Monthly Archives: November 2010

The Order of the Iron Cross

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“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”1

I have read how, “During his reign King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in trouble. Wars had been costly and in trying to rebuild the nation, he was seriously short of finances. He couldn’t disappoint his people, and to surrender to the enemy was not an option.

“After careful reflection, he decided to ask the women of Prussia to bring their jewelry of gold and silver to be melted down for their country. For each ornament received, he determined to exchange a decoration of bronze or iron as a symbol of his gratitude. Each decoration would be inscribed, ‘I GAVE GOLD FOR IRON, 1813.’”

Apparently, “The response was overwhelming. The women prized their gifts from the king more than their former jewelry. The reason why is clear, the decorations were proof that they had sacrificed for their king. It even became unfashionable to wear any other jewelry. And thus was established the ORDER OF THE IRON CROSS.”2

I wonder how much we who name the name of Christ and call ourselves Christ-ones (Christians) are willing to sacrifice for and give of our best to our king, King Jesus—and receive from him the ORDER OF THE WOODEN CROSS?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in light of all that you have done for me—in giving me the gift of life, pardon for all my sins, and the gift of eternal life—please give me a truly grateful and willing heart so that I will always give of my best for you in all that I am and do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: To receive God’s gift of forgiveness and his promise of eternal life read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Galatians 6:14 (NIV).

2. The Pastor’s Story File, April 2004, 3.

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Confessing the Right Sin

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“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”1

Some time ago I remember reading a simple but profound statement by Cecil Osborne. He said, “When we are hiding a deeper sin or fault, we tend to confess a lesser one all the more vigorously.”

A friend of mine, for example, had been trying to overcome his smoking addiction for 20 years without success. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t break the addictive habit.

When he shared his struggle with me, I simply asked, “Why do you need to smoke?”

He looked at me with a blank stare as if to say, “Are you crazy, what are you talking about? I don’t need to smoke.” He then mumbled a few incoherent sentences, turned around, and walked away. He died a few years later of cancer!

True, my friend’s smoking addiction was a problem, but it wasn’t the real problem. It was the fruit of a deeper root—the symptom of some unresolved issue he was either afraid or unwilling to examine. He was confessing the wrong sin/problem; that is, he was confessing just the symptom, not the deeper cause.

The same principle is true of all addictive behaviors and many of our negative and sinful actions. To overcome we need to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves, with at least one safe person who won’t judge or put us down, and with God. We need to admit and confess not only the symptoms but the causes behind them. We may need to ask God to give us the courage to face these causes and to lead us to the help, support, and recovery program we need to overcome them.

This is the kind of praying God loves to hear and answer. As his word says, he “is near to all who call on him in truth.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to admit all of my sins and failures, and to face the causes behind them, whether they be behavioral, physical, emotional or spiritual. And give me the courage to confess all of these to at least one trusted friend or counselor as well as to you. And please lead me to the help I need to overcome them. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

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Stand by Me

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“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [or through the darkest valley], I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”1

Kim Sherer writes: “One night while my young son, Ryan, was sleeping, a storm began brewing outside. After a loud clap of thunder, I heard him wake up so I headed toward his room to comfort him. He asked me to stay with him until he fell asleep. As I lay there I realized he hadn’t asked me to make the storm go away, but to stay with him. How many times, I wondered, have I asked God to take away the storms of life, when instead I need to ask him to stay with me and help me weather them more peacefully?”2

Good point Kim makes. As the hymn writer, Charles A. Tindley, put it so aptly:

When the storms of life are raging,

Stand by me (stand by me);

When the storms of life are raging,

Stand by me (stand by me);

When the world is tossing me

Like a ship upon the sea

Thou Who rulest wind and water,

Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of tribulation,

Stand by me (stand by me);

In the midst of tribulation,

Stand by me (stand by me);

When the hosts of hell assail,

And my strength begins to fail,

Thou Who never lost a battle,

Stand by me (stand by me).3

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your promise that no matter how dark the valley I have to walk through, you will always stand by me and never leave me or forsake me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 23:4 (NIV).

2. Kim Sherer. Cited on www.TFTD-online.com

3. Words and music at: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/t/standbym.htm

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Thanksgiving Day

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A word of thanks from Richard (Dick) and Joy Innes

On this Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.), Joy and I wish all subscribers a most gratifying and memorable day. There is so much we have to be thankful for, not only for God’s unending blessings, but also for the affirmation and encouragement we have received from so many of you.

Thank you for reading and for thinking about my writings. We also want to thank those of you who have taken the time to send in your comments and suggestions and finally, at this very challenging time of the year a very special word of thanks to all who have supported our work with donations and purchasing our books. You are the ones who make Daily Encounter available to more than 367,000 subscribers worldwide—every weekday of the year.

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“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night.”1

“Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her—she seemed so happy, and how, I wished I were so fair; When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet—the world is mine.

“And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, ‘It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find’; he turned and said, ‘Oh, thank you sir.’ And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, and the world is mine.

“Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, ‘Why don’t you join the others, dear?’ He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.

“With feet to take me where I’d go / with eyes to see the sunsets glow / with ears to hear what I would know / I am blessed indeed / The world is mine / oh, God, forgive me when I whine.”2

As most readers will realize, today in the USA is Thanksgiving Day…a day when friends and family all across this land will join together in a great day of feasting, but I cannot help but wonder how many of us will be truly thankful—I mean truly thankful to God for the abundant blessings he has given to those of us who live in free countries.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give to me a thankful heart—a heart to remember your loving kindness every morning and your faithfulness every night—and that your blessings are new every morning and your faithfulness is unto all generations. Grant that I will always lend a helping hand to others less fortunate than I. And above all else beside, I thank you with all my heart and soul that your gift of eternal life and salvation is available to ‘whosoever will may come.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 92:1-2 (NKJV).

2. Source Unknown.

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Amazing Grace

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“Is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems.”1

Today’s Daily Encounter is from the article, “Your Problems Can Become Opportunities,” by Edward Chinn.2

Do you know that the “Woody Woodpecker” cartoon started life as a problem for honeymooners?

Grace and Walter Lantz rented a rustic wooden cabin in the forest for their honeymoon. At the first dawn there, a woodpecker started its pounding on the roof. The newlyweds couldn’t sleep for the noise. With humor, they heard it day after day. By the time they returned from their honeymoon, they were inspired to create a cartoon character, “Woody Woodpecker.” Walter drew the pictures. Gracie became Woody’s voice. Years later, at their 50th wedding anniversary, Grace remembered the problem of the noisy woodpecker and said, “It was the best thing that ever happened to us.”

Your problem can also become an opportunity.

In 1859, a Brooklyn chemist traveled to Titusville, Pennsylvania, to watch the drilling for oil. He was Robert Chesebrough who watched as the oil drillers cursed a colorless oily residue that stuck to their drills. Though it was a problem that gummed up the works, the oil workers smeared this stuff on their cuts and burns. It helped to heal. Chesebrough took this oily residue back to Brooklyn. By 1870, he was manufacturing what he had developed from that oily problem. He called it Vaseline Petroleum Jelly.

A violent storm posed a problem for the captain of a slave ship. He was John Newton, born in London on July 24, 1725. After his mother died when he was seven, he joined his father at sea at age eleven. After his life went downhill, he became the captain of a slave ship. He transported slaves from Africa to America. On March 10, 1748, a storm frightened him so badly that he called out to God for mercy. The problem of the storm started a storm in his heart. He remembered his childhood faith. Finally that inner storm gave him the opportunity to give up the slave trade. At age 39, he became a priest of the Church of England. He wrote a hymn called “Amazing Grace” to tell how God’s love changed his life.

A problem gives your life a jolt and knocks you off your accustomed track. The jolt, however, can send you spinning off in a new and better direction. In this way, a problem can become an opportunity. A brother of Jesus of Nazareth, a man named James3 wrote, “Is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems.”4

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to see an opportunity in every problem, difficulty, failure and setback I experience, and with your help, turn it into a blessing for others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. James 1:2 (TLB)(NLT).

2. This article appeared in the Religion in Daily Life newspaper column by the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min. EdwardChinn@earthlink.net Rector, All Saints’ Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114 USA as seen on Clergy Mail List, clergy@pastornet.net.au.

3. Mark 6:3.

4. James 1:2 (TLB)(NLT).

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Absolute Power Part II

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“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.”1

It’s not only the influence of some prison guards whose power has corrupted them, but one cannot help but wonder about the power of the news media that daily influences the minds of multiplied millions of people—seeking to shape the minds of listeners according to their particular slant and agenda.

Here in the U.S., for example, while mostly ignoring all the good that has been done in places like Iraq and other places around the world, the TV news media thrive on reporting the number of deaths of our military personnel in Iraq and/or in Afghanistan. I’m not in any way implying that such deaths are not tragic. They certainly are. What I am talking about is truth and responsibility in reporting. These same news channels rarely mention the daily slaughter on our highways—43,220 deaths in one recent year—that was an average of 118 deaths every day!2

Furthermore, of these 43,200 deaths 17,401 were alcohol related! (By way of interest, not so long ago, while waiting to turn left at a stop light, I was slammed into by a car that was slammed into by a heavy pickup truck driven by a youth who caused a six-car pileup. I wonder if he had been drinking! I’m just fortunate that my injuries weren’t much worse. The accident caused $8000 damage to my vehicle.)

Nor does the news media mention the hundreds of babies who are being murdered every day throughout our nation, nor the merciless butchery of partial-birth abortion, nor the accelerating moral decline of our nation. Why aren’t these tragedies newsworthy? Is it because it wouldn’t be politically correct to report on these issues? Or is it because their TV station would lose listeners and therefore financial support?

Think too of the far-out-of-proportion power of some politicians who are adept at making decisions that they believe will keep them in power, rather than for the good of the country … and those who blame other politicians (or anyone else) for the problems that they themselves helped to create in the first place, or who refuse to call acts of terrorism for what they are? Instead, the war on terrorism has been called “Overseas Contingency Operation.”

Furthermore, let’s be realistic, the “overseas contingency operation” its not only a war against terrorism, it is a religious war caused by militant Muslims who are hell-bent on destroying and killing Americans, Westerners, Jews, Christians and all who oppose their fanatical, barbarous “interpretation” of their religion. If we don’t win the war against this barbaric “religiosity” the consequences will be unthinkable for our children and our children’s children. Will our politicians and the news media ever consider calling the “overseas contingency operation” for what it truly is—a war against religious terrorism? Not likely!

How tragic when we use words to twist the meaning of critical issues and in so doing deny their reality. This, too, shows the deceitfulness and hypocrisy of the human heart. Would we dare call poison by any other name? To do so would be murderous.

So wherein lies the answer to the dilemma we currently face? Is it, as Ed Ames asked about the national problems our country faced in the sixties, is it in the “stars, or in ourselves?” Not likely.

If we who claim to be Christians, whose faith is definitely not in the stars or in ourselves but in God and his Word, don’t give answers, who will? Godless politicians, the outspoken immoral minority, irresponsible news reporters, and militant religionists will give hopelessly false answers to lead us astray. Of this we can be certain.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help us in this day of militant religionists, outspoken morally irresponsible minorities, compromising church leaders, self-promoting politicians, to stand up and be counted for you. Help us to see the truth as you see it, to find ways to impact our society and help usher in a desperately needed spiritual awakening throughout our land. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 33:12; 16-19 (NIV).

2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

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Absolute Power Part I

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“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”1

A few short years ago we witnessed the devastating moral degeneracy of prison guards in Iraq in the pictures from the Abu Ghraib prison camp in Iraq. And while this tragic event doesn’t represent the vast majority of U.S. servicemen and women, it does graphically reveal the depravity of the human heart.

An even more frightening report comes from Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley who wrote, “In 1971, Dr. Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues conducted an experiment in the basement of Stanford’s psychology building. After creating a simulated prison, they randomly assigned twenty-four Stanford students to be either guards or prisoners.

“Within a few days, the students playing guards had become sadistic. They placed bags over the ‘prisoners’ heads. They forced them to strip naked and subjected them to humiliating sexual pranks.

“Students from one of America’s most prestigious schools descended into barbarism at an alarming speed. Zimbardo was forced to end the experiment less than a week after it began.

“As the nineteenth-century Christian statesman Lord Acton famously put it, power will corrupt.”2 What Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are very often bad men.” And being bad, or acting badly, is something we are all capable of being.

As God’s Word says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” How tragic that, as a nation, more and more, we not only ignore God’s Word, but do all in our power to get rid of it, along with God, from every avenue of public life. Indeed, we have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind. Unless we turn back to God and live in harmony with his ways, we will continue to see increased tragedies and an ever-increasing moral decay of our nation, and a further disintegration of the very foundation upon which this country was built.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, as a nation we have sinned grievously by turning from you and choosing to go our own sinful and selfish ways. Have mercy on us and send a great spiritual awakening before evil and terrorism get right out of hand—and let your work begin in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV).

2. Mark Earley, BreakPoint, Charles Colson Commentary #040510 www.breakpoint.org.

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The Healing Power of Touch

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“Then they brought little children to Him [Jesus], that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.’ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.”1

A Daily Encounter reader whom I will call Linda wrote: “As an unmarried incest survivor who is a Christian, I wondered if you might address the subject of ‘touch deprivation’ in an upcoming devotional. I find that, though I have had counseling and there has been tremendous growth and healing, I struggle desperately each day with being completely deprived of touch. I have been asking the Lord for many years now for someone to love me, so I can experience closeness, touch, and companionship. Would it be possible to address this issue?”

Many articles, both personal and scientific, all attest to the healing power of touch. Children who were deprived of sufficient loving touch often grow up to be somewhat cold and distant in relating to other people. Other children who were abused either physically or sexually can also have relational and emotional difficulties as adults. While they hunger for touch, touch can trigger their painful memories of past hurtful experiences and revive all those associated negative emotions.

As adults we still need the healing power of touch. If we don’t get this need met in healthy ways, we can become physically ill, emotionally starved, and/or try to get the need for touch met in unhealthy ways such as in harmful sexual activities that only add to one’s emotional deprivation and sense of loneliness.

So, how do people like Linda who is only one among thousands in this predicament get their needs for touch met?

First, people who have been hurt by harmful touch need to get into an effective recovery/therapy program to overcome their fear of touch and resolve the painful memories and emotions that are triggered by touch.

Second, rather than praying for a partner to love, pray that God will lead you to a healthy recovery program so you can be healed, for only healthy people find healthy love.

Third, a very effective way to get the need for touch met in a healthy way is through wholesome massage by a registered masseuse and/or masseur. This applies to both men and women. A half-hour massage can reduce stress, support your immune system, help you feel calmer, and meet your need for touch hunger. This is very non-threatening touch as there is nothing demanded back from you in return.

Fourth, if you are a woman, hug your sister, your mother, little children, and your friends. If you are a man (men need touch just as much as women), and don’t feel comfortable yet in hugging other men, start touching your brother or friend on the arm, or patting him on the back. In time you will learn to be comfortable with a good bear hug from other men.

Fifth, a great place to give and receive healthy touch and hugs is in a healthy church. In Paul’s day it was culturally acceptable (as it still is in some cultures) to greet one another with a holy kiss. Here in the West we, especially we men, don’t find this culturally acceptable. So, to be culturally adaptable, let’s put it this way, “Greet one another with a holy hug.”

Remember, Jesus held the children and blessed them. He also touched sick people when he healed them. His indeed was a healing touch. And healing touch is something we all need.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that your Son Jesus always gave people in need a healing touch. Help me to find the healing touch that I need and become a healing ‘toucher’ to others—always touching and hugging to give love and not for any ulterior motive. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Mark 10:13-14, 16 (NKJV).

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Learning from Pigeons

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“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”1

You may have read about an experiment where “pigeons were put in cages with one green and one red button. In one cage, if the birds pecked the green button they got food every time. In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to get enough food. In both cases, pecking the red button did nothing. Both sets of birds thrived, learning what they had to do to survive and ignoring the red button that yielded no food. But when the birds that were used to getting a reward every time were put in the cage that fed them only occasionally, they failed to adapt; they hit their heads against the cage and pecked wildly at everything in sight.”2

Birds and animals can be very smart and quickly learn to pursue activities that produce positive results while avoiding activities that don’t. Pity we humans aren’t always as smart. Too many of us invest our lives in empty, meaningless or even harmful activities and relationships, and have a way of continually hitting red buttons that always result in getting negative responses.

Others, who, like the pigeons that were used to getting rewarded all the time when put in the cage where they were rewarded only occasionally, couldn’t cope, so people who, when growing up, were overprotected, spoiled, or had parents that did far too much for them, have a difficult time adjusting to adult life and accepting personal responsibility. Also as adults, when we, other organizations, and/or the government do for others what they CAN and NEED to do for themselves, we keep them over-dependent and irresponsible.

As adults we need to eliminate (overcome) our own red buttons that trigger our unresolved issues from the past, and not purposely hit others’ red buttons that never result in obtaining what we need or want.

Furthermore, we need to learn through experience and hard work to accept personal responsibility for every area of our life. True, we were not responsible for our upbringing and early training, but as adults we are totally responsible for our recovery, our actions, our well-being, for who and what we become, and for every area of our life. To expect otherwise is self-defeating and ultimately self-destructive.

Most important of all is that we need to remind ourselves that we are not only responsible for ourselves and what we do, but we are also responsible before God and one day will be required to give an account of our life to him.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the gift of life and for all the blessings you have given so freely to me. Help me to see issues in my life that I need to resolve and overcome, to avoid unnecessarily hitting others’ red buttons, and help me to accept personal responsibility for every area of my life so that when I stand before you, I will hear your welcoming words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Hebrews 4:13 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson in Character Counts. www.charactercounts.org

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God’s Discipline

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“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”1

Billy Graham commented how, “When a ship’s carpenter needed timber to make a mast for a sailing vessel, he did not cut it in the valley, but up on the mountainside where the trees have been buffeted by the winds. These trees, he knew, were the strongest of all. Hardship is not our choice; but if we face it bravely, it can toughen the fiber of our souls.”

And that’s exactly why God disciplines us and allows us to go through trials. They are designed to strengthen us and help us to grow healthy and strong. And while “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful,” what we always need to remember is that “the Lord disciplines those he loves.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you love me as I am, but love me too much to leave me as I am. Thank you, too, that you allow trials to come into my life to help me grow, mature and become strong. Help me to accept your discipline and use it to fulfill your purpose for my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Hebrews 12:11 (NIV).

2. Hebrews 12:11,6 (NIV).

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