All posts by 5Q

The Power of Encouragement

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“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”1

The word encourage (en=in+courage) simply means to put courage into another—something we all need to do and receive regularly.

Years ago—when I was a young teenager—one of the men in our church gave me a light manly punch on my arm and gave me a compliment about my football game as I passed by him.

I’ve never forgotten that compliment which to me was a big encouragement when I needed it. Some years later I recall how in my beginning days of ministry, after speaking to a youth group, one of the members in attendance said to me, “Thank you for being God’s messenger to me today.” I’ve never forgotten her words and those of many others along the way either. (Sadly, a cutting word can have the opposite long-term effect.)

Encouragement. So easy to give, costs nothing, and is worth its weight in gold.

As Leo Buscaglia said, “The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parade for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”2

Be sure to encourage—to put courage into—someone today, especially your own loved ones.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for all the people who have encouraged me along the way. They are greatly appreciated. And please help me to be an encourager to someone else every single day just as others have encouraged me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV).

2. Leo Buscaglia, cited in Inspirational Peak! http://www.inspirationpeak.com.

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Drip . . . Drip . . . Drip

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“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”1

Less than a decade ago an openly gay Episcopalian priest was appointed as a bishop in the Episcopal Church—many church members were appalled while others rejoiced. Also, until the court stepped in and put a temporary halt to it, the Mayor of San Francisco became a law unto himself and married numerous gay couples. Many were appalled while others rejoiced.

About this situation Steven Higginbotham wrote: “The door has been cracked opened with regard to the definition of marriage in allowing homosexuals to marry, so now a polygamist in Utah, who has five wives, is appealing bigamy convictions brought against him on the basis of this court ruling. This man’s lawyer is arguing that the decriminalization of homosexual sex is no different than polygamy.”2

So what will come next? Will fornication and adultery also be approved because people can’t help to whom they are attracted? Or what about pedophiles? Will their seduction of children be accepted because they can’t help whom they are attracted to? Will they claim that they were born this way and this therefore justifies their behavior?

That could never happen here we say. Don’t bank on it. Our parents would have sworn that gay marriage would never have been accepted here either. According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, “Nationwide, five states [in the U.S.] have legalized same-sex marriage as a result of a court ruling, while three others have done so through a vote in their respective state legislatures.”3

No society crashes overnight. It’s like the proverbial drip . . . drip . . . drip of water that eventually wears away the stone, or like the “umpteenth” blow of the hammer that breaks the rock in two. Little by little it’s the relentless drip . . . drip . . . drip by those who oppose all that is godly to justify what they want that ends up having people (including some church people) call good what God calls evil.

What we fail to realize is that we cannot break God’s laws. We can oppose them. We can vote against them. We can disregard them, but we cannot break them. What we break is ourselves against them. As God’s Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” It has been said that the only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help those of us who claim to be Christian, which includes me, know what your Word teaches and stand firm upon it and not be lured into the trap of so called ‘political correctness’ and thereby conform to the standards of the world about us. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: To support the Institution of Marriage; the Preservation of Religious Liberty; and the Sanctity of Life for future generations, please read and sign the Manhattan Declaration at: http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/home.aspx

1. Isaiah 5:20 (NIV).

2. Steve Higginbotham, “Yesterday’s Fringe, Today’s Center,” South Green Street Church of Christ Weekly Newsletter, Vol. 23, No. 2, Jan. 12, 2004. Cited in KneEmail #594: at http://www.oakhillcoc.org.

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States as of February 2, 2010.

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A Parent’s Influence

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“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”1

You may have read the following poem, but it is well worth reading again:

I took a piece of plastic clay

And idly fashioned it one day;

And as my fingers pressed it still,

It moved and yielded as my will.

I came again when days were past,

The form I gave it still it bore,

And as my fingers pressed it still,

I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,

And gently formed it day by day,

And molded with my power and art

A young child’s soft and yielding heart.

I came again when days were gone;

It was a man I looked upon,

He still that early impress bore,

And I could change it never more.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be as Christ to my children (and/or to any children that I may have the opportunity to influence) so that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want him in their life as well. Help me to model your love and loving ways so that my life will impact, not only my children so that they will grow up in the ways of God, but in some way every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 22:6 (KJV).

2. Author Unknown.

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The Shepherd’s Voice

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“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”1

A party of tourists was on its way to Palestine and their guide was describing some of the customs of the East.

He was explaining how in England, for example, a shepherd follows the sheep, but in the East the shepherd leads the way and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.

When the tourist group reached Palestine one of the first sights they saw was a flock of sheep not being led by the shepherd but being driven along by the man. The guide, being perplexed, stopped to talk to the shepherd.

“How is it that you are driving these sheep?” he asked. “I have always been told that the Eastern shepherd leads his sheep.”

“You are quite right, sir,” replied the man. “The shepherd does lead his sheep. But you see I’m not the shepherd. I’m the butcher.”2

With so many religious voices today vying for the hearts and minds of adherents, we need to be certain that we know Jesus, the true Shepherd, recognize his voice and follow him. Remember that there are many false prophets that are nothing but “butchers” in sheep’s clothing.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to know for certain that I am committed to Jesus, the true Shepherd. Help me never to stray from him, always know his voice, and follow him. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 10:27 (KJV).

2. Church of God Evangel.

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Lost and Found

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“When the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King [Jesus] will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father [God]; take your inheritance, the kingdom [of Heaven] prepared for you since the creation of the world.’”1

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”2

Years ago, soon after my first son was born, my mother came to help with the new baby. On one occasion I left her to “baby-sit” with him in a beautiful downtown park in Adelaide, South Australia (where we were living at the time), while I did some shopping.

When I returned, mother and baby were missing. I panicked! My heart pounded. Minutes seemed like hours. I asked strangers passing by if they had seen an older woman with a baby. I searched for a policeman. I prayed furiously.

Imagine the relief when I found them. Actually, the problem was mine. I went back to the wrong part of the park!

I’ve read about others, too, who lost a child and how they panicked, and never rested until their child was found. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for parents whose child is lost—and never found. It would be unthinkable—a never-ending nightmare.

Would to God that we Christians were just as concerned about people who don’t know the Savior and are lost without hope for all eternity.

As Jesus said in today’s Bible passage, he is coming again and will be taking his true followers to be with him forever in Heaven. What a wonderful hope for his true followers. But think of the tragedy of those who are still lost and don’t know that their Heavenly Father is looking for them.

Here in ACTS International we are totally committed to telling people all around the world about Jesus’ message of salvation—people who without Christ will be lost for all eternity. Will you please help us to do this? You can do so at http://actscom.com and by becoming a People Power for Jesus Partner. For more information go to: www.actsweb.org/people_power/about_people_power.php

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be as concerned about people who are spiritually lost as I would be if my own child were lost. I’m available and ask that you use me to be ‘as Christ’ to every life I touch today, and please use me to help bring the lost to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus in Matthew 25:31-34(NIV).

2. Matthew 25:41 (NIV).

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The Will to Get Well

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“One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’”1

It may be hard to understand, but according to statistics that I have read from both a Christian and a secular standpoint, many people who have either a physical or emotional problem actually don’t want to get well!

“That’s absurd,” I can almost hear some readers saying. “How could a sick person not want to get well?”

Of all those who go to see a physician or a counselor with a problem, approximately 25 percent don’t want to get well. They want people’s sympathy, they want to be taken care of, and some even want to die.

Another 50 percent want the counselor or doctor to fix or heal them. As one doctor said, “Half of my patients would rather I operate on their body than they operate on their lifestyle!”

And only one in four actually accepts responsibility for his/her well-being and does everything he/she can to follow the doctor or counselor’s guidance. These are the ones who are committed to getting well. They are the ones who want to get well—and are most likely to do so!

Perhaps this is why Jesus said words like, “Do you want to get well?” “Do you want to be made whole?” “What do you want me to do for you?”

God will bend the heavens to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. That’s why he sent Jesus to die for our sins. But he won’t do anything for us that we can and need to do for ourselves—otherwise he would be keeping us over-dependent and immature. But as long as we want what is right for us, God will always do his part when we do our part.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the want to be made whole, the want to get well, the want to be what you want me to be, and the want to do what you want me to do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

P.S. What do you “want” Jesus to do for you?

1. John 5:5-6 (NIV).

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Slow Me Down, Lord

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“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”1

Or as someone else has said, “Come apart and rest a while before you come apart!”

I remember years ago having the following saying on a card on my desk, “Beware of the barrenness of a busy life!” I think in our day and age so many of us struggle with being too busy. I certainly do. It is a constant battle.

Today’s suggested prayer is in the words of Wilfred Arlan Peterson:

Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace.

Give me, amidst the day’s confusion

the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tension of my nerves and muscles

with the soothing music of singing streams

that live in my memory.

Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations….

slowing down to look at a flower,

to chat with a friend,

to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me

of the fable of the hare and the tortoise;

that the race is not always to the swift;

that there is more to life than measuring its speed.

Let me look up at the branches of the towering oak

and know that … it grew slowly … and well.

Inspire me

to send my own roots down deep…

into the soil of life’s endearing values…

That I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

Slow me down, Lord.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 6:31 (NIV).

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You Can’t Run on Empty

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“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”1

An amusing thing happened on one occasion in the renowned Rose Parade in Pasadena in Southern California. One beautifully decorated float suddenly came to a standstill. It ran out of fuel!

The irony was that this float was entered by and represented the Standard Oil Company—one of the large fuel companies of North America. With all their vast oil and gasoline (petrol) resources, they failed to make sure their own vehicle was running on full.

I wonder how often we as Christians, with all the vast resources of God and heaven at our disposal, run on an empty love, joy, and peace tank when, if we truly trusted God and followed his instructions for getting these needs met, we could be certain to keep “topped up.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know the peace that only you can give and grant that my love cup will be filled to overflowing and splash over onto every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:13-14 (NIV).

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Are You God’s Mother?

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“But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works with us, we become more and more like him.”1

Curtis and Paul Jones wrote how, on a bitterly cold day in a western city, a small boy stood shivering on a steel grate in the sidewalk. He was very poorly dressed and obviously a child of the street. A well-dressed woman passerby noticed the lad and began to talk to him. Sensing his need, she took him to a clothing store and had him completely outfitted suitable for the weather—including cap, scarf, and gloves.

The lad was so grateful he couldn’t thank her enough. As they parted he turned back to ask, “Are you God’s mother?”

Surprised, the woman replied, “Oh, no! I’m just a child of God.”

Whereupon the smiling lad remarked, “I knew you were related.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to reflect your love so that the beauty of Jesus will be seen in me—always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)(NLT).

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Lessons from the Redwood Forest

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“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”1

Giant Sequoia trees, also known as redwoods, are the biggest living things on Earth. Heights of 300 feet and diameters of 30 feet are not uncommon. They can range in age from 2,000 to 3,000 years—some of which were living when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee. The largest specimen, the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park, is 275 feet tall (84 m), has a diameter of 36.4 feet (11.1 m) at the base, and has been estimated to weigh 2500 metric tons. The Pacific coast redwoods in southern Oregon and northern California range in height from 100 to 367 feet (30 to 112 m)—a size approached only by the eucalyptus of Australia.

What is fascinating about these majestic redwood trees that reach their leafy arms heavenward is that they stand for hundreds of years surviving raging fires, violent storms, and fierce winds. I have also read that they have a comparatively shallow root system which makes their survival even more amazing. So how do they survive? They survive because they live in groves with their root systems entangled with numerous other trees. In other words they support each other. They couldn’t survive alone.

Neither can we. We need each other. We were never meant to go it alone. We need the support of one another to make it. One of the major purposes of the Christian church is for the very purpose of encouraging and supporting one another. If you don’t belong to such a church, I urge you to do all you can to find one.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have designed the church, not only to help us grow spiritually, but also to support us emotionally and socially. Help me to find and be a part of such a church—one that is true to your Word and fulfills your divine purpose in the life of its members. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

P.S. See the article: “What a Good Church Can Do for You” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/living/church1.htm.

1. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV).

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