All posts by 5Q

Outrunning Who?

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“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”1

It’s an old story but worth repeating: Two friends are hiking in the woods when they come upon a menacing-looking bear walking directly toward them. When one fellow starts to slowly remove his backpack, the other whispers, “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m going to run for it,” was his reply.

“But you can’t outrun a bear,” his pal protested.

“I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.”

As Michael Josephson said in his weekly column, “Everywhere we see people living their lives according to this Darwinian law of the jungle. They see everything as a competition just to find the most extreme tactics to assure their own survival. You’ve heard the rationales: ‘It’s a dog-eat-dog world,’ ‘Eat or be eaten,’ ‘You’ve got to look out for Number One.’”2

Wrong! These people end up only outrunning themselves—even if it is eventually!

People who believe in and live by this dog-eat-dog philosophy will die by this philosophy. As it has been said, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” And what is the point of being the richest or most successful person in the cemetery? The reality is that we can’t take what we gained with us when we die.

But if we honor others and treat them as Jesus would treat them, we can send ahead all that we have legitimately gained—as an investment in eternity—and therein store up riches in heaven.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from ever participating in this ‘dog-eat-dog’ mentality and practice. Help me rather to be like Jesus in all ways and treat others accordingly. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:10 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson, Character Counts www.charactercounts.org.

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Do Your Best

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“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”1

“When Leonardo da Vinci was still a pupil, his elderly, well-known teacher asked him to finish a painting that he, the teacher, had begun.

“Young da Vinci stood in such awe of his master’s skill that at first he respectfully declined. But his teacher would accept no excuse. He simply said, ‘Do your best.’ Trembling, da Vinci took his brush and began. With each stroke, his hand grew steadier as the genius within him awoke. Soon he was so caught up in his work that he forgot his timidity. When the painting was finished, the frail and weak master was carried into the studio to see it. Embracing his student, he exclaimed, ‘My son, I paint no more!’”2

Not everyone has the kind of talent and genius that Leonardo da Vinci had, but every one of us has God-given talents that he wants us to develop and use for his glory. He never expects from us what he hasn’t gifted us to do. And he has already equipped us to do what he wants us to do. So use what talents you possess. Do your best and leave the rest to God. As Henry van Dyke said, “The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the talents you have given to me. Please help me to see what they are, develop them fully, and use them to the best of my ability for your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV).

2. Richard W. De Haan, Radio Bible Class, www.rbc.org.

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How Then Should We Work?

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“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”1

According to an article by Eric Metaxas in BreakPoint Daily, “More than 5,000 people jammed a sports arena for a conference featuring motivational speakers…. One of the speakers asked a simple question: ‘If you went home tonight and found that a long lost relative had died and left you ten million dollars, would you be at work tomorrow?’

“Almost in a single voice came the boisterous reply: ‘NO!’2

“Friends, I can tell you, if I’d been there, I would have stood up and shouted, ‘YES!’”

Had I been there, I also would have stood up and shouted, “YES!” … and would have immediately prayed and researched how I could use this money to reach more people around the world with the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is a vital part of what God is doing in the world today.

The BreakPoint article also stated that 77% of Americans hate their job.2 This is extremely sad because all legitimate work is God-ordained. Think of all the people in today’s world who are out of work and want to work. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must be like to experience. For many it has to be devastating. Today’s Scripture, of course, would not apply to those who truly want to work, but can’t find a job. It is also clear about those who could work but don’t want to. This reminds me of a sign on the San Clemente pier, which is close to where we live, that says the following:

“Don’t feed the birds. It makes them over-dependent on people,
and they forget how to fend for themselves … and die.”

If we have work, let us be thankful for it, and realize that no matter what we do we are to do all for the glory of God; and regardless of our position, we need to ask God to help us to be an effective witness for Jesus, and to be “as Jesus” to all those with whom we work—including the boss.

But I can “hear” some saying about me that I am just lucky because I have work that is very fulfilling. This is true; however, over the years I have worked cleaning filthy machines in a pie factory, scrubbing floors and being a janitor at a church at night time and over weekends, and doing whatever work I could find to put myself through several years of college. I was very thankful for this work which made it possible for me to eat and to pay all my college bills.

If you are in a job that you hate, I encourage you to get well trained to do the kind of work that you would find fulfilling, and pray that God will help you find such a job. Remember, too, that we serve God by serving people, and we can do that in any job.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to appreciate the fact that all legitimate work is God-ordained. Help me to know what work would best suit my God-given abilities, and where to get the training necessary to qualify me for this type of work. Also, please help me to find a job that would be fulfilling and give me the satisfaction of knowing that I am working to bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NKJV).

2. Eric Metaxas, BreakPoint Daily, October 25, 2012, http://www.breakpoint.org/.

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A Prayer to Transform Your Life

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“This is the confidence that we have in Him [God], that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”1

From time to time I encourage Daily Encounter subscribers to start his or her day with the following prayer: “Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. I am available, please make me usable, use me to be a witness for Jesus, and help me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I touch—today!”

I have prayed this prayer every morning for many years and, by the grace of God, plan to pray it every day until the Lord calls me home. The fact is that God uses ordinary everyday people who are available to do his work here on earth—often in unusual ways.

Recently, for example, I was on our sidewalk talking with our gardener when a neighbor walked by and wanted to talk to me. She was deeply hurt over a situation that was caused by another neighbor who had bawled her out. She shared with me what happened and was crying. It upset me too and I ended up crying with her. I then asked if I could hug and pray for her, to which she readily agreed, after which, she genuinely thanked me.

Furthermore, our gardener stepped aside a little but watched the entire event. I’ll bet he never witnessed anything like this before—neither had I.

Reminds me of the hymn that says: “God moves in a mysterious way / His wonders to perform / He plants his footsteps on the seas / And rides upon the storm.”

Again I encourage you to pray the following prayer every morning of your life and see how God will use you too.

Today’s Prayer: “Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. I am available, please make me usable and use me to be a witness for Jesus, and help me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV).

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The Declining U.S.A. Church

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Jesus gave specific instructions to his followers when he said: “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature… . Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them … teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”1

Tragically the church in the U.S.A. today is in sad decline. “Few have spoken as sharply concerning the failures within the Church as Wes Moore, Founder of Evidence America, who wrote: ‘We have no strategy to recruit and train new evangelists within our congregations. We don’t organize our people to effectively reach the lost. Over 90% of our people have absolutely no intention of sharing their faith. Our leaders are often too apathetic to make any worthwhile changes. All the while, the numbers stare us in the face: 85% of our churches are declining. When you measure church growth against population growth, only about 4% of churches in America are actually growing (that means 96% of churches are actually declining)… And, according to the Barna Group, of the more than 350,000 Protestant churches in America, over 60,000 don’t have a single convert each year.’”2

I can’t help but wonder, too, is another reason why the church in the U.S. is in decline because we have substituted entertainment for prayer supposedly to attract the younger generation? I think that Pastor Jim Cymbala, pastor of the once struggling Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City (now with 10,000 members), might agree. In a Sunday morning church sermon he was stressing the critical importance of prayer if their church was going to be blessed by God, and shared the following:

A minister from Australia (or perhaps New Zealand) happened to be present that morning—a rare occurrence. I introduced him and invited him to say a few words. He walked to the front and made just one comment:

“I heard what your pastor said. Here’s something to think about: You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night. But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting.”

And with that, he walked off the platform. That was all. I never saw him again.3

From my observation the weekly church prayer meeting, by and large, is a thing of the past. No wonder we are in decline.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a vital part of a praying church that believes—in obedience to Christ’s commission—that the supreme task of the church is the evangelization of the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 16:20; Matthew 28:19-20.

2. Source: http://evangelicalviewpoint2006.blogspot.com/ May 1, 2012.

3. Cymbala, Jim; Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Zondervan, p. 28.

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The Power of Tears

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“As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.’”1

Walter Wangerin in his book, The Manger Is Empty, “has a wonderful story, called ‘Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine’ about how he tried to stop his son Matthew from stealing comic books. He tried various uses of the law over several years and continued to fail. Finally, he resorted to something he rarely used: a spanking. He did it deliberately, almost ritualistically, and he was so upset when he finished that he left the room and wept. After pulling himself back together, he went in to Matthew and hugged him.

“A number of years later, Matthew and his mother were doing some general reminiscing, and Matthew happened to bring up the time when he kept stealing comic books. ‘And you know why I finally stopped?’ he asked. ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘because Dad finally spanked you.’ ‘No!’ replied Matthew, ‘No, because Dad cried.’”2

When Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, died, the Bible records that Jesus wept.3 And, today, when you and I suffer, and when people reject him, Jesus still cares and grieves deeply just as he did over the death of Lazarus, and as he did over the people in Jerusalem in his day when they rejected his offer of eternal salvation.

Frank E. Graeff, the hymn writer, asked, “Does Jesus care when my heart is pained / Too deeply for mirth and song / As the burdens press and the cares distress / And the way grows weary and long? O yes, he cares; I know He cares / His heart is touched with my grief / When the days are weary, the long nights dreary / I know my Savior cares.”

Yes, dear reader, Jesus cares about you and longs that you will come to him with all you heartaches, and especially that you will come to him for the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. If you have not received God’s forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, for help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious,” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you know and understand me more than anyone else ever could, and that you care deeply for me. Please help me to grasp the fullness of your love and concern and learn to trust in you implicitly no matter what. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 19:41-42 (NIV).

2. Walter Wangerin, Jr., The Manger Is Empty, pp. 116-132. Cited on http://girardianlectionary.net/year_b/lent5b.htm

3. John 11:35.

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Where Are the Nine?

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Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”1

“You probably read about Paddy who was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking place.

“Looking up to heaven he said, ‘Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish whiskey.’

“Miraculously, a parking place appeared.

“Paddy looked up again and said, ‘Never mind, I found one.’”2

While we make jokes about such things, I wonder how often I pray, God answers, and I forget to say thank you … or fail to even see that God has answered my prayer because it wasn’t in the way that I expected it to be.

The fact is, when my prayer is sincere from the heart, God always hears and answers it. Sometimes the answer is “Yes,” sometimes it is “No,” and sometimes it is “Wait a while.” And sometimes it is in a way that is totally different from what I expected.

The important thing is that we always thank God for hearing and answering our prayers regardless of the way in which they are answered, because God always knows what is best for us. Let’s not be like the ten lepers whom Jesus healed and only one came back to acknowledge and thank Jesus for healing him.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you always hear and answer my prayers in one way or another. May I always have a grateful heart and learn to thank you regardless of the way in which you answer my prayer. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 17:17 (NIV).

2. Author unknown.

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Discipline vs. Punishment

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God said, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.”1

Nine-year-old Al had disobeyed his father who, as a strict disciplinarian, sent him with a note to a police station in London. When Al came in late after curfew, his father met him at the door and handed him a note and said, “Take it to the jailhouse.”

Al was terrified.

“The officer, a friend of his father, opens the note, reads it, and nods,. ‘Follow me.’ He leads the wide-eyed youngster to a jail cell, opens the door, and tells him to enter. The officer clangs the door shut. ‘This is what we do to naughty boys,’ he explains and walks away…. The jail sentence lasts only five minutes. But those five minutes felt like five months. Al never forgot that day. The sound of the clanging door, he often told people, stayed with him the rest of his life.

“The fear of losing a father’s love exacts a high toll. Al spent the rest of his life hearing the clanging door. That early taste of terror contributed to his lifelong devotion to creating the same in others. For Al—Alfred Hitchcock—made a career out of scaring people.”2

True, discipline is important, but it always needs to fit the crime. Some children are impaired for life because of severe punishment as a child. Others are left terrified if they were beaten severely or abused. It is imperative that parents never discipline out of anger because that is punishment, not discipline. Discipline always needs to be in love.

Those whom God loves, he disciplines in love—not punishes in anger. We need to do the same with our children.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when you discipline me it is always out of your love for me and for my good. Help me to do the same when disciplining my children. May it always be in love and never out of anger. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Revelation 3:19 (NIV).

2. From UpWords from Max Lucado, www.maxlucado.com

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A Sermon Walking

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“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”1

In 1953 reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station waiting to meet the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

He was a big man, six-feet-four tall with bushy hair and a large mustache.

Reporters were excited to see him and expressed what an honor it was meet him. Cameras were flashing, compliments were being expressed—but seeing beyond the adulation the visitor noticed an elderly Afro-American woman struggling to carry her two large suitcases.

“Excuse me,” he said as he went to the aid of this woman. Picking up her cases, he escorted her to a bus and then apologized to the reporters for keeping them waiting.

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary-doctor who had invested his life helping poor and sick people in Africa.

A member of the reception committee remarked to one of the reporters, “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”

The measure of any man or woman is not their name, their fame, nor what they say—but what they do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a doer of your Word and not just a hearer. Grant that my life will also be a sermon walking. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:22.

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Sometimes Dads Win

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“Do you see a man diligent in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”1

When singer John Davidson was learning to drive, he wanted a car of his own. His father, a Baptist minister, told him he could have a car providing he got good grades at school, read his Bible more, and got his hair cut shorter.

“On my next report card,” John said, “I got all B’s and told my dad I had been reading the Bible. He said that was fine, but how about the haircut? ‘Well,’ I told him, ‘in reading the Bible I found that Jesus had long hair.’”

“My father agreed and said, ‘Yes, but he also walked everywhere.’”

There seems to be something about human nature in that many of us want as much as we can get for as little effort as possible. However, we only truly appreciate that which we work for. The reality of life is that there are no free lunches.

I tried to instill in my sons the belief that they can pretty much do what they want with their life and accomplish what they desire providing they are willing to adequately prepare themselves for what they want to do and work hard enough to achieve it. As Solomon put it, “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”2

As another has said, “Everybody is self-made. Usually only the successful will admit it!”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to become the person you want me to be and diligently do all that you would have me to do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 22:29.

2. Proverbs 13:4 (NIV).

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