Monthly Archives: October 2013

Changing Needs for Changing Times

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“Jesus told him, ‘Stand up, roll up your sleeping mat and go on home!’ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking! But it was on the Sabbath when this miracle was done. So the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, ‘You can’t work on the Sabbath! It’s illegal to carry that sleeping mat!’”1

Imagine that. Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath and the religious leaders “tried all the harder to kill him” (that is, to kill Jesus)!

As we’ve noted before, tragically, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day loved their programs more than they loved people! They were expecting the promised Messiah but because he didn’t come the way they expected him to come, and didn’t do things the way they wanted them done, they wouldn’t believe in him and refused to change.

It goes without saying that we live in a world of rapid change. Yes, we need to hold fast to that which is permanent and eternal, but in other areas of life if we don’t change, we, too, may miss out and get left behind.

Here’s a classic example from the business world: “From 1900 to 1967, the Swiss were the leading watchmakers in the world. In 1967, when digital technology was patented, the Swiss rejected it in favor of the traditional ball bearings, gears, and mainsprings they had been using to make watches for decades. Unfortunately, however, the world was ready for this advance, and Seiko, a Japanese company, picked up the digital patent and became the leading watch manufacturer in the world almost overnight. Fifty thousand of the 67,000 Swiss watchmakers went out of business because they refused to embrace this new technology. It was not until years later that the Swiss caught up and regained their position in the marketplace with the creation of Swatch watches.”2

This principle also applies to each of us in today’s marketplace—if we don’t keep up our training with the needs of today’s changing marketplace, again, we may be left behind.

In serving God, while our message never changes, our methods of communicating it need to change with the changing times and the changing needs of people or, again, we may get left behind—as many a business, church, and organization has. By way of interest, as the Internet began to grow, our gospel literature sales began to plummet even though our literature had done extremely well for three decades. This is why here in our US office we changed from hard copy print to the electronic media. We never changed the message—only the way of communicating it. Had we not made this change, we never could have continued to successfully preach “the gospel to every creature”3 as Jesus commanded.

Suggested Prayer: “Dear God, help me to hold fast to that which is eternal, but be flexible and willing to change where change is needed. And above all help me to be willing to change where you see my need for change and growth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 5:8-10 (TLB)(NLT).

2. Cited in Bits & Pieces.

3. Mark 16:15.

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

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Persistence Pays

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“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will.”1

About Thomas Edison’s many attempts in seeking to invent the electric light bulb Susan Hayward in Begin It Now wrote, “Two dejected assistants of Thomas Edison said, ‘We’ve just completed our 700th experiment and we still don’t have the answer. We have failed.’

“‘No, my friends, you haven’t failed,’ replied Mr. Edison, ‘it’s just that we know more about this subject than anyone else alive. And we’re closer to finding the answer because now we know 700 things not to do. Don’t call it a mistake. Call it an education.’”2

Persistence paid off very well for Edison … for us too because eventually he succeeded in perfecting the electric light bulb. Persistence in any worthwhile cause always pays rich dividends. And better still—persistence in God’s work pays eternal dividends.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be persistent in serving, obeying, trusting and loving you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB)(NLT).

2. Cited in Bits & Pieces.

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

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Guilt Be Gone

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“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”1

The story is told about the old-time circuit-riding preacher who was visited by three men. They came to confess to him that twenty years before they had loaded his horse and buggy with a load of heavy rocks and hidden them so he wouldn’t see them. They wanted to apologize because they still felt guilty about it for all these years. To which the preacher replied, “You have carried these rocks for twenty years. I only carried them for a day.”

Simple story. Profound truth. There are three things we can do with guilt. We can bury (repress) it from conscious memory and deny it. We can suppress it; that is, be consciously aware of it but not do anything about it. Or we can confess and resolve it.

To repress or suppress guilt can and does affect one’s health and often one’s relationships. But to confess it and put things right brings great freedom and healing.

As David said after he confessed to God his sin with Bathsheba, “There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess them to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, if there is anything in my life that is hindering my relationship with you and/or others please bring it to my remembrance so I can confess it and, wherever possible and applicable, help me to right any wrongs I have done. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 5:16 (NIV).

2. Psalm 32:5 (NIV).

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

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Church Attendance Can Prolong Life

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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”1

In his book, Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey says, “When Dr. David Larson was training for a career in psychiatry, faculty advisers warned him, ‘You’ll harm your patients if you try to combine your Christian faith with the practice of psychiatry. It’s clinically impossible.’ Instructors insisted that religion usually harms a person’s mental health.”

This troubled Larson so much that he made a study along these lines for fifteen years. He discovered that most of the research ignored the subject of religion altogether. What he did learn from the research (that did include religion) proved to be pleasantly surprising. A sampling:

Regular church attendees live longer and are less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs. Prison inmates who make a religious commitment are less likely than their counterparts to return to jail after release. He also found that people who attend church regularly are more than twice as likely to remain married.

Larson also pointed out the disastrous effects that broken homes have on families. For example, divorce dramatically increases the likelihood of an early death. It also disrupts mental health, especially for men. And it “takes a devastating toll on children. Proportionately twice as many criminals come from single-parent homes. Indeed, family structure proves more effective than economic status in predicting a life in crime. Children from broken homes are more likely to do poorly in school, abuse drugs, and attempt suicide.”2

Having come from a broken home I know too well the devastating effect it has on the children. If it weren’t for the grace of God, I don’t know where I would be today. We simply cannot emphasize the tremendous importance of daily committing and trusting our life to the Lord and acknowledging him in everything we do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, with your help I choose to trust you with all my heart and acknowledge you in everything I do, and I thank you for promising to direct my paths. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:5-6.

2. Philip Yancey, Finding God in Unexpected Places, p. 81-83.

Note: See “What a Good Church Can Do for You” at: http://tinyurl.com/ov5f7 .

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Light in the Darkness

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“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”1

When Robert Louis Stevenson was a young child, as dusk was turning to darkness, he had his face pinned to the window at the front of his house fascinated by the lamplighter coming down the street lighting the old-fashioned gas street lamps.

He called out to his nana saying, “Nana! Come quickly. There’s a man coming down the street punching holes in the darkness!”

Wherever we are and wherever we go may God’s love shine through us so that by our manner of conversation and life we, too, will “punch holes in the darkness”—the spiritual darkness that surrounds us.

No matter how small you feel your “light” may be, remember that all the darkness in the world cannot put out the light of one small candle—or that of one ordinary Christian!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to so live that your love and your light will shine through me, and thereby show others the way to Jesus. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:16.

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A Little Child Shall Lead Them

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“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”1

Leo Buscaglia, “professor of love,” once talked about a contest where he was asked to be a judge. “The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

“When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, ‘Nothing, I just helped him cry.’”

Rare is the friend who knows how to weep with those who weep! Such a friend we all need to have. But first of all, such a friend we need to be!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a loving, sensitive heart to feel my brother/sister’s pain, and learn how to weep with him/her in their time of sorrow and grief. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:15.

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Patience

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“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient.”1

Even though I have quoted it before, I appreciate the following ditty because there is so much truth in it:

“It’s the little things that bother us and put us on the rack, you can sit upon a mountain but you can’t sit on a tack!”

It’s amazing how uptight and impatient I/we can become with the little annoyances of everyday life. Sometimes it seems these upset us more than big issues.

Remember, though, that the things that bug us don’t cause our impatience, they just trigger it! And that’s what God wants to get us to face and fix. He wants to fix us from the inside out so that we will learn both patience and every other grace.

Keep in mind, though, if you don’t want to experience trials and tribulation, don’t ever pray for patience! This is because we only learn patience by experiencing the things that upset and bug us.

Growth is usually slow. So, while learning to be patient with others, don’t forget to learn to be patient with yourself.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to not only grow in patience but ‘in faith and love and every grace / Might more of your salvation know / And seek more earnestly your face.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 5:3 (TLB)(NLT).

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Forgiveness Versus Reconciliation

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“We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”1

We know that we need to forgive all who have hurt or offended us, but are we to be reconciled to them? Wherever possible this ought to be our goal, but it isn’t always possible as reconciliation is dependent on both parties.

Primarily we need to be reconciled to God. We do this when we confess our sins to him and receive his forgiveness. However, for our own wellbeing it is imperative that we forgive any and all who have hurt us. This can be extremely difficult if the one involved won’t even admit what s/he has done. This, then, makes genuine reconciliation almost impossible.

According to some folk we can’t forgive this type of person. If this is so, some of us are going to carry grudges for a long time. In these instances forgiveness is a choice. We can choose to forgive or we can cling to our hurt and anger and hurt ourselves.

To genuinely forgive we need to get rid of our hurt and anger by expressing these feelings, not necessarily to the one who hurt us, but to an understanding person to rid ourselves of these bottled up destructive emotions. Once we do this, forgiveness becomes possible even if there is never any reconciliation.

Keep in mind, too, that forgiveness doesn’t mean that we allow the person who hurt us to hurt us again. With these people we need to have healthy boundaries to protect ourselves. Remember, too, that meekness is not weakness. Lack of healthy boundaries is.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to forgive all who have hurt me and be reconciled to them wherever possible. But help me to forgive regardless of the other person’s response. And may I always admit and resolve my part in all conflicts and be reconciled to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 5:20.

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

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Are Angels Real?

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“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”1

There’s a considerable amount of interest in angels these days. Are they for real or just a figment of the imagination of dreamers, poets, authors, and the makers of Hollywood movies?

A pastor’s wife I know personally was awakened one night at 2:00a.m. with a sense of urgency to pray for her married daughter who was home alone in another city. The following morning her daughter called to say that she was awakened at 2:00a.m. by a masked stranger standing at the end of her bed. The daughter saw no one else in the room but could feel light “steps” all over her bed.

Suddenly the intruder turned as if terrified and ran from the house, exiting as quickly as he could! Was it the presence of an angel/s that caused him to run? I believe so.

The Bible is filled with examples of the involvement of angels in the affairs of mankind. We are not given too many details of how they actually help God’s people, but we know they are his messengers sent to assist us. They are not to be worshiped. Worship belongs only to God, but we do need to thank God for sending not only his Son to die for us, but also for sending his angels to minister to us.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrew Christians also said, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it”2 or, as the King James Version puts it, “entertained angels unawares.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the ministering angels you send to those who have accepted you as personal Lord and Savior. Help me always to be grateful for their help even though they may be ‘angels unawares.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 1:14.

2. Hebrews13:2 (NIV).

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

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Learning to Love

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“We love Him because He first loved us.”1

While we are encouraged and even commanded by God to love one another, it isn’t always easy to do. Loving actually needs to be learned.

As the Bible teaches, we love God because He loved us first. He modeled it for us. The same principle is true with human love. We love people because someone first loved us and modeled love for us.

We didn’t come into the world knowing how to love, only with the ability to learn how to love. If we didn’t receive healthy loving or if we didn’t feel adequately loved when we were growing up, chances are as adults we will suffer from love deprivation and not know how to love properly—only how “to make” love which may or may not have anything at all to do with love!

In other words, to learn to love we need to be loved first—for what we didn’t receive in our early developmental years, we need to receive now.

We do this by having at least one or two safe, loving, non-judgmental, and accepting people to love us as we really are—by allowing them see our total dark side—secrets, failures, sins, weaknesses, faults … warts and all. As these people love and accept us for who we are (not for what we have or haven’t done), we learn little by little to love and accept ourselves. Remember, too, that we can only be loved to the degree that we are known, and we can only love and accept others to the degree that we have learned to love and accept ourselves. Admittedly this can be very scary but it is profoundly healing.

This is another reason why the Bible teaches us the importance of confessing our sins and faults to one another.2 Doing this is crucial for the healing of our human hurts and damaged emotions.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a few friends with whom I can feel safe to let them know me fully and love me still. Through their love and your love please help me to learn to love and accept myself in a healthy way. In so doing teach me to love others who also need to be loved in the same way I do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 4:19 (NKJV).

2. James 5:16.

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