Issue 26 [October 31, 2010]
Miracle - 1. act of God: an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God
2. amazing event: an event or action that is amazing, extraordinary, or unexpected
It'll be a miracle if we get there on time.
3. marvelous example: something admired as a marvelous creation or example of a particular type of science or skill
a miracle of modern engineering
The Price Of A Miracle - Unknown
Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and our house.
Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now." Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor
and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was to busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said Without waiting for a reply to his question. "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you, "the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents-the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.
Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need." That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery.
The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle."
I wonder how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a
miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law...... (A TRUE STORY)
We can talk of miracles. Many in the world has heard of “The Miracle on 34th Street”. Everybody knows what the definition is and some has probably even seen a miracle in their lifetime. Growing up in church, I have heard of miracles of people that faced overwhelming opposition, ones that had faced the barrel of a gun but when the hammer dropped, it didn’t go off.
Miracles of when a baby was still-born, someone prayed and it was brought back to life. How about a family that didn’t have food to eat, but the father had everyone to sit down and say grace. Shortly there was a knock on the door. The local grocery store owner said “Something told me to bring you this food, I don’t know why”.
How about a child dying of an incurable disease and because a man humbled himself and prayed, the child was healed completely. How about a family that the bank was coming to foreclose on their home but because of humbleness and prayer, God sent them the money.
I am not even touching the tip of the iceberg in discussing miracles. You could sit down and write a whole library full of books concerning miracles that God has done for his people. The world could not contain all the writing about Jesus.
I would like to tell you about the greatest miracle of all; The miracle of mercy. It was mercy that allowed me to live when I should have died. It was mercy that delivered me from alcoholism and drug addiction. Although I still have the scars of my past sins (nerve e damage, stuttering when I speak, and I fight to keep my track of thought. I am a product of mercy.
Scripture says "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." I was just such a man, but God showed me mercy and ALLOWED me to come back to the house of God. I feel the overwhelming urge to continually show my gratitude to Him because of it. I am sorry to say that many are on the road to no return and will never find their way back home.
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Scripture For Your Basket
Proverbs 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Luke 1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Romans 9:15-16 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shown no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
The Holy Bible, King James Version. Pradis CD-ROM: Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 1994.
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Editors Comments:
We need to get a grasp on our spiritual walk and realize what it TRULY means to be a Christian. When we should have been thrown away, God reached down and give us another chance. When we didn't deserve mercy, mercy was granted unto us.
When we stumble many countless times, he puts us on the potters wheel when he could have just as easily thrown the clay away!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY -
This newsletter had its one year anniversary during the month of October.
I wish to thank each and every one who has helped to make this newsletter such a success. It is your continued support of me and this newsletter which makes it possible to reach out to others. Be it financially, moral support, your prayers, or just a little encouragement thru a pat on the back, we are able to keep up the good fight.
We all can not be preachers, teachers or pastors, but one thing we can all be is a prayer warrior and a witness. With your continued support, you are just as much a part of this newsletter as the one who writes, publishes or edits. Although our name may never be in lights, its the "unsung heroes" who make it what it is today! Thanks and God Bless. Sincerely, JW Grisham
