Monthly Archives: July 2008

Life Is in the Blood

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Old Testament Scripture lesson: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”1 New Testament Scripture lesson: “And he [Jesus] took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’”2

According to Douglas Starr, “By the end of the Second World War, millions of servicemen would owe their lives to the new science—and industry—of blood and blood products. Just a few years earlier, none of this would have been imaginable. Had it not been for a nationwide mobilization of the medical, scientific and military communities at the start of the Second World War, such large-scale emergency transfusions would not have been possible.

“A key figure in the effort was a Harvard biochemist named Edwin Cohn. From 1940 till the end of the war, Cohn headed a project to deconstruct blood—to break it down into its most basic components to find those most useful for the battlefield. His work turned blood from a bodily fluid into a national commodity and launched an entire branch of the pharmaceutical industry.

“In 1953, at the age of 61, Edwin Cohn suffered a massive stroke and died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Shortly after the war, he had given away the patent rights to the process he developed. Blood, he thought, should be used for the good of all humanity. He never made a dime out of fractionation.”3

In Old Testament times God declared to the ancient Israelites that “the life is in the blood.” And when Jesus shed his blood on the cross at Calvary, he was pouring out his life for the remission (forgiveness) of your sins and mine. And he did this freely—without charge of any kind whatsoever. The wonderful news is that because Jesus lived a sinless life, death could not hold him in the grave. Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, we celebrated Christ’s resurrection and now, because he lives, all who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and received God’s forgiveness will also rise again and live forever with the Lord.

“What a day, Glorious day that will be!”

If you have never accepted God’s forgiveness, you can do that today by praying a simple prayer such as the following: “Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon and gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you genuinely prayed this prayer, please let us know by going to http://tinyurl.com/pgntm and we will send you without charge additional helpful articles to help you in your spiritual growth. (Note: We have a strict privacy policy and will not share your information with anyone.)

1. Leviticus 17:11 (NASB).
2. Matthew 26:27-28 (KJV).
3. Again and again in World War II, blood made the difference, by Douglas Starr, Smithsonian, March 1995, pp. 125-138.

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Amazing Opportunity Lost

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“Then [King] Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’ Paul replied, ‘Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.’”1

Governor Nash stepped out of his office and, for a moment, out of his role as Governor of Ohio. He tucked his large, black Bible under his arm and made his way down the hallway of the State Penitentiary, in Columbus, Ohio. As a Christian, his heart burned with desire to share Christ with a certain young man waiting on “death row.” Guilty of first-degree murder of his girlfriend, the condemned one sat in his cell, just hours away from his appointment with the electric chair. Upon seeing the elderly man with a dark suit and Bible under his arm, he thought him to be a minister or the prison chaplain. His anger boiled over and he cursed as he sent the man away. A guard standing nearby could hardly believe his eyes. “You fool,” he said, “don’t you know who that was?”

“A preacher, I guess,” was the reply. “No, that was the Governor, the only one who could set you free, and you sent him away.” The young man died a few hours later, guilty not only of murder, but of sending away his only hope for freedom and life.2

You and I may never have committed any major crime, but in God’s sight we are all guilty sinners facing God’s judgment which is eternal separation from God in the place the Bible calls hell—whatever and wherever that may be. Because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for all your sins and mine, he is the only one who can give us the hope of a full and free pardon with God’s gift of eternal life in heaven forever. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ’s pardon, whatever you do don’t turn him away today and in so doing fail to accept his offer of a full and free pardon.

In the words of William Shakespeare: “There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries.”

NOTE: To accept God’s Invitation for a full and free pardon go to: http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for giving your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the just penalty for all my sins. Please help me to be sure that I have accepted your free pardon and am a true Christian. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Acts 26:28-29 (NIV).
2. Source: Roger A. Parsons, Light From The Word, Spring 1992. Cited on http://net153.com/illustrations.

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The Supreme Sacrifice

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“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1

“Leslie Weatherhead, in his book, Key Next Door, told about a benevolent ruler named Goho who, centuries ago, lived on the island of Taiwan. One ritual he desperately wanted stopped was the ancient custom of offering humans for sacrifices. He wanted them to substitute an ox or a pig for their annual offering.

For many years he succeeded. However, after one extremely poor harvest the tribal leaders complained that the animal sacrifices weren’t working and they needed a human sacrifice to appease the gods whom they believed to be angry at them.

Unfortunately, Goho failed to convince his tribe of the error of their way and finally gave in to them. He said. “Go into the forest tomorrow morning. There you will find a victim tied to a tree. He will be wearing a red robe of sacrifice and a red cloth over his face and head. Strike! For this is your next victim.”

The following morning the men went to the forest and found the victim just as Goho said. In a crazed frenzy they rushed in and decapitated him. When they uncovered his head they realized what they had done. They had killed Goho, their leader!

According to the story, Taiwan has never again had a human sacrifice. Goho accomplished through his death what his teaching failed to do.2

And on this day some 2000 years ago Jesus’ death on the cross at Calvary accomplished what all of man’s own efforts could never do. He died to pay the penalty for your sins and mine so we could be fully forgiven and given the gift of eternal life. If you have never accepted God’s full and free pardon, you can do that right now by praying the following prayer:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please let us know by clicking on www.actsweb.org/decision.php and we will send you the web address for a free PDF copy of “How to Grow” to help you in your Christian life, plus the web site for additional helpful articles—all without charge.

For further help be sure to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Romans 5:7-8 (NKJV).
2. From the “Supreme Sacrifice” at http://tinyurl.com/38h6qn

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God So Loved

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“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”1

In a tribe of Indians, or so the story goes, someone was stealing chickens. The Chief declared that, if caught, the offender would receive 10 lashes.

When the stealing continued, he raised it to 20 lashes. Still the chickens methodically disappeared. In anger the Chief raised the sentence to 100 lashes.

The thief was finally caught, but the Chief faced a terrible dilemma. The thief was his OWN mother! When the day of penalty came, the whole tribe gathered. Would the Chief’s love override his justice? The crowd gasped when he ordered his mother to be tied to the whipping post.

The Chief removed his shirt, revealing his powerful stature, and took the whip in hand. But instead of raising it to strike the first blow, he handed it to a strong, young brave standing at his side. Slowly the Chief walked over to his mother and wrapped his massive arms around her in an engulfing embrace. Then he ordered the brave to give him the 100 lashes.

That’s what JESUS did for you and me. In love he became our substitute and died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. He overcame our inability to save ourselves by paying the price for our sins. His death bridged the gulf between God and man and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to be restored to fellowship with him through faith in Christ and in his atoning death for us.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear Jesus/God, how I thank you for loving me so much that you gave your life to die on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty for every sin I have ever committed, for your full and free pardon, and for the gift of eternal life for all who accept you as their personal Savior. For this I will be eternally grateful. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: To help you to be sure you have accepted God’s forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, click on “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. John 3:16 (NASB).
2. Contributed by Alexandra Perros from Holland.

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Carpe Diem—Seize the Day

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If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Be sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow—perhaps they all will.”1

Because Daily Encounter has subscribers from around the world, I receive all sorts of requests from people the world over. Every now and then someone wants me to help them come to America to get an education. The best help I can give them is to share how I did it.

In more youthful days—much more youthful—I had a very definite sense of God’s call to Christian work. I also had a strong desire to come to America (the U.S.) to study and get prepared for whatever it was God was calling me to do. I was not smart enough to know that my family was poor, but I did know that there wasn’t any way they could help me. I didn’t have any money either. But I had a will to work. I didn’t ask God to give me the money I needed to get started, but what I did ask God for was to give me the work so I could earn the funds I needed. Wow, the work poured in and I was able to earn enough to pay for my fares and for my first semester at college in the U.S.

In the summer when in Chicago, I drove a CTA city passenger bus in the morning and evening rush hour shifts, painted houses in between these shifts, and at night worked as a janitor in a very large church. I worked seven days a week. I did all sorts of other work (some very menial), too, during the school year. It was never easy and I often had to take any kind of work I could get. But God provided the way and I made it through college and grad school.

How true is the old saying, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

Furthermore, it is my personal conviction that if anything is God’s will, there’s always a way to do it. And faith says, “with God’s help I will ‘Carpe Diem’—seize the day and find the way!”

Even today, many years later, I am working a second job part time in order to support myself and keep ACTS gospel ministry operating. But as the Apostle Paul said, “And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry [of telling his Good News to others], we never give up.”2

Is there something you have wanted to do for a long time but have never gotten around to doing? Do you have a sense that God is calling or wanting you to do something but you feel it is impossible right now to do? The best thing to do is just begin … no matter in how small a way. When I wanted to go to grad school for further training for my work, I went to the grad school administration office and told them that I was very interested in their course and wanted to take it, but it was impossible because I had a very sick wife, two young children, a full time ministry and was hopelessly busy, so I’d enroll anyhow. And I did—and completed the course over a five-year period—one day at a time.

Ivan Turgenev said, “If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.” Another has said, “Beginning is half done.” And as God’s Word says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Be sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow—perhaps they all will.”3

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to discover your plan and purpose for my life and show me how I can be a part of what you are doing in the world today. No matter what it is, give me insight to know what it is and the courage to take the very first step today towards fulfilling this purpose. And thank you for the wonderful privilege of being a part of your plan. Thank you, too, for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB-NLT).
2. 2 Corinthians 4:1 (TLB-NLT).
3. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB-NLT).

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Preparation

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“Prepare to meet your God…”1

I have read how “in 1976, Indiana University’s basketball team won the NCAA National Championship, led by Bobby Knight. A short time later, Coach Knight was interviewed on the television show 60 Minutes. The commentator asked him, ‘Why is it, Bobby, that your basketball teams at Indiana are always so successful? Is it the will to succeed?’

“‘The will to succeed is important,’ replied Bobby Knight, ‘but I’ll tell you what’s more important, it’s the will to prepare. It’s the will to go out there EVERY day, training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills!’

“Whether we are talking about sports, or education or science or business or any worthwhile endeavor in life, success goes to the person who has the will to prepare.”

One thing I sought to teach my sons when they were growing up is that they can pretty much do anything they want to do with their life providing they are willing to prepare well enough and work hard enough. Unfortunately, this principle may not be true in some countries, but it was and still is where we live.

And never is this principle more applicable—no matter where we live—when it comes to being prepared for life after death. This is because “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”2 How tragic it would be to go through life without preparing for eternity, when we have the opportunity today to receive Jesus as our Savior and accept God’s full and free pardon for all our sin and, in so doing, receive God’s gift of salvation and eternal life.

So whatever you do, don’t leave earth without doing this! Remember, too, that “opportunity comes to pass—not to pause.” And as God has said in his word, the Bible, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”3

NOTE: For further 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 for your Word, the Bible, that shows how to prepare for eternity. And thank you for providing your great salvation by giving your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all of my sins. Help me to know for certain that my sins are forgiven and that I am prepared for eternity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Amos 4:12 (NKJV).
2. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).
3. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV).

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Trust, Part II

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“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”1

Yesterday we talked about fears that cause us to lack trust. Today I want to share how I faced and overcame my deeply buried fear (terror) and learned to trust and love again. (To read yesterday’s Daily Encounter, go to www.actsweb.org and click on Encounter Archives in the left column). Today we want to discuss how to overcome fear/s and learn how to trust.

First, I acknowledged the fact that my fear was my problem. Had I blamed anyone else for it, I would have lost the greatest human love I’ve ever known.

Second, I was determined that, with God’s help, I wouldn’t allow my fear to control me. And, by the way, if we don’t acknowledge our fear and “own” it, it will control us one way or another—usually unconsciously, such as being very angry and defensive when we are afraid, setting ourselves up to fail, looking for love in the wrong places, and avoiding many good opportunities, etc., etc.

Third, I asked God to help me get to the root cause/s of my fear and lead me to the help I needed to overcome it. Every day I committed and trusted my life and way to God, and I often quoted the psalm of David who, when King Saul was hunting him down to kill him, said, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Fourth, I shared my struggles with my closest friends whom I knew wouldn’t tell me to just “get over it” or tell me that I wasn’t trusting God or offer various other bits of over-simplistic, insensitive and useless, unsolicited advice.

Fifth, I got into two years of very intensive counseling with in-depth therapy. It wasn’t easy (in fact it was very challenging), but with God’s help, the professional counseling, and the loving support of understanding friends, I made it just fine.

Because I never learned to trust as a child, I had to learn it as an adult. As I stepped out of my comfort zone, admitted my problem to God, to supporting friends, and a helpful counselor, and found that they loved and accepted me anyhow, little by little I learned to trust and love.

Fears are real. I know. The apostle Paul did too, otherwise why would God have sent an angel to him when he was in prison to tell him to “fear not?” He knew he wasn’t going to get out alive and was undoubtedly scared to death even though he was also trusting God.

According to one Bible scholar, there are 350 “fear nots” in the Bible—one for every day of the year. Obviously God understands our struggle with fear and lack of trust.

I think it was General George Washington who said to his soldiers when they had to cross the Potomac River with their rifles and battle gear in hand, “Trust God but keep your powder dry!” In other words, acknowledge and own your fears. Trust God and accept responsibility and seek the help you need to overcome them. The only people that God or anyone else can help are those who admit and say, “I have a problem. I need help.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you understand me and my fears (and all my weaknesses). Please give me the courage to see and admit my fears, and lead me to the help I need to overcome them so that I can learn to trust and love again. And in the words of another, ‘Oh God, don’t let me die without having fully lived and fully loved.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 118:6 (NIV).

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Trust, Part I

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“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 [or direct your paths].”1

A Daily Encounter reader asks, “Will you please write a daily on trust?”

Lack of trust is caused by fear. And fear comes in many shapes and sizes. Some fears are healthy. Others are crippling. We rightly fear driving through a red traffic light or driving down the freeway—the wrong way. Major fears and seemingly unfounded ones almost always have their roots in a past fearful experience.

I used to be terrified of public speaking and this, according to what I have read, is a common fear. I was scared to death that when I got up to speak, I’d run out of things to say and make a fool of myself. This was heightened because of my insecurity. In younger days it took me several years to get up enough courage to ask for a date because I was afraid of rejection—another common fear.

An even bigger fear for me was being afraid to love. “How could this be?” you ask. “How could anyone be afraid of the very thing we all need the most?”

The love I was afraid of was not that of friends, but the love between a man and a woman. I was usually attracted to gals who weren’t interested in me (romantically that is). This kept me safe. And as long as I was just a good friend with the woman who is now my wife, I was fine and felt safe. But once Joy started loving me, I freaked out—big time! I panicked a blue streak and wanted to run for my life.

Fortunately I knew it was my problem. But had I not thought so highly of Joy, I would have run from love—again. I also knew that if I didn’t get help to overcome my fear, I could spend the rest of my life running from love. It took me a long time to see this.

My fear of love and inability to trust had deep roots in early childhood. I grew up in a very dysfunctional home. I had an absentee father (emotionally speaking) and never felt that he loved me. My mother set me up to be the “little husband” in the family and I felt over-leaned on and smothered. And I also had an aunt that killed her own baby and apparently attempted to kill, or at least hurt, me when I was a baby. (She committed suicide.) I also lost a little sister to whom I was very much attached. She died when I was only five. So in my childish mind I had come to believe that if you love me, you will leave me, reject me, smother me, or you may even try to kill me.

This deeply buried fear I brought unconsciously into my adult life and spent most of my life running from love. It was this fear that got triggered when Joy started loving me. (By way of interest, some years ago a psychological test showed that I had a buried terror. At the time, I had no idea what it was.)

Many adults who were abused, abandoned, neglected, or felt rejected in childhood also struggle with similar or related debilitating fears.

So you ask, “How did I overcome? How did I learn to trust?”

To be continued…

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, ‘I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,’ and I thank you that no one understands me like you do. Please help me to understand myself and the causes behind some of the irrational things I sometimes do. Help me to admit and face all of my fears and bring them to you for your healing, and guide me to the help I need to overcome them. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV).

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Joy in the Morning … After the Mourning

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“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”1

Letters such as the following are par for the course in the work that I do:

“My fiancée called off our wedding. How can I fill the hollow ache inside me?”

“My wife left me for another man. How can I even begin to think about the future?”

“After 30 years together, my husband has died. What meaning is there in life for me now?”

True, it’s easy to believe the principle in today’s Bible verse when we don’t need it! But for heart-broken people it can seem that “joy in the morning” is a far way off.

The reality is that disappointment, heartache, grief, and sorrow come to all of us at some time or another. Sooner or later we are all going to lose an opportunity, our job, our investment portfolio, or a loved one.

And, as the poet said:

“When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
And the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and debts are high,
You have to smile but you want to cry.”

It takes time to work through and resolve our grief (and we need supporting friends to help us do this). But when we do, we can come out a more understanding and caring person … and better able to support others who are going through sad times. And, in time, joy in the morning will replace our mourning!

For whatever encouragement it may be, try to remember that no matter how disappointed you are feeling or how much you are hurting right now, know that every heartache and loss has within it the seeds of opportunity. Hidden within each disappointment is a pearl of great price, which, when found, will 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 and I can do the same. Trust him and choose friends who will empower you to do so.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in every disappointment, heartache, sorrow, and trial I experience, help me to always keep trusting my life to you and, in the process, will you please make something beautiful out of my life. Please do this for your glory, and thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 30:5 (NKJV).

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Praying the Right Prayer

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“You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”1

One reason we don’t get some prayers answered is because we are praying the wrong prayer. Not necessarily because of a wrong motive, but because we focus our prayer on the symptom and not on the cause of the problem or illness.

There’s a well-known hymn that says, “O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We could also sing, “O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not pray the right prayer.”

For example, if I have a stomach ulcer or a headache, I tend to ask God to heal my ulcer or my headache. This is what I mean by focusing our prayer on the symptom. While some ulcers have a biological cause, some are caused not by what I eat but by what is eating me, and then what I eat aggravates the problem. I’ve never had an ulcer and rarely have a headache, but when I do have a headache, it’s usually because I am either mad about something or am under a lot of stress.

If I am going to ask God for healing, I need to admit not only the symptom, but also ask him to give me the insight to see, and the courage to face, anything in my life that is causing my illness, and then ask him for the help to resolve it.

It is unrealistic to ask God to heal my symptoms if I fail to face and deal with the causes. If he did, he would be irresponsible. It is possible, however, to exchange one symptom for another because if we don’t deal with the cause of our problem, in time it will come out another way—probably a worse way.

I recall hearing one man claim that the moment he became a Christian, God delivered him from his alcoholism. He may have quit his drinking but it was rather obvious that he was now (or still) a rage-aholic, which quite possibly was a cause behind his alcoholism.

This principle applies not only to physical ills but to many other problems as well. I learned this lesson the hard way. After many years trying to resolve a frustrating situation I was in, I begged God to give me the courage to face the truth of what I was contributing to the problem. Within two weeks I saw what an enabler I had been for so long. Once I saw the truth, I knew exactly what I needed to do, which in the doing resolved my part of the problem.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, with every problem, illness, conflict, and challenge I face, help me to pray the right prayer and see any cause behind my sickness or problem and what I am contributing to my situation. Help me to resolve whatever cause there might be so that I will clear the way for your deliverance, healing, and freedom. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 4:2-3 (NIV).

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