I received this on one of those forwarded emails.  It seemed like a good reminder to all of us.
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Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a Church in Houston , Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area.

When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'
 

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change ' The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'
'Yes' he replied. 'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'
 

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a Quarter'
 

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of
Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself 'Christian.' 

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not PROTECT you...

Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL!

Simplifying.

Spring cleaning the things and activities in my life. 

What things am I called to do? 

What things have I taken on myself that are not my calling?  How do I let these things go, so I can focus on the areas I feel called to?

What things do I have in my possession, that I do not use and that I don't love?  What things do I have, that I spend more time dusting or organizing rather than actually using?

Who could I give these things to, so they are put to use and not wasted on a bookshelf?

Early on in my Christian walk I was in a Women's Bible Study group in which we talked about Mary and Martha. We all strongly identified with one of the women in the story.

At that time in my life, I felt very much like Mary.  I ate, slept and breathed the Bible.  I took all my breaks and lunches in the conference room where I could read the Bible without being interrupted. (Which is more meaningful when you know that I have always been a person who works through her breaks and most of her lunches) I would stay up and read the Bible after the rest of my family had gone to sleep, sometimes until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.  I read the whole Bible in three months. I would pray and worship during my two 45 minutes commutes everyday.  I felt God's presence often during that time.

I couldn't imagine how Martha could be so worried about day-to-day life when Jesus was in her house.  My shock of how Martha was acting was helped by the fact that I have never been a good housekeeper or hostess and tend to prefer spending my time thinking than doing.  

And yet...I have found recently just how much I seem to be acting like Martha at that time in her life. I seem to be worried and upset about many things that "have to be taken care of".  Running from one thing to the next and wondering how I will get it all done.  How could I go from being a "Mary" to being a "Martha?  

We all have different phases in our walk with God. We all have periods where we are not as faithful as we have been. We all change sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad and hopefully we make it back to the good. Only God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Even Mary and Martha change. Between events that were written about in Luke and events described in John. When Lazarus had died Mary and Martha were at completely different phases than they when Jesus was speaking in Mary's house.  

When Jesus came after Lazarus' death, it was Martha who chose to come to him and had the faith that he could ask and God would raise Lazarus from the dead.  Mary stayed home until Jesus called for her.

So, I've realized that, it's not just me who goes through phases. There are many other people in the Bible who change in their walk with God.  Actually there are quite a few of them whose faithfullness wanes as time passes.  I also know several people personally that have gone through phases. 

The woman who brought me to Christ was at one of these low points in her walk with God when I met her, luckily her walk with God was restored and since then she has been used in mighty ways for God's glory.  The closest to my heart is that she started praying for my salvation and she stayed friends with me even though I was on a much different path than her.  When I was ready and she felt the call of the Holy Spirit she introduced me to Christ.  

So the more important question is not am I more like Mary or Martha?  But, since I am like both of them, how do I get back to experiencing the world as a child of God living for His glory and not just as a busy person who happens to know that her eternity is secured?