August 1, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Those who imagine that the world is against them have generally conspired to make it true. - Sydney J. Harris
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
When A Planet Becomes Your Sun
Exodus 20:3
You are probably a believer in heliocentricity. Now, that is not a new denomination. It just means that the sun is the center of our solar system and all the planets, including this little tennis ball we live on, are revolving around the sun. We do sound a little confused about this sometimes - like when we say, "Isn't that a beautiful sunset?" Actually, the sun isn't going anywhere - we're the ones who are moving. But who wants to go for a romantic walk to watch a beautiful earthset? Well, apparently, not everyone's got this orbit thing straight - the American Scientific Association did a survey a few years ago and found that 21% of Americans surveyed thought the sun orbited around the earth - and 7% said they didn't know.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "When A Planet Becomes Your Sun."
So, there's some confusion about the fact that the planets revolve around the sun, not the sun around the planets. That's not just a scientific issue - it's a spiritual issue, too. Because too many of us have forgotten what is supposed to be the "sun" at the center of our life - we've put one of the "planets" of our life in the center - and, in reality, everything is revolving around it. The Bible would call that a word we wouldn't like to accept - it's an idol.
Someone listening today is living in violation of the First Commandment, as recorded in our word for today from the Word of God in Exodus 20:3. Heading the fundamental Law of God, the Ten Commandments, is this imperative: "You shall have no other gods before Me." Our instinctive response is: "Well, excuse me, but I don't have any little images that I pray to in my closet." That's blatant, covert idolatry. But idolatry is far more than that. That's why, for example, greed is called idolatry in Colossians 3:5.
In real life terms, your "god" isn't what you say you believe in - it's whatever you revolve your life around - what you think about most of the time, what you spend your time and money on, whatever is your bottom line in your life choices. Obviously, we are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5) He is the sun in the universe of every life - everyone and everything else is just a planet that is supposed to revolve around Him. And our beliefs agree with that. It's our everyday behavior that's the problem. It could be that at this moment in your life, you are actually revolving around one of the planets in your life - and you're treating Jesus like He should revolve around it, too.
Maybe the real "sun" in your personal universe is your children - they're supposed to be very important to you, but not the center of your life. Maybe your marriage - or your strong desire to be married - is what you've put at the center. Your business or your career can become an idol ... a relationship ... your stuff ... your plans ... even your ministry can become an idol if you've started serving the work instead of serving the Lord.
If the sun were to ever leave its place at the center of our solar system, it would mess up everything else. When you put what's supposed to be a "planet" in your life at the center, nothing works right. And it could be that Jesus is not really the sun around which everything else in your life is revolving right now - and the result is going to be chaos, confusion, and collapse.
That's why this wakeup call from God to put the sun - actually, the Son of God - back at the center of everything you're about. Remember God's first order to the human race - "No other gods." And pray with the hymn writer - "The dearest idol I have known, help me to tear it from the throne - and worship only Thee."
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.hutchcraft.com
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft.
August 2, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: I've made such a terrible mess of things... and all I wanted to do was rule the universe.
- Unknown
His Yoke Is Easy And His Burden Light
(Today's devotional was sent to us by Nancy Akerman. It was written by Lajuana Sherman, who is the aunt of a friend of Nancy. Enjoy!)
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-29
You know, coming up I only heard these scriptures when a minister was leading a funeral procession. Therefore, I always associated the verses with death, so ...when I heard them they made me fearful and I wanted nothing to do with anyone's yoke (smile).
But, as I am grown in the Lord, I can now understand the meaning. I feel the Lord is saying with open arms, "I know the things you're going through, I know the hurt you've had in your life, I know where your scars are, I know you're wounded and broken and fearful and not sure of what to do and where to turn. But, if you will just come into My arms and lay your head on My shoulder, I can give you the peace that you are looking for because I understand. I want you to be happy again and I want to heal your wounds and take away the pain that you feel right now! For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. I will teach you what you need to know."
Thank you Jesus for giving me your shoulder for I need it to make it through another day of challenges.
I hope His words will encourage you as you go through another challenging day.
God Bless you all! God Loves YOU and so do I...........
Lajuana Sherman
Used by permission from Lajuana Sherman
August 3, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Little things console us because little things afflict us. - Blaise Pascal
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
Peace You Can't Explain
John 14:27
It was just one of those shocker stories on the evening news. An American airplane had been shot down by a Peruvian jet fighter. But it wasn't a drug plane like some the Peruvian Air Force has shot down in recent years - it was a missionary plane carrying a young missionary family. The gunfire killed the mother, Ronnie Bowers, instantly, along with their baby girl seated on her lap. The plane went down and, miraculously, the pilot, along with Jim Bowers and his son, managed to survive. Their escape from the crash and the river was amazing - but no more amazing than what happened at Ronnie Bowers' memorial service a few days later. Jim Bowers stood before a packed church and summarized in two words what he was feeling in the midst of this horrible loss and ordeal. In his words - "inexplicable peace."
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Peace You Can't Explain."
Maybe you could use a little of that peace right now. In fact, maybe peace is something you've never had very much of ... even in the good times. But when your world is crashing, when you lose what you love, when the pain is more than you can put in words - well, that's when your need for personal peace becomes undeniable.
The missionary who testified to "inexplicable peace" in the midst of the darkest moments of his life attributed that peace to one thing - his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But that isn't because he's a missionary. That peace has been the personal experience of millions of everyday folks in crisis moments for many centuries. I've seen it in my friends when their business has gone bankrupt, when their child was very sick, when the report from the doctor left little hope, when they stood beside the casket of someone they loved very much. And I have experienced that peace myself in moments like these over and over again.
It has nothing to do with our own emotional strength. It has everything to do with Jesus keeping His promise to every person who belongs to Him. That promise is recorded in our word for today from the Word of God in John 14:27. It could be the beginning of the end of your lifelong search for some peace that's there when there's no reason to have any. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
There's that inexplicable peace. You get the peace when you get the One who promised it - the One who the Bible describes as the Prince of Peace. But you don't have His peace until He's your Prince. It's the peace of knowing that there is nothing any crisis, or any loss can do to take away what you've anchored your life to. When you realize that Jesus died to pay for your sin and remove forever the wall between you and God - and when you ask Him to be your Savior - He comes into your life, bringing that peace only He can bring.
You know then that you have a love no one can take from you�a future in Heaven that earth cannot steal ... a God who will match every challenge you face with His resources. You belong to God! You're going to Heaven! You're never alone! That is awesome peace! Peace that can begin for you today, when the wall between you and God comes down - when you tell Jesus you're His from now on. If you want to begin your unlosable relationship with Jesus, I'd love to send you the booklet I wrote about it called "Yours For Life" if you'll just let me know you want it.
The life-changing discovery is this - peace is a Person. And you can belong to that Person beginning today ... and from this day on.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.hutchcraft.com
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft.
August 4, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.
- Edwin Markham
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
Back in 1996, my wife and I purchased our first computer. It was a one gigabyte hard drive machine that we thought we could never fill up. Compared to everything else at the time, it seemed like a huge warehouse of electronic storage.
Well, 5 years later, we find ourselves having deleted, deleted, and deleted some more in order to keep the machine operating. We have seen the warning message come up on many occasions that reads, "This program requires ------ megabytes of free space to operate and you only have ---------."
I realize that all we need to do is upgrade our hard drive, or even buy an entirely new machine, but for now we have what we have.
On the bright side, this problem has made us have to prioritize our disk space. My wife and I have spent a few hours reviewing every program that came with the machine in order to determine whether it was taking up precious megabytes. We have deleted some of our kids games, calendar programs, old sermons, obsolete word processing files and anything else to give the machine more room to work.
Such is not true for our lives as Christians. We cannot increase our disk space. We will only have 24 hours in a day as long as we live. Even then, our lives are not guaranteed to last into their eighties.
Therefore, in order to give God what he deserves, each of us must scan our schedules and comb through our calendars in order to see what we need to delete for God to have the freedom he needs to rule. The fact is, many of us have warning messages coming up daily that are saying, "You are too busy for God", "There is no room for the Savior", and "It's time to delete some files."
In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus shares "The Parable of the Great Banquet". It may be better entitled, "The Parable of Misappropriated Lives". In it, He shows how three people turn down an invitation to a banquet because they have other things they consider more important. You could say, they "deleted" the master from their schedule.
In your life, is it time you scanned your programs in order to give God the room He needs? You are the only one who can do this. It is more than an hour or two on Sunday that is required. The Lord needs daily time with you in prayer and Bible study to make you His disciple. If you are to "take up your cross and follow Him" you must also lay down your will and change your priorities.
In a statement, the reason the world is spiraling away from God in moral and spiritual collapse is because Christians are too busy to give God and a lost world the attention that is needed. It only takes a moment to accept Jesus as Savior, but it takes a lifetime to follow Him as Lord.
The warnings are flashing on your screen. It is time to start deleting and make more room for Jesus.
Bless your world this week,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
[email protected]
August 5, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. - John K. Galbraith
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
Where To Start Rebuilding
Mark 5:22
The lady next to me on a recent airplane flight made me feel good about how far I had to travel that day. I only had to cross the country - she was doing that, too, but she had just connected from Europe to America. But she was still excited enough about her trip to Europe that she was happy to talk about what she had seen there. Frankly, I can only remember one thing she told me about - it was something I'd never heard about before. She had visited some of Europe's most majestic cathedrals. And she had learned that underneath the cross atop these cathedrals, the architects and builders had built in a gold ball. In that ball was a copy of the plans for the cathedral - safely hidden away in case something ever happened to that magnificent structure ... so folks would know how to rebuild it.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Where To Start Rebuilding."
Of course, it isn't just buildings that need rebuilding sometimes. It's people, too! You may have been hit by some pretty damaging blows recently - maybe you've been virtually "totaled" by what's happened. But where do you start to rebuild?
I'm hoping that our word for today from the Word of God might be the first installment of a set of plans for the rebuilding you need to do in your life. Mark 5, beginning with verse 22, tells about two people whose lives have been blown to pieces. "One of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet and pleaded earnestly with him, 'My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.' So Jesus went with him."
"A large crowd pressed around Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." By the way, Jairus' little girl was healed just as miraculously.
Two lives, broken and in need of rebuilding, both facing situations that were beyond their ability to fix or control. Sound familiar at all? They knew where to bring the broken pieces. They brought them to Jesus. That's where the rebuilding of a life begins. In fact, let me suggest that you look for answers where they kept the rebuilding plans for those old cathedrals - beneath the cross.
We want our broken situation fixed. But God knows the rebuilding of a life begins when the broken relationship between us and Him is fixed. We're cut off from our Creator's rebuilding power until all the sins of our life are dealt with - until they're forgiven. And that's what Jesus' cross was all about.
The Bible says He "loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) Jesus loves you so much that He took your death penalty for your sin on Himself when He died on the cross - so you could finally have a personal relationship with your Creator God. Which begins the moment you come to His cross and give yourself to Him. If you're ready to begin that relationship with Him, tell Him that right now, bringing all your sin and all your broken pieces. And I'd like to send you the booklet, "Yours For Life," that I wrote about this relationship - if you'll just let me know you want it.
Could it be that God wants to use all that's broken in your life to bring you to His Son's cross - where you can get your broken relationship with God fixed? And where you can find God's plans for rebuilding the rest of your life.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.hutchcraft.com
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft.
August 6, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Nature gives man corn but he must grind it; God gives man a will but he must make the right choices. - Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Lessons On Living From Job
Address Unknown
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. - Job 1:1
Someone once suggested that when many Christians flee from evil, they leave a forwarding address. They may not want to be immersed in sin, but they do want to stay in touch.
Job, on the other hand, was blameless and upright. How could he maintain such a spotless reputation? Because he did more than fear God; he also shunned evil. The word translated "shunned" can mean "to rebel" or "to revolt." You could say that Job found sin revolting. It was certainly not because he couldn't afford all the pleasures that lead to sin; Job was one of the wealthiest men of his time (Job 1:3). Nor did he live in some backwater village. The land of Uz was highly populated and had several kings or "sheiks" (Jeremiah 25:20). But Job had an attitude toward sin that left it no chance to get a toehold in his life. This man didn't simply avoid sin; he ran from it. And he gave no opportunity for it to contact him later.
It's not enough for Christians to avoid the sins they find attractive but stay in the vicinity where they can be found. Under those circumstances, you can be sure that you and your sin ultimately will get back together again. The only wise solution for those who want to live blameless and upright lives is to separate themselves far enough from enticing sin that no contact can take place.
If you've put a sin behind you, put everything associated with that sin behind you as well. If it's pornography, don't simply store your magazines out in the garage. Destroy them. If it's alcohol, don't leave a bottle in the house. Pour it down the drain. If it's gossip, cut your "grapevine." Don 't attend those functions that degenerate into gossip sessions. You can do more than just refuse to participate; you can put some space between you and your temptation.
Flee sin and burn the bridges behind you.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
www.backtothebible.org
Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 7, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: When death, that great reconciler has come, it is never our tenderness that we repent of, but our severity. - George Eliot
Lessons On Living From Job
A Family Man
So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly. - Job 1:5
In her book Formations, Kay Shurden observes that a family is more than a collection of human beings related by blood. It is more than the sum of its parts. A family is a living, shaping, powerful unit that teaches us our most important lessons. It teaches us who we are, how to act, whom we relate to and what is important in life.
Job was a busy man. He was a man of great wealth and responsibility. But his first priority, after his personal relationship with God, was his family. He rose "early in the morning" and brought his children before the Lord. He demonstrated his love for his family not only by providing for their physical well-being but also by interceding for them at God's throne of grace. Job modeled for his family the importance of a spiritual life and how to maintain that relationship with the Lord. And he did it on a regular basis.
Our lives are filled with stress and strain. The pressure to provide for the physical needs of our family is great. Yet to fulfill our complete responsibility to our loved ones, it is absolutely essential that we model an outstanding spiritual life as well. Without a role model to point the way, our children are at risk to falter in their personal walk with the Lord.
Are you providing more than a roof over your family's head and clothes on their back? These are vital, of course, but if you take your family responsibilities seriously, your spiritual responsibilities also will be important to you. Daily pray for each member of your family. Pay specific attention to their spiritual needs. Be a spiritual giant in their life. Provide for their spirit as diligently as you provide for their body.
Filling the soul is no less important than filling the stomach.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
www.backtothebible.org
Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 8, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: There is a smile of Love, And there is a smile of Deceit, And there is a smile of smiles In which these two smiles meet. - William Blake
Lessons On Living From Job
God's Hedge
So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." - Job 1:9-10
Some years ago a group of educators decided to remove the chain-link fence from around their school's playground. They believed the fence promoted feelings of confinement and restraint. But then a curious thing happened. They noticed that as soon as the fence was removed, the children huddled in the center of the playground to play. Unknown to the "experts," the children had actually gained a sense of security from the presence of the fence.
It was this same kind of security that Satan recognized in the life of Job. Figuratively speaking, God had placed a hedge or fence around Job and all he possessed to protect him from evil. Job was hemmed in on all sides by this hedge, but it was not a matter of constraint; it was a matter of security. He could live confidently, knowing that nothing could reach him without first going through God's hedge of protection.
Every believer today can have that same assurance. The Bible provides a first line of defense. The commandments and exhortations that some people view as divine restrictions are really God's protection plans. Their purpose is to prevent us from engaging in behavior that will hurt us. In addition, even the omnipotent hands of God are encircling our lives. No disaster or calamity can touch us without the permissive will of our Heavenly Father. Only those things that God knows ultimately will prove to be for our good are allowed to penetrate this divine hedge.
So, do not chafe against the restrictions God puts into your life. They are hedges for your security. Rejoice that God has His arms underneath you (Deuteronomy 33:27) and His hands behind, before and over you (Psalm 139:5). You are totally encompassed by His hedge of protection. Inside God's hedge you are safe!
God's hedges are built for protection, not imprisonment.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
www.backtothebible.org
Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 9, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not
enough, we must do.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Lessons On Living From Job
Lion On A Leash
"But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" So the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. - Job 1:11-12
Many cities and even small towns have leash laws. You can't simply let your pets run loose; they must be kept on a leash. The logic is obvious. With no constraints, dogs and cats not only do unsightly things on people's yards, but they damage shrubs and flowers, dig holes in unwanted places or make a nuisance of themselves in other ways.
God also has a leash law, and the primary target of that law is Satan. The Devil is a powerful enemy and can cause you a great deal of damage. The apostle Peter compared him to a lion (1 Peter 5:8). Yet the life of Job demonstrates that the Devil can only go as far as God's leash allows him. With God's permission, Satan could afflict God's servant only to a certain extent and no further. Even though tragic events took place, God's hand was always on the leash preventing Satan from destroying Job.
Sometimes when we look at our difficult situations, we become fearful. Our imagination provides fertile soil for us to grow all kinds of potential problems and disasters. We fear the worst and are sure that we will be overwhelmed. Yet God never removes His hand from our enemy's leash. While we may experience difficult people and hard times, Satan cannot attack us beyond the limit that God allows.
Trust your Heavenly Father's wisdom. Nobody knows better than He does how far to play out the leash. While Satan may appear as a fearsome lion, he can do no more in your life than what God allows him. On that you can rely.
You can't trust the lion, but you can trust God's leash.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
www.backtothebible.org
Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 10, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. - Abigail Adams
Lessons On Living From Job
Rubble Reaction
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. - Job 1:20
A Sunday school teacher was giving an object lesson on reactions. She placed a glass on a small table and carefully filled it to the brim with water. Then she gave the table a slight shake and some of the water sloshed out. "Oh, my," she said, "I spilled some grape juice." A hand shot up. "But that's water," said a little boy. "That's right," she replied. "That's like our reactions. We might want to react a certain way to the things that shake our lives, but only what we've put in can come out."
Job's life was severely shaken. He first lost his wealth and his servants (Job 1:14-17). If that were not enough, he then lost his children (vv. 18-19). He later lost his health (2:7-8) and, finally, even his wife seemed to turn against him (v. 9). This series of blows caused two reactions to spill out of him. One was grief. He tore his robe and shaved his head. But the other was total submission to God. He fell to the ground and worshiped. It was obvious that what filled him most was love for and trust in the God of heaven.
Life is full of events that shake us. What spills out of us depends on what we've put in us. If you've been prone to harbor grudges and bitterness, you can guess what will gush out-anger and hatred. If you've sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the things of God, that also will be obvious by your reactions. No matter how you might wish otherwise, only those things that are in you can spill out.
If your life were reduced to a rubble heap and all that you hold dear were gone, how would you respond? Seek now to fill yourself with God's peace and love so you won't be ashamed at what comes spilling out of your life in hard times.
What we put in our lives will surely one day come out.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
www.backtothebible.org
Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 11, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: There is no gain except by loss; There is no life except by death; There is no vision but by faith. - Walter Chalmers Smith
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
God All Over Your Day
Proverbs 3:5-6
When I'm on the road and staying in a motel, I'm often leaving early for that day's responsibilities. But by the time I return late that night, something amazing has happened. The bed is made! I have new, clean towels! Everything is straightened and neat. I even have new little soaps in the bathroom! The Room Fairy has been there! Now, I know that not because I've seen the maid (I haven't), but because I can see the results of her work all over the place.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "God All Over Your Day."
He is, you know. It's not unlike that maid scenario. You may not see the one who made the difference, but you sure can see the difference they made ... if you're looking for it.
If you've ever been to one of those church meetings where they ask people to share their favorite verses, you've probably heard somebody mention our word for today from the Word of God - Proverbs 3:5-6 (It might be your favorite). "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Notice what's the opposite of trusting in the Lord with all your own heart - trying to figure it out for yourself, doing what you think is best ... leaning on your own understanding.
Now comes a formula for finding out what God wants you to do in any given situation. Verse 6 says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." God says, "If you want to know My heart for you, acknowledge Me in every situation you're in." Now you know what "acknowledge" means. Have you ever been in a new place or a roomful of people and you've gone totally ungreeted? Nobody noticed you? You were saying to yourself, "Hey, I wish someone would acknowledge me. I wish someone would notice me." God knows that. He shows up all through our day, and we often never notice Him. We don't acknowledge Him.
The other day I was really blessed in a place not normally associated with blessing - the dentist's office. I was in the waiting room and I saw an old friend with his wife - they're both in their 90's. He's working hard to care for his wife because her health is really deteriorating. Because it had been raining when they came in, my friend asked the dentist if he could help him get his wife out to the car. My dentist came back in, really touched by what had happened in those two minutes - so touched that he brought it up two more times. He said, "When I went out with George and his wife, it wasn't raining. And George said, 'Isn't it great that the Lord stopped the rain long enough for us to get out to the car?' Then he just looked heavenward and said, 'Thanks, Father.'"
Now that's acknowledging Him. That's noticing God's working in the details of your day. And that's where praise comes from ... where joy comes from ... where a victorious attitude comes from in the toughest of times. But you have to go into your day looking for God at work. If you don't, you'll miss God and you'll miss the joy. But if you do train your heart to go on a daily "God hunt," you'll experience what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon talked about when he said, "He who looks for providences (or God actions) will never lack a providence to observe."
If you haven't been seeing God a lot lately, it's because you haven't been looking. You may have been focused on your circumstances ... other people ... or yourself - you've missed the fingerprints of God all over your day. The little mercies, the small miracles, the interventions, the encouraging surprises, the bad things that didn't happen. I know there's never a day where He doesn't show up because His "mercies are new every morning!"
In those transformed motel rooms, I seldom see the maid, but I see the results of her work. In the little and big moments of your day, you may not see God, but you can see the results of His work on your behalf - His much-loved child. You'll see God all over your day - if you're looking for Him.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.hutchcraft.com
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft.
August 12, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not
cross-bearers here below.
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Lessons On Living From Job
You Can't Take It With You
And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." - Job 1:21
A few years ago, advice columnist Ann Landers printed a supposedly true story of a tightfisted husband who was married to a gracious woman. The wife put up with his tightwad behavior for more than 40 years. At age 60, "Ollie" was stricken with cancer. Toward the end, he made his wife promise, in front of witnesses, that she would place in his coffin all the money he had stashed away so he could buy his way into heaven. She agreed and assured him, as a woman of her word, she would do as he asked. The morning after his death she took the money (about $26,000) and deposited it in the bank. She then wrote a check and put it in the casket four days later. She knew he couldn't take it with him.
Job, however, never entertained the foolish ideas of the tightfisted husband. He realized that he would leave this world as naked as he entered. He was wise enough to know that he would take nothing away from this world but himself.
What we make of ourselves in terms of character rather than possessions should be our concern as Christians. A godly nature steeped in an understanding of God's Word and God's ways is far more valuable than earthly wealth or honors. When we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, what we are will be of greater importance than what we had (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Begin now to cultivate those things that will not be left behind when your body is placed in the ground. Set aside some time each day to spend in the Bible and prayer. Develop an attitude of compassion and generosity. Allow God's Spirit to create in you a clean heart and a steadfast spirit. These are riches you can take with you.
You have to leave the world naked, but not destitute.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 13, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. - Epictetus
Lessons On Living From Job
Don't Give Up And Don't Give In
Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" - Job 2:9
Some of Andrew Jackson's boyhood friends just couldn't understand how he became a famous general and then the president of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never made it as far as Andrew did. One of Jackson's friends said, "Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the road from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match." Another friend responded, "How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn't they usually say three times and out?" "Sure, they were supposed to," the man replied, "but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat. Jim finally would get tired, and on the fourth try, Andy would throw him and be the winner. He just wouldn't quit."
No one could argue that Job's life wasn't filled with severe trials. He not only suffered the physical affliction of painful boils from head to foot but also lost his wealth and children. Then, to add insult to injury, his wife urged him to give up. In her estimation, life wasn't worth living. It was time to curse God and die. Though Job didn't understand why he was being afflicted, however, he did know he wasn't willing to quit.
People are always ready to encourage you to give up. "Life is too difficult," they say. "Life is not fair. It hurts too much." But such advice fails to take into account the omnipotent hand of God. Even though we may not understand why painful and discouraging events happen in our lives, we have the assurance that God has His reasons-good reasons.
Don't allow anyone to talk you into quitting. Even though your trials may throw you for a loss time after time, you can have the confidence that God is still in control. Don't quit. Trust Him and keep on going. A day is coming when you'll be glad you did.
When you give up on yourself, you give up on God.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 14, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Our critical day is not the very day of our death, but the whole course of our life; I thank him, that prays for me when my bell tolls; but I thank him much more, that catechizes me, or preaches to me, or instructs me how to live. - John Donne
Lessons On Living From Job
Keeping Your Balance
But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. - Job 2:10
An old Arab proverb says, "All sun and no rain makes a desert." Even nature demonstrates the importance of dark clouds and wet days. Without them, life not only fails to grow but totally dries up and blows away. Nothing but sunshine would make for a barren and uninhabitable landscape.
Job realized this truth applied not only to nature but to human life as well. It would be foolish to think that God should send only those things that appear to be good without balancing them with those experiences that appear to be bad. To accept the one and refuse the other is to question God's wisdom. As painful as it was to go through the loss of his possessions, his health and, most of all, his children, Job was unwilling to fault God. He knew it was part of God's balance in life.
If given the option, most of us would probably choose sunshine over rain, ice cream over liver and joy over sadness. Fortunately, God doesn't always give us a choice when it comes to things that challenge our lives. Both sorrow and gladness often come from sources over which we have no control. We can resist the trials and plead for only the "good" things, but this would be foolish. Without the balance between positives and negatives, our spiritual lives would be like the desert. The alternative is to submit to God and accept what He sends our way as part of His ultimate plan for our good.
You may not find it natural, but give thanks for the painful events that have happened in your life. Recognize them for what they are-a gift from the hand of the God who loves you. Acknowledge the truth that you need the rain as well as the sun to make your life complete. God gives you what is best for you. Trust Him and rejoice.
Without the rain, it's hard to fully appreciate the sunshine.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 15, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: He looks today, as He has ever looked, not for crowds drifting aimlessly in His track, but for individual men and women whose undying allegiance will spring from their having recognized that He wants those who are prepared to follow the path of self-renunciation which He trod before them. - H. A. Evan Hopkin
Lessons On Living From Job
The Power Of Silence
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place--Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. - Job 2:11,13
So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
We are a chatty society. If we're not on the phone, we're sending e-mails. Should e-mail not be available, then we dispatch a fax. In fact, we're so addicted to verbal communication that many people can't leave home without a cell phone or pager in their pocket. Yet in times of sorrow, often silence says the most.
When Job's three friends arrived, they could tell that he was in deep grief. But rather than immediately offer their condolences, they sat with him on the ground for a whole week without saying a word. They restrained what must have been a strong urge to offer advice and suggestions and chose instead to express their sympathy by silently bearing his suffering with him.
In the presence of grief, words sometimes are a hindrance. Often we resort to speaking because we're uncomfortable with the silence rather than because we have something to say. Consequently, when trying to console a friend we often engage in empty clich�s. People who have borne deep anguish, however, testify that it is the silent presence of those who care that brings the deepest comfort. It is not their words but their quietly sharing the load of sorrow that helps the bereaved bear up under suffering.
Don't be in a hurry to speak to those who are grieving. A hug or a squeeze on the arm may bring more comfort than a hundred words. Ask God's Spirit to make it clear to you when He has prepared your friend's heart to hear your words. Until then, let your comfort be expressed in silence and in prayer rather than words.
Less talk often means more comfort.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 16, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: We can have no power from Christ unless we live in a persuasion that we have none of our own. - John Owen
Lessons On Living From Job
In The Depths Of Discouragement
"May the stars of its morning be dark; may it look for light, but have none, and not see the dawning of the day; because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide sorrow from my eyes. Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?" - Job 3:9-12
Some time ago the Hayden Planetarium in New York City issued an invitation to all those interested in applying to join the crew on the first journey to another planet. Eighteen thousand people applied. They gave the applications to a panel of psychologists, who examined them thoroughly and came to this conclusion--in the vast majority of cases, those who applied did so because they were discouraged with their lives here and hoped they could find a new life somewhere else.
Job was mired even deeper in discouragement. He wasn't simply seeking a new life; he wished he had never been born. After losing his wealth, his health and his family, Job felt it would have been better had he never seen the light of his first day. Before we move too quickly to criticize Job, most of us have to admit we've never experienced in a matter of minutes the kind of devastating blows that this man did. Job went from the highest heights to the lowest depths with hardly time to take a breath.
Christians are not immune to disasters and the discouragement that sometimes accompanies them. But as Job was to discover later, we do have an answer--God. The Lord Jesus told His disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). When your heart is filled with discouragement, Jesus can fill it with His peace.
If you are discouraged today, running away and starting a new life is not the answer. Instead, completely place your situation in Christ's hands. Turn over every troubling thought to His care. And let the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, give you new hope.
Let the God of peace fill you with the peace of God.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 17, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: If our faith is not relevant to our daily life in the world and in the parish, then it is no use; and if we cannot be Christians in our work, in the neighborhood, in our political decisions, then we had better stop being Christians. A piety reserved for Sundays is no message for this age. - Douglas Rhymes
Lessons On Living From Job
Snafu
For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground; yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. - Job 5:6-7
Perhaps you have heard someone talk about a snafu. You probably realized that this meant something had gone wrong, but you may not know how the word became a part of our English language. In reality, snafu is the first letter of each word in the phrase, "Situation normal, all fouled up." In other words, when something goes wrong, why be surprised? It's only normal for things to get fouled up. A snafu is something that can be expected. It's just a part of life.
Job's circumstances, of course, predate the word snafu but not the idea behind it. Job's friend Eliphaz recognized that "trouble" and "man" have a natural affinity for one another. As sparks from a fire are drawn upward by the rising heat, so trouble seems naturally drawn to man. It reflects another adage of our time: "If something can go wrong, it will." No matter when or where you live, snafus are going to find you.
Christians are sometimes dismayed when things go wrong in their lives. After all, when we trusted Jesus as our Savior, our troubles were suppose to be over, right? Yet the truth is much different. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). That's just a normal part of living. The apostle Peter even said, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you" (1 Peter 4:12). Snafus are not strange or out of the ordinary, even for Christians.
Perhaps you are experiencing a snafu today. Something you planned is fouled up. Don't be surprised. Instead, turn to God. When your life goes contrary to your expectations, He is able to give you either the wisdom to deal with it or the grace to live with it. Trust Him.
When trouble draws close, draw close to God.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 18, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: It seems to be very hard and -- if that would do any good -- might be a just matter of complaint, that we are fallen into so profane and skeptical an age, which takes a pleasure and a pride in unraveling almost all the received principles both of religion and reason, so that we are put many times to prove those things which can hardly be made plainer than they are of themselves. - John Tillotson
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
The last two months have been really helpful for me in understanding faith. The reason for this is because I have had the opportunity to deal with children more closely than normal. By teaching at VBS during our mission trip, sharing the gospel presentation during our own VBS, and helping teach at Children's Camp, I have gotten to be reminded of the essence of "childlike faith".
This especially has been true in talking to several children about their decision to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. None of them understood deep theological concepts. Few of them even grasped the substitutionary nature of the cross. Yet, in almost all the cases, they knew that they were lost, Jesus was the Savior, and that if they would believe in Him they would be saved.
As our faith matures and we learn more and more about following Jesus, we must work at not losing the attributes of childish innocence and trust. Experience, resources, education, and other blessings of aging can cause our faith to lose its edge. We can grow dependent upon ourselves and leave God out of the loop. When such occurs, our faith becomes wider, but not deeper. We may know more about how God works, but depend less on the working of God.
This is why Jesus said in Matthew 18:3-4, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Humility is the fuel that keeps faith running. Children are loaded with it. They have to come to their parents for most things. They seek permission from adults to go places and participate in activities. They are dependent in nearly every area of life. They say "I'm sorry" without much deliberation and show affection with ease.
The main reason for children responding this way is because they are small and adults are large. They recognize they know less, have less, and are weaker than adults.This recognition of having little control in life allows them to display faith, trust, and humility without thinking about it.
The main reason that Christians and churches fail God is because they are too strong, too smart, and too independent. These attitudes are potent extinguishers to the fires of faith.
So, how does a child of God regain a childlike faith when it is lost?
First, you must repent of self sufficiency and develop an attitude of dependency. Prayer is the platform of faith. It is here where you "humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up." It is from the perspective of your knees that you get the best view of God and yourself. Prayer must become a constant practice.
Secondly, you must commit to study the Word of God and let it get into you. In Romans 10:17 (KJV), Paul writes that "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Since faith has its basis in truth, the scriptures are essential to my faith growing.In a world of skepticism and scams, the sure foundation of God's Holy Bible is the bedrock to build upon.
Next, faith must be tested in order to be trusted. Through the needs of everyday life place your cares before God and let him work them out. Depend on Him daily for things you previously hung on your own strength. Don't abdicate everything to the point of not taking responsibility, but start approaching each day as if its success relies on God.
Lastly, view the role of church as a place to be both filled and emptied. Attend classes and services with an anticipation that God will use the day to build your faith and trust in Him. Also, seek to receive from God in hopes of giving to others for their filling. By its very nature a growing faith is a giving faith.
I'll never be a child again. My hair is getting salty and my bones are starting to creak. Even though there is no way to turn back the clock physically, I'm seeking daily to have a spirit that communes with God with the nature I had when I was eight.
My prayer for you is that you wont seek to get rid of outward wrinkles with a face lift, but would follow the plan I shared above and get a faith lift.
Seeking to stay young,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
August 19, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The world would use us just as it did the martyrs, if we
loved God as they did.
- Thomas Wilson
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"The Single Question On The Final Exam"
1 John 5:11-12
Dr. Henry was one of the most challenging professors I had in college. And I anticipated the final exam in his class was going to be a monumental challenge. Who knows what questions Dr. Henry could throw at us from his incredible intellect! Well, word began to leak out about his final from the first students who took it. They didn't give any details - they just shared one surprising, tantalizing fact. They said, "There's only one question on the exam!" Well, most of us took that news as encouragement as we stood on the edge of academic survival. But when Dr. Henry set the exam in front of us, we weren't quite as encouraged. This entire semester of theology class had been devoted to what the Bible says about the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. The professor's question? "Describe the Person and work of the Holy Spirit." Oh boy! Only one question - but what a question!
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "The Single Question On The Final Exam."
You may have been out of school a while now, and I'm sure you don't miss final exams. But you still have one more. We all do. The day your heart beats its last and you stand before the God who made you. The day when, as the old timers used to say, you "meet your Maker." And it appears from God's Word, the Bible, that there will only be one question on your final exam. But what a question!
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from I John 5:11-12, "God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." God says the human race is divided into two groups, and only two. Those who have Jesus and therefore have eternal life - they will go to Heaven when they die. And those who do not have Jesus and therefore do not have eternal life - they'll go to hell when they die. In the words of John 3:36, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
Now, there's no question where God wants you to be forever - with Him in Heaven. That's why He paid such a high price to remove what would keep you out of Heaven - the sin of your life, all those countless times you've done it your way instead of God's way. You can't get into Heaven with sin. And it won't work to just try to repay the wrong we've done with religion or good deeds. This sin has to be removed. And that seems impossible when the penalty for running our own lives is an eternal death penalty.
But God loves you so much that, according to John 3:16, "He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." God sent His Son to a cross to carry all the guilt and all the dying of your sin - to literally die your death penalty. So you shouldn't be surprised when you stand before God and He asks you that one question on His final exam - the one that determines where you'll be forever: "What did you do with My Son?" Not "What good things did you do?" or "Did you believe the right things?" God is interested in only one thing - what did you do with His Son who gave His life for you.
Now it won't be enough to say, "Well, I liked Your Son," or "I spent a lot of time around Your Son," or even "I agreed with everything about Your Son." The only answer that will open the gates of heaven to you is, "Lord, I invited Your Son into my heart and I put my total trust in Him as my Rescuer from my sin."
Has there ever been a time when you've done that? If you're not sure, let today be your Jesus Day. Tell Him you want to belong to Him.
You do have a final exam coming - God has already set the time. He's let us know what the question will be so you can be ready. "What did you do with My Son?" I pray that you may be able to point to this very day as the day you reached out and took what His Son died to give you.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.hutchcraft.com
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft.
August 20, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The best discipline, maybe the only discipline that really
works, is self discipline.
- Walter Kiechel III
Lessons On Living From Job
God's Chastening
"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the
chastening of the Almighty."
- Job 5:17
Lou Holtz, former head football coach of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, is legendary in his adherence to discipline. In an interview with The Saturday Evening Post in 1989, he was quoted as saying, "When it comes to discipline here, we ask three questions: Will it make him a better man? A better student? A better athlete? If the answer is yes, we make him do it. The next step is up to him. An individual has a choice when you discipline him: either to become bitter or better." Judging by his squad's record, both on and off the field, Lou Holtz's charges for the most part became better men.
Job's friends failed to understand God in many ways, but Eliphaz the Temanite was right in this respect. God's discipline is never meant to destroy but ultimately to bring joy. The word in this verse for "happy" (also translated "blessed") literally means "to walk straight." God's correction is given to keep His people from wandering away from the straight path and getting into situations that bring pain and heartache. Those who submit to His guidance will avoid many of the experiences that bring unhappiness to others.
God's discipline doesn't always feel good, especially if we fight against it. The writer of Hebrews confesses, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous" (12:11). Yet the writer continues, "Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." A right relationship with God ultimately leads to a happiness that makes everything else seem insignificant.
Are you undergoing the chastening of God right now? If so, look ahead to the fruit He will bring out of this difficulty. Remember that God is seeking to correct your course so you can avoid future pitfalls that will bring you even greater pain. Let Him have His way in your life even if, at the moment, it's hard to bear. You'll be glad you did!
Pain now means gain later.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 21, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Pride is tasteless, colorless, and sizeless. Yet it is the hardest thing to swallow.
- August B. Black
Lessons On Living From Job
The Power Of Words
"Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; cause me to understand wherein I have erred. How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove? Do you intend to reprove my words, and the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind? Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless, and you undermine your friend." - Job 6:24-27
In regions of South America there is a snake called the "two-step." If it bites you, you take two steps and die. Its venom swiftly paralyzes your nervous system, which stops your heart. But even if you don�t visit South America, you�re in peril of something else that is just as deadly. Words have the potential to kill relationships, paralyze love, poison minds, destroy faith, stain purity and deface reputations.
Job recognized the capability of words to destroy when he exclaimed to his friends, "How forceful are right words!" After bearing up under the onslaught of Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 4:1-5:27), he was brought to the point of frustration. Instead of helping, his well-meaning companion only served to undermine his friend with his words (v. 27).
It is no small matter when we open our mouths. When our words are right, they can be a powerful force for good. But when they are wrong, they work like a deadly venom. Instead of being helpful, they are destructive. Rather than building up our friends, our words can tear them down. Those who are weak and helpless (Job�s reference to the "fatherless" refers to these kinds of people) can be blown away by what we say.
Be careful today how you speak to others. Consider your words before you say them. Especially in times of crisis, the right word can bring healing and encouragement, while the wrong word can destroy your relationship with another person. Be sensitive to God�s Spirit. Seek His guidance before you express yourself. And ask God to set a guard over your mouth to keep you from saying the wrong thing (Psalm 141:3).
Words are like dynamite; don�t let them blow up in your face.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 22, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Life begets life. Energy begets energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.
- Sarah Bernhardt
Lessons On Living From Job
Fast, Faster, Fastest
"My days are swifter than a weaver�s shuttle." - Job 7-6
Men have always had a love affair with speed. The faster they can go--first with horses, then with cars and now with space shuttles--the happier they are. Speed has increased to the point where we have moved from measuring events by the calendar (years, months, weeks) to often measuring them in nanoseconds (one billionth of a second) to reflect how fast things are moving. And what�s more, each increase in speed is usually greeted with enthusiasm.
But that was not the case with Job. He bemoaned a speed that most of us are not too thrilled about�the speed with which the days of our lives go by. The fastest object Job had to compare his life to was the shuttle used by a weaver to create a piece of cloth. A skilled weaver could sling the shuttle back and forth at eye-blurring speed. Job�s lament was that his days seemed to be going by as quickly as the weaver�s shuttle.
The longer we live, the faster our days do seem to go by. Even though 24 hours is still the same, the events of our lives begin to stack up quickly on the history side. At the same time, the future side gets shorter and shorter, and the events of life seem to come more rapidly. This should motivate us to make sure that we diligently invest our time more wisely. As the days speed by like a weaver�s shuttle, make sure you accomplish each day what the Lord wants you to do.
If you are putting things off until "someday," stop procrastinating. Do them now. Someday will be here and gone before you know it. The days of your life are being played out as rapidly as the fast-moving weaver�s shuttle. Someday the shuttle will be stilled. Don�t be caught with work for the Lord left undone.
Make sure when the cloth of your life is finished that no threads are missing.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 23, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances. - Thomas Jefferson
Lessons On Living From Job
Righteous before God
"Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God?" - Job 9:2
According to Parade magazine, the zoo in Copenhagen, Denmark, has put a human couple on display. Henrik Leh-mann and Malene Botoft live in a see-through cage in the primate display next to the baboons and monkeys. Their habitat has a living room with furniture, a computer, a television and a stereo. The kitchen and bedroom are part of the display. Only the bathroom is excluded from public view. Unlike their neighbors, who aren�t allowed out, the two humans occasionally leave their fishbowl existence to shop and water the flowers on their porch back at home. But for the most part, their lives are on public display.
Job realized that every human being lives under similar conditions when it comes to God. Nothing that we say or even think is hidden from divine scrutiny. Therefore, it is no surprise that Job wondered, perhaps with a hint of hopelessness, how it might be possible to be righteous in God�s sight. With every sin and failure noted, who could possibly stand before God?
When we compare ourselves with other people, we might feel that we�re not all that bad. After all, we don�t get drunk, use drugs or cheat on our income taxes. And when it comes to volunteering for charity, helping at church or just spending time with our family, we may even be sterling examples. But take one look at God�s standards and you�ll see a different picture. As He looks into our hearts to see our motives and view our hidden thoughts, our self-imposed halo begins to slip. It becomes obvious that Job�s question needs to become our own: How can I be righteous before God?
If you are sensing your own need for a right relationship with God, be assured that He has provided a way. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, all your sins have been paid for and you can be forgiven. When you receive Him as your Savior, you stand in His righteousness before the Father. Trust Jesus today and live right before God in the righteousness of His Son.
Christ�s righteousness makes us right with God.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 24, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Renouncing the honors at which the world aims, I desire only to know the truth... and to the maximum of power, I exhort all other men to do the same. - Plato
Lessons On Living From Job
A Big God
"Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" - Job 11:7
As the people of Job�s day walked the earth, they likely didn�t know that our world is 8,000 miles in diameter, with approximately 198,980,000 square miles on its surface. It is unlikely that they realized that this globe we call home is composed of 264 billion cubic miles. Most surely it was beyond their knowledge to compute that even though Earth is big, Saturn is 995 times bigger and Jupiter is 1,281 times bigger still. Furthermore, they had no inkling that beyond the few stars they could see there were at least 300 billion more.
Yet even without the benefit of all these mind-boggling figures, the people of Job�s day knew that God, the Creator of all they saw, was bigger than anything they could comprehend. Zophar the Naamathite, one of Job�s friends, was right when he said that no one could plumb God�s depths or find God�s limits. His thoughts run deeper than any human wisdom; His power outstrips man�s best efforts.
Some people object to the concept of God because He is beyond their ability to understand. They argue that if they can�t comprehend Him, then certainly He must not exist. Others simply dismiss Him as irrelevant because He fails to act as they feel He should. Yet God says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). Who is man to try to whittle God down to what he can understand?
Let God be God. Don�t try to shrink Him down to fit neatly within your scheme of things. If He were small enough for you to comprehend, He wouldn�t be big enough for you to worship. The fact that He is beyond your understanding is confirmation that no situation will ever exceed His ability to handle it. To live confidently, you don�t have to understand God-you just have to trust Him.
Only small people insist on a small God.
By Woodrow Kroll
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 25, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
Earlier today, I was driving on Airline Drive in Bossier City. As I passed Airline High School I looked on their sign and noticed a message that said something like this: "Congratulations David Toms, PGA Champion, Airline Alumni." This statement refers to this passed weekend's Professional Golf Associations Championship tournament in Duluth, Georgia and the fact that Bossier City native, David Toms, took the title.
For the last two days the "Shreveport Times" has run front page stories about how a home boy did good and has highlighted his achievements.
In recent years, there has also been a lot of coverage of another Shreveport native, Hal Sutton, and how he has proven himself on the PGA tour.
If you are not a golf fan, you may say, "So what! Aren't there bigger things to concern ourselves with like the economy, the moral collapse of America, and environmental concerns? What's the big deal about a bunch of men hitting a dimpled ball into a little hole?"
In looking at the big picture, David Toms winning the PGA Championship doesn't hold a candle to the enormous problems of our world. Yet, it does say something to those who grew up in the Shreveport-Bossier City area that is significant -- YOU CAN BE FROM HERE AND EXCEL IN LIFE. Who you are and where you are from are not determining factors in what you become.
This message holds true in the church, as well. Our congregation runs an attendance of 100 or so in Sunday School and 130 in Morning Worship. Compared to the rest of the churches in the United States we might seem like small potatoes. Many churches have choirs larger than our Easter Sunday turnout.
To take it a step further, we are located in a small community of a couple of thousand. The nearest Wal-Mart is 15 miles away. We have one restaurant that you can sit down and eat in. Our High School isn't classified 5-A, 3-A, or even 1-A, but plays its sports in class B. We live in a small place.
Does the smallness of where we are have anything to do with the size of God? Is our potential to operate in God's power any different than those running thousands in Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago?
The reason the David Toms story is important is because he doesn't call Arizona, Florida, or California, "home". He has achieved greatness in his game while living in a place not known as a haven for golfers. His mailing address has nothing to do with the number of birdies or eagles he scores. His game is within him.
Friends, let us never get the opinion that we are a small town church and allow this to box us into a small town faith. Let's never allow where we are to limit who we are. Any church or individual Christian has the resources of heaven at their disposal anytime they talk to God. In fact, we could put on our church sign, "God meets here every Sunday."
Let me remind you of an instance in the early days of Jesus' ministry. He was calling his twelve disciples and had just told Philip to "Follow me". Shortly after this, Philip shares the following words with his friend Nathanael, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael replies, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"
Guess what? Not only did good come from a small town, but the Savior of the World spent the first 30 years of his life in a place like Doyline. Great things can come from small places when God is involved. All the Lord asks of us is to have a God-sized faith that is ready to experience God-sized movement.
Think about it; Doyline: A Place for Godly Champions!
Anticipating Big Things From God,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church - Doyline, LA
[email protected]
August 26, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: To the influence of the Bible we are indebted for the progress made in civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future. - Ulysses S. Grant
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
The Personal Side of the Death Penalty
Romans 6:23
First, the verdict came in - guilty. Then the sentence - death. And the last-minute appeals for a delay - denied. And finally the irrevocable outcome - Timothy McVeigh had to die for his crimes. The carnage and the tragedy of that bombing of a Federal building in Oklahoma City has left an indelible mark on our entire generation.
The death penalty, I mean even for a mass killer like Tim McVeigh, is a controversial issue. For some it's an important political issue ... for others it's an important justice or humanitarian issue. But few of us have ever thought of the death penalty as an intensely personal issue. It is. For every one of us.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "The Personal Side of the Death Penalty."
We're not talking here about a death sentence from some human court, but from the Governor of the universe. It's actually spelled out in six sobering words in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 6:23 - "The wages of sin is death." Now that sentence actually goes back to the beginning of time when God announced the penalty for mankind's first sin - "You will surely die." (Genesis 2:17)
There is no doubt that our sin carries with it a sentence of death - as surely as anyone on Death Row is carrying one. And just in case you or I might think that doesn't include us, the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." There is no such thing as a "not guilty" plea before God. Our spiritual crimes aren't the horrific crimes of some mass killing - in fact, they're cosmic crimes. We have - however politely or religiously - raised our fist to the God of the universe, the God who gave us our life in the first place, and said, "My way, God, not Your way." And the "wages" of that sin is "death."
Not just death as in your heart stopping, but death as in eternal separation from God, the Source of everything good in your life. The death penalty for my running my own life is far more frightening that any lethal injection or electrocution - it's a forever death penalty that leaves us, in the Bible's words, "shut out from the presence of the Lord." (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
The bad news from God is really bad. But the good news is about as good as it gets. Here's the rest of what God says about it - "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) You can walk away from the death penalty you deserve and receive a Heaven you could never deserve - if you take His "gift." Now a gift is something someone else paid for - and Jesus paid for eternal life for you by giving His life. All the good works in the world can't pay a death penalty - someone has to die - and Someone did. Jesus did the dying for all the sinning you have ever done.
Now, if you've never reached out to Jesus to take that gift, then you're living today under the death penalty for your sin. But that could change this very day, if you will, with all your heart, put your total trust in Jesus as the only possible Savior from your sins.
It is not a decision to be postponed - the stakes are just too high. If He's knocking on the door of your heart, open that door. When you do, He will open a door for you - the one that will allow you to walk out of Death Row forever and into a life that will never end.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.hutchcraft.com
www.gospelcom.net.rhm/
Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft.
August 27, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist. - St. Augustine
Lessons On Living From Job
Total Trust
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." - Job 13:15
Years ago a military officer and his wife were aboard a ship that was caught in a raging storm at sea. Seeing his wife�s fear, the man tried to comfort her. Suddenly she grasped his sleeve and cried, "How can you be so calm?" He stepped back and drew his sword. Pointing it at her, he asked, "Are you afraid of this?" "Of course not!" she answered. "Why not?" he inquired. "Because I know you love me too much to hurt me," she said. He replied, "I also know the One who holds the winds and the waters in the hollow of His hand, and He loves us too much to fail to care for us!"
Job had that same trust. He had lost his children, his wealth and his health. Even his wife had turned against him. He had only one more thing to lose�his own life. Yet Job declared that even if it were to come down to that final loss, he would continue to trust that God had a purpose in everything that happened to him. In Job�s eyes, the important issue was not what was happening but whose hand was behind it. If God did it, Job knew he could trust it.
Often our trust is based on the "what" rather than the "who." We focus on the event rather than the One who controls that event. Consequently, when trials and tribulations come crashing down upon us, our faith is shaken. We can�t understand why a loving Heavenly Father would allow such grief to enter our lives. Yet if we truly believe that He is loving, we can say with Job that even though He slay us, we will believe He intends it for our good. In His infinite wisdom and goodness, He will take the most difficult circumstances and use them for our good.
When you are facing life�s most severe trials, focus on the character of God. Build your trust on who God is, not on what is taking place. When you know who He is, you never have to worry about what He will allow to happen.
Trust is based on character, not circumstances.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 28, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Our critical day is not the very day of our death, but the whole course of our life; I thank him, that prays for me when my bell tolls; but I thank him much more, that catechizes me, or preaches to me, or instructs me how to live. - John Donne
Lessons On Living From Job
To Live Again
"If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes." - Job 14:14
The Romanian weekly Tinerama reported that a woman fainted when she opened her front door and found her husband standing there. It all started when a man named Neagu choked on a fish bone, stopped breathing and collapsed. The family doctor, knowing Neagu�s heart condition, didn�t think twice about proclaiming the 71-year-old dead of a heart attack. But three days later, grave diggers at the cemetery heard a suspicious sound. They opened Neagu�s coffin to find him surrounded by wilted flowers but very much alive. It took Neagu three weeks to convince the authorities to cancel his death certificate from their register.
Job, however, had more in mind than mere resuscitation. As he looked ahead to that day when he would put aside his mortal body, he asked the age-old question, "Will I live again?" Implied in Job�s question is not the hopeless uncertainty of the pagan world but a quiet confidence that someday it would be so. As a result, he was willing to plod through his trials patiently, knowing that a greater and more glorious day lay ahead.
As believers in Christ, we have even more reason to be confident. We have not only the promise of resurrection (1 Corinthians 6:14) but also the example of Christ (Luke 24:1-3). The apostle Paul assured us that what is sown perishable shall be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). That which is placed in the ground will someday be resurrected to rejoin the spirit from which it was separated and together spend eternity with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).
If you are troubled by pain and disappointment, be encouraged by what is to come. Wait patiently for that day when God will give you a new body in which to live a new life. The difficulties we experience now will one day vanish into eternity. Take heart-the best is yet to be.
Real life begins after this life.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 29, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: A man without God is not like a cake without raisins; he is like a cake without the flour and milk; he lacks the essential ingredients. - Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Lessons On Living From Job
My Redeemer Lives
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth. - Job 19:25
Some years ago an article appeared in National Geographic magazine that told of a young man from Hanover, Pennsylvania, who was badly burned in a boiler explosion. To save his life, physicians covered him with 6,000 square centimeters of donor skin as well as sheets of skin cultured from a stamp-sized piece of his own unburned skin. A journalist later asked him, "Do you ever think about the donor who saved you?" The young man replied, "To be alive because of someone else is too big, too much, so I don�t think about it."
Job, on the other hand, not only thought about the One who would save him, he longed for Him. As he looked at his life, he realized his need for a redeemer. In spite of his best efforts, his life fell far short of the perfection that God required. Yet he rejoiced in the fact that the One who would pay the price for his sins was alive�not only alive, but would someday actually stand upon the earth. It was on this great event that Job pinned all his hopes.
For those of us who live on this side of Christ�s birth, we know that our Redeemer came, lived among us and died on the cross for our sins. And, like Job, that is the great event on which we pin all our hopes. Even though it took place centuries ago, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the crux around which everything else revolves. Because of this Redeemer, we have the assurance that we are free from the penalty of sin. The price has been paid, God�s justice has been satisfied, and we are restored to a full relationship with the Father.
Have you been redeemed? If not, Christ offers you that opportunity right now. He paid the price for your sins when He died in your place at Calvary�s cross. Accept Him as your Redeemer today. If you�ve done that, then give Him thanks. Christ has set you free.
Redemption: Don�t leave life without it.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 30, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: A sleeping pill will never take the place of a clear conscience. - Edie Cantor
Lessons On Living From Job
Momentary Pleasures
"Do you not know this of old, since man was placed on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?" - Job 20:4-5
John Bunyan was a Puritan preacher and author of the classic Pilgrim�s Progress. A local magistrate threatened to put Bunyan in prison unless he promised that he would not preach, but he refused to quit. For the next 12 years (1660-1672), he was intermittently in and out of jail. Defiantly he declared that he would remain in prison until the moss grew on his eyelids rather than fail to do what God had commanded him to do. To John Bunyan, the pleasures that come with freedom were not worth the price of disobedience.
Job�s friend Zophar the Naamathite understood this as well. He was wrong in assuming Job had some hidden sin in his life that he would not confess. Zophar was right, however, in pointing out that the pleasures enjoyed by the wicked and the hypocrites are only momentary. As substantial as they might seem, perhaps continuing for many years, compared with the rewards of the righteous that will last for eternity, such pleasures are short-lived. Stripped of sin�s glamour, it�s obvious that the ungodly are making a pretty poor deal.
We should always make choices with God�s timetable in mind. While the pleasures available to those willing to compromise their stand for the Lord are varied and enticing, they can endure at best for only a lifetime. On the other hand, the psalmist reminds us, "At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). How shortsighted it would be to choose a few years of comfort and ease over the never-ending pleasures that God has stored up for those who are faithful to Him.
If you are facing a choice today, ask yourself if your decision will result in temporary pleasures or eternal rewards. That answer will make it clear which way you should go. If you live for what is eternal, the temporary will have little appeal.
Today is no substitute for eternity.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
August 31, 2001
QUOTE OF THE DAY: A wise man is one who has finally discovered that there are some questions to which nobody has the answer. - Unknown
Lessons On Living From Job
Like Gold
"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." - Job 23:10
It�s a well-known fact that many people have become successful by compensating for personality or physical flaws. Winston Churchill, for example, stuttered as a youth yet became a great orator. Glenn Cunningham was so badly burned as a boy it was thought he would never walk again. He became, however, one of the world�s great milers. George Bernard Shaw was so painfully shy that he found it difficult to talk with anyone. But Shaw forced himself to join organizations where he would have to speak before audiences. In each of these situations, it was the fiery trials that brought out the best in the person.
As Job looked at the tests that God allowed in his life, he did not despair. Instead, he saw them as the instruments that would be used to bring about good. He knew that as the heat of a fiery furnace was needed to remove the dross from precious metal, so it took the cleansing flames of affliction to remove thoroughly the impurities from his life. He was confident that he would come forth not as a burned-up cinder but as a nugget of purest gold.
God is not in the demolition business, but He does run a refinery. His purpose is not to destroy but to purify. The burning difficulties that test us are designed to remove the dregs that hinder us from serving Him with clean hands and a pure heart. He seeks not to ruin us but to increase our value. His desire is to separate from us anything that would detract from our worth and make us ever more useful in service to Him.
If you are in the fiery furnace of affliction, take heart. God�s hand is on the thermostat. He will allow the heat to do no more than remove the impurities. As you go in mixed with the dregs of this world, you will come forth pure and refined.
Only precious ore is put in the Refiner�s fire.
By Woodrow Kroll
Back To The Bible
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Copyright �1996-2001
The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved.