Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Shepherd’s Voice

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“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”1

A party of tourists was on its way to Palestine and their guide was describing some of the customs of the East.

He was explaining how in England, for example, a shepherd follows the sheep, but in the East the shepherd leads the way and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.

When the tourist group reached Palestine one of the first sights they saw was a flock of sheep not being led by the shepherd but being driven along by the man. The guide, being perplexed, stopped to talk to the shepherd.

“How is it that you are driving these sheep?” he asked. “I have always been told that the Eastern shepherd leads his sheep.”

“You are quite right, sir,” replied the man. “The shepherd does lead his sheep. But you see I’m not the shepherd. I’m the butcher.”2

With so many religious voices today vying for the hearts and minds of adherents, we need to be certain that we know Jesus, the true Shepherd, recognize his voice and follow him. Remember that there are many false prophets that are nothing but “butchers” in sheep’s clothing.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to know for certain that I am committed to Jesus, the true Shepherd. Help me never to stray from him, always know his voice, and follow him. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 10:27 (KJV).

2. Church of God Evangel.

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Lost and Found

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“When the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King [Jesus] will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father [God]; take your inheritance, the kingdom [of Heaven] prepared for you since the creation of the world.’”1

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”2

Years ago, soon after my first son was born, my mother came to help with the new baby. On one occasion I left her to “baby-sit” with him in a beautiful downtown park in Adelaide, South Australia (where we were living at the time), while I did some shopping.

When I returned, mother and baby were missing. I panicked! My heart pounded. Minutes seemed like hours. I asked strangers passing by if they had seen an older woman with a baby. I searched for a policeman. I prayed furiously.

Imagine the relief when I found them. Actually, the problem was mine. I went back to the wrong part of the park!

I’ve read about others, too, who lost a child and how they panicked, and never rested until their child was found. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for parents whose child is lost—and never found. It would be unthinkable—a never-ending nightmare.

Would to God that we Christians were just as concerned about people who don’t know the Savior and are lost without hope for all eternity.

As Jesus said in today’s Bible passage, he is coming again and will be taking his true followers to be with him forever in Heaven. What a wonderful hope for his true followers. But think of the tragedy of those who are still lost and don’t know that their Heavenly Father is looking for them.

Here in ACTS International we are totally committed to telling people all around the world about Jesus’ message of salvation—people who without Christ will be lost for all eternity. Will you please help us to do this? You can do so at http://actscom.com and by becoming a People Power for Jesus Partner. For more information go to: www.actsweb.org/people_power/about_people_power.php

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be as concerned about people who are spiritually lost as I would be if my own child were lost. I’m available and ask that you use me to be ‘as Christ’ to every life I touch today, and please use me to help bring the lost to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus in Matthew 25:31-34(NIV).

2. Matthew 25:41 (NIV).

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The Will to Get Well

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“One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’”1

It may be hard to understand, but according to statistics that I have read from both a Christian and a secular standpoint, many people who have either a physical or emotional problem actually don’t want to get well!

“That’s absurd,” I can almost hear some readers saying. “How could a sick person not want to get well?”

Of all those who go to see a physician or a counselor with a problem, approximately 25 percent don’t want to get well. They want people’s sympathy, they want to be taken care of, and some even want to die.

Another 50 percent want the counselor or doctor to fix or heal them. As one doctor said, “Half of my patients would rather I operate on their body than they operate on their lifestyle!”

And only one in four actually accepts responsibility for his/her well-being and does everything he/she can to follow the doctor or counselor’s guidance. These are the ones who are committed to getting well. They are the ones who want to get well—and are most likely to do so!

Perhaps this is why Jesus said words like, “Do you want to get well?” “Do you want to be made whole?” “What do you want me to do for you?”

God will bend the heavens to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. That’s why he sent Jesus to die for our sins. But he won’t do anything for us that we can and need to do for ourselves—otherwise he would be keeping us over-dependent and immature. But as long as we want what is right for us, God will always do his part when we do our part.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the want to be made whole, the want to get well, the want to be what you want me to be, and the want to do what you want me to do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

P.S. What do you “want” Jesus to do for you?

1. John 5:5-6 (NIV).

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Slow Me Down, Lord

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“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”1

Or as someone else has said, “Come apart and rest a while before you come apart!”

I remember years ago having the following saying on a card on my desk, “Beware of the barrenness of a busy life!” I think in our day and age so many of us struggle with being too busy. I certainly do. It is a constant battle.

Today’s suggested prayer is in the words of Wilfred Arlan Peterson:

Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace.

Give me, amidst the day’s confusion

the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tension of my nerves and muscles

with the soothing music of singing streams

that live in my memory.

Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations….

slowing down to look at a flower,

to chat with a friend,

to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me

of the fable of the hare and the tortoise;

that the race is not always to the swift;

that there is more to life than measuring its speed.

Let me look up at the branches of the towering oak

and know that … it grew slowly … and well.

Inspire me

to send my own roots down deep…

into the soil of life’s endearing values…

That I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

Slow me down, Lord.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 6:31 (NIV).

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You Can’t Run on Empty

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“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”1

An amusing thing happened on one occasion in the renowned Rose Parade in Pasadena in Southern California. One beautifully decorated float suddenly came to a standstill. It ran out of fuel!

The irony was that this float was entered by and represented the Standard Oil Company—one of the large fuel companies of North America. With all their vast oil and gasoline (petrol) resources, they failed to make sure their own vehicle was running on full.

I wonder how often we as Christians, with all the vast resources of God and heaven at our disposal, run on an empty love, joy, and peace tank when, if we truly trusted God and followed his instructions for getting these needs met, we could be certain to keep “topped up.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know the peace that only you can give and grant that my love cup will be filled to overflowing and splash over onto every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:13-14 (NIV).

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Are You God’s Mother?

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“But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works with us, we become more and more like him.”1

Curtis and Paul Jones wrote how, on a bitterly cold day in a western city, a small boy stood shivering on a steel grate in the sidewalk. He was very poorly dressed and obviously a child of the street. A well-dressed woman passerby noticed the lad and began to talk to him. Sensing his need, she took him to a clothing store and had him completely outfitted suitable for the weather—including cap, scarf, and gloves.

The lad was so grateful he couldn’t thank her enough. As they parted he turned back to ask, “Are you God’s mother?”

Surprised, the woman replied, “Oh, no! I’m just a child of God.”

Whereupon the smiling lad remarked, “I knew you were related.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to reflect your love so that the beauty of Jesus will be seen in me—always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)(NLT).

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Lessons from the Redwood Forest

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“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”1

Giant Sequoia trees, also known as redwoods, are the biggest living things on Earth. Heights of 300 feet and diameters of 30 feet are not uncommon. They can range in age from 2,000 to 3,000 years—some of which were living when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee. The largest specimen, the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park, is 275 feet tall (84 m), has a diameter of 36.4 feet (11.1 m) at the base, and has been estimated to weigh 2500 metric tons. The Pacific coast redwoods in southern Oregon and northern California range in height from 100 to 367 feet (30 to 112 m)—a size approached only by the eucalyptus of Australia.

What is fascinating about these majestic redwood trees that reach their leafy arms heavenward is that they stand for hundreds of years surviving raging fires, violent storms, and fierce winds. I have also read that they have a comparatively shallow root system which makes their survival even more amazing. So how do they survive? They survive because they live in groves with their root systems entangled with numerous other trees. In other words they support each other. They couldn’t survive alone.

Neither can we. We need each other. We were never meant to go it alone. We need the support of one another to make it. One of the major purposes of the Christian church is for the very purpose of encouraging and supporting one another. If you don’t belong to such a church, I urge you to do all you can to find one.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have designed the church, not only to help us grow spiritually, but also to support us emotionally and socially. Help me to find and be a part of such a church—one that is true to your Word and fulfills your divine purpose in the life of its members. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

P.S. See the article: “What a Good Church Can Do for You” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/living/church1.htm.

1. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV).

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O Bee, Where Is Your Sting?

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“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”1

A family on vacation were driving along in their car, windows rolled down, enjoying the cool breeze of the warm, summer’s day. All of a sudden a bee darted in the window and started buzzing around inside the car. A little girl, highly allergic to bee stings, cringed in the back seat. If she were stung, she could be in serious trouble.

“Oh, Daddy,” she screeched in terror, “It’s a bee! It’s going to sting me!”

The father pulled the car over to a stop, and reached back to try to catch the bee. Buzzing towards him, the bee bumped against the front windscreen where the father trapped it in his fist. Holding it in his closed hand, the father waited for the inevitable sting. In pain from the sting, the father let go of the bee.

With the bee loose in the car again the little girl panicked. “Daddy, it’s going to sting me!” The father gently said, “No, honey, he’s not going to sting you now. Look at my hand.” He showed her the bee’s stinger in his hand.”2

And that’s exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took the sting of death for us … as the songwriter put it, “You will know him by the nail prints in his hands.” And as the Bible says, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when Jesus was nailed to the cross in my place to die for my sins, he took the sting out of death and gave us victory over it for all eternity. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s gift of forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, be sure to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. 1 Corinthians 15:55 (NIV).

2. Author unknown. Cited in Encounter magazine (Australian edition), Jan/Feb 2004.

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Letting Go of the Past

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The Apostle Paul said, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”1

At some time every one of us will experience painful circumstances of one kind or another. The important issue is not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens. Painful experiences can make us bitter or better. The choice is up to each one of us. Like the Apostle Paul we need to learn how to let go of what lies behind so we, too, can “press on” to achieve God’s goal for our life.

To do this requires the following steps on our part:

Quit playing the blame-game. One lady I was working with in a group setting complained bitterly saying, “I can’t understand why God gave me such a terrible husband.” “Who chose him?” I asked. “God did,” she replied. She had deceived herself into believing that fantasy. God will guide us if we genuinely seek his direction, but he won’t make our decisions for us. As adults we are totally responsible for every decision and choice we make. As long as we play the blame-game, we can never get on with our life. We stay stuck where we are and can do so for years.

Overcome denial. Fred (not his real name), has been divorced for close to twenty years. His former wife re-married soon after their divorce. But Fred is still living in the delusion that his former wife will return to him. He is refusing to let go of the past, and is stuck there. Denial is deadly if we ever hope to fully live and fully love.

Forgive to be free. No matter how badly we feel we have been hurt, failing to forgive keeps us bound by the past as we are unconsciously allowing bitter memories of past hurts to control our present life. As another has said, “Failing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Resolve supercharged negative emotions. Regardless of the reason, whenever we feel let down, rejected, or even abused, we have hurt and angry feelings. This is normal. To nurse these negative emotions is damaging to all present and future close relationships and meaningful living. Until we resolve these negative emotions, it is impossible to forgive.

Denying, suppressing, and/or repressing supercharged negative emotions is also destructive of physical, emotional, and spiritual health. No wonder God’s Word advises: “So get rid of your feelings of hatred [unresolved anger]. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty … deception, envy and fraud.”2 Stuffing negative emotions is not getting rid of them.3

As we follow these steps for letting go, we are freed to forget what lies behind and move onward and upward to achieve our God-given goals and life-purpose.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your Word with practical advice for healthy relationships and meaningful living. Help me to take responsibility for my responses to all situations, never play the blame-game, be free from denial and forgive everyone who has every hurt me so that I can let go of and put behind me all hurts and failures from the past, and ‘press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 3:13-14 (NASB).

2. 1 Peter 2:1, 3 (TLB)(NLT).

3. For further help in dealing with negative emotions read “Dare to Be Honest” at: http://tinyurl.com/dare-to-be-honest

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Your Life Purpose

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The Apostle Paul said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”1

“Stephen Covey once said, ‘Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building.’ Many people work hard to achieve goals that they think they want only to find, at the end of the day, they get no joy or satisfaction from their accomplishments. They ask, ‘Is this all there is?’ This occurs when the outer accomplishment is not in harmony with your inner values. Don’t let this happen to you.“2

Time and again I have asked classes I have taught, “How many of you believe that God has a purpose for your life?” Most of the hands are raised but then, when I ask them to spell out their God-given life purpose, very few have any idea what it is. This reminds me of an old ditty I heard as a teenager that said, “Blessed be he who aimeth at nothing for he shall surely hit it.”

I don’t know about you but when I stand face to face before God and have to give an account of my life I don’t want to go into heaven empty-handed.3

God does have a divine purpose for your life. Make sure that you know what it is and that you are, with God’s help, fulfilling it. God’s purpose for you will have to do with discovering, developing, and serving God by using the natural and spiritual gifts God has already given to you. And remember that we serve God by serving people. Also make sure that your life-purpose is in harmony with God’s will so that your ladder isn’t leaning against the wrong wall.

I have written out and/or stated my life-purpose probably thousands of times. I have done this pretty much daily for many years and plan on doing so for all the days of my life. Repetition with feeling helps program your life purpose into your unconscious mind and belief system. This helps to operate on automatic pilot. I encourage you to write out your God-given life purpose and repeat it at the beginning of every day as part of your daily devotions.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have a divine purpose for my life. Please help me to discover what it is and to get excellent training so that I can do my utmost to fulfill your purpose for my life and, in so doing, bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 3:14 (NIV).

2. Brian Tracy, http://www.briantracy.com.

3. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 (NIV).

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