All posts by 5Q

Moonlight Sonata

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“Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?”1

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the world’s greatest musicians, was born into a musical family in Germany. As a child he spent many lonely hours practicing his music every day.

By the age of eleven he was already composing his own music and conducting an orchestra. In his late teens he went to Vienna for further study. There he reached fame, though not fortune.

I have read how, one evening, as he was out walking he passed a cobbler’s house where he heard someone inside practicing one of his compositions. As he stopped to listen he overheard a girl say that she wished she could hear a real musician play it properly.

Beethoven went into the house and, noticing the young lady at the piano was blind, offered to play the piece for her. He did so for her for more than an hour, and while he did, darkness fell and the lone candle in the room had gone out.

Outside in the night sky the moon shone brightly and sent its radiant beams glistening into the room where Beethoven sat playing beautiful music. He was so inspired by the appreciation of his music by the young lady and the beauty of the atmosphere in the room that he composed his famous “Moonlight Sonata.”

Do you ever feel that your dreams have been shattered and you feel all alone in the darkness of despair. I certainly have. However, when our life is truly committed to Christ, it’s in these “dark nights of the soul” when God is working in us to give us more understanding of life and compassion for others—and in time will bring back the music into our life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in my ‘dark nights of the soul’—even though I feel that you are far away—help me to see with my heart and know that you are at my side, and that you will never leave me or forsake me. And help me to ‘see’ that you are using my circumstances to help me become a better, healthier, and more whole person. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Job 35:10 (NIV).

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In Sorrow’s Hour

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”1

A Daily Encounter reader writes: “We just found out that my mother has lung cancer that has spread to her liver. I know the Lord holds us in his arms, but how do we find the strength and courage to handle what we know is coming? I know Mom needs a rest from her pain, and that the chemo will make her sick, but I’m not ready to let her go. How do I stop being so selfish? It’s very hard to ‘Let go and let God.’”

I don’t think it’s selfish to feel the way you do. In fact, I’d say it’s normal. It’s always difficult when loved ones suffer and when there is a possibility of losing them, and even harder when we do lose them.

Unfortunately, loss is a part of life and all of us will experience it at some time, and it’s never easy.

I don’t think there are any easy answers except to daily commit and trust your life and that of your loved one to the Lord. Tell God exactly how you feel (he knows it anyhow), and tell him you choose to trust him even if you feel you can’t. Do this every day or even more if necessary. In time your feelings will catch up with your choice to trust God. It is also very important not to bottle up your feelings of grief. Tears are a gift from God to help drain the pain of sorrow and loss. Pray that God will give you a friend with whom you can cry without being criticized or told you shouldn’t feel that way. Remember that when Jesus was sad, he wept! We need to do the same.

I’m reminded of a song that Danny Gaither sang so marvelously before he died of cancer. The words of the chorus went like this:

Through it all,

Through it all,

I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,

I’ve learned to trust in God.

Through it all,

Through it all,

I’ve learned to depend upon his Word.

It’s only through the rough times that we truly learn to trust in God. And in the end for all who trust God and have committed their life to him, we will meet again where there will be no more sickness, sadness, sorrow or dying, and where God himself will wipe away every tear. What a glorious day that will be. In the meantime we also need understanding and caring friends on whom we can lean.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in all of life’s circumstances I choose to trust in you no matter how I feel. Please help my feelings to catch up with my choice to trust you, and even if my feelings don’t catch up, I choose to trust you regardless. So help me God. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV).

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Anger Pegs

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“Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.”1

One night when I was watching the news on TV, I couldn’t help but notice that one group who were demonstrating against war became very violent. Violent peace—an oxymoron if ever there was one!

Now, I’m not against peaceful demonstrations, but when people get violent, it seems to me that they are very angry and are looking for a peg on which to hang their anger. That is, they want to blame someone or anything outside of themselves for their own personal problems.

Unfortunately, this happens far too often in relationships. Angry people breed anger and until they “own” their anger (admit that they have an anger problem), they will continue to look for pegs on which to hang their anger and blame others for their anger and rage. What happens doesn’t make them angry—it just triggers it. To blame others or external circumstances for one’s anger is a handy excuse to hang on to if we don’t want to grow up and accept personal responsibility for our problems.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t get angry at wrongdoing and evil. We should. But when we overreact and become violent or rage-full, that is entirely our problem. The purpose of anger is to bring about creative change—not to lash out at others and blame them for our rage.

So … if you are angered too easily, too often, too much, and react out of proportion to what has happened, and you want to bring about change, may I kindly suggest that you start the change in yourself, admit your problem, and seek help to resolve it.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see through my blind spots and acknowledge all of my problems and character issues. Help me to accept personal responsibility for resolving them, and lead me to the help I need to do so. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help read “Taming Your Anger” at: http://tinyurl.com/tame-anger.

1. Ephesians 4:26 (NLT).

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Alarming Irresponsibility

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“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”1

A Spanish proverb says: “God says, ‘Choose what you will and pay for it.’”

Not so here in the U.S., maybe, according to at least some so-called justices. Chuck Colson in BreakPoint pointed out a few years ago just one of many similar examples when he wrote, “A young woman I’ll call Susie Smith has a weight problem: She’s five feet, six inches and weighs 270 pounds. Why does she weigh twice her healthy weight? Genetics? Poor nutrition? Lack of exercise?

“No! McDonald’s. Smith claims that she is obese because ‘her regular diet included an Egg McMuffin for breakfast and a Big Mac meal for dinner.’ And that is why she and other overweight people were suing McDonald’s.”

Back in college days for two summers I drove a CTA passenger bus in Chicago, and in our training we learned how some people would purposely fall in the bus so they could sue the bus company for damages. And these people never seem to want for a lawyer who will accept their case.

In recent days we have read how smokers have successfully sued tobacco companies for millions of dollars blaming the manufacturers for their (the smokers’) addiction! I certainly don’t approve of tobacco companies but not one of them ever made anyone buy or smoke their cigarettes. Every single smoker did so because of his/her own choice and action. And never has a McDonald’s ever made any customer buy an Egg McMuffin or a Big Mac let alone make them eat them.

What so-called justices are granting is not only absurd, it’s downright alarming. Once upon a time law, order, and justice, were based on the Judeo-Christian ethic. No longer. We’ve thrown out prayer, God, and the Bible from our schools. And there’s ever increasing pressure to have God and the Bible removed from all public places. Consequently we are now living in what has been called post-Christian America and it seems as if some lawyers and judges are making their own laws instead of adhering to the law as spelled out in the Constitution.

Consequently, personal and moral responsibility is rapidly being decimated.

If we keep heading this way, law and order based on a higher power (be it God or the Constitution—essential for the successful functioning of any society and nation) will become so eroded, we will end up like ancient Rome and every other civilization who discarded God, morality, and personal responsibility.

The Spanish proverb is correct: “God says, ‘Choose what you will and pay for it.’” Susie Smith and company did exactly what they wanted to do and are paying for it. Denial will never take off their weight nor cure their lung cancer, the result of smoking.

One thing is certain, we cannot break God’s laws and survive any more than we can break the universal law of gravity. When we attempt to, it breaks us. What we sow is what we reap! Period—even if it is eventually.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please send a revival of your Spirit to our nation so that we will return to your ways and abide by your laws. Deliver us from our self-delusional irresponsibility and help us to realize that when we defy your ways, we ultimately destroy ourselves and the world of our children’s children. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:7 (NASB).

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Unanimous Anonymous

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“Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ.”1

I heard what I thought was a very funny ad on the radio. The announcer was discussing something with a make-believe Unanimous Anonymous support group. Like many a funny ad, I enjoyed the ad so much I don’t have the vaguest idea what product and/or brand name they were selling.

However, this ad reminded me of people who always agree with everything you say—whether they mean it or not. They can drive you nuts. I’m talking about people pleasers who always want to please you. They will give you the answer they think you want. They fall over backwards to help you even when you don’t want their help. Or give you things you don’t even want. I’m sure you’ve met one or two in your life. Sometimes they are referred to as “yes” men. You have no way of knowing what their motive is or what they are about.

Actually these people are untrue to their own self because they are very insecure and have an over-zealous need to please just about everybody in a vain attempt to get approval, which they substitute for love. In other words, they don’t have a healthy sense of self-love and acceptance.

The reality is that until we can love and accept ourselves in a healthy way, we cannot fully love and accept anyone else because we can’t give what we don’t have.

The way we grow in self-love starts by getting real; that is, by being honest with ourselves and admitting that we feel insecure and don’t have a healthy sense of self-love and acceptance. Once I admit that I feel insecure, I can stop trying to prove to myself that I’m okay and get off the endless merry-go-round of trying to please everyone. This can be incredibly liberating. Furthermore, it’s the only way I can do anything about my problem.

Then I need to admit how I really feel to at least one or two trusted, non-judgmental and supportive friends who won’t judge me or tell me I shouldn’t feel the way I do. (I feel the way I do because of who I am which has nothing to do with whether I should or shouldn’t feel the way I feel.) When I am courageously open and honest about myself with these trusted friends, and they love and accept me exactly as I am, little by little in time I learn to love and accept myself in a healthy way.

It also helps to realize that God loves and accepts us exactly as we are. But he also loves us too much to leave us as we are. He wants us to grow and become whole so his love can flow freely through us to others. However, until we love and accept ourselves, God’s love is blocked or hindered from flowing freely through us.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be real and help me to find a loving, accepting, non-judgmental friend or two with whom I feel safe to share my real self. Through their love, and knowing that you love and accept me as I am, please help me to love and accept myself in a healthy manner so your love can flow through me to others without being blocked or hindered. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:15 (TLB/NLT).

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Use It or Lose It

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“‘So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, …’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’”1

“Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in AD109 For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow.

“Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, ‘This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor.’ They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.”2

God has given everyone at least one talent. While some people may have ten talents and others only one, we are all responsible for what we do with what we have been given. The important thing is to develop whatever talent/s we have and to use them wisely, and to invest them in things of eternal value, for we will reap what we sow.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the talent/s you have given to me. Please help me to know what my best talent/s is/are, to get the training I need to develop it/them, and find a place where I can use it/them to the best of my ability in the work of your Kingdom here on earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 25:25-26, 28-29 (NIV).

2. Resource, Sept./ Oct., 1992, p. 4.

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The Real Thing

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“They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the law or the messages that the LORD Almighty had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD Almighty was so angry with them.”1

I read how a fellow in France was asked where in Paris he would most like to live. He said in the Eiffel Tower because it was the only place he could be and not have to look at it.

This reminds me of what Jef Olson said about the movie, The Godfather, Part III: “When the Godfather, Don Corleone, is forced to visit the distinguished Cardinal Lamberto to tell him the bad news that a legitimate business deal involving the Vatican Bank has gone bad. The bank is run by the Archbishop and a coalition of Catholic businessmen.

“The Cardinal listens to the Godfather; then he says something quite profound. He picks up a stone and says, ‘Look at this stone. It has been lying in the water for a very long time. The water has not penetrated it.’ Then he smashes the stone. ‘Look,’ he says peering at the smashed insides of the stone, ‘perfectly dry. The same thing,’ the Cardinal continues, ‘has happened to men in Europe. They have been surrounded by Christianity for centuries, but Christ does not live in their hearts.’

“This is exactly what happened at the Temple in Jesus’ time. There were people there who had been surrounded by the Temple for years, but the God of the Temple had not been allowed to enter their lives nor penetrate their hearts. As St. Paul once put it, They had the form of godliness, but not the real thing.” 2,3

Like the man who would like to live in the Eiffel Tower so as not to see it, there are many who hide from God in church or in some religious ritual. And like so many in Jesus’ day, the hardest hearts may not be among the ungodly, but among the religious who have all the outward trappings of the godly, but their hearts, like stones, are hard and cold—and they know not God.

Very interesting too that the Apostle Paul wrote that “there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be … without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”4

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when it comes to my relationship with you, please help me to be sure that I have the real thing and not just the outward trappings of religiosity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: For help be sure to read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Zachariah 7:12 (NLT).

2. 2 Timothy 3:5

3. Rev. Jef Olson, “Reassessment of Ministry” cited on eSermons.com.

4. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV).

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How Embarrassing

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“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”1

“Some years ago Alabama was playing against Rice in the Cotton Bowl. Neither team had been able to do anything through the first quarter. Then a player from Rice got the ball with no one from Alabama near him, and was on his way to a touchdown. At that moment one of the players on the Alabama bench, overcome by excitement, jumped up, ran out on the field, made a beautiful tackle, brought the runner down, and then ran back to the bench and sat down as if nobody had seen him. Of course, thousands of people saw him. The touchdown was awarded to Rice and the tackler sat on the bench holding his head. Eventually the Alabama coach went over and put his arm around the player as though to say, ‘You made a mistake, but you are still part of the team.’”2

That’s the kind of acceptance and encouragement we need to give to our friends, family and comrades when they goof. And it’s the kind of acceptance and encouragement we need when we goof.

While the player from Alabama never made an “unpardonable mistake,” he sure made a humiliating one especially before thousands of fans.

Fortunately for us when we make big mistakes and sin, no matter how bad, when we confess these to God, he forgives us fully and still loves us unconditionally. In essence he says to us, “You made a mistake (sinned) but you are forgiven and are still part of the team.”

Sadly, many people feel that what they have done is unforgivable by God. Others feel they are unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness. This is not so. The only unpardonable sin we can commit is to reject God’s mercy and his gift of forgiveness and salvation. The fact is that of ourselves none of us is worthy. It’s God’s grace that pardons and saves us—not anything we have ever done or have ever failed to do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your mercy and for loving me unconditionally no matter what I have ever done or have failed to do. And thank you that you forgive me when I confess my sinfulness to you. Help me to overcome my sins and failures and freely forgive others as you have forgiven me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: For help be sure to read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV).

2. King Duncan in www.sermons.com.

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None of These Diseases

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“If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”1

Regarding the laws God gave to the ancient Israelites. While perhaps seeming somewhat strange to us today, many of these were actually laws of health and hygiene. If the people heeded and lived by God’s laws, they would be a whole lot healthier than their counterparts in Egypt. In a very similar way, living according to God’s laws and principles will also help us to live happier and healthier lives.

For example, Ravi Zacharias writes: “In a fascinating article in the April 2000 issue of Christianity Today, psychology professor David G. Myers sifted through evidence to see if it indicated whether faith more often uplifts or debilitates. He writes, ‘We now have massive evidence that people in active faith communities are happier and healthier than their un-churched peers. Recent epidemiological studies reveal they even outlive their un-churched peers by several years.’

“After paragraphs of citing statistics gathered from the United States and abroad, he concludes that the correlation between faith and morality is more commonsensical than one might think. ‘If your car broke down in a crime-ridden area and some strapping teenage boys approached you,’ asks commentator Dennis Prager, ‘wouldn’t you feel better to know they had just come from a Bible study?’”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, again I thank you for the laws and principles found in your Word that, when followed diligently, guarantee a healthier, happier, and more productive life. Help me to so live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Exodus 15:26 (NKJV).

2. Ravi Zacharias, “A Slice of Infinity,” December 2, 2002, http://www.sliceofinfinity.org.

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The Judgment Seat of Christ

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“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”1

Question: Another Daily Encounter reader asks: “You said that man would be judged for what he did for God here on earth. I have always been of the opinion that what we did on earth for God won’t even be mentioned. I was brought up to believe that, ‘We are saved by faith, not of works lest any man should boast.’ To me that means that what we did for God while on earth is not going to be a topic that we will face. Could you please give me some insight into this?”

Answer: Actually there are two judgments in the Bible—there’s a good one and a bad one. First the good one: This is known as the judgment seat of Christ which is only for Christians. Here we will not be judged for our sins because they have already been judged and the penalty paid for by Jesus when he died on the cross in our place. The judgment seat of Christ is where Christians will be rewarded on the basis of their faithful service for the Lord while here on earth. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “That each one may receive what is due him for the things done while [here on earth].”1

The second judgment is what is known as “The Great White Throne Judgment” of God. The Apostle John wrote, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it … And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books … and each person was judged according to what he had done … If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire [hell].”2

This judgment of God is for those who never accepted Jesus as their Savior and received God’s pardon. At this judgment they will be judged for their sins—and will have to accept the just penalty for them because they rejected Jesus sacrifice of paying the penalty for them by his death on the cross. Sadly, God will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me.”3

A terrifying thing for those who don’t know Jesus Christ as their Savior: they will be lost forever in hell—whatever and wherever that place may be. One thing about hell is certain: it is an eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life—a place prepared for the devil and his demons of evil.

God has made it very clear in his Word that “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”4 So whatever you do, make absolutely sure that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior. This is obtaining your Passport for Heaven. Whatever you do, don’t leave earth without it.

For help be sure to read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that your Word makes the way of salvation very clear. Grant that I shall so live that I will not be disappointed at the judgment seat of Christ. Also that my life will be a living witness of your love and salvation so that others will want to accept you and not have to appear before you at the Great White Judgment. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV).

2. Revelation 20:11-13, 15 (NIV).

3. Matthew 7:23 (NKJV).

4. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

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