 The superintendent of an iron foundry in Philadelphia was showing a friend through the various departments. In the machine shop an immense beam of steel suspended from the roof got the attention of his friend. He tried to push it but was unable to make it budge, whereupon the superintendent said, “Would you like to see me start that beam to swinging with the aid of a small cork?” “Yes,” he answered. “O.K., if you can give me twenty minutes we will get it moving.”
The superintendent told one of his workers to get a cork and suspend it by a thread parallel with the beam. This being done he set the cork into motion so that it struck the beam in the center. For ten minutes the tiny cork kept swinging backward and forth striking always in the same place and the immense steel beam began to tremble, and before the twenty minutes had passed, was swinging like the pendulum of a clock. The cork consistently striking the huge steel beam had caused it to vibrate until the whole mass was set in motion. Never underestimate the power of little things. Everything begins small. A small acorn becomes a mighty oak tree. The small kernel of corn produces a cornstalk which produces ears of corn where each ear creates hundreds of seeds which in turn repeat the process. Stop and consider the power that is in a small seed. It can multiply itself a thousand times, feed a family, put money in the bank, and make a person successful. Consider love as a seed, hate as a seed, money a seed, and giving to others as a seed. A seed is anything that can multiply itself to become more. If you sow the seed of love into others, love will come back to you in many ways. If you sow the seed of kindness to your neighbor you will reap it abundantly. When we sow monetary seeds into the work of God we reap financial blessings. Let’s listen to what Jesus taught: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom; For with the same measure that ye give withal, it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). He is saying that whatever we sow we can expect to reap. The outcome of your future is determined by the seeds you plant today. Many like to blame others for their bad circumstances, but actually, they are reaping the harvest of their seeds. The law of sowing and reaping is as natural as the law of gravity. Nobody can escape these silent laws. “Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The good news is if a person has sown bad seeds there is forgiveness and he can start sowing good seeds into his future. There is a new life ready to spring up within the life of every person. The reason God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world, was for this very purpose. God sowed Him in the earth to give us a new shot at life. Every person that receives Christ experiences new life. For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com  The story is told of two artists who were putting the finishing touches on a painting high up on a scaffold in a church. The younger artist stepped back to admire their work and became enraptured with the beauty of what they had created. His master saw the young man’s excitement and realized that in the emotion of the moment he was stepping back toward the edge of the scaffold. Just one more step and he would plunge to his death. Afraid that he would frighten his student by a warning cry the master deliberately splashed paint across the painting. The young artist lunged forward in shock shouting, “What have you done? Why did you do that?” Upon hearing the reason, his anger melted into tears of thanksgiving.
Sometimes God uses trials to get our attention to protect us from ourselves, especially from our naïve enthusiasm that could lead to disaster. We need to have a different perspective about trials. Instead of seeing them as bad we must look at them as something that could possibly be for our benefit. When God wants to drill a man, and thrill a man, and skill a man, when God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part, when He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man that all the world shall be amazed, watch His method, watch His ways, how He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects. Watch how He hammers him and hurts him and with mighty blows converts him into trial shapes of clay which only God understands, while his tortured heart is crying and he lifts heavy hands. How He bends but never breaks when His good He undertakes. How He uses whom He chooses and with every purpose fuses. God knows what His man is all about. The trials of our faith are like God’s ironing. When the heat of a trial is applied to our lives the wrinkles of spiritual immaturity begin to smooth out. A big lesson I have learned is: it is great to attend church and Bible study, to sit and soak up the truth of God’s word like a sponge. But, a sponge works best after it is squeezed out. Wilson Johnson, founder of Holiday Inn said, “When I was forty years old I worked in a sawmill. One morning the boss told me I was fired. Discouraged and depressed, I felt like my world had caved in. When I told my wife what had happened, she asked me what I was going to do. I replied, ‘I’m going to mortgage our little home and go into the building business.’ My first venture was the construction of two small buildings. Within five years I was a multimillionaire! At the time it happened I didn’t understand why I was fired. But later I saw that it was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get me into the way of His choosing.” I love stories like this, but who likes going through them? But they are necessary. To find gold, more dirt will be moved than gold, but when a nugget is found it has been worth it all. The testing of your faith may be painful, but that’s okay; the end result is golden. For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com  On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. It leans slightly to one side, beaten slick and thin by the blast of time. The stone bears an epitaph not easily seen unless you stoop over and look closely. It reads: BENEATH THIS STONE, A LUMP OF CLAY, LIES ARABELLA YOUNG, WHO ON THE TWENTY-FOURTH OF MAY BEGAN TO HOLD HER TONGUE. To the physician the tongue is merely a two-ounce slab of membrane enclosing a complex array of muscles and nerves that enable our bodies to chew, taste, swallow.
It is also the major organ of communication that enables us to articulate distinct sounds so we can understand each other. Without the tongue no mother could sing here baby to sleep. No ambassador could adequately represent his nation. No teacher could stretch the minds of students. No officer could lead his men into battle. No attorney could defend his client. No pastor could preach the Word of God. Our entire world would be reduced to unintelligible grunts and shrugs. Seldom do we pause to realize just how valuable this hidden muscle in our mouth really is. (Take from Charles R. Swindoll, Growing strong in the seasons of life; page 21). The tongue is as volatile as it is vital. James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote: “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” (James 3:6). Yep, it can be a lethal, flaming missile which assaults with hellish power, blistering and destroying at will. And yet it doesn’t look anything like the cold deadly barbarian that it is. Neatly hidden behind ivory palace gates, its movements are an intriguing study all by itself. It can curl itself either into a foxy whistle or manipulate a lazy afternoon yawn. It can flick a husk of popcorn from between two teeth or hold a thermometer just right. It can help to enjoy the flavor of a peppermint stick as it switches from side to side without once getting nipped. But watch out! Just let your finger get smashed or your toe get clobbered and that slippery muscle in your mouth will suddenly play the flip side of its nature. It will shock the senses of the most disciplined persons. Again, James writes: “The tongue no man can tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:8-10). Many have offered their counsel on how to keep the tongue under control, but the slippery thing just won’t behave itself. It is a world all to its own. And since our tongue is directly hardwired to our mind it speaks in behalf of our mind. Therefore, the tongue can only be brought under control when the mind is controlled. Some recommend pharmaceuticals, others therapy, but the true lasting change is evident when Christ enters our hearts. - J. C. is pastor of Joy Christian Ministries W. Sac. |
Pastor J.C. Myers, III
Pastor J.C. founded Joy Christian Ministries in 1992. He was Sr. Pastor at Joy Christian Ministries in West Sacramento, California from 1992-2016. He was succeeded by his 2nd son, Pastor Brandon Myers who had been under his father's ministry and teaching for 39 years. Archives
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Joy Church is a Jesus loving, Spirit filled, Christian church in West Sacramento, California. We exist to 'Lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.' We are a church that honors the Holy Spirit, a church that wins souls, a church that makes no apologies and feels no guilt for believing the Bible, and a church that is a blessing to your family and to this nation.
Joy Church is a Jesus loving, Spirit filled, Christian church in West Sacramento, California. We exist to 'Lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.' We are a church that honors the Holy Spirit, a church that wins souls, a church that makes no apologies and feels no guilt for believing the Bible, and a church that is a blessing to your family and to this nation.
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825 Sunset Ave. West Sacramento, CA 95605
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