Let's Play Cards!

It was quiet that day, the guns and mortars and land mines hadn't been heard for some reason. The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?" The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord." The sergeant said, "Looks to me like you're going to play cards." The soldier said, "No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards. The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do that?"

"You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God. The Two represents the two parts of the Bible - Old & New Testaments. The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Four stands for the Four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Five is for the five virgins. There were ten but only five of them were glorified. The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth. The eight is for the family of Noah and his wife - their three sons and their wives - the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth. The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him. The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone. The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's highest angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his prideful and wicked ways and is now the Joker of eternal hell. The ueen stands for the Virgin Mary. The King stands for Jesus, for He is the King of all kings. When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total - one for every day of the year. There are a total of 52 cards in the deck - one for each week in a year. The four suits represent the four seasons - winter, spring, summer and fall.
Each suit has thirteen cards - there are exactly thirteen weeks in each quarter. So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for."

The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?"

--from November/December 2009 issue of Connecticut Cruise News

I Saw Jesus

I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt. He was up at the building we call our church; He was alone and working hard. For just a minute he looked a little like one of the people who regularly attend our church. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his smile.

I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class. He didn’t talk real loud or use long words. But you could tell he believed what he said. For just a minute, he looked like my Sunday School teacher. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his loving voice.

I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For just a minute he looked like the guy I saw at the worship gathering last week. But it was Jesus, I could tell by the tears in his eyes.

I saw Jesus this morning. He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch. For just a minute he looked like my wife. But it was Jesus, I could feel the love from his heart.

I saw Jesus this afternoon. He was cutting the grass in the community where I live. He was smiling and waving at everyone who was driving down our street. It made me feel special even if it was only for a moment. For a minute, I thought it was just another person we paid to keep our community clean. But it was Jesus. No one else has that much joy.

I saw Jesus tonight. He was sitting out in the street looking for someone to help him. For a minute he looked like just another homeless person. But it was Jesus. I could tell by the look of sincere suffering in his eyes.

I see Jesus everywhere. Taking food to the sick, welcoming others to his home, being friendly to a someone who needs love and for just a minute I think he’s someone I know.

But, it’s always Jesus. I can tell by the way He serves.

May someone see Jesus in you today.