All posts by 5Q

Sidetracked but Not Hindered

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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”1

Fred Bauer wrote how he once “went backstage at the Metropolitan Opera to interview Jerome Hines, the internationally famous singer, who is also an active Christian layman. While he applied makeup and got ready for his role in that night’s production of Aida, I asked him questions about his life and faith. One of the most fascinating things he told me was that he wasn’t a good enough singer to make his high school glee club. He auditioned for the choir, but failed to impress the director. Did that detour his career? I wanted to know.

“’No, I kept on singing,’ Hines said, ‘because I loved to sing. I never considered it anything more than an avocation.’ So he went off to college, studied math and sang as a hobby—which led to some amateur roles, which led to his discovery by people who had a different opinion of his talent from his high school teacher. Later that night, as I stood in the wings and listened to his rich bass voice sweep over that famous hall, I wondered how there could have ever been any question.”2

Of one thing I am convinced, and that is that God has a plan and purpose for every life. We may get sidetracked, experience setbacks, and get discouraged from time to time, but if we are genuinely committed to discovering God‘s plan and, with His help, fulfilling it—and never give up—God will surely direct us so His plan for our life will be fulfilled. Our own life and the lives of many others will be greatly enriched as a result.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to discover Your plan and purpose for my life and never give up no matter how many setbacks that come my way. May I always learn to trust You no matter what. Thank You for your help and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV).

2. Fred Bauer, Daily Guideposts, 1986, © Guideposts Associates, Inc., http://tinyurl.com/ydwer9

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Encouragement

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“Let us encourage one another.”1

One writer observed a mother walking with a small handicapped child whose both legs were in braces. He was having a difficult time but his mother was right there with him encouraging him at every step.

“That’s great! You’re doing splendidly,” she kept repeating.

“I want to run,” the boy called.

“Very well, try it,” his mother encouraged enthusiastically. As he did, he tripped and almost fell and would have except his mother was right there beside him and caught him so he wouldn’t hurt himself. “You did fine,” she said again, “and next time you will do even better.”

God, too, knows our limitations. He sees our brokenness and doesn’t expect us to be able to make it alone. He knows we can’t run with a broken leg. He also knows we can’t live the Christian life without help and encouragement. He wants us to know that he is right there beside us to encourage us to keep trying, to keep growing, and to become stronger.

God also knows that we need supporting friends to encourage us, to help keep us on track, and to keep us accountable—as none of us can make it alone.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be an encouraging and supporting friend to the people You bring into my life. And help me not to be too proud or afraid to ask for help when I need a friend to lean on. And thank You that I can always ask for and receive Your help as needed. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV).

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Postmodernism

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“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”1

Sometimes it can be very difficult trying to understand the spirit of our age that has been described by some as a day of postmodernism. But what is postmodernism?

The following insights by Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr., in their book, 20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists, help me to understand a little of what is happening in today’s secular world. And to help understand post modernism Boa and Bowman summarize the major characteristics by using the acrostic P-O-S-T.

P-Power Controls Knowledge: “According to postmodernists, all knowledge is political. That is, what people believe is shaped largely by their relationship to the political powers that govern the institutions (such as schools and churches) through which knowledge is transmitted.”2

O-Objectivity Is Dead: “Different cultures, different religions, and other types of communities have different perspectives that give them their identity. Postmodernists contend that these different perspectives should be celebrated and preserved, not challenged or critiqued.”3

S-Science Constructs Models; It Does Not Describe Reality: In contrast to science being an understanding of the world as it really is “Thomas Kuhn’s 1962 landmark book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions itself led a revolution in science…. Kuhn has convinced a generation that science cannot and need not seek truth; its goal is rather an understanding of nature that meets the needs of the scientific community and of the larger society. Such a view of science, of course, implies that scientific theories are now to be assessed partly in terms of how well they support the values of those who pursue science.”4

T-Tolerance, Not Truth, Is Absolute: “The postmodernist understands tolerance to mean accepting people’s different beliefs and therefore refraining from criticizing or even disagreeing with those beliefs. Postmodernists are especially bothered by claims that a particular religious or ethical belief is the truth that all people ought to accept. Rather than examining such claims to see whether they hold up in light of the facts, postmodernists dismiss such claims as arrogant, narrow-minded, and intolerant.”5

Tragically, if we don’t correct course, postmodern political correctness will ultimately destroy us. Without access to the truth there is no reality, no freedom, no sense of direction, and no hope of salvation for mankind. No wonder so much of today’s world is floating in a sea of mass confusion. While we don’t agree with postmodernism, we do need to understand its basic tenets so we don’t get sucked into its empty, meaningless void.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me discern the difference between what is truth and what is meaningless rationalization used to justify what postmodernists want me to believe. Help me always to base my beliefs on principles that are found in, and/or in harmony with, Your eternal Word, the Bible. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Jesus, in John 8:32 (NIV).

2. Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr., in their book, 20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists, Victor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado. p. 18.
3. Ibid, p. 19.
4. Ibid, p. 19.
5. Ibid, p. 19.

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Test the Spirits

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John the disciple of Jesus wrote, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”1

How can we be sure when and if God is speaking to us?

When I was a young Christian I wanted to serve God and sometimes felt his Spirit was telling me to do something. However, this “still small voice” within sometimes had me in bondage. In time I came to see that this “voice” was not from God at all because “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom [liberty]“2 and I had anything but freedom.

One’s inner “voice” can come from God, from our self, or from the tempter. If the tempter knows he can’t pull us down into acting out in sinful behaviors, he may try to “push us over the top” where we become (as the old saying goes) “so heavenly minded we are of little or no earthly use.”

So how can we know where the inner voice is coming from? Is it a conviction from God’s Spirit? Could it be a neurotic compulsion from within my self? Or is it from the tempter? With a conviction from God I always have the freedom to say no because “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”2 With a compulsion I am driven and feel that I “have to” do what the “inner voice” is saying no matter what. If from the tempter, it is also more a compulsion.

Keep in mind that God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, and never contrary to it. He also speaks or leads through various circumstances, as well as through inner convictions. If it is from God, it will always be in harmony with His Word and there will be a sense of freedom. If it is contrary to God’s Word or any type of compulsion, we can know it isn’t God speaking to us and we need to reject it.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the wisdom to know when You are ‘speaking’ to or leading me, and when the ‘voice’ I hear is from myself or the tempter. Teach me to not only know Your voice but always to obey it. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 1 John 4:1 (NIV).

2. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV).

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Do It Today

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“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”1

“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” This timely advice is attributed to Stephen Grellet, Franco-American Quaker (1773-1855).

John, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote, “Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.”2

Do you need to make a phone call, send a card, or do something special for your wife, husband, children, friend, or neighbor? If so, do it today. Do you need to resolve an impaired relationship? Do it today. Do you need to take care of that responsibility you’ve been putting off for weeks/months? Do it today. Do you need to tell someone how much you love them? Do it today.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please use me to be as Jesus to the people in my world. Today. Help me to be a part of what You are doing in the world. Today. Whatever loving deeds I need to do or responsibility to fulfill help me to do it today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Paul the Apostle, Galatians 6:2 (RSV).

2. 1 John 3:18 (TLB).

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Sweet Revenge?

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“He who has been forgiven little loves little.”1

In Today in the Word the story is told about a woman who once came to Ibn Saud, the first king of Saudi Arabia, requesting that the man who killed her husband be put to death. The man had fallen from the top of a palm tree when he had been gathering dates and landed on this lady’s husband and killed him.

The king said, “It is your right to exact compensation, and it is also your right to ask for this man’s life. But it is my right to decree how he shall die. You shall take this man with you and he shall be tied to the foot of a palm tree and then you shall climb to the top of the tree and cast yourself down upon him from that height. In that way you will take his life as he took your husband’s. Or perhaps,” Ibn Saud added, “you would prefer after all to take the blood money?”

The widow took the money.vTo fail to forgive keeps us bound to the past. It is a killer—not of the one who caused the resentment, but the one who carries the resentment. As another has put it, “Failing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Also, as Jesus said, “He who has been forgiven little loves little.” One way to love much, therefore, is to confess all our wrongs and sins, not only to God, but to the one/s we have hurt and do all we can to make restitution and be forgiven ourselves. For he who has been forgiven much loves much!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to confess all my sins and ways I have hurt others (name them), and find forgiveness from You and them so I will love much and freely forgive all who have hurt me—as You have freely forgiven me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Jesus in Luke 7:47 (NIV).

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Where Was God on 9-11-01?

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“Where have you laid him [Lazarus]?” He [Jesus] asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him.”1

The question: Where was God when my baby sister died suddenly? When my husband died in the prime of life? When my child was kidnapped, raped, and murdered? The question is as old as Job and as fresh as today. So many asked where was God on this day—September 11, 2001—when terrorists destroyed the New York trade towers and smashed into the Pentagon killing some three thousand people.

So where was God? God was and is where He always is. He saw it all. As Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died, so also He wept grievously on this tragic day as He does when all senseless tragedies happen.

Did God cause it to happen? No, never! Did He know it would happen? Yes. Why didn’t He stop it? And why didn’t He stop Hitler massacring millions of Jews, and why didn’t He stop Stalin and others who have slaughtered millions? And why doesn’t He stop rapists, kidnappers, and murderers … and terrorists … and suicide bombers … and all wars?

For the simple reason that He has given mankind a free will to choose—either to follow and obey Him or to go our own sinful, and often evil way. It’s mankind’s choice. It is every single individual’s choice. God never created or wanted puppets on a string. Every one of us has been given a free will. The fact is that God is where He always was. He never left us. We, as a human race, left Him. When tragedies occur, the question shouldn’t be, “Where is God?” Rather it should be, “Where are we?”

However, when we choose and go the way of evil, the heart of God grieves. In fact, because God cared for and loved us so much is the reason why He gave his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die to pay the penalty for all our sins and deliver us from evil and from sin’s eternal consequences—hell and eternal separation from Him—the source of all love and life.

Yes, Jesus wept on this day in 2001, and I believe He grieved with the thousands of others who also grieved on this day because their heart was torn with grief. And He still grieves with all who are suffering today and every day because of mankind’s acts of senseless evil. And He grieves for all lost souls who could freely receive God’s forgiveness for all their sins, but they refuse or fail to do so.

As the hymn writer expressed in words to this effect:

Does Jesus care?

O yes he cares,

His heart is touched with my grief,

The long hours weary,

So sad and dreary,

I know my Savior cares.

Suggested prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when I hurt, You feel my pain and grieve with me. Thank You, too, that You also grieve when evil in the world is unleashed and people are struck down in the prime of life. And thank You that You have the gift of forgiveness and salvation for all who come to You confessing their sinfulness and their need to be ultimately delivered from all the evil in the world. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

NOTE: For help to be absolutely sure you’re a real Christian (without having to be religious) click on the “Know God” button below or on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. John 11:34-36 (NIV).

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Just Do It

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“You are to go into all the world and preach [communicate] the good news to everyone everywhere.”1

One writer pointed out that there is a scene in “Winnie the Pooh” that goes something like the following:

Pooh: “Did you fall into the river, Eeyore?”

Eeyore: “Silly of me, wasn’t it?”

Pooh: “Is the river uncomfortable this morning?”

Eeyore: “Well, yes, the dampness you know.”

Pooh: “You really ought to be more careful!”

Eeyore: “Thanks for the advice.”

Pooh: “I think you’re sinking.”Eeyore: “Pooh, if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind rescuing me?”

How sad when people all around us are lost without Christ and we discuss outreach, form outreach committees, conduct seminars on outreach, read books about outreach, and do everything in the church except outreach.

As somebody else said, “If you see a dangerous, poisonous snake, just kill it. Don’t appoint a committee on snakes! Just do it!”

Good advice for many areas of life—including reaching the lost with the saving gospel of the Jesus Christ as He so commissioned us to do! For a very simple and attractive way to help do this please see https://learning.actsweb.org/people_power_invite.php.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a doer of Your Word and not just a hearer or a talker. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Jesus, in Mark 16:15 (TLB).

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A Harmless “Dangerous” Dog

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“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.”1

Alan Smith in his “Thought for the Day” tells about the man who, upon entering the little country store, noticed a sign saying, “Danger! Beware of the Dog!” posted on the glass door. Inside he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.

He asked the store manager, “Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?”

“Yep, that’s him,” he replied.

The stranger couldn’t help but be amused. “That certainly doesn’t look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?”

“Because,” said the owner, “before I posted that sign people kept tripping over him.”2

I’m sure that most people reading this Daily Encounter aren’t lazy in their everyday life, but sometimes when it comes to the church there’s almost always a trouble-maker or two, a control freak, or someone who is quick to criticize but never does a thing to lift a helping hand and, like the “dog” in the store mentioned above, just hangs around and gets in the way.

Let’s always remember that if we criticize and don’t do anything to help in some way, we don’t have a right to criticize; rather we could at least offer and try to help. He who can and does, does well; but he who can and doesn’t do, very often is the one who criticizes!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a doer and a good helper in the work You want done in the world in which I live, and also help in some way in the wider world. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 26:13-15 (NIV).
2. Alan Smith, “Thought for the Day,” http://www.tftd-online.com.

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Sound Doctrine

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The Apostle Paul wrote, “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”1

In the early days of the Christian church Paul was giving instructions to Titus regarding qualifications for church leadership. One requirement was that leaders were to be well established in sound doctrine; that is, in the understanding and teaching of God’s Word. Unfortunately, there are some leaders and some churches whose doctrine may be sound, but as Vance Havner put it, sound asleep! Sound awake doctrine is critical because if we are not well grounded in God’s truth, we can easily be led astray by persuasive and charming false teachers. As another has said, “If we don’t stand for truth, we can fall for anything.”

Sound doctrine, as critically important as it is, is not enough in and of itself. It needs to be balanced with love. Without love, doctrine can become deathly legalism or modern day Phariseeism. On the other hand, love without sound doctrine can become, at best, “sloppy agape” and at worst empty humanism. The real church and true Christianity is based on God’s truth (sound doctrine) and genuine love. Both are equally important.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know and understand Your truth but give me a loving heart to live it as well as to learn it. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Titus 1:9 (NIV).

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