Monthly Archives: December 2010

Resolution or Repetition

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“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”1

For a long time we had a crazy bird that kept smashing into our kitchen window, obviously trying to reach its reflection. I kept trying to outsmart it, but it kept coming back for more of the same kind of treatment. I had the same thing happening at my last home.

I have also read how, “If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be a prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

“A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.”2

Some, perhaps many, people are entrapped in hopeless situations because they are not looking for or seeing the way out of their predicament. I’ve been there myself in days past until I wised up. In my work I see people making the same mistakes over and over, failing to realize that what we don’t resolve, we are destined to repeat . . . repeat . . . repeat. As the saying goes, “If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we always got, and we’ll keep feeling what we’ve always felt.”

The beginning point for finding the way out of any predicament is always to look up—to look to God and pray the right prayer. That is, ask God to show you the truth of what you are contributing to any negative situation you may be in, to show you what you need to do to resolve it, and to help you to find the help/counsel you need to overcome.

Today is the end of the year 2010. Resolve for the New Year to no longer allow your past to control you, but, with God’s help, commit yourself to becoming the person God has envisioned for you to be.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me always to see what I am contributing to any adverse situation I happen to find myself in, and please give me the wisdom to seek wise counsel, and the good sense to do what I need to do to resolve my problem. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 12:15 (NIV).

2. From PLANETNEWS broadcast. Cited on Sermon_Fodder@yahoogroups.com.

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A Sermon Walking

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“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”1

In 1953 reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station waiting to meet the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

He was a big man, well over six feet tall, with bushy hair and a large mustache.

Reporters were excited to see him and expressed what an honor it was to meet him. Cameras were flashing, compliments were being expressed when, looking beyond the adulation, the visitor saw an elderly black woman struggling to carry her two large suitcases.

“Excuse me,” he said as he went to the aid of this woman. Picking up her cases, he escorted her to a bus and then apologized to the reporters for keeping them waiting.

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary-doctor who had invested his life helping poor and sick people in Africa.

A member of the reception committee remarked to one of the reporters, “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.” The measure of any man or woman is not their name, nor their fame, nor what they say, but what they do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a doer of your Word and not just a hearer always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:22 (NKJV).

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Don’t Let Your Past Determine Your Future

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“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”1

In his book, Confidence, Alan Loy McGinnis talks about a famous study entitled, “Cradles of Eminence” written by Victor and Mildred Goertzel, in which the family background of 300 highly successful people were studied.

Many of the people in the study were well-known personalities including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, and Gandhi. And Einstein—all of whom were brilliant in their field of expertise.

The results of this study are both surprising and very encouraging for those of us who came from a less than desirable family background and home life. For example:

“Three-quarters of the children were troubled by poverty, a broken home, or by rejecting, over-possessive or dominating parents.

“Seventy-four of the 85 writers of fiction or drama and 10 of the 20 poets came from homes where they saw tense psychological drama played out by their parents.

“Physical handicaps, such as blindness, deafness, or crippled limbs characterized over one-quarter of the sample.”

These people may have had more weaknesses and handicaps than many who had a healthy upbringing, but lacked confidence. What made the difference? Perhaps, realizing they had weaknesses, they compensated for these by excelling in other areas.

One man said, “What has influenced my life more than any other single thing has been my stammer. Had I not stammered, I probably would have gone to Cambridge as my brothers did, perhaps have become a tutor, and every now and then published a dreary book about French literature.” This man who stammered until his death was W. Somerset Maughan, “a world-renowned author of more than 20 books, 30 plays, and scores of essays and short stories.”

It’s not what we have or don’t have that matters in life, but what we do with what we have. God wants us to acknowledge past hurts and grow through them. In so doing, we don’t allow our past to determine our future.

Someone has wisely said, “It may be true that I have been a victim in the past, but if I remain one, I am now a willing volunteer.” No matter what our background was, when we trust our lives daily to God, and work through our past hurts to resolution, we can and do have hope for the future. It’s up to us what we do about the present. Once we have resolved our past hurts, we can say, as did the Apostle Paul, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to realize, as an adult, that while I wasn’t responsible for my background, I am totally responsible for what I do about resolving all past hurts and for becoming, with your help, the person you have envisioned for me to be. Lead me always on the pathway of truth and responsibility. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV).

2. Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV).

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Voice in the Dark

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“The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”1

“One summer night a young man who lived in Scotland decided to take a shortcut across the moors on his walk into town where he worked.

“The countryside was known for its limestone quarries. He knew he would be passing near one of these quarries, but thought he could avoid it. The night was pitch black without a star in sight, but the young man set out through the rock and heather anyway.

“Suddenly he heard a voice call out with great urgency, ‘Peter!’

“He was unnerved but stopped and called back into the darkness, ‘Yes, who is it? What do you want?’ There was no response—just a gentle breeze over the deserted moorland.

“He decided that he’d been mistaken and walked on a few more steps. Then he heard the voice again, this time even more urgent than the first: ‘Peter!’

“He stopped dead in his tracks, bent forward to peer through the darkness, and stumbled to his knees. He reached out a hand to the ground before him, but only clutched thin air. It was the quarry! Sure enough, as Peter carefully felt around in a semicircle he found that he had stopped on the edge of the abandoned limestone quarry one short step before a fatal plunge into the abyss. Out there in the desolate moor someone knew him and someone cared about him.

“Peter Marshall never forgot that incident. Dedicating his life to the one who’d called him by name, he went on to become one of America’s greatest ministers.2

Did you ever stop to realize that God also knows you by name—and everything else about you. Have you ever “heard” him calling you? If you learn to listen with your heart, you will hear what he wants of you.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me always to be sensitive to your call. Please give me an attentive mind and a listening heart as well as a willing spirit to always heed your bidding and obey your word. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Samuel 3:10 (NIV).

2. Steven R. Mosley, Glimpses of God, (Sisters, Oregon: Questar Publishers, Inc., 1990), pp. 149-150. Cited on www.sermons.com

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Too Ugly to Be Beautiful

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“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”1

I don’t know who the author of today’s story is, but it was sent to me by a Daily Encounter subscriber. It was so beautiful I want to share it with you.

When Stephen was five, he wanted a flowerbed of his own. So I helped him lay out the bed and get the ground ready. I asked him what kind of flowers he wanted to plant. His answer was simple, “Beautiful ones.”

The next day after work I picked up several different kinds of bulbs. Stephen was so excited about finally planting his flowers. As he opened the packages the disappointment was all over his face. Stephen looked up and said, “Mama, you got the wrong thing, these are not flowers, they are too ugly to be beautiful.”

I assured him that if he would plant the bulbs, and take care of them, they would grow and be the beautiful flowers he wanted them to be. Stephen wasn’t at all convinced, but he trusted me and was willing to give it a shot. He planted the bulbs and everyday he watered them and watched to see if they would grow. It seems like yesterday, he was standing there in overalls, hands on his hips, staring at his flowerbed waiting to see something beautiful appear out of the dirt.

Finally, he could see the stems, then the little buds, the day two buds opened up was an amazing day. Stephen came running into the house yelling, “Hurry mama you have got to see my beautiful flowers.”

As we stood by the flowerbed Stephen said, “I didn’t think they would ever grow, but they did. I growed it beautiful right out of the dirt.” Then he slipped his little hand into mine and asked, “Mama, how can something so beautiful come from something so ugly”?

I think of our Heavenly Father watching and waiting for us to come to Jesus, then He can take something ugly and stained with sin, clean us up, guard and love us, as we grow. Then I can see Him standing and proudly looking at us and saying look at My beautiful children, I grew them right out of the dirt.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are not only a God of love, justice and mercy, but also a God of infinite beauty. As best I know how, I surrender my heart and life to you and ask that you will make something beautiful out of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never come to Jesus and asked him to be your Savior—and to make something beautiful out of your life—Click on: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian or https://learning.actsweb.org/christian

1. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV).

2. Submitted by Betty, a Daily Encounter subscriber. If anyone can let me know the name of the author, I will appreciate it and add it to the archived copy.

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Christmas: God’s Eternal Reminder

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Jesus said, “In my Father’s home [heaven] there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.”1

Year after year with “tireless regularity and eternal patience” God reminds the world every Christmas that he sent his Son, Jesus, to save lost mankind. Christmas is also God’s reminder that Jesus is coming back to earth for all who have accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior.

His first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming to end this world age is just as certain.

According to Bible scholars there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament and 318 in the New Testament about Christ’s coming again. This means for every prophecy in the Bible about Christ’s first coming—every one of which was fulfilled in minute detail—there are eight about his second coming!

Jesus is coming again. God has promised this in his Word, the Bible. Jesus himself also promised it—as did the angels at the time of Christ’s ascension into heaven. And all the signs that Jesus and the Bible said would precede his return are becoming increasingly evident today reminding us that Christ’s return could be very soon. If it were today, would you be ready?

Christmas is also a reminder to all Christians that Jesus has commissioned all of us to spread his message of salvation to everyone everywhere.2 Jesus said that, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”3

Never has this been more possible than it is today because our generation has the greatest means of worldwide communications the world has ever seen. And working together we can reach literally millions of people with the gospel just through email and the web alone. Please help ACTS to do this. To see how you can help, go to ACTS secure donor site at: http://actscom.com/

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for your great Christmas love gift to the world in giving your Son, Jesus, to come to earth and die for my sins. And Jesus, because you gave your life to save me for all eternity, I surrender my life to you as my Christmas gift to you. Please make me usable and use me to be a part of your plans to reach people across the street and around the world with the gospel. Help me to so live that people seeing Jesus in me will want you for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s incredible Christmas love gift, be sure to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. John 14:2-3 (NIV).

2. Mark 16:15.

3. Matthew 24:14 (NIV).

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Rich Is Not What You Have

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“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”1

Dr. James Moore wrote, “During World War II, four young American soldiers who had been on the front lines of battle for some time, were sent back to a small French village for a little R & R. When they arrived in the village, they realized that it was Christmas Eve. They began to discuss how they would like to spend Christmas. One of the soldiers said, “You know, as we were coming into town earlier today, I noticed an orphanage on the outskirts of the village. Why don’t we go there in the morning and take some Christmas joy to those children?” The others liked the idea and the more they talked about it, the more excited they became. So they went out and bought all kinds of toys, candy, clothing, food, books, and games. Early the next morning they showed up at the front door of the orphanage with wonderful Christmas presents for all the children.

“The orphanage director was pleased and all the children were delighted as they opened their gifts. All the children that is, except for one little girl who stood quietly off to the side. She appeared to be 5 or 6 years old and her face looked very sad. One of the soldiers noticed that she was not participating, so he asked the orphanage director about the little girl. ‘Bless her heart,’ said the director, ‘we just got her last week. Both of her parents were killed in a car wreck. There was no one to take her in, so we brought her here.’

“The soldier went over to the little girl and gently he said to her, ‘It’s Christmas morning and we have wonderful Christmas presents here: toys, clothes, candy, food, books, and puzzles. Which would you like? What do you want most for Christmas?’ And the little girl said, ‘I want somebody to hold me.’

“Maybe that is the best Christmas gift of all—someone to hold us. As somebody once put it, ‘Rich is not what you have. It’s who you have beside you.’ Well, this sacred season comes along once each year to remind us that ‘Love Came Down At Christmas,’ that God is even now reaching out to us with open arms, and that He wants us to accept His love and to pass it on to others.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that love came down at Christmas from Heaven in the birth of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to give his life as a ransom for my sins. In gratitude for all you have done for me, help me to live with eternal values in view and not get caught up in the materialism of this world. But rather, help me to give to others as you have given to me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s incredible Christmas love gift, be sure to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Luke 12:15 (NIV).

2. Dr. James W. Moore, ChristianGlobe Sermons, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., 2003. Cited on www.eSermons.com.

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Love Never Fails

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”1

Michael Josephson in Character Counts tells the story about Todd, “a sadly quiet 11-year-old struggling to adjust to the death of his mother. His father left long ago and he was living with an aunt who made it known that she resented the responsibility of caring for him. On several occasions Sheryl, the boy’s teacher, heard the aunt tell Todd, ‘If it weren’t for my generosity you would be a homeless orphan.’

“Sheryl took extra pains to make Todd feel valued and she encouraged his interest in making things. Just before the Christmas break, Todd shyly presented her with a small decorated box he’d made.

“‘It’s beautiful,’ Sheryl gushed.

“Todd replied, ‘There’s something very special inside that my mom gave to me before she died. She said it’s the one thing I can give and still have plenty left. It helps you feel better when you’re sad, and safe when you’re scared.’

“As Sheryl started to open the box, Todd warned her, ‘Oh, you can’t see it.’

“‘Well, what is it?’ Sheryl asked kindly.

“‘It’s love. And you’re the first person since my mom that I love.’

“Sheryl hugged Todd tightly and said, ‘I’ll treasure this forever. It’s the best gift I ever got.’

“She kept it on her desk until she retired and touched it whenever she was sad or scared. It never failed to make her heart smile.

“Years later, Todd sent her the tassel he wore during his graduation from medical school. It’s been in the box ever since.

“In truth, it’s love, not diamonds, that’s the gift that keeps on giving. What’s more, love generates itself. The more you give away, the more you have left.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a more thoughtful, gracious, understanding and loving person. Help me in some way to communicate your love to every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson, “The Box Full of Love” (337:4), Character Counts. You can subscribe to Michael’s weekly ezine at: www.charactercounts.org.

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Who Started Christmas Anyhow?

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“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus the Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”1

I read the following story about a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys, and everything else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the Christmas holiday season. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, getting the perfect gift for every person on one’s shopping list, and making sure no one on the card list and those who sent a card is forgotten.

When the elevator doors opened there was already a crowd in the car. Exasperated, she pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn’t take it anymore and stated, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot.”

From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, “Don’t worry, we already crucified him.” For the rest of the trip down the elevator was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don’t forget this year to keep the One who started Christmas in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for the greatest Christmas gift ever given, your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me—not only during the Christmas season, but all year long—to so live that my life will reflect an attitude of gratitude in everything I am and do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 1:1-3, 14 (NIV).

2. Submitted by Les Nixon, www.outbackpatrol.com.au.

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My First Christmas in Heaven
I see the countless Christmas trees,
Around the world below.
With tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars,
Reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular,
Please wipe away the tear.
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.
I heard the many Christmas songs,
That people hold so dear.
But the sounds of music can’t compare,
With the Christmas choir up here.
I have no words to tell you,
The joy their voices bring.
For it is beyond description,
To hear the angels sing.
I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren’t apart.
So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I’m spending Christmas
With Jesus Christ this year.
I sent you each a memory,
Of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious,
Than pure gold.
It was always most important,
In the stories Jesus told.
Please love and keep each other,
As my Father said to do.
For I can’t count the blessings of love,
He has for each of you.
So have a Merry Christmas and
Wipe away the tear.
Remember, I am spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.
Love,

Your loved one in Heaven

Submitted by Tad Durham

Cushion of the Sea

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“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”1

Several years ago a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!” The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as “the cushion of the sea.” Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the waters below are never stirred.2

Being a Christian doesn’t deliver us from the trials and troubles of life because we live in a broken world where it rains on the just as well as the unjust.3 However, our faith in Christ gives us an anchor in the storm and a hiding place in the shadow of his wings. As David the Psalmist prayed, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past”.4

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in the words of the hymn writer, ‘When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me; When the world is tossing me Like a ship upon the sea Thou Who rulest wind and water, Stand by me.’5 And when the storms of life are raging, help me to put my trust in you so I will find a sense of calm and inner peace regardless of the circumstances that are threatening to drown me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV).

2. Rev. Adrian Dieleman, Sermon: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

3. See Matthew 5:45.

4. Psalm 57:1-2 (NLT).

5. “When the Storms of Life Are Raging,” Charles A. Tindley.

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