A lot of  cities  are complaining about a huge monopoly ruining their "Down Town" area of shopping.  I have never believed that the monopoly they are talking about is fully to blame.

When the town we normally shop in just had 'main street' there were many stores but most of the merchants left something to be desired.  First of all they didn't have a public restroom and if you had little children, as we did at that time, you really need one sometimes and fast.  They acted like you were really imposing on them if you asked to use their's. 

Another thing:  Some merchants would either hawk your every step and literally get in your way while you were looking at their merchandise, so anxious to make a sale!  Or....they would be hard to find when you did need one. 

Just recently, after many years of not shopping downtown,  we found out it hasn't changed.  We went to a down town shoe store and the clerk on duty actually made us feel that we were wasting his time, and we were in the store a total of about three minutes.  It was easy to tell that he was anxious to get back to what he was doing before we came in.  He had no other customers in there at the time.  So we let him get back to what he was doing!  We left!

No!  Down Town wasn't killed by this monopoly chain store.  They killed themselves...right down to their Saturday morning sidewalk sales pitch.

Have you ever seen these words in an email? "Send to 10 people if you are not ashamed of Jesus." ?

Is this the way to show that we are not ashamed of Him?  Is this what He says to do to show our affinity with him?  What about the poor souls who have no computer or internet????   No, but it is easier to hit that forward button, isn't it?  ...and then we are good to go, for a week or so...or until we get another one of these forwards.

Yes it is easier to hit that forward button...than to pick up our cross daily and follow Him.

But Jesus said in John 14:15:  "If you love me, you will obey what I command. (NIV)   The King James version says it like this:  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

After all that Jesus did for us how can we even hint that we love Him, if we are not doing what He says to do.

Jesus did say, "if you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father."   We show that we are not ashamed of Him...by becoming one of His followers and doing what He says...not by forwarding some email to ten or more people, no matter how good we think it is.   Have a good day! >