There is a beautiful story about a child playing with a vase his mother had left
on the table for a few moments. When the mother turned at the sound of her son
crying she saw that his hand was in the vase and was apparently stuck. She tried
to help him and pulled and pulled until the child cried out in pain. But the
hand was stuck fast. How would they get it out?
The father suggested breaking the vase but it was quite valuable and the child's
hand might be cut in the process. Yet he knew that if all else failed there
would be no other alternative. So he said to the boy, "Now, let's make one more
try. Open your hand and stretch your fingers out straight, like I'm doing, and
then pull!" "But Dad," said the boy, "if I do that I'll lose my penny!"
The boy had had a coin in his hand all the time and was holding it securely in
his tight little fist. And he wasn't prepared to open his hand and lose the
penny. But once he opened his hand it came out of the vase easily.
What are you holding onto so tightly as to hinder your walk with Jesus?
That vase can be likened to the entrance to the Kingdom of God. It is narrow but
quite easy to pass in, but first you must *open* your hand to God and allow
earthly things to fall. If we keep our fists closed and hold fast to what we
have and keep it for ourselves, we will be unable to take hold of the "Hand of
God"!
We arrived with nothing and will depart the same way. Jesus told the parable of
the rich man who wanted to build bigger barns to store his grain and goods. But
God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' We need to be on guard,
or the things we own will begin to own us. It is our own clenched fist that
makes us a prisoner. Open your hand to the hand of God.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Sherry M. Keith-Rudd
Inspirationalnet@netscape.net
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.