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Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (`12)

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The Final Test.

      Uncle Jeff walked in one wet Saturday afternoon. Sarah was curled up on the sofa reading a book as usual, while Bobby and Betty were playing a card game on the mat in front of the fire. “Ooh, story please!” Betty cried. “Yes please, Uncle Jeff”, Sarah said, just as keen as the little ones this time, “We must be nearly to the end of the  story by now!” “Well now,” said Uncle Jeff sitting down on the couch opposite Sarah, “I seem to remember that Hopeful and Christian had escaped from the Atheist, and then they came to a large smooth plain. It was while they were walking over this that Hopeful got very sleepy, and got slower and slower. ‘All I want to do is to lie down and have a nap’, he said. ‘No, no’ said Christian, ‘You mustn’t do that. We have to be watchful and keep on our way.’ And he pulled Hopeful’s hand and they carried on. ‘Tell me how you came to leave Vanity Fair’, Christian said, ‘Did you see us trapped in the cage there?’ ‘Yes, I did’, he said, ‘And that is what made me feel ashamed and want to leave. While I was feeling like this, I thought I heard Jesus call to me from heaven saying to just believe on Him and I would be saved. So I did. And I felt as though a great burden had left me’. ‘Me too,’ said Christian, ‘That’s how I felt’.

They were soon across the plain and the next valley they came to was covered in beautiful plants and flowers. There were festoons of vines with fruit and flowers all over them. They came to a sign saying, ‘Beulah Land’. ‘I’ve heard of this place’, said Christian, ‘The King has prepared it for His servants so that they may have a glimpse of how beautiful and restful it is in the Celestial City. It can’t be much further to go, I can hardly wait to get there!’ ‘That’s how I feel too’, Hopeful said, ‘Let’s keep going’. A little further on and they saw two shining ones walking among the trees. Somehow they knew that these were angels who were keeping pace with them. These two angels had actually been with them all the way, but they hadn’t seen them until now.”

“Doesn’t the Bible say something about the angel of the Lord being with Christians?” asked Bobby. “That’s right,” said Uncle Jeff, “It says the angel of the Lord camps round about those who love God and delivers them from bad things happening”. “Does that mean I’ve got an angel with me too?” Betty asked. “If you love and obey the Lord Jesus, that is what it says Betty. So just remember that whenever you get afraid of bad things happening”, Uncle Jeff said.

“Anyway, these angels told Hopeful and Christian that there was still another test for them before they could get to the gates of the Celestial City. ‘You will come to a wide river’, they said, ‘and you will each have to get across it on your own. You can’t go together, and we can’t even go with you. We can go to the edge of the river, but there is only One person who will go across it with you. He is the One who has said He will never leave you nor forsake you’.”

“That’s a verse in the Bible too, isn’t it”, said Sarah, “Jesus has given us that promise”. “That’s right”, said Uncle Jeff, “And that is what Christian and Hopeful found for themselves.  ‘Oh, I’ve done some silly things on this trip’, said Christian, ‘You go ahead of me Hopeful’. Hopeful stepped into the water, and began to swim with strong strokes across the river. He went quietly and  determinedly, and soon disappeared from Christian’s sight. He could faintly see the angels waiting on the other side of the river, and knew he should be following his friend. But he felt so alone, and began to wonder if God really was with him. He started swimming and got halfway across when he began to struggle and half sank.  ‘Oh God, where are you?’ he cried.

 Suddenly he felt lighter and happier and was able to swim more strongly. He could almost see what the Celestial City was like, and kept going until his feet touched the bottom. The angels reached out and pulled him to safety. The relief was immense and there was a bright shining light.  ‘Oh’, he cried out loud, ‘I had no idea it was like this!’ He heard the reply from the gates, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers shall not overflow you!’

      They could both see the other side before they got to the far side of the river and it was different for both of them. Hopeful got there peacefully and quietly, while Christian had a struggle on his way, but they both got there and found the King waiting to welcome them in. They saw the bright pearly gates there, and as they each arrived they were given bright white shining clothes to put on.    Everything else just fell off  them. All their aches and pains left them, and as they looked at each other they saw themselves as at the peak of their maturity Their faces were lovely and peaceful with no more lines or marks. Their hair was thick and shining, and all the grey had gone. Yet they still looked the same. They were still the same people, and were filled with a love and peace such as they had never known before. And there waiting to welcome them was the King Himself.

    The whole scene was like nothing that Hopeful and Christian had ever seen or known. It is so wonderful that no-one on earth could ever describe it…earthly words just cannot tell us anything about it. There were so many wonderful things to explore and see that the old world was completely left behind and forgotten. The Bible tells us that the former things (that’s now) will never be remembered once we get to the new heavens and new earth that God is going to make for His people. But that is the end of the story of Christian and Hopeful,” said Uncle Jeff.

Betty sighed loudly. “Oh, that is so wonderful Uncle Jeff, I almost felt like going with Christian myself!” “I suppose we are in a way,” Sarah said thoughtfully, “After all, we are all on the road of life right from when we are born”. “But Christian did such silly things on the way”, said Bobby. “That is such a comfort to us”, Uncle Jeff said, “It just shows us that even when we do wrong things, we can be forgiven if we confess it to the Lord Jesus and He will make everything fresh and new for us. Every single silly thing we have done will be  taken away and never remembered again! So that is the end of our story of Pilgrim’s Progress, and we will leave it there for now!”

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

The Travellers’ Bags….

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     Gran was visiting at Bobby’s  place one day, and the young ones were dying to see her and  hear about her adventures. Gran had just arrived back from an overseas trip and they all wanted to hear about it and to see if she had brought any presents with her. She usually picked up small things that she knew the children would like.

After all the “hellos” had been said and she had relaxed with a cup of tea, they gathered around her, and she said “Oh, it IS good to be back home. But before we look in my bag to see what I’ve brought you, I want to tell you a story I thought of while I was waiting for my flight this morning…..

“I was watching the people all coming in to the airport lounge to sit down and wait for their flights. They were all going somewhere and were all carrying different sorts of bags….some  were big and floppy and others were proper small suitcases with wheels. Others were back packs. As more people came in, they were getting more squashed up together, sitting closer as the seats were being filled up.

The bags were sitting on the floor, by people’s feet, and I imagined they were talking to each other. There was the smart blue bag on wheels with a matching handbag beside it. “Oh!”, it thought to itself, “What a lot of other tatty bags there are here! I’m so glad I don’t look like them! Why, I’ve even got a matching handbag. I’d move further along if I could!” and it gave a bit of a sniff.

Right next to it was a big floppy orange bag. It looked quite old and as though it had once carried baby’s bottles and nappies. It had a warm comfortable look about it. It was thinking to itself, “I wonder where my missus is going with me today. I DO hope there are some children there so I can carry things for them!”

Further along was a large backpack. It had quite an adventurous look about it. It had seen many different places, and had actually got badges from these places stuck on its sides. It looked around and thought to itself, “I’m glad I’ve been around a bit and seen more than these other bags! Look at those two blue bags over there, they look so new that they haven’t had time to see anything yet!”

Next to it was a large business case. It had been to the office all week and was going back to its home. It thought to itself, “Oh dear, I’ve had such a busy week. But I know a lot of important business has been done and I’ve been able to carry all the papers and the laptop to help get these things done. If I hadn’t been doing this the business meetings wouldn’t have been able to be held. But I WILL be glad to get home for the weekend!”

There was one last bag I could see. It was an ordinary looking bag, neither too big nor too small, not too new nor too old. It looked as though it belonged to someone very organised. I imagined it was thinking to itself, “I’m so glad I know where I’m going. I’ve got the passport ready and the plane ticket is tucked into my inside pocket along with the boarding pass, and my owner knows where it all is!”

The call came to board the plane, and the people all picked up their bags and moved  towards the boarding lanes.

The two blue bags said to each other, “I DO hope we aren’t piled into the cabin ports too close to these other bags, they might scratch our nice new shiny look!”

The big orange floppy bag with the comfortable look thought to itself, “Oh, it’s going to be such fun when the little ones see the presents I’m bringing for them, I can’t wait to get there!”

The backpack was anxious to get on its way and thought to itself, “I wonder what adventures I’ll have tomorrow! I don’t mind if I get squished into the overhead compartment, so long as I can get going!”

The business case thought, “I’m so glad I was able to be part of that big business deal we did this week, what a big improvement it’s going to make for everyone!”

The last case thought, “I’m so glad I’m not a great big bag that will have to be stowed in the overhead compartment. I’m all ready to go and I know where I’m going!”

I couldn’t help thinking these bags are just like we are sometimes. We feel so pleased with ourselves, and think we are smarter and more classy than other people (the blue bags). Or are we just happy to be able to help people and to take things that will give them pleasure? (the floppy orange bag)  Or are we too busy doing our own thing and wanting to go places to be able to help others?  Maybe we might want to do or see something new too badly  to think about helping other people. Especially when they have been away on holiday, do we take the time to ask them what it was like and what they did? (the backpack)

We could be thinking about other people and what they’ve been doing and not just thinking what WE’VE been doing! This was what the business bag was like. Even though he often felt tired, he knew that what he was doing was good for others.

But the last bag had the best place of all. It knew where it was going and it was all ready for the trip with its ticket and boarding pass right at hand”

“What a neat story!” Sarah said, “I don’t know how you think of all these things, Gran!”.

“Is that all there is?” asked Betty who had been listening with her mouth open, “I want to be like the last bag!!”

“Well,” said Gran, “All those bags sitting by their owners’ feet just reminded that it’s always good to put others first because this is what pleases God. But the best of all is to know where we are going when we die and to know that we are ready for this trip. So many people trust in their good looks and their good deeds, or in being kind. Others are just too busy and have too much to do and see to think about God. Still others are too busy working in their offices and making money to have time for God’s things. So I just want you to make sure that you are like the sensible bag and know where we are going at the end of our life and that we are ready for the trip!”

“Sure will!” said Bobby, “What did you bring us in your bag Gran?”

“Let’s have a look,” said Gran, “and every time you see these things just remember the story about the bags and the sort of people they are like!”

Random Devotional Thoughts

God Knows.

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 lily                                                     “As for God, His way is perfect” (2 Samuel 22:31)….this thought has been running around in my head ever since hearing that a young friend had an inoperable brain tumour. A godly young man, newly married, with the promise of a life to serve God all his days, to be struck down like this! We do not understand the ways of God. We are told that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not our thoughts  (Isaiah 55:8-9).

We know that we are told to pray earnestly and in company of others seeking the same thing, but we have to remember that God is Sovereign…each one of us belong to Him and He has control over us….we cannot demand things of Him, even when our wishes seem to line up with Scripture. Our times are in His hands…everything we have has come from Him, and we are to hold them lightly, not grasping them and saying, “They are mine!” We have to be thankful for the good things we have and have had in the past, and be ready to yield them up to the One who gave them to us.

It is so hard to know what to say to the family concerned that will be a comfort to them. They know all the Scriptures, they have faith that God can and does heal at times, but there are many godly people who have had to watch their loved ones slip away leaving them bereft… they have only God to turn to then and He can be more precious to them than ever.

What more can be said? We can only say in our prayers the words of our Lord Jesus….”Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will!”  (Matthew 26:39)