world, proved He had power over darkness. And admire lighthouses because they’re a symbol of Him guiding you home safely.
Do you look for Jesus? While you’re getting ready in the mornings or driving to work. Or perhaps when you are at work. Do you look for Him or His presence? Is Jesus with you at home, in the car, where I need Him a lot, or in a meeting?
Most people, even “Christians,” only look for Jesus when there is a crisis in their life, or they are running with their hair on fire!
I was leaving our church one Wednesday night, after the men’s Bible Study was done, when I saw Him. There, on a half-wall ledge, was a miniature Jesus figurine. (See photo) It made me smile, and I took a photo of it. I heard there are eleven more located throughout the church, but that is the only one I have found so far. They are 1.4 inches tall, and you can buy them on Amazon. (No surprise there!)
Then, I went to lunch with a guy from my church. While waiting in line to order, I found Jesus again. This time, standing on the hood of a 1958 Chevy Corvette, I think, model car.
I first found Jesus at church when I was seven years old. At a young age, for sure, but we had a pastor who made heaven and hell clear. Perhaps I was afraid of going to hell, but that early walk with God put me on a path where I learned who Jesus really is.
Jesus is always there with us, whether we see him or not, and he’s not hard to find either. One of the reasons people may not accept him is that he is too good to be true. Jesus voluntarily died a horrible death for us, which allows him to offer us forgiveness for our wrongdoing. And others may not accept him because they think they will have to change too much of their life.
Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” Matt. 28:20 (ICB)
You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me! Jer. 29:13 (ICB) (This scripture was said by God, but God and Jesus are one.)
If you do not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, well, then you should. You won’t have to look too far to find him, either. He’s probably right there with you now, because if you have not accepted him, then you are considered lost. Jesus has left the 99 to go find you. That’s how much He cares for you, about you, and about what you are going through.
The clock’s hands tremble at midnight, as if they too feel the weight of time’s turning. One breath, one heartbeat— and the old year exhales its final sigh.
We stand at the threshold, feet on the worn floorboards of yesterday, eyes fixed on the bright doorway of tomorrow. The air hums with possibility— like unopened letters, like seeds sleeping beneath winter soil.
The New Year is not just a date, but a soft invitation: to forgive what hurt, to carry forward what healed, to dream without apology.
In its first quiet hours, the world feels tender, as though it knows we are fragile too. We promise ourselves new beginnings, but perhaps the truest promise is to keep showing up— even when the days are ordinary, even when the light is slow to return.
So here’s to the year ahead: to the laughter that will surprise us, to the tears that will teach us, to the moments we will not see coming— and to the courage to meet them all.
May we step into this year not as who we were, but as who we are becoming.
(The above poem was written via AI.)
I have stated before that I am always hopeful for a new year. It’s like having the slate wiped clean and a fresh start to see if you can get this one right. Of course, it usually isn’t too long before I need forgiveness. I’m glad I never go into a new year alone. I know God is always with me. So, with Him, I can face whatever the new year holds for me. If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ into your heart or asked for forgiveness for your sins, I hope you will. Then, you too can have peace as you enter a new year. “Happy New Year!”
The holidays are magical — twinkling lights, cozy cocoa, and… plotting your stealth mission to the returns counter. Because let’s face it, not every gift is a keeper.
1. The “Ohhh… Wow!” Face When you unwrap something that looks like it escaped from a yard sale in 1987, channel your inner Oscar-winning actor. Smile big, nod slowly, and say, “This is… so… unexpected!” Translation: Where’s the receipt?
2. The Receipt Hunt Gift receipts are mythical creatures. Without one, you’re stuck with store credit — which is how you end up owning a lifetime supply of “Cinnamon Moose” candles.
3. Re-Gift or Release Some gifts are too bizarre to keep but too guilt-inducing to toss. Solution? The Re-Gift Stash — a secret vault where questionable presents wait for their next unsuspecting victim.
4. Return Counter Survival Skills Post-Christmas returns are basically the Hunger Games with shopping carts. You’ll need speed, agility, and the ability to answer “Why are you returning this?” without blurting, “Because it’s ugly.”
5. The Gift’s True Destiny Returning isn’t ungrateful — it’s matchmaking. Somewhere out there, someone wants that neon sweater with the 3D reindeer nose. And bless their festive little heart.
The best gifts never get returned. They are the ones where the giver knows the person well. Knows what they like and knows what they have need of. The best gifts are held close to the heart.
That is why God gave us His only Son, Jesus. He knows us and knew our greatest need was a savior, not a financial wizard or an educator, or anything else, but someone who could pay the price for our sins. (John 3:16)
When one accepts God’s gift, opens it, if you will, and tries it on, there is no doubt that after feeling the release of bondage, will not want to return it. God’s gift also comes with an instruction book, called the Bible, and I strongly recommend reading it from cover to cover. (It would be interesting if IKEA came out with its own version of the Bible. It would have no words but pictures only.) Don’t be like a typical man and put God’s word in a drawer and think that you can have a relationship with God without reading it. Technically, you can, but if you want to enjoy your gift to the fullest extent, then you will want to read it.
“Thank you, God, for the greatest gift ever, and Happy belated Birthday, Jesus! Love you,”
brady, mark a. 