I heard a story about a great violinist
who came to Houston to give a concert.
This violinist had recently spent
thousands of dollars to purchase
a Stradivarius violin.
Naturally, there was a great deal of interest
in this exquisite instrument,
and all the news media carried stories
about this wonderful opportunity
to hear the fabulous music
that such a violin would produce.
The local newspapers ran photographs
of the Stradivarius and published articles
telling about its history and the marvelous
tonal quality of the instrument.
There were few words spoken
about the violinist himself;
most of the praise went to the violin.
Finally the night of the concert arrived.
The orchestra hall was packed.
The audience was thrilled with every note,
and the auditorium filled with
wave after wave of tremendous applause.
When the concert ended, the audience
jumped to their feet
in a prolonged standing ovation.
Then the violinist did something quite shocking.
He took his violin, that beautiful instrument
that had been the source of
such wonderful music all night long,
and lifted it over his head.
After the crowd rose to its feet in adulation,
he brought the instrument down hard
across his knee and broke
the violin into pieces.
A gasp of horror swept through the auditorium.
People wondered if the violinist
had completely lost his mind.
Then he raised his hand to quiet
the crowd and told them,
"This is not my Stradivarius.
I went down to the pawnshop
and bought this violin for ninety-five dollars."
You see, it wasn't so much
the quality of the instrument
that produced the beautiful,
soul-stirring music that night
– it was the quality of
the person playing the instrument.
If you've taken time to do
a personal inventory or identify
the shortcomings in your life,
you may feel, at this point in your life,
like the ninety-five dollar
pawnshop violin living in
a world full of Stradivariuses.
Maybe you've had thoughts like this,
"Boy, if only I had his talent,"
or "If only I had her beauty,"
or "I sure wish I were as smart as she is."
Truth be told, it doesn't matter
if you're not as smart, rich,
clever, or beautiful as some other person.
If your life is held in God's hands,
then you, too, can produce
the most beautiful music imaginable.
The key is to get your focus off yourself
and on to the Great Creator – God!
Let the Master of your soul
create something beautiful
of your life today.
You are continually in the process
of reshaping and fine-tuning my life, Lord God.
Today I will cooperate with You
in that process because
I know that what You produce
will be beautiful and good.
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Our eyes need to be focused on God, His love for humanity, not our love for prestige or labels which make us important; our true talents are what we do for our others, the true heart sees what no man can own - through a heart of love and one for our LORD first & His creations!
Humility is the thread that needs to run through the lives of us all and not one of us can accomplish anything on our own except what God allows. Respond His call to greatness be used to accomplish great things for Heaven.
I believe that in one way or another God is calling all of us to great things. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He can accomplish great things through anyone who is committed to doing His will. I'm not saying that you will become a king or a queen, or even that the world will notice what you do; many things are done quietly behind the scenes. Perhaps one of the greatest things you will ever do is overcome the shadows of your life that have kept you from experiencing the freedom God calls you to so He can help you become all that He intends for you to be.
When we pass from this life into the next, it is there which will matter what we did or who we are in this life, only there will we know what we have actually done with what we were given here.
God doesn't look at outward appearances of mankind; He looks at what's in the heart. He doesn't care as much about what you've done as He does about what you've done with what you were given and what you've become. I'm convinced that when we get to Heaven, we will find that some of the greatest heroes are folks whose names were never in the local newspapers. The world never took note of what they did because they did it quietly, behind the scenes. But God noticed. And He will see that appropriate recognition is given. It may not happen in this life, but it will happen! True value in a person is not from who you know or what you are, it is from a humble, loving, caring heart for God, serving Him to the best of your ability, and using a thankful heart always toward Him.
Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service and character.
* * *
Soften my heart, Lord. Deliver me from callous pride. Empower me to do what's right no matter what opposition I face. Fill me with Your grace I pray. Amen
Please for all God's creation, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of His family, built on the foundation of many long gone now, with HIM as the chief cornerstone. In him our whole building is joined together and rises to become a worthy vessel toward GOD. No one is less worthy before Him because of what you own or are, you are great; you are God's creation!!
*****
I have read that the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy was built from 1173 to 1372. This 12-story, solid marble structure began to lean even before it was completed. Quite significantly, the word "pisa" means "marshy land," which gives some clue as to why—after the first three stories were completed, the ground underneath the tower began to sink. Also, its foundation is only 10 feet deep! Scientists are now working feverishly to keep this massive structure in place. They report that the tower moves about one-twentieth of an inch each year, and is now 17 feet out of plumb. Unless scientists and engineers can fix the foundation, in time this tower will eventually collapse.
It goes without saying that no building is any stronger or surer than its foundation.
Compare the tower of Pisa with its ten-foot foundation, with the foundations of the great European buildings. Some of these foundations go down as far as forty or fifty feet. In some instances, they form a mass of stone below the ground as great as that of the visible building above the ground. To build a great life is like building a great House of Prayer. You start with a sure foundation to make a solid place to enter into. Start with you and Your Creator is the best place to begin.
*****
© Marilyn's Creations-08
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