But He (Christ) said to me, "My
grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
When General Lee came up the road toward Gettysburg,
there was a German lady named Hannah, who tried to protect her town. She grabbed
a broom and stood in the middle of the road to block the Southern Army. With
smiles the Confederates gently moved her to the side.
Years later, Hannah explained, "I didn't think I could
do anything, but I wanted them to know what side I was on."
Last month, up around Anchorage, Alaska, an
85-year-old lady, Dorothea Murphy showed the world whose side she was on.
Taking his golden retrievers with him, her husband, a
retired bush pilot, had gone out for a walk. He hadn't gone far before the dogs
alerted, and he spotted a moose. At the same time the moose spotted him.
The husband, George, dove into a snow bank for
protection. It didn't help much. The moose started to stomp him.
That's when 97-pound, 5-foot-tall Dorothea went into
action. She grabbed a grain shovel and started to hit the moose. She hit the
moose in the body and in the head, and the moose beat a retreat.
Understand, hitting a moose with a shovel is not a
recommended practice in Alaska -- or anywhere else. Even so, Dorothea felt she
had to show whose side she was on.
It was sort of like Moses at Pharaoh's court, King
David standing before the giant Goliath or the apostles taking their first steps
to bring the story of the Savior's salvation to the Roman world.
Each of these had to show whose side they were on.
I guess anyone who has really seen the commitment and
compassion, the surrender and the sacrifice of the Savior cannot remain unmoved.
That's why when the chips are down and a challenge presents itself, the Holy
Spirit empowers us to action -- to do what is necessary so we might show whose
side we are on.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, You have told us to take a
stand for the Saviors who gave His life, so we might be forgiven and saved.
There are times when taking that stand can be mighty intimidating. At such
moments, replace our fear with a desire to show the world whose side we are on.
This I pray in my Savior's Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries
http://www.lhm.org/
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