All posts by 5Q

The Power of One

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“I [God] sought for a man [person] among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”1

Have you ever felt helpless in light of the seemingly overwhelming problems we face in today’s world—either at home or abroad? The truth of the matter, however, is that one person can make a world of difference to at least one other person and, more often than not, to a host of other persons.

Some time ago a friend sent the following anonymous poem to me. I’d like to share it with you today.

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam can light a room.
One candle can wipe out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it’s up to YOU!

As another has said, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one small candle.” And as Edward Everett Hale so eloquently said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”Don’t ever forget how very important you are in your world and remember too, that “One person is very important to God, too.” Most of his work on earth has been started by one person. God is always looking for people who will do his work on earth. Will you be the one he is looking for today?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available. I want to say yes to You today and be one You are looking for. Please use me to be a part of Your plans in what You are doing in the world in which I live. Please show me where I can begin. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV).

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Hornet Persuasion

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“I [God] will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.”1

In much younger days I used to play a guitar (long before they became as popular as they are today) and sing. One of my favorite songs was the “Hornet Song” that went something like the following:

When the Canaanites hardened their hearts against God,

And grieved Him because of their sin,

God sent along hornets to bring them to terms,

And to help His own people to win.

Now the hornets persuaded them that it was best

To go quickly and not to go slow,

They didn’t compel them to go ‘gainst their will.

But they just made them willing to go.

If a nest of live hornets were brought to this room,

And the creatures allowed to go free,

You would not need urging to make yourself scarce,

You‘d want to get out, don’t you see!

When Jonah was sent to the work of the Lord,

The outlook was not very bright,

Why he never had done such a hard thing before,

So he backed out and ran off from the fight.

Now, the Lord sent a big fish to swallow him up,

The story I am sure you all know,

God didn‘t compel him to go ‘gainst his will,

But He just made him willing to go.

Chorus:

God doesn’t compel us to go, oh, no!

He never compels us to go,

God does not compel us to go ‘gainst our will,

But He just makes us willing to go.

So here I am today—many years hence—doing with my life what I believe God wants me to do—and finding it incredibly fulfilling. “God’s hornets” for me involved an accident on a construction site that put me in the hospital for a few days and out of work for a few weeks while recuperating. God had to put me flat on my back so I would stop and hear what he had been trying to get me to hear for about three years. While in the hospital I “heard” God’s call—loud and clear—and “knew that I knew that I knew” what I needed to do. That was to go back to school and train for a lifetime of Christian ministry. How thankful I am today for the “hornets” God has sent into my life on several other occasions as well.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You that your call to each one of us is persistent, so please give me hearing ears and a listening heart to hear you call that I will know without a doubt that I am fulfilling my God-given life purpose to the very best of my ability. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Exodus 23: 28 (NIV).

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Trapped in a Pile of Mud

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“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”1

A Daily Encounter subscriber shares his struggle saying, “My life is trapped in a pile of mud … down under the ocean.”

“Dear Friend,” I replied, “I am saddened to hear that you feel so downcast. You are certainly not alone in your struggle. For many, life is a struggle, a disappointment; or depressing. Speaking personally, I came from a very dysfunctional family background, felt rejected by my father, was extremely insecure in younger days, plus, because of my unresolved personal issues (damaged emotions), my first marriage was a disaster. Furthermore, because of my family background where love for me in my subconscious mind meant feeling rejected and being hurt, I was afraid to love and knew that if I didn’t get the help I needed, I would be running from love for the rest of my life.

“However, with the support of good friends, in-depth professional counseling, and by the grace God, I have survived, and life for me these days has never been more fulfilling. My recovery, however, didn’t happen overnight. It took determination, a steadfast commitment to “being made well,” and lots of help. Note that Jesus didn’t say to the crippled man, “Do you wish to be made well? It was, “Do you want to be made well?” To be made well, we need to want it badly enough to take full responsibility and do everything we need to do in order to be made well. The half-hearted never make it.

“Once you work through and resolve your pain, one of the most important things you can do is to ‘invest your pain‘ as it were; by learning how to overcome, and then by becoming a wounded healer to support others in their recovery. I am quick to admit that if there is any quality and depth in the ministry that has been entrusted to me today, most of it has come out of my years of personal struggle and learning how to overcome.

“I encourage you to pray that God will reveal to you the pathway for your healing and recovery; that He will lead you to find the help you need to fully recover, and that He will then use you to become a fellow wounded healer. To find a highly qualified Christian professional counselor, if you live in the U.S. or Canada, I suggest that you call the office of the Narramore Christian Foundation at 1-800-477-5893, and press ’1′ for Dianne, and she should be able to give you the contact information for a counselor or two in your area.

“True, counseling can be expensive, but in many ways some of us can’t afford not to receive it. For many months I worked two jobs at once—one in the daytime and the other at night—to pay for the counseling I needed.

“For today’s suggested prayer I encourage you pray the following simple prayer at the beginning of every day for the rest of your life: ‘Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to You. Please help me to become the person you want me to be, and please use me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I have contact with today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.’

“I have prayed this prayer every day since my youth and plan to keep praying it every day for the rest of my life. I hope that you will too. Given time and asking God to help you find the help you need to ‘get out of the mud,’ you will find that it will help you tremendously as long as you pray it consistently and sincerely.

“Furthermore, for a starting point, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior knowing that your sins are forgiven by God, be sure to read the article, ‘How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian’ at: www.actsweb.org/christian. I’m sure, too, that some of the articles online at: www.actsweb.org/articles/Solutions.php will be a help. And I suggest that you read the book, You Can’t Fly With a Broken Wing. This book was written out of my overcoming life’s struggles, and can be purchased on sale at: http://actscom.com/store.”

1. John 5:6 (NKJV).

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Preach the Word

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“I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”1

In August of last year, California Governor Brown signed the Transgender Student Bill which makes the state of California the first state to allow students from grade school through high school access whichever restroom and locker room they want—regardless of their birth gender. And what, pray tell me, does this do for the privacy of straight boys and girls? And imagine how this will be open to abuse by non-discretionary teenage boys with raging hormones? And how are parents going to protect their children from this absurdity? It is a further step in the ever-increasing moral decay of our ever- sickening political correct society. See http://tinyurl.com/k6xbdvn for more details.

What amazes me in our society today is that liberal groups such as the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender), the PC (politically correct) people, the ACLU (American Civil Liberty Union), anti-Christian and other like-minded liberal groups push and push and push until their personal desires, their perceived rights, and activities are not only accepted but given full approval regardless of their agenda so that to speak out against them one can be sued for a so-called hate crime.

But where is the voice of the Church? Have we allowed Political Correctness (which more often than not is anything but correct) to silence us? Leaders are called to “preach the Word;” that is, the Word of God.

To be genuine Christians and believers in God, we need to love that which God loves and hate that which God hates. God loves all people. He loves that which is righteous, that which is just, that which is true, and that which is wholesome. At the same time God hates all sin and all evil because it destroys those whom he loves; that is you, me, and all people.

We are called to take a stand for our Christian faith. As God’s Word says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for Your Word, the Bible, that gives instructions for life so that all who live according to Your Word—and in harmony with your will—will learn how to fully live and fully love. Help me always to so live. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:1-4 (NLT).

2. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NIV).

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I Respectfully Disagree With You

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“Has God said?”1

I was recently discussing the subject of homosexuality with a person who claims to believe in God, but when I shared with her what God’s Word has to say about this subject, she said, “I respectfully disagree with you.”

The fact is, however, she wasn’t disagreeing with me, she was disagreeing with God’s Word, the Bible, and to disagree with the Bible, is to disagree with God. Quite a superior stand to take! Putting one’s self above God is an insidious and ultimately self-destructive stand to take.

Doing this is precisely the essence of sin and is how sin entered the human race through Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. God had given both total freedom to eat of every fruit in the Garden of Eden except for just one fruit. This was a test and an opportunity for them to choose to follow God or to oppose him. When Satan, the devil, disguised as a serpent, came to tempt Adam and Eve, in referring to the forbidden fruit, he said to Eve, “Has God said?”

And then extended to Eve a part truth in order to deceive her. He said to her, “If you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will be as the gods knowing the difference between good and evil.” This was the part truth, but what Satan didn’t say was that if she ate of the forbidden fruit, she would be forever confirmed in a state of sin/evil which would cause her to be separated from God. Sadly, Eve bought into the lie, took of the forbidden fruit, ate it and shared it with Adam, and he ignored God’s directive too.

So Eve set herself up as the judge between God and Satan. In doing this, she fell for the trap, ate of the forbidden fruit as did Adam, and in doing so they brought sin into the human race. In essence Adam and Eve were, through their actions, saying to God, “I respectfully disagree with you.”

So when it comes to issues such as homosexuality, gay marriage, and many other moral issues, has God said? Indeed he has—very clearly in his Word. Whether it be by an individual, a church, a denomination, or a country—we oppose God’s Word and God’s instructions to our peril! The reality is that while God loves all sinners, He hates sin because it is so totally destructive of those whom he loves, and that is you and me. It is also destructive of families and entire nations.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a genuine love for, and an appreciation of, Your Word as found in the Bible, knowing that Your Word is always truth and Your directions for all of life—for this life and preparing us for life beyond the grave in eternity. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Genesis 3:1 (KJV).

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Lessons From Eagles

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“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”1

“Though many of us have seen pictures of a huge eagle’s nest high in the branches of a tree or in the crag of a cliff, few of us have gotten a glimpse inside. When a mother eagle builds her nest she starts with thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and a number of other items that seem entirely unsuitable for the project. But then she lines the nest with a thick padding of wool, feathers, and fur from animals she has killed, making it soft and comfortable for the eggs.

“By the time the growing birds reach flying age, the comfort of the nest and the luxury of free meals makes them quite reluctant to leave. That’s when the mother eagle begins stirring up the nest. With her strong talons she begins pulling up the thick carpet of fur and feathers, bringing the sharp rocks and branches to the surface. As more of the bedding gets plucked up, the nest becomes more uncomfortable for the young eagles. Eventually, this and other urgings prompt the growing eagles to leave their once-comfortable abode and move on to more mature behavior.”2

Yesterday we implied that motivation comes from within—that only we can motivate ourselves. When it comes to growth, however, there is another motivator to help get us motivated—and that is pain that is either caused or allowed by God. Like the mother eagle “motivating” her eaglets to launch out to grow towards their full potential, pain and troubles in our life can be “God’s wake-up call” to “stir up our nest,” to motivate us to move us out of our comfort zone, and grow towards our God-given potential to become all that he envisioned for us to be and to do all that he wants us to do.

However, it’s best to get smart. If we choose to move “out of our comfort zone nest” and become motivated about and involved in God’s work, we may avoid some prickly thorns that God may need to send into our life to stir us out of our nest.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in all the trials and troubles You allow to come into my life, please help me use these as an opportunity to grow so that I will become ‘strong in character and ready for anything.’ Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. James 1:2-4 (NLT).

2. Today in the Word, June 11, 1989

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Do You Want to Be Made Whole?

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“Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well [whole]?’”1

If I were to ask you if you want to be made whole, I’m sure you would say yes. But what does it mean to be whole? Simply put, it means to become a whole person especially in mind and spirit; that is, to become emotionally well, and spiritually well. Quite a challenge to be sure.

As long as we live in our human body we will be subject to sickness and disease. However, the more whole we become emotionally and spiritually, the healthier we are more likely to be physically. Unresolved spiritual and/or emotional issues make us much more susceptible to illnesses of all kinds.

For instance, a person whose life is riddled with guilt because of unconfessed sin, or is nursing a grudge and refusing to forgive someone who has hurt him or her is more than likely to get sick physically and/or mentally. Many an ulcer, for example, is caused not so much by what we are eating but by what is eating us on the inside. And when I repress super-charged negative emotions, as John Powell puts it, “My stomach keeps score.”

While the principle for being made well/whole is simple, the process is anything but simple. That is, if we want to be made well/whole, we need to resolve all past hurts, forgive anyone and everybody who has ever hurt us, face and resolve every buried negative emotion, deal with and resolve any unconfessed sin, and make our life right with God.

Remember, too, there is a world of difference between a want and a wish. To be made well/whole takes total commitment, personal honesty, and determination. The half-hearted never make it. They may wish to get well but they don’t want it badly enough to be willing to pay the price of doing what it takes to be made well/whole.

Jesus’ invitation is still available. Receiving the answer is up to each one of us. Do you truly want to be made whole/well? For only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, our behavior and actions, our manner of living, and our relationships be wholesome.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to understand fully what it means and what it takes to be made whole, and give me the courage and will to do what I need to do in order to be made whole. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

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

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No Greater Love

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

Gregory Robertson, a parachute safety and training adviser and a veteran of several hundred parachute jumps, followed six other sky divers out of a plane two miles above the ground.

At 1¾ miles the six attempted to link hands. One of the divers, Debbie Williams, accidentally collided with one of the other skydivers and knocked herself unconscious. Seeing her plight, Robertson tucked his arms to his sides and, using his shoulders to steer himself, went after Debbie. Plunging downward at 200 miles per hour, he was able to catch her. Maneuvering her into a sitting position, Robertson yanked her rip cord. They were at 2,700 feet! At 2,000 feet he opened his own chute. Ten seconds later he would have slammed into the ground.

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

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

1. John 15:13.

2. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV)

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Discovering God’s Will for Your Life

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“I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”1

A Daily Encounter reader asks, “How does one know that God is speaking to him or her? I am very confused because I do not know what God wants me to do with my life.”

In younger days I used to struggle with the same question; that is, how can I know the will of God for my life? The following comes from what I learned:

First, and most important, is that it is always God’s will for us to put God first in our lives and to live in harmony with what His Word, the Bible, teaches.

Second, ask God to help you discover what your God-given life purpose is, and then do what is necessary to fulfill this purpose. This will be achieved by developing and using your God-given natural gifts and talents to serve Him. Realize, too, that we serve God by serving/helping people.

Third, when fulfilling the above, you will enjoy and find fulfillment in the work/service (either paid or volunteer) that you do. Referring to Jesus, David, the Psalmist, wrote: “I take joy in doing your will, my God.” When we live in harmony with and do the will of God, we, too, will find joy and fulfillment.

Fourth, unless we have a “specific call” from God for a specific task such as being a missionary (or other ministry), we can do any of a number of things and still be doing God’s will. For instance, picture God’s will as traveling on a “train” that will take you to heaven when your life on earth is ended. While God is in charge of that train, we have all the freedom to move around in that train, and be involved in varied activities using our abilities to serve others. Should God be calling you to a specific task, it will be much like what Oswald Chambers once said: “The call of God is like the call of the sea to a sailor.” That is, a man who senses the call of the sea, will never rest until he launches out to sea to answer that inner urging. For more details on the call of God, see the article, “Baffling Call of God,” online at: http://tinyurl.com/callofGod.

Fifth, realize that God is not co-dependent. He will give wisdom and guidance if we ask Him to (see Proverbs 3:5-6), but He doesn’t make our decisions for us. So don’t wait for a special vision, just put to use the talents you have in serving others through your local church, a para-church organization, with a volunteer service organization, through visiting the sick or shut-ins, helping a neighbor, or just in one or more of normal, everyday activities.

Sixth, every morning pray and commit and trust your life and way to God and trust Him to lead you in the way that is best for you to go. I have prayed this prayer almost every day since my youth and, as I look back, can see how God has answered this prayer in so many ways that I never would have dreamed possible.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to discover my God-given life purpose, to live in harmony with Your will, and to develop and use my God-given gifts and talents in a way that will best serve You and fulfill Your purpose for my life—and therein find joy and fulfillment. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Psalm 40:8 (NLT).

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Report Card

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“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”1

Report cards can make students nervous when having to give a less than desirable report to their parents. I received a report card from one of my sons when he was 13. It read:

Dad’s Report Card

Love: A

Patience: A

Understanding: A

Intelligence: A

Sense of humor: A

Helpfulness: A

Kindness: A

Wisdom: A

Allowances: C-

It was a birthday card, the inside of which read: “Let’s see if we can’t bring that last grade up a bit, Dad!”

Jokes aside, I wonder if we wouldn’t be better parents if we were regularly graded by our kids!

Whenever there is accountability with responsibility the results are usually more effective. For example, in ancient Rome when the scaffolding was removed from a completed Roman arch, the law required the engineer who built it to test its strength by standing beneath it.

The engineer knew his life depended on the quality of his work. Thus, it is no accident that Roman arches have survived for hundreds of years!

Perhaps it would be wise to remind ourselves that each of us is accountable and eventually will stand before God to give an account of how we have lived and served God while here on earth. May each of us hear the Savior say, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, grant that when my works are tested, that they won’t burn up as wood, hay and stubble, but will, by Your grace, be as pure gold. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

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