January 1st, 2009 - Ditties

I believe that a ditty is actually supposed to be a poem or a song, but I grew up with the Carolina colloquialism of a ditty being any short, pithy saying or writing.  Having written only one noteworthy poem in my life, I’m definitely not a poet, but I do hope that these few thoughts I’m sharing in this little book will prove to be short and pithy enough to inspire a little something into your life each day.

 

I once read that it’s plagiarism if you steal from one person, but it’s research if you steal from several writers.  Another thing that I firmly believe is that none of us really has an original thought.  Every thought we have is a result of all the input we have received.  For most of us, the old saying of the computer programmers might apply very aptly: GIGO--“garbage in, garbage out.”   If there is any good thought that comes out of our minds, it is because some good influences have entered our hearts; the most important of those positive influences would be the Word of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
As you read my little ditties each day, I encourage you to enjoy each place where I have plagiarized (ah, done some research) and each place where something other than garbage has come out due to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

 

January 2nd, 2009 - Modern Proverbs

 

The best way to get even is to forget.
God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
Some folks wear their halos much too tight.
Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in five days, then perhaps giving “advice” to God, isn’t such a good idea!
Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.
Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous.  You will get knocked down by the traffic from both ways.
Words are windows to the heart.
A skeptic is a person who when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it’s a forgery.
It isn’t difficult to make  a mountain out of a molehill -- just add a little dirt.
A successful marriage isn’t finding the right person; it’s being the right person.
The mighty oak tree was  once a little nut that held its ground.
The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it.
To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover that the prisoner was you.
You have to wonder about humans, they think God is dead and Elvis is alive!
You’ll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.

 

January 3rd, 2009 - Backfire

 

A youth minister died giving a sermon illustration when he shot himself in front of an audience of two hundred fifty people. He was illustrating the danger of drug use and violence by comparing it to Russian roulette. For the illustration, he put a blank cartridge in a revolver and, as he made each point, spun the cylinder and fired it above his head.  At the end of the sermon, he put the revolver to his head and pulled the trigger. The blank cartridge flew apart and shattered his skull in front of the audience, which included his wife and four daughters.  The associate pastor explained, “We were absolutely stunned. Nobody moved.  We thought it might be part of his sermon and he would pop back up.”
  

Sometimes our plans backfire on us, leaving us at a total loss; however, it is God’s plan that our lives turn out as a backfire on all our enemies’ plans.  “Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.” (Proverbs 28:10)  In Siberia, the bricks of a prison which once held Christians were used to build a church. The believers once sat inside their cells looking at these same brick walls, but now they can look at those same bricks and smile because they are now part of their church.

 

Always remember “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end,” (Jeremiah 29:11)  and “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.” (Genesis 50:20)

 

January 4th, 2009 - How Do you Fire God?

 

Once when we were working our way through Dubar Square in the old city of Kathmandu, Nepal, we were privileged to see Sajani Shakya, the living goddess.  Known as the “kumara,” or vigin goddess, she was latest in a long line of pre-menstrual girls who have been worshipped as incarnations of the powerful Hindu deity Taleju.  Chosen from the Shakya caste of goldsmiths at age four, she had been examined by a panel of judges following a series of ancient ceremonies in which her horoscope was checked, she was examined for any physical imperfections, and finally she was forced to spend the night in a room filled with more than one hundred freshly decapitated animal heads.  Once she had passed the test, she lived in isolation and only mixed with the public for Hindu and government ceremonial events.  She was carried everywhere she went because was considered to be so sacred that she her feet were never to be allowed to touch the ground.  She was to hold this position until she reached puberty; at which point, another virgin goddess would be selected.  Several years later, I was surprised to read that she had been fired from her position because --despite the fact that she was to never leave Nepal -- she had traveled to the US and even toured the White House as part of a promotion for a film about the tradition.
  

My question is how do you fire a god?  Who ever hear of an unemployed god or a god who was out of a job?  Unfortunately we try to put God out of work every day when we refuse to let Him be the Savior, Healer, and Deliverer as He is described in His resume.  “They…limited the Holy One of Israel. (Psalm 78:41)

January 5th, 2009 - Bad May be Good for You

 

As a child, I heard the expression that we must all eat our pound of dirt.  Of course, as my mother was constantly trying to keep me in a hygienically pure environment, I wondered how I would ever be healthy without my allotted quote of dirt.  I’m not sure about the physical ingestion of dirt, but I do know that we will all have our fair share of dirt dished out to us as we go through life.  When we get that mud slung at us, we must remember that God knows and even determines the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) and knows what pattern He is working out in our lives.  Corrie Ten Boom said it this way, “Life is like a tapestry which God is weaving.  We look at it from the bottom side where all the ends of the threads are dangling loose.  God sees it from the top side where the pattern is developing.”  Someday, we’ll also see that pattern.  As we look at some things from our limited time frame, they may look like bad events: but from God’s eternal perspective, He can see the good in them. 

When a subsistence farmer in a little Chinese village told his friend about his uncle’s death, his friend offered condolences, “Oh, that’s too bad.”  The farmer’s immediate response was, “But, he left me his horse which I really need here on the farm.”  The friend replied, “Oh, that’s good,” but the farmer continued, “When I sent my teenage son to get the horse, the animal bucked and threw my boy causing him to break a leg.”  The friend answered with, “Oh, that’s too bad,” but the farmer countered with, “No, that’s good because the Maoist rebels came that very night to conscript all the local young men into their forces, but they didn’t take my son because of his broken leg.”

 

 

January 6th, 2009 - God in Church

 

According to researcher George Barna, American churchgoers don’t feel they are communicating with God.  About seventy-five million Americans attend church every Sunday but many don’t believe they have experienced God’s presence.  Less than a third of those who go to church feel they are interacting with God during service and an additional third said they have never experienced God’s presence. “Most of them leave the church disappointed, week after week,” Barna said.  His research showed that mixing different music styles during worship and sermons that are too complex or impractical can restrict people’s spiritual experience. “A church cannot make a person worship, but it can facilitate a worship experience if it is sensitive to the dynamics of the worship event and those who are coming for a God-experience.”

It has been said that just like  sitting in a garage will not make you a car and sitting in a doughnut shop will not make you a policeman, sitting in church will not make you a Christian.  But the analogy goes even deeper.  Even if you are already a Christian, sitting in church will not make you a worshipper.  Worship is not a spectator sport where we come and expect the experience to be presented to us from the leaders.  Instead, we must bring the worship with us as we enter the sanctuary.  “Come before his presence with singing, … enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise,” (Psalm 100:2, 4)

 

 

Jan 7th, 2009 - God is in Control

 

Prior to the rise of anti-Semitism and the devastation of Nazism, the Jews of the West were satisfied to remain in the familiar surrounds.  Most had no desire to relocate to the frontier regions of Palestine and take up the pioneer life.  Yet, when they lost their homes, possessions, and families, there was nothing left for them in Europe.  Israel seemed their only hope of a future.

God allowed the horrors of Nazism and the Holocaust to exist just long enough for the Jews of Europe to decide that they wanted to go back to Israel and for the nations of the world to decide that they ought to be allowed to go back.  With the horrors of Hitler’s Germany fresh in their minds and the stench of burned Jewish flesh still in their nostrils, the United Nations moved quickly as one of its first acts to establish a home for the covenant people in their covenant land.

As I write this example, I’m sure that it will raise more questions than it will provide answers.  No, I’m not suggesting that we let evil run rampant in our world assuming that God will somehow make it all turn out good in the end.  The Bible is bursting at the seems with examples of God’s people’s taking aggressive action to eradicate evil men, governments, and influences.  My simple thought here is that we should never allow the questions and inequities in life to cause us to doubt God’s control over and concern for our world.  He is ultimately in control and His way will eventually be revealed, leaving Him completely justified in every aspect of human history.  (Romans 3:4)

 

January 8th, 2009 - Out of Egypt

 

Have you ever noticed, when reading the story of the Exodus, the number of times the people told Moses that they wanted to go back to Egypt?  The fascinating idea with this story is that these people were begging to go back to slavery!  On the other hand, Moses who had grown up in the palace never even hinted at wanting to return. 
  

Those poor ex-slaves needed to encounter God the Moses had met Him at burning bush.  Unfortunately when God was willing to speak to them directly, they refused to hear Him and settled for a second-hand communication through Moses. (Exodus 20:19)  Aaron and the elders were invited to tarry close by on the mountain while God was speaking to Moses for forty days (Exodus 24:11-155), yet they chose to go back down to the people and wound up making the idolatrous golden calf.

 

Romans 10:17 teaches us that faith comes from hearing the word of God; but Hebrews 4:2 explains that these Hebrew slaves refused to let that word become productive in their hearts and it was of no profit to them.  Because they lacked the power of the word of God in their lives, they also lacked the life-changing faith of their leader Moses. “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:24-27)

 

 

Janaury 9th, 2009 - We Are So Blessed

 

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.
   

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pains of starvation, you are ahead of five hundred million people around the world.

 

If you can express your beliefs without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed that almost three billion people in the world.

 

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than seventy-five percent of this world.

 

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top eight percent of the world’s wealthy.

 

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very, very rare.

 

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

 

If you can hold someone’s hand, hug him or even touch him on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.

 

If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed.   One third of the world does not have access to even one.

 

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

 

 

January 10th, 2009 - Celtic Prayer

 

Yesterday’s thoughts were about what we have that so few in the world around us share.  Today, I’d like to focus on how we should appreciate what it is we do have.  Maybe you can imagine with me an ancient Irish peasant sitting down with his little family around a bowl of meat and potatoes and reciting this simple little prayer before the meal was served:
       

        Some hae meat and canna eat,
        And some wad eat that want it,
        But we hae and we can eat,
        And sae the Lord be thankit’.
            The Selkirk Grace

                     Robert Burns 1759-96

I think of the story of the man who ate only hamburger all his life because he could not afford steak;  when he finally could afford steak, he had lost his teeth and still had to eat hamburger.  I also remember the story of the conversation between the eight-year-old Lester Sumrall and the wealthy school superintendent.  When the lad said that it must be nice to have a big house, fancy car, and European vacations, the reply was, “I have severe stomach ulcers and would give it all to be able to enjoy a good meal.”

 

In everything we have -- no matter how small or simple it is -- we must learn the attitude of gratitude.

 

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

 

 

January 11th, 2009 - Sailing to Victory

 

Have you ever noticed sailboats on a lake?  It’s puzzling to me how they can be moving in different directions while all being propelled by the same wind which is only blowing in one direction!  The answer is in the simple laws of physics.  If the sails are set to catch the wind and transfer the energy properly, the boat can actually sail in the opposite direction from the wind. 

The same is true in our lives.  We can’t control the winds that blow in our lives, but we can control how our sails are set and, therefore, how those winds will effect us.

 

When Paul was headed to Jerusalem, he was very much aware that adversity and prison awaited him there.  Friends, even speaking under prophetic anointing, repeatedly tried to dissuade him from his mission.  However, the apostle was determined to set his focus on the reward ahead rather than the struggle he would have to go through to get there.  The same Spirit that blew into the lives of Paul’s friends and made them try to discourage Paul was also blowing in his life; however, his sails were set for Jerusalem and eventually Rome, and those same winds blew him straight toward his goal -- even through storms and shipwreck.

 

“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:  Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:22-24)

 

 

January 12th, 2009 - Ebarrass the Devil

 

Have you ever thought of the vastness of our universe?  We read of space probes that have discovered stars, galaxies, and solar systems that are millions of light years away.  With each light year being almost six trillion miles, it is impossible for me to even conceive of how immense our universe is.  Wow, I get exhausted when I fly for just a couple days on an airplane to go a few thousand miles on a mission trip!

 

My thought today is that even though Satan is described as the god of this world, his authority is still relegated to this almost insignificant speck called planet Earth in the vastness of the limitless universe!  What an insult to his pompous desire to become equal with the God who measures the waters in the hollow of His hand, and metes out heaven with the span, and comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighs the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance. (Isaiah 40:12)

 

Even in the earth where he exerts his authority, he is powerless before those who know how to put him in his place.  Because Jesus has spoiled -- literally meaning “to strip naked” -- him (Colossians 2:15), all believers have the power to resist him and make he flee -- literally meaning “tuck his tail between his hind legs and run like a whipped dog” (James 4:7).
   

Decide today to put the enemy in his place and embarrass him every chance you get!

 

 

January 13th, 2009 - Which Are You?

 

Ten little Christians standing in line, one disliked the preacher, then there were nine.
Nine little Christians stayed up very late, one overslept Sunday, then there were eight.
Eight little Christians on their way to Heaven, one took the low road and then there were seven. Seven little Christians singing praises so perfect, one disliked the music, then there were six. Six little Christians seemed very much alive, but one lost his interest then there was five. Five little Christians rowing for Heaven’s Shore, but one stopped to rest, then there were four.  Four little Christians each busy as a bee, one got his feelings hurt, then there were three. Three little Christians knew not what to do, one joined the sporty crowd, then there were two. Two little Christians (our rhyme is nearly done) differed with each other, then there was one. One little Christian -- can’t do much ’tis true -- brought his friend to Bible study.  Then there were two. Two earnest Christians, each won one more.  That doubled the number, then there were four. Four sincere Christians worked early and late.  Each won another then there were eight. Eight splendid Christians, if they doubled as before in just so many Sundays, their would be one thousand twenty-four.

 

In this little jingle, there is a lesson true: you belong either to the building or to the wrecking crew!

 

 

January 14th, 2009 - Ya Gotta Wanna

 

In every challenge of life, the prize is given only to the one who finishes the course.  The promise of salvation is relegated to those who endure to the end.  We must be like Joshua and Caleb who, even though they had to put up with forty years in the desert because of other people’s unbelief, kept their faith and eventually entered and possessed the Promised Land. 
 

Winston Churchill once addressed a class of graduating college seniors at their commencement by gruffly charging them, “Never give up!”  He took a deep breath and bellowed out a second time, “Never give up!”  Then after his third demand that they never give up, he took his seat. 

 

Dr. Lester Sumrall will forever live in the hearts of this generation as the man who would not quit.  His testimonial tape entitled “I Did Not Quit” has inspired and challenged countless ministers and laymen to keep at the task God has given them.
   

When someone says, “It can’t be done,” it only means that he’s not going to do it.  There is nothing that is impossible to those who truly believe in the ability that God has placed inside them.   Paul confessed that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened me (Philippians 4:13) because he knew that it was Christ who was living in and through him (Galatians 2:20) and that the things which are impossible with men are possible with God (Luke 18:27).

 

If you want to be a success, you have to become a fanatic about the thing you believe in -- a person who cannot change his mind and will not change the topic.

 

January 15th, 2009 - Is There Not a Cause?

 

From the book of First Samuel, we all remember the story of David’s battle with Goliath, but we often overlook some other battles he had to fight before he could even get to the giant.  One of them was with his own brother.  Verse twenty-eight of chapter seventeen, records how the older brother disdained and ridiculed the lad when he showed up at the battle field, “Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?  I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.”  David’s simple answer was, “Is there not a cause?”  He was not interested in the adrenaline rush of the battle or even the reward the king had offered to anyone brave enough to take up the fight; he saw that there was a cause worth fighting for -- defending the honor of the name of God and the dignity of His people.  Because he had a cause, not because he was on a military salary, a little shepherd boy was able to do what the mighty warriors were afraid to attempt.

 

God wants all of us to also have our own cause in life.  You never begin to live until you live for a cause bigger than yourself.  If you live for God’s cause, He’ll give life to your vision.  Once you have a vision of who God wants you to be and what He wants you to do, the cause will possess and consume you.  That vision will create excitement, energy, and power to fulfill the cause.

 

 

January 16th, 2009 - Church Marques

 

Ain’t hardly nobody in this here town ever cum to Jesus     cept they was went after.
Parking for members only -- trespassers will be baptized!
Free trip to heaven -- Details inside.
Try our Sundays.  They are better than Baskin-Robbins.
Accompanying a picture of two hands holding stone tablets on which are inscribed the Ten Commandments, “For fast relief, take two tablets.”
People are like tea bags -- you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are.
Come in and pray today.  Beat the Christmas rush!
Fight truth decay -- study the Bible.
How will you spend eternity -- smoking or non-smoking?
Dusty Bibles lead to dirty lives.
Come work for the Lord.  The hours are long and the pay is low, but the benefits are out of this world!
If you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U- turns.
If you don’t like the way you were born, try being born again.
Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire insurance soon.
This is a ch__ch.  What is missing? (UR)
In the dark?  Follow the Son.
Running low on faith?  Stop in for a fill-up.
Can’t sleep?  Don’t count sheep; talk to the Shepherd.
Home improvement center

 

 

January 17th, 2009 - Disappointment

 

There have been so many rewarding experiences in life that it not normal for me to even think of the few disappointments I have experienced; but I can honestly say that, as a teacher, the biggest disappoints come from having poured my life into a student only to see that student fail because he made choices contrary to everything I have tried to teach him.  Of course, the discouragement is only compounded to think that I could have had a much better paying job but had settled for a teacher’s salary because of my love for helping influence the next generation.
 

Imagine how you would feel if you were a doctor walking among people who could be cured if they would just take their medicine or how you would feel if you were an industrialist and walked among unemployed who could have a job if they would just apply.

 

If we as humans can be disappointed by such situations, imagine how much more it must break the heart of Jesus as He sees the condition of the human race when He came from the heavenly throne room to walk among us as Jehovah Rapha, yet we continue in our sicknesses; Jehovah Jirah, yet we continue in our lack; Jehovah Shalom, yet we continue in our turmoil; and Jehovah Tsidquenue, yet we continue in our sinfulness and guilt.
    “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, … how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37)  “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” (John 1:11)

 

 

January 18th, 2009 - 'D Sermon

 

God is interested in every detail of our lives and He wants to help us develop each department of our lives.  Here are about a dozen areas He wants to dominate for us.
Destiny: God wants us to find our destiny in life. 
Donations: Our faithfulness in giving is the key to deliverance from the devourer.   
Doing Right:  Sinning earns us the wages of death, but in Christ, the sting of death is destroyed.  We can defang death by refusing to let sin dominate us. 
Direction:  An old expression goes, "Forewarned is forearmed."  When God gives a prophetic warning, we can be certain that following His direction will save us from the enemy's plan to devastate us.  We can divert devastation by following His directions.
Demonstration:    The whole purpose behind the coming of Jesus was to destroy the works of the enemy.  We must allow Jesus to manifest this deliverance in and through us.

Declaring & Denouncing:  Declaring the truth and denouncing error brings freedom.  Through Christ, we can demask deception. 
Determination:  We can defeat discouragement through determining to see ourselves as victors rather than the victims. 
Dedication:  Dedicating ourselves to the Master to obtain deliverance from the demons which try to harass us. 
Devotion:  We can defend our destiny by determining to not lean on our own understanding but rather to acknowledge God in all our ways. 
Dying to Sin:  We can derail disaster through repentance. Education

It has been said that if you think education is expensive, you should try ignorance.  There is a price to find fulfillment in life; it’s call “education.”  As a college dean, I often encountered students who chose which classes to register for based on the reputation of how easy the teacher was. My response to them was, “Get an education, not just a degree.”

 

But the cost of a good education is not only paid by the student; the teacher has a true investment to make in order to genuinely educate the student.

 

 

January 19th, 2009 - Education

 

It has been said that if you think education is expensive, you should try ignorance.  There is a price to find fulfillment in life; it’s call “education.”  As a college dean, I often encountered students who chose which classes to register for based on the reputation of how easy the teacher was. My response to them was, “Get an education, not just a degree.”
  

But the cost of a good education is not only paid by the student; the teacher has a true investment to make in order to genuinely educate the student. Excellence
Discipline Utilization of resources of all resources available, such as parents, church, and community Christian principles Attention Tender but tight; the teachers must know how to  make the students love them while still respecting them. Interested in child, not job; a true teacher will pray and cry for the students. Overcoming obstacles; no child’s challenge is too big for a true teacher. No compromise

 

 

January 20th, 2009 - Let's Go to Church

 

There was a story that made the rounds several years ago about a wife trying to get her husband out of bed to go to church on Easter Sunday morning.  He grunted and complained about the lousy music, the hypocrites who only came to be seen, the boring preaching, and any other excuse he could muster.  She countered with every possible reason about showing our love and respect for God but finally had to resort to, “But YOU’RE the pastor!”
   

Weekly church attendance can prolong life.  A study published by the National Science Foundation showed that people who attend a church, mosque, or synagogue regularly live seven years longer than non-churchgoers.  Black people who attend services can increase their lifespan by as much as fourteen years, the study showed.

 

I doubt that King David knew these facts when he declared, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” (Psalms 122:1)  However, I’m sure that he understood that coming into the presence of God made life better -- regardless of if it made life any longer.  In fact, he described it this way, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalms 16:11)

 

 

January 21st, 2009 - Nine - One - One

 

 

For many years, the numbers 9-1-1 have stood for our emergency network throughout the country.  In September of 2001, those numbers took on an even deeper meaning for our country as terrorists invaded, taking hundreds of innocent lives and permanently changing the lives of all the rest of us.  However, even in the tragedy of that day, we began to hear stories of many whose lives were miraculously spared.  Some were behind schedule because their alarm clocks failed to work; others stayed home sick; some were delayed because of traffic or other problems with their commute; when one man at the Pentagon had to discuss a project with someone else on the other side of the building, he decided to walk to the other office rather than picking up the phone and discussing the issue from his own desk -- which happened to be the exact impact point where the jetliner entered the building!
  

Not only on 9/11, but in every trauma our nation has experienced, similar stories emerge.  Two young men made last-minute decisions to change their plans as they were in the process of handing their boarding passes to the agent of a fated Jet Blue flight; a husband called his wife and asked her to change her plans about going to a mall which became the scene of a rampage killing.  Out of all the churches a deranged young man with an assault rifle and a thousand rounds of ammunition could have chosen, he picked the one with armed plainclothes security guards.

 

For believers, 9-1-1 should have a different meaning from emergency, it should mean security: Psalm 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

 

 

 

Janaury 22nd, 2009 - Benchwarmers

 

A Christian friend from down the hall came to my dorm room one evening, beaming from ear to ear.  He announced, “I want to introduce you to an new brother that I just led to the Lord!”  I was, of course, happy -- but, at the same time, experiencing an inner remorse that I could not possibly share.  The reason was that just a few months before I had sat next to this young man as we waited in the registrar’s office at the school.  As we sat there, I had been prompted to share the gospel with him -- but had denied that prompting!  I couldn’t fully rejoice with my friend in his moment of celebration, knowing that I should have won the young man to Jesus months before!  Instead of being in the game, I was a spectator -- a benchwarmer.

Second Kings chapter seven records the story of a high-ranking official in Samaria whose doubt and unbelief robbed him of being able to celebrate when the Lord have His people a great victory.  When the prophet visited the king announcing that within twenty-fours hours, the city’s starvation would be turned to an over-abundant supply, this officer responded with scorn that it was impossible.  The end of the story is that God did miraculously supply but this man -- who had likely been involved in high-level strategy trying to alleviate the famine’s effect upon the city -- was trampled by the masses rushing to get their allotment.  He saw the miracle, but didn’t get to participate.  He was a benchwarmer.

 

I understand that when Paul referred to the possibility of becoming a castaway in I Corinthians 9:27, he was praying to never become a benchwarmer rather than an active player.

 

 

January 23rd, 2009 - Batteries Included

 

My guess is that there must gave been a grinch in a decision-making position at the toy manufacturing company.  Otherwise, why would they ever package toys without batteries?  In the days before all the stores were still open on Christmas Day, it was impossible to find batteries at any point after 6 PM on Christmas Eve.  God only knows how many little children woke on Christmas morning to toys they couldn’t use because “Santa” had failed to notice that small print on the side of the box, “Batteries not included.”  Their smiles quickly turned to tears and a dad’s frantic rush to try to find a gas station, of pharmacy, or even a neighbor who might have the treasured battery.
  

In our Christian lives, God made sure that we knew that batteries would be necessary and He saw to it that they would be readily available.  Jesus warned us not to go out until we were sure that we had our batteries fully charged (Luke 24:49) and he guaranteed us that He would be right with us to see that we were always charged up (Matthew 28:19-20).  He did not tell us to go except that He promised to be with us.  He left a rather simple formula:

 

Lo--I am with you
Go--into all nations
Sow--the gospel
Mow--bring in the harvest
Grow--build body of Christ

 

 

January 24th. 2009 - Watch Out, It's a Bible

 

The sentence of a child rapist was overturned because the judge quoted from the Bible when imposing punishment. The First District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, reversed the fifty-one-year sentence of a defendant who had pleaded guilty to ten counts of rape involving an eight-year-old girl.  The appeals court ruling said that the judge used the Bible as a source in determining the severity of punishment and, therefore, denied him the right to due process by violating the guarantee of separation of church and state.  The judge had quoted from Matthew 18:5-6: “But whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it would be better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

 

Of course, there are ongoing battles over Ten Commandment displays at courthouses, nativity scenes on public grounds, Bible reading in schools, prayers at public assemblies, “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, “merry Christmas” as opposed to “happy holidays” spoken by any government employee, and mention of the name of Jesus in any public forum; but the release of a confessed child rapist after the full legal process has been followed is proof that America is suffering from what the Bible called “confusion of face,” a result of living so long in sin that we don’t have our right senses any more. (Daniel 9:8)

 

 

January 25th, 2009 - Global Village

 

If the whole world were a village of one hundred people
There would be:
Fifty-seven Asians
Twenty-one Europeans
Fourteen from North and South America
Eight Africans
Fifty-two would be female.
Forty-eight would be male.
Seventy would be nonwhite.
Thirty would be white.
Fifty-nine percent of the entire world's wealth would belong to only six people, and all six would be citizens of the United States.
Eighty would live in substandard housing.
Seventy would be unable to read.
Fifty would suffer from malnutrition.
One would be near death.
One would be near birth.
Only one would have a college education.
Only one would have a computer.
   

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for both acceptance, and understanding becomes glaringly apparent.

 

Let’s go to all one hundred and share the one message worth hearing -- that Jesus came to save every man, woman, and child.

 

 

January 26th, 2009 - Believing a Lie

 

When the missionary came to our office manager’s door to explain that some valuables were missing from his apartment, the manager knew immediately who must be at fault.  In an attempt to save embarrassment, he told the young custodian that the police were on their way but asked him to look for any intruders who might get away before the officers arrived.  A few minutes later, the young man returned with the missing items and a story about scaring off the thief who threw down the loot in his attempt to escape.  We all knew that it was a made-up story, but at least the stolen goods were returned to their rightful owner.  Rather than becoming a villain, the young custodian was allowed to play the role of a hero that day.  Unfortunately, the seeds that were sown into his life that day reaped a tragic harvest a few months later.  Because he sinned and “got away with it,” he began to think that he could continue to live a superficial Christian life with lots of dirt hidden under the carpet.  One evening, after having been in a church service, he stopped by a convenience store and pulled a gun on the cashier.  As the clerk pretended to open the cash box, he was actually reaching for his own weapon.  Seconds later, the young custodian lay dead in a pool of his own blood.  Even though he had been lifting his hands and voice in prayer at church only minutes before, he had harbored greed in his heart. 
   

I often think that we could have saved his life had we only confronted him with the truth on the day he tried to take the goods from the missionary’s apartment.  Instead, we allowed him to believe a lie and be damned. (II Thessalonians 2:11-12)

 

 

January 27th, 2009 - Good, Better, Best

 

Notice how God gives each of us something good, but follows it up with something better and then adds His best to it:

    The widow whose sons were to be taken as slaves
        Out of debt
        Money to live on
        Took care of others with her
    Healing
        Get healed
        Live in health
        Heal others
    Abraham
        Blessed
        Fruitful
        All families of earth are blessed in him
    The demoniac of Gadara
        Right mind
        Being taught
        Bringing others to Jesus
    Joseph
        Out of jail
        Shaved and cleaned up
        Ruler over Egypt
    Noah
        Saved
        Place to live
        Populate earth

 

 

January 28th, 2009 - You Win

 

According to I Corinthians 2:8, if the princes of this world had known what they were doing, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  The scriptures are full of examples of how the devil just doesn’t seem to be able to see far enough in advance to recognize that he is digging his own grave when he messes with God’s people.  Haman wound up hanging from a noose on the gallows he build for Mordecai.  Pharaoh made a decreed to kill all the male Israelite babies but wound up raising Moses, the very one of those Israelite boys which was to undo the his evil dominion.
  

It is necessary that in every situation, we keep the positive attitude of a conqueror and the confidence that God is eventually going to make every situation turn out in our favor.  When David was at his lowest point with his wives and children having been taken hostage and his men threatening to stone him, there was no way that he could have ever imagined that he was only seventy-two hours short of being pronounced king!  (I Samuel 3:6, II Samuel 1:1, 2:4)  If we will do as he did and encourage ourselves in the Lord, we’ll also see all the devil’s plans collapse before us.

 

 

January 29th, 2009 - Long Life and Good Health

 

The Mid America Heart Institute at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City studied almost a thousand coronary patients and discovered that the heart patients who were prayed for had fewer complications in recovery. The first names of half the patients were given to believers who prayed for four weeks that they would have a speedy recovery with no complications. The prayed-for patients had ten percent fewer complications.  The interesting thing about this study is that there was no contact between the patients and those praying for them.  In addition, the patients were not aware if they were in the selected group to receive prayer; therefore, there was no possibility of a placebo effect. 
 

Another study found that regular churchgoers live longer than non-churchgoers.  The nine-year project involving twenty-one thousand adults showed that people who never attend church exhibit fifty percent higher risks of mortality over the follow-up period than those who attend most frequently and those who attend weekly or less than once a week display about a twenty percent higher risk of mortality than those who attend more than once a week.  The study also showed that those who don’t attend church are about four times as likely to die from respiratory disease, diabetes, or infectious disease.

 

 

January 30th, 2009 - Criticism

 

Luke 6:37-38  says, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”  Though we generally associate this passage with giving and receiving money, Jesus was actually telling us that we should not criticize others because that same critical judgment would come back on us pressed down and shaken together.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t need or want that in my life!
  

This directive does not relieve us of our responsibility to call those people over whom we have some spiritual or physical responsibility into accountability to the Word of God.  According to II Timothy 3:16, if we simply share the Word of God with honesty and simplicity, it will bring the needed correction: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

 

 

January 31st, 2009 - True Mythology

 

As I walked along the riverbank in Kanthmandu, a little man stepped out of a Hindu shrine and offered to explain to me the “true mythology” about the sacredness of this particular spot.  I declined his offer and kept my rupees in my pocket; but I did walk away wondering if this oxymoron  was a result his lack of understanding of the English language or it was that he was that deceived that he couldn’t understand that mythology is not true. 
  

Back in the US the next week, I was awake in the middle of the night fighting the jetlag from the trip home form Nepal; I flipped on the television in hopes of catching up on some of the news I had missed while I was out of the country.  Instead, I found a science program in which some of the leading brains of America were discussing the “Big Bang Theory.”  One said that the Big Bang Theory was neither big or a bang and then added that it’s not a theory either.  He said that at one time the entire matter of the universe was compressed into a mass less than one atom in size and that its expansion to the present immeasurable universe was a “fact of total human experience of observation.”  I thought, “If we can believe that the whole universe came from one sub-atomic speck, why can’t we believe that it came from nothing?  And if we can believe in that one pre-existing sub-atomic speck, why can’t we believe in one eternal God?”  

 

I then remembered the little Nepalese man and decided that it wasn’t a lack of education or intelligence that made him believe in “true mythology.”  Even the most-highly educated men in the world can’t tell the truth from a lie except the Spirit of Truth reveals it to them.