All posts by 5Q

Better the Devil You Know

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“The LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.’”1

It wasn’t too long after God delivered the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt that they wanted to go back there—in spite of the miracles they had witnessed, such as the parting of the waters of the Red Sea so they could cross over to the Promised Land on dry land. However, when the going got rough through the wilderness, they complained and wanted to return to Egypt. Was it because they were afraid that things weren’t going to get any better, or that God had deserted them? Or were they afraid of change? Like the old saying goes, “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t know.”

People haven’t changed too much have we? As one writer said, “The trouble these days is that people want to get to the Promised Land without going through the wilderness.”

For the Christian God has a “promised Land” of freedom, growth, wholeness and fulfillment. It’s there for the taking—but not without the struggles of working through our private wildernesses.

Like Joshua who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, we too need to “arise, go and possess” the promises that God has for us. And we, too, will have plenty of obstacles and setbacks to overcome. At the same time, we have the same assurance that God gave to Joshua when he said to him, “Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to actively claim all the promises you have for me so that I will become and do all that you have envisioned for me to be and do. And give me the determination to never give up, no matter how challenging the way, knowing that you will be with me every step of the way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 1:1-3 (NKJV).

2. Joshua 1:9 (NIV).

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Come Unto Me

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“Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”1

I have read how one of Denmark’s leading sculptors had a consuming ambition to sculpt the greatest statue of Jesus Christ ever made. He began by painstakingly shaping a clay model of a triumphant, majestic figure. “This will be my masterpiece,” he stated on the day the model was completed.

However, during the night, a heavy fog rolled into the area and sea-spray seeped into the sculptor’s studio through a partially open window. In the morning he was shocked to see his model. The droplets of moisture that had formed on the statue created the illusion of bleeding. The head had drooped. The facial expression had melted into compassion. The arms drooped and expressed welcome. The artist was horrified and was aghast at having to start all over again.

However, as he kept looking at his statue of the Savior, his thoughts began to take on a different shape. He realized that his image of Christ was much closer to reality. He then wrote his caption and placed it under the figure: “Come unto me!”

Indeed, that is the call of Jesus to each of us today, “Come unto me.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear Jesus, in the words of the hymn-writer, ‘Just as I am without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God I come, I come.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you have never come to Jesus and received his forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, 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.

1. Jesus in Matthew 11:28-31 (NIV).

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I Hit Him over the Head

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“Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”1

Sports Illustrated writer Jeannette Bruce once spent two-and-a-half years taking judo lessons, progressing steadily through the entire spectrum of self-defense “belts.”

“On one rainy night,” she said, “it all seemed worthwhile. The thing every judo student dreams of happened to me. I was walking down Sixth Avenue about 9:00 p.m. when a man stepped out of a dark doorway and tried to snatch my purse. How prepared I should have been, how ready to smash him to the pavement with a flourishing foot sweep!

“Instead . . . I hit him over the head with my umbrella!”2

I suppose most of us can identify with Jeanette in some way. We get a great opportunity to do something worthwhile and blow it by doing or saying something stupid. Or when faced with temptation, we know how to resist the enemy because we know all the right Bible verses to fend for ourselves. However, instead of putting on the “whole armor of God,” we seek to overcome in our own strength—and fail miserably.

However, when we do fail, the important thing is to get up, learn from our mistakes, and go on, having learned to put our trust in God in every situation in which we find ourselves. When I am tempted with bad thoughts, knowing my vulnerability, I simply pray, “Help, Jesus, help! Help, Jesus, help!”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when I stumble and fall, you do not condemn me but reach out to help me get back on my feet again. In every failure please help me to learn from my mistakes, get up, and, trusting in you, go on. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV).

2. Cited in Bits & Pieces, Vol. F, 4th Quarter.

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Friendship

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“A friend loves at all times.”1

According to an article in an English magazine, “A true friend is one who has the courage to disagree with us when we are in the wrong, and advise us for our own good, rather than let his sympathy or sentimentality cause him to agree.”

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend.”

Dr. Alfred Adler, internationally known psychiatrist, based the following conclusions on a careful analysis of thousands of clients: “The most important task imposed by religion has always been ‘Love thy neighbor.’ It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow man that has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury on others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring.”

It may not be the most desirable, but it is true that we can live without romantic love, but we cannot live healthy without at least one loving friend.

As Dinah Craik so eloquently said, “Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.”

And, oh, the priceless value of having at least one such deep abiding friendship. Thank God for the gift of friendship.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a loving friend and be a friend to fellow sinners as you are a loving friend to me. And help me to find at least one loving friend with whom I can be totally open and honest without fear of judgment or rejection. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV).

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The Man Who Robbed Himself

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“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his [Jesus Christ's] appearing.”1

Arthur Berry was a charming man who loved only the finest things life had to offer. During the Roaring ’20s he was a master thief who stole from only the wealthiest people. Berry was eventually caught and spent the next 18 years in prison. After serving his sentence he moved to a small town in New England where he led a quiet life.

Some years later word got out who he was and his true identity was revealed and a horde of reporters came to interview the notorious thief. One reporter asked him, “Do you remember who it was that you stole the most from?”

Berry replied, “The person that I stole the most from was Arthur Berry. I could have made a contribution to society. I could have been a teacher. I could have been a businessman. I could have done anything worthwhile, but instead I spent two-thirds of my adult life in prison. I have spent a lifetime robbing myself.”2

While you and I would never steal a man’s property, we may steal his reputation through idle gossip. And while most of us will never receive notoriety through criminal behavior, I wonder how many of us have robbed ourselves in that, when it comes to eternal values, we have wasted our life investing it only in earthly possessions and things that have no eternal value. And when we stand face to face with Jesus our Savior, will have “nothing to offer but leaves?”

Remember, though, it is never too late to start investing your life in eternity and eternal values. As martyred missionary, Jim Elliot, said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to so live that my life will be an investment in eternity so that I will not be embarrassed at your coming or when I stand before you at the end of my life’s journey. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV).

2. Rochelle Pennington, “The Golden Formula,” Pathways Press. Cited in Bits & Pieces, July 2004, p. 5.

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A Voice in the Night

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“Sit up!” the voice in the night said, “and take a deep breath.”

“It was a stormy night,” a personal friend shared, “and we were awakened by an extremely loud clap of thunder. After the initial fright, checking the kids and the house, we went back to bed and to sleep.

“Then came the voice. I was certain I heard someone speaking. “Sit up and take in a deep breath,” it said.

“I only half-awoke and thought I must have been dreaming, so rolled over and went back to sleep.”

“The voice spoke again with more insistence, ‘Sit up and take in a deep breath.”‘

“This is weird,” I thought so again rolled over and went back to sleep.

“‘SIT UP! Take in a deep breath!’ the voice spoke again with great urgency.

“So I sat up and took in a deep breath . . . and smelled smoke!” I was fully awake in an instant . . . awakened my husband . . . rushed to wake the children . . . we had the oldest one phone 911 (for emergency) . . . my husband took over the phone . . . the operator asked if the lights were working . . . my husband said they were going out one room at a time.

“Get OUT of the house immediately,” declared the operator. Your house has been struck by lightning.”

As quick as a flash the family rushed outside . . . immediately the house exploded and burst into flames. It took firemen six hours to put the fire out. The house was totally destroyed . . . but the entire family was saved. Talk about a wake-up call!

Surely this was a God thing. Fortunately this family was committed followers of Jesus Christ and even though they lost their house, their lives were saved.

God doesn’t usually speak to most of us with an audible voice. He doesn’t have to because his “wake-up call” is spoken to us repeatedly in his Word, the Bible. “Wake up!” God says to every one of us, “Flee from the wrath to come” (God’s judgment of sin and evil for the world that has turned from God will be judged and purified by fire). Wake up! “It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment.” Wake up! “I will come again,” Jesus promised “to take all who believe in me to be with me in heaven forever.”

“Wake up,” Jesus is coming again . . . it may be today. Are you ready? Again Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. . . .”

Whatever you do don’t miss God’s wake-up call. Have you opened the door of life and invited Jesus, the Son of God, to come into your heart and life as your God and your Savior? If not, may I urge you to do that today . . . right now . . . by praying a simple prayer such as the following:

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I hear your wake-up call as faint as it may be. I confess that I am a sinner and ask for your forgiveness. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins. I invite you to come into my heart and life as my God and my Savior. With your help I repent of and turn from my sinful ways. Thank you for hearing my prayer, for forgiving me of my sins, and for coming into my heart and life as my Savior. Help me to live for you always in all ways. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you prayed this prayer, please let us know by clicking on http://tinyurl.com/pgntm and we will send you articles (without charge) to help you in your Christian life. (Be assured that we will never give any information about you to any other person, organization, or business.)

For more help Click ON: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian for the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious.”

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Bible Babble

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“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”1

Certainly God still leads, directs and communicates with us today. However, unless the message/direction received is from God’s Word, the Bible, or in complete harmony with it, we can be certain it is not from God.

If we use “God-talk” as a means of getting our own way, such as in the following: “God told me it is to be such-and-such way,” or “God told me you are to be my wife/husband,” etc., etc., you can be fairly certain it is God-talk, and not talk from God. And when we quote Bible verses out of context to justify the point we are making, this is nothing more than Bible-babble.

When we make inappropriate uses of such phrases as “Praise God” when we hit our finger with a hammer (a good old “Ouch” is more like reality), or when we blame God for problems that are of our own making, or quote Bible verses as a means of avoiding personal responsibility, we are expressing meaningless Bible-babble.

Bible-babble may impress gullible people but it’s phony. It’s another defense against facing reality—another form of denial which is always a self-defeating way to live. If there is one thing God wants us to be it is to be honest and real. As his Word says, “God desires truth.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, deliver me from the sin of dishonesty, denial, and phoniness, and help me to be always loving and real. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. 1 John 4:1 (NIV).

2. Psalm 51:6.

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Healthy Doubts and Questioning

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“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”1

John Fabre, the French naturalist, conducted an interesting experiment with some processionary caterpillars which are called by this name because they blindly follow one another one by one by one.

Fabre placed caterpillar food in the center of a flower pot and placed caterpillars end to end so they formed a complete circle around the edge of the pot. Round and round the caterpillars went for seven days and nights until they dropped dead from starvation and exhaustion—with all the food they needed only a few inches away.

Unfortunately many people are like processionary caterpillars in that they blindly follow a powerful or charismatic leader, never questioning what he or she says or teaches. This is true in false cults, certain religious traditions, secular organizations, some universities, politics, etc., etc.

Can you imagine questioning the Apostle Paul, the most powerful leader in the early Church? But the Christians in Berea did this and made sure that what he was teaching was in line with God’s Word. And they were commended for it.

It’s important that we, too, learn to study and know the Scriptures for ourselves, and question or review everything we are taught to make sure it is in harmony with what God’s Word teaches. While we need to respect respectful leaders, we need to make God’s Word our “final voice of authority” and not the words of men, no matter how high his or her position is.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a love for your Word, the Bible, and help me to know and understand what it teaches, and be aware of and discard all false teaching. Help me to be certain that my beliefs and life style are in harmony with your Word. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Acts 17:11 (NIV).

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Saying the Same Thing Differently

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“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”1

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.”

There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were doing. The boy recognized his voice and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning?” and continued, “What did you write?’

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”

What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.2

Note: Keep in mind that it is one thing to tell people about Jesus, but a totally different thing to show people Jesus. May we always show before we tell.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me always to be sensitive to others’ needs, and help me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I touch, so that I will ‘show or reflect you’, and may this open the opportunity to then tell people about you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV).

2. Author Unknown. Submitted by Patricia Brown.

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When Life Gets You Down

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”1

A Daily Encounter reader, who had anything but peace in her heart, writes, “I’m a follower of Jesus, but I’m tired of being lonely, depressed and stressed out. I want to be happy and enjoy life, and not be so miserable. I also want to be a better mother to my children, and to have my family back together again.”

Hello Susan (name changed), unfortunately, both for Christians and non-Christians, there are times when life does get us down, and we need help to get up again. When we are down and feel miserable, we need to understand the causes for our blahs—causes that may be physical, spiritual, relational, and/or emotional, or a combination of any or all of these. Let’s take a quick look at each of these areas:

Physical. At times like this, it pays to have a good physical examination by your doctor to make sure there is nothing wrong physically, or if there is a chemical imbalance in your body. Either one of these can be a cause of misery and depression.

Spiritual. It is also important to make sure your life is right with God and that you are living in harmony with his will. For instance, unresolved guilt can cause havoc with one’s emotions. Thus, any and all sins need to be confessed and resolved so that you know in your heart that you have been forgiven by God. See below for further help in this area.

Relational. Quite possibly, the number one reason for unhappiness in life is impaired relationships. Thus, wherever possible, it is critical that any and all impaired relationships are resolved. Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to resolve broken relationships especially when the other person involved isn’t interested in fixing the relationship or has died. Even the Bible acknowledges that it isn’t always possible to live at peace with everyone.2 When this is the case, it is imperative that we do all that we can to resolve our side of the conflict and not harbor any negative, hurt, or angry feelings. Sometimes professional counseling is needed at times like this.

Emotional. Furthermore, if one’s depression is long-standing and the cause is not physical, relational, or spiritual, it is advisable to see a skilled professional counselor. For suggested helps in this area check our website for counseling resources at: https://learning.actsweb.org/counseling_resources.php

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, whenever I am feeling down, miserable, lonely, sick and/or depressed, please help me to see the real cause/s—including any unresolved issues within me—and lead me to the help I need to resolve my problem. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For additional helps:

For spiritual help be sure to read “Forgiveness: the Power That Heals” at: http://tinyurl.com/forgive-to-heal and/or the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at www.actsweb.org/christian.

For emotional help, see articles on our website at: www.actsweb.org/recovery.

1. Colossians 3:15 (NIV).

2. Romans 12:18 (NIV), “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

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