Monthly Archives: November 2007

Remember Mt. St Helens

Leave a comment

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”1

In their book, The Truth Behind Left Behind, Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice wrote about the morning of May 18, 1980, when Mount Saint Helens in S.W. Washington, “exploded with the force of thirty thousand atomic bombs, sending super-sonic concussive waves that flattened everything within 150 square miles. On the heels of that wave, a fifty-foot wall of mud and ash screamed down the mountain and into the surrounding forest land, burying everything in its path and changing the landscape forever.”2

Harry Truman, the eighty-three-year-old caretaker of a lodge on Spirit Lake at the foot of Mount Saint Helens, knew all about the multiple seismographic evidence that warned of a pending massive explosion. Harry claimed that he knew more about this mountain than anybody else. He ignored the endless earthquakes in the preceding two months, the hundreds of steam blast explosions, and the massive eighty-meter bulge on the mountain side.

He claimed it wouldn’t dare blow up on him. But it did. Harry, along with all others who ignored the warning signs, was buried under 600 feet of volcanic ash and material.

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was here on earth, he repeatedly warned his hearers that unless they put their life right with God, they would be lost without hope forever in the place Jesus called hell. Furthermore, over and over again he promised that he would return to earth to take his true followers to be with him forever in heaven and all who were not ready would be left behind.

As Jesus first coming to earth was predicted in God’s Word, the Bible, hundreds of years before he came and fulfilled in minute detail, we can be just as certain that his second coming will happen just as predicted in God’s Word and as Jesus himself promised.

Make absolute sure that you are not like Harry Truman who disregarded all of nature’s warnings about the pending doom, and ignore God’s repeated warnings. Jesus warned us to be ready because he will come when we least expect it.

If Jesus were to come today, would you be ready? If not, I urge you to make your life right with God today. For help be sure to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have warned me time and again to be ready for when Jesus returns to earth to take his true followers to be with him forever in heaven. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins and I ask for your forgiveness for all my sins. Please help me to be sure that I am ready for when Jesus returns. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus (Matthew 24:44, NIV).
2. Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice, The Truth Behind Left Behind, p. 157-158. Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon.

<:))))><

More on Responsibility

Leave a comment

“I being in the way, the Lord led me.”1

Somebody has pointed out that there are two ways to reach the top of an oak tree—you can climb it or sit on an acorn and wait!

I was criticized for suggesting in a Daily Encounter that I wanted Jesus to be my co-pilot. I was informed that Jesus is to be our pilot.

I know that sounds good. However, in the Christian life it is sometimes difficult to discern how much God does for us and how much we need to do for ourselves. One thing is certain, God will do for us what we are not able to do for ourselves (that’s why he sent Jesus to die in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins), but he won’t do for us what we are quite capable of doing and need to do ourselves. If he did, he would be being codependent and that would keep us over-dependent, irresponsible and immature.

God has promised to give us wisdom if we ask for it, guidance if we seek it, and be with us wherever we go if we ask him to—providing we stay within the limits of his guidelines and boundaries. The fact is, however, that we are always responsible for the decisions we make and the actions we take. We are in charge of our life.

When Abraham sent his chief servant (possibly Eliezer)2 to seek a wife for his son, Isaac, as he set out to do this, he prayed for God to direct and help him make the best choice. He didn’t sit around waiting for “the right person” to come along. He went looking for her. However, as he did his part, God led him. That is why he said, “I being in the way, the Lord led me.”

Doing our part is accepting personal responsibility. As I do this, I can rest assured God will do his part. We will sit and wait for a long time if we expect otherwise.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to act responsibly in everything I do and lean heavily on you for wisdom, guidance and direction. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Abraham’s servant, Genesis 24:27 (KJV).
2. See Genesis 15:2.

<:))))><

Taking Time to Listen

Leave a comment

“Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”1

In response to a Daily Encounter about the famed violinist, Fritz Kreisler, Martha Nixon, a good friend, who some years ago was the well-known soloist with the famed Neil Macaulay musical team, wrote to tell me about a fascinating experience Neil had some years ago.

On one occasion when Neil was in New York, “he paid a ‘small fortune’ to buy two tickets to hear the world famous violinist Fritz Kreisler play at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Macaulay was himself a concert musician who had been heard around the world and highly valued the greater skill of the famous Fritz Kreisler. The performance was brilliant and worth the money spent on the tickets. Mid-concert, however, Kreisler made an amazing comment. ‘The reason I’m a bit weary tonight,’ he said, ‘is because I played on the streets of New York all day today dressed as a busker (street musician) with my violin case opened for donations. It does me good to play for the people. But not one person stopped to listen, or gave me a cent!’”

Interesting that this famous musician was totally ignored amidst the rush and bustle of New York City life. People passing by didn’t take the time to stop and listen. Instead, they turned a deaf ear to him. And yet, at night, people paid a high price to hear him. How sad.

But how much sadder when God “speaks” to us in innumerable ways and we turn a deaf ear to him because he doesn’t appear to us in the way or manner which we expect. Even the religious people in Jesus’ day who were actually looking for and expecting the Promised Messiah (Savior) totally missed him because he didn’t appear in the way or manner that they expected.

So dear reader, whatever you do, don’t turn a deaf ear to God who, in his still small voice may be whispering to you while he is knocking on the door of your heart and life today.*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to slow down enough to stop, look, and listen when you are trying to reach my heart. Give me the good sense to recognize your call and always respond in a positive manner. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

*NOTE: For help to respond to God’s call go to http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. Revelation 3:20 (NKJV).

<:))))><

Freedom from Guilt and Shame

Leave a comment

“For God did not send his Son [Jesus] into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”1

Shame is similar to false guilt in that it is caused largely by someone who “shamed us” especially when we were young. That is, whenever we did something wrong, we got the message (verbal or non-verbal), “Shame on you.” “You are a bad person.” “You are a disappointment to me!” “I am so ashamed of you,” etc., etc.

Such criticisms are psychologically damaging. As the old saying goes, “Give a dog a name and he will live up to it.” People will too—especially if a person was constantly ridiculed, put down and shamed as a child.

True guilt says you have DONE badly but shame says you ARE bad. If a person comes to believe that he or she is a bad person, s/he will act badly. In real life we don’t always act consistently with what we profess, but we always act consistently with what we believe. So if we believe we are a bad person, that’s the way we will act.

When disciplining our children and confronting another person who has acted “badly,” we need to “condemn” the deed NOT the person! Example: “I love you but what you have done [name it] makes me feel angry and/or very disappointed.”

We need God’s help so we will learn to treat others the way God treats us. While he hates our sin because it destroys those whom he loves (us), he loves the sinner and doesn’t condemn or shame us. Shame and false guilt never come from God. They are man-induced.

Fortunately with God, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”2 When we confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness, and ask God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to come into our heart and life as personal Lord and Savior, God forgives us fully and loves us totally. Again, false guilt and shame never come from God.

“Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you love me no matter what I have ever done or failed to do. Please forgive all my sins and, Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and life to be my personal Lord and Savior. Please help me to forgive myself and overcome all false guilt and shame and help me never to shame others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you prayed and asked God for forgiveness and asked Jesus to come into your heart and life, please let us know by going to: http://tinyurl.com/pgntm. If you need further help, click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. Jesus (John 3:17, NIV).
2. The Apostle Paul (Romans 8:1).

<:))))><

The Supreme Sacrifice

Leave a comment

Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”1

On November 11, 1918, “World War I ended when Germany, bereft of manpower, supplies and food, signed an armistice agreement. The war’s tolls were at least 10 million dead, 6 million of them civilians, and 21 million wounded.”

How tragic and insane war is. The carnage, the killing, the maiming for life, the emotional trauma and scars, the grief of loved ones all because one man or a few men have an insatiable thirst for power with the grandiose dream of conquering and ruling the world or a significant part of it.

But thank God that when such men rise to power, that our young men and women rise up to defend the rest of us and are willing to sacrifice their life in order to save ours.

Today we remember all service men and women with much thanksgiving and grateful hearts. Where would so many of us be today had it not been for these dedicated young men and women?

As another has said so well:

“It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, from those of us who have the wonderful privilege of living in a free country, we thank you for the multiplied thousands of service men and woman who put their lives on the line and for those who gave their lives in order to save ours. And we thank you for the wonderful freedom that we have as a result. May we never take these blessings and privileges for granted. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 15:13.

<:))))><

Three Kinds of People

Leave a comment

“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 don’t know that anything is happening!

Australian swimmer, Shane Gould, who won three gold medals in the 1972 Olympics, has been 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 16 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 very few are gifted sufficiently to be able to win gold medals. 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.

We, too, can be among those who make things happen if we are well trained in our area of gifting and are adequately prepared for the task we want and feel called to do. We also need to have faith in our cause, take advantage of opportunities when they arise, 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 you have given to me. Help me always to use and invest these wisely for you and your Kingdom and in so doing be investing in eternity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. The Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 4:2, NIV).

<:))))><

Children Learn What They Live

Leave a comment

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”1

Change is rarely easy. In fact it can be very difficult to change the patterns learned in our developmental years. Solomon noted the importance of early training some 3,000 years ago. Dorothy Law Nolte explained it rather precisely in the following words:

If a child lives with criticism,
he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
he learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
he learns to find love in the world.2

It hardly needs saying that we need to be very loving in the way we bring up our children. But what if we, as adults, didn’t receive loving, wholesome training as a child ourselves? Can we change? Yes, if we truly want to and are willing to accept responsibility for doing what we need to do to change.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, knowing that my parents did the best they knew how, help me never to blame them for any problems I have, and please give me the desire to keep growing so I become a warm, loving, accepting adult/parent. And please lead me to the help I need to overcome the effects of any deficiencies in my childhood training. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Solomon (Proverbs 22:6).
2. Adapted from “Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Law Nolte. See www.actsweb.org/child_live_with.php

<:))))><

Unanswered Prayer

Leave a comment

“This is the confidence that we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”1

A friend told me about her minister whose five-year-old son told his father that he was praying for him. Excitedly his dad asked him, “And what did you ask God for?”

“Dear God,” I prayed, “I don’t want my dad to be a minister. Will you please make him the ice-cream man because he makes all children happy?”

We are amused by this child’s prayer but I wonder sometimes if God doesn’t laugh at some of my childish (not child-like) self-centered prayers. As someone else has said, God always answers prayer. Sometimes the answer is “Yes,” sometimes it’s “No,” sometimes it’s “Wait a while,” and sometimes it’s “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Like a loving father, God knows what is best for us and answers accordingly. Of one thing we can be sure, when we come to him through Jesus Christ our Lord with a sincere heart, God always hears and answers our prayers one way or another. One of the keys for getting prayers answered the way we request them is, as the Bible says, to pray in harmony with God’s will.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know your Word and always pray in harmony with your will and always trust that the answer you give is what is best for me and all others concerned. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John (1 John 5:14-15, NIV).

<:))))><

Hold Tight

Leave a comment

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, unto which you are called.”1

I checked the following story on snopes.com but it wasn’t listed, so I can’t confirm it either way. At any rate it makes an excellent parable. According to the story: “On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston in 1987, the pilot heard an unusual noise near the rear of the plane. Henry Dempsey turned the controls over to the co-pilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. The rear door had been improperly latched prior to take-off, and it flew open. Dempsey was instantly sucked out of the tiny jet.

“The co-pilot saw the red light that indicated an open door. He radioed the nearest airport requesting permission for an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and wanted a helicopter to search the area. After the plane landed, the ground crew found Dempsey holding on to a railing on the aircraft. Somehow he had caught the railing and held on for ten minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet, and then, when landing, he kept his head from hitting the runway, which was only 12 inches away. “

In today’s pressured world it is very easy to be “sucked into” all sorts of temptations—which, if we give in to them, could easily destroy us. So we need to hold on tenaciously to eternal values and the eternal life that God has given to all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the strength and courage to hold on to you, to my faith, and to eternal values no matter what trials and temptations may come my way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. The Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 6:12).

<:))))><

What We Project

Leave a comment

“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”1

On one occasion when I was in a particular group, one man constantly and bitterly complained how negatively other people treated him.

As kindly as I could I finally said to him, “You know, John, what we project is what we get back!”

I felt as though my words fell on “deaf, angry” ears!

The fact remains, if we constantly project negative vibes and express negative words, that is what we will receive in return. Also, if we constantly project feelings of anger and express angry words, anger responses is what we will receive in return.

On the other hand, if we constantly project loving and warm feelings and express kind, loving and encouraging words, that, too, is what we will receive in return.

Unless we are being persecuted because of our Christian faith, as a general rule what we consistently project is what we consistently get back. As Jesus also said, “We reap what we sow.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to realize and accept the fact that if I am constantly feeling put down, rejected or criticized, chances are (in most cases) it may just be because of the attitude that I am projecting. Help me see what my problem is and lead me to the help I need to change. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus (Luke 6:38, NIV).

<:))))><