The Trumpet Sounds
By Cathy Irvin
As a Christian, you may be asking yourself, what is the sound of the trumpet referring to? It is a clarion sound about an issue or an event that can be heard during times of concentrated prayer or discerned through some media message. You will hear these messages repeated over and over, and you will know that God is speaking to His people.
In the recent past, we cried out about the right to live in the Terri Schiavo case when the Supreme Court ruled to remove her feeding tube and to withdraw her water. Now, instead of focusing on a particular case, we are praying that the Supreme Court judges might execute justice. We are praying for God’s divine intervention. We are asking that they might hear God’s side before they make decisions that become the law of the land.
Remember: their decisions today affect our tomorrows. Be a voice and speak out. The best way to see results is through prayer. The slogan we often see on signs and billboards is “prayer changes things.” We must focus our prayers on the Supreme Court.
I can hear the trumpet sounding to take my seat, for God’s Court is in session. He waits for us to come boldly to the throne, with authority as believers in Jesus’ name, and make our petitions known. One thing is different about this courtroom: there is only one Judge, the Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth.
You can be confident that He hears you and will answer you. He will not decline to listen.
GOD rules. On your toes, everybody! He rules from his angel throne—take notice! (Psalm 99:1,The Message).
GOD has set his throne in heaven; he rules over us all. He's the King! (Psalm 103:19, The Message).
CBN
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Saturday, August 27, 2005
GET REAL!
John 17:1-5
1 After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed: 2 "Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.
Survivor, Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, American Idol, The Apprentice. The list of reality television series goes on and on. These series try to satisfy the appetite of viewers who long to watch and enjoy some real-life characters experiencing adventure and drama. Reality TV has gone to great lengths to bring out actual, unfeigned elements that viewers look for. Without a doubt, there is something very different in reality TV as compared to conventional game shows or competitions.
The truth of the matter is that we yearn for reality in our lives. We don't want to live in a world of fantasy and imagination all the time. We don't want to remain in an environment of make-believe, pretense, or hypocrisy.
This is where the good news comes in. We can experience reality--in Jesus--because we have a true and living God! The reality of Jesus' love and presence not only satisfies our ultimate longings but also transforms our lives.
Jesus' prayer in John 17 tells us that eternal life is all about knowing and experiencing the one true God. As followers of Jesus, we can enjoy the reality of God when we place our trust in Him, develop our personal relationship with Him, and walk in fellowship and obedience to Him.
It's through this authentic way of living that we can find purpose, joy, and abundance of life. Such real life is, in fact, much more exciting than all the drama and thrill that reality TV could ever offer. So, what are you waiting for? Get real--with God! --Timothy Chew, Malaysia
Written by a fellow Soul Journey reader
DESTINATION POINTS
* Have I ever thought of participating in a reality show? Why?
* What can I do to experience the reality of God in my life?
LINKS:
God Our Father
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0108
bottom line: Reality is authentic living in Jesus.
soul journey
John 17:1-5
1 After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed: 2 "Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.
Survivor, Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, American Idol, The Apprentice. The list of reality television series goes on and on. These series try to satisfy the appetite of viewers who long to watch and enjoy some real-life characters experiencing adventure and drama. Reality TV has gone to great lengths to bring out actual, unfeigned elements that viewers look for. Without a doubt, there is something very different in reality TV as compared to conventional game shows or competitions.
The truth of the matter is that we yearn for reality in our lives. We don't want to live in a world of fantasy and imagination all the time. We don't want to remain in an environment of make-believe, pretense, or hypocrisy.
This is where the good news comes in. We can experience reality--in Jesus--because we have a true and living God! The reality of Jesus' love and presence not only satisfies our ultimate longings but also transforms our lives.
Jesus' prayer in John 17 tells us that eternal life is all about knowing and experiencing the one true God. As followers of Jesus, we can enjoy the reality of God when we place our trust in Him, develop our personal relationship with Him, and walk in fellowship and obedience to Him.
It's through this authentic way of living that we can find purpose, joy, and abundance of life. Such real life is, in fact, much more exciting than all the drama and thrill that reality TV could ever offer. So, what are you waiting for? Get real--with God! --Timothy Chew, Malaysia
Written by a fellow Soul Journey reader
DESTINATION POINTS
* Have I ever thought of participating in a reality show? Why?
* What can I do to experience the reality of God in my life?
LINKS:
God Our Father
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0108
bottom line: Reality is authentic living in Jesus.
soul journey
Friday, August 26, 2005
GOD'S HARDWARE
Genesis 2:15-20
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." 18 The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air, and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
My wife hardly ever goes with me to a hardware store. She's afraid I'll embarrass her by my giddy behavior when I see all those new, amazing tools!
Actually, it's not quite that bad, but being in the store does make my head spin with the thoughts of projects I could do and what I'll need to do them. I try to discipline myself to go to places like Home Depot only when I really need to--otherwise I'll come home with a pile of stuff that I just may need someday.
How I approach hardware stores is a lot like the way many of us approach the gifts of the earth: It's just one big storehouse of vast natural resources for people to use.
Some lumber barons treated the great white pine forests of Michigan like that. When they were done, they had made enough boards to cover the entire state--all 96,000 square miles of it!
Sadly, they also destroyed much of the capacity of the land to reforest itself. If they had thought about their responsibility to future generations, they could have prevented the degradation of soil that results from poor forestry practices. The lack of forest cover and the scar they left behind helped create several massive fires. The Great Thumb Fire of 1881 (as in the "thumb" of Michigan's mitten-like shape) raced through more than a million acres in less than a day, killing more than 200 people.
Whatever one thinks about the politics and philosophy of many environmentalists, the truth remains that people are the planet's stewards (Genesis 2:15). Of all the species of living creatures on Earth, human beings are the only "responsible" species. We are the ones who have the power and intellectual capacity to manage the wonderful potential of God's creation gifts. And we can abuse those gifts by carelessness and selfish behavior. Then all creation suffers.
When we degrade the works of the Creator, we come dangerously close to degrading the Creator Himself. --Dean Ohlman
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is the impact of my behavior on the ecological health of the earth?
* How can I treat the earth with more respect?
LINKS:
Celebrating The Wonder Of Creation
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1108
God's Good Earth
http://www.discoveryseries.org/hp001
bottom line: The earth is the theater of God's glory. --Calvin
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Is it ever okay to look back?
by John Fischer
by John Fischer
Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the
Is it ever okay to look back?
There is a fine line between gaining strength from how God has met us in the past, and getting lost in romanticized states of nostalgia. It’s not always easy to tell the difference.
Last weekend I had a chance to go back to a camp where I began my singing/songwriting career and experienced serving in a ministry role for the first time. It is a place pregnant with memories for me. These memories were also from time of heightened spiritual awareness in our culture that we now refer to as the Jesus movement. A whole youth culture it seemed was literally flying high on Jesus. Nothing has come close to those days since.
After the concert a man came up to me and handed me a CD. It was a tape recording of me singing my first collection of songs made in the stairwell of a church nearby in the summer of 1968. I say “allegedly” because I barely remember doing this. I took the CD home and listened to it and it was me all right. Songs and feelings both forgotten came rushing back.
What value is this to me now? Not much if I attempt to stay there. It was almost hard to hear the angst in the heart of a 21-year-old that seemed so far away now. It made me wonder if some things are not meant to be recorded.
But there is meaning and usefulness in the past. It comes through returning to places and times when God has met us is significant ways. In the Old Testament these were called memorial stones – altars erected so that God’s faithfulness at a certain event in history could be remembered and the stories passed on to future generations. Such a visit to the past gives us renewed strength and courage to face the future. If God met us then and got us this far, then He can show us how to live in this present age.
But if we go back to try and recreate the past and hold onto it as long as possible, this is not productive. We never will be able to go back to an earlier time. Plows don’t plow backwards. They only dig ahead into open fields. So do God’s purposes for us.
So if you go back, go back to mark something meaningful in your life, where God met you, and use the experience to renew your current love for Him. Just don’t stay long there. The demands of today are different than those of yesterday, and the world never stops changing.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Virtual Friends
by John Fischer
What do you do when you realize you have wronged a brother or a sister in Christ? You go to him or her and attempt to personally set it straight.
by John Fischer
What do you do when you realize you have wronged a brother or a sister in Christ? You go to him or her and attempt to personally set it straight.
I had a conflict to resolve with a brother this week and I used E-mail and the fax machine. Not good enough.
It occurs to me that we’ve never had more communication technology and less real contact with people. We’ve got video phones, picture phones, E-mail and text messaging – I’ve even heard there is experimentation going on by which we will be able to communicate via brain waves – but are we any closer to each other because of all this? An argument could be made that we are actually growing further and further apart. Pretty soon all we will have is virtual communication among virtual friends. Virtual – as in almost, but not quite.
Virtual is truly the word of the day. The first synonym for virtual that comes up in my dictionary is “near.” We’re nearly friends, but not really. “Virtual” is a substitute for the real thing. The antonym (opposite) that came up for “virtual” is “actual.” Put these two together and you have “virtual” as something that appears close to the real thing but in actuality is so far off the mark that there couldn’t be anything farther from the truth. “Virtual” is like a moon shot that misses the moon. The farther it travels in the universe, the farther away from its destination it becomes, making “virtual reality” the quintessential oxymoron.
Please understand I’m speaking to myself here (I usually am). I use E-mail way too much. My written skills are much better than my verbal ones (unless I have a chance to prepare). Face to face confrontation is very difficult for me, so any chance I get to hide behind an E-mail or a fax, I’ll take it. How convenient that a whole culture is moving in the direction of an oxymoron.
When John the Apostle talked about Christ he found it necessary to point out that he and the other disciples had had physical contact with Jesus. “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands” (1 John 1:1). It was important to John for us to know this. Nothing virtual here. This was the real thing.
We need the real thing with each other. We need to come out of hiding. We’re never going to find ourselves in here anyway. We only know ourselves as we meet ourselves in others and ultimately in Christ who has touched us all with His virtual presence.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Forgive—Can We Afford Not To?
Martha Noebel
• "Forgive them? I can't. "
• "They make me so mad."
• "You just don't know what they did to me."
Have you ever heard those words before? Forgiveness is hard to do, but with God's help, we can forgive. The definition of forgive is to pardon or excuse. It means that we no longer blame others or are angry at those who did us wrong.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14, 15, NIV).
God tells us that forgiveness is not an option if we want God to forgive us. We are not perfect; we all make mistakes. We will not all agree on everything all the time. We must understand that and learn to forgive those who intentionally or unintentionally hurt us. Yes, we may have a moment of anger, but we must not become slaves to anger. We need to repent for harboring bad feelings against others so that we can be set free.
The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that the Lord looks at the heart. What does He see when He looks at our hearts? We want to have clean hearts and hands when we stand before God. Look at what the psalmist David said:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10, NLT).
"Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure…"(Psalm 24: 3, 4a, The Book).
We want to stand before God and know that He is pleased with us. We don't want to carry the sin of unforgiveness in our hearts. When we pray, we want to know that God will answer our prayers. We certainly don't want this willful act to hinder our prayers.
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25, NIV).
If we continue to have bitterness in our hearts and lives, we do not show the love of God. The Word of God tells us that we cannot even say we love God if we have hate toward someone else (1 John 4:20), so what must we do? Colossians 3:12 tells us to "clothe yourselves with compassion." Philippians 2:4 says to "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Galatians 6:2 instructs us to "carry each other's burdens." Ephesians 4:32 declares, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you."
The lines are drawn. The Word is clear. We must forgive! No matter the offense, no matter how much pain we feel, we must forgive. We can't take revenge or even gloat when our enemy falls (Romans 12:19-21; Proverbs 24:17).
Let's ask God to fill us with His love for those who have offended us. Let’s learn to walk in love and peace. We will be glad we did.
cbn
Martha Noebel
• "Forgive them? I can't. "
• "They make me so mad."
• "You just don't know what they did to me."
Have you ever heard those words before? Forgiveness is hard to do, but with God's help, we can forgive. The definition of forgive is to pardon or excuse. It means that we no longer blame others or are angry at those who did us wrong.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14, 15, NIV).
God tells us that forgiveness is not an option if we want God to forgive us. We are not perfect; we all make mistakes. We will not all agree on everything all the time. We must understand that and learn to forgive those who intentionally or unintentionally hurt us. Yes, we may have a moment of anger, but we must not become slaves to anger. We need to repent for harboring bad feelings against others so that we can be set free.
The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that the Lord looks at the heart. What does He see when He looks at our hearts? We want to have clean hearts and hands when we stand before God. Look at what the psalmist David said:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10, NLT).
"Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure…"(Psalm 24: 3, 4a, The Book).
We want to stand before God and know that He is pleased with us. We don't want to carry the sin of unforgiveness in our hearts. When we pray, we want to know that God will answer our prayers. We certainly don't want this willful act to hinder our prayers.
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25, NIV).
If we continue to have bitterness in our hearts and lives, we do not show the love of God. The Word of God tells us that we cannot even say we love God if we have hate toward someone else (1 John 4:20), so what must we do? Colossians 3:12 tells us to "clothe yourselves with compassion." Philippians 2:4 says to "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Galatians 6:2 instructs us to "carry each other's burdens." Ephesians 4:32 declares, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you."
The lines are drawn. The Word is clear. We must forgive! No matter the offense, no matter how much pain we feel, we must forgive. We can't take revenge or even gloat when our enemy falls (Romans 12:19-21; Proverbs 24:17).
Let's ask God to fill us with His love for those who have offended us. Let’s learn to walk in love and peace. We will be glad we did.
cbn
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
The Key to My Heart
Martha Noebel
Who has the key to your heart? There are many that would say, "I have the key to your heart. I want to come in." If we allow that, we could entertain wrong thoughts and actions. God wants to be the sole owner of the key to our hearts.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory (Colossians 3:1-4).
How wonderful that is to know! When He has the key to our hearts, we are giving Him the place of honor and power. We then begin to allow Him, and no one else, to fill our thoughts, making Him our ‘real life.’ Praise God! It is then that we can hear God speak His love to us. We can hear Him say, "She is my delight.”
That word was spoken to me at a time I really needed to hear it. We try so hard to work for God, to please Him, and yet we can become so busy with the work that we forget to love the Lord of the work. I want to stay in a place of feeling God's love for me. I may be frustrated with all that's going on around me and be too caught up with things. God wants my attention. He wants my love, and He wants to love me the way I need to be loved.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
I want the life of Christ to be seen in me. I don't want it said that when things don't go my way that I continue to force the issues. I want to be able to say, "God has another plan" and let go of it. I want to be able to release the problems so I can be healed and made strong through it all. I want the ‘Lover of my soul’ to be able to speak to me His songs of love without any hindrances.
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts (Colossians 3:16).
That's the attitude I want. I need to let Christ live large in me and make me wise. I want to be able to be a blessing to others and to always have a song to God in my heart. What joy is mine when I refuse to give the distractions a key to my heart! What rejoicing I can have if I don't let the cares of this world have a key to my heart!
The choice is yours and mine. You and I have to make the decision. Who has the key to your heart?
God, You have the key to my heart!
cbn
Martha Noebel
Who has the key to your heart? There are many that would say, "I have the key to your heart. I want to come in." If we allow that, we could entertain wrong thoughts and actions. God wants to be the sole owner of the key to our hearts.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory (Colossians 3:1-4).
How wonderful that is to know! When He has the key to our hearts, we are giving Him the place of honor and power. We then begin to allow Him, and no one else, to fill our thoughts, making Him our ‘real life.’ Praise God! It is then that we can hear God speak His love to us. We can hear Him say, "She is my delight.”
That word was spoken to me at a time I really needed to hear it. We try so hard to work for God, to please Him, and yet we can become so busy with the work that we forget to love the Lord of the work. I want to stay in a place of feeling God's love for me. I may be frustrated with all that's going on around me and be too caught up with things. God wants my attention. He wants my love, and He wants to love me the way I need to be loved.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
I want the life of Christ to be seen in me. I don't want it said that when things don't go my way that I continue to force the issues. I want to be able to say, "God has another plan" and let go of it. I want to be able to release the problems so I can be healed and made strong through it all. I want the ‘Lover of my soul’ to be able to speak to me His songs of love without any hindrances.
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts (Colossians 3:16).
That's the attitude I want. I need to let Christ live large in me and make me wise. I want to be able to be a blessing to others and to always have a song to God in my heart. What joy is mine when I refuse to give the distractions a key to my heart! What rejoicing I can have if I don't let the cares of this world have a key to my heart!
The choice is yours and mine. You and I have to make the decision. Who has the key to your heart?
God, You have the key to my heart!
cbn
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
STOLEN HAMBURGLAR
1 Timothy 1:15-20
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
In an ironic twist, Hamburglar was stolen from a McDonald's in Niles, Ohio, last fall. Hamburglar--the fast food chain's fictional character that pilfers hamburgers in TV commercials--was featured in a 6-foot-tall statue in the Niles franchise.
A man entered the restaurant, grabbed the masked statue, and ran out. Later that night, police nabbed the thief . . . of the thief. But the arrest didn't happen the way you might guess.
Officers in Niles, responding to a domestic-violence call at a nearby home, talked with a woman who said she was punched by a male friend during an argument. What were they arguing about? Stolen property.
Police found the $1,500 heisted Hamburglar in the basement and arrested the woman's friend on two counts--robbery and assault. And so ended one very strange case of Hamburglary!
It's likely the thief in this story is serving some serious time in jail. His actions warrant his being put behind bars.
The apostle Paul turned two men over to a very interesting "warden" for some punishment in an account found in 1 Timothy. He wrote to encourage his protégé Timothy and to warn him about these dangerous dudes.
Hymenaeus and Alexander had been leading people astray with some heretical teaching. Paul said they had "shipwrecked their faith" (1:19). He mentioned the duo in another letter as well: Hymenaeus is referenced in 2 Timothy 2:17 for his false instruction; Alexander is described as one who "did [Paul] a great deal of harm" (4:14).
So, to what "authority" did Paul hand over these troublemakers? Satan! His intent was to get the two men to repent and return to the true gospel of Jesus. But his message is a strong reminder to each of us. When we wander from the true Word of God, our fellowship with Him will be broken and our close companion becomes Satan.
It's wise not to even steal a glance in that direction! --Tom Felten
DESTINATION POINTS
* In what ways have I been wandering from God's truth?
* Why would it be awful to be turned over to Satan?
LINKS:
What In The World Is Satan Doing?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1001
bottom line: Turning from God leads to Satan's door.
soul journey
1 Timothy 1:15-20
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
In an ironic twist, Hamburglar was stolen from a McDonald's in Niles, Ohio, last fall. Hamburglar--the fast food chain's fictional character that pilfers hamburgers in TV commercials--was featured in a 6-foot-tall statue in the Niles franchise.
A man entered the restaurant, grabbed the masked statue, and ran out. Later that night, police nabbed the thief . . . of the thief. But the arrest didn't happen the way you might guess.
Officers in Niles, responding to a domestic-violence call at a nearby home, talked with a woman who said she was punched by a male friend during an argument. What were they arguing about? Stolen property.
Police found the $1,500 heisted Hamburglar in the basement and arrested the woman's friend on two counts--robbery and assault. And so ended one very strange case of Hamburglary!
It's likely the thief in this story is serving some serious time in jail. His actions warrant his being put behind bars.
The apostle Paul turned two men over to a very interesting "warden" for some punishment in an account found in 1 Timothy. He wrote to encourage his protégé Timothy and to warn him about these dangerous dudes.
Hymenaeus and Alexander had been leading people astray with some heretical teaching. Paul said they had "shipwrecked their faith" (1:19). He mentioned the duo in another letter as well: Hymenaeus is referenced in 2 Timothy 2:17 for his false instruction; Alexander is described as one who "did [Paul] a great deal of harm" (4:14).
So, to what "authority" did Paul hand over these troublemakers? Satan! His intent was to get the two men to repent and return to the true gospel of Jesus. But his message is a strong reminder to each of us. When we wander from the true Word of God, our fellowship with Him will be broken and our close companion becomes Satan.
It's wise not to even steal a glance in that direction! --Tom Felten
DESTINATION POINTS
* In what ways have I been wandering from God's truth?
* Why would it be awful to be turned over to Satan?
LINKS:
What In The World Is Satan Doing?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1001
bottom line: Turning from God leads to Satan's door.
soul journey
Monday, August 15, 2005
THE POWER IN PERSEVERANCE
James 1:2-8
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all he does.
The other day I was working on the computer with my son. "What's your password?" I asked him. "Keep on," he said. "It's my password for everything." Keep on. Keep on. I confess to a moment of parental pride as I realized my son was learning how critical those two words are to success in life.
The biblical word for "keep on" is endurance or staying power--the ability to keep from faltering under the pressure. Nothing is more essential to success in the Christian life than that. Faith gets you started, but perseverance keeps you going.
This matter of perseverance is so critical in following Jesus that James 1:2-4 tells us that above all other human traits, perseverance is the characteristic that God wants to build into our lives. Perseverance is what--over time--will make you "mature and complete, not lacking anything" (v.4).
What do you do when the pressure's on? It's easy to start a race, but when the miles click past and your muscles tire, it becomes tempting to quit. It's easy to put on a white dress or tuxedo and get to the front of the church, but a lasting marriage takes work. It's easy to say a prayer or walk an aisle, but to keep following Jesus--that takes staying power. If God can get perseverance into your life, He can give you everything else.
Why do so many Christians stall or stagnate in their faith? Because they give up! Why do so many relational breakups reveal a pattern of unresolved conflict? Why do so many Christians circle around the same flaws in character and conduct again and again? Because when times get tough, their feet get moving in the wrong direction. They choose a change of scenery over a change of heart.
Staying power is the funnel through which all godly virtue flows. There's nothing good that God brings into your life by way of transformation that He doesn't bring through your perseverance. Keep on! --James MacDonald
DESTINATION POINTS
* Am I tempted to quit? I'll ask the Lord for strength and faith to persevere.
* Do I need energy to persevere? I'll share what God is doing in my life with someone and watch my faith be revived.
bottom line: Christian virtues flow from perseverance.
soul journey
James 1:2-8
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all he does.
The other day I was working on the computer with my son. "What's your password?" I asked him. "Keep on," he said. "It's my password for everything." Keep on. Keep on. I confess to a moment of parental pride as I realized my son was learning how critical those two words are to success in life.
The biblical word for "keep on" is endurance or staying power--the ability to keep from faltering under the pressure. Nothing is more essential to success in the Christian life than that. Faith gets you started, but perseverance keeps you going.
This matter of perseverance is so critical in following Jesus that James 1:2-4 tells us that above all other human traits, perseverance is the characteristic that God wants to build into our lives. Perseverance is what--over time--will make you "mature and complete, not lacking anything" (v.4).
What do you do when the pressure's on? It's easy to start a race, but when the miles click past and your muscles tire, it becomes tempting to quit. It's easy to put on a white dress or tuxedo and get to the front of the church, but a lasting marriage takes work. It's easy to say a prayer or walk an aisle, but to keep following Jesus--that takes staying power. If God can get perseverance into your life, He can give you everything else.
Why do so many Christians stall or stagnate in their faith? Because they give up! Why do so many relational breakups reveal a pattern of unresolved conflict? Why do so many Christians circle around the same flaws in character and conduct again and again? Because when times get tough, their feet get moving in the wrong direction. They choose a change of scenery over a change of heart.
Staying power is the funnel through which all godly virtue flows. There's nothing good that God brings into your life by way of transformation that He doesn't bring through your perseverance. Keep on! --James MacDonald
DESTINATION POINTS
* Am I tempted to quit? I'll ask the Lord for strength and faith to persevere.
* Do I need energy to persevere? I'll share what God is doing in my life with someone and watch my faith be revived.
bottom line: Christian virtues flow from perseverance.
soul journey
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Because of You
John Fischer
Your mission is to live your life.
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul the apostle addresses believers who are married to unbelievers, and outlines a general rule that if the unbelieving spouse chooses to stay in the marriage, it would be good for the believer to stay, too. He gives two reasons for this: one, the children will have a godly influence through the believing parent, and two, the unbeliever may be converted “because of you” (1 Corinthians 7:16). (Exceptions to this rule would of course be situations of abuse and endangerment of a spouse or child.)
Just what does he mean by “because of you,” I wonder? Does it mean you are on a personal crusade to save your spouse? Does it mean that you will preach the gospel to your spouse at every possible opportunity? Does it mean you will turn your house into a religious institution that coerces your spouse to either put up with Christianity or leave? No, it doesn’t mean any of these things.
It means simply what it says: “…because of you…” because of who you are, because of how you live, because of the way your faith affects everything you do, because of the way you carry on your life, because of the reality of Christ in your life. That’s it. No more; but certainly, no less. Paul is suggesting that living your life with a sense of purpose that comes from your faith in God is enough to convert someone.
It occurs to me that this could be applied to all believers in relation to life in the world among people with whom we work and associate who are not believers. General rule: don’t leave the world. (Where would you go, anyway?) Stay in the world – in relationships with unbelievers – for the chance that someone may be converted “because of you.”
We are not on a crusade; we are on a mission to live our lives according to God’s purposes. When we do that, we make possible an environment of change where a person who does not have a meaningful relationship with God might become curious about someone who does. “Because of you” is a statement of subtle influence, not coercion, and in the context of Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 7, it is a steady influence over time, as would be implied by a marriage. There’s nothing complex or even premeditated about a “because of you” influence. This is a believer going about the process of believing; and this is an unbeliever going over their life with a microscope, observing the good, the bad and the ugly. Doesn’t matter if God is there.
Thought for the day: Don’t ever sell short what God can do “because of you.”
PDL
John Fischer
Your mission is to live your life.
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul the apostle addresses believers who are married to unbelievers, and outlines a general rule that if the unbelieving spouse chooses to stay in the marriage, it would be good for the believer to stay, too. He gives two reasons for this: one, the children will have a godly influence through the believing parent, and two, the unbeliever may be converted “because of you” (1 Corinthians 7:16). (Exceptions to this rule would of course be situations of abuse and endangerment of a spouse or child.)
Just what does he mean by “because of you,” I wonder? Does it mean you are on a personal crusade to save your spouse? Does it mean that you will preach the gospel to your spouse at every possible opportunity? Does it mean you will turn your house into a religious institution that coerces your spouse to either put up with Christianity or leave? No, it doesn’t mean any of these things.
It means simply what it says: “…because of you…” because of who you are, because of how you live, because of the way your faith affects everything you do, because of the way you carry on your life, because of the reality of Christ in your life. That’s it. No more; but certainly, no less. Paul is suggesting that living your life with a sense of purpose that comes from your faith in God is enough to convert someone.
It occurs to me that this could be applied to all believers in relation to life in the world among people with whom we work and associate who are not believers. General rule: don’t leave the world. (Where would you go, anyway?) Stay in the world – in relationships with unbelievers – for the chance that someone may be converted “because of you.”
We are not on a crusade; we are on a mission to live our lives according to God’s purposes. When we do that, we make possible an environment of change where a person who does not have a meaningful relationship with God might become curious about someone who does. “Because of you” is a statement of subtle influence, not coercion, and in the context of Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 7, it is a steady influence over time, as would be implied by a marriage. There’s nothing complex or even premeditated about a “because of you” influence. This is a believer going about the process of believing; and this is an unbeliever going over their life with a microscope, observing the good, the bad and the ugly. Doesn’t matter if God is there.
Thought for the day: Don’t ever sell short what God can do “because of you.”
PDL
Saturday, August 13, 2005
The Greatest Race of All
Paul Dailey
Those of you who remember the Back to the Future movie trilogy of the mid-to late ‘80s may recall a scene toward the end of Part II with Dr. Emmett Brown, or Doc. He had traveled back in time from the 1950s to live out the remainder of his years in the Old West as a blacksmith, scientist, and general handyman. You may recall how he met Clara, the new schoolteacher in town, and began to win her heart through his awkward charm and knowledge of science, until a turn of events led to their breakup.
In a fit of depression, Doc wanders into the local saloon late at night and has the bartender pour him a shot of whiskey. He remains there all night long, spending hours upon hours with the same drink still in his hand, telling stories of the future, while the other patrons sit listening, amused by his description of life in the 20th century.
He begins to explain to them about “auto-mo-biles.” One old-timer asked him, “If everybody’s got one of these auto-mo-whatsits, does anybody walk or run anymore?” “Of course, they run,” Doc explains, “but for recreation -- for fun.” At that, the old-timer replies something to the effect of “Run for fun? What kind of fun is that?” Every time I think of that line, it makes me chuckle because that’s exactly how I feel about running.
As I was speaking to the teenagers at our church last night, I wanted to relay one point to them. Whether or not we like it, we are all running a race. Paul wrote in Acts 20:24,
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
The Lord keeps telling me this over and over again. It doesn’t matter how well I start the race of faith. Millions of people start every day. What matters is how I finish. Anyone who has ever completed the grueling 26.2 miles of a marathon will tell you, every inch of those miles would be completely useless if the runner doesn’t cross the finish line. Likewise, if while running the race of life and fighting the good fight of faith, we don’t see it through to completion, we have gained nothing.
That is where the grace of God comes in. It’s inevitable that we will get tired. During his missionary travels, Paul encountered many trials. This is how he recounts those experiences:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death…
But he continues in verse nine with these words,
…this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:7-9).
So if you are getting tired and you aren’t sure you have the strength to go another step, if you feel like you are almost dead, stop where you are, pull out your racing manual (The Bible), and see what God says about being refreshed. If you are tired, it is only because you have been trying to go on your own steam.
Even the great prophet Elijah needed nourishment from heaven to endure his long journey (1 Kings 19:5-8). Turn to the Lord in prayer and He will give you that cool drink of water that reinvigorates you for one more mile. Psalm 121 promises you that God is watching over you and He doesn’t get tired. He and His storehouse for you are utterly exhaustless.
This race that God has given us to run is serious business. But it doesn’t have to be such drudgery. Unlike the old-timer’s sarcastic attitude, running can be fun. Who would argue that Jesus ran the best race that could be run and He was more joyful than anyone around Him? Obviously, He knew something about tapping into the abundance of heaven to accomplish His work.
That same abundance is available to you, right where you are. The grace of God is sufficient for you, but it can only be appropriated to your life through faith. So don't get weary by looking at the long race that's ahead of you. Look to Jesus and you will be able to endure to the end. Remember Paul's words to us:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
cbn
Paul Dailey
Those of you who remember the Back to the Future movie trilogy of the mid-to late ‘80s may recall a scene toward the end of Part II with Dr. Emmett Brown, or Doc. He had traveled back in time from the 1950s to live out the remainder of his years in the Old West as a blacksmith, scientist, and general handyman. You may recall how he met Clara, the new schoolteacher in town, and began to win her heart through his awkward charm and knowledge of science, until a turn of events led to their breakup.
In a fit of depression, Doc wanders into the local saloon late at night and has the bartender pour him a shot of whiskey. He remains there all night long, spending hours upon hours with the same drink still in his hand, telling stories of the future, while the other patrons sit listening, amused by his description of life in the 20th century.
He begins to explain to them about “auto-mo-biles.” One old-timer asked him, “If everybody’s got one of these auto-mo-whatsits, does anybody walk or run anymore?” “Of course, they run,” Doc explains, “but for recreation -- for fun.” At that, the old-timer replies something to the effect of “Run for fun? What kind of fun is that?” Every time I think of that line, it makes me chuckle because that’s exactly how I feel about running.
As I was speaking to the teenagers at our church last night, I wanted to relay one point to them. Whether or not we like it, we are all running a race. Paul wrote in Acts 20:24,
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
The Lord keeps telling me this over and over again. It doesn’t matter how well I start the race of faith. Millions of people start every day. What matters is how I finish. Anyone who has ever completed the grueling 26.2 miles of a marathon will tell you, every inch of those miles would be completely useless if the runner doesn’t cross the finish line. Likewise, if while running the race of life and fighting the good fight of faith, we don’t see it through to completion, we have gained nothing.
That is where the grace of God comes in. It’s inevitable that we will get tired. During his missionary travels, Paul encountered many trials. This is how he recounts those experiences:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death…
But he continues in verse nine with these words,
…this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:7-9).
So if you are getting tired and you aren’t sure you have the strength to go another step, if you feel like you are almost dead, stop where you are, pull out your racing manual (The Bible), and see what God says about being refreshed. If you are tired, it is only because you have been trying to go on your own steam.
Even the great prophet Elijah needed nourishment from heaven to endure his long journey (1 Kings 19:5-8). Turn to the Lord in prayer and He will give you that cool drink of water that reinvigorates you for one more mile. Psalm 121 promises you that God is watching over you and He doesn’t get tired. He and His storehouse for you are utterly exhaustless.
This race that God has given us to run is serious business. But it doesn’t have to be such drudgery. Unlike the old-timer’s sarcastic attitude, running can be fun. Who would argue that Jesus ran the best race that could be run and He was more joyful than anyone around Him? Obviously, He knew something about tapping into the abundance of heaven to accomplish His work.
That same abundance is available to you, right where you are. The grace of God is sufficient for you, but it can only be appropriated to your life through faith. So don't get weary by looking at the long race that's ahead of you. Look to Jesus and you will be able to endure to the end. Remember Paul's words to us:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
cbn
Thursday, August 11, 2005
“Thank You”
John Fischer
There is a commercial currently running that has no spoken words, only the words “Thank You” appearing at the very end over a blank screen followed by the logo of the sponsor. The commercial pictures American troops in desert fatigues carrying their gear through an airport. Suddenly a lonely handclap is joined by another and another while others strain to see what is going on. Soon the whole airport is up on their feet applauding as the surprised soldiers move through the gathering crowd. The camera then scans the troops who never planned on being in a parade, and finds on their faces a mixture of embarrassment, gratitude and pride. Suddenly everyone is walking taller and lighter in their step. It’s a scene that in 60 seconds captures an incredible amount of emotion, and regardless of one’s views on the current confrontation in Iraq, it is able to cut through ambiguity and get right to the commitment and sacrifice of soldiers who are simply doing what they do in the service of their country.
It’s basically a pretty thankless job that soldiers perform especially in the current political climate of uncertainty. And yet they give their best years, and in many cases, their lives, for this cause. The sponsors of this commercial got it right. The leaders and decision-makers get all the press, when the soldiers are the people who need to be recognized for who they are and what they do.
Those who serve in the Lord’s army are no different. They don’t do it for the applause, but they certainly could use some now and then. It’s only right and proper to acknowledge those who serve the kingdom of God with enthusiasm and consistency. Every fellowship has them. Of course we are all made to serve Christ in some way, but some are particularly gifted in the area of service, and that’s just it: they’ll do it whether they get recognition or not. They’re not doing it for that. In fact, when you give them recognition, they look a little surprised and embarrassed because they just never thought along those lines.
Think of those you know who serve like this consistently and sometimes thanklessly, and plan on how you can applaud their actions and affirm their personhood. It’s true, they don’t need it, but I bet they will walk a little taller and lighter in their step as a result.
PDL
John Fischer
There is a commercial currently running that has no spoken words, only the words “Thank You” appearing at the very end over a blank screen followed by the logo of the sponsor. The commercial pictures American troops in desert fatigues carrying their gear through an airport. Suddenly a lonely handclap is joined by another and another while others strain to see what is going on. Soon the whole airport is up on their feet applauding as the surprised soldiers move through the gathering crowd. The camera then scans the troops who never planned on being in a parade, and finds on their faces a mixture of embarrassment, gratitude and pride. Suddenly everyone is walking taller and lighter in their step. It’s a scene that in 60 seconds captures an incredible amount of emotion, and regardless of one’s views on the current confrontation in Iraq, it is able to cut through ambiguity and get right to the commitment and sacrifice of soldiers who are simply doing what they do in the service of their country.
It’s basically a pretty thankless job that soldiers perform especially in the current political climate of uncertainty. And yet they give their best years, and in many cases, their lives, for this cause. The sponsors of this commercial got it right. The leaders and decision-makers get all the press, when the soldiers are the people who need to be recognized for who they are and what they do.
Those who serve in the Lord’s army are no different. They don’t do it for the applause, but they certainly could use some now and then. It’s only right and proper to acknowledge those who serve the kingdom of God with enthusiasm and consistency. Every fellowship has them. Of course we are all made to serve Christ in some way, but some are particularly gifted in the area of service, and that’s just it: they’ll do it whether they get recognition or not. They’re not doing it for that. In fact, when you give them recognition, they look a little surprised and embarrassed because they just never thought along those lines.
Think of those you know who serve like this consistently and sometimes thanklessly, and plan on how you can applaud their actions and affirm their personhood. It’s true, they don’t need it, but I bet they will walk a little taller and lighter in their step as a result.
PDL
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
The Master’s Touch
John Fischer
Thirty-six years ago I purchased a handmade rosewood guitar built by a Yugoslavian guitar maker named Bozo Padunovac. Better known as “Bozo” guitars, they have been owned by a number of well-known guitar players, among them Leonard Cohen and Leo Kottke. I knew nothing about Bozo guitars until I stumbled on the man’s little studio on State Street in Chicago while I was a college student in the area. My first clue about the quality of his work was the number of older Martin guitars he was selling that people had been willing to part with as trade-ins for one of his guitars. I would often take the train into Chicago just to visit his shop, play his guitars, talk to him as he worked and dream of owning my own Bozo. My final year at school I was able to save up enough money to buy his simplest version – all the quality materials without the fancy inlay work he was famous for. I just wanted the deep rich sound he got as a product of his craftsmanship. I was able to follow the progress of this particular guitar being made and he took great pains to explain everything to me. He was a master who took great pride in his work.
I played that guitar for about ten years and then retired it for a more durable road guitar. Recently I rescued it from storage and a good deal of ill-treatment and took it to a local shop to be completely refurbished. The neck had been broken, the frets were worn down and a lot of the strapping inside was loose. I wrote all my early songs on this guitar and it will be good to get it back.
All of this reminds me of a poem my mother used to love to recite called “The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” It was about an old violin that was having a hard time being auctioned off -- (“One dollar, two dollars; who will make it three?”) -- until a master violinist walked out of the crowd, picked up the instrument, dusted it off, and stunned the audience with the beauty of the hidden music inside. After putting the instrument down, the auctioneer broke the silence by picking up his bidding again: “One thousand, two thousand; who will make it three…?”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game -- and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.
by Myra Brooks Welch
PDL
John Fischer
Thirty-six years ago I purchased a handmade rosewood guitar built by a Yugoslavian guitar maker named Bozo Padunovac. Better known as “Bozo” guitars, they have been owned by a number of well-known guitar players, among them Leonard Cohen and Leo Kottke. I knew nothing about Bozo guitars until I stumbled on the man’s little studio on State Street in Chicago while I was a college student in the area. My first clue about the quality of his work was the number of older Martin guitars he was selling that people had been willing to part with as trade-ins for one of his guitars. I would often take the train into Chicago just to visit his shop, play his guitars, talk to him as he worked and dream of owning my own Bozo. My final year at school I was able to save up enough money to buy his simplest version – all the quality materials without the fancy inlay work he was famous for. I just wanted the deep rich sound he got as a product of his craftsmanship. I was able to follow the progress of this particular guitar being made and he took great pains to explain everything to me. He was a master who took great pride in his work.
I played that guitar for about ten years and then retired it for a more durable road guitar. Recently I rescued it from storage and a good deal of ill-treatment and took it to a local shop to be completely refurbished. The neck had been broken, the frets were worn down and a lot of the strapping inside was loose. I wrote all my early songs on this guitar and it will be good to get it back.
All of this reminds me of a poem my mother used to love to recite called “The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” It was about an old violin that was having a hard time being auctioned off -- (“One dollar, two dollars; who will make it three?”) -- until a master violinist walked out of the crowd, picked up the instrument, dusted it off, and stunned the audience with the beauty of the hidden music inside. After putting the instrument down, the auctioneer broke the silence by picking up his bidding again: “One thousand, two thousand; who will make it three…?”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game -- and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.
by Myra Brooks Welch
PDL
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Divine Deliberations
Missey Butler
“A sign is posted outside the tall mahogany double doors that silently echoes, ‘Quiet, please. Court is now in session.’ Located just behind the thick, marble walls of the court room chamber, divine deliberations are even now beginning to take place.” This was the scene spoken of by a fellow intercessor as she described what she was seeing in the spirit realm.
Upon hearing her words, there was an unusual hush that began to settle over the prayer warriors in the chapel that particular morning. We all recognized the solemn moment, and with spiritual eyes, we began to see that God’s court of appeals was now beginning to move into session. We had been faithfully meeting every day in order to seek the heart of God concerning the urgent need of reform within the highest court. This was the first day of a 31-day nationwide prayer appeal that had been called in order to awaken the country to join forces in her fight against judicial tyranny.
Those who stand in the gap for righteousness understand that they have been given the keys to the Kingdom of God! All who pray have been granted authority to bind and loose on earth as it is in heaven! But, along with that privilege, we carry within ourselves the awareness that to whom much is given, much is required. No one who is wise will attempt to rush into the royal chambers of heaven and presume to speak carelessly before the Judge of the universe.
A poignant example is found in the Old Testament. It is the story of Queen Esther and how she approached a very dangerous task with great wisdom and great humility. Because she understood the enormity of the undertaking, she humbled herself and her court by declaring three days of prayer and fasting (Esther 4:16). Because of her keen insight into the importance of humility and protocol, she was granted a voice before the King on behalf of the affairs of her nation.
So it is with the royal priesthood of intercessors, those who cry out for God’s justice to once again rule and reign within the land. During this season of prayer, we wait humbly before the King, anticipating His every move with faith and watchfulness, knowing that our Lord, the great Judge of all, presides even now over the affairs of all men and relegates His authority through the faithful and fervent prayers of His saints!
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14,NIV).
cbn
Missey Butler
“A sign is posted outside the tall mahogany double doors that silently echoes, ‘Quiet, please. Court is now in session.’ Located just behind the thick, marble walls of the court room chamber, divine deliberations are even now beginning to take place.” This was the scene spoken of by a fellow intercessor as she described what she was seeing in the spirit realm.
Upon hearing her words, there was an unusual hush that began to settle over the prayer warriors in the chapel that particular morning. We all recognized the solemn moment, and with spiritual eyes, we began to see that God’s court of appeals was now beginning to move into session. We had been faithfully meeting every day in order to seek the heart of God concerning the urgent need of reform within the highest court. This was the first day of a 31-day nationwide prayer appeal that had been called in order to awaken the country to join forces in her fight against judicial tyranny.
Those who stand in the gap for righteousness understand that they have been given the keys to the Kingdom of God! All who pray have been granted authority to bind and loose on earth as it is in heaven! But, along with that privilege, we carry within ourselves the awareness that to whom much is given, much is required. No one who is wise will attempt to rush into the royal chambers of heaven and presume to speak carelessly before the Judge of the universe.
A poignant example is found in the Old Testament. It is the story of Queen Esther and how she approached a very dangerous task with great wisdom and great humility. Because she understood the enormity of the undertaking, she humbled herself and her court by declaring three days of prayer and fasting (Esther 4:16). Because of her keen insight into the importance of humility and protocol, she was granted a voice before the King on behalf of the affairs of her nation.
So it is with the royal priesthood of intercessors, those who cry out for God’s justice to once again rule and reign within the land. During this season of prayer, we wait humbly before the King, anticipating His every move with faith and watchfulness, knowing that our Lord, the great Judge of all, presides even now over the affairs of all men and relegates His authority through the faithful and fervent prayers of His saints!
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14,NIV).
cbn
Monday, August 08, 2005
SERIOUS MISREAD
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
"You don't seem to like me. Can I ask why?" Bob Welch asked a student in his Reporting 1 class. "Because you're part of the liberal media," she said. "You've got the rest of the class conned, but not me."
"And why's that?" the professor asked.
"Because I'm a Christian," she said smugly. With this revelation, Bob wanted to say to her, Uh, let's just keep that our little secret.
The University of Oregon professor, who was a believer in Jesus, had asked the young woman to stay after class because she had berated him in front of other students. She stayed and her heart was revealed.
Professor Welch wrote in Today's Christian magazine, "In that instant, I knew what it was like for nonbelievers to encounter Christianity at its ugliest. I knew what it was like to be 'the enemy.'"
It's so easy to focus on who we think are our foes--those people who are antagonistic to our values and beliefs. A young woman lumped her professor in with a group she despised. But, as we sometimes do, she made a serious misread.
Let's read some helpful words from the apostle Paul to get realigned with reality. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the . . . spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). These words are an epiphany that allows us to see people the way Jesus sees them. He recognized that the battle of life is ultimately between God and Satan. The evil one has blinded the eyes of people.
Jesus had compassion on those who were lost in spiritual darkness. Quoting a passage from Isaiah, He wanted them to "see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn," so that He could heal them (Matthew 13:15).
People can act ugly, but they're not the enemy. Reach out in love and truth and help them be healed from the foe who has blinded them. --Tom Felten
DESTINATION POINTS
* Why is it so hard for me to see my struggles with others from a spiritual point of view?
* What will happen if I begin seeing enemies of Jesus through His eyes?
bottom line: Our battle with others is all about Satan.
soul journey
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
"You don't seem to like me. Can I ask why?" Bob Welch asked a student in his Reporting 1 class. "Because you're part of the liberal media," she said. "You've got the rest of the class conned, but not me."
"And why's that?" the professor asked.
"Because I'm a Christian," she said smugly. With this revelation, Bob wanted to say to her, Uh, let's just keep that our little secret.
The University of Oregon professor, who was a believer in Jesus, had asked the young woman to stay after class because she had berated him in front of other students. She stayed and her heart was revealed.
Professor Welch wrote in Today's Christian magazine, "In that instant, I knew what it was like for nonbelievers to encounter Christianity at its ugliest. I knew what it was like to be 'the enemy.'"
It's so easy to focus on who we think are our foes--those people who are antagonistic to our values and beliefs. A young woman lumped her professor in with a group she despised. But, as we sometimes do, she made a serious misread.
Let's read some helpful words from the apostle Paul to get realigned with reality. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the . . . spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). These words are an epiphany that allows us to see people the way Jesus sees them. He recognized that the battle of life is ultimately between God and Satan. The evil one has blinded the eyes of people.
Jesus had compassion on those who were lost in spiritual darkness. Quoting a passage from Isaiah, He wanted them to "see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn," so that He could heal them (Matthew 13:15).
People can act ugly, but they're not the enemy. Reach out in love and truth and help them be healed from the foe who has blinded them. --Tom Felten
DESTINATION POINTS
* Why is it so hard for me to see my struggles with others from a spiritual point of view?
* What will happen if I begin seeing enemies of Jesus through His eyes?
bottom line: Our battle with others is all about Satan.
soul journey
Sunday, August 07, 2005
DECLARE AN EGO FAST
Luke 18:18-25
18 A certain ruler asked Him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 "Why do you call Me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" 21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Do you know anyone who begins every sentence with the word "I"? No matter what news you have, what exciting exploit you talk about, or what interesting topic you bring up, these people shift the focus of the conversation to themselves. They are at the very center of their universe. They want all eyes focused on them.
The young man in today's Scripture probably had a life centered on himself. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" he asked Jesus (Luke 18:18). He had everything else. Saks Fifth Avenue robe. Dodge Magnum chariot. Birkenstock sandals. Meals in all the best Dead Sea-side restaurants. But he wanted one thing more--eternal life.
He had been religious his entire existence. Whatever the law required, he did. But now, Jesus had identified the one thing the man did not have--the ability to give up his precious possessions and not be centered on himself. "Sell it all," Jesus said. "Get rid of all that stuff you love. Follow Me."
But he couldn't do it. He slunk away and the Bible says no more about him.
How about us? Do we begin every sentence with "I"? Do we love our clothes, our cars, our houses too much? Are we infatuated with pampering our bodies? How much of our time is spent thinking about our own interests, what we want to purchase next, what we look like?
Here's a challenge: Declare an ego fast. After praying and asking God for help, make a deliberate, honest attempt to spend 24 hours without talking about yourself, your wants, your wishes. Consciously focus your mind on God and on others. It will change your life!
Lord, help me to replace the mirrors that surround my life with windows, so that I can see You and other people more than I see myself. --Dave Egner
DESTINATION POINTS
* If I stopped talking about myself, how much would I have left to say?
* How many hours per day do I spend thinking about myself, my wants, and my wishes? How can I begin to diminish it?
bottom line: Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
soul journey
Luke 18:18-25
18 A certain ruler asked Him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 "Why do you call Me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" 21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Do you know anyone who begins every sentence with the word "I"? No matter what news you have, what exciting exploit you talk about, or what interesting topic you bring up, these people shift the focus of the conversation to themselves. They are at the very center of their universe. They want all eyes focused on them.
The young man in today's Scripture probably had a life centered on himself. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" he asked Jesus (Luke 18:18). He had everything else. Saks Fifth Avenue robe. Dodge Magnum chariot. Birkenstock sandals. Meals in all the best Dead Sea-side restaurants. But he wanted one thing more--eternal life.
He had been religious his entire existence. Whatever the law required, he did. But now, Jesus had identified the one thing the man did not have--the ability to give up his precious possessions and not be centered on himself. "Sell it all," Jesus said. "Get rid of all that stuff you love. Follow Me."
But he couldn't do it. He slunk away and the Bible says no more about him.
How about us? Do we begin every sentence with "I"? Do we love our clothes, our cars, our houses too much? Are we infatuated with pampering our bodies? How much of our time is spent thinking about our own interests, what we want to purchase next, what we look like?
Here's a challenge: Declare an ego fast. After praying and asking God for help, make a deliberate, honest attempt to spend 24 hours without talking about yourself, your wants, your wishes. Consciously focus your mind on God and on others. It will change your life!
Lord, help me to replace the mirrors that surround my life with windows, so that I can see You and other people more than I see myself. --Dave Egner
DESTINATION POINTS
* If I stopped talking about myself, how much would I have left to say?
* How many hours per day do I spend thinking about myself, my wants, and my wishes? How can I begin to diminish it?
bottom line: Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
soul journey
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Birthday Girl
John Fischer
I once spent three days in a hotel in rural Indiana. In the lobby of my hotel was a group of six women who spent the better part of a day laughing and carrying on while they worked on various sewing projects together. These six women, ranging in age from fifty-five to eighty, shared an obvious camaraderie that evidenced itself in their animated conversation, laced with a generous supply of laughter — what I would call belly laughter — a deep-from-way-down-inside-because-we’ve-gone-through-so-much-together laughter that was highly contagious. And when I saw their Bibles come out, I knew I had to find out more.
I almost fell in on them I was eavesdropping so close when one of them caught me and invited me in. That’s when I found out they were at one time all from the same town and were meeting back at this hotel as a sort of semi-annual reunion since job changes and other moves had split them up. I could see why they would make the effort to come back together because they indeed had something special as a group.
When I asked them why they were still meeting, I received a litany of divorce, cancer, dead husbands, and lost children that would have kept a sitcom supplied with material for more seasons than Friends ever dreamed of. There was history behind those belly laughs. There was an obvious spiritual center to this group, but not a rubber stamp. There was a Roman Catholic, a southern Baptist, a Methodist, a Pentecostal, and two who named no church affiliation, yet I couldn’t help thinking that they were having church there, and it was a church I wouldn’t mind joining.
The “youngest” and spunkiest among them was quite clearly the eighty year-old who was actually the excuse for this particular get-together having just reached that great age plateau. I commented about how she didn’t look a day over sixty-five. That’s when one of the other women quipped: “Oh she’s eighty, alright. Why do you think she’s been trying to thread that needle for the last 15 minutes?” Belly laughs followed with birthday girl, the loudest.
What held these women together wasn’t just a religious experience, it was their shared human experiences as well, their love and respect for each other and their ability to let each other’s character come out of the box where I would wager it stays most of the time when they are not together like this.
What they have may appear rare but it shouldn’t be, especially in the Family of God where love and acceptance are the norm. Wherever there is commitment, stark honesty, love, acceptance, and refusal to judge one another, there can be this kind of fellowship. And the laughs just blend right in.
PDL
John Fischer
I once spent three days in a hotel in rural Indiana. In the lobby of my hotel was a group of six women who spent the better part of a day laughing and carrying on while they worked on various sewing projects together. These six women, ranging in age from fifty-five to eighty, shared an obvious camaraderie that evidenced itself in their animated conversation, laced with a generous supply of laughter — what I would call belly laughter — a deep-from-way-down-inside-because-we’ve-gone-through-so-much-together laughter that was highly contagious. And when I saw their Bibles come out, I knew I had to find out more.
I almost fell in on them I was eavesdropping so close when one of them caught me and invited me in. That’s when I found out they were at one time all from the same town and were meeting back at this hotel as a sort of semi-annual reunion since job changes and other moves had split them up. I could see why they would make the effort to come back together because they indeed had something special as a group.
When I asked them why they were still meeting, I received a litany of divorce, cancer, dead husbands, and lost children that would have kept a sitcom supplied with material for more seasons than Friends ever dreamed of. There was history behind those belly laughs. There was an obvious spiritual center to this group, but not a rubber stamp. There was a Roman Catholic, a southern Baptist, a Methodist, a Pentecostal, and two who named no church affiliation, yet I couldn’t help thinking that they were having church there, and it was a church I wouldn’t mind joining.
The “youngest” and spunkiest among them was quite clearly the eighty year-old who was actually the excuse for this particular get-together having just reached that great age plateau. I commented about how she didn’t look a day over sixty-five. That’s when one of the other women quipped: “Oh she’s eighty, alright. Why do you think she’s been trying to thread that needle for the last 15 minutes?” Belly laughs followed with birthday girl, the loudest.
What held these women together wasn’t just a religious experience, it was their shared human experiences as well, their love and respect for each other and their ability to let each other’s character come out of the box where I would wager it stays most of the time when they are not together like this.
What they have may appear rare but it shouldn’t be, especially in the Family of God where love and acceptance are the norm. Wherever there is commitment, stark honesty, love, acceptance, and refusal to judge one another, there can be this kind of fellowship. And the laughs just blend right in.
PDL
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Righteousness Exalts a Nation
Cathy Irvin
Where is righteousness in the land? Has it fallen by the wayside in our judicial system? Surely not! There are those among our judiciary who heed God’s rule and desires for this great nation. But, based on some of the liberties that have been taken in moral and spiritual matters, it would seem that this is not the case.
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people (Proverbs 14:34, Holman Christian Standard Bible [HCSB]).
God hears us when we pray, when we seek His will on earth as it is in heaven. Heaven clearly calls for righteousness in the land. Whenever there is a conflict of what man wants and what God’s intention is, we must call upon God to change the situation. There must be a shift in the courts. We must know that the heavenly court is in session and that nothing takes God by surprise. He sees all and knows all.
We have seen God’s divine intervention time after time. The timing of the Lord is perfect, so we must not let down our guard; we are the watchmen on the wall. A group of intercessors across the land is crying out for this very thing: a court that listens to God’s will for this nation.
Every Christian needs to become a prayer warrior for this cause at this time. We would never deliberately allow the enemy to come in and take over our nation, so we must fight; we know that we are on the battlefield of life and that we are soldiers in God’s army. We are also like lawyers pleading the case before the Great Judge in heaven, saying, “Hear our cry, O Lord. Let there be righteousness in the judicial system.”
God can turn the hearts of the Kings, so may the Supreme Court judges’ hearts be turned toward heaven to hear His plans.
He judges the world with righteousness; He executes judgment on the peoples with fairness (Psalm 9:8, HCSB).
cbn
Cathy Irvin
Where is righteousness in the land? Has it fallen by the wayside in our judicial system? Surely not! There are those among our judiciary who heed God’s rule and desires for this great nation. But, based on some of the liberties that have been taken in moral and spiritual matters, it would seem that this is not the case.
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people (Proverbs 14:34, Holman Christian Standard Bible [HCSB]).
God hears us when we pray, when we seek His will on earth as it is in heaven. Heaven clearly calls for righteousness in the land. Whenever there is a conflict of what man wants and what God’s intention is, we must call upon God to change the situation. There must be a shift in the courts. We must know that the heavenly court is in session and that nothing takes God by surprise. He sees all and knows all.
We have seen God’s divine intervention time after time. The timing of the Lord is perfect, so we must not let down our guard; we are the watchmen on the wall. A group of intercessors across the land is crying out for this very thing: a court that listens to God’s will for this nation.
Every Christian needs to become a prayer warrior for this cause at this time. We would never deliberately allow the enemy to come in and take over our nation, so we must fight; we know that we are on the battlefield of life and that we are soldiers in God’s army. We are also like lawyers pleading the case before the Great Judge in heaven, saying, “Hear our cry, O Lord. Let there be righteousness in the judicial system.”
God can turn the hearts of the Kings, so may the Supreme Court judges’ hearts be turned toward heaven to hear His plans.
He judges the world with righteousness; He executes judgment on the peoples with fairness (Psalm 9:8, HCSB).
cbn
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
The Powers That Be
Missey Butler
Our nation has been called to a time of consecrated prayer and fervent intercession, in the hopes of tipping the scales toward righteous jurisprudence once again.
The judicial pendulum has swung far out of kilter, wielding almost unlimited power to an oligarchy of nine. These men and women, robed in black, have the ability to make or break the backbone of our nation by the simple stroke of a pen. The Supreme Court was never meant to be the sole arbiter of the law, but rather an arm of the government where more difficult cases were to be heard and a decision brought forth, framed within the perimeters of the Constitution.
Oh how far we have come from where we once used to be! Somehow we have bought the notion that the Supreme Court, by way of its name, truly is “supreme.” It’s time to change our way of thinking. The problem today is that too many of us have accepted the idea that we must be subservient to the powers that be, instead of the POWER that IS!
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground (Psalm 147:5-6, NIV).
This day, let it clearly be understood: No matter how grave the condition of our judicial system may seem to be, our God still reigns with absolute authority and absolute power.
But the Lord, in His great omniscience, has purposed to have a people, a holy nation, set apart unto Himself. He has foreordained an army of believers who will earnestly cry out day and night with prayers and intercessions -- a remnant who will stand in the gap and travail until His righteous standard is lifted high and all evil rulers be brought low, that godliness will once again prevail within our nation.
So then, who truly are the powers that be? They are none other than God’s praying generals who know and understand that their petitions are being heard on high and answered by…the POWER that IS!
I have seen the wicked in great power: and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he has not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found (Psalm 37:34-36, KJV).
cbn
Missey Butler
Our nation has been called to a time of consecrated prayer and fervent intercession, in the hopes of tipping the scales toward righteous jurisprudence once again.
The judicial pendulum has swung far out of kilter, wielding almost unlimited power to an oligarchy of nine. These men and women, robed in black, have the ability to make or break the backbone of our nation by the simple stroke of a pen. The Supreme Court was never meant to be the sole arbiter of the law, but rather an arm of the government where more difficult cases were to be heard and a decision brought forth, framed within the perimeters of the Constitution.
Oh how far we have come from where we once used to be! Somehow we have bought the notion that the Supreme Court, by way of its name, truly is “supreme.” It’s time to change our way of thinking. The problem today is that too many of us have accepted the idea that we must be subservient to the powers that be, instead of the POWER that IS!
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground (Psalm 147:5-6, NIV).
This day, let it clearly be understood: No matter how grave the condition of our judicial system may seem to be, our God still reigns with absolute authority and absolute power.
But the Lord, in His great omniscience, has purposed to have a people, a holy nation, set apart unto Himself. He has foreordained an army of believers who will earnestly cry out day and night with prayers and intercessions -- a remnant who will stand in the gap and travail until His righteous standard is lifted high and all evil rulers be brought low, that godliness will once again prevail within our nation.
So then, who truly are the powers that be? They are none other than God’s praying generals who know and understand that their petitions are being heard on high and answered by…the POWER that IS!
I have seen the wicked in great power: and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he has not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found (Psalm 37:34-36, KJV).
cbn
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
TAKING THE HARD WAY
Luke 6:27-36
27 I tell you who hear Me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. . . . 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" lend to "sinners," expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
When it comes to physical health, we believe experts who tell us that what we eat is important. Why, then, are we so slow to believe that what we take into our bodies through our eyes and ears affects our spiritual health? When we join a sports team, we expect to put in long hours of practice, and we wouldn't expect any right-minded coach to put us into a game if we didn't know the rules. So why do we expect God to use us for something great even though we live on the spiritual equivalent of junk food, read the Bible as if it were a good-luck charm, and seldom attempt to put into practice what it says?
When it comes to physical fitness, we know that being an armchair quarterback will not get us into the football hall of fame. Why, then, do we sit on the spiritual sidelines yet expect to become strong in the Lord?
Fitness expert Greg Landry gives this advice: "Look for the 'hard' way to do things--the way that requires the most energy expenditure. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking far away from the mall are just two ways to burn more calories while doing daily chores."
When you think about it, this is like the spiritual advice Jesus gave when He said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27). Being kind to those who are nice to us requires no spiritual strength; anyone can do it. But being kind to our enemies requires spiritual training equivalent to that of an Olympic athlete. We can't do it without spiritual coaching, lots of practice, and even lots of falls.
To discover the mighty things God wants to do through us, we have to attempt difficult things through Him--like forgiving those who hurt us instead of feeding on thoughts of revenge, and being kind to those who hate us instead of drinking from the jug of anger. Doing what's difficult can eventually make life easier. --Julie Ackerman Link
DESTINATION POINTS
* Why do I cling so stubbornly to my "right" to get even?
* Who is the last person in the world who would expect an act of kindness from me?
* What can I do to surprise him or her?
LINKS:
Weight Loss Expert Greg Landry on The Sideroad
http://www.sideroad.com/consultants/Weight-Loss-Expert-greg_landry.html
How Can I Forgive Someone Who's Broken My Trust?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/questions/broken trust5.html
bottom line: Growth comes as we dig through the hard soil.
soul journey
Luke 6:27-36
27 I tell you who hear Me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. . . . 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" lend to "sinners," expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
When it comes to physical health, we believe experts who tell us that what we eat is important. Why, then, are we so slow to believe that what we take into our bodies through our eyes and ears affects our spiritual health? When we join a sports team, we expect to put in long hours of practice, and we wouldn't expect any right-minded coach to put us into a game if we didn't know the rules. So why do we expect God to use us for something great even though we live on the spiritual equivalent of junk food, read the Bible as if it were a good-luck charm, and seldom attempt to put into practice what it says?
When it comes to physical fitness, we know that being an armchair quarterback will not get us into the football hall of fame. Why, then, do we sit on the spiritual sidelines yet expect to become strong in the Lord?
Fitness expert Greg Landry gives this advice: "Look for the 'hard' way to do things--the way that requires the most energy expenditure. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking far away from the mall are just two ways to burn more calories while doing daily chores."
When you think about it, this is like the spiritual advice Jesus gave when He said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27). Being kind to those who are nice to us requires no spiritual strength; anyone can do it. But being kind to our enemies requires spiritual training equivalent to that of an Olympic athlete. We can't do it without spiritual coaching, lots of practice, and even lots of falls.
To discover the mighty things God wants to do through us, we have to attempt difficult things through Him--like forgiving those who hurt us instead of feeding on thoughts of revenge, and being kind to those who hate us instead of drinking from the jug of anger. Doing what's difficult can eventually make life easier. --Julie Ackerman Link
DESTINATION POINTS
* Why do I cling so stubbornly to my "right" to get even?
* Who is the last person in the world who would expect an act of kindness from me?
* What can I do to surprise him or her?
LINKS:
Weight Loss Expert Greg Landry on The Sideroad
http://www.sideroad.com/consultants/Weight-Loss-Expert-greg_landry.html
How Can I Forgive Someone Who's Broken My Trust?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/questions/broken trust5.html
bottom line: Growth comes as we dig through the hard soil.
soul journey
Monday, August 01, 2005
WHAT CAN I DO?
Exodus 35:30--36:1
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-- 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers--all of them master craftsmen and designers. 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded."
Ephesians 4:7
To each one of us grace has been given.
Along with hundreds of other tourists, I walked respectfully through the impressive stone halls of Washington National Cathedral.
In sharp contrast to Disney World, this is not a place for adrenaline-rush excitement, but for soul-searching reverence.
Begun in 1907 and completed in 1990 (that's more than 80 years!) the 676-foot-tall cathedral stands as an example of fine artistry and craftsmanship. It also shows what can be done if people combine their skills for a common purpose.
Stonemasons, stained-glass artists, sculptors, metal-smiths, and others decided to work together, doing what they did best, to build a church.
Way back in Old Testament times, something similar happened when the tabernacle was built. Highly skilled workmen combined their God-given abilities to produce an impressive structure that was suitable for worship.
And then, in the New Testament, God began a new building program by forming the church. He likewise used men and women with their unique skills to build it. But it is not constructed with stone and mortar. It's made entirely out of people. And it's a building program that has been going on for nearly 2,000 years. (That makes the 80 years it took to build the National Cathedral seem like a weekend job.)
Ephesians 4 tells us that the work of building the church goes on today. And every follower of Jesus has been given a special skill to use in building His church for God's glory. "To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it" (v.7).
You and I are gifted craftsmen, and we're building the greatest masterpiece in the world--God's church.
Let's use our gifts to build one another up in Jesus! --Kurt De Haan
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is my God-given skill? (Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11).
* How can I work to build up other believers--even when life seems so busy?
* Where does all this fit in my list of priorities? Why?
LINKS:
Washington National Cathedral
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/
The Church We Need
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0904
bottom line: Every believer is a church builder.
soul journey
Exodus 35:30--36:1
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-- 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers--all of them master craftsmen and designers. 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded."
Ephesians 4:7
To each one of us grace has been given.
Along with hundreds of other tourists, I walked respectfully through the impressive stone halls of Washington National Cathedral.
In sharp contrast to Disney World, this is not a place for adrenaline-rush excitement, but for soul-searching reverence.
Begun in 1907 and completed in 1990 (that's more than 80 years!) the 676-foot-tall cathedral stands as an example of fine artistry and craftsmanship. It also shows what can be done if people combine their skills for a common purpose.
Stonemasons, stained-glass artists, sculptors, metal-smiths, and others decided to work together, doing what they did best, to build a church.
Way back in Old Testament times, something similar happened when the tabernacle was built. Highly skilled workmen combined their God-given abilities to produce an impressive structure that was suitable for worship.
And then, in the New Testament, God began a new building program by forming the church. He likewise used men and women with their unique skills to build it. But it is not constructed with stone and mortar. It's made entirely out of people. And it's a building program that has been going on for nearly 2,000 years. (That makes the 80 years it took to build the National Cathedral seem like a weekend job.)
Ephesians 4 tells us that the work of building the church goes on today. And every follower of Jesus has been given a special skill to use in building His church for God's glory. "To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it" (v.7).
You and I are gifted craftsmen, and we're building the greatest masterpiece in the world--God's church.
Let's use our gifts to build one another up in Jesus! --Kurt De Haan
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is my God-given skill? (Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11).
* How can I work to build up other believers--even when life seems so busy?
* Where does all this fit in my list of priorities? Why?
LINKS:
Washington National Cathedral
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/
The Church We Need
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0904
bottom line: Every believer is a church builder.
soul journey