PUSH and Make a Brand New Ending

There was a man walking alone along a beach. He comes across a bottle with a cork in it. The man picks up the bottle and pulls out the cork and a genie appeared. The genie says to the man, “I’m a little tired today and I can only give you two wishes.”

 

The man says, “That’s OK, two is enough. First, I would like one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account.” Poof – The genie hands the man a paper and says, “Here’s the number to your account.” Next the man says, “Second, I would like to be irresistible to women.” Poof – The genie turned the man into a box of chocolates.

 

The man got a brand new ending, didn’t he?

Carl Bard says, “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”  The ‘woulda, shoulda, couldas’ of life will drive you crazy if you let them. Looking into the rear-view mirror of your life will cause you to ignore the present and collide violently with your future. Amy Tan adds, “If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude.” Powerful, huh?

 

Let me give you an even better way to make a brand new ending. It’s called P.U.S.H. What does that mean? Pray Until Something Happens! When everything seems to be going wrong...Just P.U.S.H. When your job or lack of a job gets you down…Just P.U.S.H. When people don’t do as you think they should…Just P.U.S.H. When your bank account is low and the bill are due…Just P.U.S.H. When people don’t understand you…Just P.U.S.H.

 

Martin Luther once said, “Pray and let God worry.” Wireless connection has been around for thousands of years. It’s called prayer. Of course, it is always better to pray before we make important decisions. But, if we make some bad decisions or wrong timing gets us, we still can P.U.S.H. Heaps and heaps of humbled and broken people have learned with prayer and God, nothing is impossible.

   

Remember God’s expertise in redeeming and lifting. Everyone makes mistakes. However, not everyone has a good ending. Prayer is getting God involved in your circumstance, need, or situation. Positive thinking is fine, but prayer to the God who created us is much better.

 

There was a man in the Bible by the name of Jabez. His name meant 'pain.' His mother named him 'pain' because of his long, painful childbirth. Jabez had a tough start through no fault of his own. He recognized that a name like 'pain' could be a magnet for calamity in his life. He also recognized that he determined whether calamity would come on him or not. He let his past refine him, not define him.

 

Jabez knew the power of prayer. He prayed and a wireless connection was established between himself and God. He asked for gain rather than settle for pain. He asked God to enlarge his land holdings. He asked for God to rule his life rather than for pain to rule his life. He asked for God’s helping hand to lead him through life’s valleys of the shadow of death. God granted him what he requested in prayer.

 

Jabez knew the power of P.U.S.H. He learned his present and future was not going to be determined by his past. Jabez couldn’t change his beginning so, with prayer and God’s help, he made a new ending. We can too. With answered prayer, life is more than a box of chocolates.

 

Ed Delph  CCC   November 13, 2017