Alan Smith tells the story about a dignified, elderly woman who was among a group viewing an art exhibition in a newly opened gallery. When one contemporary painting caught her eye, addressing the artist standing nearby, she gasped, “What on earth is that?”

He smiled condescendingly. “That, my dear lady, is supposed to be a mother and her child.”

“Well, then,” reasoned the little old lady, “why isn’t it?”²

Having seen some modern art, I can appreciate her question.

Sadly, according to various reports I have read there is little difference in the life of the average Christian than that of the average non-Christian. If we don’t act like Christians, behave like Christians, live like Christians, and look like Christians, how will we ever impact the world in which we live for Christ?

To “look like Christians” we need to know what God’s Word teaches—and obey it!

And when we’re not sure how to act, we can ask ourselves the question: “What would Jesus do?”

And let us always pray that God will help us to be as Jesus to every life we touch . . . and to help us to “love one another.” As Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”³

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to so live that in everything I am and do I will ‘look like a Christian’—a true Christ follower—and be as Jesus to every life I touch, and in so doing help to impact the world in which I live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 5:2 (NIV).

2. Alan Smith, Thought for the Day www.TFTD-online.com.

3. John 13:35 (NIV).

A Daily Encounter reader, C.A. wrote, “I returned home to New York City this morning after being away for 4 days visiting my Mom. At home, early on the first morning, I was awakened by the voices of my grandbabies, Charlene and Charles who were staying with us. As I came down the hallway to the bathroom, Charles was entering the hallway with his hands full of toys. He looked up at my face and said, ‘Grammie,’ dropped all his toys, stretched his arms upward for me to pick him up, gave me a kiss, and wrapped his little arms around my neck as I held him in my arms for a hug.

“It was such an overwhelming welcome that I continually thought about it until I realized that the lingering impact of the experience was so moving to me because I want Jesus to welcome me home just like that—with recognition, welcome, warmth, acceptance, love, and an all-enveloping embrace.”

That welcome home to heaven is available to everyone who has accepted Jesus as his/her Savior and has faithfully served the Lord [God] here on earth. Our service to God doesn’t get us into heaven. Only accepting Jesus as our Savior and his forgiveness for our sins does that. However, we will be rewarded for faithful service to God. How disappointing it would be when we meet Jesus face to face should we have nothing in the way of service to offer him. But how wonderful and rewarding to receive his welcome home knowing that we had served him to the best of our ability, and to hear his wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, because you gave your life and died in my place on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, help me to live my life in loving service to you every day for the rest of my life. Help me to so live that when I meet you face to face I will hear your welcoming words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you are not absolutely certain that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and thereby have received God’s gift of forgiveness so that you know that you know that you know you will go to heaven when you die, I urge you to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Matthew 25:23 (NKJV).

Dr. William Barker tells about the actor, Ben Kingsley who “starred as the main character in the motion picture GANDHI. He spent months preparing for the role, visiting the various Indian locales Gandhi had frequented. He even learned to spin cotton thread on a wooden wheel while holding conversations as Gandhi did. The physical resemblance between Gandhi and Kingsley was almost startling. After filming a scene in a village south of Delhi, Kingsley stepped out of a car, and an elderly peasant knelt to touch his feet. Embarrassed, Kingsley explained that he was merely an actor playing Gandhi. ‘We know,’ replied the villager, ‘but through you he will surely live again.’”²

As Christians, if we truly follow and serve the Lord, we will become more and more in every way like Christ. May God help us to so live that others will see the likeness of Jesus in us—as this is by far the most powerful and effective witness of our Christian faith that any one of us could ever have.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in the words of the song writer, ‘I have one deep supreme desire / that I might be like Jesus / to this I fervently aspire / that I might be like Jesus / I want my heart His throne to be / So that a watching world may see / His likeness shining forth in me / I want to be like Jesus.’³ Please help me to so live that people will always see Jesus in me and thus be drawn to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:15 (NLT).

2. Dr. William P. Barker, Tarbell’s Teacher’s Manual, (Elgin, Illinois: David C. Cook Church Ministries, 1994). Quoted in a sermon by Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn, “One in Christ” http://www.epulpit.net/billy112.htm

3. Thomas O. Chisholm.

When praying for God’s guidance, do you ever feel that your prayers are not rising above the ceiling? Or do you sometimes find it difficult to concentrate because your mind wanders all over the “wilderness” as it were?

I recall one occasion when I was badly wanting God’s guidance, before going to bed, I picked up my bedside telephone and dialed 1-800-4heaven—from which I received a recorded message that said in a flat monotone voice: “You are dialing the wrong number.”

I was at least amused. It is true that (whether we feel it or not) God does hear our prayers when they come from the heart. As the old ditty says: “I often say my prayers / but do I really pray / and does the meaning of my heart / go with the words I say?” God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we want, but he always answers them in one way or another. Sometimes his answer is “no,” sometimes it is “yes,” and sometimes it is “wait a while.”

However, when having a difficult time praying, I have on many occasions written my prayers to God. This is something that King David often did in his Psalms. I have found this very helpful and suggest that you try and practice doing this oftentimes.

Today’s suggested prayer is an example: “Good morning, God, this is Jane (your name) calling/writing. Thank you for your promise that you always hear my prayers when I pray sincerely from my heart. Again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. Please guide me in the way that I should go. I am available so please use me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I touch this day. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

For further help read the article, “How to Pray Effectively” at:

http://tinyurl.com/good-morning-God

1. Psalm 145:18.

In her bestseller book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of the tense times in Holland during the German invasion. One night when there was bombing and shelling happening all around the house where she and her sister lived, Corrie couldn’t sleep. Hearing her sister in the kitchen, she decided to go down and join her.

Long into the night after all the bombing ceased and all was silent, Corrie returned to her bed only to find that her pillow—right where her head lay—had been pierced with a sizable piece of sharp metal shrapnel from an exploding bomb! Going downstairs to the kitchen saved her life!

She rushed to tell her sister saying, “Betsie, if I hadn’t heard you in the kitchen . . . .” To this her saintly sister interrupted, “Don’t say it, Corrie. There are no ifs in God’s world. The center of his will is our safety.”

Later through terrible trying times in a Nazi prison, Miss Ten Boom was to learn over and over this marvelous truth: “God’s will is our hiding place.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I don’t ask that you deliver me from the storms of life, but please help me to find deliverance in them. Hide me in the hollow of your hand, and in the shelter of your tabernacle, and set me high upon a rock. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Psalm 27:5 (NIV).

I suppose there are times when all of us feel overcome by problems and feel like quitting. I’ve been there, but couldn’t find anything better than my Christian faith to quit to. Today I thank God for the courage to keep going, not knowing that God was allowing trials to strengthen my faith and to help me grow.

If you feel like giving up and quitting, perhaps the following poem will encourage you to hang in, hang on, but never hang up when the going gets tough.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

I also like a quote attributed to Joseph P. Kennedy that Robert Schuller has used: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Or as the title of one of his books says, Tough Times Never Last. Tough People Do.

God never forsook the Apostle Paul who faced incredible trials and opposition. And he will never forsake you or me as long as we place our trust in him.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you will never forsake or abandon me. Please help me always to put my trust in you and your faithfulness regardless of my circumstances, knowing that in the end my faith and trust in you will be justified. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NLT).

2. Unknown.

According to Michael S. Rose of CruxNews.com, a well-known French actress “denounces the ‘Isl_macization’ of France and blames the degeneration of French society on her country’s liberal immigration laws. ‘For twenty years we have submitted to a dangerous and uncontrolled underground infiltration,’ she writes in her new book that became an instant bestseller in France when published. ‘Not only does [Is_am] fail to give way to our laws and customs. Quite the contrary, as time goes by it tries to impose its own law on us.’”²

Think of Spain, too, where the majority of people not so long ago voted out government leaders who were taking a stand against terrorism and voted in leaders who yielded to terrorists’ tactics. God forbid that we should ever surrender to religious terrorists’ tactics here in the U.S.

What is the answer against all forms of evil? We Christians need to awake and not only demonstrate our faith in our everyday lives, but also aggressively communicate the gospel in word and action across the nation and around the world. The average American church is spending 95% of its income on itself—preaching to the choir as it were. No wonder we Christians aren’t making an impact on our society, let alone the rest of the world.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, open the eyes of every Christian at home and abroad so that we will see what the forces of evil are doing among us in today’s world. Please send a great spiritual awakening so that we will never yield to the beliefs and tactics of those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God. And help us in our manner of living to demonstrate the love of God in everything we do, and be genuinely committed to help spread the gospel across the street and around the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 2:18, 22 (NIV).

2. From J. Grant Swank, Jr. on MichNews.com http://michnews.com.

For a comparison grid between Christian and Islamic beliefs go to: http://tinyurl.com/24zlgs3.

Down the long, dusty road on their way from Jericho to Jerusalem, almost two thousand years ago, trod Jesus with his motley band of twelve disciples, followed by a huge crowd.

They were all hot and sweaty. The dust clung to them. They were weary, but Jesus was at the height of his popularity, and the great crowd of people pressed close to him. They were jabbering endlessly. Asking questions. Seeking favors. They could be heard a mile away.

“Hey, what’s all the noise?” blind Bartimaeus asked his friend as they sat by the roadside begging.

“I don’t know,” answered his friend with a puzzled tone in his voice.

“Let’s ask someone,” they agreed.

“It’s Jesus,” a passerby informed them.

“You mean Jesus of Nazareth, the fellow they claim can heal the sick and the blind?” Bartimaeus excitedly asked.

“That’s the one,” the man said, “and I’m on my way to see him. Good-bye.”

The crowd came closer and closer. Excitement filled the air. The noise became intense.

“I can’t believe it,” shouted Bartimaeus to another friend. “This just has to be my lucky day. I’ve got to get to Jesus; I know he can heal me.”

“Hey, Bart, there he is,” cried Bartimaeus’s friend, “but how will you ever get his attention?”

Dignity was dismissed. “This is it,” said Bartimaeus, “I may never see Jesus again and I desperately want to be healed.”

So, seeking to drown out the noise of the crowd, Bartimaeus yelled at the top of his voice, “Jesus, have mercy on me! O Lord, son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Cool it, man! Shut up!” retorted some of the crowd. “You’re making too much noise. You don’t stand a chance of getting to Jesus, so just relax and quit your stupid yelling!”

But Bartimaeus was all the more determined to get to Jesus. He couldn’t see, but he could yell. He cried out all the louder. Hear his voice rise above the din of the crowd. It rings out like a great clarion call, “Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And Jesus stood still.

And the crowds stood still.

And a great calm settled down over them all.

The winds and the waves couldn’t stop Jesus. Neither could angry mobs. Crowds of people couldn’t stop him either. But a lone, blind beggar could—and did.

And Jesus with his great heart of compassion asked for Bartimaeus to be brought to him.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“Lord,” Bartimaeus replied, “please give me my sight.” And Jesus did!

“Go your way,” he said, “your faith has made you whole.”²

Friend, what do you want Jesus to do for you? Are you as determined as Bartimaeus was? Am I?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, have mercy on me a sinner. Hear the cry of my heart. Please save me from sinfulness. Heal my wounded spirit and fill my empty heart with your love, joy and peace. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me too. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 10:49 (KJV).

2. Adapted from I Hate Witnessing by Dick Innes (Updated Edition), 155-157. On sale at: http://tinyurl.com/33kfbk.

James White wrote, “I once heard of a legend [that] originated in a small town in Germany that for a number of years experienced poor harvests. The townspeople prayed at the beginning of a New Year saying, ‘God, our harvests have been so poor and so scarce, for one year will you let us plan everything?’

“God said, ‘All right, for one year.’

“They immediately set their plans for abundance into motion, and God complied with their every request. Whenever they asked for rain, God sent rain. Whenever they asked for sun, God sent sun. The corn had never grown higher, and the wheat had never been thicker. But when the harvest came, they discovered that the tall corn had no ears, and the thick wheat had no heads of grain.

“‘God, you have failed us!’ they cried out. ‘We asked for sun, and you sent sun. We asked for rain, and you sent rain. But there is no crop.’

“‘You never asked for the harsh north winds,’ answered God. ‘Without the harsh north winds, there is no pollination, and with no pollination, there is no crop.’”²

As Seneca said, “Gold is tried by fire, brave men by adversity.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to accept trials and hardships as discipline and opportunities to help me grow and become more fruitful, and more like Jesus in every way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 12:11 (NIV).

2. Life Defining Moments by James Emery White, WaterBrook Press, 2001, pp. 106-107. Cited on www.sermons.com.

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

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

Reporters were excited to see him and expressed what an honor it was to meet him. Cameras were flashing, compliments were being expressed when, looking beyond the adulation, the visitor saw an elderly black 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, nor 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 always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:22 (NKJV).