Marble in a can

Marble In A Can

As a child... did you ever play with marbles?? I did... but, I wasn't very
good at the game... I just liked to play with the marbles... being the rowdy l
ittle kid that I was, one thing I really enjoyed was putting a marble in an
old tin can and RATTLING IT LOUDLY!!!!

Can't you just hear it now?? The harder I shook that old can, the louder
and more insistant the noise became!!! Finally, my mom or my dad would take
the marble away from me.. Why?

Well...it's obvious!!! They didn't want to HEAR IT anymore!

I think that some Christians are like that, in a way..
There are some things they just don't want to hear!

Bear with me now....

Thoughts can be like that marble. Certain thoughts just don't fit it in with
our mental, emotional, or SPIRITUAL peace and quiet!
They are like that marble! They RATTLE and make a noise!!
They DEMAND our attention and they can be very insistant!

I have one for you...

A little marble of thought!

But, before I give it to you, let me ASSURE YOU, that satan the devil
does NOT WANT YOU THINKING on it!!!

I assure you that he will do everything he can to stop you from pondering it!!
from looking at it... from thinking about it... from FOCUSING on it!

I tell you ahead of time.....THERE WILL BE OBJECTIONS!!!
And, unless you are consciously struggling AGAINST
these objections, you will never be able to FOCUS on the topic!!

I'm gonna give you that topic... that thought... that MARBLE!!!

I want you to take it and RATTLE that can loudly!!!

I want the noise and the racket it makes to drown out all the objections to it
and I want you to FOCUS..

It won't be easy! And, if you comment... I'll know whether you are
focusing or not.

Again, it won't be easy!!! Hmmm... suggestions? Yeah, try this:
After you read the THOUGHT,
...grab several peices of paper
and WRITE DOWN all the OBJECTIONS you can think of
and then put them into an envelope and place it as far back in the
dresser drawer as you can.
Close the drawer and leave them there! Then, go back to
pondering the thought!
Shake the can!! Rattle that marble... think about it!
Are you ready??

Marble:
***********
Which would be more difficult for God to accomplish?

For God to become a man?

Or,

For a man to become God?
**********
Ahhh.... feel that?? That rising tide of OBJECTIONS is
trying to surface and DROWN OUT the sound of that
marble as it rattles around in that brain of yours!!!
What will you do? Will you rattle that marble a little more vigorously?
Will you stifle those OBJECTIONS and
actually THINK on this thought? Will you actually FOCUS
on this topic?

Or, will you do what comes naturally?

I wonder how you will handle that little marble!!

Phil Barnes