Shipwreck

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at  sea and only two of the
men on it were able to swim to a small, deserted island.  The two
survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other
recourse but to pray to God.

 However, to find out whose prayer  was more powerful, they agreed to
divide the territory between them and stay on  opposite sides of the
island.

 The first thing they prayed for  was food.

 The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing  tree on his side 
of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's  parcel of
land remained barren so he went hungry.

 After a week,  the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a
wife.

 The  next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a
woman who swam  to his side of the land. On the other side of the
island, there was  nothing.

 Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and  more food. The next
day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However,  the second
man still had nothing.

 Finally, the first man prayed  for a ship, so that he and his wife could
leave the island. In the morning, he  found a ship docked at his side of
the island.

 The first man  boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the
second man on the  island. He considered the other man unworthy to
receive God's blessings, since  none of his prayers had been answered.

 As the ship was about to  leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven
booming, "Why are you leaving  your companion on the island?"

 "My blessings are mine alone,  since I was the one who prayed for them,"
the first man answered. "His prayers  were all unanswered and so he does
not deserve anything."

 "You  are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer,
which I answered.  If not for that, you would not have received any of
my blessings."

 "Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did  he pray for that I
should owe him anything?" The voice answer! ed, "He prayed  that all
your prayers be answered."

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Life Lessons:

 For all we know, our  blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone,
but those of another praying  for us.

  With obedience come  blessings. My prayer
for you today is that all your prayers are answered. Be  blessed. "What
you do for others is more important than what you do for  yourself"