Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He
loved his fourth wife the most, because she was the most beautiful one amongst
his other wives, and gave her a lot of his riches and wealth.
This man was very proud of his third wife and always tried to
introduce her to all his friends, though he was always worried if his wife would
run away with other guy. He loved his second wife very much, because she was
patient and understanding. Whenever he had problem, he always asked for her
opinion; she was the one he could rely on. Through difficult times, the second
wife always helped and was always by her husband's side.
His first wife was a faithful partner. She always brought goodness
for the family. She was the one who took care and organized her husband's
business. Unfortunately, the merchant did not love her that much. Although the
first wife loved the merchant so much, he did not really care about
her.
One day, the merchant was very sick and realized that he was going
to die soon; so he called for all his wives. He asked his fourth wife, "You are
the one I love the most, I gave you beautiful dresses and jewelries. Would you
accompany me?" His wife was stuck shut, then she answered him, "Of course I
wouldn't!" then she left without another word. That answer hurt the merchant's
heart so much. Then, he asked his third wife, "I too love you with all my heart
and, this time, my life will be over. Would you go with me?" The wife answered,
"Life is so beautiful here, I will marry again if you die." The merchant was
very struck with her saying. Again, he asked his second wife, "I always turned
to you every time I have problems and you always helped me. Now, I really need
your help. If I die, would you stand beside me?" The wife quietly answered,
"Please forgive me," she said, "I cannot help you this time. I can only see to
your grave. However, I'll make a beautiful burial plot for you." The answer was
like a striking lightning. The merchant felt so hopeless. Suddenly, he heard a
voice, "I will stay with you. I'll go wherever you go. I won't leave you, I'll
be faithful to you." The merchant looked to his side and saw his first wife
there. She looked so thin, like a person in starvation. Feeling very sorry, the
merchant whispered, "If only I could take care of you while I could, you won't
look like this my wife."
In this life, we all have 4 wives. The fourth wife is our body. No
matter how much time and money we spent to make it look beautiful and handsome,
everything will be gone. It would quickly leave us when we passed away. There
will not be any beauty left when we see Him face to face. The third wife is our
social status and wealth. When we passed away, everything that we have will be
others'. It will leave and forget its owner. Our second wife is our relatives
and friends. No matter how close our relationship to them, they will not be with
us forever. They will only accompany us to our grave. The first wife is our soul
and truth. Maybe we often ignore and forget about them for the sake of wealth
and our personal pleasure. However, the truth is that, only our soul and our
truth that will always be and be faithful to us wherever we go. If our soul
clings to Jesus and we do good deeds in truth, it will lead us to eternal
life.
Daily Smile:
For all of us who are---seniors---
for all of you who know seniors---
and for all of you who will be seniors.
It pays to be able to laugh about it when you are a senior!
'Where Is My Paper?'
The irate customer calling the newspaper offices, loudly demanded to know where her Sunday edition was.
'Ma'am, said the employee, today is Saturday.The Sunday paper is not delivered 'til Sunday.'
There was quite a pause on the other end
of the phone, followed by a ray of recognition.
'So that's why no one was in church today.'
for all of you who know seniors---
and for all of you who will be seniors.
It pays to be able to laugh about it when you are a senior!
'Where Is My Paper?'
The irate customer calling the newspaper offices, loudly demanded to know where her Sunday edition was.
'Ma'am, said the employee, today is Saturday.The Sunday paper is not delivered 'til Sunday.'
There was quite a pause on the other end
of the phone, followed by a ray of recognition.
'So that's why no one was in church today.'
In The News:
North Korean Church Leaders Ask for Prayer Amid War Preparations
North Korean church leaders are asking Christians worldwide to pray for their country amid increased war threats and combat preparation by North Korean military officials, Open Doors USA reports. According to underground Christians, there is a war-like atmosphere in the country: "We are to meet the decisive battle with a gun in one hand and a hammer in the other," said one Christian leader, summarizing the message North Korean people recently received from the high command. "The military army, navy, air force troops, strategic rocket troops, the red guards and the red youth guards are already in combat mode. Urgent meetings are being held everywhere, regardless if it is day or night. At those meetings, officials make decisions on what needs to happen in case war breaks out and everyone, including women, needs to be combat ready." The leader said North Korean Christians and other citizens feared war and its consequences, and requested prayers from believers worldwide: "I would like to thank the many brothers and sisters around the world for their continuous love and support. We know that our journey will not be an easy one, but we are sure that our faith, desperate hope and passionate desire will some day bear many fruit. No matter how difficult life is for us, we never blame or complain about our circumstances. God has promised us in the Bible that if we seek His kingdom first, all other things will be given to us as well. Please pray for us."
Ohio School Takes Down Jesus Portrait Under Legal Threat
A portrait of Jesus that had adorned a southern Ohio public school district building since 1947 has been taken down after officials decided they could not risk losing a lawsuit to the American Civil Liberties Union, Fox News reports. The portrait had been in the middle school entranceway's "Hall of Honor" along with other portraits of famous local residents and alumni, and had recently been moved to the high school building. Phil Howard, superintendent of Jackson City Schools, said the decision was made after the district's insurance company declined to cover litigation expenses, and a student club that owns the portrait took it down Wednesday morning at Howard's direction. "At the end of the day, we just couldn't roll the dice with taxpayer money," Howard said. "When you get into these kinds of legal battles, you're not talking about money you can raise with bake sales and car washes. It's not fair to take those resources from our kids' education." The ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation had sued on behalf a student and two parents, calling the portrait an unconstitutional promotion of religion in a public school. An ACLU spokesman says the lawsuit remains in effect, but will be dropped if the portrait stays down.
Nearly Half of Young Women Live With Boyfriend Prior to Marriage
Nearly half of women ages 15 to 44 say their "first union" was cohabitation rather than marriage, according to a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA Today reports. As a first union, 48 percent of women moved in with their male partner, up markedly from 43 percent in 2002 and 34 percent in 1995. Just 23 percent of first unions were marriages, down from 30 percent in 2002 and 39 percent in 1995. "Instead of marriage, people are moving into cohabitation as a first union," said demographer Casey Copen, the report's lead author. "It's kind of a ubiquitous phenomenon now." Experts say the numbers show living together is increasingly being used as a "testing ground" for marriage. Within three years of cohabiting, 40 percent of women had transitioned to marriage, 32 percent remained living together and 27 percent had broken up. The median duration of first cohabitation is 22 months, up from 20 months in 2002 and 13 months in 1995. The report also found that 19 percent of women became pregnant and gave birth in the first year of a first premarital cohabitation.
Pakistan Court Overturns Blasphemy Conviction, Death Sentence
A Pakistan court this week threw out the 2007 conviction of a Christian man sentenced to death for offending Islam, World Watch Monitor reports. Younis Masih is at least the second Christian accused of blasphemy that Pakistani judges have exonerated since the country's Supreme Court threw out a high-profile blasphemy case against a teenaged girl that drew worldwide attention. On Wednesday, an appeals court in Lahore announced it had acquitted Masih of the blasphemy charge, which arose from an argument during an interfaith meeting in September 2005. The decision came five weeks after Masih's attorney, civil rights advocate Naeem Shakir, presented evidence during a two-day hearing that the 2007 conviction was based on hearsay. Though now a free man, Masih, 42, remained in Central Jail Mianwali on Wednesday as his advocates considered how and where to safely return him to his family and to open Pakistani society.
North Korean church leaders are asking Christians worldwide to pray for their country amid increased war threats and combat preparation by North Korean military officials, Open Doors USA reports. According to underground Christians, there is a war-like atmosphere in the country: "We are to meet the decisive battle with a gun in one hand and a hammer in the other," said one Christian leader, summarizing the message North Korean people recently received from the high command. "The military army, navy, air force troops, strategic rocket troops, the red guards and the red youth guards are already in combat mode. Urgent meetings are being held everywhere, regardless if it is day or night. At those meetings, officials make decisions on what needs to happen in case war breaks out and everyone, including women, needs to be combat ready." The leader said North Korean Christians and other citizens feared war and its consequences, and requested prayers from believers worldwide: "I would like to thank the many brothers and sisters around the world for their continuous love and support. We know that our journey will not be an easy one, but we are sure that our faith, desperate hope and passionate desire will some day bear many fruit. No matter how difficult life is for us, we never blame or complain about our circumstances. God has promised us in the Bible that if we seek His kingdom first, all other things will be given to us as well. Please pray for us."
Ohio School Takes Down Jesus Portrait Under Legal Threat
A portrait of Jesus that had adorned a southern Ohio public school district building since 1947 has been taken down after officials decided they could not risk losing a lawsuit to the American Civil Liberties Union, Fox News reports. The portrait had been in the middle school entranceway's "Hall of Honor" along with other portraits of famous local residents and alumni, and had recently been moved to the high school building. Phil Howard, superintendent of Jackson City Schools, said the decision was made after the district's insurance company declined to cover litigation expenses, and a student club that owns the portrait took it down Wednesday morning at Howard's direction. "At the end of the day, we just couldn't roll the dice with taxpayer money," Howard said. "When you get into these kinds of legal battles, you're not talking about money you can raise with bake sales and car washes. It's not fair to take those resources from our kids' education." The ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation had sued on behalf a student and two parents, calling the portrait an unconstitutional promotion of religion in a public school. An ACLU spokesman says the lawsuit remains in effect, but will be dropped if the portrait stays down.
Nearly Half of Young Women Live With Boyfriend Prior to Marriage
Nearly half of women ages 15 to 44 say their "first union" was cohabitation rather than marriage, according to a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA Today reports. As a first union, 48 percent of women moved in with their male partner, up markedly from 43 percent in 2002 and 34 percent in 1995. Just 23 percent of first unions were marriages, down from 30 percent in 2002 and 39 percent in 1995. "Instead of marriage, people are moving into cohabitation as a first union," said demographer Casey Copen, the report's lead author. "It's kind of a ubiquitous phenomenon now." Experts say the numbers show living together is increasingly being used as a "testing ground" for marriage. Within three years of cohabiting, 40 percent of women had transitioned to marriage, 32 percent remained living together and 27 percent had broken up. The median duration of first cohabitation is 22 months, up from 20 months in 2002 and 13 months in 1995. The report also found that 19 percent of women became pregnant and gave birth in the first year of a first premarital cohabitation.
Pakistan Court Overturns Blasphemy Conviction, Death Sentence
A Pakistan court this week threw out the 2007 conviction of a Christian man sentenced to death for offending Islam, World Watch Monitor reports. Younis Masih is at least the second Christian accused of blasphemy that Pakistani judges have exonerated since the country's Supreme Court threw out a high-profile blasphemy case against a teenaged girl that drew worldwide attention. On Wednesday, an appeals court in Lahore announced it had acquitted Masih of the blasphemy charge, which arose from an argument during an interfaith meeting in September 2005. The decision came five weeks after Masih's attorney, civil rights advocate Naeem Shakir, presented evidence during a two-day hearing that the 2007 conviction was based on hearsay. Though now a free man, Masih, 42, remained in Central Jail Mianwali on Wednesday as his advocates considered how and where to safely return him to his family and to open Pakistani society.
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