All posts by 5Q

A Few Good Men

Leave a comment

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”1

“Three military recruiters accepted an invitation to address the senior class of a local high school…. Graduation was only a few months away, and the principal wanted his two hundred young men to hear the options available in the military. The assembly was to be forty-five minutes in length. It was agreed that each recruiter would have fifteen minutes to make his pitch and then have another twenty minutes in the cafeteria to meet with interested boys. The Army recruiter went first and got so excited about his speech that he went over twenty minutes. The Navy recruiter, not to be outdone, stood up and also spoke for twenty minutes.

“The Marine Corps recruiter, realizing that his fifteen-minute speech had been cut to two, walked up to the podium and spent the first sixty seconds in silence. Wordlessly, he gazed over the group of high school seniors. They knew he was sizing them up. After what seemed to be an eternity, the recruiter said, ‘I doubt whether there are two or three of you in this room who could cut it as marines. I want to see those three men as soon as this assembly is dismissed.’ He was mobbed by a herd of young men when he arrived in the cafeteria.”2

The military needs and is always looking for good men and women. So is God. And he is calling you and me to play a part in what He is doing in the world today. And that is impacting the world for Jesus Christ by living and sharing the gospel and by being “as Jesus” in some way to every life we touch. When we do this, we do make a difference—for both time and eternity.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please make and use me as a ‘soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb, and may I never fear to own your cause nor blush to speak your name.’3 Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 24:15 (NIV).

2. Steve Farrar. Cited in KneEmail, http://associate.com/groups/kneemail/.

3. Isaac Watts, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” hymn (paraphrase).

<:))))><

Christianity vs Churchianity

Leave a comment

As Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions.”1

Francis McNutt, author of the classic book, Healing, and director of Christian Healing Ministries points out how God’s answer to the church in one generation can become a problem in the next or in following generations.

McNutt, in one of his monthly news reports, The Healing Line, gave the following example: “In the Old Testament God instructed Moses to set up a bronze serpent on a stick, so that whoever might look at it was healed of a snake-bite during their wanderings in the desert. But then, centuries later, the good, reforming King Hezekiah ‘broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made’ because the Israelites had started to worship it!”

If we knew how Peter “gave the invitation for people to come to Christ” on the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 people were converted, we would cling to this method religiously and tenaciously. We would even fight over it and allow it to split churches. Fortunately, the New Testament is almost totally silent on methodology. What God is concerned about is our heart—not our methods! As E.M. Bounds said, “Men are looking for better methods. God is looking for better men [and women].”

One of the biggest battles in the church today is over the music and manner of worship. The reality is that God isn’t concerned with our method of worship be it contemporary, traditional, or whatever, but with the spirit of our worship—the attitude of our hearts. As Jesus said to the woman at the well when she mentioned the “proper” place to worship, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”2 Like the brass serpent, when “old traditions or modern methods of worship” become the focus of our worship, we may be going through the motions, but totally missing the point—and missing out on God!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be real and not to get bogged down in traditions or methods that are not relevant, but always be open to the work of your Spirit in my heart and life—and in my church. And please help me to always worship you in spirit and in truth—from the heart. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 7:9 (NIV).
2. John 4:24.

<:))))><

Living With Purpose

Leave a comment

“Praise be to God … 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

It was Emily Dickinson who spoke so eloquently when she said,

“If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life from aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his voice again,

I shall not live in vain.”

I have had the privilege of publishing the gospel message of Jesus Christ since 1968 … starting in an extremely small way. I never cease to be amazed at what God will do with a life that is committed to serving him. And my prayer today is that God will use me to achieve more in the next decade of my life than I have in the past four-plus decades.

I hope that you, too, will pray a similar prayer so that when you and I meet God face to face we will both hear his welcome words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

“Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please use me to achieve more in the next decade of my life (should you grant me this time) than I have in all of my past years. And please help me to so live that my life will not be lived in vain. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NIV).

<:))))><

Jesus Loves Me

Leave a comment

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

Karl Barth, famous though sometimes controversial contemporary Swiss theologian, was a great thinker, a prolific writer, and a professor at several leading European universities.

On one occasion he was confronted by a reporter who wanted a brief summary of his twelve thick volumes on church dogmatics. Barth could have given an impressive intellectual reply or a profound theological dissertation. He didn’t. Quoting from the popular children’s hymn, he simply replied, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

This favorite hymn was written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1820-1915) who, with her sister Susan, wrote to supplement the family income when her father lost much of his fortune in the panic of 1837 and the family fell on hard times.

I have read that this hymn is one of the first hymns that missionaries teach new converts. It was a favorite of Francis Schaeffer, the intellectual Christian scholar and teacher. And Amy Carmichael, the famed Irish missionary to India, was converted to Christ after hearing this hymn sung at a children’s mission in Yorkshire, England.

“Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” What greater truth in the entire world can any of us ever know? No matter what we have ever done or failed to do, Jesus loves us totally, completely, fully, and unconditionally. All we need to do is accept and embrace this love—including his forgiveness. It’s available to all who acknowledge their need of a Savior.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me not only to know that you love me but to feel your love at the very core of my being—and express it in some way to every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For help, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Christian … without having to be religious” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. John 15:13 (NIV).

<:))))><

What You See

Leave a comment

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”1

In his book, A Kick in the Seat of the Pants (don’t you love the title?), Roger von Oech talks about developing a certain mind set. For example, look around you and pick out a number of items that have the color red or blue in them. You’ll find them all over the place. You’ll see things you never noticed before. When you take up jogging, you’ll notice more joggers than ever before. Or when you buy a new car, you’ll be noticing that make and model of car just about everywhere you go.

When you are looking for something, it’s amazing how often you see it.

Sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, God may seem far away, distant, or even absent and our prayers don’t seem to rise beyond the ceiling. The problem isn’t that God has moved. There can be many reasons for this, one of which being that we haven’t developed a “God” mindset. Once we do, we will see evidence of his presence everywhere we look. There is at least a measure of truth in the saying: “What you see is what you get!” Or perhaps we could put it this way, “What we see is who we are,” and “What you are looking for is what you will find.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please open the eyes of my heart and understanding so I can see you everywhere I look. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV).

<:))))><

Will the Real Robert Redford Stand Up

Leave a comment

“Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ [Messiah].”1

“There’s a story about a woman finding herself alone in an elevator with the famous and very handsome Robert Redford. As the elevator moved up the floors, the woman, like many of us might, found herself uncontrollably staring at the movie star. Finally, in her excitement and nervousness, she blurted out: ‘Are you the real Robert Redford?’ To which Redford responded, ‘Only when I’m alone.’

“That story reveals that Robert Redford is not simply another pretty face, but he has grown into a wisdom that must serve him well. For like John the Baptist, he obviously knows who he is not.”2

In my limited experience the closer I have come to some well-known leaders the more disillusioned I have become.

Perhaps one of the best measures of a genuine leader is how he treats us “little” people; that is, how does he treat people who are not a business prospect, a potential donor for his non-profit program, or a person whose name he can drop to impress others.

Yes, it’s good to know who we are but, like John the Baptist, it is better to know who we are not. This principle also applies to people who constantly put themselves down!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be realistic about myself knowing both my strengths and my weaknesses—and who I am and who I am not. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 1:19-20 (NIV).

2. Rev. Mary Lynn Tobin, Sermon: “Finding Our Voice.” http://dccpres.org/

<:))))><

Happy Valentine’s Day

Leave a comment

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”1

Every February, throughout the Western World (at least), romantic greeting cards, flowers, and specially packaged candy are given to our loved one/s as an expression of our love, all in the name of St. Valentine.

And who might St. Valentine be? One legend says that he was a priest in Rome during the third century AD at the time of the Roman Empire and that he may have been thrown into prison and killed for helping Christians escape the cruelty of Roman prisons where Christian prisoners were beaten and tortured.

According to another legend, “Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl—who may have been his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It’s no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.”2

If truth be known, there’s probably a mixture of validity and make-believe in all of these legends. Nevertheless it’s a good thing to show and tell our loved ones how much we love and appreciate them, not only in a romantic way on Valentine’s Day, but every day of the year. As Jesus commanded us: “Love one another as I have loved you.” That needs to be applied at all times—a big order and a goal we all need to strive towards.

In the words of John Oxenham, “Love ever gives, forgives, outlives, and ever stands with open hands, for while it lives, it gives. For this is love’s prerogative—to give, and give, and give.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for special days and special ways to show our loved ones how much we love and appreciate them. Please help me to love my loved ones and others as you have loved me every day of the year. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus in John 15:12-13 (NIV).

2. The History Channel, www.history.com

<:))))><

Resolution or Repetition

Leave a comment

“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”1

“If you have ever been to a circus, you’ve no doubt seen the huge bull elephants chained to a peg in the ground. Perhaps it has occurred to you that the elephant could easily pull the peg out of the ground and escape. However, he does not try. As a baby elephant he was tied to a huge stake that he could not pull out of the ground. Weeks of pulling and tugging only wore a trench around the stake, and finally he gave up. Now that he is full-grown, with great strength and the physical ability to pull the peg out of the ground, he remembers only the futility of past efforts and does not even attempt to escape. He is conditioned to failure.”2

He is conditioned to failure because he is conditioned by his past as, unfortunately, many of us are. We have had a bad experience (or bad experiences) in the past that have left us hurt, angry, and/or afraid; and we allow those past experiences to control our life today even though these experiences happened years ago—perhaps even in childhood.

True, as God’s Word says, we need to forget the past so we can move forward to what is ahead. But until we resolve past hurts and forgive any and all who have ever hurt us, we are still conditioned and bound by the past and are destined to failure at some level—especially so in relationships. The reality is that what we fail to resolve we are destined to repeat … repeat … and repeat. So, if you ever find yourself repeating past failures, past mistakes, or past impaired relationship patterns, see if you can trace those patterns to some negative experience/s in the past. If so, those issues need to be faced, confronted, and resolved so we can break the chains of conditioning from the past, forget its hold on us, and move ahead triumphantly.

No matter what happened to us in the past it is either resolution or repetition. The choice is ours.*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to see if I am still bound in any way by unresolved past experiences and to find the help I need to overcome these issues so I can genuinely forget the past and move ahead with my life to fulfill my God-given purpose. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 3:13 (NASB).

2. Dr. Arthur Caliandro, of Marble Collegiate Church, New York City. www.marblechurch.org/

* Note for help: See Dick’s book, You Can’t Fly With a Broken Wing, on sale at http://tinyurl.com/yrjrnl.

<:))))><

Tips for Better Living

Leave a comment

A word from God’s Word: “A wise man will hear and will increase learning; and a man of understanding will listen to wise counsel.”1

Benjamin Franklin said: “Well done is better than well said.”

Thomas Jefferson; “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. In other words, the harder I work, the luckier I get!”

Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Albert Einstein: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”

Anonymous: “Leaders are like eagles; they don’t flock … you find them one at a time.”

Anonymous: “A religion that does nothing, gives nothing, costs nothing, suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”

Jacob Riis: “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it—but all that had gone before.”

As God’s Word, the Bible, says, “A wise man will hear and will increase learning; and a man of understanding will listen to wise counsel.”1

And such are the ways of God in helping to “shape” us into the person he sees we can become.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a wise, understanding, and listening heart to learn your ways of grace, truth, wisdom, and love. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 1:5 (NKJV).

<:))))><

Fly With the Eagles

Leave a comment

The Bible says, “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily trips and entangles us, so we are free to run the race that is before us.”1 “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”2

A friend of mine has trouble with Japanese bonsai trees because she sees tiny trees with great potential inhibited because they have been purposely root bound by man. Others have trouble seeing animals and birds trapped in cages for the same reason. For example, how do eagles feel in zoos? Do these magnificent birds, created to soar to the heights of mountaintops, get frustrated? Probably. Are they fulfilled? I seriously doubt it.

Too many of us who were created to reach our total God-given human and spiritual potential and to fulfill God’s noble purpose for our life, are trapped in a cage of our own or of another’s making. We fail to resolve the problems in our life that hold us back. We fail to come to terms with the destructive habits in our life. True, we may have been wounded in the past, but God wants us to be healed, to be free to fly, to soar to the heights of all that he has for us.

We have a choice, we can scratch in the dirt with the turkeys or we can rise up to follow Christ and fly with the eagles to the heights that God planned and envisioned for us to reach. That choice is ours.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to find my wings and learn to fly with the eagles to the heights you have planned for me to reach. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: See Dick’s book, You Can’t Fly With a Broken Wing, on sale at http://tinyurl.com/yrjrnl.

1. Hebrews 12:1, Paraphrase.

2. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV).

<:))))><