The mule in the well!
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule
fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule "braying",
or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully
assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule,
but decided that neither the mule nor the well were worth the
trouble of saving. Instead he called his neighbors together and
told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt
to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and
his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a
thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a
shovel load of dirt landed on his back.....HE SHOULD SHAKE IT
OFF AND STEP UP! This he did blow after blow. "Shake it off and
step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!"
he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the
blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought
"panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
It was not long before the old mule, battered and exhausted,
STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL. What seemed
like it would bury him, actually blessed him.....all because
of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems, respond to them
positively,
and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness or self-pity...
The adversities that come along to bury us usually have within
them the potential to benefit and bless us!
When you go to the pharmacist to get your prescription filled he may mix some ingredients together than in and of themselves are poisonous, but when mixed together make medicine. Take salt for instance, one of the most important minerals we have which is made up of sodium which is very poisonous, and chlorine which is also very poisonous, but mixed together they form salt which is a necessity of life.
THE CERTAINTY OF THE CROSS – WE KNOW
F.B. Meyer once said, “If any promise of God should fail, the heavens would fold the creation would crumble because God could lie. The very simple truth is God can’t lie.
THE COMPLETENESS OF THE CROSS – ALL THINGS
Sweet things work together.
Rom 2:4
4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
This is the easy one to know, to understand that the things we consider to be good here on earth, that God is blessing us with those things.
James 1:17
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Sorrowful things work together.
Not that these things are good but that God can mix them together in our life and work it out for our good.
Jeremiah 24:5
5"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.
Jeremiah 24:7
7I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
God carried away Judah into captivity because in their pain they turned to God with their all their hearts. The tragedy of September the 11th was a very painful thing for us as a country but we have seen a lot of good come from our pain. Not only did it bring a revival of patriotism, and strengthen our unity as a nation, but we have seen many people turn their lives and hearts over to God, and that is good.
Psalms 119:71
71It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
After David had been sick he wrote these words and said he was grateful for his sickness because it turned his attention to God and through his pain he came to appreciate God in a whole new way.
Joseph was sold to gypsies who turn sold him to an Egyptian by the name of Potopher. Who falsely accused Joseph of trying to rape his wife and had him thrown in prison. To say that life wasn’t fair for Joseph is a gross understatement. But even though at times it must have seemed like God had forgotten all about Joseph, He was right in the middle of Joseph’s circumstances. God raised him up to be the second most powerful man in the world and through Joseph God saved the world from a terrible famine. Then when Joseph held his brother’s lives in his hands and could’ve very easily gotten revenge for their evil they had done to him he said this.
Gen 50:20
20But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
You see the chemistry of the cross is this, your enemy may be doing you harm, but God is doing you good.
King Manasseh had a difficult time seeking God and when God spoke to Manasseh he just ignored God.
2 Chronicles 33:10-13
10The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
The hook in Manasseh’s nose did him more good than the crown on his head.
Satanic things work for good.
Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he referred to as a messenger of Satan that God sent to him.
2 Cor 12:7
7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Satan is unwittingly the servant of God.
Illustration: There was a tenant in an apartment building who was a widow woman who loved God dearly. Her landlord on the other hand despised God and her faith. One day she ran out of food and money and with no one to help she turned to God in prayer. She prayed, “Oh dear God please help me in my time of need, I look to you and you alone to provide my needs, now please send me some food, for I’m tired and hungry. The landlord heard the prayer through the wall and though, “ I’ll show her once and for all that God doesn’t care for her, that He doesn’t hear and answer prayers.” So he went to the grocery store and bought a bill of groceries and used his access key to get into her apartment and set the groceries on her dinning room table. When the woman came in and found the groceries she began to praise God and thank Him for answering her prayers. The landlord was listening and went to her apartment and told her she was a religious fool and that God didn’t give her the groceries he said, “I gave you the groceries.” No she said, “Your wrong and I’m right, God sent me these groceries even if He had to send them by the devil.”
Sinful things work for good.
Now no Christian in his right mind is going to go out and willfully sin so God can work it out for his good. That’s not what I’m saying; if you’re bound to sin you’re bound to suffer. This makes me think of Simeon Peter who told the Lord that he would not forsake Him and would even go to death before he turned his back on Jesus.
Luke 22:31
31"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
Peter cursed – wept – and repented, Jesus forgave Peter that sin and afterward used Peter to a greater extent than all the other disciples. This story is an encouragement to me because it teaches me that even though I may fall flat on my face that God can not only restore me but use me to a greater degree than before I feel.
Simple things work for good.
Pharaoh set out to kill all the male babies of the Hebrews because the Jews population was increasing and he feared the Hebrews would take them over. Moses’ mother put him in the Nile river in a basket and Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses who God raised up to bring down Pharaoh’s mighty kingdom.
THE CAUSE BEHIND THE CROSS – ALL THINGS
Eph 1:22
22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
It’s hard for us to imagine how God can be in control of all things, but He is a big God.
Illustration: Martin Luther was one of the most influential leaders of the protestant reformation in the 14th century. This man who used of God in a great way also was given to times of deep dark depression. One time he got really down and depressed and locked himself away in a room and wouldn’t come out for anything or anyone. His wife Kathy tried to coax him out of the room with no success. Finally she went and dressed with a black Vail, and black gloves, totally decked out in black and went into the room with Martin Luther. Martin asked her, “dear Kathy, who died?” She replied, “Why God died, Martin.” Martin jumped to his feet in an outburst of emotion and said, “that’s blasphemy woman how dare you talk like that?” To that she replied, “yes it is Martin, and so is the way you’re living.” He got up out of the room and went and wrote the great gospel hymn “Our God is A Mighty Fortress”.
THE CONDITION OF THE CROSS – WHO LOVE HIM (GOD)
Only those who love God can claim this promise. Those who don’t love God can’t claim this. Others may be able to give more than I can give to God, they may be more talented, have more opportunity, but they can’t love God more than I can. Anybody can love God as much as they want to.
Romans 8:28 can be reversed, to those who don’t love God all things work for evil. They may be living in high cotton now, they may think they’ve got it made in the shade but happens in the end for the person who doesn’t know and love God? Preaching is a good thing but it can work against the person who rejects Christ.
Matthew 10:14-15
14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
That very dust will serve as a witness against them, they will not be able to stand before God and say I didn’t know, no one ever told me. Then the dust of their rejection will be poured out before them, when they rejected the massager they rejected the message and when they rejected the message they rejected God.
Illustration: Point at the door. Is the opening the door, or the piece of wood that fills the opening the door? They are both the door, the opening that lets you in and the piece of wood that keeps you out are both the door. Jesus is the door to salvation, He is either the opening that gets you into heaven, or the restriction that keeps you out. For those who accept Jesus as their savior He is the open door way to heaven. To those who reject Him as their savior He is the closed door of judgment and they will be standing outside of heaven for all eternity. If you don’t love God Romans 8:28 goes into reverse for you.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CROSS - GOOD
What is good? It’s not the things that make you healthy, wealthy and wise. That we be made like Christ. God is not finished with you yet.
Phil 1:6
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
