October 1, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: It is a great mistake to suppose that God is only, or even chiefly, concerned with religion. - William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury
If You Don't Run, You Can't Win
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:24
In the movie Chariots of Fire, the competitive Oxford athlete, Harold Abrams, watches his archrival Eric Liddell run and is afraid that he cannot outrun him in a contest. He's sitting in the bleachers after the crowd has left, alone and dejected, his head buried in his hands when his girlfriend sits down to console him. "If I can't win, I won't run," he cries. And she replies, "If you don't run, you can't win!"
There are a lot of people who reflect the "winning is everything" mentality. To them, winning is not everything; it is the only thing that counts, regardless of how it is done. When officials at Cambridge confronted Abrams about the ethics of using a professional coach to train for the Olympics, he challenged them as being outdated and cried that he would carry the future.
In a sense, he was right. He did carry the future, which means that today how a person runs is overshadowed by the importance of winning. Cheat, be dishonest, use drugs or steroids, destroy your competitor, but win is the message that kids get. Is winning the only thing?
I often think of what Paul wrote long ago to the Corinthians. Paul had been there and had observed them. He wrote, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24,25). And, as he penned these words, no doubt the image of the Isthmian games, which were held in the city of Corinth, loomed in his imagination.
May I repeat those words, "Run in such a way as to get the prize?" Paul, of course, was using the analogy of running in a contest, relating it to living in such a manner that a person obtains eternal life. In both cases, he held, there are rules or laws which govern what is acceptable, not only to athletic officials, but to God as well, and to violate those rules results in disqualification. Sure, Paul believed that winning is important, but winning at the cost of violating the rules is completely wrong, at least in his thinking.
Paul believed that, for he continued saying, "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:26,27).
The word Paul used (adokimos) which is translated "disqualified" or "disapproved" or "not standing the test" is an interesting word. It was used of fruit that was inspected before it was brought into the city, but, not measuring up to the standard, was disqualified and rejected.
What's the point of today's commentary? Winning is important, but how you run is also important. In terms of reaching heaven's goal, God has outlined quite clearly what is necessary, in spite of the fuzzy thinking which abounds today-- thinking which is far, far off the game rules laid down in Scripture. While you may skirt the rules and win in running a race in a local contest, you can't violate the rules and win when it comes to life. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight," says the writer of Scripture, for "everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13).
True, you can't win if you don't run; but neither can you win, if you run illegally. Think about it.
Resource reading: 1 Corinthians 9.
By Dr. Harold Sala
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org
October 2, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: What can be hoped for which is not believed? - St. Augustine
"Give Yourself" - Jesus
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for me will save it." - Luke 9:23,24
Socrates, the nemesis of corruption in his day, became famous for his dictum: "Know Yourself!" But one who was born some 400 years later, Jesus Christ, said, "Give your self!" There is a great deal of difference between knowing yourself and giving yourself.
A knowledge of yourself is important. But altogether too often, once you have taken an honest and searching look within, you aren't very happy with what you discover. Socrates understood that because he added, "It isn't a pleasant picture to know ourselves..." What I'm about to point out may be a fine point, but yet it's important. There is a good deal of difference between a knowledge of yourself, and self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is an endless search, a journey that some people embark on, never to really arrive at a destination. They are the ones who are always going to seminars, always reading new books, or always trying a new therapy to discover who they really are, but the knowledge of yourself is different. It is the frank appraisal of who you are which comes by accepting what you see, instead of avoiding the reality of what you really are.
Paul would have agreed. You read about his personal struggle in Romans 7. In this passage Paul took a look within his heart in light of what God expects, and he didn't like what he saw. He came up lacking. He said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Continuing he admitted, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:15,18,19).
You may relate to Paul's dilemma. When you acknowledge who you really are, you don't like it. You know that you tolerate in your own life what you condemn in others. The thoughts that often fill your heart would embarrass you greatly if they were flashed on a screen for your wife or friends to see. They are a reflection, however, of the real you.
Modern psychology, and, frankly, some modern theology, makes you comfortable with who you really are. To make you feel better they talk of acceptance and understanding, but those were not central in the ministry of Jesus. His knowledge of people went far beyond the veneer of respectability; he saw people exactly as they were. Yet He didn't spend His time and energy either condemning them, or placating them, stressing the fact that "we are just human."
Instead, He challenged, "Give yourself!" In giving you receive and in dying you live. But giving ourselves runs contrary to our old natures. We want to receive, not give. We want our strokes, not to suffer the humiliation of learning to serve. Here is how Jesus put it: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:23,24).
The beautiful thing about giving yourself, first to God and then to others, is that in giving yourself, your old self changes. Paul described it as becoming "a new person," one who is intrinsically different, not simply a glossed-over version of the old, which was pretty evil. This is the beauty of conversion--of becoming a new person in Christ Jesus.
Yes, it is important to know yourself--to know your weaknesses, your failure, your sins--but once you know that, do something about it. Give yourself, and in so doing you will become the person God wants you to be.
Resource reading: Galatians 2.
By Dr. Harold Sala
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org
October 3, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: We talk about heaven being so far away. It is within speaking distance of those who belong there. - Dwight L. Moody
Have You Heard About...?
"He who... rules His spirit [is better] than he who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32 (NKJV)
It's an old story but one that still brings a chuckle: Three preachers were at a conference, and prompted by a message on "besetting sins," late one evening the three began to reveal some of their secret flaws. One said that his besetting sin was that he enjoyed an occasional drink. Naturally, he explained, he didn't like folks in his congregation knowing about it so he was quite discreet in his drinking.
The second said that he wasn't bothered at all with the temptation to drink, but he confessed that he, too, had a besetting sin. His, he admitted, was gambling.
The third listened quietly and as they waited for him to admit to a besetting sin, he smugly said, "I, too, have a besetting sin." "Yes," encouraged the first. "Mine," he said, "is gossip, and I can hardly wait to get home and talk about this."
My daughter Bonnie quips, "Christians don't gossip; they just share prayer requests." Right! So how do you respond to those bits of somewhat salacious information which get passed on to you? At times I ask, "Do you know this for a fact, or did you just hear someone else say this?"
Rumors or half-truths can be as devastating as a bullet in the dark. I'm thinking of a Methodist pastor whose associate didn't like him, so the youth pastor composed a letter accusing the senior pastor of wrongdoing and mailed the letter to the entire membership. What happened? As church leaders began to investigate, it became apparent that the accusations were totally untrue. The associate admitted to fabricating the story. Nonetheless people believed the rumor and the damage was done. Within two years the pastor quietly left town. He had become known as the "pastor whose reputation was questionable."
In regard to passing on information that may or may not be true, there are three questions which you need to ask.
First: Is it needful? What you say may be completely true. You may well know something about a person which only God and the other person knows, and God has long since forgiven that individual, blotting out the record forever. But you casually mention that failure in a conversation. What you shared had no bearing on the present situation. What you know is completely unnecessary.
Second: Is it kind? In recent years we've come to think of absolute frankness as being the equivalent to honesty. While I believe in honesty, I also believe in kindness. Criticism is often a blunt expression of what someone already knows. It takes little brilliance to recognize failure or shortcoming, but it takes a great deal of kindness to withhold the obvious.
Ever hear the expression, "I feel like giving him a piece of my mind?" My father-in-law, Guy Duffield, used to suggest that some folks have a good deal more mind than they know what to do with since they keep giving pieces of it away.
Third question: Is it true? Immanuel Kant, the philosopher, once said, "All that one says may be true, but it is not necessary to say all that is true." Paul says that learning when to speak and what to say is part of maturity. He suggests that infants are quick to speak their minds but men and women who are mature, "speak the truth in love," as they grow into Christ who is the head of all things (Ephesians 4:15, KJV).
The next time you are tempted to pass on a choice bit of news, ask if what you are about to say will pass these three simple tests: (1) Is it needful? (2) Is it kind? (3) Is it true?
Remind yourself of what the writer of Proverbs said long ago when he wrote, "He who... rules his spirit [is better] than he who takes a city" (Proverbs 16:32, NKJV).
Resource reading: Proverbs 3.
By Dr. Harold Sala
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org
October 4, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: It is the province of knowledge to speak, and its a
privilege of wisdom to listen.
- Oliver Wendell Homes
The Word
"My Word . . . shall not return to Me . . . without accomplishing what I desire" (Isaiah 55:11).
"Man does not live by bread alone, but . . . by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3).
The Bible contains many precious promises, two of which relate specifically to itself. First, the prophet Isaiah said that the Word is productive: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I send it" (Isaiah 55:10-11).
As you administer the Word, it may encourage a fellow Christian, bring a sinner to repentance, or even confirm an unbeliever in his sin. Whatever the response, be assured that the Word always accomplishes its intended purpose.
The Word is like a messenger that runs to do God's work: "He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel" (Psalm 147:15-19). Just as God sends the natural elements to accomplish His purposes, He also sends His Word.
The Word is also nourishing. Moses wrote, "Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3). God's Word feeds believers, causing spiritual growth.
How should you respond to such a powerful and productive Word? Trust it, so you can live each day in confidence. Proclaim it, so others will come to know its author. Obey it, so it can continue its transforming work in you, making you more like Christ each day.
Suggestions for Prayer: God's promises are intended to bring you great joy and encouragement. List seven promises that are especially meaningful to you. Use one each day for one week as a focal point for prayer and praise.
For Further Study: What promises does Jesus make in John 14:1-14?
By John MacArthur, Jr.
www.gty.org
� 2000-2002 Grace to You
October 5, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: If you truly want to understand something, try to change it. - Kurt Lewin
The Birth That Ended Death
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." - 1 Corinthians 15:22
People ask, "Why is there death and suffering in the world? Is this the way God wants it?" The Bible's clear answer is an emphatic "No!" The world God created in the beginning had no death, suffering or disease. When God created mankind, man knew God with a perfect knowledge and was happy with that knowledge. God and man communicated with each other more simply and easily than we can between ourselves today. This is what God wanted for man.
However, God did not create robots. He wants us to love Him, but this involves our will to do so and the choice not to do so. God warned us that choosing not to love Him, or turning our back on Him, would result in death. We have to admit that even Christians sometimes withdraw their love for God. The resulting suffering in this world is only a warning of the eternal consequences of our sin.
God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ and died for us that our death may not be eternal. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and, while He deserved no punishment for sin, He willingly suffered that punishment on our behalf. His Resurrection from the dead was God the Father's signal that He had accepted Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. In Christ, our death has become a mere passage to eternal life.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I confess that I will never understand the depth of Your love for me while I am in this world. But I believe that You have indeed rescued me from sin, death and the devil. Help my unbelief. Amen.
From Creation Moments
www.creationmoments.com
�1999-2002 Creation Moments, Inc.
October 6, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Good had but one enemy, the evil; but the evil has two enemies, the good and itself.
- Johannes von Muller
Freedom In Christ!
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:36
Steve and Dave were best friends. They were both Christians. They both attended the same church together. They both came from Christian families. They had both given their lives to the Lord at the same church camp. They both loved Christian rock music. And they were both alcoholics. Steve and Dave knew their lifestyle wasn't what it needed to be. Too many women, too many parties, too much booze! But living the Christian life was a difficult task. They loved the music, but had trouble living up to the strict standards of their families and church. It seemed like no matter what they did, they were always in trouble with someone. But they were Christians. They knew they were saved. And they knew that Christ's blood on the cross saved them from their sins -- even the sins they were now involved in! They knew they were under God's grace!
Steve and Dave are like so many Christians who see the Christian faith as a discipline instead of a relationship. The purpose of the cross was to bridge the gap between man and God that sin had closed. God wants to be "intimate" with us. He wants us to share a "relationship" with us.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul voices the same concern. He was dealing with people at that time who felt the same way. In Romans 6:1, Paul addresses the issue: "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" How can we live in it any longer? Easy. Sin is fun! It appeals to our flesh. It is what we naturally like to do!
When you became a Christian, God gave you a new nature along with the Holy Spirit to help you live the Christian life. As a result, your relationship with God begins to change your lifestyle. Romans 8:5 says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." You see, it's a matter of relationships! Many people try to clean up their lifestyles so it will improve their relationship with God. That isn't the way it works! It is because of your relationship with Jesus Christ that your lifestyle begins to change. You cannot change yourself. Maybe you're realizing that by now. God is the only one who can change you. John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Jesus Christ makes you free!
Let's go back to our friends Steve and Dave. They have missed the whole point of Christ's death on the cross, haven't they? Paul gives us this advice in Romans 13:14: "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." What does it mean to "clothe" yourself with Jesus Christ? It means to spend time with him. To develop an intimate relationship with him. We can do that by spending time in His Word and in prayer. But even that isn't enough. We need to open up to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and allow him to guide our hearts and minds. We need to allow ourselves to fall in love with Him. It was for that kind of relationship that Christ died on the cross!
By Pastor Bob Beeman
Copyright 1995 HM Magazine & Sanctuary International
www.sanctuaryinternational.com
October 7, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Faith goes up the stairs that love has made and looks out the window which hope has opened. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"Go And Do Likewise"
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And He said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." - Luke 10:25-37
Do you look for loop-holes to see what you can get away with? An expert in the law wanted to know how narrowly Jesus would define the legal obligation for who you must love and care for as your neighbor. Jesus' answer was not what he was looking for because He closed the loop-hole for good!
The story Jesus told was all to familiar to His audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was dangerous and notorious for its robbers. No one in his right mind would think of traveling it alone. Why did the religious leaders refuse help when they saw a victim in obvious need of help, while an outsider, a Samaritan who was despised by the Jews, came to the rescue? Who showed true compassion and mercy? Jesus makes the supposed villain, the despised Samaritan, the merciful one as an example for the status conscious Jews.
Why didn't the priest and Levite stop to help? The priest probably didn't want to risk the possibility of ritual impurity. His piety got in the way of charity. The Levite approached close to the victim, but stopped short of actually helping him. Perhaps he feared that bandits might be waiting to ambush him. The Levite put personal safety ahead of saving his neighbor.
What does Jesus teach us about love for one's neighbor? First, we must be willing to help even if someone brought trouble on himself through his own fault. Our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide as God's love. No one is excluded. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Are you ready to lay down your life for your neighbor?
"Lord, may Your love always be the foundation of my life. And may my love for you express itself in an eagerness to do good for others."
Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
In the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who have pleasure in them.
Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures for ever.
He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear Him;
He is ever mindful of His covenant.
He has shown His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of His hands are faithful and just;
All His precepts are trustworthy,
They are established for ever and ever,
To be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant for ever.
Holy and terrible is His name!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who practice it.
His praise endures for ever! - Psalm 111:1-10
By Don Schwager
(c) 2002 Don Schwager
October 8, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Truth is too simple for us; we do not like those who
unmask our illusions.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Uninterrupted Service"
Psalm 139:7
I guess some of us have become way too dependent on cell phones. But when you travel as much as I do, there are times when your cell phone is your only link when you really need to communicate. Unfortunately, many of those moments find me in the middle of one of those black holes where you're nowhere near a cell tower. Like trying to find a cell site in great stretches of the Western United States - or try it in the middle of a remote Indian reservation, for example. That's why I get such a chuckle out of this one cell phone commercial. This guy is in the woods, talking on his cell phone and saying, "Can you hear me now?" Then he's in a swamp or something and he goes, "Can you hear me now?" Finally, he's on top of some mountain - "Can you hear me now?" I wish I had a dollar for every time I've asked that question.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Uninterrupted Service."
That question takes on a far deeper significance when you're in one of those times when you're feeling far away from God. And it's God who you're asking, "Can you hear me now?" The valley may be very deep - "Lord, can You hear me now?" The wilderness may be very lonely and very long - "Lord, can You hear me now?" The guilt and the shame may haunt you constantly - "Can you hear me now, Lord?"
And He answers unequivocally in Psalm 139, beginning with verse 7, our word for today from the Word of God: "Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,' even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You."
Well, there it is. No matter where you are, no matter how deep in, no matter how cold inside, no matter how far down, or how far away you feel - the answer to "Can You hear me now, Lord?" is always a resounding "Yes!" He is always there for you - in the depths of your depression, in the hardness of your rebellion, in the coldness of your feelings, in the roller coaster of your emotions - He's there! If you feel far from God, remember, He hasn't moved! And if you're running from God, hoping somehow to escape Him, realize that it is the ultimate Mission Impossible. He will always run faster than you can.
But if it seems you're having a hard time getting through to God, consider one thing that creates a serious communication breakdown. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear." That means that there's a sin you're loving more than Him, a sin you are stubbornly hanging onto. That's serious trouble in the line. But He's still listening for you to say, "God, I'm so sorry for hurting and defying You. Forgive me ... change me." Maybe He's been waiting a long time to hear those words from you.
If your feelings are telling you that your Lord can't be reached from where you are now, your feelings are lying to you. It is one of the great treasures of belonging to Jesus that you can never again be somewhere God cannot hear you. He loves to hear your voice.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft.
October 9, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask but when we are challenged to be what we can be. - Morris Alder
Encouraging Word For The Week from Brother Steve
Last week, I attended the "Church on the Cutting Edge" conference at Second Baptist Church of Houston, Texas. It was a great opportunity to learn about what growing churches and ministries are doing to fulfill their mission.
One of the speakers, Ed Young Jr. of Grapevine, Texas, spoke during one of the many "breakout conferences" on the idea of "Creativity". Since I considered this to be an area where I was not particularly strong, I decided to drop in and gain some ideas.
During his presentation, he addressed the fact that Jesus' ministry was far from predictable. In fact, it was extremely creative. For instance, the Lord did most of his teaching in parables. He told stories of ordinary, everyday events in order to convey spiritual truths. In addition, he performed miracles, rebuked those in religious authority, and accepted the unacceptable. He went where the "righteous" people of his day wouldn't imagine going and called people to a commitment they had never heard of before. His ministry was far from orthodox. You might say it was bizarre, far out, or crazy -- in other words, creative.
I have been serving the Lord in vocational ministry since 1988. I have learned that creativity is often times frowned upon in the name of tradition. We typically do the same things, the same way, with ineffective results but feel good about it because we were faithful.
Think about it. Is Jesus more concerned with us "bearing fruit" or maintaining the vineyard? Granted, repetitive maintenance is important, but by itself does not guarantee a harvest. Fruitfulness on a regular basis requires work, research, and experimentation. What worked yesterday is not guaranteed to work tomorrow.
For example, when I was a child, my Dad had a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Some time later, he bought a console stereo with an eight-track tape deck and a record player. When I became a teenager, my parents purchased me a cassette tape player that recorded. Today, compact disks are the popular technology. In less than forty years we have seen the evolution of the music recording business move through five different forms to produce the same product -- sound.
Recently, I have noticed a major change along the Shreveport-Bossier City riverfront. The Boomtown Casino has erected a huge sign with a massive video screen in the middle of it. Although I am not a gambler, I can't help looking at what is on the screen every time I'm headed eastbound on Interstate 20. This casino has made this large investment in order to produce the same result they have always sought--attract gamblers.
It baffles me that our secular world is more motived to be creative and reach people than we are in the church. They are in the business of turning a profit, whereas we are seeking to turn sinners to Christ.
In Luke 14:23, Jesus is giving a parable about reaching people with the gospel and he makes this statement: "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in." The word "compel" basically means to do whatever is necessary to get people in.
Today, our ability to reach people for Christ is consistent with how compelling our methods are in conveying the message of salvation. We are not to blame the lost world for not listening, but instead need to ask ourselves if our message is being communicated in a way that people will hear.
Therefore, let me encourage you to be creative in everything that you do as a believer. Find new ways to share one-on-one with your peers.
If you teach a class at church, then make a concerted effort to present God's truth in an appealing manor that draws interest and conveys meaning. If you serve in some other capacity in the church, then approach it according to the concept of "what needs to be done" rather than "what has always been done".
When Jesus spoke, people paid attention. Why? Listen to what the scriptures say of the people's response after the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:28-29): "...the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority..." He didn't entertain them, but shared the truth in such a way that mesmerized them.
The word of God never changes, but we as believers must be creative enough to find ways to grab the hands of lost mankind and place them in the grasp of Almighty God.
Seeking renewed vision,
Bro. Steve
Doyline Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
October 10, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: The best way to get even is to forget. - Anonymous
Having A Great Prayer Life
What is the secret for a great prayer life? Quite simply, and without meaning to be glib, the secret to prayer is secret prayer!
The goal of prayer should never be the roaring approval of the crowds, but rather the approval of our Father who is in heaven. As Jesus so eloquently put it, "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." The secret to prayer is secret prayer.
Jesus provided the ultimate example. As Dr. Luke puts it, He "often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16). Unlike the religious leaders of His day, He did not pray to be seen by men. He prayed because He treasured fellowship with His Father. Hypocrites gain their reward through public prayer. They may be perceived as spiritual giants, but by the time they are finished, they have received everything they will ever get - their prayer's worth and nothing more.
Steeped in religious practices, these hypocrites tithed, fasted, and traveled "over land and sea" to win converts. They even prayed. And how! They prayed publicly in synagogues, and they prayed publicly on street corners. They even wore boxes on their foreheads containing pet prayers. Yet their motivation was not intimacy with God, but to be seen by men. Thus, said Jesus, "they have received their reward in full."
By Hank Hanegraaff
"Bible Answer Man"
www.oneplace.com
� Copyright 2002, OnePlace, LLC. All rights reserved.
October 11, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: The line between good and evil passes not between principalities and powers, but oscillates within the human heart. And even the most rational approach to ethics is defenseless if there isn't the will to do what is right. - Unknown
Peace That Exceeds Understanding
Peace. Whisper the word to yourself and you can almost feel your heart relax. When you're at peace, you feel an inner confidence that things are not running wild - regardless of the circumstances. Your mind is at rest. Your heart doesn't flutter with anxiety. Your focus is clear.
But far too often, peace is like that elusive butterfly. Even Christians chase after it and find it just out of reach. Perhaps the rarest of all virtues, real peace comes only when you decide to take God at His word. So, if God promises peace, let's discover how to find it on our most stressful days! Look carefully - resting on the edge of Isaiah's prophecies sits that elusive butterfly:
"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock." (Isaiah 26:3-4)
Let's break down that promise and discover the secret to peace. Steadfast means, "to lean on for support." Of mind means "to frame or to form." Together, this phrase means God will give complete peace to you if your "frame of mind leans on and is supported."
On what should you be leaning? On God, as the verse says: "The steadfast of mind . . . trusts in You." When you trust Him, you "throw yourself down" - just as you do when playing that trust game, falling backward into the waiting, ready arms of those behind you. When you trust God, you refuse all other crutches and lean your entire weight on the One who gives stable support.
Can God hold you up? Yes. As verse 4 says, He's "an everlasting Rock."
And how will He hold you up? In two ways: He will "keep" you, meaning He'll "guard or watch over" you, and He does this with "perfect peace," which in Hebrew means shalom. Literally, God will guard you with shalom - an unending security, an uninterrupted rest, and a complete calmness.
Did you notice where that complete calmness comes from? Not from you, but from God, whom you lean upon and trust. No wonder mankind's frantic search for peace leaves them empty-hearted - they're looking in the wrong place. Paul said God's peace "surpasses all comprehension" (Philippians 4:7). It's not found in mind control or managed situations. The secret to shalom is trusting God. Want a good summary of our Bible study above? God gives complete rest to those who lean on Him for support - to those who trust Him as an unmovable and strong Rock.
So, in what circumstance do you need peace today? Are you facing a frightening situation? Lean on Him. Do you feel panicked, unsure of what to do? Trust Him with it. Are you worried about your job, someone you love, or a situation outside your control? Give it to God. He promises you shalom if you lean your full weight against Him, not yourself: "Trust Me with all your heart. Don't lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Me in every area of your life, and I'll direct your paths." (See Proverbs 3:5-6.)
Today, choose one thing that distracts and disturbs you. Intentionally give it to God. Release your grasp on it, and let it go. Who knows? In its place, you might find a butterfly resting in your open hand.
"But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace." (Ephesians 2:13-14a)
By Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org
(c) Copyright Insight for Living. All rights reserved.
October 12, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: There is no ideal place to serve God except the place
where He has set you down.
- Eric Alexander
Christ's call is to feed the hungry, not the full; to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; not to call the scoffers, but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches and cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers and artistic musical performances, but to raise living churches of souls among the destitute, to capture men from the devil's clutches and snatch them from the very jaws of hell, to enlist and train them for Jesus, and to make them into an Almighty Army of God. But this can only be accomplished by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered Holy Ghost religion, where neither Church nor State, neither man nor traditions are worshipped or preached, but only Christ and Him crucified. Not to confess Christ by fancy collars, clothes, silver croziers or gold watch-chain crosses, church steeples or richly embroidered altar-cloths, but by reckless sacrifice and heroism in the foremost trenches. It's the hot, free heart and not the balanced head that knocks the devil out. Nothing but forked-lightning Christians will count. A lost reputation is the best degree for Christ's service.
The difficulty is to believe that He can deign to use such scallywags as us, but of course He wants Faith and Fools rather than talents and culture. All God wants is a heart, any old turnip will do for a head; so long as we are empty, all is well, for then He fills with the Holy Ghost.
The fiery baptism of the Holy Ghost will change soft, sleek Christians into hot, lively heroes for Christ, who will advance and fight and die, but not mark time. Let us race to heaven.
Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible, by faith in the omnipotence, fidelity and wisdom of the Almighty Savior Who gave the command.
By C.T. Studd
October 13, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Verily, we know not what an evil it is to indulge
ourselves, and to make an idol of our will... Once I would make much ado,
if I saw not the world carved and set in order to my liking; now I am
silent, when I see God... is fattening and feeding the children of
perdition. I pray God, I may never find my will again.
- Samuel Rutherford
Plant Your Feet In His Realm
WE want to say, "By the power of God... (this or that can happen or change)!" And surely this is TRUE. "ALL Authority" is in Christ Jesus, and only our God is truly Able. And yet, there is a Mystery OF HIS CHOOSING available to His Offspring - those who have been Twice-Born into "the power of an Indestructible Life."
This is a pretty WILD thought, WELL worth mentioning: If we are to explore and live in the True Christian Life, God's way in us is NOT just "By the power of God, this or that can happen or did happen." BIBLICALLY, it is OFTEN the case that the world was changed "BY FAITH" - not "by petition." "By faith... this or that miracle or change was accomplished!" Re-read this paragraph, and ponder the difference?
"BY FAITH" nations tremble, and rains fall from the sky at the command of "a man just like us."
WE, in false humility, or misunderstanding of God, want to hear, "The Lord has saved you" (true, of course!) - but we do NOT want to consider "Your faith has saved you!" - no matter how BIBLICAL that is! We're AFRAID of it! We prefer, "Pretty please, God, could YOU throw that mountain over there into the sea?" to the BIBLICAL INHERITANCE (and Command from Jesus) to "SAY TO THAT MOUNTAIN" jump into the sea!
Ahhh - this is a very, very different view of God for most in Christian settings and religious lifestyles. Reconsider with us the ROLE of one who is INDWELT by "the power that rose Christ Jesus from the dead" in the person of "Christ IN you, the hope of Glory!"
HOW could this be, that BY FAITH mountains are cast down...? We're so much more comfortable with a pious "Pretty please, God, could you?"
HOW could it be that our God calls us to "BY FAITH" -- rather than simply always "by petition"? :)
Is it really THAT hard to understand that Father's desire and abundance and power and supply are INFINITE and ALREADY AVAILABLE??!! Is it SO hard to see that we're not beggars, but SONS AND DAUGHTERS AND CO-HEIRS?! Can we see WHY, when the Supply was always there, that "BY FAITH...!" is how the Scriptures read that kingdoms were conquered and the dead were raised?!
"By God"? "In the Name of Jesus Christ!" Of course. And YET it will always be those who understand what is written in these few words just above who will see the Expressions of His Life and Power. To those who see and daily function in the distinction between the two very different ways of seeing God --and ourselves and our Assignments and Provision -- THESE MEN AND WOMEN ALONE will EXPERIENCE and WITNESS far more than statistically probably daily existence and general "God" belief-system and a few acts of His Mercy and Kindness, reserved even for the underdeveloped and the weak.
"BY FAITH!" There is a long Biblical precedent for seeing Life this way. Faith born in Fellowship. "Faith comes by HEARING." :)
By Mike Peters
October 14, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: By trials God is shaping us for higher things. - Henry Ward Beecher
Passing On Our Faith
My father always told me, "The debt we owe to the past is to leave the future indebted to us." As Christians, we are required and allowed the wonderful privilege of passing on to our children God's mighty works of the past. As the next generation gains this reservoir of knowledge and faith, they grow closer to God and are less likely to become rebellious and turn away from Him.
The Psalmist speaks of this imperative. in Psalm 78:4 he says, "We must not hide them (God's marvelous works) from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed." If we fail to pass our faith and beliefs to succeeding generations, the void created by our inaction will be filled by the world. Our culture will mold and fashion their developing hearts and minds.
This pattern of one generation teaching the next is presented in many places in God's Word. For example, Isaiah 54:13 states, "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
The rationale for faithfully passing God's truth to the next generation is found in Psalm 78:8. "Then they would not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not loyal and whose spirit was not faithful to God." The result of one generation teaching the next is that our children should go further with God than we have. As they are grounded in the Word of God, they will be more obedient than we have been.
The Psalmist uses Ephraim as a sad example. Because he did not pass on to his children the mighty works of God, they "turned back on the day of battle" (verse 9). Defeat and disgrace came upon this tribe because it no longer had a dynamic, historical faith in the living God. Failure to pass on vital spiritual truth resulted in the disintegration of national character. This same principle is at work in the United States today.
Because we have not carried out our God-given responsibility to pass on our faith, we are raising children who are ignorant of the truths of God's Word and intolerant of their rich spiritual heritage. When we do not pass on the historical basis of our faith in God and the truths of His Word, we only have to look to Psalm 78 to see that there will be a decay of national character leading to the refusal of following generations to face the enemies of God.
Spend a few minutes today reflecting on what you most want your children to know about God and His working in your life. How have you communicated these mighty works of God? If you haven't, how could you, even now, share with your children? Ask the Lord to lead you. Don't delay.
In His love,
Jimmy Draper
[email protected]
October 15, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: At the resurrection the substance of our bodies, however disintegrated, will be united. We must not fear that the omnipotence of God cannot recall all the particles that have been consumed by fire or by beast, or dissolved into dust and ashes, or decomposed into water, or evaporated into air. - St. Augustine
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"How A Thermometer Becomes A Thermostat"
John 14:27
It was very cold in our house. I was the first one awake that morning, and as I scampered through our personal Arctic I checked the thermometer. It said 50 degrees. I called Mr. Furnace to come. In the meantime, I turned on the kitchen stove, I opened the door, and I sat in front of it to have some personal spiritual time. My kids told me that with my eyes closed it looked like I was praying to the stove! Well, Mr. Furnace came and finally figured it out. See, the problem was the thermostat, not the thermometer - that just reflected the temperature. It was the thermostat, which, of course, controls the temperature!
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "How A Thermometer Becomes A Thermostat."
The fact is, you may be a thermometer - or you're a thermostat. Thermometer people tend to reflect the temperature of the people around them. "If you're hot, I'm hot. If you're cool, I'm cool. If you're nice, I'm nice. If you yell, I yell." Thermometer.
What most of us would like to be is a thermostat - someone who controls the temperature in our situation. Your family sure needs for you to be a thermostat; if everyone's a thermometer, it's chaos there. The people you work with, your friends - they need someone who is under control, who doesn't go off with the stress, who's steady and caring and peaceful. Those thermostat people are rare - and valuable.
My friend Mark runs a rapidly growing, highly-pressurized company that services some of America's largest corporations. In the heat of battle one day, one of Mark's execs came in and said, "Man, how do you handle all this pressure?" Well, Mark is like the eye of a hurricane - a center of calm in a swirling storm. Actually, Mark explained his thermostatic peace in one word. "Jesus."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the words of Jesus Himself in John 14:27. He is talking to His closest friends on the most stressful night of His life, just before His arrest and execution. And it's on the eve of what is about to be the most stressful chapter in their lives. If stressful is a fair description of your life right now, these words from Jesus are for you, too. Here's what He says. "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
I'm sure I don't have to make a list of the uncertainties in our world that could make any of our hearts "troubled" or "afraid" right now. And you probably have a pretty impressive list of your own. But in the midst of combat conditions, Jesus says, "I give you My peace - like nothing, like no one on earth can give you." A love-relationship with the Son of God is the secret of my friend Mark's peace under pressure. It's a peace that I have experienced over and over again ... from hospital rooms, to gravesides, to doctor's offices, to airplanes in trouble, to out-of-control weeks. The anchor is that relationship with Jesus Christ.
And when you know you belong to Him, you can be a thermostat instead of a thermometer because you know you have an identity and a security that is rooted in something that you can't lose. The freedom of knowing that whatever's at stake in this situation isn't all there is - you're anchored to Jesus Christ, His unloseable love, and His unstoppable plans.
It's the relationship you were made for, that you've been missing because your sin has cut you off from your Creator. It's the relationship that Jesus died to give you by paying for your sin on His cross. If you're ready to let Jesus bring peace to that storm inside you, tell Him you are trusting Him to be your Savior from your sin.
Jesus makes a thermometer person into a thermostat - who has His inner power to set a whole new temperature. And He's waiting for your invitation.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
October 16, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Becoming a Christian is not a slow, unintentional process of evolution in which a young person eventually 'ends up as a Christian'...It calls for revolutionary not evolutionary change...We 'become' Christians by a radical transformation of our lives, turnaround experiences that must not happen just once but many times. - Stephen D. Jones
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
It is that time of year again. It is evident in the way people are dressed. You can see it on the shelves and in the aisles at Wal-Mart. It is being talked about and prepared for all over the community.
If you haven't figured it out by now, I wont camouflage it any longer. If you are in the woods about where I'm headed, then I'll get right on the target. It is deer hunting season again. And all the four-wheeler driving, gun-toting men said, "Amen!"
However, for me, as a non-hunter, it is no big deal. In north Louisiana, I'm a strange bird. In an environment where the majority of men relish the opportunity to shoot Bambi, I have absolutely no interest. I don't mind eating Bambi, but everything that comes before the event of that slab of deer meat hitting the table is of no concern of me.
Why? I was raised in New Orleans where deer hunting wasn't very prevalent. My father and brother weren't into any forms of hunting. Of my close friends, I didn't know of any that hunted regularly. I was raised in a place where it wasn't very important.
On the other hand, I didn't fish either. The Gulf of Mexico was about an hour's drive from home and yet I never fished in it once. There were bayous and numerous other bodies of water within a twenty minute drive and yet I only fished a handful of times in my younger years. If invited, I'm sure I would have loved to have gone.
With all the opportunities to fish that were around me, very few people ever invited me to go. In the case of my Dad, he was a crippled man and couldn't take me. My former brother-in-law took me several times, but that was only to make my sister happy. No one had a real interest in making me a fisherman and I had nothing driving me to look further into it. Therefore, at age 37, I'm still not a fisherman.
This coming Sunday is High Attendance Day in Sunday School. We have a church-wide goal of 154. The only way we are going to reach such a goal is for the people of our congregation to have enough concern to invite those who aren't here. The unchurched don't understand that God's house is a place that can bring wonderful joy to their lives. Only other Christians can make this reality known.
I heard a statistic recently that conveys this point. It said that 50% of unchurched people would come to church if someone they knew invited them to come. So it's not that they don't want to fish, but that no one has invited them into their boat.
Let me encourage you to make a point this week of inviting someone to come to church with you on Sunday. On a weekly basis, start grasping the potential that is available in reaching people for Christ if only we would take the step of inviting them to come.
Fishing for men,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
October 17, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Live by faith until you have faith. - Peter Boehler (spoken to John Wesley)
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Looking Backwards"
Isaiah 43:16
My sons love roller coasters - the more daring, the better. This is not a case of "like father, like son," I assure you. I was originating a radio program from a major amusement park, and I came upon a roller coaster that actually offered you a choice. I noticed that there were two lines for Rolling Thunder - the sign over one said, "Forward" ... the sign over the other line said, "Backwards." It didn't take me long to figure out that they were offering riders the option of actually riding this roller coaster looking backwards the whole time. No, thank you!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Looking Backwards."
Unfortunately, a lot of people live their lives like the people on that roller coaster - always looking backwards, looking at where they've already been instead of where they're going. And that pretty much guarantees that your life is going to be a roller coaster ride!
God addresses our tendency to keep nursing the past in Isaiah 43, beginning with verse 16 - it's our word for today from the Word of God. First, He reminds us of the credentials of the One who is calling us to focus on where we're headed - "This is what the Lord says - He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick."
With that reminder of God's way-making, obstacle-removing power as a backdrop, He says this: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." God's words couldn't be plainer - "do not dwell on the past." Are you? If so, you are likely to miss the new thing God is trying to do in your life. You're in the "looking backwards" car, dwelling on things that happened to you or things you did in the past - and you're missing the exciting things that are ahead for you.
Maybe you're harboring old hurts, always bringing that painful past into the present by your constant replaying of what happened. You just will not let it go - and so it never lets go of you. You don't hold a grudge - a grudge holds you. Maybe you've continually held past offenses against someone, or you've defined yourself as a victim based on the bad things that have happened to you, or you're dwelling on what you've lost or how you've failed. That's the past - it can't be changed. But the future is yet to be written - and it doesn't have to be more of the same - unless you keep carrying the darkness of your past into your present.
Isn't it time to close that volume of your life? It's time to start Page One of a whole new volume. God is near you today, saying, "I am doing a new thing. Can't you see it?" Maybe you're scared to go for the new thing. Remember - you're following your Lord into that new thing. That's the Lord that parts Red Seas, buries mighty armies, makes a way in the desert, and does miracles in the wilderness.
There are two ways to go - looking backwards and looking forward. You've been looking backwards look enough. Turn around. There are some exciting things ahead for those who will quit looking back.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
October 18, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Love slays what we were so we may be what we are not. - Augustine of Hippo
"The Opposite Outcome"
"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 14:11
Many people take their cues from the society of self-serving individuals. If asked to complete the statement "Whoever exalts himself_________," they might finish the sentence with "shows a healthy self-confidence," or "will have people look up to him," or "will get ahead in the world." Also, when Jesus assures the humble person that God will exalt him, worldly philosophy would change this to mean, "Whoever humbles himself has an inferiority complex and will let people step on him."
Our world is full of do-it-yourself achievers of fame and fortune, some of them not hesitating to hide their selfish drive under a cloak of religious piety. Religious leaders in Jesus' day made a display of their religion, sought out the seats of honor, and had themselves addressed by honorable titles -- indeed not to honor God by the office they held but to exalt themselves.
Jesus gives the scribes and Pharisees and all their imitators something to think about when he declares that all self-seeking efforts are counterproductive, their outcomes opposite of what was intended. He teaches, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Saint Peter, writing years later, repeats Jesus' admonition with these words: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6). Christian humility is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ, who to redeem us humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. And just as He was lifted up from the grave, so we shall be exalted into heaven to reign with Him forever. Not a bad swap for being humbled now!
PRAYER: Lord God, take away from me all pride and arrogance and give me Christ-like humility. Amen.
Taken from "Each Day with Jesus"
Copyright 1994, Concordia Publishing House.
October 19, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of 'accepting' Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. - A.W. Tozer
Why Do We Worship?
Yeah...why DO we worship? Why do we read the Bible? Why do we pray? Why do we go to church? What's in it for me?
Ahhhh...therein lies the problem. If we do any of the above to get something in return we may have missed the entire point of worshiping, praying, Bible study, etc.
But isn't there a benefit to Bible study? Shouldn't I make my requests known to God in prayer?
Yes, of course. We read to better understand and know God...we pray because we expect God to hear our prayers and to answer us. Yes, there is a personal benefit to all of these things; but unless my motivation is right I'm setting myself up for a fall. You see, if I pray to God just to "get something" I'm missing out on the joy of just being in His presence. If I read the Bible so that I might understand all there is to know about God but don't spend time actually "getting to know Him" I've missed the whole point of the Bible - that God would reveal Himself to me in the person of Jesus Christ that I might know Him --- not just know about Him --- and by faith be reconciled into a personal relationship with Him. (See John 17:3)
That's really what it's all about...that God would restore mankind to that fellowship He had with Adam and Eve before the Fall. The God who walked with them in the Garden wants to walk with you and me in our day to day lives. Let me give you some examples:
My personal devotion time is best when it's a time of me walking with God. It's worst when I'm just reading the words with the goal of saying "Okay, I'm done" because I'm in a hurry to do something else.
My Sunday worship is best when I'm focused on the only One who is worthy of my worship and praise. It's best when I'm just enjoying being in His presence. It's worst when I'm thinking about what I'm going to do when I get home or wondering if the people next to me heard my voice crack on that last hymn.
My prayer-times are best when after I get done laying out all my needs or even before I begin "the litany of my troubles" I just rest in His presence and soak in the privilege of being able to come to Him in prayer...when I at His side like a child next to a parent enjoying a sunset together or two lovers on a pier with their feet dangling in the water --- no words need to be spoken --- just being together is enough. My worst prayer-times are when I'm in a rush to get the prayer over and get back to the business of my day...when ALL I do is run through my "litany" and hang up the phone (say "Amen") before God even gets a chance to respond!
God wants to spend time with you and me because as a personal being He wants to have a personal relationship with the personal beings He created in His image. When we treat worship, prayer, Bible study and church attendance as simply a list of chores Christians are supposed to do with the cause and effect mentality of "Do this and you will be rewarded - do that and you will be punished" we shouldn't be surprised that we have no joy in worship, satisfaction in prayer, peace from personal quiet time, or encouragement from our pastor's sermon.
Why do I pray? Why do I read? Why do I worship? Why do I go to church? Because I like God and God likes me and I like being with Him and these are ways to spend time with Him...and I like that.
Gary Zanow
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
October 20, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble. - Teresa of Avilar
Going "Up" To Jerusalem
"He said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem.'" - Luke 18:31
In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him-"...till we all come...to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the Believer is to do God's will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A Believer is useful ["thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold" if he or she is "good soil" with "a good and honest heart"] -- and he does win the lost -- but that is not the true goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord. [Or, better said, to BE fully immersed in Christ Jesus, saturated in His Love and His Life and His Ways, unwavering, without wandering, or resisting the cost.]
In our Lord's life, Jerusalem was the place where He reached the culmination of His Father's will upon the cross, and unless we go there with Jesus we will have no friendship or fellowship with Him. Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go "up to Jerusalem."
"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" (Matthew 10:24). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our "Jerusalem." There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will be helped towards Jesus, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going "up to [our] Jerusalem." Many, even blood relatives and "friends" and "wise men" will attempt to divert us, as they did our Lord.
"...there they crucified Him." (Luke 23:33). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. Our watchword should be summed up by each of us saying, "I too go 'up to Jerusalem.'"
By Oswald Chambers
October 21, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliott
Feast on the Word
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." - Matthew 4:4
The Word of God is to your spirit as bread is to your body. When your body feeds on physical food, it produces a physical power called strength. When your spirit feeds on the spiritual food of the Word, it produces spiritual power called faith. And just as you can't eat one meal and then feed on the memory of it for several weeks, you can't just remember what the Word says and stay strong in faith. You have to read it. Even if you've read it a hundred times, you need to read it again.
Try this: Close your eyes and see yourself slicing a lemon. Now stick that lemon slice between your teeth and when I say, "Three," bite down on it so hard that the juice squirts into your mouth. One. Two. Three. Bite!
Chances are, you have such a vivid memory of what it's like to bite on a lemon that your mouth is watering right now. But let me ask you this, "Have you received any nourishment from that memory?" No.
Remembering the Word of God isn't enough. You must continually feed on what it says. Get it out and read it. Go to church and hear it preached.
One day, you'll read a familiar verse...a verse you've read thousands of times before...and suddenly God will give you the greatest revelation you've ever had. A completely fresh revelation from that old familiar verse! And it's likely to be exactly what you needed to know about your current situation.
Yes, you can feed on the Word that is on deposit in your spirit. But remember this: You can't get continued results if you don't spend time in prayer and in the Word of God allowing the Spirit to nourish you daily.
Don't try to live on the memory of your last spiritual meal. Replenish the force of faith within you. Feast on the Word of God today.
By Kenneth Copeland
www.kcm.org
October 22, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: I have always thought that one man of tolerable abilities may work great changes, and accomplish great affairs among mankind, if he first forms a good plan, and, cutting off all amusements or other employments that would DIVERT HIS ATTENTION, makes the execution of that same objective his SOLE study and business. - Benjamin Franklin
The Reopened Channel"
"There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men." - 1 Timothy 2:5-6
The Suez Canal in Egypt was opened in 1869 to connect the worlds of Europe and Asia. The ruler of Egypt commissioned Verdi to compose the opera "Aida," a love story set in Egypt, to commemorate the event.
The connecting link between the worlds of heaven and earth is none other than Jesus, the Mediator between God and sinful humankind. In Him God reconciled the world to Himself. Through Christ, access to the throne of grace is effected. Christ's coming for this purpose represents the greatest love story ever told. Little wonder the angels sang music far greater than that of Verdi or any other composer! "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests" (Luke 2:14).
The coming of Christ as Savior was made necessary because the communication between God and the human race was broken off due to sin. A great gap had developed. The channel had to be reopened, and only Jesus could do this.
During the Arab-Israeli War in 1967, the Suez Canal was closed to shipping. It did not take long before the waterway was clogged and unnavigable due to silting, sunken ships, and other obstructions. In the 1970s the canal was reopened and cleaned up.
That is what Christ did when He became, as the Epistle to the Hebrews states, "the Mediator of the new covenant." This covenant was far superior to the one established at Mount Sinai, and His priesthood far greater than Aaron's. This validity is due "to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24). Truly, "the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin," as Saint John testified. The channel is open again; as Saint John goes on to say, "If anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 John 1:7, 2:1).
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord God for making it possible for me to approach You in prayer, and to ask You, for Jesus' sake, to keep me reconciled to You as Your child. Amen.
Taken from "Each Day with Jesus"
Copyright 1994, Concordia Publishing House.
October 23, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Isn't it a pleasure of the very highest degree, knowing that while you are on your knees before Him in prayer and worship, and on your face before Him devouring His Word and wrestling It into your life -- isn't it an awesome pleasure to know that even WHILE you're doing this, that you are literally SURROUNDED by many other Faithful servants of God in your neighborhood and near neighborhoods ... DOING EXACTLY THE SAME THING, even RIGHT THEN, and refusing to be diluted and distracted away by the busy-ness of the world and its trivial pursuits and shallow ways? Cool feeling that TeamWork is so powerful and encouraging. You are surrounded by people who take the REAL THING SERIOUS and won't drop the ball. I like it. - Sent in by John
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
My oldest son, Andrew, is playing football in the Minden Recreational Department's league. This year, the games are being played at the brand new Minden Recreation Center fields off of Interstate 20. It is a beautiful facility with a multitude of sports fields and even a facility with a gym, pools, and a walking track.
As you arrive next to the football fields you have to make a choice to park north or south of the gridiron in lots that are surrounded by baseball fields. There is no parking adjacent to the football fields, although the lots that are available are close enough to make for a three minute walk.
For the first several games this year, dozens of people, including myself, have parked on the shoulder of the road that runs alongside of the field. Because of the width of the shoulder, a lot of us parents have taken advantage of the abbreviated walk and have filled us the sides of the road.
Last week, the officials in charge of the facility started prohibiting people from parking there. In fact, I was told they were directing traffic to the lots and away from the shoulders.
Last night, we had a game and noticed that they have taken the matter a step further. All up and down the shoulders there are signs erected that say "No Parking". These signs are spaced about fifty feet apart and there must be ten on either side of the road.
Since we played the early game, we parked our vehicles in the designated lots and walked to the field. As we left last night, I noticed that on both sides of the road there were cars parked up and down the shoulders between the "No Parking" signs. I couldn't help but laugh. I'm not talking 3 or 4 cars, but literally twenty or thirty. As we saw this, my wife said, "I guess they should have placed the signs closer together."
What is it that causes people to see signs, read signs, and yet ignore signs? What part of "No Parking" is vague? Does the sign mean that people are not to park on the three inches that the post takes up in the ground, or does this speak to the general area? I'm sure that after last night the recreation department officials were scratching their heads and saying, "What else can we do?"
I have my own theory as to why the people ignored the signs last night. It all began because someone got bold enough to be the first one to park on the shoulder. Then, a second person drove up and saw that one car did it, so they assumed it was okay for them. Then, this process continued until the signs became insignificant and the shoulders were once again full.
As a rule of thumb, standards lose their credibility when the masses ignore them. It's not that the standard is wrong or bad, but that the contempt of the people has created chaos. On the other hand, when standards are followed and enforced in great numbers, the masses respect it. The result here is order and sanity.
The reason a lot of our world doesn't know Christ is because people go to church week after week and ignore the signs. The unchurched majority watch "Christians" parking in the "No Parking" zone and decide that if it is okay for them then it must be okay for everybody. They get the idea that the signs are just decoration, ritual, or religious practice and have nothing to do with everyday life. Lost people aren't turned off to God because they don't believe in Him, but because they see faithful church-folks illustrate their own lack of convictions as they ignore God's word.
Jesus broadcasted his harshest condemnation toward the Pharisees. Why? Listen to what he said in Matthew 23:2-3 -- "The teachers of the law and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."
What he was saying is that the Pharisees erected "No Parking" signs, but then parked their cars right next to them. They communicated truth, and then lived a lie.
Let me encourage all of you to take the signs that God puts in your paths -- sermons, Sunday School lessons, devotional truths, spiritual counsel -- and live out what you have received. As I have shared many times in messages, most Christians are educated far beyond the level of their obedience. Therefore, if we want to change our world, our devotion needs to match our doctrine.
Staying off the shoulder,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
October 24, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Christians love one another. They never fail to help
widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If a man has
something, he gives freely to the man who has nothing. If they see a
stranger, Christians take him home and are
happy, as though he were a real brother. They don't consider themselves
brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit, in
God. And if they hear that one of them is in jail, or persecuted for
professing the name of their redeemer, they all give him what he needs -- if
it is possible, they bail him out. If one of them is poor and there isn't
enough food to go around, they fast several days to give him the food he
needs... This is really a new kind of person. There is something divine in
them.
- Aristides, a lawyer, before Hadrian, 2nd century
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"A Recipe For Heroes"
Luke 9:23, 24
It was probably one of the greatest adventures in American history - the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The size of the United States doubled overnight and President Thomas Jefferson picked his aide, Meriwether Lewis, to lead a group of about forty men to explore a route from St. Louis to the Pacific. The journey took more than two years, covering thousands of miles, meeting with some fifty Indian tribes, and charting a vast area, largely unexplored by anyone other than Native Americans.
One of Meriwether Lewis' first steps in his preparation was to seek out his former commanding officer, William Clark, to share the command of this historic journey into the unknown. In his letter to Clark, he asked him to "participate with me in the expedition's fatigues, its dangers, and its honors." It took a long time for the letters to make it back and forth, but William Clark's reply was worth the wait. Here's what he said: "I will cheerfully join you and partake of the dangers, difficulties, and fatigues, and I anticipate the honor and rewards." Good answer. It made him a hero.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Recipe For Heroes."
When I read Captain Lewis' invitation to Captain Clark, I couldn't help but think how much it reminds me of the much greater invitation that Jesus Christ gives to you and me. It is not an invitation to a party or vacation - it's an invitation to join Him in a bold adventure, filled with "dangers, difficulties, and fatigues." Oh yes, and the "honor and the rewards."
Our Western idea of a faith that is cushioned pews and convenient sacrifice flies right in the face of what Jesus called us to. It's in Luke 9:23-24, our word for today from the Word of God. "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." To which you can almost hear someone saying, "In that case, I think I'd rather run my own life - it sounds like there's too much to lose in following Jesus." Listen to Jesus' startling equation - "For whoever wants to save his life (or hang onto his life) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." Hang onto your life, you lose it. Give it away and you find it.
Maybe you've tried discount Christianity. It's very popular. Of course, it's only a pale shadow of the disciple Christianity Jesus calls us to. You go to the meetings, you believe the beliefs, you give in the offerings, you sometimes read your Bible, you pray. But it's a surface commitment, a limited commitment, a commitment that still leaves you in control. My guess is that discount Christianity has left you unfulfilled and unsatisfied. It can't satisfy you. You were made to be abandoned to Jesus, taking up a cross, making choices that might cost you, building His kingdom instead of yours, and accepting assignments from Him that go way beyond your comfort zone.
And as for "the honor and the rewards"? Jesus said that no one who sacrificed for His great adventure "will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age ... and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29, 30) You can't outgive Jesus. True Christianity is expensive and ultimately fulfilling ... ultimately rewarding.
Jesus is asking you to take your commitment to Him to a whole new level. And you can be sure the cost of not following Him is far greater than the cost of following Him. He's waiting for your answer to His invitation. By God's grace, your answer will be - "Jesus, I will cheerfully join You and I'll partake of the danger, difficulties, and fatigues, and I anticipate the honor and the rewards."
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
October 25, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: If your every human plan and calculation has miscarried, if, one by one, human props have been knocked out, and doors have shut in your face, take heart. God is trying to get a message through to you, and the message is: "Stop depending on inadequate human resources. Let me handle the matter. - Catherine Marshall
Gimme Shelter
"You shall live in booths seven days in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt." - Leviticus 23:42-43
Passing through a Jewish neighborhood this morning I noticed little shelters in some of the yards made of wood with a tarps stretched over them and branches as a roof. An unusual sight to a Gentile like me...and then I remembered that this is Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths). The Israelites were commanded by God to "camp out" for one week to remember that their ancesters lived like nomads when they were traveling to the Promised Land. (Leviticus 23:33-43)
Seeing those "booths" reminded me of another story that's found in the New Testament.
One day Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain where He knelt down to pray. As Jesus prayed His face and clothes turned blindingly white and Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared and began talking to Him. Stunned, shocked and amazed, Peter cried out: "Lord, it's good for us to be here. If you want, I can build three shelters: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah!" Some translations say "I can build three booths..." and that's what Peter was talking about. He wanted to set up tents and have a sleepover with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Wouldn't you? Sitting around a campfire, cooking kosher hotdogs and hearing Moses tell you in his own words about the miracles God performed in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea...or hearing Elijah re-tell the story of his showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Scripture says Peter didn't know what he was saying...but I understand what he was talking about. It's good to be here---let's make this last awhile!
But, it didn't turn out that way. A cloud enveloped the mountain and a voice spoke from heaven: "This is My beloved Son...listen to Him!" and Moses and Elijah disappeared. Jesus' appearance returned to normal and it was just Jesus and His three disciples again. And what did they do? They went back down the mountain, back into the "real world" and back to the work of healing the sick and preaching the Good News to the lost and poor.
We NEED mountain-top experiences. They inspire and empower us for work in the valley where real life happens---where the rubber meets the road. Mountain-top experiences happen in personal or group prayer, personal or group devotion time, personal or public worship, in a personal or group retreat --- wherever and whenever you are open to the Holy Spirit moving in your heart...but mountain-top experiences are given to us by God that we might go back down into the valleys recharged and renewed; shining as lights because the Light is within us...preaching the Good News because we can't keep it inside of ourselves any longer.
"A day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere..." (Psalm 84:10) Amen! Yes it is; but I am called to take all that He gives me every day in His presence out to all those who don't know Him and to all who need to hear of His mercy, His kindness, His love and His grace.
There is a time to hang out on the mountain with Him...and there is a time to go back down into the valleys with Him. And wherever we are at and wherever we go, He is with us always...even to the End of the Age. (Matthew 28:20)
Gary Zanow
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
October 26, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late -- and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience. - A. W. Tozer
Discover What Grace Can Do
"And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all." - Acts 4:33
Most of us don't have any idea what grace really is. Oh, we know some basic facts about it. We know we were saved by it (Ephesians 2:8). But we don't even begin to understand the real power it can release in our lives now, today!
If you want to get a picture of what grace can really do, look at what happened to the early Christians in Acts 4. They'd been threatened by the religious leaders of Jerusalem and commanded not to speak or teach any more in Jesus' Name. So, they were praying about the situation.
Roughly, what they said was this, "Now Lord, we've been threatened, but we aren't about to quit preaching and go hide under some religious rug. Just turn the power up, give us boldness, and we'll go on."
Do you know what happened as a result of that prayer? Verse 33 tells us, "Great grace was upon them all."
Great grace. Grace so powerful that when those believers received it, the whole building shook. Grace so great it enabled the apostles to work "many signs and wonders... among the people" (Acts 5:12).
That one story alone should be enough to convince you that grace is not just some abstract spiritual state of mind. Grace is real. It's powerful. It provides the supernatural power to make things happen!
Now, do you want to know something really exciting? The Bible says that same grace that was available to the early Church in Jerusalem is available to anybody who's ever sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Thank God, that means you and I qualify!
If the devil's been threatening you lately, follow the example of those early Christians. Get in prayer and say, "Lord, I don't care what the devil and his bunch say, I'm not going to back down. I'm going to keep on talking and living by faith--and I'm going to do it boldly. So just turn up the power!"
I guarantee you, if you're sincere about it, He'll do it; and you'll begin to discover what grace is really all about.
SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 4:8-33
By Kenneth Copeland
www.kcm.org
October 27, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: All outward power that we exercise in the things about us is but a shadow in comparison of that inward power that resides in our will, imagination, and desires; these communicate with eternity and kindle a life which always reaches either Heaven or hell... Here lies the ground of the great efficacy of prayer, which when it is the prayer of the heart, the prayer of faith, has a kindling and creating power, and forms and transforms the soul into everything that the desire reaches after: it has the key to the Kingdom of Heaven and unlocks all its treasures; it opens, extends and moves that in us which as its being and motion in and with the divine nature. and so it brings us into real union and Communion with God. - William Law
Lend Me Your Hope
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13
Lend me your hope for awhile, I seem to have mislaid mine.
Lost and hopeless feelings accompany me daily, pain and confusion are my companions.
I know not where to turn; looking ahead to future times does not bring forth images of renewed hope.
I see troubled times, pain-filled days, and more tragedy.
Lend me your hope for awhile, I seem to have mislaid mine.
Hold my hand and hug me; listen to all my ramblings, recovery seems so far distant.
The road to healing seems like a long and lonely one.
Lend me your hope for awhile, I seem to have mislaid mine.
Stand by me, offer me your presence, your heart and your love.
Acknowledge my pain, it is so real and ever present.
I am overwhelmed with sad and conflicting thoughts.
Lend me your hope for awhile; a time will come when I will heal, and I will share my renewal, hope, and love with others (adapted from the poem "Lend Me Your Hope," author unknown).
The apostle Paul gives us the biblical basis for our comfort and hope: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
I praise You for hope, Lord. Help me be a source of hope in all my relationships and circumstances today.
Neil Anderson
Freedom in Christ Ministries
www.crosswalk.com
October 28, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Keep a careful eye on the difference between urgent
things and important things
- Henri Nouwen
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Caught Unprepared"
Matthew 24:42-44
Marie was a teenage friend of ours, and Tom was the big guy she really cared about. It was a long-distance romance since she lived in New Jersey and he lived in the Midwest. So, needless to say, his visits were very special. And Marie knew he was coming the next Friday. So on Wednesday she attacked her room to try to get it under control. She was at the point where she had everything in piles covering the floor, and she was in her grubby clothes, hot and sweaty, and her hair matted down from the sweat. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Tom telling her how much he was looking forward to seeing her. No sooner had she hung up than there was the man in her life standing at the door of her room. He had called from just downstairs. "Hi, Marie. Surprise!" She was flabbergasted, shocked, and, of course, embarrassed at her condition and the condition of her room. All she could say was, "I didn't expect you to come this soon."
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Caught Unprepared."
The Bible tells us that many people are going to respond the same way when Jesus comes back. They won't be ready, and they're going to say, "I didn't expect You to come this soon." Or maybe, "I didn't expect You at all." I hope that won't be you.
After describing what the world would be like just before He came back to earth, Jesus said in Matthew 24:42-44, our word for today from the Word of God: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him."
Unfortunately, a whole lot of people aren't ready to see Jesus. Many, many Bible scholars believe that the world we're living in today looks more like the kind of world Jesus said He would return to than it has ever looked - events in the Middle East, in Europe, natural disasters, the move to one world religion, the nation of Israel. The "Left Behind" series of novels about the end times has dominated best-seller lists with each new release. Well, in our kind of world, people can sense almost instinctively that something big is coming - even that Jesus is coming.
And whether or not He returns to earth in three months or 300 years, He is for sure going to come for you and me some day - when our life is over. And there's only one way to be ready for Jesus - that is to have every sin you've ever committed forgiven by God. That's possible only one way - by pinning all your hopes on the One who died to pay for your sin. John 3:36 makes it very clear: "Whoever believes in the Son (that's Jesus) has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." You can reject Jesus simply by doing nothing. And believing in Him means you've told Him you're placing your total trust in Him as your Rescuer from your sin.
Now, if you've never done that, you're not ready to see Jesus. But you could be - if you would make this day your day to begin your personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus doesn't announce His coming - either back to earth or our meeting with Him when our heart beats for the last time. It's important to be ready. Because once He comes, it's too late.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
October 29, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: This is not an age in which to be a soft Christian. - Francis Schaeffer
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Cherish While There's Time"
Psalm 90:12
When our friend Rich went for his annual physical, the doctor proclaimed him totally fit. Three days later he went on a business trip. That night his associates found him in his hotel room, dead of a massive heart attack. Later, his wife Linda told us, "We had some beautiful weeks before Rich died. And every wife I see, I tell: 'Cherish your man.'" Their kids had not been able to be with their folks on Easter, which turned out to be the Sunday before Rich's death. But Martha, his daughter, followed this prompting she had to call Dad and say she loved him that day. And Paul, his son, wrote Dad to tell him in writing what he had never been able to say to him - "I love you. You're the best Dad in the world." That was Sunday. Wednesday morning, Dad was gone.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cherish While There's Time."
The experience of Rich's family is just another reminder that we need to cherish those we love while we can. We never know which hug will be the last hug, which "I love you" the last one, which "goodbye" the final goodbye. Now, the point of remembering that is not to be maudlin or to be anxious all the time. Our times are in God's hands, so they're in good hands. But it is important to realize that life is short at best, and we need to live in such a way that we do all those "I wish I had's" while we can still do them.
Moses wrote a psalm - Psalm 90 - and it contains our word for today from the Word of God. Psalm 90:12 says it succinctly and powerfully. "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." God seems to be saying we have no days we can afford to waste, so make every day count. That's the key to living wisely.
And I hear the echo of our friend Linda's words, "Cherish your man." Or your woman. Or your mom or your dad. Or your grandparents or your loved ones. Tell them you love them so you'll never have to be sorry that you didn't. Tell them the things you appreciate about who they are and what they do, so you don't have the sorrow of wishing you had.
If conflicts, walls and gaps have developed between you and someone you love, don't let them stay there any longer. Say what you have to say, write what you have to write, forgive what you have to forgive, apologize for whatever you need to make right. Do whatever it takes to remove that wall. Whatever the issues, they can't be important enough to risk leaving that relationship broken when it's too late to repair it. Being right with that person you love is so much more important than you just being "right."
And if someone you love may be feeling neglected, overlooked or marginalized right now, you've been very, very busy. You've been very occupied. It's time you reserve time regularly to spend with them. Put it in your calendar. Everyone and everything else screams for your attention, but the people who love you often are just a whimper or a whisper. But they have to be the non-negotiables of your schedule. Let everything else revolve around them instead of them having to revolve around everything else.
If the horror of that September 11 taught us anything, it taught us that it can all be over so quickly. So, make today count. "Number your days aright" ... make each day count.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
October 30, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. - V. Raymond Edman
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
Yesterday, a normal doctor's visit turned into minor surgery for our three-year-old, Sarah. The night before, she had been choking and coughing quite a bit. We had been medicating her with a prescription decongestant for several days, but it didn't seem to be doing the trick. So, my wife took her in to the pediatrician.
As the doctor examined her, he discovered that something was lodged within her right nostril, and he couldn't get it out. He didn't feel they were equipped in his office with the proper tools to deal with such a problem, so he sent them to the Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.
Once they got in the examination room with the ENT doctor, it quickly became apparent that in the back of her nasal passage there was an obstruction. After attempting to use his instruments to remove the object, the doctor realized he would not be able to get it without putting Sarah to sleep. Apparently, the object had created infection throughout her right sinus cavity and there was even some evidence of it abscessing. So, Day Surgery was the next stop.
It only took a few minutes for the whole thing to be over. The doctor came into the room where my wife and I were waiting and showed us a thin piece of hard plastic that was about an inch long. It was bent in the middle and had formed the shape of a "V". Somehow, she had picked it up off of the floor somewhere and stuck it in her nose. There is no telling how long it was there.
So, last night she was back to normal. Why? The foreign substance had been removed.
I found a similar story not long ago about a Chinese woman named Zhang Meihua. When she was around the age of twenty she started having problems moving her arms and legs. Doctors couldn't identify the cause. Over the next twenty years these problems continued and she also began to get chronic headaches. So, she returned to the doctors. This time they did an X-ray and CAT scan and discovered her problem. She had a pin lodged in her head. The head of the pin was outside the skull and the shaft penetrated into her brain. Doctors performed surgery and successfully removed the pin.
How does something like this happen? Doctors theorize that the pin entered her skull sometime soon after birth and before her skull had hardened. As she grew physically, this must have enhanced the problem.
In both of these cases, we see the trauma that is caused when that which is alien to the body is allowed to enter it. It produces sickness, infection, and limitations.
This is also true in the life of the Christian. When we allow things into our minds, hearts, and lifestyle that are contrary to God's will, this always produces pain and heartbreak. Unfortunately, sometimes we get use to the abnormality and discount an unfulfilled life as just our burden to bear. Rather than deal with extracting sin, we resign ourselves to living with a pin in the brain.
Jesus said, in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." So, we can choose to embrace the Savior's ways, or we can allow the devil to steal our joy and destroy God's purpose for our lives.
Let me encourage you to do a spiritual CAT scan of your life. Is there anything present that needs removing? The longer you wait to deal with it, the harder it will be to extract and the greater will be the conflict in your heart in the mean time.
Looking within,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
October 31, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: A poem written yesterday and sent to a few.
No eye has seen, No ear has heard
No mind can comprehend
The glories that await for those
Abandoned to God's end.
Who gladly trade this mortal life
Affections, dreams and cravings
Exchanging it for Zoe Life;
Eternity's Life Savings.
Who lay up treasure, everyday
In vaults that men can't see
And letting go of mortal life
Eternally set free!
Dead to the world and it to them
No tethers now remain
Allegiance to the Son of God
Their ONLY claim to fame.
The world not worthy of their stay
Their pilgrimage is scorned
And hated much by earth-bound men
Whose folly they have warned
Like Moses & a host of kin
Of Abrahamic seed
They trade all offers of this realm
Earth glories they don't need.
They fix their eyes on things unseen
A city in their heart
It fills and captivates their dreams
And bids them play their part.
And He, who is invisible
The Maker of all things
Has sang His song of love to them
And gave their Spirits wings.
Not drunk with wine, This Holy Clan
Though dizzy they may seem
But filled instead with Spirit's draft
His Glory makes them beam.
And though the Universe seems dark
Rebellion in high gear
>A growing ember lights the night
And makes the dragon fear.
He knows indeed his time is short
For he can plainly see
The heirs of God... becoming sons
It is their destiny!
Their light grows brighter every day
His Life, it lights their way
Like Stars in blackest evil sky
Will Shine as bright as day!
The universe itself awaits
And writhes in labor pains
For Heaven's Sons to reach full age
And usher in His Reign.
The sky will roll up like a scroll
The earth will melt away
The elements will be destroyed
Twill be no place to stay
All things that may be shaken here
Are clearly on display
And only that which still remains
Will last past final day.
But every single Child of God
Who Trusted in His Name
Rides safely in His Giant palm
Accuser cannot blame.
And though our pardoned sin is grand
There's much more yet in store
A race of people like His Son
Will yet kick in hell's door.
Their feet will crush the dragons head
Their lives will shine like flame
It is not right to call them "men"
But Sons of God, their name.
The many brothers He did seek
Arising from the ashes
His Glory now upon their heads
Reward for all His lashes.
The Lamb of God, will get at last
His full reward complete
For all He suffered for and died
His wounded hands and feet.
The grave it had no claim on Him
He busted forth in Glory
And birthed He did, a brand new race
A truly epic story!
Oh let it fill the whole of you
Surrender all your portals
And let His flood invade your soul
For you are NOT mere mortals!
And if a grasping could be had
of Depth and Width and Height
Of all His plans to prosper you
And Change you by His Might
You would indeed burst into praise
Your mortal frame explode
The searching merchant for the Pearl
Has hit the mother lode.
There are no words than can describe
His love is without measure
Of every thing He longs to do
Unfathomable treasure.
A Peace you cannot understand
A Joy beyond expression
A Life empowered by Heaven's throne
To name a few possessions!
And while no mind can comprehend
And though no ear has heard
And ne'er an eye has glimpsed a peak
Nor tongue described in word.
Yet still He's planted deep within
A foretaste of His Glory
Your heart indeed must burn within
The whispers of this story.
So fan to flame His Life within
And agitate, oh sleeper
And help your brother do the same
You are Your brother's keeper.
Your life will end, and very soon
Of that you can be certain
You'll really like how this turns out
And what's behind the curtain
So consecrate yourself to Him
And every dream surrender
Abandon all you have and are
Hold nothing that would hinder
Behold Him every single day
And every single hour
He'll change more than you can dream
And shape you by His Power.
A Daughter or a Son of God,
You'll be at journey's end
Beyond your wildest dreams 'twill be
So run the race to win.
A Holy Race, One Holy Bride
Presented to the Son
And Joined, and merged, into His Life
The Two, at last, made ONE!
Obvious!
In the local newspaper.......
An African Christian family, once refugees in the Rwanda area, in Bukavu, Congo, came to the U S as guests of a denomination in Castleton, Indiana. The family from Africa had a difficult time adjusting to the United States christian culture. Says one of their hosts:
"There is a constant culture clash. Halloween was a good one. Just trying to explain the concept of Halloween to someone from Africa was just about impossible. All the things that we brush off, they could not brush off. The evil, the witches, the skulls - all that darkness he associates with actual evil."
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. "
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. "
Isn't it amazing that so many, even in the religious world, are blind at times? Some things are even totally obvious to those who have not been brainwashed by worldly western culture. But, for all of us, as the scales fall away, amazing Freedom and Strength and Life can fill us!
"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. "
Mike Peters