always

A little boy was spending his Sunday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug round the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was huge.)

When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over thelittle wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.

The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved -- but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment thetears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"

"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me."

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When we are broken in spirit and our strength is spent, we can turn to our Savior, Jesus.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me" Philippians 4:13

-author unknown

weakness

"'But Lord,' Gideon asked, 'how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.'"  (Judges 6:15) 

Once when he was to preach at the University of Sydney in Australia, evangelist and Pastor John Stott lost his voice. He says: "What can you do with a missionary who has no voice? We had come to the last night of the evangelistic campaign. The students had booked the big university hall. A group of students gathered around me, and I asked them to pray as Paul did, that this thorn in the flesh might be taken from me. But we went on to pray that if it pleased God to keep me in weakness, I would rejoice in my infirmities in order that the power of Christ might rest upon me.

As it turned out, I had to get within one inch of the microphone just to croak the gospel. I was unable to use any inflection of voice to express my personality. It was just a croak in a monotone, and all the time we were crying to God that his power would be demonstrated in human weakness.  Well, I can honestly say that there was a far greater response that night than any other night. I've been back to Australia ten times now, and on every occasion somebody has come up to me and said, 'Do you remember that night when you lost your voice? I was converted that night.'"

The Lord loves us when we are weak, because it is then that He can work through us. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord that when we are weak He is strong.

"God had looked for a man weak enough, and He found me." - Hudson Taylor

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

-peter kennedy

know

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)

Do you find yourself in a place of nothingness? There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of isolation and waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities - simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is a place of nothingness designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something" while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this place when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Many people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot see what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of nothingness? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, your nothingness will be turned into something you will value for the rest of your life.

-os hilman

................tired

Brook Besor. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the place. Most haven't, but more need to. The Brook Besor narrative deserves shelf space in the library of the worn-out. It speaks tender words to the tired heart.

The story emerges from the ruins of Ziklag. David and his six hundred soldiers return from the Philistine war front to find utter devastation. A raiding band of Amalekites had swept down on the village, looted it, and taken the women and children hostage. The sorrow of the men mutates into anger, not against the Amalekites, but against David. After all, hadn't he led them into battle? Hadn't he left the women and children unprotected? Isn't he to blame? Then he needs to die. So they start grabbing stones.

This could be his worst hour.  But he makes it one of his best.

David redirects the men's anger toward the enemy. They set out in pursuit of the Amalekites.  Keep the men's weariness in mind. They still bear the trail dust of a long campaign and haven't entirely extinguished their anger at David. They don't know the Amalekites' hideout, and, if not for the sake of their loved ones, they might give up.

Indeed, two hundred do. The army reaches a brook called Besor, and they dismount. Soldiers wade in the creek and splash water on their faces, sink tired toes in cool mud, and stretch out on the grass. Hearing the command to move on, two hundred choose to rest. "You go on without us," they say.

How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?

The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They're exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can't summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeats. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church has its share of people who just sit and rest.

And the church must decide. What do we do with the Brook Besor people? Berate them? Shame them? Give them a rest but measure the minutes? Or do we do what David did? David let them stay.

He and the remaining four hundred fighters resume the chase.  David and his men swoop down upon the enemy like hawks on rats. Every Israelite woman and child is rescued. Every Amalekite either bites the dust or hits the trail, leaving precious plunder behind. David goes from scapegoat to hero, and the whooping and hollering begin.  And what about the two hundred men who had rested?

You might feel the way some of David's men felt: "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children" (1 Sam. 30:22).

A Molotov cocktail of emotions is stirred, lit, and handed to David. Here's how he defuses it: "Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike." (30:23-24 NCV)

Note David's words: they "stayed with the supplies," as if this had been their job. They hadn't asked to guard supplies; they wanted to rest. But David dignifies their decision to stay.

David did many mighty deeds in his life. He did many foolish deeds in his life. But perhaps the noblest was this rarely discussed deed: he honored the tired soldiers at Brook Besor.   Someday somebody will read what David did and name their church the Congregation at Brook Besor. Isn't that what the church is intended to be? A place for soldiers to recover their strength?

If you are listed among them, here is what you need to know: it's okay to rest. Jesus is your David. He fights when you cannot. He goes where you cannot. He's not angry if you sit. Did he not invite, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest" (Mark 6:31 MSG)?

Brook Besor blesses rest.

Brook Besor also cautions against arrogance. David knew the victory was a gift. Let's remember the same. Salvation comes like the Egyptian in the desert, a delightful surprise on the path. Unearned. Undeserved. Who are the strong to criticize the tired?

Are you weary? Catch your breath. We need your strength.

Are you strong? Reserve passing judgment on the tired. Odds are, you'll need to plop down yourself. And when you do, Brook Besor is a good story to know.

-max lucado

attitude

Nick Herman started his first career in the army and later got a position as a dishwasher. It turned out to be the only job he would keep for many years of his life. Washing dishes for 14 hours a day, the ho-hum of pots and pans, he endured the noise of shouting cooks and being the least important of all the workers.

Then Nick made a decision, an attitude change. He chose to bring God into the kitchen! He began to wash dishes as a way to show love for the Lord.  Everything changed.  Nick said, “We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed… All things are possible to him that believes.”

Nick worked 62 years serving others as a lay Carmelite monk in France, and died quietly at age 80. Millions know his spiritual name as Brother Lawrence.  His book “The Practice of the Presence of God” is still in bookstores 400 years after his death! Brother Lawrence’s remarkable faith replaced drudgery with delight in the presence of a loving Lord.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

friends

     As the Winter Olympics come to a close, I am reminded of a beautiful story from past Games.  Those of you who are even mildly acquainted with Olympic history will recognize the name of Jesse Owens.  At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Owens was the United States' response to the German leaders' claim for "Aryan superiority."  He achieved international fame by winning four gold medals; one each in the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, the long jump, and for being part of the 4x100 meter relay team.

     However, you may not have heard the story behind his long jump competition.  It was a competition he seemed certain to win.  After all, the year before, Owens had jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches -- a record that would stand for 25 years.  But at the 1936 Olympics, he was almost out of the long jump shortly after qualifying began.  Owens fouled on his first two jumps.  A third foul and he would have been out of the competition.

     As he walked to the long-jump pit, Owens saw a tall, blue-eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range.  Owens felt nervous. He was acutely aware of the Nazis' desire to prove "Aryan superiority," especially over blacks. At this point, the tall German introduced himself as Luz Long.

     "You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!" he said to Owens. Then Long made a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance was only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there, just to play it safe?

     Owens took the advice from his stiffest competition and qualified easily.  In the finals that afternoon, Jesse Owens won the gold medal with a jump of 26-5½. The first to congratulate the Olympic record holder was Luz Long.

     Owens said, "It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler.  You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-karat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment."

     I wonder -- in the church, do we more often view ourselves as competitors who are trying to do better or look better than the next guy, or as friends who are there to encourage others to accomplish what we know they can do (even if it surpasses our efforts)?

     What great value there is in having (and being) a real friend.  Solomon said, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

     Indeed, woe to the man who doesn't have a friend -- someone he can talk to, someone he can lean on, someone he can pour his heart out to.  Writer Patrick Morley has made a stinging observation.  He said that while most men could recruit six pallbearers, "hardly anyone has a friend he can call at 2:00 A.M."

     Let me ask you, "Do you have a friend you can call at 2:00 in the morning?"  More importantly, are you that kind of friend to others?  Solomon said that "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Proverbs 17:17).  Who do you have in your life that you can turn to without hesitation in the midst of adversity?  Who do you know that can confidently turn to you?

     We need to be reminded by the example of Luz Long that we were not created by God to compete with one another; we were created to encourage and exhort one another.  God intended for us to be (and have) friends.

-alan smith

! refuse

I refuse to be discouraged,
To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
And here's the reason why...

I have a God who's mighty,
Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
And I am on His team.

He is all-wise and powerful,
Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God remains the same,

My God knows all that's happening;
Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort,
He is my dearest friend.

When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God;
Into His arms I go.

When circumstances threaten
To rob me from my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast,
Where all my strivings cease.

And when my heart melts within me,
And weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.

The great "I AM" is with me,
My life is in His hand,
The "Son of God" is my hope,
It's in His strength I stand.

I refuse to be defeated,
My eyes are on my God
He has promised to be with me,
As through this life I trod.

I'm looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God,
I'm resting in His love.

I give God thanks in everything,
My eyes are on His face;
The battle's His, the victory's mine;
He'll help me  with grace to win the race.
- b j george, But "Inspired By Our Lord Jesus Christ"

pattern

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18. 

If we gaze even a moment upon the sun in its meridian glory, when we turn away our eyes, the image of the sun will appear in everything upon which we look. Thus it is when we behold Jesus; everything we look upon reflects His image, the Sun of Righteousness. We cannot see anything else, or talk of anything else. His image is imprinted upon the eye of the soul, and affects every portion of our daily life, softening and subduing our whole nature. By beholding, we are conformed to the divine similitude, even the likeness of Christ. To all with whom we associate we reflect the bright and cheerful beams of His righteousness. 

Jesus was a perfect pattern of what we should be. He was the strictest observer of His Father’s law, yet He moved in perfect freedom. He had all the fervor of the enthusiast, yet He was calm, sober, and self-possessed. He was elevated above the common affairs of the world, yet He did not exclude Himself from society. He dined with publicans and sinners, played with little children, and took them in His arms and blessed them. He graced the wedding feast with His presence. He shed tears at the grave of Lazarus. He was a lover of the beautiful in nature and used the lilies to illustrate the value of natural simplicity in the sight of God, above artificial display. He used the occupation of the husbandman to illustrate the most sublime truths.... 

His zeal never degenerated into passion nor His consistency into selfish obstinacy. His benevolence never savored of weakness nor His sympathy of sentimentalism. He combined the innocence and simplicity of the child with manly strength, all-absorbing devotion to God with tender love for man. He possessed commanding dignity combined with winning grace of humility. He manifested unyielding firmness with gentleness. May we live daily in close connection with this perfect, faultless character. 

We have not six patterns to follow, nor five; we have only one, and that is Christ Jesus. – 

-ellen g white, heavenly places pg 54

face

Robert Louis Stevenson loved to recount the story of a ship tossed in a storm. The sea was rough and the rocky coast perilous. Danger was real and dread expectancy active among the seamen. 

One frantic sailor who was laboring below the water line could contain himself no longer. He rushed to the control room, closed the door behind himself, and stood frozen in fright watching the captain wrestle with the controls of the huge ship.

Skill of mind and strength of hand enabled the captain to guide the vessel through the threatening rocks into open water. The Captain turned slightly, looked at the frightened sailor, and smiled. 

The youth returned below deck and assured the crew all danger was over. When they inquired how he knew, he answered, "I have seen the face of the Captain, and he smiled at me."

If you will only "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." When you know who is in control, there is no fear.

-author unkown

$72

The Arizona Republic reported this story (so I'm assuming this story really is true!):

 

"As Terry Mikel was speeding toward Tucson, he passed a car, an unmarked Arizona Highway Patrol car. The officer pulled Terry over. When Terry explained that he was late for a class he was teaching at the University of Arizona, the officer took pity on him and let him off with a warning. Before he went back to his car he said, `Slow down and drive safe.'

 

"Terry felt obligated to correct him. `Excuse me, Sir, but it should be "Slow down and drive safely. You said, "Drive safe."'

 

"The officer walked back to his car and wrote him a $72 speeding ticket."

 

We can't do it, can we? We just can't seem to keep our mouths shut! Looking back, we know we shouldn't have said a word, but at the time we felt so compelled to speak.

 

Maybe you didn't get a ticket as a result, but you've done something just as foolish, haven't you? Maybe even this morning, before reading this message. Maybe even before leaving your house! James was so right when he wrote,

 

"If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body..... For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue." (James 2b,7-8a)

 

That's not an excuse, incidentally, to let our tongues run wild. Rather, it's a challenge. As hard as it may be to control our tongues, it is essential that we as Christians strive to do just that. We stand to lose more than $72 if we fail to do so.

 

"He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." (Proverbs 13:3)

 

"Lord, we truly want to use our tongues to Your glory this day. As difficult as it may be, help us to guard our mouths as we resist the temptation to speak at those times when we ought to keep quiet. In Jesus' name, amen."

-alan smith

cord

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8. 

Measure the cord, if you can, that has been let down from heaven to lift man up. The only estimate we can give you of the length of that chain is to point you to Calvary. 

Fallen men could not have a home in the paradise of God without the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Shall we not then exalt the cross of Christ? ... 

Angelic perfection failed in heaven. Human perfection failed in Eden, the paradise of bliss. All who wish for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God. The plan of salvation, making manifest the justice and love of God, provides an eternal safeguard against defection in unfallen worlds, as well as among those who shall be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Our only hope is perfect trust in the blood of Him who can save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. The death of Christ on the cross of Calvary is our only hope in this world, and it will be our theme in the world to come. Oh, we do not comprehend the value of the atonement! If we did, we would talk more about it. The gift of God in His beloved Son was the expression of an incomprehensible love. It was the utmost that God could do to preserve the honor of His law, and still save the transgressor.

Jesus placed the cross in line with the light coming from heaven, for it is there that it shall catch the eye of man. The cross is in direct line with the shining of the divine countenances, so that by beholding the cross men may see and know God and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent. In beholding God we behold the One who poured out His soul unto death. In beholding the cross the view is extended to God, and His hatred of sin is discerned. But while we behold in the cross God’s hatred of sin, we also behold His love for sinners, which is stronger than death. To the world the cross is the incontrovertible argument that God is truth and light and love. 

-e g white our high calling pg45

? guilty

One of the greatest preachers who ever lived, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, called the "prince of preachers," loved to tell this story:

It seems there was a duke who once boarded a galley ship and went below to talk to the convicts manning the oars. When he asked several of them what their crimes were, almost every man claimed that he was innocent, blaming someone else, or even accused the judge of taking a bribe.

There was one young man whose reply was different. He said. "I deserve to be here, sir. I stole some money. No one is at fault but me. I am guilty."

When the duke heard this he shouted, "You scoundrel, you! What are you doing here among all these honest men? Get out of their company at once!" The duke ordered the young prisoner to be released.

So, the young man was set free, while the rest of the prisoners were left to continue to tug at the oars. The key to his freedom was his admission of guilt.

This is a picture of salvation. Until one is willing to admit, "I am a sinner in need of salvation," one cannot experience freedom from guilt and condemnation.

"God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  (Luke 18:13)

"Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3)

-author unknown

familiar

I recognize God's voice like I do the voice of anyone I talk to a lot. A new friend is going to have to identify herself the first few times she calls me, but then I'll recognize her voice and the kinds of things she talks about.

Suppose June loves shopping and hates squash. If someone calls up and says, "Hey, it's June. Wasn't that a great squashl game?" I'd know it is someone other than June, because that's just not what June is into.

It's like that with God, too. I recognize Him by the way He talks to me and what He says. If what I'm hearing doesn't sound like His personality and character, then I know it can't be Him talking. That's why people who want to hear from God need to develop an in-depth knowledge of the Bible. It's there we find out what He loves, what He hates, what is dear to His heart.

-

Elder C D Brooks during his very active years in the Ministry shared with me his favorite verse Jeremiah 15:16 ' Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.'

May we pay attention to what He tells us all the time!

faliing

With my heart pounding in my throat and my adrenaline on supercharge, I crawled out the door of the small Cessna airplane and balanced precariously on a small step. This was it, there was no going back. I spread my arms and legs out into the arch position and let go.

As I tumbled through the air, I could see the plane departing in the distance. I looked up and saw that my chute had tangled on deployment. For a moment, I almost panicked. Then, I remembered that I could do some maneuvering and get the lines untangled.  Failing that, there was still the reserve chute. All I needed to do was pull a release which "cut away" the main chute and the reserve would deploy without problem - at least in theory.

Fortunately, I did not have to find out if the reserve would open properly as I got the lines untangled on the main chute. The rest of the trip was a delightful journey. That is until landing.

It is hard to describe the feeling of descending under the cover of a functional parachute. You are falling gently through the air, above the noise of the earth, watching the ground seeming to come ever so slowly upwards. The wonderful peace of it conflicts with the sheer adrenaline rush leaving you with a sense of exhilaration.

Just before you land with a parachute you allow the air to come out of it, and then fill again. This process, known as "flaring", stops you so that you can touch the ground gently. I flared a moment too soon, which lifted me, then dropped me from about ten feet or so. Not a huge fall, but...

It is hard to describe the events that happened next, because they happened so quickly. It involved my foot going into a gopher-hole and my forward momentum spinning me around my stuck foot, a large rock and a gust of wind. I ended up with a smashed up shin and ankle. I had no choice but to lie on the ground and wait for the rescue crew to take me to the hospital. That was more than 25 years ago and I still have the dent in my shin bone and problems with that ankle.

The doctor told me that day that next time, I might not be so lucky. I would likely not walk again if I had a similar landing. I quit the sport that day. Now sky-diving is not a sin, but that day's event reminds me of the way we respond to sin sometimes. We decide to give into temptation, and we get a little check in our spirit. We ignore that check thinking that we will still be fine. Sooner or later though, just like the ground rising up to meet me, our sin reaches up hard with its consequences and there is no avoiding them any more. It's too late to turn back.

We generally do not plan to go out and sin... at least not at first. We get tempted  - then we think about it a while.

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."  (James 1:13-15)

Even if we manage to "get away" with sin, and believe that "no one knows", our sins will come back to bite us.  "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs." (Matthew 10:26-27)

That means we need to do two things. First, run from the temptation. Second, when we fall, we need to return quickly to the grace and mercy of our loving Father, seeking His forgiveness. A fall into sin can damage our relationship with Father and have earthly consequences which haunt us the rest of our lives.  In other words, flee from temptation. But if you fall, rush back in the waiting arms of your Abba Father.

-author unknown

doers

Three men went deer hunting, and as they crossed the field going to the woods, a huge buck jumped up in their path.  All three fired at the same time. 

 The buck dropped, and as they came up on the buck, they realized they had a problem.  Which one of them shot the deer?

As they discussed the problem, a game warden came along to check for hunting licenses.  He offered to sort out the problem, examined the deer, and said, "One of you guys is a preacher, right?"  And sure enough, one of them was.

"Well, preacher, your shot is the one that got the buck."

Amazed, the guys asked how he knew one of them was a preacher and that the preacher's shot was the one that scored.

"Simple," the game warden said, "It went in one ear and out the other."

As a preacher, it does feel that way sometimes.  But it's difficult to be too harsh on those who listen to my sermons because I know that sometimes, as a reader of God's Word, I tend to do the same thing.  I read what God says.  I even understand what God says (though I wish sometimes that I didn't!).  It's just that I don't allow what I'm reading to make any real difference in my life.  It goes in one ear and out the other.

James wrote, "Do what God's word says.  Don't merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.  If someone listens to God's word but doesn't do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like.  However, the person who continues to study God's perfect teachings that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed.  People like that don't merely listen and forget; they actually do what God's teachings say." (James 1:22-25, GOD'S WORD)

May God's Word go in one ear, stay there, and then demonstrate itself in how you live this day.

-alan smith

winning

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that was going on inside himself.

He said, "My son, it is between 2 wolves. One is evil: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego... The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith..."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one I feed."

"No man can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon!"  (Matthew 6:24)

reflectors

In an article entitled "Reflect the Light," Roble Nebres tells about the time he drove to the summit of Mt. Haleakala. After watching the sunset it became dark and he became anxious about the descent down the steep, winding road. When he left the parking lot the median strips on the road suddenly came alive with reflectorized lights. They provided a much needed directional guide on the mountain road.

The reflectors illuminated the way for Nebres, who made his descent safely down the treacherous mountain road. The reflectors, however, were useless without his headlights shining on them. The light they gave depended on the light from another source. Otherwise they could not help him see.

When Jesus told his disciples they were the "light of the world," he meant they were to be reflectors of the light of God. God is the illuminating source. God provides the light that is reflected from us. And God needs us to be reflectors of God's light to a world of darkness.

-keith wagner

mercy

Hope you are keeping strong. Have you ever considered the meaning of God's mercy?

There was a young man in Napoleon's army who committed a deed so terrible that it was worthy of death.  The day before he was scheduled for the firing squad, the young man's mother went to Napoleon and pleaded for mercy for her son.

Napoleon replied, "Woman, your son does not deserve mercy"

"I know," she answered.  "If he deserved it, then it would not be mercy"

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions." Psalm 51:1

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

Keep to Jesus

away

Many years ago our first grader, little white suitcase in hand, was ready to leave in search of a better place. She had been invited to go to her room to think over some behavior, and apparently thought it the perfect time to pack up and get out of Dodge. I watched from the window as she doggedly made her way to the end of the sidewalk. At the street corner she sat down on the little suitcase, pondering her next move.

Have you ever had a day where you are just ready to throw in the towel and say, "Enough's enough!"?  A redundant question, as we all have had, or will have. It's just part of life. We never know what kind of curve we might be thrown, as much as we plan things out. Some days you feel like packing up, cashing it all in and running away to a south seas island.

A geographic change doesn't work, though. And as often as we've heard the saying, 'When you get lemons, make lemonade', that doesn't always do the trick either.

I walked outside and walked back home with my daughter; the moment had passed and everything was fine.

God has a great message for us in how to handle times like that. The message is He wants to handle it for you. All you have to do is come to Him. In Matthew 11, Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened...and you will find rest, relief, ease, refreshment, recreation and blessed quiet for your souls." Because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we know His Word is true and He makes good on His promises.

The next time you think of packing up and running away, remember there's somewhere to go and Someone to go to first.

That's good news.

The Lord is my shepherd ..he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.  Psalm 23:1-3

maintenance

My computer has a folder of Temporary Files. It's full of data that was once needed, but isn't currently necessary. I don't intentionally create those files; they seem to appear out of thin air, occupying space on my computer. Those who know about computers say that these files need to be deleted now and again, or they will slow down my computer. One rule of thumb says that if the date on those files isn't today's date, they can be safely erased.

I've got a similar folder inside my head. Unfortunately, the contents of this folder aren't as harmless as what's inside the Temporary Files in my computer. This folder contains a complete archive of bad things that have happened in the past, both things that I've done and things that have been done to me. I've got video, audio, and text, a whole multimedia display of negativity. When I least want them to, these things worm their way out of my past into my present.

I remember the times I embarrassed myself.

I remember the times that I hurt other people.

I remember my failures.

I remember my sin.

I remember the times I was mistreated.

I remember the ways that people hurt me, the things they said, the things they did.

I remember those times that other people let me down.

I remember .

None of that does me any good. Those things from the past only serve to slow things down, to spoil today with yesterday's hurts. Like those temporary files on my computer, what I really need to do is get rid of them.

The apostle Paul wrote: "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). We have to put our past in the past and set our eyes on what lies ahead. We have a God who is willing to forgive anything and everything that we've done, if we'll only let him. And he'll teach us to do the same with other people.