Warned for a Purpose: For a Purpose, #3

By Pauline Youd

"Look carefully, then, how you walk! Live purposefully, worthily, and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise, sensible, and intelligent people." (Ephesians 5:15)
The stories in this book illustrate the relationship between attitudes and actions. Each character is tagged with a description of his basic life attitude. The story then tells how this works out in life. The characters are Gullible Eve, Foolish Lot, Greedy Achan, Rebellious Samson, and Conceited Nebuchadnezzar. During their lifetimes, each had the opportunity to ask for God's help. Only one allowed God to change his attitude and thereby discovered the narrow path that leads to life. Two discovered that same path but not in time to change their earthly course. Two persisted in the way they were, with no change. These choices are also open to all of us.
The book is appropriate for families and individuals age 12 and older.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pauline Youd
• Release date: Feb 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465817372

Pauline Youd

I like to write, read, teach, sing, play the piano, swim, cook, play in the yard, and walk by the ocean. I prefer coloring books to plain paper, summer to winter, daytime to nightime, and morning to afternoon. I like large families, but I prefer to visit with one friend at a time. I love to study the Bible and discuss what God is doing in the world today, but I can't handle really scary adventure novels. I am more interested in people and animals than in rocks and plants. I tutor reading and writing and prefer second graders. I live with my husband Bill and cat Sasha in the center of California.

Book preview

Warned for a Purpose

by

Pauline Youd

Published by Pauline Youd at Smashwords

Copyright © 2012 by Pauline Youd

Smashwords License Notes

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Contents

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

GULLIBLE EVE

FOOLISH LOT

GREEDY ACHAN

REBELLIOUS SAMSON

CONCEITED NEBUCHADNEZZAR

ATTITUDE CHECK

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Sin has many names. Some we are sure of, like murder, child molestation, prostitution, stealing, and drug abuse. Others, we may be less certain about. Into that category fall lying, cheating, and choices concerning our bodies: homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and abortion. There are still more names for sin, but at these we would scratch our heads and say, Maybe he didn’t do what he should have, but I wouldn’t call it ‘sin.’ Everybody does that!

I remember the first time someone pointed out to me that the Bible called my bad attitude sin. Imagine that! I thought an attitude was something you inherited like Irish temper, Jewish persistence, or German stubbornness. A person could change his actions and sometimes hide his true feelings, but his basic life attitude was set in concrete. Not so! The Bible says if a person can’t control his basic life attitude, he has a life-controlling problem.

The stories in this book illustrate the relationship between attitudes and actions. One story tells of an ordinary person whose attitude problem affected an entire nation. Another tells of an egotistical, self-centered military leader. One character is a king who thought he was one of the gods. Still another is the first woman to want liberation. One man failed to recognize that his walk and his talk were completely out of sync. All were real people, just as we.

Each person, during his lifetime, had the opportunity to ask for God’s help. Some allowed God to change their attitudes, and they discovered the narrow path that leads to life. Others also discovered that same path, but not in time to change their earthly course. Still others persisted in what they were, with no change at all. These choices are also open to you.

Could your story be written here? How would you describe your basic life attitude so far?

Read on and see if you hear any of God’s warnings to you in the stories of Gullible Eve, Greedy Achan, Foolish Lot, Rebellious Samson, and Conceited Nebuchadnezzar.

GULLIBLE EVE

The woman smiled and stretched as if awakening from a long, pleasant dream. A deep sense of peace and an overwhelming joy surrounded her. She opened her eyes for the first time. There in front of her knelt a creature she instantly recognized as one like herself. He looked the same, not exactly, but as she glanced around she didn't see another creature like them.

At last! the one like her exclaimed. You are part of my own bone and flesh.

He gently took her hands and helped her stand. He stroked her hair. I’ve waited for you a long time, he said. I will call you ‘woman,’ because God made you from me. My name is Adam.

Adam, the woman repeated. The sound of her first word excited her and she said it over and over.

The man laughed and hugged her. Thank you, Creator God! he said. Thank you for making this woman for me.

Although the woman could not see the Creator to whom Adam spoke, she felt his presence so she also thanked him for making Adam. She couldn’t imagine this new life without him.

Other creatures came to welcome the woman. Adam petted, scratched, and tussled each one, calling it by name. The woman giggled as the wooly ones nuzzled against her legs. Sleek ones leaned against her. Prickly ones approached slowly, allowing her to reach out to them. The woman buried her fingers in the thick wool and fur, but cautiously touched the sharp quills.

Oh look, she exclaimed as a mother monkey proudly displayed her baby. Adam laughed at her recognition that this creature looked so much like them. The mother monkey clutched her baby to her breast, then with loud, high-pitched screeches scampered up a vine into a tree.

Noisy flying creatures fluttered in nearby trees and bushes. Adam held out his hand and a small red bird flew to him and perched near the end of his finger. The creature made a whistling noise and Adam imitated it perfectly, pushing air through his pursed lips. Then he lifted his finger and the bird flew off.

Come, Adam said, taking the woman by