September 1, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will
vibrate in eternity.
- Edwin Hubbel Chapin
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Professional Salesmen and Satisfied Customers"
John 4:39
I couldn't help but overhear the conversation across the aisle on this recent airplane flight. The man was dropping profanity about, oh, every third word or so; he even mentioned God quite a few times. He stopped only to work on his meal. Apparently, he needed some cream for his coffee, so he demanded the flight attendant get some with his usual colorful language. While he was waiting, he finally let his fellow passenger do a little talking. He asked him, "Well, what do you do for a living?" And his neighbor said, "Oh, I'm a minister," at which point the flight attendant returned with the cream. My profane neighbor across the aisle looked up at the attendant with the most angelic expression and said, "Oh, God bless you." Suddenly, the real guy disappeared, and this religious guy showed up!
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Professional Salesmen and Satisfied Customers."
It's a funny thing about people, they suddenly get sort of weird when they're with a preacher. It's pretty hard to have a real conversation once a person realizes you're one of those guys who makes his living being religious. If you're not a preacher, that's where you come in.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4:39. It's about how most of an entire Samaritan village came to faith in Jesus. He had met this one Samaritan woman outside of the village of Sychar, and He shared eternal life with her. And then we read, "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony."
Now it's interesting that Jesus didn't reach this village by just going in and starting to preach there. Instead, He just shared with one person who knew the folks in Sychar. Her life was touched. She went back and told about Jesus in, uh, "Samaritanese." That generated a lot of interest. And it sparked a village revival. Which just serves to remind us that the most powerful witness for Christ isn't a crusade, or a radio or TV program, or a concert. It's the testimony of one changed life.
Think about it. We see lots of commercials with professional pitch men selling a product, but we're pretty much salesman-immune. But when someone you know tells you they love that car, or this shampoo cured their dandruff, or that pill relieved their pain, hey now, that gets through! The same is true in reaching people for Jesus Christ.
Many lost people are immune to what they perceive as professional salesmen. Meanwhile, many believers are thinking, "If only I can get this lost person I know to church to hear my pastor, or to watch this Christian TV program, to come to this outreach event, or to hear this Christian celebrity." But there's something much more powerful - seeing your changed life and hearing you attribute the difference to Christ.
You might say, "Yes, but someone more trained, more gifted can explain it better." The doctor or the pharmacist can explain better how a medicine works than my friend can, but I'll ask for that medicine just because they told me it helped them. That was the power of the blind man's testimony: "Once I was blind, but now I can see." "I used to be ______, but now I'm _______ because of Jesus."
So, don't depend on that person you care about being reached by some professional preacher. It's up to you. You live where they live. You feel what they feel. Jesus is sending you to them, not because you can present it best, but because you are part of their life! You are in a better position to share Christ with them than the best "professional salesman" there is - you are Jesus' satisfied customer!
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
September 2, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: God wants us to know that when we have Him we have everything. - A. W. Tozer
"Love and Loyalty in Marriage"
"Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves
himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
- Ephesians 5:33
Love in marriage becomes all the more effective when it expresses itself in terms of mutual regard, helpfulness, and loyalty. Much good material has been written on the subject, but nothing surpasses the words of Saint Paul in Ephesians 5. He tells husbands and wives to love each other. Such love looks away from selfishness, from self-fulfillment at the cost of love to the other spouse. In marriage, the partners nourish and cherish their mutual relationship, sacrificing personal advantage for its sake. The apostle declares as he introduces this section, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
In a good marriage relationship husbands and wives add loyalty to love. They come to each other's defense. A good example of that is found in United States history. On June 25, 1875, at Little Big Horn in Montana, General George A. Custer and his 264-member Seventh Cavalry Regiment were defeated and died in battle. When Custer was blamed for this loss, his wife, Elizabeth, spent the next 55 years in writing and lecturing to defend him.
It is good to note how love and loyalty continue to speak even when husbands or wives are long dead. Love is enduring. Writes Saint Paul, "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:7-8).
Love in marriage becomes enduring when it is connected up with reverence for Christ, when it comes as a response to Christ's self-sacrificing love. Christ loves us and gave Himself for us all, that He might redeem us with His blood, and sanctify and cleanse us through his Word and Spirit.
Christ's love endures; so can ours, with his help.
Taken from "Each Day with Jesus"
Copyright 1994, Concordia Publishing House.
September 3, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: There is more effort, more steadfastness, involved in a diligent attention to little duties than appears at first sight, and that because of their continual recurrence. Such heed to little things implies a ceaseless listening to the whispers of grace, a strict watchfulness against every thought, wish, word or act which can offend God ever so little, a constant effort to do everything as perfectly as possible. All this, however, must be done with a free, childlike spirit, without restlessness and anxiety. He does not ask a fretted, shrinking service. Give yourself to Him, trust Him, fix your eye upon Him, listen to His voice, and then go on bravely and cheerfully, never doubting for an instant that His grace will lead you in small things as well as great, and will keep you from offending His law of love. - Jean Nicolas Grou
Friendship - It's A Wonderful Thing
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13
Real friends are hard to come by. Especially close friends. But God has been so faithful to me over the years to place someone in my life who has been a dear friend to me. Maybe you've got someone like this in your life as well.
Now, my best friend and I don't always see eye to eye on things. He's the most optimistic person that I have ever met, while I sometimes look at things with pessimistic eyes. It doesn't seem to matter what my situation is, he always encourages me to look on the bright side. Just the other day I was having some problems with my blood pressure and I happened to mention it to him. You know what he said, "God knows about your blood pressure. Stop worrying and trust Him." I already knew that, but somehow hearing it again cheered me up.
And it's not just the cheery outlook on things that makes my buddy a great friend, but he also is quick to take a hard stand for always doing God's will, even at the risk of making me mad at him. For instance, I thought about doing something that I know I shouldn't do and he came right out and told me to my face that a Christian ought not to do that. That really steamed me. But, after I calmed down, I realized again that he was right.
You find out a lot about your friends when you are going through a hardship and my best friend has seen me through a lot of tough times. Ever since we met back in high school, he's been there for me. When I was in a near fatal car wreck, the first voice I heard when I came to was his. When my grandfather and then my grandmother passed away, he was there to share my grief. When I struggled financially during college, he helped me make ends meet. When my car tore up, he helped me get a new one. It just didn't matter when I needed him, day or night, he would always make time for me.
Friends also are there for you during the good times, the high points in life. When I married my beautiful wife, Paula, my best friend was right there with us at the service. Sometimes I get kind of jealous, he seems to care as much about her as he does me. He's the one who suggested that I share the gospel with my grandfather, and sure enough my grandfather got saved that day! He reads through my devotionals that I write, giving me suggestions on how to improve them or ideas to make them more useful to my readers. He's just a great guy. God has really blessed me.
When I have needed advice for difficult decisions, he always gives me honest feedback, even when it's something I don't really want to here. When I get discouraged about lack of results from my ministry, my best friend reminds me that faithfulness to God is what really counts. If I am unhappy, he always thinks to ask me why.
Through the years my best friend has been through it all with me, thick and thin, good and bad. He has been such a dear friend to me, and I know why he has been such an important part of my life. Even though it's not "macho" to show a man how much you care about him, he has always let me know that he loves me. I know there's nothing that he wouldn't do for me. That's important.
Well, enough rattling on. I just wanted to tell you about my best friend.
Oh, by the way, I think you know him. His name is Jesus.
Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!
Copyright 2002 Jimmy D. Brown
September 4, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Oxygen is what all mortal humans breathe. Faith and Love are what all Spiritual beings breathe. As a human - stop breathing oxygen and see how weak and powerless and foolish you are, in only a matter of moments. Spiritually - walk in doubt and fear and self-love, or in rebellion and jealousy and bitterness, or in arrogance or in self-pity and whining... and the results in your Spirit-life will be just as real and just as devastating as suffocating for lack of oxygen to the physical body. Cultivate a life of Faith, and Trust, and Love - Believing Him in all things without reservation! Crush the fear, self-love, self-hate, doubt, and disputes with His Promises and His Ways. Reject all thoughts of how you are being cheated, or your so-called "rights violated" or that something is not "fair" or that God is not AWESOMELY good and wonderful in ALL His Decisions and Ways. Step into the OXYGEN of Spiritual LIFE and LOVE: THIS is the victory that overcomes the world, sin, and death: even our Faith. - Anonymous
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
As long as I can remember, I have been a football fan. I love watching the games, following the news about the sport, and even playing informal games when the opportunity presents itself. So, for me, this week is a very exciting one. It marks the start of the professional football season's opening weekend.
Prior to now, the teams have spent several weeks in training camps and have played at least four exhibition games each in order to determine which players would be on their final rosters. So far, none of it has counted. The "real" games are just hours away.
An interesting note about professional football is that an entire season will last sixteen hours for the majority of the teams--those that do not make the playoffs. So, these teams are spending days, months, and millions of dollars to field squads that will play the equivalent of two-thirds of a day.
When you consider that the players are so specialized in their positions that they only play offense or defense, this shrinks the total playing time for the average starting player to less than eight hours in a season. Then, when you realize that the clock is running during most of the time when the players are in the huddle, this drops the actual action to somewhere around five hours throughout the course of a four-month schedule.
Wow! When you look at the big picture of football, one important truth stands out -- PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING. You don't get a lot of time to make your mark, so you had better be ready when the time comes.
Why have Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and Walter Payton made such an impact on this sport's history? It is because they consistently shined when they were on the field. Yet, if you look at the actual minutes each played, it is only a brief flicker in time. A ten-year career in the NFL would add up to less than three days of actual action on the field.
This could not be said of the Christian life. In fact, in many ways it is just the opposite. The majority of my time is spent playing the game (living my faith) and far less is dedicated to preparation.
Preparation is composed of prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other believers, and church attendance. It is here that I learn how to follow Jesus and share Him with others.
The actual game is played where life isn't as comfortable. It is here where people question my motives, criticize my lifestyle, and poke fun at my purpose in life. It is on the playing field where the hits are hardest. Also, for the Christian there is never a home game because I am not of this world.
In this contest, the final score isn't posted on an electronic sign, but in the "Book of Life". There will not be a final whistle to end play, but the blast of a trumpet. The only statistic that God will be concerned about is how often you passed his message, not the number of completions that were recorded.
This leads me to ask you two questions: How are you preparing and how are you playing?
As a rule of thumb, great players are diligent preparers and sloppy players are careless preparers. There is no separating the two.
What I find odd are the number of players who show up for practice (church) but have no desire to play in the game. They are content learning plays they will never run and possessing a uniform they will never wear.
Yet, there are other players that have scars, bruises, stains on the uniform, and a legacy of victories. Many of these have suffered the injuries of the game but keep coming back because they understand the eternal nature of the cause. Such folks are constantly studying the play book, spending time with the coach and readying themselves to pass to the next open receiver.
Listen to admonition that is shared in Hebrews 12:1-3 about getting in the game: "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Let me encourage you to be such a player. Forget the past. Get off of the bench. Start your new season today.
Dressed and ready to play,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
September 5, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The first purpose of prayer is to move the pray-er. - Roy Smith
Lifting Our Level of Prayer
Ephesians 1:18-23
Have you ever wondered why church prayer meetings tend to have low turnouts? Think about it: when the church holds a Bible study, concert, or picnic, many people show up. But prayer meetings often slip to the bottom of attendance records. Perhaps it is because many of us assume in advance how the meeting will go. It will be too depressing, we say to ourselves. I can't handle hearing all of the heartbreaking prayer requests for sick children, terminally ill relatives, and church members in financial turmoil.
If you identify with these sentiments, you are not alone. Prayer meetings that support only one aspect of prayer are imbalanced and can quickly be awash in negativity. To correct this problem, we must embrace all aspects of prayer. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul provides a wonderful starting point. He reminds us of the motivation behind prayer-communicating with the One who is in control of all things. In verse 18, Paul writes, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling."
Though lifting our troubles and needs to God is both acceptable and important, we should never forget to express our thankfulness, jubilance, and praise to Him in prayer.
The next time you participate in a group prayer session, speak up with a bold heart and give honor to almighty God. Your prayer will likely be a welcome reminder to others.
Written by Charles Stanley
www.intouch.org/
Copyright � 2000, In Touch Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
September 6, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Don't expect a thousand-dollar answer to a ten-cent prayer. - Sunshine Magazine
Being Honest with Ourselves and Others
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
When Catherine the Great made a trip through southern Russia, she was impressed by the villages along the way. Unknown to her, these were fake villages, built by General Gregory Potemkin, to make the queen think that the peasants lived well.
Our hearts build such "Potemkin villages" all the time. The master deceiver, Satan, paints beautiful pictures for us. When tempting Jesus, he "showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor," adding, "All this I will give You...if You will bow down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8-9). It was a false world that Satan showed.
The boasting worshiper in Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the publican built his own "Potemkin village" of pretended personal virtues. On display, for his own satisfaction and the admiration of others, were his would-be piety, generosity, self-righteousness. He painted everything, even his pride, in bright, attention-gaining colors.
It is time to look at our own lives. What is the setting of my life that I want others to see? Am I bearing genuine fruit, or am I like a Christmas tree with all kinds of ornaments -- glittering tinsel, gilded nuts, make-believe fruits?
The Bible declares, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper" (Proverbs 28:13). However, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We can be honest with ourselves, coming to God just as we are, for "the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Taken from "Each Day with Jesus"
Copyright 1994, Concordia Publishing House.
September 7, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Praying is a dangerous business. Results do come. - G. Christie Swain
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"The Three-Open Prayer"
Colossians 4:3, 4
My wife spent a lot of her time as a little girl at Grandma and Granddad's farm. They lived right next door. One of her vivid memories is from spring planting time when Granddad took on the challenge of trying to plant crops in that rocky Ozark Mountain soil. Now, that's where Betsy and Jack came in. No, Betsy and Jack were not relatives - they were mules. And Karen remembers Granddad hitching them up to an old wood plow and setting out behind them with Karen following barefoot behind Granddad and his mules. Their mission: to break up that stubborn soil so something could grow there!
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Three-Open Prayer."
Now, if Granddad had just spread seed on top of that hard soil, not much would have ever grown there. But life did grow there because the ground was opened up and prepared before the seed went in. It's that way with a human heart, as well - especially when it comes to planting the Good News about Jesus in the heart of the lost people around you. You need for the ground - and the heart - to be softened up and opened up before you go in with the seed.
Which is why I want to introduce you to what I call the three-open prayer. There's probably someone in your world that you really want to take to heaven with you - someone in your family or your neighborhood, someone at work or maybe at school. But it's so hard to know how to get started. You don't just walk up to someone and say, "Speaking of Jesus..." Well, the place to start in sharing Christ with someone is on your knees praying the three-open prayer. That prayer will do the plowing that opens, softens and prepares both your heart and the heart of the one you need to tell about Jesus.
The three-open prayer is based on our word for today from the Word of God from Colossians 4:3, 4. Paul says, "Pray for us, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ ... Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should ... make the most of every opportunity." Now, based on this Biblical prayer - and with a lost person you care about in mind - you pray something like this.
First, "Lord, open the door." In other words, "Lord, open up a natural opportunity for me to bring up my relationship with You." God will steer things so that you can have an unforced, supernaturally natural opening to talk about the difference Jesus makes. It may be something that happens in the news today or the death of someone famous or someone close, a relationship problem, a spiritual question or experience, something on TV or in a movie - God is infinitely creative in opening a door. Your mission though is then is to "make the most of every opportunity."
Secondly, your prayer should be, "Lord, open their heart." Here's where God moves in with His spiritual plow to prepare that person's heart to hear about Jesus through you. When Paul shared the Gospel with the woman who would become his first convert in Europe, the Bible says, "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." Pray for the Lord to do the same in the heart of the person you care about - and expect Him to do it.
Thirdly, your three-open prayer says, "Lord, open my mouth." "When you open the door, Lord, give me the courage to open my mouth - and the words and the approach to use." Start praying this three-open prayer each new day - and expect God to answer it. He's wanted to for a long time. He's been waiting for you to believe Him for it.
And when God opens up the ground in the heart of a person that you care about, you will have the wonderful privilege of planting in there the seed of Jesus' love and, later, the incredible joy of harvest time.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
September 8, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: [Leaders of the anarchist movement in Amsterdam] call their public demonstrations "Happenings". These paintings, these poems, and these demonstrations... are the expression of men who are struggling with their appalling lostness. Dare we laugh at such things? Dare we feel superior when we view their tortured expressions in their art? Christians should stop laughing and take such men seriously. Then we shall have the right to speak again to our generation. These men are dying while they live, yet where is our compassion for them? There is nothing more ugly than an orthodoxy without understanding or without compassion. - Francis A. Schaeffer, The God Who Is There
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Only An Instrument"
2 Timothy 4:17
When you're a senior in a conservatory of music, your final college exam isn't about essay questions, reading reports, or true-or-false questions. It's about performing. And when our son-in-law, Rick, was completing his college music major, that meant the pressure of his senior piano recital. Seated at a grand piano that night, all decked out in his tux, Rick dazzled the audience with his performances of sacred music and classical music and popular music - even original music he had written. Afterwards, there was a long line of people standing in line to congratulate him. Interestingly enough, not one person congratulated the piano!
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Only An Instrument."
Now, everyone at that recital realized that it wasn't the piano that deserved the congratulations that night. It was the one who played his music through the piano!
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the last chapter of Scripture the Apostle Paul ever wrote. It's from 2 Timothy 4:17, probably written from a Roman prison cell shortly before Paul's death. It is, in a sense, his reflection on his whole life's work - an amazing life's work. Here's what he said. "The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles (all the unreached people) might hear it." I'm struck by those two little words - "through me." Notice he doesn't say "By me the message was proclaimed." No, it's "through me."
Paul says that with all those churches that were started, all those converts, all those inspired letters, all those powerful sermons, he was just an instrument - like that piano at Rick's recital. It's just a piece of furniture; it produces no music by itself. It's only an instrument. It can play Gospel, it can play jazz, pop, patriotic, romantic, but the piano doesn't decide what it will play. The music is not from the piano. It's not by the piano. It's through the piano!
Without the maestro, the instrument is useless. But then so are you and I. God has designed you for some very special purposes. But if you try to make the music yourself, you'll be useless. When you realize that you're only an instrument, some really good things start to happen.
First, you can relax and realize you can make a difference because it isn't about your ability or your personality or your training. You just let the Master Musician pick you up and use you.
Secondly, when you realize that you're just His instrument, you stop telling the Master what tune you think you should be playing. You let the Master pick the tune.
And, when you know you're an instrument, you keep the credit where it belongs, knowing that God's work is through you, not from you. Which means that every time God uses you, you are just continually amazed that it's you. And you're continually expectant that He's going to work through you this very day. Yes, you are only an instrument. But in the hands of the Master Musician, your life can produce music that will touch hearts wherever you go.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
September 9, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people. - Tolstoy
Excerpts from "The Joy Of Loving Him"
We can live out a week to week existence or we can live in the fullness of Him where time doesn't exist and joy overflows. You've all experienced a time when you were with somebody or a circumstance that was just fabulous. Maybe hours had gone by and time didn't exist. That's the kind of relationship that Jesus really means to have with us, and for us to have with one another, for that matter. Where we're so lost and overflowing in His joy and in a relationship with Him that we step out of the bounds of time. The pressures, priorities and all the demands of our circumstance, our worries... all that doesn't matter. Isn't that what happens when we're really in a situation of love and exuberance and joy? It's fulfilling and it's real and it's alive. You loose track of time, "It seems like we've been here just a few minutes."
You've all had some point in your life where God shows us a shadow of what it's like to be with Him. If we would open our eyes to see Him, time doesn't exist in that realm. Something that I think God has impressed me with today, in a shadow form and recently in the last few weeks, more than ever before in my life is just how patient He is in this respect. He knows that if we will take the time to be with Him that He will demonstrate His character to us -in such a way that He will be absolutely irresistible. The qualities of His character are staggering. It's just like that example of being lost in time. That happens when there's something amazing about what's happening. There's something about it that catapults you out of the other things you were encumbered by and drug down by. And you are dazzled by something that's outside of the realm of your normal flow of experience.
Jesus is like that. He's inviting us to come walk with Him. "Come let us reason together... Let's walk together on the road to Amaeus and then we'll break the bread and I'll open your eyes to see who I really am. The word becoming flesh, the Truth becoming Life. I'll dazzle you with all My qualities of kindness, mercy and everlasting forgiveness. My personality will be so attractive to you, you won't be able to resist Me. If you'll just come walk with me a little while. If you'll just isolate yourself for a little bit you'll see My smile, you'll see the wink in my eye. You'll see how the wind blows through my hair, (in the figurative sense of the Spirit of God.) You'll see and hear and experience things that will take you to another realm and time won't exist there. . You'll see my leadership and my strength. You'll see how I have a resolve against sin, that I have a focus and a clear vision of what life is supposed to be about and I'll take you there. Come follow me, I'll show you leadership. I'll show you strength. I'll show you an immovable character and quality of life that will dazzle you. It will make you want to come with Me because it's safe there, it's secure there. I'll show you a kindness and a sensitivity that will see right into your heart and your life. And I'll appreciate what's there, I won't judge it. I'll draw out the diamonds and the rubies and the jewels that are there. I'll draw those things out. I'll wash you, I'll cleanse you, I'll make you a queen, I'll make you a king."
You'll see all these qualities that He has. He's perceptive in a thousand different ways and wise beyond words. This is our master. This is Jesus. This isn't some fairy tale. This is about the person of Jesus and His Father that woo us if we will take the time encounter Him. There is no way to resist Him. The problem is lack of willingness to abandon ourselves into His very capable and loving hands. His trustworthiness is beyond belief. But because we don't get close enough to see it. We get too busy, too selfish, too careless. We won't take the time to be dazzled and wooed by Him... The twelve followed Him and wanted to be with Him because they saw something about Him that just amazed them. They saw His wisdom and kindness and patience. They saw an unwavering character. They saw someone who could take the pummeling of life and stand with courage in His eyes. And they wanted to be like Him. They wanted to be with Him and He didn't have to threaten them. He's not threatening us either. He's inviting us to see Him for Who He is and the amazing qualities and amazing personality He has, that we would want to be with Him. I want to be like Him when I grow up, I honestly, really do....
Think about the picture that's in the scriptures of how all this culminates. It's a courtship and a wedding supper. He's appealing to us saying to us, "I have this confidence about Myself, that if you'll be with Me and take a look at Who I really am, there will be no other suitors that compare. There is nothing else in the universe that will win your heart like I can because I made you for Me, and other things have distracted you. But if you'll take the time to step up along side, you'll see. This is what it's meant to be and we're going to have a wedding and it won't be long, so prepare yourself, Bride!"
That's the invitation for us. That's the invitation to obey, the invitation to pray... That's what it's all about. It isn't some external, doctrinal thing. It's what's inside drawing us - looking at all that He is and saying, "I can't live with that, I don't want to live without Him. I would never dream of living outside of His will for my life and outside of His purposes. I want to follow the, lamb wherever He goes. Whatever He wants for my life, He's got it because He's the Bread of Life. He's where my nourishment is, and where my fulfillment is. He's that picture of leadership, kindness, forgiveness and mercy that I cannot live without, that I don't want to live without. I want to see Him be strong. I want to see Him be severe. I want to see Him be kind and loving and compassionate. I want to see Him be wise beyond words and I want to be with Him. I want to hear every word that He has to say. I don't want to be more than a step away from Him the rest of my life. I cannot turn my back on Him by my own selfish pride, laziness or my hurt feelings. I can't turn my back on Him, the loss is just too great...
We're going to have a wedding, and it won't be long, so prepare yourself, Bride!
Written Anonymously
September 10, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Nothing is small or great in God's sight; whatever He wills becomes great to us, however trifling, and if once the voice of conscience tells us that He requires anything of us, we have no right to measure its importance. - J. N. Grou
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Posted To Warn Them"
Ezekiel 33:6-8
Brent was a Marine guard at Camp David, the retreat of the President of the United States. And he was working there on September 11, 2001 - at a time when it was believed that Camp David could be a target that would be hit by hijacked airliners, as the World Trade Center and Pentagon had been. Well, Brent said there were alarms going off all day as the security at Camp David was on high alert. Several low-flying aircraft had gone over before all the flights were grounded, and at one point, Brent was assigned to a rooftop where he was to watch for threatening aircraft. He was armed only with his M-16 rifle. I said, "Brent, what good would an M-16 do against a big airplane?" His answer really set me back - "Oh, it probably wouldn't do any good at all. But at that moment, I knew what my last mission would be - to give the warning."
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Posted To Warn Them."
I think the reason that Marine's answer hit me so hard is because his mission that day is my mission every day. And it's your mission, too, if you belong to Jesus Christ ... to give the warning.
God gives us a graphic picture of our assignment - and of the consequences of failing to carry it out - in our word for today from the Word of God. In Ezekiel 33:6-8, God uses the picture of a watchman on the wall of an ancient city and He says, "If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood."
Then God brings it down to us. "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel (where it says "house of Israel," put in the place you work, the area you live in, the school you attend); so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.'"
You and I are the watchmen on the wall for the people around us who do not yet understand the eternal consequences of running their own lives - and that the Son of God Himself paid those consequences so they don't have to. The Bible leaves no doubt that the people we know who have never grabbed Jesus as their personal sin-Rescuer have no hope of heaven. They are, in God's words, "being led away to death," (Proverbs 24:11) "without hope and without God," (Ephesians 2:12) and will be "shut out from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thessalonians 1:9) if they die without Christ.
And you have the information that can save their life forever. Have you told them? It's very sobering to put the name of a lost person you care about in that statement from Ezekiel - "When you do not speak out to dissuade ___________ (put their name in there) from his ways, then ____________ (there's that name again) will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood." You are the watchman that God is counting on.
There's a reason you are where you are. Jesus has assigned you where you are to be the one who will give the warning ... to deliver the news that can literally forever save the life of someone you know and someone you care about. So, your mission is nothing less than life-or-death.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
September 11, 2002 - A day of remembrance
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Jesus did not finish all the urgent tasks in Palestine or all the things He would have liked to do, but He did finish the work which God gave Him to do. The only alternative to frustration is to be sure that we are doing what God wants. Nothing substitutes for knowing that this day, this hour, in this place, we are doing the will of the Father. Then and only then can we think of all the other unfinished tasks with equanimity and leave them with God. - Charles E. Hummel
WHEN OUR TOWERS CAME CRASHING DOWN - One Year Later...
I've been on top of the World Trade Center many times. For thirty years of my life in the New York area, those towers dominated the horizon. Buildings that took years to construct were reduced to rubble on that fateful morning of September 11, 2001.
But so much more than buildings collapsed that awful day when airliners became missiles and America itself became the battlefield. Thousands of lives came crashing down that day, too. The airline passengers, the World Trade and Pentagon workers, the rescuers who died trying to rescue - so many, gone in one awful, violent moment. And the countless loved ones, in some cases not knowing what happened to those they love, in all cases agonizing over the horrific circumstances of their death ... and the lifelong scars on those heroic rescuers, recovery workers, and medical personnel who will always be haunted with the memories of what they have seen.
I remember vividly the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center - we thought that was unimaginable! The morning after I arrived at an airport in another city, only to be greeted by a TV crew with videocam and microphone in hand. They were seeking comments from people arriving on the first flight from Newark that day. When they asked me my reaction to the Trade Center bombing, I could think of only one word to describe how so many of us were feeling after that shock - "Vulnerable."
We watched everyday people like us, doing things we do - passengers on a jetliner, folks at their jobs - suddenly wiped out en masse. We've seen the lists of fatalities - including CEOs, Chief Operating Officers, high-profile lawyers and entertainment executives - and we realize that, like those who died on the Titanic, success and position mean nothing when death strikes suddenly. We've seen our children trying to understand horrors a child cannot understand - let alone us parents who are trying to explain those horrors.
We've all felt vulnerable. It's as if some of our sense of personal security and safety came crashing down with those majestic towers. The banner headline of our local newspaper screamed, "Forever changed" - they're probably right. One woman said, "I'm scared" ... one man said, "It feels like things are out of control."
And now, it is one year later. Much of our world has changed in the past year. But what about us? Are we different people? I've often said, "If you're going to experience the pain, you might as well get the point."
Immediately following 9/11, I know many of us went through some deep soul-searching and re-evaluating. We asked ourselves questions like, "What are the things that really matter and the things that really don't - and which ones have I been living for?" ... "What have I got that will really last - no matter what tragedy comes crashing into my life?" ... "Am I ready for eternity, no matter how suddenly my time comes?"
We have seen how suddenly our towers can come crashing down, how quickly what I've built and who I've loved can all be gone. And our hearts are hungry for something we can anchor to ... for something to sustain us when the bad news is more than we can bear ... for something that will make us really safe.
When our President addressed the nation on this generation's "day of infamy," he alluded to the one Source of comfort and hope in moments like these. He quoted from that treasured 23rd Psalm found in the best-selling book of all times, the Bible - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." (Psalm 23:4)
Life has many "vulnerable" moments - when you lose your job, when you lose someone you love, when your marriage or your parents' marriage collapses, when the medical report is unsettling. But that "valley of the shadow of death" - that is, by far, life's most vulnerable moment. Yet the Bible holds out to you and me a security that can keep you safe even in that valley - and no matter what else comes crashing down in your life.
That security is a Relationship, a Person - "You are with me, Lord." All our lives we have been hungry for one "unloseable" love. And there really only is one. It's the love of the One who made you ... the One who you will meet on the other side of your last heartbeat ... the One whose love caused Him to literally lay down His life for you.
The safety our heart longs for is found in the arms of Jesus Christ. In God's own words, "Nothing will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39) But in your vulnerable moments, your moments that are more than you can handle alone - those moments when you've gone seeking God - maybe you've realized that there is something that is separating you from Him. The Bible confirms that all the wrong things we've ever done have actually "separated you from your God." (Isaiah 59:2) This "sin" - our hijacking of a life that God was supposed to run - cuts us off from the very God whose love is our only safe place.
But that's why Jesus came. "God sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins ... He sent His one and only Son that we might live through Him." (1 John 4:9, 10) Now all Jesus is waiting for is for you to grab His outreached hand like a person trapped in the wreckage would grab the hand of a rescuer. You can do that right where you are, this very moment. Just tell Him, "Jesus, I've lived enough days without You ... I'm sorry for running a life that You were supposed to run ... I want to belong to You ... I want to be changed forever."
Jesus liked to use the word "everlasting" to describe the kind of life He wants to give you. We have been reminded so powerfully that nothing earth has is everlasting. That's the time your heart should be turning to the only One who is - so you can know that you have a love you can never lose ... a security that can never be shaken ... and that you're ready for eternity, whenever it comes. No religion can even offer that kind of security or everlasting life, it is only found with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
You're vulnerable no more when you run to the safest place in all the world - "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are safe." (Proverbs 18:10)
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
September 12, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: From my many years experience I can unhesitatingly say that the cross bears those who bear the cross. - Sadhu Sundar Singh
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
I receive a weekly E-mail newsletter for pastors from Focus on the Family entitled "Pastor's Weekly Briefing". In it, they always include short news stories of interest. Last week, one really caught my eye that I thought would be of interest to you.
I'll quote this directly from the newsletter: "Irene Box Anderson of Sulligent, Ala., has taught the first and second-grade Sunday school class at First Baptist Church of Sulligent, Ala. for more than 43 years without missing a Sunday. 'I don't do it to show off, and it's not a duty", said the 73-year-old Anderson, who even rescheduled surgery to keep from missing her class."
When I read this I thought, "Wow! What faithfulness." If you do the math this means she has been in Sunday School in the same church, and the same class, for 2,236 consecutive weeks. When I consider that I am 37-years-old and have missed at least twice a year for vacation time plus weeks that I have been ill, it really puts her commitment into perspective.
She would have begun her teaching at the age of 30. This would have been a time where she was energetic and healthy. I assume she had a family and such would have provided her a reason to travel periodically during those younger years, but she didn't. In addition, there has probably been many days in her later years where she has had aches, pains, and other ailments that certainly would have been justification for missing, but she didn't.
I am not at all suggesting that a teacher can't miss a few times a year, but am instead just truly amazed at her longevity and endurance.
In addition, I want you to think of her impact over time. The first-graders that were in her class during her starting year, 1959, are around 49 years of age today. Therefore, she has potentially taught three generations of first and second graders from the same families. Such an understanding of her significance in God's kingdom must be truly fulfilling.
In the Bible, we see a similar story in the life of the Old Testament hero, Caleb. He was part of group of twelve that investigated the Promised Land but only he and Joshua believed that God could give the Israelites the victory. The remaining ten brought back a bad report to the people and discouraged them from pressing forward.
So, God caused the nation to wander for forty years in the wilderness. During this time, the ten spies and the rest of those who disbelieved God for the victory died without receiving God's promise. Because Caleb believed, he was allowed to live and be part of the conquering of Canaan.
Once the inhabitants of the land are defeated, Caleb claims the prize for his faithfulness. In Joshua 14:10-12, we hear these words from Caleb: "Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day."
Like Miss Anderson, Caleb remained faithful to the Lord for well over forty years. Why? Both of these lived by faith in the promises of God. Their consistent endurance has been a result of them believing in what God said and making it personal.
Forty-three years with perfect attendance is not the requirement of God for any of us who call Jesus Lord. However, a lifetime of faithfulness is the least I can give Jesus for what he has given me.
Let me encourage you to live your life in such a fashion that God is getting your consistent, perfect attention.
Standing on the promises,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
September 13, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Hearts that are "fit to break" with love for the Godhead are those who have been in the Presence and have looked with opened eye upon the majesty of Deity. Men of the breaking hearts had a quality about them not known to or understood by common men. They habitually spoke with spiritual authority. They had been in the Presence of God and they reported what they saw there. They were prophets, not scribes: for the scribe tells us what he has read, and the prophet tells us what he has seen. The distinction is not an imaginary one. Between the scribe who has read and the prophet who has seen, there is a difference as wide as the sea. We are today overrun with orthodox scribes; but the prophets, where are they? The hard voice of the scribe sounds over evangelicalism, but the Church waits for the tender voice of the saint who has penetrated the veil and has gazed with inward eye upon the Wonder that is God. - A. W. Tozer
"What Christ's Recruitment Poster Says"
"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and
their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity."
- 2 Corinthians 8:2
A man who lived the rather comfortable life of a scribe said to Jesus, "I will follow You wherever You go" (Luke 9:57). He apparently was not aware of the rigors of discipleship. So our Lord tells him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His lead" (Luke 9:58).
Christ is fair with people who have some interest in His ministry and mission. He does not recruit them by falsely promising "Become a Christian and you will be free of problems; you will enjoy peace and happiness, honor and distinction. Join up with Me and see the world -- see exotic and exciting places!" Nothing like that! Instead, His recruitment poster says, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24).
But our Lord also says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest...My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11: 28, 30). Discipleship is most satisfying and pleasant to those who know that Christ for their sake became poor, so that by His poverty they might become rich. Their love to Him takes the edge off self-denial for His sake.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, I pledge my complete loyalty to You. Help me to follow where You lead me. Amen.
Taken from "Each Day with Jesus"
Copyright 1994, Concordia Publishing House.
September 15, 2002
3 more days til See You At The Pole - www.syatp.com
QUOTE OF THE DAY: If you're not obsessing over something, then you might not be into it enough. - Chris Thile (member of the band "Nickel Creek")
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
"Losing It Gradually"
Psalm 1:1
"Leave It to Beaver" was a classic 1950's TV show. No, it was not about wildlife - it was about a suburban family with two kids, older brother Wally and a slightly off-beat son affectionately called "Beaver." Recently, a new "Beaver" series surfaced on cable TV. Someone told me about one new show where "Beaver" gets a new bicycle - and he loses a new bicycle. Big brother Wally asks "the Beave" what happened to his bike. Beaver tells him about this kid who asked if he could use his bike to show him some neat tricks. The problem was that, with every trick, the kid went a little farther with the bicycle. You can probably guess what trick he was going to do ... he disappeared with the bicycle. Beaver says, "You know, He stole it a little bit at a time."
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Losing It Gradually."
There's another thief who operates with that same modus operandi - Satan. He wants to steal from you your closeness to God and all the benefits that go with doing things God's way. He is, the Bible says, the "roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8) and the "thief" who comes "only to steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10)
Beaver would have tried to stop that boy if he had just tried to run off with his bike. But he didn't resist when the thief stole it "a little bit at a time." The devil knows that strategy. And he may be stealing from you right now - and you can't see what he's doing because it's gradual. Until one day you'll wonder how you lost it all.
This slow seduction is profiled in Psalm 1:1, our word for today from the Word of God. David says, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Now, we don't start out expecting to settle down in a sinful place or a sinful way of living. We just walk a little ways with a sinful thought or action. But pretty soon we're not just passing by it - we're "standing in the way of sinner." We're a little more involved now. Eventually, we are sitting where we never thought we'd sit - all settled into a sin that with which we were only going to "take a little walk."
There's how we end up where we never thought we'd go, doing things we never thought we'd do, paying a price we never thought we'd pay. Flirtation, then fascination, and finally fixation. Satan doesn't bring you down by explosion - he does it by erosion. Just a little compromise. Just a little taste. Just a little lowering of your guard. Just a little companionship for your loneliness. Just a little curiosity to see what it's like.
No one sets out to commit adultery, to weave a web of lies, to lose their integrity, to mortally wound their marriage or their children. Nobody sets out to destroy the people they love, to get addicted, or to end up far from God. But we fall for the "little bit at a time" strategy of the enemy who wants to devour us.
We would never let him do it if he tried to do it all at once. But could it be that you have slowly let your mind and your heart, your attention, your attitude wander away from God's way? Please - open your eyes and see what's happening - before you go any deeper ... before it's harder to stop ... before you pay the very high price that's just ahead.
The thief is trying to steal your soul a little bit at a time. Don't let it happen!
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
www.gospelcom.net/rhm/
Copyright (c) 2002, Ron Hutchcraft
September 16, 2002
2 more days til See You At The Pole - www.syatp.com
QUOTE OF THE DAY: It is not possible ever to exhaust the mind of the
Scriptures. It is a well that has no bottom.
- St. John Chrysostom
The Feel-Good Factor
Feeling good about yourself? Bearing our cross and following Jesus daily surely also means that its ok if you don't feel good about yourself, as long as you are believing and obeying, and your conscience and heart and sold-out brothers and sisters confirm it to be so.
Dont we many times wrongly make it our goal to feel good about ourselves, first, rather than make it our goal to please Him? Aren't we too influenced by the world in this regard?
Q. How do you feel? A. It's not so important how I feel right now about myself. It's more important that I'm trusting Jesus and desire to do His will.
We can easily fall into traditional patterns solely with the goal of appeasing some disquiet or disharmony within us. We tend to follow the path that is familiar because we tend to find some sort of self-satisfaction and comfort through that process. But this is counter to "life in the Spirit" which is ordered by God, according to His good pleasure and will, and not ours.
We can even wrongly demand from the Lord that we feel good all the time, and when we don't, then get a bit discontent with Him for "letting us down" by not injecting the "happy-drug", like some "heavenly pusher".
It's easy to forget all that "bearing your cross" implies for life. Dare I say that "cross-bearing" doesn't have much to do with feeling good about yourself!
How would it have been if one of the spectators lining the Via-Delarosa, watching our Lord walking toward Calvary, would have asked Him, "How do you feel Jesus?" What would our Lord have answered? Maybe something like this, " How I feel is irrelevant, but what is relevant is that Father is pleased."
"Taking up your cross daily" is just what it implies: Taking up and carrying with you something that's not very nice and which you would rather avoid if possible: ie. daily pain; daily disquiet; daily disturbance of the utopia you have been seeking here on earth; daily shaking off demonic harrasment; heartbreak over those you love and care for; unfulfilled lusts; unfulfilled dreams and selfish pursuits; unfulfilled ego; a self that is denied the usual gratifications; being misunderstood; being hated for Jesus' sake; being falsely accused; being humiliated; looking like a fool, etc. etc.
According to Jesus, those who avoid taking up their cross, are not His disciples at all. But those who are His disciples should agree with Paul who said, "...the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
I like this one: "... I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
by Mike Peters
September 17, 2002
1 more day til See You At The Pole - www.syatp.com
QUOTE OF THE DAY: That wisdom which cannot teach me that God is love, shall
ever pass for folly.
- John Owen
Hunger For God
"Desires for other things..." (Mark 4:19) is an enemy. And the only weapon that will triumph is a deeper hunger for God. The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with "other things." What is at stake here is not just the good of our souls, but also the glory of God. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. The fight of faith is a fight to feast on all that God is for us in Christ. What we hunger for most, we worship.
Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence there is a path of pleasant pain. It is not the pathological pleasure of a masochist, but the passion of a lover's quest: "I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8).
The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen and a wife (Luke 14:18-20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.
Some people hear the word of God, and a desire for God is awakened in their hearts. But then, " they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life" (Luke 8:14). In another place he said, "The desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" (Mark 4:19). "The pleasures of this life" and "the desires for other things"-these are not evil in themselves. These are not vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and shopping and exercising and talking. And all of them can become deadly substitutes for God.
Our hunger for God should mean that we will do anything and go without anything if, by any means, we might protect ourselves from the deadening effects of innocent delights and preserve the sweet longing of our homesickness for God.
God wills to know the actual, lived-out reality of our preference for him over all things. And he wills that we have the testimony of our own authenticity through acts of actual preference for God over his gifts. A real lived-out human act of preference for God over his gifts is the actual lived-out glorification of God's excellence for which he created the world.
We easily deceive ourselves that we love God unless our love is frequently put to the test, and we must show our preferences not merely with the words but with sacrifice. Our preferring faculty is kept on alert and sharp. It does not let the issue rest. It forces us to ask repeatedly: Do I really hunger for God? Do I miss him? Do I long for him? Or have I begun to be content with his gifts?
The strongest, most mature Christians are the hungriest for God. It might seem that those who eat most would be least hungry. But that's not the way it works with an inexhaustible fountain, and infinite feast and a glorious Lord. When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only get hungrier for God.
If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things and there is no room for the great. God did not create you for this. There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. The true mortification of our carnal nature is not a simple matter of denial and discipline. It is an internal, spiritual matter of finding more contentment in Christ than in anything else.
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law" (Psalm 119:18). And if we do not see him in his greatness, we will not desire him in his fullness."
Excerpts from "Hunger For God" by Andrew Murray
September 18, 2002
See You At The Pole! - www.syatp.com
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The scientist who lives laborious days in the disinterested pursuit of truth, the artist who will starve in a garret if only he may express the beauty he has seen, the martyr who will obey God in the scorn of consequence, are all religious men or, at least, are men who illustrate that principle which lies behind religion. Truth, Beauty, Goodness -- these are sacred, the object of man's true love and reverence. He to whom nothing is sacred, all questions are open, and the distinction between right and wrong is blurred, is an enslaved, not an emancipated, spirit. - Nathaniel Micklem
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
I have been reading through a book entitled 'Man in the Mirror' by Patrick Morley. In it, he covers a variety of issues that face men (and women, too).
Last week, I read on the topic of "Broken Relationships". In this chapter, the author looks specifically at the way in which our family relationships get fractured because we spend too much time being overly committed to endeavors and people that aren't as important as those under our roof.
In addressing this, he made the following statement: "Why not prioritize everything we do on the basis of who's going to be crying at our funeral?" In other words, plan your schedule around those people who are closest to you.
Growing up, I found this to be true with my parents. I had one of the most nurturing childhoods of anyone I grew up with. My Mom and Dad made a point of being at anything and everything I was involved in. They were my biggest fans and greatest encouragers. Because of their support, I use to always look for them at the ball games and concerts I was involved in. In many ways, I was performing for them because I knew they were there because of me. I was the center of their attention and the purpose of their attendance.
Now, at the age of thirty-seven, I am in the same position as they were. My kids are the ones on the field and I'm the one in the stands. They are the ones demanding my time, and I have the choice of giving it or directing it elsewhere. By the criterion given in Man In The Mirror, the question of time allocation ultimately has to do with how I value my relationships.
Frankly, relationships are a product of time. The more time I spend on anything, the more I value it. When I don't value something, I neglect it. When I neglect something, the impact of time without maintenance will result in malfunction or collapse.
I had a guy in a previous church who spent a lot of time away from his two boys -- ages 11 and 17. He started going to our church and was beginning to get his life back in order. Apparently, he had previously been a truck driver and his job kept him away from home for the better part of each year. His kids grew older and his wife grew distant.
He didn't have much hope for his marriage, but he did desire to regain his relationship with his sons. He asked me, "How do I get my boys back?" I was saddened to tell him that his chances with the older boy were very slim, and that he had to act immediately to have any chance of developing the relationship he needed with his younger son.
Why? There is no substitute for time. There is no reliving the past and making up for memories that were never made. God can perform miraculous works, but he will not allow us a second chance at lost time. Once it is gone we are fortunate to be able to make up for it.
Looking back, I am in the ministry today because my parents went with me to church and lived Godly lives. They modeled what they believed. The reason that I eventually heard the calling of God was because my parents put me in an environment where I could listen. I paid attention to what my Mom and Dad said about the Lord because they paid attention to me. All of this happened over TIME.
Therefore, we can draw this conclusion: Family relationships and a relationship with Jesus Christ run parallel. The more time and attention that Godly parents give to their children, there is a far greater likelihood that these kids will follow a similar path. The closer the parent-child relationship, the greater will be the child's desire to pursue the values of the parent. Children will pursue a relationship with Jesus when they see Him in the life of a parent that genuinely loves them and spends time with them.
The clock is ticking. Where are you spending your life? Today, let me encourage you to begin investing it where the dividends are eternal.
Making deposits in eternity,
Bro. Steve
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
September 19, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Reading is good, hearing is good, conversation and meditation are good; but then, they are only good at times and occasions, in a certain degree, and must be used and governed with such caution as we eat and drink and refresh ourselves, or they will bring forth in us the fruits of intemperance. But the spirit of prayer is for all times and occasions; it is a lamp that is to be always burning, a light to be ever shining: everything calls for it; everything is to be done in it and governed by it, because it is and means and wills nothing else but the totality of the soul -- not doing this or that, but wholly... given up to God to be where and what and how He pleases. - William Law
The Purpose of Prayer
(From Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest")
"We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened." - Luke 24:21
If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources-- -I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means "I must have it at once." Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today "the third day" and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer.
Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest"
(this version) Copyright 1995 by Oswald Chambers Publications
Discovery House Books
So how is it for you today? Are you seeking answers, or are you seeking God?
St. Paul wrote: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:7-11).
Through Christ, we are allowed the greatest privilege of all: to enter into the very presence of the living God (which only the high priest used to do, and that only once per year!)...what more could we want? What more could we need? Everything else pales in comparison to experiencing God's manifest presence in our times of prayer and worship. In His presence, everything comes into perspective...in His presence we find all that we need to face whatever comes our way. That's why Paul could say "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation..." (Philippians 4:12), because His strength was in the Lord (see Philippians 4:13---"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength...")
God is good all of the time; and all of the time, God is good. Whether He rescues you from the storm, or gives you peace in the midst of your trials...He is always there, waiting for you to call on Him. "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6).
If you haven't spent time in His presence yet today...make sure you make the time. You won't regret it.
Gary Zanow
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
September 20, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Nothing burneth in hell but self-will. Therefore it hath been said, Put off thine own will, and there will be no more hell. - Theologia Germanica
Unprotected Christianity
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." - Ephesians 6:11
We've all heard these verses from Paul's Letter to the Ephesians about wearing the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit...
We know the words, but do we always do what the words say? Speaking for myself, I know that I don't...and it's foolish of me when I don't. I mean, can you picture a warrior in Bible times going against an army in only his underwear? He would get creamed! And that's what will happen to us if we start our day without first getting dressed in the armor of God.
A warrior wouldn't go into battle without his helmet and say, "That's okay, I'll get it later after lunch." ---after lunch could very well be too late! "Later on, when it's convenient..." may never come! Likewise for us, what we do at the beginning of each day can affect the rest of our day. Even from a strictly human standpoint we know that we need to eat and get dressed and make sure we have our wallet or purse and our house or car keys before we leave home every morning...how much more do we need the armor of God?!
So, let's take a brief look at St. Paul's list of stuff:
Got kids? If not, you can probably remember when you were a kid and Mom and
Dad were leaving to go to church or to the store or a relative's house...and
you STILL didn't have your shoes on. Remember that? "Bus is
leaving!!---c'mon, we have to leave NOW!!" What happens when you don't have
your shoes on? You can't leave when you need to leave 'cuz you're not ready
to go yet. Paul says we need to have our shoes on so we're ready to go when
it's time to go; or to put it another way, we need to be ready to go when
and where the Holy Spirit tells us to go. Some opportunities come and go
before we've even had the chance to put our shoes on. We need to have our
shoes on BEFORE it's time to go so we're ready to go when He calls us.
The shield blocks out flaming arrows...Ouch! I hate getting hit with those
things! The devil is firing at us like crazy, and he's a coward because he's
shooting arrows from a safe distance rather than fighting us face to face. A
shield or wall are the only things that will keep the arrows from hitting
you (a mighty fortress is our God) and St. Paul says our faith IS that
shield. The arrows are lies and the devil shoots them at us from behind
billboards, television sets and movie screens. He fires them at us from
behind our co-workers, school teachers and community leaders. If he hits you
enough, he's going to take you out. This is where faith comes in: all is not
as the devil and the world make it out to be. "Faith is being sure of what
we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (see Hebrews chapter 11).
Sometimes all we've got is our faith, but God is good all of the time and He
will not let us down...so our faith is not in vain. Hang in there...the King
of kings is coming and this time everyone will know who the winner is!
The helmet protects the warrior's head; and our head is where we think
thoughts, good or bad. The devil wants to mess with our minds, and tries to
tell us things like "God doesn't love you" or "you can never be forgiven" or
"give up, you've lost the battle..." Salvation is our helmet, and it works
like this: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (see 1 John 5:13) We
don't have to hope or pray that "maybe we are saved"...but because Jesus
died on the cross for our sins and then rose again from the dead we can KNOW
that we have eternal life. When the devil tries to mess with our minds, we
need to claim our sure and certain salvation. It's not based on anything we
did in the first place...but on what Jesus did for us; so we need to fill
our head with God's truth from God's Word which says we can KNOW we are
saved.
And speaking of God's Word...a warrior needs a sword if he's going to do
anything more than just defend himself. That sword is the Word of God, and
it has the power to destroy strongholds. His armor protects him, but his
weapons allow the warrior to advance against the enemy and claim or reclaim
lost territory. Don't you want to progress in your faith? Who wants to live
hiding under a bushel dodging arrows? I want to live my life abundantly, and
the only way to do that is to go into the world prepared and armed with
God's truth and His word.
I have battled in my underwear and never been victorious. Just like we need
to start our day in prayer, we would do well to start each day in the Word
of God; for it is in God's Word that we find all of our armor and the weapon
s of our warfare.
If you're not starting your day in God's Word, won't you consider starting
from this day forth? It's not to protect your salvation---that's secure in
Jesus---it's to keep you from getting beat up every day by those bullies the
Bible identifies as "the devil, the world and our flesh" and to press
forward in the battle (which is to grow in the Lord and become sanctified).
So in a nutshell, here it is: "The Armor of God...don't leave home without
it!"
Gary Zanow
September 21, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Having Faith In God
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly
seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6
This verse is profound in its simplicity and simple in it profundity! Wow!
You can't please God without faith, but if you didn't have faith in the
first place you wouldn't care! Right? It's because we believe in God that
we're concerned about pleasing Him.and the very fact that we believe He
exists and want to please Him is enough to please Him!
I think that's really cool! God's not so concerned with my performance; but
that I acknowledge His existence and want to please Him.THAT'S what pleases
Him! That doesn't mean He doesn't want me to do good works and live a
righteous life; but He's not sitting up in heaven picking me apart when I
fall down. Not at all!
- Because I have faith in Him and I'm seeking to please Him He knows when I
fail, and He reaches out and picks me up when I fall.
- Because I have faith in Him and I'm seeking to please Him He takes
pleasure in my good works just as proud parents tape pictures of stick
people to their refrigerators and proudly proclaim them as "Art". And my
good works done in faith really are good.
- Because I have faith in Him and I'm seeking to please Him I am called a
child of God and can share in all the benefits of being a co-heir with Jesus
Christ.
- Because I have faith in Him and I'm seeking to please Him I have already
crossed over from death to life and am sure of my eternal destiny.
- Because I have faith in Him and I'm seeking to please Him I can enter His
presence with confidence and without fear.not without respect of His
holiness.but without fear of His righteous judgement.
How much faith do you need to please God?
Just have faith and you will please God; because anyone who comes to Him
obviously believes that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
You wouldn't be seeking Him if you didn't believe; and that you believe is
pleasing to Him.
Now, knowing that God is pleased with you:
Live each day with confidence, knowing that God's eternal purposes are in
the background of every day of your life. For the plans of the Lord stand
firm forever and the purposes of His heart through all generations. (Psalm
33:11)
Live each day with joy, knowing that when Jesus left He went to prepare a
place for you, and that if He went to prepare a place then He will also come
back to take you there. (John 14:2-3)
Live each day with peace, knowing that God has the very hairs on your head
counted (Matthew 10:30), that your name is carved on the palms of His hands
(Isaiah 49:16) and that He saves your tears in His bottle (Psalm 56:8 KJV).
Live each day with hope, knowing that your light and momentary troubles are
achieving for you an eternal glory that far outweighs them all! (2
Corinthians 4:17)
Live each day with gladness of heart, knowing that your sins are all
forgiven you forever and ever and ever by the shed blood of Jesus Christ our
Savior. (Hebrews 10:14, 1 Peter 3:18, John 5:24, etc., etc., etc., AMEN)
Gary Zanow
September 22, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Wherever God's Word may be preached, His precepts remain a
letter and dead words so long as they are not received by men with a pure
heart; only where they pierce to the soul do they become, so to speak,
changed into Spirit. - John Calvin
Jump Into Jesus' Arms
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything." - James 1:2-4
If you're not in the middle of a trial right now, just hang around. None of
us can dodge trials. So we need to find out the resources God has given us
to deal with trials.
What is a trial, anyway? It's an adverse circumstance that God allows or
even brings about in the lives of His children to deepen our faith. Now
trials can come from a number of directions. Sometimes God sends you a trial
to teach you a specific lesson. At other times, it comes simply because you
live in a sin-cursed world, and the curse rubs off on you. So you become the
victim of a crime or accident or illness that crashes into your life.
Sometimes trials are the result of your own sin. You yield to a temptation
that leads to a set of circumstances that are tough to deal with. And don't
forget that the enemy can attack you with trials for the purpose of bringing
about your spiritual defeat.
How you respond to cataclysmic circumstances has a lot to do with what shape
you're in when you come out on the other side. The good news is, you're not
out there alone, because no matter what the source of the trial is, God has
the situation well in hand. He can work out His purposes even in a trial you
may bring on yourself.
In fact, I believe that one major purpose of trials is to teach us that we
can't make it ourselves and that we can't figure it out, and all we can do
is pray, "Lord, save me!" His love says yes to that admission of need and
dependence on HIm.
Of all the temptations you need to resist in time of trial, the greatest is
the temptation to think Jesus must not love you very much, or this wouldn't
be happening to you.
Recently, my granddaughter Kariss got scared by our dog Casey. He ran toward
her, and she screamed and came running to me yelling, "Poppy, Poppy! Casey
is going to get me!" Then she jumped up into my arms---and from up there,
everything looked different. She wasn't afraid anymore.
Has your trial got you scared? Jump into Jesus' arms. From up there, your
trial won't look so fierce anymore. It may still bark, but you're in Jesus'
arms now!
From "Time to Get Serious" by Dr. Tony Evans
September 23, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Make your thoughts a clean sanctuary. To God, our thoughts
are things. Our thoughts are the decorations inside the sanctuary where we
live. If our thoughts are purified by the blood of Christ, we are living in
a clean room no matter if we are wearing overalls covered with grease. Your
thoughts pretty much decide the mood and weather and climate inside your
heart, and God considers your thoughts as part of you. Thoughts of peace,
thoughts of pity, thoughts of mercy, thoughts of kindness, thoughts of
charity, thoughts of God, thoughts of the Son of God - these are pure
things, good things, and high things. Therefore, if you would cultivate the
Spirit's acquaintance, you must get hold of your thoughts and not allow your
mind to be a wilderness in which every kind of unclean beast roams and bird
flies. You must have a clean heart. - A.W. Tozer
Yes! or Goodbye?
"...his prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence of God, his soul
being at that time insensible to everything but divine love; and that when
the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he
still continued with God, praising and blessing Him wil all his might, so
that he passed his life in continual joy..." from The Practice of the
Presence of God, (written by the Abbot of Beaufort regarding his
conversations with Brother Lawrence in the late 1600's.)
Recently, in a time of silence before God, my wife was struck with the
following thoughts: "Why do you speak to Me in sound bites, and then say
your 'Amen' as if you were hanging up the phone?"
This hit me hard, because I have the same experience after spending precious
time in the presence of God...that when I say "Amen" it's like I'm saying
"Goodbye" or "See You later!"...and that when I do that it's like I'm back
on my own again, until the next time I enter God's presence through prayer
and worship. Do you know what I mean? After spending time with God telling
Him how much I love Him and then laying out my requests before Him, I close
with an "Amen" that comes off like "Okay God, I'll talk to You later!" and
then go about my business as if I've hung up the phone and I won't encounter
Him again until either He calls me or I call Him!
The word "Amen" literally means "May it be" or "Yes, it shall be so" or just
"Yes!"...so in this context, when I close my prayer with "Amen" it should be
the same as saying "Okay...let's do it!" or something along those
lines...and not "Okay, talk at Ya' later!"
Brother Lawrence (mentioned above) caught a glimpse of this and learned to
live his life in the constant presence of God. He said that it wasn't very
difficult, because God is in all reality constantly present...it's just a
matter of acknowledging that He's there.
Think about it: when you hang up the phone on somebody you literally
disconnect yourself from the person you were speaking with...but what if
that person were physically in your presence when you were speaking and
didn't leave when you said "Goodbye"? What if that person continued to hang
out with you, but you chose to ignore her as if she wasn't there? What if,
in your mind, you had found a way to convince yourself that she had left and
that she was no longer hovering over you watching everything that you do and
trying so hard to keep up the conversation? Wouldn't you be regarded as
rude, or mean?
Just because God is "invisible" to our naked eye, it doesn't mean that He
leaves our presence when we say "Amen" or that He hangs up the phone so He
can chat with someone else. God is always present, whether we acknowledge
Him or not; and He is always waiting for us to respond to Him with our needs
and with our love.
To conclude, I give you one more glimpse into the life of Brother Lawrence
and how he practiced the presence of God in even the most mundane
circumstances:
"...that when an occasion of practising some virtue offered, he addressed
himself to God, saying, 'Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me' and
that then he received strength more than sufficient. That when he had failed
in his duty, he only confessed his fault, saying to God, 'I shall never do
otherwise if You leave me to myself; it is You who must hinder my falling,
and mend what is amiss.' That after this he gave himself no further
uneasiness about it. That we ought to act with God in the greatest
simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His
assistance in our affairs, just as they happen. That God never failed to
grant it, as he had often experienced..." from 'The Practice of the Presence
of God'
Gary Zanow
September 24, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: It may fortune thou wilt say, "I am content to do the best
for my neighbor that I can, saving myself harmless." I promise thee, Christ
will not hear their excuse; for He himself suffered harm for our sakes, and
for our salvation was put to extreme death. I wis, if it had pleased Him,
He might have saved us and never felt pain; but in suffering pains and death
He did give us example, and teach us how we should do one for another, as He
did for us all; for, as He saith himself, "he that will be mine, let him deny himself, and follow me, in bearing my cross and suffering my pains." Wherefore we must needs suffer pain with Christ to do our neighbor good, as well with the body and all his members, as with heart and mind. - Hugh Latimer
Thankful for What I Have
"Be content with what you have, for God has said: 'Never will I leave you,
never will I forsake you.'" I spent about 15 minutes stuck in traffic behind a school bus this morning.
For fifteen minutes, I was forced to either look out my windshield at the
bus ahead or divert my gaze to the inside of my car...there was really
nothing else to look at in this particular location.
Looking at the school bus, I noticed a boy in the back seat; but instead of
having his back to me like most students would, he was sitting sideways
looking out the window across the aisle from himself. Now there was a very
good reason why this boy was sitting sideways: you see, he was strapped to a
wheelchair which was strapped to the side of the bus, so he didn't have much
choice.
As I said, for fifteen minutes I had to choose between looking up at this
bus in front of me or just looking at the stuff in my car. So for fifteen
minutes, I found myself thinking about this boy strapped into a wheelchair
that was strapped into the back of a bus.
I thought about how he must feel, and I thought about how I would feel if I
were him. I thought about all the things I complain about in my life; and
how they look so petty compared to the things the boy in the wheelchair must
be missing. I thought that if I were him, I would give anything just to
walk somewhere by myself. I would give anything to be able to open a door
without anyone's help. I would do anything to climb up a flight of stairs or
run up a big hill or take a walk through the woods. If I were him, I think I
would give anything just to chase my dog and have my dog chase me...
I said a little prayer right then and there for that young man. I don't know
what his life is like, and I really can't pretend to know how he feels...but
for fifteen minutes I was forced to realize how much I take for granted in
my life and how ungrateful I can be when I'm in the midst of trials. I also
decided then and there that I had to write about this before the blessing
was lost.
I know myself well enough to know that even though right now I'm thinking
about this kid and meditating on God's blessings in my life, that within an
hour or two it will have been a passing thought; and that kid on that bus
will be out of sight and out of mind.
Chances are, you're in a similar situation...my guess is that at least some
of you reading this now will find the message fading further and further
away as your day moves further and further from this moment.
So, let's seize this moment before it's gone and pray that God will change
our lives through this. Please pray with me:
Dear Lord, God Almighty, we praise You for creating this day and for
blessing us with all the gifts and wonders and mercy You have given us
today. Thank You for all the things we take for granted, and please forgive
us for taking those things for granted. Please bless those who don't have
what we have; and open the doors for us to use what we DO have...our health,
our bodies, our hands, our feet, our minds, our ears, our mouths and our
hearts...to minister love, understanding and healing to everyone who crosses
our path. Continue to speak to our hearts through the things we see and the
people we meet every day in each of our lives. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
"God is good all of the time; and all of the time, God is good."
Gary Zanow
September 25, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Whatever comes, let's be content with all. - Robert
Herrick
Encouraging Word For The Week From Brother Steve
Having grown up in New Orleans, I can appreciate what the residents
of that area are feeling today. They are likely glued to their TV's and radios listening for the latest details about Hurricane Isidore.
I can remember several times as a kid making hurricane preparations
at our house. We would put tape in an "X" pattern over the windows in
order to protect the interior of the house from having shattered glass
blown inside and becoming dangerous projectiles. Also, we had plywood
boards in our storage building that were used especially to place against
the large window at the front of our house and protect it from the wind.
Under such conditions, the grocery stores and gas stations will be
bustling with activity. Bottled water, batteries, lanterns, and
nonperishable food items will be cleared off of the shelves. The
highways leading away from the coastlines will pick up a considerable
amount of traffic as people evacuate seeking higher ground.
This is the culture of an area that lives under the yearly threat of
such tropical storms. It is something you get use to because you have
chosen to live in an environment that is susceptible to such phenomena
each summer and fall.
My family had the opportunity to live in Iowa for three winters and
got to learn something about how the weather effects people in the
midwest. The word "hurricane" is nowhere to be found in their
vocabulary. However, such terms as "blizzard", "below zero" and "snow
plow" are not unusual. Each geographic area has its own unique problems
with different types of storms, but in each case these storms must be
prepared for.
The Christian life is not impervious to storms. In fact, it is full
of them. They are not seasonal, but are instead possible at any time.
Therefore, preparations must be made in one's life before the storms
come, because they are coming.
Jesus tells us a wonder parable about this in Matthew 7:24-27:
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash."
This story shares several insights about preparing for the storms of
life that are important for us to grasp. First of all, you build your
house according to the potential elements it will face from the outside.
You don't construct for the calm moments in life, but for the extremes.
In the case of this story, this is illustrated in the concept of the
foundation, which is the most important part of a house. A house's
height and width are determined by what it is built upon. It is here
where the house finds its strength. According to the parable, the
foundation of our lives is the result of what we do with the word of God.
Thus, everything about me hinges upon what occurs in my spiritual life.
Obedience or disobedience to the Lord will pave the way to my destiny.
Another interesting feature to the story is the timing. A person
builds before the storms come, not during one. No one does construction
work in the middle of a downpour or when the winds are blowing furiously.
I learned a long time ago that if I will seek to know God in the good
times, then I'll more easily draw to Him during the tough times.
However, if God is unimportant when the skies are blue, I'll have a much
more difficult time calling on His aid when my house is shaking. It's
not that he wont listen, but that I wont know who I'm speaking to.
Lastly, according to what I do with God's word in building my
spiritual life will determine what I'm called by God. In this story, two
titles are applied -- "wise" and "foolish". It is important to notice
that God knew this distinction before the storms came, and the builders
realized it afterward.
Right now, some of you are enjoying a cloudless day, while others
are staring into lightning. The concern that I want to address has
nothing to do with the weather, but your foundation. Are you built upon
the rock or on the sand? Is Jesus important in your life and has your
ear or are you in charge and can't hear His voice?
Let me encourage all of you to examine your foundation. For some,
you need to keep digging deeper so that you can build higher. For
others, you need to get out the bull dozers, knock over your structure,
and start over with Christ as your sure foundation.
The storm is coming! Are you ready?
Building on the Rock,
Bro. Steve
September 26, 2002
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Although it is impossible for us to become as perfect as
Christ, we should nevertheless have an earnest desire for such perfection.
Although there will always be a lack of perfection in all our desires and
efforts, we should not despair as long as the earnest desire for improvement
in this respect stays with us. "Faith Religion, Not Rules Religion"
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1
Some people think Christianity is essentially living according to the golden
rule and other rules. In their rule-mindedness, they are apt to do one of
two things; either elevate man's rules to the level of divine law or treat
God's commandments as though they were man's.
Many people at Christ's time, notably the Pharisees, tried to bind human
mandates and "the tradition of the elders" on peoples' consciences, equating
them with God's Law. The reverse of this is to take God's Ten Commandments
and give them human standing, that is, regard them as social mores that may
become outdated and can be ignored. One need look no farther than the TV
screen to see where this belief has led.
In spite of what many think, the Ten Commandments have a place in life. We
cannot get along without them. Nor should we add to or take away from them.
The sure way of getting away from legalism or the rules-mentality in our
religious life is to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ central in our lives.
Salvation is a matter of faith in the Savior Jesus Christ, not of keeping
rules. The Scripture teaches that "[God] saved us, not because of righteous
things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the
washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us
generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified
by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus
3:5-7).
God grant you this faith.
Taken from "Each Day with Jesus"
September 27, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Of what I call God, and fools call Nature. - Robert Browning
A Father's Prayer
"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for
all whom the Lord our God will call." "Dear Lord, my little boy starts school today. He's such a little fellow,
and he's been sheltered up to now. And it's going to be difficult for me to
take him to the door of the school and say, 'Good bye.' But what scares me,
Lord, is he doesn't know what a jungle is out there compared to when I went
to school for the first day. He's going to learn quickly that the world he
has lived in for the first six years of his life is vastly different from
the one that exists outside our door.
"Father, I pray that You will keep Your strong hand on his little life, and
help him understand that it's OK to be different, to refuse to use the
language other kids use, that it's OK to tell the truth, and OK to stand
for what we have tried to teach him at home.
"The great adventure of life is going to get down to the raw a lot quicker
than it did for us, Lord. It's a more cruel world out there, with drugs
available from older kids, brutality and violence spelled out in graphic
terms on the news, and played out in a drama that seems never to end in our
world.
"One thing that concerns me a great deal, Lord, is that he's going to be
confronted with values and concepts that are different from what we
believe. He's going to be in that classroom 30 hours a week, and that's far
more than the time we'll be together, so honor the foundation that we've
tried to lay in his young life and grant that even at a young age he will
learn to choose right from wrong, truth from the lie, and stand for
justice, though he may stand alone.
"And, yes, that crowd also bothers me, Lord. So, please help him to choose
his friends carefully, and help me as a parent to know when to say, 'Yes,'
and when to say, 'No.' We've tried to teach him that the most important two
words in the English language are "Do right!" but he'll quickly learn that
this is not always done in life, so Father, take him by his little hand and
gently guide him.
"Help him to learn that not all people are to be trusted, yet without trust
we cannot form friendships that last and learn to love each other. Lord,
may he remember what we've tried to teach him--that for every crook there
is a hero, for every enemy there is a friend, and for every corrupt
individual there is a man or woman of integrity, that for every temptation
to do wrong, there is a way of escape.
"We want him to understand that to do less than his best falls short of
what we want and what you want from us, and when he does his best--whether
he wins or loses--we will be proud of him. God, grant that he will learn
there is no glory in failure, but in winning through dishonesty or
cheating, there is only shame and dishonor.
"God, there's one more thing. The cry of my heart is that my little son
will grow to be a strong man who knows You and loves You, and becomes a
leader who will be a light in a dark world, one who stands against the
evils of our day and makes a difference.
"I tremble when I think of what faces him, but I rejoice in knowing Your
promises are to me and to my children and to a thousand generations of men
and women who will trust you. Thank you, Lord, for that assurance. It helps
make it easier when I have to say, 'Goodbye, Son,' at the door of the school."
Resource reading: Ephesians 6:1-4.
By Dr. Harold Sala
September 28, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: Whatever your lot in life, build something on it. - Unknown
"Know Yourself" - Socrates
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" - Romans 7:24,25
In his day, Socrates was both loved and hated. Those who listened to him as
he spoke in the agora or market place usually applauded the manner in which
he took on the leadership of his day. His pungent, cutting remarks,
however, were not always appreciated by the city fathers, whose hypocrisy
and fraud were often the subjects of his salty comments.
Eventually, Socrates was destroyed by his enemies, who have long since
vanished into obscurity. But his name is still voiced by schoolchildren
studying history or philosophy. Socrates wasn't just ahead of his time;
there never was a time for men such as he. Today, things aren't much
different, and they never will be. Of all his advice, no truth or aphorism
is more powerful than his injunction, "Know thyself!" In spite of our
knowledge of outer space, we've never conquered the inner space of the
human heart or mind.
"Know yourself!" If you really want to know yourself, there are seven
questions which you need to ask--guidelines which can help you really
evaluate who and what you really are.
Guideline #1: What do you really want out of life? Your desires and
ambitions--your secret yearnings--tell something of the real you. Fame,
fortune, happiness? To do the will of God, to live a life of purpose, or to
live for pleasure? All of these reveal the real you.
Guideline #2: What do you think about most? Simply put, your thinking
controls your life. Jesus said, "The things that come out of the mouth come
from the heart..." (Matthew 15:18). In a real sense, our lives become an
extension of our thoughts, which is part of the reason that it is terribly
important to think positive, uplifting thoughts.
Guideline #3: How do you spend your money? The ledger of your checkbook is
like a personal history of your life. It tells you what your value system
is. You spend money on what you consider important, whether it is your
home, your car, the food that goes on your kitchen table, or clothing your
children. At the same time, money spent on entertainment, books, or videos
is an expression of what you consider important.
Guideline #4: What do you do with your leisure time? Ancient Greece had as
many holidays as working days, and Rome wasn't far behind, with one day off
for every two working days. Today, we haven't arrived at such a liberal
arrangement, but how you spend leisure time tells something of the real
you. Some take advantage of off time to donate to their church or
organizations such as Guidelines. Some paint houses for widows or do
shopping for Mom or Dad who can't get out to the store, and others hoard
leisure strictly for themselves.
Guideline #5: What kind of company do you enjoy? Take a look at your close
friends and you will see something of the real you. Far better to have a
few really committed friends than a lot of "acquaintances" who call
themselves friends, but quickly disappear when your money or popularity wanes.
Guideline #6: Whom do you admire? Your heroes tell something of the real
person, the individual whom you would like to mirror. Tell me about the
individuals or the things that you most admire and you will begin to
describe the real you, the one that Socrates said you should know.
Guideline #7: What do you laugh at? Are off-color stories repulsive to you?
When something happens to you, can you laugh at yourself?
Knowing ourselves is not always pleasant, but it is important. Think about it.
Resource reading: Psalm 139
By Dr. Harold Sala
September 29, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: God has made thee to love Him, and not to understand
Him. - Voltaire
The Sparrow
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to
the ground apart from the will of your Father." - Matthew 10:29
Of the more than 9,000 varieties of birds in the world, none is more common
than the sparrow. The adjective "common" well describes this little bird
that is found throughout much of the world, from the extreme reaches of the
north to the southern hemisphere. Geese have been seen over the Himalayas
in Asia at a height of more than 29,000 feet, where jet airplanes fly. But
not the little sparrow that hovers quite close to the ground. While an
African ostrich may stand 8 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds, the little
sparrow can rest in your hand. Some birds, such as the peacock, have
brilliant plumage, but sparrows are pretty basic and plain little birds
mostly brown in color, with an occasional touch of white or black, or a
suggestion of red.
Some scientists say that crows are the most intelligent of all birds
because of their cunning. But the closest that sparrows get to the great
universities of our day is in the trees that abound on their campuses. Some
birds, such as thrushes and meadowlarks, have beautiful songs, but the
little sparrow chirps in his rather lower-class voice.
Of all the birds in the world, none really are more common than the
sparrow, often referred to as the English Sparrow. While some exotic birds
demand great prices in pet and specialty stores, sparrows are practically
worthless, something that has been true for a long, long time.
In reality, sparrows are pretty insignificant in the kingdom of feathered
friends, yet it is amazing how prominently sparrows fit into the language
of the Bible. Jesus often spoke of sparrows, trying to help people
understand that God takes note of them, and that people are of far greater
value than the sparrows of the heavens.
He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will
fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more
than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29-31).
Just this morning a little sparrow was perched outside my window, and I
began thinking of what I have just shared with you. A lot of us can relate
to the sparrows. In life we haven't climbed the Everests of success; we
spent our lives down in the valley, going from one paycheck to the next,
grubbing out an existence. We flit from one task to the next, doing the
best we can with what we've got.
How beautiful that Jesus used the sparrow as an object lesson, which
teaches us that we may not soar with the eagles or strut with the peacocks,
but we are important to our Heavenly Father. One of the greatest concerns
of people today is how God really views our lives. Does He really care? Are
you one of some 6 billion faceless people in His sight? Or does He take
note of the ruffled feathers in your life?
There's good news, friend! It's a settled issued. He does take notice, and
He cares. May I suggest that you make a note of Matthew 6 in your Bible and
remind yourself of what you probably already know in your heart. Jesus put
it like this: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or
store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not
much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour
to his life?" (Matthew 6:26,27).
The next time you hear the chirp of a little sparrow, or see one hopping
from limb to limb outside your window, remind yourself that this, the most
common of birds, is important to our Heavenly Father, and so are you,
friend. It's a truth that brings encouragement and hope.
Resource reading: Matthew 6.
By Dr. Harold Sala
September 30, 2002
QUOTE FOR THE DAY: There is one evident, indubitable manifestation of the
Divinity, and that is the laws of right which are made known to the world
through revelation. - Leo Tolstoy
Bats
"Then God said, `I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the
whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be
yours for food...' God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." As the resources of the planet have rapidly started to be depleted in our
generation, we've begun to understand something of how vitally important
these natural resources are. In a matter of a few years, rain forests can
be destroyed, upsetting the delicate balance of nature. We're slowly
learning that even the small things are important, things which previous
generations never even considered important.
Like what? Like the importance of bats, the tiny little animals which often
send shivers up and down our spines. Yes, I did say "animal" because bats
are mammals and constitute 70% of all the mammals on planet Earth. Before I
address that issue of their importance, let me tell you something of this
amazing little animal. Female bats bear their young and nurse them with the
mother's milk, just as do dogs and cats. But unlike most mammals that walk
the earth, these little creatures have wings and take to the air from dusk
to dawn. Today scientists believe that bats are probably the most
misunderstood of all animals. That may be because they live in caves and
from medieval days have been associated with witches and goblins.
There are a lot of things which are remarkable about these little creatures
such as the fact that the young are segregated from the adults in a kind of
nursery, and that the mother bat can identify her baby with an uncanny
instinct that scientists still can't quite understand. But the most
remarkable thing about these little creatures is how they find their way
through total darkness, the result of a kind of ultrasonic radar which long
preceded the kind that guides airplanes through the dark night.
Back in the 1780s, an Italian scientist by the name of Spallanzani
suspected that bats could not see in the dark. He filled a room with silk
threads, then covered their eyes. When they were released, instead of
crashing into the silk threads, the bats flew through them with amazing
alacrity. But when he filled their ears with wax, they crashed into the
threads helplessly.
In 1941, with a world war looming on the horizon, two American scientists
began serious experiments with bats, trying to learn how they could fly in
the dark. Naturally, they were thinking about developing a radar system for
airplanes. They discovered that bats were able to do things that defied
understanding. Suspecting that bats emitted a signal which then bounced
back, they began placing bats in front of microphones. But they heard
nothing. Then when these sounds were converted into lower frequencies, they
heard a deafening array of sound, proof that bats did emit a kind of sonar
or radar.
Donald Griffin and Robert Galambos of Harvard University, the two
scientists who did the experiments, eventually discovered that a bat's
vocal organs are as important as its ears in navigating through the air. A
bat sends signals--high-pitched squeals that bounce off anything in its
path, and the ears of the bat then pick up the echo, warning them where not
to fly.
Why are bats important? Bats eat insects, which destroy fruit and
vegetation. Also much like the birds, bats pollinate flowers, shrubs and
trees. Where the bat population is destroyed, ecological havoc follows. All
of this, of course, just happened. Right? It happened like an explosion
would produce a volume of Shakespeare or a book on history!
It was all part of God's plan in maintaining the balance of nature. Moses
records it. He said, "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant
on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in
it. They will be yours for food...' God saw all that he had made, and it
was very good" (Genesis 1:29,31). How marvelous are those acts of creation!
Resource reading: Genesis 1:20-26.
By Dr. Harold Sala
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
Crack the sky in my heart
Bury Your roots deep within my soul
If I could ever tell
How You make the trees grow
How You put the white in snow
How You make the stars glow
And How You make my heart explode making me whole
Looking into Your eyes
There's always a warm surprise there waiting to greet me
My restless heart ends it's searching
Ignite me stir in me
The flame You long to burn bright
Tear open the sky in my heart
Come reveal in me the secrets of creation
Tear open the sky in my heart
And invade me with Your passion
- A poem written anonymously by a sister in Christ who is in love with
Jesus. :o)
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
(c) 1995 Crossway Books
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
- Hebrews 13:5
The Grace Cyber Cafe
www.new-mercies.org
First Baptist Church, Doyline, LA
- Martin Luther
Copyright 1994, Concordia Publishing House.
- Acts 2:39
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org
-
Genesis 1:29,31
� Guidelines International
www.guidelines.org