All posts by 5Q

Love God … Love People

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“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’…and…’Love your neighbor as yourself’.”1

Ron Clark of Tasmania, Australia, tells how he “read of a halfway house for men released from prison where they could stay until they got a job and somewhere to live. One young man had been in a penal institution for most of his adult life. One day as he sat in the lounge, the three-year-old daughter of the couple who ran the shelter crawled up onto his lap, put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. With tears running down his cheeks he said, ‘This is the first time I can remember anyone touching me in love.’

“A few weeks later he gave his life to Jesus Christ. God used that unique communication of physical contact and love to break the scars of all those years.”

I recall reading in one of Leo Buscaglia’s books about a fairly small child who went to a neighbor’s house where a husband lived whose wife had died. When she returned home, her mother asked what she did. She said, “I just sat on his lap and helped him cry.”

If there were one answer for the ills of the world, it could be summed up in the words of Jesus when he was asked by a lawyer, “Which was the greatest of all the commandments?” To which Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”2

If we truly love God, we will serve him. We will also love people and do all we can to help them because we serve God by serving people.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to love you with all of my heart, soul and mind, and love my neighbor as myself, and to serve you by giving and ministering to others. And help me to always do this with a pure motive—one that will glorify you in all that I am and do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV).
2. Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV).

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Prosperity Gospel

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“I [Jesus] have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble [tribulation]. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”1

A Daily Encounter reader from a much poorer country than North America asks, “Can you please write a message on prosperity teachings. [Some American preachers]…say it is a sin to be poor and when you are prosperous (have money) you are blessed.”

Amazing isn’t it?

If God has gifted me to be a good businessman and to make money, and I can do that honestly, then I’d say it would be my responsibility to make money … not for personal indulgences but so I would be able to give generously in supporting the Lord’s work on earth.

I for one, however, don’t have that gift or that calling. Neither am I a gifted fundraiser, so financing God’s work for me has always been a challenge and probably will be until the day I retire or die … whichever comes first!

However, to some degree I have been gifted with an ability to communicate. Thus it is my responsibility to be trained in this area and communicate God’s truth and the gospel to the best of my ability. Not to do so would be a sin for me as the Bible says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”2

To claim that everybody is gifted to make money or to communicate effectively is not true—and, if claiming this to be true, could lead many to doubt God’s blessing on their life. The same goes for those who are led to believe that it is God’s will for every Christian to be financially prosperous.

Think of Jesus, for example. Was he prosperous? Not at all. Were the twelve disciples prosperous? Matthew, the tax collector, may have been at one time but through questionable methods. Peter and the other fishermen and disciples probably made just enough to make ends meet. True, Moses came from a well-to-do background, having grown up in Pharaoh’s household, but he gave it all up to serve God and lead the people of Israel.

If, however, prosperity is God’s will for everyone, then let’s take this message to the poverty-stricken parts of the world where untold thousands of people are dying of malnutrition.

For the rest of us less prosperous ordinary folks, let’s do the best we can with the gifts God has given to us to help make our world a better place in which to live.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please grant that I will always be a messenger of truth and never be misled by false promises from false prophets who claim to be speaking in the name of the Lord. If ever I teach a false message, please reveal that to me so it can be corrected immediately. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. John 16:33 (NIV).
2. James 4:17 (NIV).

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Hammer Theology

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“Jesus stopped in the road and called, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’”1

An old man seated in the doctor’s waiting room, when called in to see the doctor, slowly got up, and, grasping his cane and hunching over, slowly made his way into the examining room.

After only a few minutes, the man emerged from the room, walking completely upright! A patient who had watched him hobble into the room all hunched over, stared in amazement.

“That must be a miracle doctor in there!” he exclaimed. “What treatment did he give you? What’s his secret?”

The old man looked at him and said, “Well, the doctor looked me up and down, analyzed the situation, and gave me a cane that was four inches longer than the one I had been using.”2

How often do we give everyone the same length cane; that is, the same answer for every problem? Then there are those people who see every problem as a nail for which they have only one cure—a hammer!

For example, some people blame every problem on a demon. Others’ answer to every problem is to take it to the cross or give it to Jesus. To my embarrassment in younger days I used to teach that if you had a problem, you overcame it by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

While, at times, there may be an element of truth in the above answers, in reality life isn’t that simple-neither are our problems. Causes of problems can be complex and multiple and there is no “one answer fits all.” And as for pat answers, they are rarely correct, if ever, and are a means of avoiding one’s own or another’s reality. Not only that, they can do more harm than good to a trusting person.

Jesus never had a pat answer for anybody-ever. And he never had the same answer for any two people. His basic question, either spoken or unspoken, always was, “What do you want me to do for you?” In other words, like the Master Physician he was, he always understood a person’s specific need, and prescribed the perfect answer to minister to and meet that need.

May God help us to do the same.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me an understanding heart and a sensitive spirit so that I will always understand people’s real needs and meet them at their point of need, and never hand out pat answers. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Matthew 20:32 (NLT).
2. Scott J. Shickler, Words of Wisdom, Kidsway Inc. Cited in Bits & Pieces.

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Topped Up

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“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”1

For any readers who have visited Southern California during the New Year, you would probably be aware of and may have seen the incredible New Year’s Day Rose Parade in Pasadena. Millions around the world have also seen the parade via TV.

An amusing thing happened in one year’s parade when one beautifully decorated float suddenly came to a stand-still. It ran out of fuel!

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

I wonder how often do we—with all the vast resources of God and heaven at our disposal—try to run on an empty love, joy and peace tank when, if we truly trusted God and followed his instructions for getting these needs met, would be certain to keep topped up? And how often do we try to run on an empty spiritual tank by neglecting to spend time with the Lord in worship, praise and daily devotions?

Let us make sure each day that we live in harmony with God’s will and his ways so we keep “topped up” and have our love, joy and peace tank filled and running over!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be faithful all year in spending time with you every day in worship, praise, your Word, and prayer; and walk in obedience to make certain I am filled with your Spirit and have my life “topped up” and overflowing with your love, joy and peace, and spread your Son-shine wherever I go. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 15:5 (NIV).

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When All Else Fails

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“When he [the prodigal son] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.”1

In his One-Minute Uplift email newsletter Rick Ezell writes, “In the highlands of Scotland sheep often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they can’t get out of. The grass on these mountains tastes very sweet, and the sheep like it. They will jump down ten or twelve feet to a ledge with a patch of grass, and then they can’t jump back up again. The shepherd hears them bleating in distress. The shepherd may leave them there for days, until they have eaten all the grass and are so faint that they cannot stand. Only then will the shepherd put a rope around the sheep and pull them up out of the jaws of death.

“Why doesn’t the shepherd attempt a rescue when the sheep first get into the predicament? The sheep are so foolish and so focused on eating that they would dash away from the shepherd, go over the precipice and destroy themselves.

“Such is the case with us. Sometimes we need to experience a little bit of death before we can enjoy the abundance of life. The Lord will rescue us the moment we have given up trying, realizing that we can’t liberate ourselves, and cry to him for help.”2

For many of us, like the prodigal son, it’s only when all else fails and we hit rock bottom, that we turn to God for help but that’s a good thing because only God can rescue us from the jaws of eternal death and damnation.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when I finally admit that I have a problem—that I am a sinner—and need help, I discover that you have been waiting patiently for me to come to you so you could rescue and save me from the tragic consequences of sin which is eternal death and separation from you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Luke 15:17-20 (NIV).
2. Rick Ezell, Defining Moments, © 2001. Cited on PreachingNow Ezine. www.preaching.com/preaching/preachingnow.html

NOTE: For help to know God be sure to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a real Christian Without Having to Be Religious” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

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The Only Time We Ever Have

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“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”1

In his sermon, “Obedience,” Warren Lamb said, “I used to have problems getting my son to clean his room. I would insist that he, ‘Do it now,’ and he would always agree to do so, but then he wouldn’t follow through—at least, not right way.

“After high school, he joined the Marine Corps, which is where he is now. When he and I were on the plane together coming home for his leave after Boot Camp, he said to me, ‘My life makes sense now, Dad. Everything you said and did when I was growing up now makes sense. I really, really understand.’

“‘Oh yeah, Dad,’ he added. ‘I learned what ‘now’ means.’”2

For all of us, the only time we ever have is now.

If God is urging you to make amends with a friend or loved one, do it now. If there is a job or responsibility you have been putting of, do it now. If God is calling you to accept his gift of salvation, remember NOW is the day of salvation. Be sure to do this today. For help go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9 to read, “How to Be Sure You’re a real Christian Without Having to Be Religious”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your Word that reminds me that the day of salvation is now—today. Please help me to do today what is the most important thing in my life, and especially to make sure my life is right with you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV).
2. Warren Lamb, www.sermoncentral.com

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If Jesus Came to Your House

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“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”1

“Former President Harry Truman was famous for the long walks he took. Those were simpler days when he could take a walk like everyone else. One evening Truman decided to stroll to Memorial Bridge on the Potomac. While there, he grew curious about the mechanism that raised the middle span of the bridge. Making his way across the catwalks and through the inner workings of the bridge, he suddenly came upon the bridge tender, eating his supper out of a tin bucket.

“The man showed no surprise when he looked up and saw the most powerful man in the world. He just swallowed his food, wiped his mouth, smiled, and said, ‘You know, Mr. President, I was just thinking of you.’ It was a greeting Truman never forgot.”2

Truman’s experience reminds of the poem, “If Jesus Came to Your House” A poem that I read many years ago and found a copy on the web. It would be more applicable for me if it were, “If Jesus Came to My House.”

“If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two / If he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do. / Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored Guest, / And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best, / And you’d keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there / That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.

“But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door / With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly Visitor? / Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in? / Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been? / Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard? / And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

“Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out? / Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about? / And I wonder if the Savior spent a day or two with you, / Would you go right on doing the things you always do? / Would you go right on saying the things you always say? / Would life for you continue as it does from day to day? / Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace? / And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace? / Would you sing the songs you always sing, / and read the books you read, / And let him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed? / Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go? / Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

“Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends? / Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends? / Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on? / Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone? / It might be interesting to know the things that you would do? / If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.”3

It would be very interesting if Jesus did come in person to your house and mine.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to so live that should Jesus turn up in my house in person, there would be nothing that I would be embarrassed or shamed about. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV).
2. The Truman story is told in David McCullough, Truman (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), 623, and recorded in Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes by Robert J. Morgan.
3. Credited to Lois Blanchard Eades.

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The Empty Promise of Promiscuity

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Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”1

“Recently I’ve become promiscuous,” began 20-year-old Ellen’s sad email. “I’ve been boy crazy for as long as I can remember. My father left my life when I was twelve. My mom worked long hours and had little time for my brother and me after our parents divorced. I don’t understand why I feel I can’t function without a significant other in my life. I had a baby when I was 16, married at 17, and now I’m 20 and divorced. I’m searching for a ‘soul mate’ and I’m in love with the idea of love. It’s ruining my morals and my values. I feel empty. Can you help?”

The above message was sent to a counselor friend of mine, Dr. Bruce Narramore. Tragically, situations like this in today’s permissive society are far too common where so many lonely people seek to fill the empty void and hunger in their heart with false substitutes such as meaningless sex and empty relationships—both of which serve only to increase their sense of despair.

Bruce said, “I encouraged Ellen to seek help to gain an understanding of some of the causes of her problems. I pointed out how the void left by losing her dad and mom programmed her to feel an unusually deep need for human connection which was probably the driving force behind her promiscuity and excessive need for a man in her life. I also told her she could never fill the void coming from those childhood losses through a sexual relationship or even through marriage. We can’t fill childhood voids with adult relationships. That is like pouring water through sand. The water is temporarily cooling but soon vanishes. If Ellen doesn’t reverse this pattern, she will go through life trying to find the parents she lost through one tragic relationship after another.

“Ironically, not until Ellen becomes emotionally and spiritually strong enough to live without a man will she be ready for a healthy relationship. At that point she will be a mature adult ready for an adult relationship, rather than an emotional child searching for a lost daddy. And she will no longer ‘be in love with the idea of love’ which is simply a childish fantasy. Instead, she will be ready to love and be loved by a real person.”2

Fortunately, Ellen admitted that she had a problem and needed help. She did seek counseling to help her resolve her childhood losses. We trust that she is now well on the road to recovery and ready for healthy relationships. Ellen’s situation is a reminder to all who have unresolved losses that they also need to resolve their losses so they can get off the endless merry-go-round of seeking to fill the empty void in their heart by looking for love in all the wrong faces and places and by trying to fill their void with “things” instead of healthy relationships.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to admit to any unhealthy relationships and/or behaviors in my life, see the cause/s of these, and find the help I need to overcome so that I will grow in maturity and learn to fully live and fully love so my life will be a clean channel through which your love can flow to others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Matthew 11:28 (NIV).
2. Narramore, Bruce, Project Letter of the Narramore Christian Foundation.

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Come Apart and Rest a While

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“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”1

“According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.

“Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, ’Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bows imply.’

“The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, ‘If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.’”2

So many of us today, including me, (at least in the Western world) are bogged down with being too busy. Much of life seems to be controlled by the tyranny of the urgent—unforeseen crises or needs that daily pop up unexpectedly—all of which are a vivid reminder that I, too, need to “come apart and rest a while—before I come apart.” Even Jesus and his disciples, in the midst of their busy ministry, needed to take time out to get some rest. Dare we do less? There are times when we, too, need to loosen the bow.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the reminder that I need, not only to be diligent in my work and service, but also to take time to get needed rest every day. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Mark 6:30-31 (NIV).
2. Our Daily Bread, June 6, 1994

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What a Good Church Can Do for You, Part III

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“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

Yesterday we pointed out three more benefits of a good church: friendship and a sense of belonging; personal care; and discovering a sense of inner peace and strength.

Regarding the latter, one hard-working electrical contractor explained his feeling this way, “I was tired of the everyday grind. I really felt all along that there was something missing. I went to church as a youth just about every Sunday. I went to boot camp. And then I lost it. I couldn’t put my finger on it, even though I tried and tried again. My children started going to Sunday School, my wife started, and I said, ‘Maybe this is what I’m missing.’ So I tried it, and it was.”2

Finding God and his will for your life. There are many more benefits gained from belonging to a good church, not the least being: learning about God; experiencing meaningful worship; finding inspiration and help for daily living; and having an opportunity to use your abilities to serve others.

Perhaps the most important benefit of all is that in a good church one can find God … and his will and direction for one’s life.

The Gallup poll mentioned earlier also brought out an interesting facet of American life. At the time of this poll 61 percent of all Americans aged 18 and above want to follow God’s will.

With God, life (even with all its hurts and frustrations) becomes more meaningful and purposeful. Furthermore, with God one can find forgiveness for all his sins and wrong-doing, make his or her peace with him, and receive the hope of eternal life.

Belonging to a good church is so beneficial for both individuals and families that it is well worth finding a church where leaders and members not only love God and believe and teach his Word, but also where they are loving, accepting, and non-judgmental; where they present grace with truth; and where they are committed to ministering to each others’ needs. That’s why God designed the church.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you above all that in a good church I can find you. Thank you, too, that a good church gives me a safe place to learn more about you, study your Word, discover your will for my life, share my struggles and failures, grow in maturity, faith, love and every grace, and find an opportunity to serve you by serving others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV).
2. Why People Join the Church, p. 105-106.

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