Imitating the President

President Calvin Coolidge invited some people from his hometown to dinner at the White House. Since they did not know how to behave at such an occasion, they thought the best policy would be just to do what the President did. The time came for serving coffee. The President poured his coffee into a saucer. As soon as the home folk saw it, they did the same. The next step for the President was to pour some milk and add a little sugar to the coffee in the saucer. The home folks did the same. They thought for sure that the next step would be for the President to take the saucer with the coffee and begin sipping it. But the President didn’t do so. He leaned over, placed the saucer on the floor and called the cat.

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Quote

• Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. - James Baldwin

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Doing It Like Daddy

Nine year old Tommy had just received a model ship from his great aunt who lived a considerable distance away. As he looked at the outside of the box and the picture of a completed ship he was anxious to retrieve it from the box and see it up close for himself. When he opened the box, he was dismayed to discover that the ship was in small pieces and had to be put together by hand. His discouragement only heightened when he remembered that his dad was out of town and couldn't help him. He knew his dad would help, if only he was here. As he sat and thought he began to ponder, "What would daddy do if he were here"? He looked around the table and his eyes caught hold of the assembly instructions. He thought, 'daddy would do it right, he would follow the instructions. If I want to do it right, I've got to be like daddy.? With that he followed the instructions carefully and built a beautiful model ship. Later, when his dad saw the finished work and heard what he had done, praised his son for using his head and his heart to do the right thing. We need to think more like our heavenly Father from day to day. That will make the difference between living in victory or defeat. We need to dwell on the instructions he gives us and make them a part of our lives so much that we begin to imitate His Son, Jesus Christ. Thinking like God wants us to think is no small task but it can be done. Nathan Johnson (sermon - Thinking Like God) Philippians 4:8-9