Some time ago I read the following story taken from The Prairie Overcomer magazine.

The man huddled on the cabin floor was slowly freezing to death. It was high in the Rockies in southwestern Alberta, and outside a blizzard raged. John Elliott had logged miles that day through the deep snows of the mountain passes. As he checked for avalanches and as dusk and exhaustion overcame him he had decided to “hole-up.”

He made it wearily to his cabin but somewhat dazed with fatigue, he did not light a fire or remove his wet clothing. As the blizzard blasted through the cracks in the old cabin walls, the sleeping forest ranger sank into oblivion, paralyzed by the pleasure of the storm’s icy caress.

Suddenly, however, his dog sprang into action, and with unrelenting whines, finally managed to rouse his near-comatose friend. The dog was John’s constant companion, a St. Bernard, one of a long line of dogs famous for their heroics in times of crisis.

“If that dog hadn’t been with me, I’d be dead today,” John Elliott says. “When you’re freezing to death you actually feel warm all over, and don’t wake up because it feels too good.”²

How easy it is for those of us, especially in the West, to get lulled into sleep by the pleasures of this world’s riches and what money can do for us … or for others who get lulled into sleep by the pleasures of sin, which as today’s Scripture says, all pass away.

Sometimes God sends or at least allows and uses setbacks or problems that come into our life to awaken us out of our sleep to the reality of the situation we are in—to save us from spiritual bankruptcy and for some, to save from eternal death.

Whenever I am going through difficult times I ask God, “What lesson is there in this experience that you are seeking to teach me. What is it that I need to learn?” I encourage you to do the same.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, if I am asleep in my complacency to the reality of my spiritual condition, please send into my life whatever it takes to awaken me to reality, help me to see exactly what I need to do, and give me the good sense and courage to act accordingly. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s forgiveness be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. Hebrews 11:24-25 (NIV).
2. The Prairie Overcomer, published by the Prairie Bible Institute, Three Hills, Alberta Canada.

“There was a blind girl [or so the story goes] who hated herself because of her blindness. Not only did she hate herself but she hated everyone else, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

“One day someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything—including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, ‘Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?’ The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her that simply said, ‘Just take care of my eyes dear.’

“Too often we change when our status changes. Only a few remember what life was like before and even fewer remember who to thank for always being there when times were painfully unbearable.

“Life is a gift, so today: Before you think of saying an unkind word, think of someone who can’t speak. Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat. Before you complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who’s crying out to God for a companion. Before you complain about your life, think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children, think of someone who desires children but is barren. Before you argue about your dirty house that someone didn’t clean or sweep, think of the people who are living in the streets. Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet. And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

“And before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another, remember that not one of us is without sin and all will answer to one Maker. And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down, try to put a smile on your face and thank God you’re alive and still around. Life is a gift, live it, enjoy it, celebrate it, and fulfill it.

“Enjoy the moment. It may not come around again.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in the midst of life’s trials help me always to count my many blessings—one by one—and learn to always give thanks to You for these, and always be grateful for what I do have and not complain about what I don’t have. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (NIV).
2. Author unknown. Source: Marcella’s Inspiring Collection, http://tinyurl.com/w9nb9.

Year after year with “tireless regularity and eternal patience,” God reminds the world every Christmas that he sent his Son, Jesus, to save lost mankind. Christmas is also God’s reminder that Jesus is coming back to earth for all who have accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior.

His first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming to end this world age is just as certain. According to Bible scholars, there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament and 318 in the New Testament about Christ’s second coming to earth. This means for every prophecy in the Bible about Christ’s first coming—every one of which was fulfilled in minute detail—there are eight about his second coming!

Jesus is coming again. God has promised this in his Word, the Bible. Jesus himself promised it as well. And all the signs that Jesus and the Bible said would immediately precede his return are evident today, also reminding us that Christ’s return could be very soon. If it were today, would you be ready?

Christmas is also a reminder to all Christians that Jesus has commissioned all of us to spread his message of salvation to everyone everywhere.² Jesus said that, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”³ Never has this been more possible than it is today because our generation has the greatest means of worldwide communications the world has ever seen.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank You enough for Your great CHRISTmas love gift to me and to the world. In appreciation for all You have done for me, I surrender my heart and life afresh to You. Please make me usable and use me in whatever way You will to be a part of Your plan to spread the gospel to the world in which I live … and in some way to people around the world. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior I encourage you to read God’s Invitation at: http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or if you would like to make a recommitment of your life to Jesus Christ, do let us know by filling in and checking the appropriate box at: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php

1. John 14:2-3 (NIV).
2. Mark 16:15.
3. Matthew 24:14 (NIV).

Today is Christmas…the day we celebrate the birth of the Savior … the One who was rejected by men … the One who came from heaven to earth to give his life a ransom for your sins and mine … the One who is now in heaven preparing a place for his followers … the One who is coming again to take us to be with him in heaven forever. How can we ever thank God and the Son of God enough for so great a salvation?

One of my favorite gospel songs written by Keith Green expresses my feelings very well. I trust it will yours too. Let’s make this our suggested prayer for today:

Oh Lord, You’re beautiful,
Your face is all I seek,
And when Your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.

Chorus:
I wanna take Your Word
and shine it all around.
But first help me just to live it, Lord!
And when I’m doing well.
Help me to never seek a crown.
For my reward is giving glory to You.

Oh, Lord, You’re wonderful,
Your touch is all I need,
And when Your hand is on this child,
Your healing I receive.

Oh Lord, please light the fire,
That once burned bright and clear,
Replace the lamp of my first love,
That burned with holy fear.²

Gratefully, in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Note: If you have never accepted God’s gift of forgiveness, for help go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Isaiah 53:3-4 (NLT).
2. Keith Green.

On a December day back in 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright, after numerous failures to fly a heavier-than-air machine, made amazing history. They achieved something that no man had ever done before. Ecstatic, they sent a telegram to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 852 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”

Overjoyed, Katherine ran down to the local newspaper and pushed the telegram—the greatest news story of the new century—into the hand of the editor. After reading it, he smiled and said, “Well, well! How nice the boys will be home for Christmas.”

The religious people of Christ’s day who were actually anticipating his coming as their Messiah also totally missed the point. They failed to recognize him—and ironically had him crucified—because he didn’t come, and didn’t operate, the way they expected him to.

How sad it is that so many miss the full meaning of Christmas in that they have never thanked Jesus for dying for their sins, nor accepted the most profound and precious Christmas gift ever given … the gift of the Savior and his pardon for all their sins and his gift of eternal life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for the most wonderful Christmas gift ever given—the gift of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Please use me to share Your great gift of salvation with as many people as possible for as long as I shall live. Use me every day to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to whomever You bring into my life, and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want You for themselves. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s gift of forgiveness, for help go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Jesus Christ in Luke 7:32 (NIV).

A Daily Encounter reader asks: “I have a friend who grieves her husband’s death. He was a Pastor. How can I comfort her?”

One of the best things we can do for grieving friends is to be there for them—to give them our presence. That is, to lend them a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on as well as to pray for them. Better still is to weep with those who weep.

This is needed at holiday times, especially so as we come into the Christmas season. Such times can be bitterly lonely for the grieving.

What our grieving friends don’t need is someone to give them advice, preach at them, or tell them they shouldn’t feel the way they feel. When we lose a loved one, we grieve deeply. The pain can be insufferable. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept. We need to do the same when we lose a loved one—and grieve/weep with our friends when they suffer loss. Rare is the friend who knows how to weep with those who weep.

Realize, too, that grieving is a process that takes time. Broken bones heal in six weeks. Broken hearts don’t. They take so much longer to heal, so always be patient and understanding with grieving friends.

However, if a friend’s grieving continues, say, for more than a year and it is obvious that they are not recovering, kindly suggest that they might consider joining a grief recovery group and/or seeing a skilled counselor to help them.

For further help, read the article, “Grief and Loss Recovery” at: http://tinyurl.com/7l5xd

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for the gift of tears that helps relieve our pain when we lose a loved one. Grant that all my grieving friends will know Your presence and blessing in a very special way at this time of loss and pain. And please help me to be a supporting friend and comfort to them. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:4 (NIV).

My friend Graham was only 44 when cancer struck him down. When they discovered the disease, it had gone too far. Not long before he died I asked him, “What does it feel like to be 44 and in your situation?”

He sat in silence for quite a while as he pondered the question. And then he said some things I will never forget. He felt angry in that there was so much more he wanted to do with his life and now it was too late. He felt guilty because he had been too busy too much of the time and hadn’t spent enough time with his wife and children and now that opportunity was gone forever. And then, after more thought, he said, “I wonder if I have ever done anything that has been truly worthwhile with my life.”

Those words certainly made me think—and I’ve never forgotten them.

According to God’s Word, the Bible, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment [of God].”² The good news is that if we have lived for and served God faithfully, we will be rewarded accordingly. If not, we will also be rewarded accordingly.

Hopefully for all our readers when we meet God face to face, it will be a very exciting time as we hear Him say to each of us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”³

But if we are NOT true followers of Jesus, we will hear God say something terrible: “Depart from me for I never knew you.”⁴ Fortunately, none of us ever has to hear God say this to us for He has provided a full and free pardon for all of our sins and has the gift of eternal life for all who accept His wonderful and FREE gift of forgiveness and salvation.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to accept God’s pardon and His gift of eternal life today. Whatever you do, don’t leave Earth without it! To help you do this go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You that You gave Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins and provide for me a free pardon and the gift of eternal life. Help me to so live for You that when I meet You face to face, I will hear Your wonderful 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’s name, amen.”

1. The Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 5:10).
2. Hebrews 9:27.
3. Jesus (See Matthew 25:21).
4. Jesus (See Matthew 7:23).

“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).

It’s an old parable but still relevant. You’ve probably read about the pastor who was having a difficult time on a Saturday trying to prepare his sermon for the following day. He couldn’t concentrate because his young son kept pestering him because he had nothing to do that would interest him.

His dad thumbed through a magazine trying to get an idea to occupy his son for most of the morning. He found a map of the world, tore out the page, and cut the map into many small pieces, mixed them up and, placing all the pieces facing upwards on the floor, told his son that if he could get all the pieces together, he would give him 50 cents.

The son accepted the challenge. In a very short time the son had all the pieces together. He realized that on the other side it appeared to be a photo of a man, so he carefully turned all the pieces over and in not time had his “jig-saw” puzzle all put together. Placing a sheet of paper over the finished puzzle, he carefully turned it over and there was the map of the world!

“Son, how did you get this done so quickly?” his father asked.

“It was easy,” he replied, “on the other side was a man, I just put him together and turned the paper over, and the world got right.”

The minister smiled and handed his son the promised fifty cents and said, “And you’ve given me my sermon for tomorrow too. If a man is right [made whole], his world will be right.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to live a life that is in harmony with Your will so that my world will also be right and harmonious. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

Note: For help to be sure you’re a real Christian go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. John 5:6
2. Source: Encounter magazine (ACTS Int., Australia), June-July, 2007, p. 17.

A Daily Encounter reader asks, “If you have a parent that died and was an abusive, mean person but you still love them, is there a way to pray for them to have another chance and not go to hell forever?”

Sad to say we can only hope that our loved ones made their life right with God before they passed away. I don’t want to give anyone false hope as there is nothing in God’s Word, the Bible, that says that anyone can make a decision to accept God’s forgiveness after they die. As the Bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”²

As a poet wisely said:

Only one life
‘Twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ
Will last.

The only thing you and I can do—and the most important thing—is that today we make absolutely sure that we have put our life right with God by asking him for forgiveness for all our sins and accepting Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as our personal Savior. For help to do this read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. Please help me to be sure today that I am forgiven and will spend eternity in heaven with You forever. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 9:27 (NIV).
2. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV).