Monthly Archives: March 2011

No Greater Love

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

George Robertson, a parachute safety and training adviser and a veteran of several hundred parachute jumps, followed six other sky divers out of a plane some 2.25 miles (3.6 kilometers) above the ground.

At approximately one mile (1.6 kilometers) the six attempted to link hands. One of the divers, Debbie Williams, accidentally collided with one of the other skydivers and knocked herself unconscious. Seeing her plight, Roberson tucked his arms to his side and, using his shoulders to steer himself, went after Debbie, Plunging downward at 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, he was able to catch her. Maneuvering her into a sitting position, Robertson yanked her rip cord. They were at 3,200 feet (823 meters)! At less than 2,400 feet (610 meters), he opened his own chute. Ten seconds later he would have slammed into the ground.

As Jesus said, there is no greater love than someone being willing to give or even risk his or her own life to save another’s. But God’s love for us is so much greater. As the Bible says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, because you loved me enough to die for me, please help me to love you enough to live for you every day for the rest of my life. And please use me to be a vital part of what you are doing in the world today to help save those who are plummeting toward eternal death without Christ and without hope. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: To help reach others with the gospel in a simple and attractive way, please consider becoming a People Power for Jesus Partner (there is no cost involved). See https://learning.actsweb.org/people_power02.php.

Also: If you have never thanked God for giving his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all your sins and have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, I urge you to do this today—now. For help, please read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. John 15:13.

2. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV).

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Slippers for Sale

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“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.”1

On May 25, 2001, a set of Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” sold for $660,000.00 at an auction of movie and TV memorabilia titled “A century of Hollywood” at Christie’s East. According to an auction house spokesperson, the famous shoes had sold in 1988 for $150,000 at Christie’s. The evening auction brought in more than $1.6 million.

Dorothy’s ruby slippers sold for $660,000.00! Imagine that! In comparison, what is an eternal soul worth? There is no comparison! Obviously, the world thinks much more of earthly fame and material possessions than it does about eternal values.

I wonder how many Christians do the same, at least concerning material possessions. The answer to this question is found in how we spend our money and resources and on what we spend these. I have read that the average church spends 95% of its income on itself . . . and that only 3% of Christians tithe of their income to support God’s work here on earth. What we do and what we give—and to what we give it—speaks volumes as to what we value in life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear Jesus-God, thank you that you valued my soul so much that you gave your life to die on the cross to save me from sin’s eternal damnation. Please help me place the same value on every human soul as you do and live and give accordingly—not just in words but in my actions and in my giving. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Malachi 3:8 (NIV).

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Two Great Abilities

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“Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.”1

Comedian Bill Cosby received a lot of flack because he told his own people to quit blaming anyone else for the problems they have, to act responsibly, and develop and use the abilities they have. This is a message we all need to hear regardless of the color of our skin or the circumstances of our background.

In fact, two of life’s greatest abilities are depend-ability and response-ability. Dependability is keeping one’s word. It’s being there when we say we are going to be there, and doing what we say we are going to do. It’s keeping the commitments we make.

Responsibility is realizing that I am totally responsible for what I say, what I want, what I feel, and for what I do or don’t do. True, I was not responsible for my background or my upbringing, but I am totally responsible for what I do about overcoming my background if it were less than desirable, for what I become, and for every area of my life. As long as I blame my past, my parents, my background, the government, or anyone else, I will stay in a self-pitying and self-defeating mode going nowhere fast.

Unless some think I am an armchair-theorist coming from a highly privileged background telling others what they should do, they are mistaken. I came from a very dysfunctional family background, was not allowed to attend high school, made to go to work fulltime when I was still 13, and came overseas to get an education without any help from anyone (worked my way through college and worked three jobs at once during the summers). I made up my mind while still a teen that I wanted to fulfill God’s will for my life, and for my life to amount to something so I did what I needed to do to make it happen.

What I did have going for me was a firm belief that God had a purpose for my life. I didn’t know what it was at the time but I knew that I needed to prepare myself for whatever it might be. Sure there were obstacles to overcome and challenges to meet, but these made me all the stronger. Today it has paid off tremendously. I count it a tremendous privilege to be able to publish the gospel and Christian message and be communicating it around the world to multiplied thousands of people. There is nothing better in life that I could have wanted or wished to do.

The point is, every one of us needs to know that God has a plan and purpose for his or her life, and then employ all of his/her powers for the achievement of that purpose. God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, but he will never do for us what we can and need to do for ourselves—otherwise he would be acting irresponsibly by keeping us immature and over-dependent.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to discover what my God-given life purpose is, and with your help, act responsibly to overcome all setbacks, and develop all of my abilities to achieve my life purpose. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:4-5 (NIV).

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No Defeat Before the Battle

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“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”1

When she was only nineteen months of age, Helen Keller suffered an illness that left her blind and deaf. Soon she was unable to speak. By the age of seven she was extremely frustrated because of her inability to communicate. Fortunately, her parents were able to hire a twenty-year-old teacher to come and live with them.

The teacher, Anne Sullivan, was a very capable and loving individual and was able to help Helen by teaching her to communicate with the use of her fingers. Helen was greatly encouraged, learned to read by Braille, and then read everything she could lay her hands on.

She desperately wanted to earn a university degree and, passing the entrance exams to Radcliffe, pleaded with officials to allow her to attend and bring Anne Sullivan with her to translate the lectures into her manual code. The following is part of what she wrote to the admission office:

“I realize that the obstacles in the way of my receiving a college education are very great—to others they may seem insurmountable; but, dear sir, a true soldier does not acknowledge defeat before the battle.” Helen Keller was a true warrior and a real winner! She “was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.”2

Being courageous doesn’t mean the absence of fear. It means acknowledging the fear but not allowing it to control you.

Once you know your God-given life purpose—or your purpose for the present—God’s Word to Joshua is also applicable to you and me today: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to face all the obstacles in my life that would hinder my fulfilling my God-given life purpose—including your will for me today. Help me to always remember that you will always be with me and never leave or forsake me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 1:9 (NIV).

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller.

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Prophets or Propheteers?

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“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”1

A few years ago Ralph Blodgett, who has researched psychic predictions for several years, found that in a given year, out of 250 specific predictions by thirty of the nation’s leading psychics, less than three percent could be listed as “reasonably fulfilled.”

Blodgett said, “I used to think psychics had to be led either by God or the devil. Now I’m convinced that they are being led most of the time by no one at all.”

In Old Testament times it was an extremely serious offence to be a false prophet. As God’s Word says, “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”2 Tough words to be sure.

And in the New Testament we are warned not to believe every spirit but to put them to the test to make sure their word is from God.

I believe some people do have a gift of knowledge, but I certainly don’t. So how do I know if God is “speaking” to or leading me? Sometimes it comes from his Word, the Bible; sometimes through circumstances; and at other times through an inner conviction. To know whether it is from God or from myself all three of the above need to be in harmony. And if anything is out of harmony with God’s Word, I can be certain it is not from God. Furthermore, when I sense God is leading me, I like to put whatever it is to the test to make sure it is of God and not of me.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the ability to discern your guidance and to recognize when a message or leading is from you, and also when it is not from you. And help me to discern that which is spoken by a false prophet. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 4:1 (NIV).

2. Deuteronomy 18:20 (NIV).

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How’s Your Self-Worth?

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“Love your neighbor as yourself.”1

While Jesus said we were to love our neighbor as ourselves, somebody else said, “Heaven help your neighbor if you hate yourself.” The fact is I can only love and accept others to the degree that I have learned to love and accept myself; that is, in a healthy and not a conceited sense.

This has nothing to do with self-aggrandizement. It has to do with how I see myself, what I think about myself, how I feel about myself, and how well I accept myself, as this will largely determine how well I do in love and life. In other words, we need to see ourselves as God sees us—with our strengths and weaknesses—and accept ourselves as God accepts us.

Take a bar of iron and make it into nails and it will be worth a few dollars, make it into weight-bearing posts and its value will increase, refine it and make it into stainless steel pots and it will be worth even more. Refine it ever further and use it to make finely tuned space-age rocket engines and it will be worth a fortune.

Life’s like that. If you believe in yourself and accept yourself the way God believes in and accepts you, with his help and refining (plus a lot of hard work), you can become the person God wants you to be. Then you will be able to do with your life what God wants you to do and therein gain a deep sense of satisfaction because your life is contributing to God’s Kingdom and the betterment of others. This gives one’s life a high and noble purpose and great value.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see and accept myself as you see and accept me and refine my life so it can be best lived for others and therein bring glory to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 12:31 (NIV).

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A View from the Heart

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“When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed [for king] stands here before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”1

Today’s society, at least here in America, places tremendous emphasis on physical appearance—for both men and women. If, for example, two men of equal qualifications apply for the same job, the tallest man is most likely to be appointed.

Carlos Romulo, a Foreign Secretary of the Philippines, is only 1.626 meters (approximately 5’4″). He was very self-conscious about his height until he visited Tussaud’s Wax Museum in London and discovered that he was 50 millimeters (2 inches) taller than Napoleon Bonaparte (who became known as “the little corporal”). He promptly discarded his elevated shoes.

William Wilberforce was another small man. He was known for his eloquence and, in 1780 at the age of twenty-one, entered the British Parliament. Six years later he joined Thomas Clarkson and began his fight against slavery even though the bill to end the slave trade didn’t become law until 1807—twenty-one years later. More than any other person, Wilberforce helped end the British slave trade.

Often in life many of the great achievements have been accomplished by those who have had a serious setback, a major limitation or handicap, or a significant failure of one kind or another, but have overcome their defect and risen above their circumstances to achieve the worthwhile goals they had set for themselves.

With God’s help you and I can do the same. It’s not our outward appearances that God looks on. He sees our heart and wants us to use the gifts we have been given—not the gifts that others have.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available for you to use. Help me to see and believe in myself as you do and set to work to fulfill my God-given life purpose. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NIV).

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Better the Devil You Know

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“The LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.’”1

It wasn’t too long after God delivered the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt that they wanted to go back there—in spite of the miracles they had witnessed, such as the parting of the waters of the Red Sea so they could cross over to the Promised Land on dry land. However, when the going got rough through the wilderness, they complained and wanted to return to Egypt. Was it because they were afraid that things weren’t going to get any better, or that God had deserted them? Or were they afraid of change? Like the old saying goes, “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t know.”

People haven’t changed too much have we? As one writer said, “The trouble these days is that people want to get to the Promised Land without going through the wilderness.”

For the Christian God has a “promised Land” of freedom, growth, wholeness and fulfillment. It’s there for the taking—but not without the struggles of working through our private wildernesses.

Like Joshua who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, we too need to “arise, go and possess” the promises that God has for us. And we, too, will have plenty of obstacles and setbacks to overcome. At the same time, we have the same assurance that God gave to Joshua when he said to him, “Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to actively claim all the promises you have for me so that I will become and do all that you have envisioned for me to be and do. And give me the determination to never give up, no matter how challenging the way, knowing that you will be with me every step of the way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 1:1-3 (NKJV).

2. Joshua 1:9 (NIV).

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Come Unto Me

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“Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”1

I have read how one of Denmark’s leading sculptors had a consuming ambition to sculpt the greatest statue of Jesus Christ ever made. He began by painstakingly shaping a clay model of a triumphant, majestic figure. “This will be my masterpiece,” he stated on the day the model was completed.

However, during the night, a heavy fog rolled into the area and sea-spray seeped into the sculptor’s studio through a partially open window. In the morning he was shocked to see his model. The droplets of moisture that had formed on the statue created the illusion of bleeding. The head had drooped. The facial expression had melted into compassion. The arms drooped and expressed welcome. The artist was horrified and was aghast at having to start all over again.

However, as he kept looking at his statue of the Savior, his thoughts began to take on a different shape. He realized that his image of Christ was much closer to reality. He then wrote his caption and placed it under the figure: “Come unto me!”

Indeed, that is the call of Jesus to each of us today, “Come unto me.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear Jesus, in the words of the hymn-writer, ‘Just as I am without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God I come, I come.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you have never come to Jesus and received his forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian . . . without having to be religious” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Jesus in Matthew 11:28-31 (NIV).

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I Hit Him over the Head

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“Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”1

Sports Illustrated writer Jeannette Bruce once spent two-and-a-half years taking judo lessons, progressing steadily through the entire spectrum of self-defense “belts.”

“On one rainy night,” she said, “it all seemed worthwhile. The thing every judo student dreams of happened to me. I was walking down Sixth Avenue about 9:00 p.m. when a man stepped out of a dark doorway and tried to snatch my purse. How prepared I should have been, how ready to smash him to the pavement with a flourishing foot sweep!

“Instead . . . I hit him over the head with my umbrella!”2

I suppose most of us can identify with Jeanette in some way. We get a great opportunity to do something worthwhile and blow it by doing or saying something stupid. Or when faced with temptation, we know how to resist the enemy because we know all the right Bible verses to fend for ourselves. However, instead of putting on the “whole armor of God,” we seek to overcome in our own strength—and fail miserably.

However, when we do fail, the important thing is to get up, learn from our mistakes, and go on, having learned to put our trust in God in every situation in which we find ourselves. When I am tempted with bad thoughts, knowing my vulnerability, I simply pray, “Help, Jesus, help! Help, Jesus, help!”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when I stumble and fall, you do not condemn me but reach out to help me get back on my feet again. In every failure please help me to learn from my mistakes, get up, and, trusting in you, go on. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV).

2. Cited in Bits & Pieces, Vol. F, 4th Quarter.

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