Have you paid your dues?

[Panhandle]

A recent comment on the smokeless board got me to thinking. Paying dues?.....After thinking on this for awhile I realized that all men pay their dues to something or somebody. Many of my friends pay their dues to various clubs or lodges, and that is a good thing, to them and the community. Other men that I deal with pay their dues to the court system. They can't seem to figure out that if you break the law, you go to jail, [That's not a good thing]. It's obvious that many on this board pay their dues in the search for the perfect combination of bullet, powder, sabot, or lack of sabot. I've found this in my limited experience to be very satisfying.Trying to find the reliable hunting load has small price tag to pay and a larger reward found in the ability to get away and enjoy God's blessings in life. Like I said earlier; All men pay their dues to something or somebody. Twenty three years ago I made the most important decision I have, or ever will make in my life. That decision was to trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of my life. I made the decision to "Pay my Dues to Him", and to His work here on earth. Those dues have been to take the "GOSPEL THAT SAVES" to the prisons[17 years], the drug rehabs[20years], to the street corners, to anyone that would listen[23years], pastoring two churches, always praying that God would use the Word that I was teaching to reach some poor lost soul[11years]. Those dues are being paid 24/7 not because of my great achievements, they are being paid because the Lord was gracious enough to pull me out of the stinking pit of sin, of pride, self-righteousness, self reliance, drunkeness etc., etc. that had swallowed me up. I love to hunt and shoot. I love to take my grandchildren fishing. One thing I never leave behind when I go the range, the hunting trips, the fishing trips is the awestruck realization that it's all possible only because The Lord God made it possible. If I boast in anything, it will be in the Gospel of God where the righteousness of Jesus Christ is revealed.
In Christ; Zen

[ozark]

Paying ones dues in any field requires work and effort. As the old story goes. A preacher visited a farmer and was impressed with the fine modern farmhouse and mentioned that the Lord had sure blessed the farmer. The farmer agreed. After a fine meal they toured the farm and found a nearly newly painted barn, good painted fences with clean fencerows, A nice pond with clear water, beautiful hay fields and fat cattle grazing in the pasture. Over and over the preacher reminded the farmer how much the Lord had blessed him. The old farmer always agree but finally decided to clear up the truth. He said: "Brother, I am very thankful that the Lord has blessed me so much but you should have seen this place when He was taking care of it by himself." Maybe the farmer had payed some dues to his workplace. Ben