“A piece of black ebony wood was being cut and broken by a woodmaker. The wood complained but the woodmaker desisted from bowing to the complaints. He was carving a flute. The woodmaker seemed to be saying, ‘Little piece of wood. You think that I am hurting and abusing you but without these holes and cutting, you would not be able to bring others beautiful music to soothe their souls and calm their hurts and fears for a time.’”

Pain is the great motivator. It can be and often is God’s wake-up call to help us change and grow. So who wants to change and grow when everything is going great? Not me. I only grow when I am uncomfortable with the way things are or the way I am. And that’s the way it’s meant to be. God wants to make “beautiful music” out of your life and mine. It’s up to us to allow him to do so. The process at times can be painful, but the end result can be something beautiful.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I surrender my heart and life to You. Please help me to become the person You want me to be so that my life will be an instrument of peace and harmony in Your hands to touch the lives of all with whom I come into contact. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. The Apostle Paul (Romans 5:3-4, NIV).

Do you ever feel guilty about things you shouldn’t feel guilty about and not feel guilty about things you should feel guilty about?

I do? Why is this? A major reason is that we tend to think in terms of guilt as an emotional response that comes from our conscience. This, however, can be misleading.

Keep in mind that guilt in the Bible is a legal term—not an emotional one. If we do what is wrong in the eyes of God, we are guilty regardless of how we feel. That’s also true of our legal system. If I break the law, I am guilty whether I feel guilty or not—or whether I get caught or not. For some, guilt is more a fear of getting caught.

On the other hand, conscience, while very important, is a learned emotional response. The word “conscience” comes from “con” meaning “with” and “science” meaning “knowledge.” Thus conscience means “with knowledge.” We were born with the ability to learn what was right and what was wrong but the programming of our conscience came largely from those who shaped our formative years. For some, a legalistic parent, church or religion gave them a very punitive conscience. At the opposite extreme, a loose-living parent or teacher failed to give any meaningful programming to a child’s conscience.

As adults, to have a healthy conscience we need to reprogram or reeducate it to make sure it is in harmony with the source of all truth and knowledge as to what is right and what is wrong—that is God’s Word, the Bible.

Based on this knowledge, the important thing is to always do what is right regardless of how we feel. As we consistently act in this manner, little by little (over time) we will reprogram our conscience so it is in complete harmony with the will and Word of God.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for Your Word, the Bible, that instructs me in how to behave and live. Please help me to re-educate and reprogram my conscience so the way I feel will be in direct harmony with Your Word. And then, help me to live in harmony with Your will so I will always have a clear conscience. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Leviticus 5:17 (NIV).

One thing is for sure: Jesus was never politically correct. He always stood for what was right and for truth—never for that which was expedient, popular or expected. As Mark Batterson said, “He wasn’t afraid of offending Pharisees; touching lepers; washing feet; defending prostitutes; or befriending tax collectors.”

In many ways, political correctness is destroying us! It allows a secular and often godless society to squeeze us into its mold. Besides “political correctness” is an oxymoron if ever there was one. There’s nothing correct about it. It’s really political expediency in order to get one’s own way, to get votes, to be a crowd pleaser, to avoid criticism, or for whatever other manipulative false motive.

Furthermore, if we in the West don’t wake up and smell the “gunpowder” of radical Islam which is out to destroy us, our insane political correctness WILL destroy us. Had Jesus been politically correct, we would still be lost in our sins without hope and without eternal life.

You may recall how William Wilberforce fought the battle for twenty years to end the slave trade in Great Britain. He was hated. He was threatened. He was despised. He was ridiculed, but he knew what was right and he fought for this and for the truth until he won and saw the wretched slave trade in England stopped. Wilberforce was not politically correct either. As a result he helped change his world.

We who claim to be believers in God and followers of Jesus Christ also need to abandon this political correct nonsense that is an integral part of today’s postmodern society for whom “tolerance, not truth, is absolute.”

Only truth is eternal. In the long run it will win. Always.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of being politically correct for all the wrong motives. Give me the courage, and help me always in all ways to stand for and battle for truth and that which is right in Your eyes. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. John 2:14-16 (NIV).

The story is told how “a wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

However, a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. ‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said, ‘I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.’”²

Some readers may remember the debacle caused by the death of Anna Nicole Smith several years ago. On a TV interview I recall hearing Jill Dobson of Star Magazine saying that Anna Nicole “had everything: money, fame, attention ….” Maybe so, but in reality she had nothing for the true riches of life have nothing to do with fame and fortune.

All sorts of legal battles followed Anna Nicole’s death, including those by other men seeking to gain the legal rights of her infant child, claiming they were the father. Do you think this would have happened had Anna Nicole been a penniless pauper? Not likely.

And how much of Anna Nicole’s fortune did she leave? All of it. Like the rest of us—rich or poor, famous or infamous—the reality is that only what we send ahead do we take with us and gain for eternity—providing of course that we have put our life right with God before we leave. I only hope this was true of Anna Nicole.

One of my daily prayers is that God will help me to be “as Jesus” in some way to every life I touch and that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want him for themselves. This for me is the most precious and priceless gift I could ever give to anyone.

Could you imagine the tremendous impact we Christians would make on today’s world if every one of us would make and pray the following commitment.

Prayer: “Dear God, I am available today. Please use me today to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way, first to my own family, and then in some way to every life I touch. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Luke 12:15 (NIV).

2. “The Wise Woman’s Stone,” Author Unknown. Cited on Inspiration Peak, www.inspirationpeak.com

“Muhammad Ali is considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He won 56 out of his 61 professional fights and knocked out 37 opponents. His most famous catch phrase was, ‘I am the greatest!’

“One day, Ali was seated in an airplane when the flight attendant came up the aisle to make sure that all the passengers had their seat belts fastened. Reaching Ali’s seat, she asked him to buckle up.

“‘Hmph!’ the champ sneered, ‘Superman don’t need no seat belt!’

“The flight attendant smiled sweetly and replied, ‘Superman don’t need no airplane, either.’

“Ali fastened his seat belt.

“The greater our success, the greater the risk of us thinking too highly of ourselves.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be realistic about my abilities—never thinking too highly (or too lowly) of myself. And may I always give thanks, and the glory, to you for the gifts that you have given me, and never deceive myself into thinking and believing that the praise and glory for these gifts belong to me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:3 (NIV).

2. Os Hillman, “The Success Test,” The Upside of Adversity. Cited on: KneEmail. www.forthright.net/kneemail/

Certainly I believe that God does lead, direct, and communicate with us today. However, unless the word received is directly from the Bible or in direct harmony with biblical principles, it needs to be rejected. Remember that God never goes against his own Word—ever.

If we use “God-talk-bible-babble” as a means of getting our own way—God-talk such as: “The Lord told me it is to be such and such a way,” or “God told me you are to be my wife/husband,” etc., etc.; or when we quote a Bible passage out of context (which is really a pretext), or when we blame God for our problems or for things that go wrong when it is entirely our own fault, or quote the Bible as a means of avoiding our own or another’s reality, it is meaningless bible-babble. Which, of course, is a part of religiosity!

Bible-babble may sound impressive if we don’t know what God’s Word teaches. More often than not it is a defense against facing our fears and insecurities and as a means of avoiding personal responsibility. It is often a form of denial, which is always a self-deceptive and dangerous path to follow. If there is one thing I believe God wants us to be, it is to be real, to be honest, and to stop using bible-babble. God always desires truth.²

One of the major problems with denial is that when we are in it, we deny that we are.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of denial and using bible-babble and God-talk when I am using it as a means of avoiding reality. Help me to be real always in all ways and at all times. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 4:1 (NIV).

2. See Psalm 51:6.

Evxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of the kxys. I havx many timxs wishxd that it workxd pxrfxctly.

It is trux that thxrx arx forty-onx kxys that function wxll xnough, but just onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx.

Somxtimxs it sxxms to mx that our church is somxthing likx my typxwritxr—not all thx kxy pxoplx arx working propxrly.

As onx of thxm, you may say to yoursxlf, “Wxll, I am only onx pxrson, I don’t makx or brxak thx church.”

But it doxs makx a big diffxrxncx, bxcausx a church, to bx xffxctivx, nxxds thx activx participation of xvxry pxrson.

So, thx nxxt timx your xfforts arx not nxxdxd vxry much, rxmxmbxr my typxwritxr and say to yoursxlf, “I am a kxy pxrson in thx congrxgation and I am nxxdxd vxry much.”

This is what happxns to thx wholx church, and multiply this by many timxs—thx wholx thing just doxs not makx sxnsx!²

So don’t be a broken key—be a useful one.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that I have an important part to play in your Church—the body of Christ. Help me to know what my part is and accept it positively and apply and use it diligently by faith. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 26 (NKJV).

2. Author Unknown.

I have read that “Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

“One day after Plumb gave a presentation, a fellow came up to him and said, ‘You don’t know me, but I am the person who packed your parachute the day you were shot down.’

“Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, ‘I guess it worked!’

“Plumb assured him, ‘It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.’”

If it weren’t for somebody else—perhaps many “somebody elses”—most of us wouldn’t be where we are today either. And if it weren’t for somebody else telling us about Jesus and his gift of forgiveness and eternal life, most of us wouldn’t know him and wouldn’t be bound for Heaven. May we ever be mindful and thankful to all who have “folded our parachute” and may we do the same for others.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for all who have helped me be where I am today and especially for those who shared your love and the gospel with me. Help me to have a thankful heart and help others to find you as others have helped me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Philippians 1:3(NIV).

When two freight trains collided, a young man by the name of George Westinghouse designed a way to avoid a repetition of the accident.

When George explained his idea, railroad executives agreed with Commodore Vanderbilt who exclaimed, “Do you mean to tell me that you expect to stop a train with wind? I have no time to waste on. . .fools!”

Westinghouse was aware of the problem. If the air failed there was no way to stop the train. But what he did was change his framework of reference. He designed heavy springs to hold the train brakes on all the time and an air system to hold the brakes off. If the air failed, the brakes would automatically engage and stop the train.

By looking at the problem from a different viewpoint, Westinghouse perfected the air brake—a system that was adopted by the entire industry.

As the saying goes, “If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always got, and we’ll keep feeling what we’ve always felt.” In other words, if we want to bring about change in our personal life, in our family, in our business, in our church, or in our nation, we need to look at things differently and be prepared to make changes—sometimes drastic changes! Because without change nothing ever changes.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, what things in my life do I need to look at differently and what changes do I need to make today that will make my life more effective for tomorrow? Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:13-15 (NLT).

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, among other things, 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.

Somebody else said, “If you see a poisonous snake in your kitchen, just kill it. Don’t appoint a committee on snakes!” Just kill it—or at least remove it to a safe place!

And as Meg Stawinski says in her book, Confessions of a Supermarket Evangelist, about a church she used to attend, as you exited the church parking lot there was a sign that read: “You are now entering the mission field.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, every day please help me to be ‘as Christ’ in some way to every life I touch—no matter where I am—and always be prepared to share a timely word about you as opportunity presents itself. And grant that our home will always be a house of blessing to all who enter in. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus in the Gospel of Mark 16:15 (TLB … NLT)

NOTE: To have a vital role in God’s plan to reach the world with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, please consider joining the People Power for Jesus group. See www.actsweb.org/people_power.