Listening

The story has been told of a new commander who was sent to an army fort on the American frontier. He soon was involved in a conference with an important Indian chief. Working through a translator, he nervously asked the chief a number of questions and was surprised to get no reply. After the meeting, he asked the translator why he had gotten no response. The translator replied, “That’s what we call Indian time. He has enough respect for your questions to go away and think about them before answering them.”

Maybe we all need to practice more Indian time.794

Obedience

Selected obedience is not obedience at all; it it merely convenience.922

Obedience, Reasons for

There are many reasons why we may obey someone, including God. What are yours?

Fear? Obeying because you have to?

Reward? Obeying because you get something out of it?

Love? Obeying because you love Christ and your fellowman?926

Protection, Divine

The story has been told of a believer, Frederick Nolan, who was fleeing from his enemies during a time of persecution in North Africa. Pursued by them over hill and valley with no place to hide, he fell exhausted into a wayside cave, expecting his enemies to find him soon.

Awaiting his death, he saw a spider weaving a web. Within minutes, the little bug had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of the cave. The pursuers arrived and wondered if Nolan was hiding there, but on seeing the unbroken and unmangled piece of art, thought it impossible for him to have entered the cave without dismantling the web. And so they went on. Having escaped, Nolan burst out and exclaimed:

“Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall,

Where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.”1108