7 - 19 - 2009

"Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her."1 When two freight trains collided, a young man by the name of George Westinghouse designed a way to avoid a repetition of the accident. When George explained his idea, railroad executives agreed with Commodore Vanderbilt who exclaimed, "Do you mean to tell me that you expect to stop a train with wind? I have no time to waste on. . .fools!" Westinghouse was aware of the problem. If the air failed there was no way to stop the train. But what he did was change his framework of reference. He designed heavy springs to hold the train brakes on all the time and an air system to hold the brakes off. If the air failed, the brakes would automatically engage and stop the train. By looking at the problem from a different viewpoint, Westinghouse perfected the air brake—a system that was adopted by the entire industry. As the saying goes, "If we keep doing what we've always done, we'll keep getting what we've always got, and we'll keep feeling what we've always felt." In other words, if we want to bring about change in our personal life, in our family, in our business, in our church, or in our nation, we need to look at things differently and be prepared to make changes—sometimes drastic changes! Because without change nothing ever changes. Suggested prayer: "Dear God, what things in my life do I need to look at differently and what changes do I need to make today that will make my life more effective for tomorrow? Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." 1. Proverbs 3:13-15 (NLT).

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD."1

Chuck Colson in Breakpoint shared the following illustration. "It's a cartoon staple: Donald Duck is quarreling with chipmunks, Chip and Dale. When Chip and Dale race up a tree, Donald Duck saws off the branch on which the chipmunks are sitting. But the laws of physics operate differently in cartoon land than in real life. When Donald finishes sawing through the branch, it doesn't fall to the ground; the tree does.

"The cartoon is funny—but in real life, if someone saws off the branch we're sitting on, there are dire consequences. This is just as true when it comes to the law as it is with trees."

There's a great tendency today among many, including some Christians unfortunately, to compromise convictions for convenience especially when we cut off the branches of God's laws that we don't like or want.

For instance, I recall an ad on the radio a few years ago reminding us of how many million people up to that date had died of AIDS. The ad pointed out that that was as many people as the entire population of Australia. For a hard-hitting emotional emphasis, the ad then says, "Could you imagine wiping out the entire population of a nation?"

Most of us will agree that help is urgently needed to stop the spread of this dreaded disease. However, while the importance of safe sex is emphasized—abstinence in most circles isn't—which is the only safe sex outside of marriage. And what about the estimated 45 million babies who have been killed by abortion in the U.S. since abortion was made legal—not to mention the murderous atrocity of partial-birth abortion! Who will weep for these innocent, helpless children? That's twice the population of Australia—the land of my birth. And I surely thank God that abortion wasn't legal when my mother was carrying me! And I would dare to suggest that most, if not all, pro-abortionists were also thankful that abortion wasn't the choice of their mothers.

In reality, can we Americans in particular expect God to deliver us from terrorism without when we legalize it from within? And how long will we justify and excuse irresponsible sexual and other sinful behaviors?

What we fail to realize is that God's laws were given for our safety, wellbeing, and protection. When we distort or defy his laws to justify and excuse behavior that God calls sin, we don't merely cut off the branches, we destroy the tree. In other words we ultimately destroy ourselves and the world of our children and our children's children.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in your mercy please send—whatever it takes—a great spiritual awakening to our land while there is still time. Help us to see that we cannot defy your laws and live safely and securely—nor establish a safe and secure haven for our children and our children's children. May we as a people turn back to you, the God who reminds us that "blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord." Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Psalm 33:12 (NIV).
"When he [the blind beggar] heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'"1 Clark Strand, a former Zen Buddhist monk, shared how "two years ago, on board a midday flight out of Memphis, Tenn., I suddenly found myself repeating the words, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!' "This would not have been remarkable had I been a member of the Orthodox Church, which for more than a millennium has used that prayer as its preferred method of contemplation. For that matter, it would not have been remarkable had I been a Christian of any kind. As I was a Zen Buddhist who professed no belief even in God, much less Jesus, it came as a bit of a shock. "I was on my way back from the bathroom when the plane simply fell out of the sky. My feet kept lifting up off the floor. I hung comically for moments on dangly puppet legs, and then somehow I managed to make it back to my seat. I had just buckled in when my wife turned to me from across the aisle where she was sitting with our two young children and said the four words no one on an airplane ever wants to hear: 'Do you smell smoke?' It was the moment we've all imagined. You look forward and backward into the faces of the other passengers (complete strangers, all but a few) and read there the selfsame thought: 'So this is what it means to die.' "Miraculously, just minutes later we were back on solid ground. The plane, as we later found out, had developed an electrical fire in the control console, and the pilot, not knowing how long he could steer it, had descended as fast as he could, driving her for all she was worth, covering the 25 minutes back to Memphis in just under 10 minutes flat. 'When all seemed lost, it wasn't Mu I had cried out, or even Buddha, but of all things, Jesus—in spite of everything else I had ever believed or done. "Only later that night in the hotel room, with the children in bed, did I remember the moment during the flight when my spiritual life had taken a 180-degree turn and, as it were, headed back to port."2 Need I say more? Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me not to wait until I am in the midst of a life-threatening crisis to call on you to have mercy on me and save me. Help me to do that right now. And whenever I am in a crisis of any kind, grant that my cry for help will always automatically ascend to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer—and that you always do when I cry to you for help. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." 1. Mark 10:47 (NIV). 2. Clark Strand, a former Zen Buddhist monk, "At the Root of It All," www.beliefnet.org/story/44/story_4406.html.

"And then he [Jesus] told them, 'Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.'"1

If you've traveled much or little, or have seen movies shot in various parts of the world, inevitably you will see the Coca-Cola emblem just about anywhere you or the movie camera goes.

I'm not here to either praise or otherwise the benefits or otherwise of Coca-Cola but one thing I find fascinating about this company is that "at the end of World War II, Robert Woodruff, president of the Coca-Cola Company from 1923 to 1955, had a mission. 'In my generation,' he declared, 'it is my desire that everyone in the world have a taste of Coca-Cola.' With a vision and dedication rarely matched in corporate American culture, Woodruff and his colleagues spanned the globe with their soft drink.2

Would to God that we Christians would pull together and make it our goal in our generation to give everybody in the world a taste of the Water of Life!

One thing is certain, if you drink Coca-Cola or any other soft drink, you will thirst again. But as Jesus said, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."3 What Jesus was referring to, of course, was the "water" of eternal life which his gift of salvation brings.

In today's world with all its turmoil, terrorism, and threat of war, perhaps now, more than ever, people around the world are thirsting for the "Water of Life" that only Jesus can give. That's our goal here in ACTS International; that is, to reach as many people as possible worldwide with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ while the doors of opportunity are so wide open. To see how you can have a vital part in this outreach, please consider joining the People Power for Jesus network. For more information go to: www.actsweb.org/people_power.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a passion to help reach my generation with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to be as Christ to every life I touch and help me to stand with others who are spreading the gospel around the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Mark 16:15 (NLT).
2. Dr. Gary Nicolosi.
3. John 4:14 (NIV).

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"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."1

Brett Blair tells how the late Dr. Paul Quillian, the beloved pastor of First Methodist Church of Houston, Texas, saw (in his fifteen years of ministry) the church grow from 2500 to 6000—an effort that he called a labor of love. Not many knew that Dr. Quillian as a young man had little thought of ministry and was working in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, at a bottling plant when his minister paid him a call.

His pastor started with the question, "How old are you?" "Thirty." Quillian's preacher then said, "When you stand finally before the Lord God, what will you tell him you did on earth—made red soda water?" The young man snapped back, "And what is wrong with red soda water?"

Nothing—except you happen to be endowed with great talents and abilities which I cherish for God and the Christian ministry." Consequently, the young man went back to school and prepared for the preaching ministry. He itinerated in Arkansas. Finally he was called to the First Church in Houston. He became a wonderful leader for Christ because someone recognized the gifts and talents within him and took a few minutes out of the day to tell him so.2

Are you using your talents for the glory of God and the betterment of others? And do you know someone whose potential you see? Be sure that you tell them and be an encourager to them.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for all the people who encouraged me when I needed it most. Please help me to use the gifts you have given me to serve you no matter how small or big that way may be. And help me to be an encourager to those who also need a word of encouragement whatever that word may need to be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV).
2. Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, January 2000.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."1

In a Reader' Digest article, author Robert Fulghum tells about "an international chess competition many years ago in which a man named Frank Marshall made what is often called the most beautiful move ever made on a chessboard. Playing against an equally skilled Russian master, Marshall sacrificed his queen in an unthinkable move—a move to be made only in the most desperate of circumstances. But it turned out to be a brilliant move, so brilliant that the Russian conceded the game.

"When spectators recovered from the shock of Marshall's unusual tactic, they showered the chessboard with money. Marshall had achieved victory in a rare and daring fashion. He had won by sacrificing the queen."2

One of my life's goals was to build my own home, which I did in South Australia quite a few years ago. It was high up at the top of the Adelaide hills overlooking the city and the ocean beyond. The view was magnificent. I built that house with the idea of living in it till the day I died. At the time my ministry was flourishing and there was no way I planned or wanted to leave the house I built or the work I started. But the "Hound of Heaven" kept bugging me … and bugging me … and bugging me through circumstances beyond my control. In exasperation I finally prayed, "Okay, God, you win. You can have my new home and my ministry and everything I have here. I'll go anywhere in the world if you'll just give me peace."

I think God must have a sense of humor too because in my prayer I said, "But P.S. God, please don't send me to Alaska because I hate the cold."

Little did I know what lay ahead. As a result of what I thought was "sacrificing" my most prized earthly possession, God has blessed me far beyond all that I dreamed would ever be possible (not that it happened overnight). The ministry I believed God called me to has greatly expanded, and I am now living in, of all places, sunny, warm Southern California. It was no sacrifice!

I've learned through experience that you cannot out-give God.

If there's something you are holding on to that is hindering you from becoming and doing what God wants you to be and do, consider it prayerfully and be willing to let go of it. As another has said, "Don't sacrifice your future on the altar of the immediate."

And as Jim Elliot, martyred missionary, said: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, if there is anything I am clinging to that is hindering my becoming and doing all that you envision for me to be and do, will you become 'the Hound of Heaven' in my life and show me what it is. And please give me the courage to let go of it to become all that you want me to be, and to do all that you would have me do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus in Matthew 6:33 (NIV).
2. Robert Fulghum, "Time to Sacrifice the Queen," Reader's Digest, August 1993, p. 136.

"According to your faith will it be done to you."1

A winner sees an opportunity in every risk while a loser sees a risk in every opportunity. Winners know that to risk nothing is to risk everything. They know that if they are going to win, they have to be willing to try, to take chances, and to risk failure. They have to be willing to strike out if they are going to hit home runs.

The year Babe Ruth broke the world record for hitting the most home runs in baseball he also broke the world's record for the most strikeouts!

The point is if I am going to hit home runs, I have to be in the game, stand at the plate and keep swinging. Sooner or later, if I practice hard and do my best, I will hit a home run.

As somebody else has said, "To try when there is little hope is to risk failure. Not to try at all is to guarantee it."

Some people think that success comes to those who are lucky. Luck, if you want to call it that, comes when preparation meets opportunity.

True winners make sure their goals are in harmony with God's will and because of this, know that with his help there is a way to achieve them. Furthermore, they believe in their cause and they believe in themselves in a healthy way. They know that God never calls or expects anyone to do anything that can't be done. Therefore, they expect to win and believe they will—and work hard to make it happen. They know that "the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

They also know that if they tried and did their best already they have won.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to see and live according to eternal values and not those of the world, and to know and do your will so that in your sight I will be a true winner. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus in Matthew 9:29 (NIV).


Some people you meet are very warm, genuine and connected. Others seem to be cold and distant. Their life seems rather flat line, dull, and even boring. I'm not talking about times of sickness, sadness or sorrow but this is how they are pretty much most of the time. Why are some people like the latter group? One of a number of reasons is because they are repressed in their emotional life. Chances are that they grew up with a sense that emotions—especially negative emotions—were not acceptable, so they learned early in life to bury and deny them. Or they may have been hurt deeply as a child and found that they had to stuff their emotions in order to survive. It may sound crude but it is a fact of life that the stuff we stuff stuffs up our lives. This can cause all sorts of emotional, physical, relational and/or spiritual problems. Emotions are God-given and are a vital part of a healthy, mature life. We are not talking about emotionalism which is a cover of true emotions. We are talking about being connected to our inner self and being in touch with all of our God-given emotions. If my emotions are buried and I am disconnected from them and my inner self, I cannot be truly connected to anyone else or to God at any kind of intimate level. At best, my relationships will be very shallow. Furthermore, when emotions are repressed, instead of life being wonder-full, it may be wonder-empty. As such I will characteristically be bored with life. If one's life is wonder-empty, how do we overcome? How do we get connected to our inner self? In younger days my emotions were very much buried. I was doing all the right things outwardly but inwardly I felt very empty and, among other things, was disconnected to my emotion of wonder. Much of this was caused by growing up in a very dysfunctional family. I was taught that you couldn't trust your emotions, but my life was so empty that I got down on my knees and asked God to give me my emotions back anyhow. Whew, God answered in a way that was the exact opposite of what I expected. My world fell apart. I was rejected by the most important person in my life and felt torn apart. But this was the beginning of getting in touch with all my emotions and my inner-self and learning to live and love again. It took a long time and a lot of counseling but I can truly say that life for me has never been better. I am physically healthier than I was at half my age and my life is filled with love, loving relationships, and fulfillment. Apparently Renoir, the famous artist, kept painting in his older years even though he was in great physical pain. In relating to Renoir's suffering his friend, Matisse, said to him, "Why do you keep painting when you are in so much pain?" to which Renoir replied, "The pain passes but the beauty remains!" And so it is with us, if we commit and trust our life to God and ask him to confront us with our reality so that we become fully connected to our inner self, we may go through some very painful experiences (that are often needed to break through our defenses) but, in time, our pain will pass but the beauty of our life will last forever. Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in keeping with your desire please help me to be connected to my inner self and always be honest with myself and with you and thus grow up into the fullness of my salvation. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." 1. Psalm 51:6 (NASB). ~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~
"But he [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."1 I read a few years ago the story of a 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move. "Sensei," the boy finally said, "shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "let him continue." Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and the sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind: "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." "The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength."2 Hmmm … very interesting. When it comes to life, for some folk their biggest strength becomes their biggest weakness. For example, as Jesus said about the wealthy man, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."3 The eye of the needle was referring to a door in the wall of the city (as it was commonly called) which was too small for a camel to go through, meaning that it was impossible for a person who trusts in his riches—or his fame, personality, power or position—to get into God's heaven. On the other hand, when we acknowledge our weaknesses and know that we need to depend on God for guidance, wisdom, discernment, and deliverance from temptation—this can become our greatest strength. Suggested prayer, "Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of pride and help me always remember to be dependent on you for guidance, wisdom, direction, power to overcome temptation, and for my eternal salvation. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." 1. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV). 2. Thought for the Day, by Alan Smith, http://www.tftd-online.com. 3. Matthew 19:24 (NIV). ~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~
"I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart."1

How do you know what God's will is for you? Or how will you know if you are called of God?

Brent Porterfield, quoting from Frederick Buechner's book, Wishful Thinking, provides an answer well worth pondering. Buechner "says that a good rule for finding one's vocation is this: Our special mission in our life is usually one of the following:

A. That which we'd love most to do and
B. It is work that the world most needs to have done.

"Buechner says that if we really get a kick out of our work, we have probably met requirement A, but if that work is writing TV deodorant commercials, chances are we haven't met requirement B. If our work is being a doctor in a leper colony, we probably have met requirement B, but if most of the time we are bored and depressed by doctoring, chances are we have not only bypassed A, we probably aren't helping our patients much either.

"Buechner concludes: 'The place God calls us to, is the place where our deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.'"2

Oswald Chambers described God's call this way: "The call of God is like the call of the sea to the sailor. Only he who has the nature of the sea within can hear the call."

Like a born-sailor who never rests until he answers the call of the sea and launches out into the deep, when God's Word is written in our heart, neither will we find rest until we do what we know in our heart what it is that God wants us to do. And when we answer that call, we too, like King David, will delight in God's ways and doing his work—no matter how humble or noble that may be.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you have a plan and purpose for every Christian, and that includes me. Like David of old, please give me a love for your Word and your ways so that I, too, will know and delight in doing your will and answering your call on my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Psalm 40:8 (NASB).
2. Brent Porterfield, www.eSermons.com.
Tomorrow in the U.S.A. is Independence Day, the day Americans celebrate the birthday of the United States of America. Founded July 4th, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America is celebrating its 233rd birthday this year (2009).

"The American Revolution ended a couple of centuries of British rule over most of the North American colonies and laid the foundation of the present United States of America. After the Revolution, the constitution of the United States of America was drafted and ratified. On the anniversary of that day, the new nation declared its citizens rights to 'Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.'"2

Today, let those of us who live in free lands especially remember our brothers and sisters who live in lands where there is no freedom and great persecution—especially for Christians and those who reject the religion of their state.

I believe in the sun even when it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when he is silent.

And in hearing the gospel, may God grant that every person in the world will at least have the opportunity to celebrate independence in their heart.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."1

How many songs never sung,
poems never written,
pictures never painted,
risks never taken,
bridges never crossed,
romantic words never spoken…
locked inside a lonely heart
the prison of another's making…
are left unexpressed
because somebody
shamed us, abandoned us,
or perhaps silenced us
with a cruel word,
a thoughtless deed,
and said or just implied
we were not good enough?
And tragically
we believed them—
so let this be the moment
we choose to believe them
no more … and sing, sing, sing.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, Please help me to know and appreciate the talents you have given to me, get the necessary training to sharpen these, and the opportunity to use them to be a blessing to others and to bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV).
2. Dick Innes, © Copyright.

NOTE: A very attractive printed copy of this poem is available at: http://tinyurl.com.unsung-songs "It is required that those who have been given a trust [gift] must prove faithful."1

It has been said that there are three kinds of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wondered what happened!

Former Australian swimmer, Shane Gould, who won three gold medals in the 1972 Olympics, was considered one of the greatest swimmers of all time. She didn't sit back and watch things happen. She made them happen.

Early in her career, when she was only 14 years of age, a news reporter asked her how she thought she would do in one of her early swim meets in the U.S. She replied, "I have a feeling there will be a world record today."

There was!

Shane set a world record in the one-hundred-meter freestyle event and a second in the two-hundred. When asked how she thought she would do in the more punishing four-hundred-meter event she said, "I get stronger every race, and besides … my parents said they'd take me to Disneyland if I win, and we're leaving tomorrow!"

She went to Disneyland with three world records! By the time she was sixteen she had five world records. It is true, she also had talent but she won not only because of this, but because of her preparation, hard work, and her positive self-expectancy.

Only a few are gifted sufficiently to be able to win a gold medal. However, every one of us is gifted in some area and most of us are gifted in several areas. And while we are not all called of God to be famous, we are all called to be faithful in serving him and our fellow man with the gifts that we have been given—not with those we haven't been given.

We can all be "gold medal winners" in God's book if we are well trained in our area of gifting, are adequately prepared for the task we want and feel called to do, have faith in our cause, see and take advantage of every opportunity when it knocks, disallow our fears to control us, believe that with God's help we can achieve what we set out to do, and are prepared to work hard to make it happen.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the gifts and talents that you have given to me. Help me to know what they are, get well trained to use them to the best of my ability, and use them for your glory and the betterment of the world in which I live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV).

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."1 King Duncan writes about Larry Doby who was one of baseball's finest hitters. He is well known by baseball fans because he was the first African-American to play for an American League team. "

The year was 1947. Doby was a promising rookie for the Cleveland Indians but he didn't look very promising his first time at bat. He was tense and nervous. He swung at three pitches, missed each of them, and struck out badly. He didn't get within a foot of the ball. Slowly he walked to the dugout with his head down. He sat on the very end of the bench and rested his head in his hands. "A player by the name of Joe Gordon was on that same Cleveland team. Joe was an outstanding second baseman. He batted right after Doby. Gordon had a good record batting against the pitcher who was on the mound that day. But something quite extraordinary was about to happen. Joe Gordon went up to the plate and missed three pitches in a row—each of them by at least two feet. He walked slowly to the end of the bench and sat down next to Larry Doby. Then Joe Gordon slowly put his head in his hands.

"Did Joe Gordon strike out that day deliberately? We will never know. However it is interesting to note that every time Larry Doby went out on the field from that day on, he first picked up Joe Gordon's glove and tossed it to him."2

One would suspect that Joe Gordon probably did strike out deliberately. Good for him if he did. Sad to say there are some people in the church who are threatened by anyone who might be able to do something better than they can do or gain a little more recognition, so they underhandedly seek to block them at every turn. Think of how the religious people of Jesus' day treated him? They were so green with envy, they eventually had him crucified.

But thank God for the "Joe Gordons" who have the gift of encouragement and exercise it generously! Let's all encourage someone today. It could make a great difference in their life—perhaps for eternity.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the many people who have encouraged me along the way … have cheered me on when I was dragging my feet … and lifted me up when I have fallen. Please help me to do the same for others. And above all, thank you for your unfailing faithfulness to and everlasting love for me, even when I have been at my worst. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV). 2. King Duncan www.sermons.com

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things."1

"Do you remember the Mercedes TV commercial a few years ago that showed a Mercedes crashing into a concrete wall during a safety test? An engineer in a white lab coat walks over after the crash and kneels down to examine the damage, which is minimal. A reporter then asks the engineer about Mercedes' energy absorbing car body. After the engineer tells all about the unique design the reporter asks him why Mercedes doesn't enforce their patent on the design, a design evidently copied by several other companies because of its success. "The engineer then replied matter-of-factly, 'Because some things in life are too important not to share.' How true this is.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I come to you with all my fears, insecurities, and weaknesses but I'm available. Please use me today to be 'as Christ' to someone in need and help me in a loving way to share an appropriate word about you and my Christian faith. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

Donald William Dotterer wrote, "Steven Jobs is the man who founded the enormously successful company called Apple Computer. Jobs decided that Mr. John Sculley was the man he needed to help him fulfill his dream of building a completely different kind of computer company, one which [Jobs dreamed] would make computers available to every person in the world. However, Mr. Sculley was comfortably and safely entrenched as president of the Pepsico Corporation, the makers of the soft drink Pepsi. "

I'm not suggesting that you should change your job (though some of you may need to), but I am asking, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life doing only what you are doing now, or do you want to help to truly change the world--one person at a time?" You can.

There are many such organizations that are dependent on the support of concerned Christians for their operation. And in your giving, please consider becoming a partner with ACTS International (publisher of Daily and Weekend Encounter) through your prayer and financial support and therein be a part of a work that is sending the gospel around the world via E-mail and the Internet every day of the year.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight [direct your path]."1

A NASA official involved in space exploration was talking to a reporter about humans landing on Mars. The reporter was concerned about how they would be able to return to earth.

"That involves a highly complex plan," the space official said. "It begins with the words, 'Our Father who art in Heaven.'"

Jokes aside, the reality is that most people pray at some time or another. Even those who rarely pray often do when they are in trouble. How much wiser it is to daily commit, surrender, and trust our life to God and seek his guidance in all that we are and do—at all times.

Sometimes it's hard to see how God is directing or making our path straight—especially when we're going through a series of rough times. In time, however, when we have daily committed, surrendered, and trusted our life to God and look back, we can see how God has led us all the way. It is true, all things do work together for good to those who love God2—even if it is eventually!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that when I commit and trust my life to you, depend on you for wisdom and guidance, and acknowledge you in every area of my life, you have promised to direct my path and make my way straight. For this I am truly thankful. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV).
2. See Romans 8:28.


"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."1

Truth. Perhaps the most powerful principle in the world. Without access to it there is no freedom, no deliverance, no inner healing, and no eternal life.

On the other hand, denial is one of the most destructive habits or sins we can commit. For instance, to the degree that I have not found freedom in any area of my life I am still in denial. There is some truth I am avoiding. Denial is a killer of close relationships, a destroyer of families and individual lives, and causes many and varied physical, emotional and spiritual ills.

As M. Scott Peck says, "Emotional sickness is avoiding reality [truth] at any cost. Emotional health is facing reality at any cost." That's just rephrasing what Jesus said: "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

The following prayer by Billy Joe Vaughn sums it up very well in the following suggested prayer for today:

"Dear God, grant me the ability to reject the things about me that are not true, the humility to accept the things that are, and the discernment to know the difference. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus in John 8:32 (NIV).



"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it [my problem] away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."1

In his book, Confidence, Alan Loy McGinnis talks about a famous study entitled "Cradles of Eminence" by Victor and Mildred Goertzel, in which the family backgrounds of 300 highly successful people were studied. Many of the names of those in the study were well known to most of us—including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi, Einstein, and Freud, all of whom were brilliant in their fields of expertise.

The results of this study are both surprising and encouraging for many of us who came from a less-than-desirable home life. For example: "Three-quarters of the children were troubled either by poverty, by a broken home, or by rejecting, over- possessive or dominating parents.

"Seventy-four of 85 writers of fiction or drama and 16 of the 20 poets came from homes where, as children, they saw tense psychological drama played out by their parents.

"Physical handicaps such as blindness, deafness, or crippled limbs characterized over one-quarter of the sample."

These people who had confidence in their abilities and put them to creative use all have had more weaknesses and handicaps than many who have a lack of confidence because of low self-esteem. So, what made the difference? Probably by compensating for their weaknesses they excelled in other areas.

One man reported, "What has influenced my life more than any other single thing has been my stammer. Had I not stammered I would probably have gone to Cambridge as my brothers did, perhaps have become a don and every now and then published a dreary book about French literature." The speaker who stammered until his death was W. Somerset Maugham, as he looked back on his life at age 86.

"By then he had become a world-renowned author of more than 20 books, 30 plays, and scores of essays and short stories."

Speaking personally, I too came from a psychologically distraught, dysfunctional family. What made the difference for me was a deep sense of God's call and my faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ (with a lot of hard work and growth). However, I tremble to think where I would have ended up had it not been for my Christian faith and practice.

It's not what we have or don't have that matters in life but what we do with what we have—and what we do about facing and resolving our issues. It is very important that we don't allow our past to determine our future and that we use what we have to the best of our ability.

As another has wisely said, "I may have been a victim in the past but if I remain a victim, I am now a willing volunteer." And another, "Hope for the future gives us power in the present!" No matter what our background, when we commit and trust our lives daily to God, we can and do have hope for the future. It's up to us what we do in the present to resolve our past and to become what God wants us to be in the future.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to see all that you envision for me to become and do and that, with your help, I can become and do. Help me to realize that I don't have to allow my past to determine my future, and help me to face and resolve every issue in my past that might be holding me back in any way. And above all, I thank you that when I daily commit and trust my life to you, you can help me to turn my weaknesses into strengths. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NIV).
*

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“Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.”1

As a result of teaching in many seminars and facilitating small recovery groups over the years, I have met and talked to scores of both men and women who grew up feeling their father was emotionally absent. Consequently they struggled with a deep father wound caused by the feeling that they had never been affirmed by their fathers. I felt the same way for many years.

Having spent considerable time working to resolve my own father wound, I wrote my version of the classic poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling several years ago for my two sons who are now adults.

To Be a Man

When you can rise above your
fears to conquer every challenge
that comes to those who dare
to climb the highest heights;
When you can keep on getting up each
time you've failed or been knocked down;
When you can see your greatest strength
lies in your faith and gentleness,
your greatest courage in admitting
your faults, and with God's help
strive to overcome them;
When you can accept responsibility
for resolving all your hurts and break
the chain from generations past;
When you can know and show a father's
love and feel with all your heart;
When you can love yourself, others
and God more than earthly gain,
or fame and recognition, you will,
my son, be then a man—
and indeed a great man at that.*

© Dick Innes

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me as a father (and/or mother) to affirm my children emotionally so that they will know in the depths of their being that they are truly loved by me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Alternate prayer: Or if you are an adult child suffering from a father wound: “Dear God, please help me to find the help I need to find healing of my father wound and (if needed), to understand and forgive my father who, no doubt, was never affirmed by his father. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

*This poem beautifully presented is available online ...
at: http://tinyurl.com/2pz9a8

Note: For additional help read the article, “The Healing of a Man’s Father Wound” at: http://tinyurl.com/9dse4

Also see the book, Healing for the Father Wound by H. Norman Wright at: http://tinyurl.com/32scsv

1. (Colossians 3:21 (NLT).




"For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…."1

Many years ago, in much younger days, I used to work in construction. On a construction site in which I was in charge I made what to me was a whopping error and was scared to death to tell my boss. Fortunately for me when I did tell him, he simply said, "Dick, the man who never made a mistake never made anything!"

What a relief it was to know my "error" was forgiven! Then we set about to correct my mistake.

I think it was Robert Schuller who said, "A high jumper never knows how high he can jump until he reaches a failure point." That's a good point, for we too will never know how high we can reach in fulfilling our personal goals until we also reach a failure point.

In fact, we probably learn a lot more through our failures than we do through our successes. The important thing when we fail is to get up, learn from our mistake, and go on to achieve better things. As another has said, "Not failure, but low aim is crime."

I appreciate the words of the poet who said,
I would rather stumble a thousand times
Attempting to reach a goal,
Than to sit in a crowd
In my weather-proof shroud,
A shriveled and self-satisfied soul.
I would rather be doing and daring
All of my error-filled days,
Than watching and waiting, and dying
Snug in my perfect ways.
I would rather wonder and blunder,
Stumbling blindly ahead,
Than for safety's sake
Lest I make a mistake
Be sure, be safe, be dead.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to see your plan and purpose for my life, and with your help, make a total commitment to fulfilling it. Help me to learn from my mistakes and never give up. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV).
2. Author Unknown


"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."1

One of the most asked questions from Daily Encounter readers has to do with suffering and why God allows it. Recently one reader asked the question, "Why doesn't Jesus return to end all the evil that is in today's world?" At a more personal level, others ask, why does God allow me and my family to go through so many problems?

I suppose all of us have asked the same question at one time or another. I certainly have and my answer is, I don't know. I'm sure my parent's generation asked the same question especially during the days of Hitler, World War II, and Stalin. However, had Jesus returned before I was born, I probably wouldn't have been born, nor would I be given a home in Heaven, nor would I have the wonderful privilege of publishing the gospel and reaching so many others with God's message of eternal salvation.

The fact is that every generation has gone through suffering of one kind or another and only God knows when Jesus will return to end it all. The point is that we need to realize that evil happens because we live in a broken and sin-full world, the results and effects of which affect us all. The other thing is that God wants us to use our pain to draw us closer to him and help us to grow and become healthier and more mature persons. We also know that God wants everyone in the world to be given the opportunity to hear the gospel before Jesus comes again.

Also, it helps to remember that "no matter how disappointed you are feeling or how much you are hurting, know that every heartache and loss has within it the seeds of opportunity. Hidden within each disappointment is a pearl of great price that, when found, will totally dwarf your problem. The greatest success stories are written by people who, against seemingly overwhelming and often insurmountable odds, have accepted their trials and turned them into opportunities for personal growth and stepping stones on their pathway to success. With God's help you can do the same. Trust him and choose friends who will empower you to do so."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to use every trial and problem that comes into my life to draw me closer to you and to help me grow towards becoming the person you want me to be. Also, please help me to be an effective witness for you and to be a part of your plan in reaching every one in my world and beyond with the gospel by being 'as Jesus' in some way to every life I touch, and by being ready to share the gospel with every opportunity that presents itself. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. James 1:2-4 (NIV).
2. From How to Mend a Broken Heart, by Dick Innes. Available on sale at: http://www.actscom.com/store.


"As he [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us!' When he saw them, he said, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?'"1

William Stidger, a Methodist minister, began to think of the blessings he had received during his life. He remembered a special elementary school teacher who had gone out of her way to give him an appreciation for verse. It had been more than 50 years since Stidger had been in her class, but his appreciation for verse had endured since that time. Stidger wrote to his former teacher a letter of appreciation and she replied: "My Dear Willie, I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind. You will be interested to know that I taught in school for fifty years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a grateful heart and a thankful spirit, so that I will always give and express credit where credit is due, thanks where thanks is due, and appreciation where appreciation is due. And above all, give me a thankful heart for the countless blessings you have given so freely to me and especially for your gift of salvation and a home in Heaven to be with you forever. Help me to so live that my life will be a living expression of gratitude for all that you have done for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Luke 17:12-17 (NIV).
2. From Pastor Ron Clarke, Tasmania, Australia.

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"Do not merely listen to the word [God's Word, the Bible], and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."1


In his Sermon: "Didn't You Hear What I Said?" Julian Gordy shared how, when he was in high school, "A physician came to talk to us about the dangers of smoking. He scared us with his grim pictures of smokers' lungs and tales of death from lung cancer. The doctor finished his speech by saying, 'Remember, fire on one end, fool on the other.'

"We were all impressed, especially those boys who would sneak out behind the shop building at lunch to light one up. But a couple of the guys saw the doctor himself lighting up when he got back in his car after the lecture. And his credibility was shot. He was the talk of the campus. It would have been better for the no-smoking campaign if he had never come to speak. Saying one thing and doing another is something nobody respects."

Reminds me of the quote that goes something like, "Your actions speak so loudly I cannot hear what you say."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to so live that my life will always be a living example of integrity in that the life I live will be in harmony with what I believe and what I say. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. James 1:22-24 (NIV).

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"I [the Apostle Paul] have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."1

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy asks Charlie Brown, "Why do you think we were put on earth?"

Charlie answers, "To make others happy."

Lucy replies: "I don't think I'm making anyone happy," and then adds, "But, nobody's making me very happy either. Somebody's not doing his job!"

I know this may sound simplistic but in a very real sense happiness is a choice. Too many people in our Hollywood-crazed way of thinking expect other people to make them happy. People talk about finding the right partner to marry which is all back to front. To find the right partner we need to be the right partner. The fact is that only happy partners make happy marriages, and the only person who can ever make us happy is one's self.

Furthermore, happiness and/or contentment is not only a choice, it is a decision, a commitment to action and to personal honesty that requires a good hard, honest look at ourselves, and then a whole lot of hard work to resolve all the things in our lives that hinder happiness and/or make us unhappy.

The starting point for finding happiness and contentment is by making up your mind that you will no longer look to anyone else to make you happy; that no matter what, you will accept responsibility for doing what you need to do to find happiness; and above all, by learning to pray the right prayer such as the following:

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please confront me with the truth about me—no matter how much it hurts—and reveal to me any and every unresolved issue in my life that is hindering my finding contentment and lasting happiness—whether the problem be emotional, spiritual and/or physical. And please lead me to the help I need to overcome. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Philippians 4:11-12 (NIV).

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"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto
heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.'"1

Years ago when I was doing a counselor training course, one of the instructors
made the statement, "Whatever bothers you is your problem!"

"Hmmm," I thought to myself, "that's an interesting concept—never thought of
that before."

At the time I was going through a rough situation personally and was in despair
about it. During the course of the training, I explained to my counselor about
my predicament and he said, "That must make you angry."

"No," I replied, "I'm just hurt." And he left me with the thought, "That must
make you angry!"

Shortly after that I went for a long walk, thinking about, "That must make you
angry." Then the truth hit me like a bolt of lighting! "Whew," I admitted to
myself, "I am angry—very angry!"

I was never able to change the person whom I felt had rejected and hurt me so
badly, but I was able to change me, and come to terms with my feelings (which I
had learned to bury and deny at an early age), and resolve them. It also helped
me to deal with the anger I had towards my father, from whom I had been
estranged for many years, and resolve that impaired relationship. Fortunately, I
was able to do this a few months before he died. My only regret is that I didn't
do it sooner.

What others do to me may or may not be a problem, but how I react and feel is
always my responsibility. However, to the degree that I overreact, that is
always my problem.

It is true; whatever bothers me is my problem. This can be a hard pill to
swallow, but until we accept this reality, we will continue to blame others for
our feelings and possibly never resolve our hurts/anger or impaired
relationships.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the people in my life whom you have
used to confront me with truth and reality. They have been angels in disguise.
Help me to always recognize them as such and use their insights to help me
become a better, healthier, and more loving and accepting person. Thank you for
hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Luke 18:13 (KJV).




"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place."1

Some years ago I recall visiting the Moody Institute of Science and putting on a special pair of eye lenses which turned everything upside down. It was a weird feeling. Dr. Moon, the director of the institute, in an experiment wore these special lenses for something like 2-3 weeks (if I remember correctly) without opening his eyes without these funny looking lenses. He wore black eye patches when he went to bed to sleep.

When he stopped using these special lenses, an amazing thing had happened, his brain had made a radical switch, and now everything he saw was upside down. It took 2-3 weeks for his vision to come back to normal.

In a broader sense, life is like that: if I consistently do wrong when I know better, and don't live the life I believe to be right, my mind will in time (be it ever so slowly) do a radical switch and I will end up unhappily believing the life I am living to be right. I will cut off my feelings, justify my behavior, and end up with what the Bible calls a dead conscience—a dangerous path to follow.

One could rightfully call this spiritual leprosy of the soul. It is commonly thought that leprosy causes a stricken individual to lose body parts. What happens is that leprosy causes the loss of physical sensitivity and feeling. Lepers lose fingers, toes and feet because they no longer feel pain to protect their wounded limbs and eventually body tissues are damaged beyond repair.

When we deny our true feelings and deaden our conscience, we no longer feel the pain of guilt or godly sorrow. In so doing we distance ourselves from God and are no longer aware of our need for his forgiveness or our need for his gift of eternal life. Deadening our conscience is a deadly way to live—and extremely deadly for eternity.

The only way back is the path of truth. That is, to admit to ourselves what we have done regardless of how we feel or no longer feel, confess our sinfulness to God, ask for his forgiveness, believe that God gave his Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for all our sins, and accept Jesus as our Savior.

For further help, be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: www.actsweb.org/articles.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please confront me with the truth about me. Help me to see any and every area in my life where I have denied the truth and hidden any sins and faults so that I can come to you, confess my sins, and ask for and receive your forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Psalm 51:6 (NIV).




"But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."1

Jim Rohn says, "You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The difference between 30 days and 30 minutes is skills."2

You could also put it this way: You can cut down a tree with an ax in about 30 minutes, with a chain saw in about five—so having the right tools for the job is a big help too!

On the other hand, it may take 30 years or more to replace that tree. So we need to be extremely careful before we start cutting down anything of value as we may never be able to replace it. Like blow upon blow of a sharp axe, blow upon blow of cutting words can hurt deeply, ruin a marriage, severely damage a friendship, and destroy the self-concept of a child!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, grant that my speech and my conversation will always be seasoned with grace and truth, and never be used to chop down anyone. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen."

1. James 3:8-10 (NIV).
2. Cited on "Quotes From the Masters."





"In your anger do not sin."1

In one church where I was teaching I stated that it was okay to be angry. One lady was absolutely amazed. She could hardly believe her ears. She told me that she had been taught all her life that Christians never get angry. So she had reasoned in her mind: "Christians never get angry. I'm always angry. Therefore I can never be a Christian!"

That night she was freed from 20 years of anguish and received assurance of her salvation. She was indeed a Christian because she had received Jesus as her Savior. But she had never understood that anger is amoral; that is, of itself it is neither right nor wrong. It's what we do with it and how we handle it that matters. The Bible actually teaches, "Be angry—sin not."

Anger itself (not rage, hostility, or bitterness) is a God-given emotion. Its purpose is to fight evil and right wrongs—to bring about change for good where change is needed. This is how Florence Nightingale used her anger. She was angry at the way wounded soldiers were being treated, or rather, being mistreated, so she did something about it. We are meant to use our anger in the same way.

The reality is that everybody gets angry at one time or another. Some people bury and deny theirs while others lash out and hurt others. Neither of these is healthy, right, nor Christian.

When expressing anger, we need to own it as our own, and remember that the biblical principle is to speak the truth in love. One way to do this is to say something like, "I know my feelings are my responsibility, but I feel angry and need to talk to you about such and such."

Never say to a person, "You make me angry" This is because nobody can make me angry without my permission. All others can do is trigger my anger, but the anger is mine. And it is always my responsibility to handle and express it in helpful and not in hurtful ways.

Unfortunately, however, when we have a lot of bottled-up anger or anger from the past that has never been faced and resolved, our "anger button" can get triggered very easily and we then overreact. What the other person does to me is their issue; how I feel and react is always my issue and my responsibility. To the degree that I overreact that is always my problem.

One of the great needs (at least in our Western society) is to learn to identify our feelings—positive and negative—to be honest about them, and learn how to handle them in creative, rather than destructive, ways. Until we do this, we have little chance of developing wholesome and intimate relationships.

As the Bible teaches, "If you are angry, don't sin by nursing your grudge. Don't let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly, for when you are angry [and don't resolve it] you give a mighty foothold to the devil."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the gift of feelings. Please help me to be in touch with all of mine, be honest with them, and when expressing them, help me to always speak the truth in love.3 Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen."

For more on anger, click on "Taming Your Anger" at: www.actsweb.org/articles.

1. Ephesians 4:26 (NIV).
2. Ephesians 4:25-27 (TLB), (NLT)
3. Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)





"Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit [of God] will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit."1

You've undoubtedly read about the father and son who were hiking in the mountains, but it stands repeating. You may have had the same experience as they had.

As they were walking along the son falls, hurts himself, and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!"

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"

He receives the answer: "Who are you?"

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"

He receives the answer: "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"

The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention." And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"

The voice answers: "I admire you!"

Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"

The voice answers: "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do.

How true this is. Our life is pretty much a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything in all aspects of life—life will give you back everything you have given to it.

Your life is not a coincidence. It is a reflection of you.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to always remember that I will reap what I sow, so help me God to sow seeds of love, joy, peace, beauty, kindness, courtesy, and wonder and reap a multiplied harvest of the same. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Galatians 6:7-8 (NLT).
2. Author Unknown. From the Internet.



"Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. [He is] always striving for you earnestly in his prayers, [pleading] that you may [as persons of ripe character and clear conviction] stand firm and mature [in spiritual growth], convinced and fully assured in everything willed by God."1

A psychologist once noted three tests of a great character: The capacity for great love; the capacity for great enthusiasm; and the capacity for great indignation. To which I would add a fourth: The capacity for great integrity.

First, the capacity for great love. No matter how successful we might be in the eyes of the world or how rich in material possessions, life—without love—is empty and meaningless and chances are that we will die long before our time. It may not be the most desirable, but we can live without romantic love, but we cannot live meaningfully or healthily without at least one loving relationship. Every person needs to know that they are loved, wanted, and needed by at least one other person.

Second, the capacity for great enthusiasm. The word enthusiasm comes from the prefix, "en" meaning "in" and the Greek root, "theos" meaning "God". In other words, genuine and lasting enthusiasm is that which has its roots en-theos; that is, in God. It has been said that love makes the world go round; but it really is love with enthusiasm that does this and, in turn, achieves the noblest things in life for the benefit of mankind.

Third, the capacity for great indignation. So many ask or wonder how can a God of love become so indignant and angry? If God didn't become indignant and angry at sin and evil—which is totally destructive of those whom he loves (us) —he wouldn't be God. He would be some kind of spineless being at best and some kind of a demon at worst. Also, if you and I don't get indignant and angry at sin and evil, we don't really care for or love righteousness. It isn't possible to have one without the other. There are many things in life that we need to get indignant and angry about. In other words, we need to love the things God loves and hate the things that God hates. While God hates sin he loves the sinner. We need to do the same.

And fourth, the capacity for great integrity. Integrity means that we keep our word and do what we say we are going to do, that we have high moral and ethical values and live by them, that we live in harmony with the laws of God and the laws of the land unless to do the latter would defy the laws of God.

I've borrowed today's title, "Character Counts" from Michael Josephson, of Character Counts. However, the character that really counts for both time and eternity is character that has its roots in God.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to so live that when I come to the end of my journey here on earth it will be said of me, 'He/she was a man/woman of character whose life reflected the Spirit of Jesus in all that he/she did and said. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Colossians 4:12 (AMP).




"Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?"1

The story is told of a man who once bought a new radio, brought it home, and placed it on the refrigerator. He then plugged it in, turned it to WSM in Nashville (home of the Grand Ole Opry), and proceeded to do the most unusual thing. He pulled all the knobs off! He had already tuned in to all he ever wanted or expected to hear, and so he chose to limit his radio reception to one station.

"Most unusual," we call it. But is it? Really? Many, of not most of us, if we will be honest, do the same thing in principle. Maybe not with our radio but we surely do with our life.

We all have what the communicators call selective exposure, selective attention, selective comprehension or perception, selective distortion, and selective retention. That is, people expose themselves only to messages they want to receive; hear only what they want to hear; perceive or see things the way they want to see them; twist and distort messages to match their preconceived perception of reality; and they remember only what they want to remember. Everything else is filtered or blocked out.

In other words, we hear, see, accept, remember, and apply only that which we want to hear, see, accept, remember and apply. Furthermore we believe only what we want to believe—and for many of us we choose to believe that which is convenient—regardless of its moral or lack of moral value. For instance, people accept abortion on face value because it is convenient. They accept abnormal, immoral sexuality because it, too, is convenient. And they reject God because, more often than not, they don't want to change their lifestyle and be accountable, much more than for any intellectual reason.

As I've said before, if we don't live the life we believe and know in our heart to be right, we will end up justifying and believing the life we live—a very dangerous, self-deceptive, and self-destructive path to follow.

God's laws, all of them, are for our safety, protection, and survival. They are as universal as the law of gravity which holds the universe together. We can't break the law of gravity. If we defy it, it will break us. Or rather, we will break ourselves trying to defy it. It's the same with God's moral laws. We can't break them either. They, too, are universal. If we defy them, it isn't God who will punish and break us, but rather we will punish and break ourselves trying to defy them. If we used our God-given intellectual reasoning we would understand this. But we don't reason this way—we reason to find ways to justify what is most convenient for us at any given moment.

How soon we forget that "blessed is the nation [and individual] whose God is the Lord!" And as Jesus said, "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?"

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, open my eyes and give me a listening, receptive heart so that I will see, hear, obey and live according to your words of eternal life….Thank you for your words of life and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus in Mark 8:18 (NIV).