Monthly Archives: December 2010

Failure Is Never Final

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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

December 1—or any other day of the year—may have been the final day of your divorce, the day you were rejected, the day you lost your job, or the day you failed a major final exam; but remember, as difficult as it was, December 2 was the first day of the rest of your life. It was a day of new beginnings. So, if you have suffered a major loss or setback, and haven’t done your grieving, be sure to do it now. It may not be easy, and it will take time, but it is tremendously important that you face, accept, and resolve your pain; learn to get up even if you have to drag yourself up, and go on. The following suggestions will help you to do this effectively:

Develop the right attitude. Attitude is what makes the difference between a painful experience becoming a failure or a success. You can let the loss leave you timid and afraid to step out again for fear of being hurt, or you can determine that your failure will be your teacher. As William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.”

Use your failures/losses to enrich your life. True, we all need mountaintop experiences from time to time to encourage us, but we don’t grow through these. It is in the valley of disappointment and through our failures/losses that we are given the opportunity to take stock of our life and move toward a new dimension of life, and toward a greater level of growth and maturity.

Know what your purpose in life is. The more clearly defined that your life purpose is—and the more deeply it is embedded in your unconscious mind—the less likely it will be that disappointments and failures will set you back.

A spacecraft en route to the moon is off course 90 percent of the time. It is constantly pulled back by the earth’s gravity, and is continually drawn to one side or the other by other forces. But it has a built-in computer that has a singleness of purpose that homes in on the moon. The computer is making continual corrections to keep the spacecraft on target with its purpose and goal.

Life’s like that. If your eye is on your goal, if you have a singleness of purpose, nothing will stop you getting to where you plan and choose to go.

Remember that failure or disappointment is an event, not a person. Because you may have failed in your marriage or job, in another relationship, or other situation, doesn’t mean that you are a failure as a person. Not at all. Realize that the only real failure is not to try, or not to keep on trying, or not to get up one more time than you fall or get knocked down. The important thing is to learn from your past, invest it as an opportunity to grow, and to move ahead.

Give God a chance. If you feel as if you have failed or believe you’ve done wrong, ask God to forgive you—and be sure to forgive yourself. Then turn your failure into a stepping-stone toward a better you.

Where a bone is broken and heals, it becomes the strongest part of the bone. The same is true of your broken places—where you have been hurt, have fallen and failed, or are afraid. When you bring these to God for his healing, his strength is made perfect through your weakness.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, no matter what setback happens to me, whether it is my fault or that of another, please help me not to become bitter but better by using it as an opportunity to help me to grow and become the person you envision for me to be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV).

2. Adapted from How to Mend a Broken Heart, by Dick Innes. Available at ACTS’ online store at www.actscom.com/store.

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What You See Is. . .

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“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he [Jesus] asked them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’; and their sight was restored.”1

These men may have been blind physically but they had great spiritual vision. They saw with their mind’s eye what they wanted and went for it—and received it. Life’s like that. Basically, what we see is what we get. If we see ourselves as failures, we will set ourselves up to fail. And if we see ourselves as unlovable, we will set ourselves up to be rejected in love.

On the other hand, if we see ourselves as successful we will succeed in what we want to do with our life. If we see ourselves as lovable, we will never be lacking in giving and receiving love.

As Antoine de Saint-Exupery so eloquently said, “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” Michelangelo expressed the same idea when he said, “I saw the angel in the marble and kept chiseling until I set it free.”

What do you see about your life? “Two men looked through prison bars, one saw mud and the other saw stars!” If you are seeing mud, look up and see what God sees in you. He sees the “angel” within you and wants you to become that person. And if you have faith enough and act accordingly, you can become that person—and it will be done to you.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you see the ‘angel’ within me—the person that you envision for me to be. Help me to see your vision for me that, with faith, persistence, hard work, and your help, I can become. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:27-30 (NIV).

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Saint of Auschwitz

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“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”1

You may be familiar with the story of Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Father Kolbe’s love for the other prisoners earned him the nickname “Saint of Auschwitz.” One day, a prisoner escaped from the camp. Each time anyone escaped, the guards executed ten men as a punishment. As the guards prepared for the execution, Father Kolbe came forward. He asked to take the place of another prisoner, a man named Gajowniczek. The guards agreed.

Father Kolbe and the other nine men were placed in a cell and starved to death over the next few days. Father Kolbe died on August 14, 1941. Every year, Mr. Gajowniczek returns to Auschwitz to commemorate the death of Father Kolbe. It is his way to say thank you to the man who died in his place.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear Jesus God, how can I ever thank you enough for giving your life and dying on the cross in my place so that I could inherit your gift of eternal life. Help me to always live in an attitude of gratitude for all that you have done for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you have never accepted God’s gift of love for you, be sure to read: “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. John 15:13 (NIV).

2. From “A Man for Others” by Patricia Treece. Found in God’s Unexpected Blessings, edited by Kathy Collard Miller (Lancaster, PA: Starburst Publishers, 1998), pp. 79-80.

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I’ll See You in the Morning

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“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.”1

Some time ago when Dr. W. A Criswell was pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, he told how on an airplane flight he was sitting beside and visiting with a well-known theologian. The man told how he had lost a son who, one day, had come home from school with a fever that he and his wife thought was just a childhood sickness. Sadly it turned out to be meningitis. The doctor gave no hope for the boy’s survival.

Near the end when the professor was sitting at his son’s bedside, the child said, “Daddy, it’s getting dark isn’t it?”

The professor answered, “Yes, son, it is getting dark, very dark.”

“Daddy, I guess it’s time for me to go to sleep isn’t it?” the boy continued.

“Yes, son, it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

As the child fixed the pillow on his bed as best he could in his weakened condition and, putting his head on his hands, said, “Good night, Daddy. I will see you in the morning.”

Those were the last words the professor’s son said as he closed his eyes in death and passed from this life to enter God’s heaven.

For a long time, Dr. Criswell said, the professor just sat looking out the window of the airplane. Later he turned again and, looking at Dr. Criswell, with tears in his eyes, said, “Dr. Criswell, I can hardly wait till the morning.”

Dear reader, are you sure that you are ready for God’s heaven so that when you go, your loved ones will also be able to say, “I’ll see you in the morning?” Or, if your loved ones go first, you will be able to say to them with certainty, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

If not, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the assurance of Heaven that you have promised to all who accept your Son, Jesus, as their Savior. Please help me to know that I am ready to meet you face to face so that I will see all of my loved ones who’ve gone before. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NIV).

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Holiday Blues

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“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”1

Most of us suffer from fears, anxiety, stress, and various degrees of depression and the “blues” at various times of our life. It’s when these feelings are affecting our daily functioning for extended periods, or when they are debilitating, that they become a problem for many.

However, during the Christmas and holiday season depression and the “blues” increases considerably for many. This can be caused by increased stresses, the loss of income, and especially because of the loss of a loved one, broken or impaired relationships, no meaningful relationships, being away at war and/or separated from family and loved ones, and just plain old-fashioned loneliness.

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any simple answers for how to cope with the holiday blues when one is facing adverse circumstances. Simple, pat answers can be even more depressing. Certainly we need to trust God, but even Jesus needed personal friends and relationships—and so do we. We were created for relationships, not only with God, but also with each other. And we especially need loving, warm relationships at Christmas time—when it is meant to be “peace on earth good will toward men.”

I don’t want to sound simplistic as I have known times of loneliness when nothing seemed to take away the pain. But if you will be alone at Christmas time, for some it can help a little if you can reach out to help someone else who might be lonely, or call some people on the phone and wish them a happy Christmas. Or invite someone to your home for Christmas dinner, or contact your (or another local church) to see if they have a program for the lonely at Christmas that you could attend, or better still, that you could help with.

I would like to think that most churches put on a special family style dinner for the lonely at Christmas or have a program where members open their homes for the lonely during the holidays.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be sensitive to the needs of others—especially the lonely—during this holiday season, and reach out in a practical way to help bring comfort to someone in need. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 2:13-14 (NIV).

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Testing by Fire

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“But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward.”1

Greg Asimakoupoulos writes about Nome, a village on the edge of the Bering Sea. “Nome . . . is like many villages of the Artic. The ground on which the community sits is frozen, sponge-like tundra. Sanitation landfills are unheard of. Garbage trucks do not haul off the kind of refuse we leave curbside each week. Instead, a typical front yard displays broken washing machines, junked cars, old toilets, scrap wood, and piles of non-degradable refuse.

“Tourists who visit Nome in the summer are amazed at the debris and shake their heads. ‘How could anyone live like that?’ they wonder.

“What those visitors do not realize is that for nine months of the year Nome sits under a blanket of snow that covers the garbage. During those months the little town is a quaint winter wonderland of pure white landscapes.”2

In some ways many of our personal lives are like that. We have hidden all sorts of junk, unresolved issues from the past, bad habits that have us beaten, impaired relationships, etc., etc., and we make the outside of our life to appear as if we have it all together and everything is fine.

True, I “may” be able to hide who I really am on the inside from you, from my family and friends, but one thing is certain: I cannot hide from God. One day who I really am will be revealed by God for all to see. Much smarter and healthier to clean up our life now while the door of opportunity is so wide open. No matter what we have ever done or have failed to do, God is ready to forgive us, to heal us, to deliver us if we are truly repentant and acknowledge who and what we really are—not to whitewash over our sins with a covering of “snow” but wash us “whiter than the snow.”

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, help me to see who and what I am on the inside, not to put myself down or to berate myself, but to be real and acknowledge the fact that in your sight I am a sinner and need your salvation. And, in the words of David, ‘Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.’3 Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 3:13-14 (NLT).

2. Greg Asimakoupoulos, Leadership, Winter 1999. Cited in Encounter magazine (Australia), April/May 2004, 17.

3. Psalm 51:7 (TLB)(NLT).

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Encouragement

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“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”1

Alexandra Kropotkin, in an article titled, “Homemade,” described the death of her friend as follows: “One day a millionaire of my acquaintance, whose pride it was never to offer a tip for any service, faced an unforgettable tragedy. His chief accountant committed suicide. The books were found to be in perfect order; the affairs of the dead man, a modest bachelor, were prosperous and calm. The only letter left by the accountant was a brief note to his millionaire employer. It read: ‘In 30 years I have never had one word of encouragement. I’m fed up.”‘2

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people don’t bother to say thank you to the many people who help them or do something for them. I often hold a door open for someone who is following me into a store, the Post Office, or the bank, some of whom walk through without saying a word. Whenever I see our mailman, I always thank him and let him know how much I appreciate his service. I do this to lots of people.

And do we often say thank you and give a word of encouragement to our spouse, our children, our friends, our employer, and to our employees? If we all do this on a daily basis, we can make an impact on the world in which we live. Whether it is a kind word or a kind deed, in the words of Charles Dudley Warner, “It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

In the Bible a man named Joseph was given the name of Barnabas because it means, “Son of Encouragement.” Let’s all be a Barnabas to someone today.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a Barnabas in some way today (and every day) to every life I touch. May I also be known as a son or daughter of encouragement. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 16:24 (NIV).

2. Stan Toler, God Has Never Failed Me, but He Sure Has Scared Me to Death a Few Times! (Tulsa: Honor Books, 1995). Cited on www.sermons.com.

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Help Lord, Help!

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“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”1

I’m sure you’ve seen the TV ad where a fellow is walking merrily along the sidewalk (footpath) minding his own business when he looks up and sees an attractive woman coming towards him. As he fixes his gaze on her, he is suddenly and rudely awakened as he walks directly into a lamppost. If this were true, one could just imagine the woman in question being highly amused.

I know I’ve certainly walked into things when I was looking in the wrong direction . . . or even worse, when I was looking in the right direction but my mind was on something else.

One is reminded of the words of Hannah More who said, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” Even more important is to be constantly aware of the trouble we can get into if or when we take our eyes off the Lord and decide to go our own way.

It’s hard to imagine Peter being afraid of sinking in the lake when he took his eyes off the Lord. Being a fisherman, Peter surely was a powerful swimmer. I couldn’t imagine him not being one. For whatever reason Peter was afraid and, fortunately for him, as soon as he realized he was in trouble, he looked back to Jesus and cried out, “Lord, save me.”

That’s a good lesson for us to do likewise when we take our eyes off the Lord and acknowledge the fact that we are either in trouble or heading towards it.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to always keep my eyes on you and follow your leading in all areas of my life. But if and when I do take my eyes off you and begin to ‘sink,’ help me to quickly see the error of my way, turn back to you, and cry out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 14:30 (NIV).

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Moral Compass

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“Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”1

Not so long ago a local leader in our area who was on the board of a Christian retirement home resigned his position. Why? Because he was the only one out of 13 board members who took a stand on a moral issue the home was facing. This reminds me of what an English bishop once said, “Everywhere the Apostle Paul went there was either a revival or a revolution. Everywhere I go they serve tea!”

True leaders are not afraid to swim against the tide. Their goal is not prestige, power, or popularity … or to be served tea. They stand for justice and righteousness. And whether it is in the United States or the United Nations, in local churches or on school boards, on judiciary benches or in the local council, what the world desperately needs today are statesmen and stateswomen (not merely politicians)—leaders who lead; judges who love justice; and Christian leaders who love, practice, and make a stand for righteousness.

Sad to say far too many politicians and so-called leaders have no moral compass. They raise their finger to the wind to see which way it is blowing and follow the in-crowd in order, not to promote justice or righteousness, but to gain votes, votes, and more votes. This makes them followers—not leaders. They allow themselves to be controlled by vocal minorities without regard to moral guidelines and, in so doing, often disregard the will of the people.

So for all citizens who have the privilege of voting and choosing their leaders we are to choose men and women who stand for justice and have a strong moral compass to clearly show the way they are to lead their people.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help us as a people and as individuals to make a stand for justice and righteousness, and vote for and choose leaders who have a strong moral compass. Help us always to put our trust in you and earnestly seek to follow your leading. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Deuteronomy 16:20 (NASB).

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More about Ethics

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“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”1

In a day when we, as a nation, are not only opposing and discarding the Word of God and its principles to live by, but also are aggressively seeking to get rid of it (at least from public places), is it any wonder we are seeing the resulting effects in political corruptness, increased cheating by students, an ever increasing moral decline, the acceptance and endorsement of sexual practices the Bible says are an abomination to God, individuals and some judges becoming a law unto themselves—not to mention the ethical debacles which have come to light in the business world in recent times?

Here in the United States, among the most highly educated, advanced and wealthy societies in the history of the world—intellectually, scientifically, technologically, medically, and materially—far too many of our leaders (including some religious leaders), businessmen, politicians, educators, entertainers, media moguls, etc., etc., have become moral and ethical paupers and little more than educated fools. Far too many care more for votes, high media ratings, position, power, popularity, and monetary gain than they do for truth, honesty, character, moral values and the good of our fellow mankind.

And whether we blatantly state it, or act as if there is no God, doesn’t make any difference, for as God’s Word says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”2

Unless we bring back a high standard of morals and ethics into today’s society we are heading for disaster. As God said about ancient Israel when they turned from him and his ways: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”3

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me as a Christian to live according to high Christian morals and ethics and in so doing be a very effective model and witness to those with whom I work, relate, and live. And grant that they will see Christ in me and in so doing want the same for themselves. Please send a spiritual awakening to our country and let it begin in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 53:1 (NIV).

2. Ibid.

3. Hosea 8:7 (NIV).

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