?...sting

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).

A family on vacation were driving along in their car, windows rolled down, enjoying the cool breeze of the warm, summer's day. All of a sudden a bee darted in the window and started buzzing around inside the car. A little girl, highly allergic to bee stings, cringed in the back seat. If she were stung, she could be in serious trouble.

"Oh, Daddy," she screeched in terror, "It's a bee! It's going to sting me!"

The father pulled the car over to a stop, and reached back to try to catch the bee. Buzzing towards him, the bee bumped against the front windscreen where the father trapped it in his fist. Holding it in his closed hand, the father waited for the inevitable sting. In pain from the sting, the father let go of the bee.

With the bee loose in the car again the little girl panicked. "Daddy, it's going to sting me!" The father gently said, "No, honey, he's not going to sting you now. Look at my hand." He showed her the bee's stinger in his hand."

And that's exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took the sting of death for us … as the songwriter put it, "You will know him by the nail prints in his hands." And as the Bible says, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

?pray

"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord." (Joshua 9:14)

 

When the armies of ancient Israel, led by Joshua, were conquering the Promised Land, the surrounding kings and nations were understandably terrified. This was because God was with the Israelites giving them great victories over their enemies—enemies whom God commanded the Israelites to destroy because of their sinful, decadent, and self-destructive ways.

The men of Gibeon, a close country, resorted to trickery. They sent a delegation to Joshua with the appearance of having come from a distant land so they could deceive Joshua into making a treaty with them. Their donkeys carried worn out sacks and old wineskins that were cracked and had been mended. They wore old clothes, worn and patched sandals, and the bread they carried with them was dry and moldy.

Their disguise worked very well. Joshua signed a treaty with them only to discover afterwards they were a neighboring people among those countries God had told Joshua to destroy. They had to live with the consequences as a result.

Joshua's mistake was that he made this treaty without praying and inquiring of the Lord—a valuable lesson for all of us to learn.

owner

When Edwin H. Hughes was a young preacher, he served a rural Methodist church in the middle west. One day, in his sermon, he said that we own nothing; it all belongs to God.

 

After the service, a farmer took the preacher home for dinner, and after a sumptuous meal, the two walked out to see the acres of farm land. The farmer told how he and his wife started out without a dime from anyone, but working together, they now possessed this farm. 

"If we don't own this farm, who does?" was the farmer's question to the preacher.

 

The preacher replied kindly.  " Ask me that question one hundred years from today."

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

pardoned

"But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8)

The story is told about a young man who received a ticket for a speeding violation. As he stood before the judge, the judge found himself in a dilemma because he knew the young man didn't have any money to pay the fine and he didn't want to send him to jail.  However, the judge had to fine the young man $150, which was the accepted amount for this traffic violation. Immediately after the judge handed down the sentence, he stepped away from the bench, took off his robes, went to the defendant and paid the fine for him.

The young man was his own son whom he loved.

That's what God's Son, Jesus Christ, did for us on the cross of Calvary. God's justice required death as the automatic judgment upon our sin. However, because he loved us, the Son of God laid aside his "judge's robes," stepped out of the"ivory palaces" of heaven, came to earth and identified with us as a man, and died on the cross in our place to save us from our sins.

Because of this, God offers each of us a free pardon with forgiveness for all our sins and gives us his gift of eternal life. Jesus, the Son of God, paid the "fine/penalty" for us with his life. All we need to do is confess our sinfulness and accept his gift of salvation - the greatest gift known to man.

"He paid a debt He didn't owe to free us from a price we couldn't pay

-dick innes

...attitude

"Put more gratitude in your attitude."  That's the message a Little Rock man is spreading after a journey that changed his life.

When you meet Roy Johnson, his energy is contagious. He credits his zeal for life to his faith, and to being grateful, even during the tough times.

"20 years ago I was diagnosed with a rare muscle disease called dermatomyositis," said Roy Johnson.   One evening in thehospital, doctors believed he wouldn't make it through the night. His response? "I said to God, not what can you do for me, but what can I do for you?  He said start a revival in your hospital room at midnight tonight."

And that's what he did. The nurses heard a commotion in his room and thought he was dying. Instead, they found him singing praises. After that, his turnaround was a medical miracle.  "I ended up being there 35 days. I had the best time of my life being sick."

He made such an impact at the hospital, St. Vincent staff wrote about him. They were amazed at his attitude towards his sickness, and said he inspired everyone he met. “I try to tell people rather than complaining about what you don't have, be grateful for what you do have. I tell people to put some gratitude in your attitude. And I tell them to be grateful and not hateful."

His time in the hospital inspired his book. After that, he started spreading the word, speaking in every state in the US, as well as several other countries. He's even learning different languages so he can reach the world with his message, "Put More Gratitude In Your Attitude".

Today, "put more gratitude on YOUR ATTITUDE."

r

We were getting ready to go away for a weekend. During the steamy tropical fall months it is a treat for us to visit a cooler climate. I was thinking, “R & R”, yes! Rest and Relaxation was what I had in mind, maybe Renewal, Rejuvenation, and/or Refreshing, as well. With the tote bag packed, I went to my desk to catch up on some last-minute Email. 

The little paperweight caught my eye. A rough ivory-colored rock, only about an inch and a half across; a gift from a friend many years ago. In big red letters, SALLY, and under it: Psalm 62:6-8*. Turning it over, I read, Giant Killer.

King David, the greatest king ever, the only man mentioned in the Bible as "a man after God's own heart", speaks beautifully regarding R & R. God alone was David’s rock, fortress, refuge where no enemy could reach him. He had his Goliath, and we all have giants in our own lives. My paraphrase of those verses in the book of Psalms 62 is, R & R - Rock & Refuge. The Lord is my strong and steady Rock, He is my Refuge, my safe place.

I keep that little painted rock there, on my desk, to remind me I don’t have to fight the giants, those situations that come into my life that loom large that I don’t know how to confront and deal with. Jesus, my Rock and Refuge, will take care of them, and me, too. As it says in 1 Samuel 17:47, 'the battle is the Lord’s'.

R&R, more than just rest and relaxation. Thank you, Lord.
-sally Kennedy

*Psalm 62:2-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

2 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my [a]defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.[b]
3 How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my [c]expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be [d]moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

...thanks

Greg Anderson, in "Living Life on Purpose" tells a story about a man whose wife had left him. He was completely depressed. He had lost faith in himself, in other people, in God - he found no joy in living. One rainy morning this man went to a small neighborhood restaurant for breakfast.

Although several people were at the diner, no one was speaking to anyone else. Our miserable friend hunched over the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon.

In one of the small booths along the window was a young mother with a little girl. They had just been served their food when the little girl broke the sad silence by almost shouting, "Momma, why don't we say our prayers here?"

The waitress who had just served their breakfast turned around and said, "Sure, honey, we can pray here. Will you say the prayer for us?" And she turned and looked at the rest of the people in the restaurant and said, "Bow your heads."

Surprisingly, one by one, the heads went down. The little girl then bowed her head, folded her hands, and said, "God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food. Amen."

That prayer changed the entire atmosphere. People began to talk with one another. The waitress said, "We should do that every morning."

"All of a sudden," said our friend, "my whole frame of mind started to improve. From that little girl's example, I started to thank God for all that I did have and stopped majoring in all that I didn't have. I started to be grateful."

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thes. 5:18)

...shut

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 

jars

The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit. He quoted I Samuel 16:7 - "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

He explained, "These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different."  Then he upset one of the jars and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other jar and vinegar spilled out.

"When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference lay within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed. Until we are upset, we put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts and attitudes, for "out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). 

What if someone tipped you over today? What would flow out? Would you reveal the "honey" of grace and patience, or the "vinegar" of anger and sarcasm?   Allow the "honey" of the Holy Spirit who lives within you to flow out of you whenever you get "upset" today. 

...face...

Pastor James Moore of Houston, Texas tells a story about a young man whose wife had died, leaving him with a small son. Back home from the cemetery, they went to bed early because there was nothing else he could bear to do.

As he lay there in the darkness--grief-stricken and heartbroken, the little boy broke the stillness from his little bed with a disturbing question, "Daddy, where is mommy?"

The father got up and brought the little boy to bed with him, but the child was still disturbed and restless, occasionally asking questions like "Why isn't she here?" and When is she coming back?"

Finally the little boy said, "Daddy, if your face is toward me, I think I can go to sleep now. And in a little while he was quiet.

The father lay there in the darkness, and then in childlike faith, prayed this prayer: "O God, I don't see how I can survive this. The future looks so miserable. But if your face is toward me, somehow I think I can make it."

That's what the Messiah came to teach us: that God's face is always towards us. Therefore, let the Messiah replace your insecurity with the following bedrock conviction: God and you are in this together.

...unfinished...

I have not had the opportunity to travel much, but several years ago my dad won a trip to Italy through his business and he asked me to go along. A highlight of the trip was visiting Florence, the great city of the Renaissance.

One afternoon out of curiosity I went to a museum where some works of Michelangelo were displayed. As we viewed the half-finished sculpture of St. Matthew the tour guide explained that this unfinished work was a prime example of Michelangelo’s philosophy of art. He believed that in a stone there was a figure or statue waiting to be released.

The work of the artist was to free the statue from the stone. The statute was so lifelike that I thought any minute St. Matthew might just step out of that huge stone. As I looked at the half-finished statute, I could see that the artist had begun to free the statue but had not been able to complete it. The tour guide went on to explain that Michelangelo had numerous works he never finished.

As I thought about God’s work in us, I realized that God has begun a work in us to conform us to the image of Christ. However, unlike Michelangelo, God does not stop working in our lives until he finishes what he intends to accomplish. According to Philippians 1:6, God will finish what He has started. Ultimately, God has no unfinished works of grace.

 "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

-dr. ron meeks

criticism

In her book, "A Closer Walk", Catherine Marshall writes: "One morning last week He gave me an assignment - for one day I was to go on a 'fast' from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody about anything. For the first half of the day, I simply felt a void, almost as if I had been wiped out as a person.

This was especially true at lunch... I listened to the others and kept silent... In our talkative family no one seemed to notice. Bemused, I noticed that my comments were not missed.  The federal government, the judicial system, and the institutional church could apparently get along fine without my penetrating observations.

But still I didn't see what this fast on criticism was accomplishing until mid-afternoon. That afternoon, a specific, positive vision for this life was dropped into my mind with God's unmistakable hallmark on it - joy!  Ideas began to flow in a way I had not experienced in years. Now it was apparent what the Lord wanted me to see. My critical nature had not corrected a single one of the multitudinous things I found fault with. What it had done was to stifle my own creativity.

Criticism is a poison that infiltrates friendships, relationships in our businesses, and even our own families.  Like a wrecking ball to a condemned building, our criticism destroys the spirit of those who are scrutinised.  

It has been said, "A statue has never been set up in honor of a critic." The apostle Paul recognized that criticism stings. He faced it throughout his ministry. Maybe it was after hearing criticism of others that he wrote: "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."(Romans 14:13 [kjv)

Why don't you join me in a 'fast' from criticizing others and let's see what our Father teaches us!"

dear

Dear God,

I want to thank you for what you have already done. 

I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;

    I am thanking you right now. 

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better;

    I am thanking you right now. 

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me;

    I am thanking you right now. 

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears;

    I am thanking you right now. 

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;

    I am going to thank you right now. 

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet;

    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get a job;

    I am going to thank you right now. 

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief;

    I am going thank you right now. 

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed;

    I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive. 

I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. 

I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. 

I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. 

I am thanking you because you have not given up on me.

God is so good, and He's good all the time. 

know

"Knowledge of God can be fully given to man only in a Person, never in a doctrine. Faith is not the holding of correct doctrine, but personal fellowship with the living God." (William Temple)

Do you have a lot of knowledge about God but not much of a love relationship with Him? Has your head knowledge reached you heart so that it affects how you live? 

Where are you looking for your knowledge of God? 

• to a radio personality? 
• a pastor? 
• a friend? 
• a self-help book?

 How about trying the real thing. . . God! 

Go to His Word and You will find the Person, not just the doctrine.

joy

The actor Keanu Reeves (of The Matrix fame) was on "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert recently. At one point, Colbert asked his guest, “What do you think happens when we die, Keanu Reeves?”

Both men are no stranger to tragedy. Colbert lost his father and two of his brothers to a plane crash when he was ten. Reeves and his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, lost their daughter a month before she was due. Syme later died in a car accident.   Reeves paused, considered, then replied simply: “I know that the ones who love us will miss us.”

After Reeves answered Colbert’s question, the host paused, looked into the camera, and smiled.

“If a man dies, shall he live again?”

A twenty-four-year-old Norwegian woman rescued a puppy she found while vacationing in the Philippines. She brought the puppy back to her resort, where she washed it and played with it. Her family later told reporters that she received “small scrapes” from the dog.  When she returned home, she fell ill. She was admitted to a hospital on April 28, where physicians determined she had contracted rabies from the dog. She died on May 6.

In other news, two sightseeing planes collided Monday afternoon off the coast of Alaska. Six people were killed. And a traveling carnival worker has confessed to killing two women and a teenager within an eighteen-day period in Virginia.

Humans face no more relevant question than the one asked by Job so long ago: “If a man dies, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).

“Be not wise in your own eyes”

As John F. Kennedy noted, “We are all mortal.” Given the reality of death, I am amazed by the degree to which people are willing to bet their eternity on their personal opinion.   Imagine Stephen Colbert asking Keanu Reeves, “What do you think happens when you contract cancer?” Would Reeves respond to a malignancy based on his subjective beliefs or on an oncologist’s professional experience?

Our opinions don’t change reality. The Queen of England exists whether I believe she exists or not. Heaven and hell are real, whether I believe they are real or not.

Isaiah warned his day and ours: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20–21).

Wise King Solomon cautioned us: “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7). Paul, the brilliant apostle, agreed: “Never be wise in your own sight” (Romans 12:16).

Nonetheless, when it comes to our eternal destiny, our secular culture is convinced that opinion is fact. Has Satan fostered a more dangerous and popular deception today?

How Satan tempts believers

It’s easy for Christians to reverse the equation.   Followers of Jesus know better than to claim that our eternal destiny depends on our subjective beliefs. We understand that we have eternal life only through our Savior’s death on our behalf (Romans 5:8; Acts 4:12).  So, our enemy tempts us to treat the present in the same way our secular culture treats the future.

Since our salvation is assured, we can be persuaded to live as we wish while here on earth. We know we can confess our sins and be forgiven for them (1 John 1:9). We know that no sins we commit in this life can keep us from heaven in the next life.   As a result, we can be “wise in our own eyes,” basing our decisions on popular opinion and personal agendas. We can “go along to get along,” living for this world in this life and trusting that we will live for the next world in the next life.

But this is not authentic Christianity.

Jesus was clear: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Paul testified, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). He called us to follow his example: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

“How sweet are your words to my taste”

If we live like the world, why would the world want what we have?  Conversely, if we live for Jesus now, we will have joy and peace the world cannot offer (Philippians 4:4, 7). Others will be drawn to his light in us (Matthew 5:16). And they will find the abundant life of Jesus now (John 10:10) and eternal life in our Lord (John 11:26).

God’s wisdom is as near as his word: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:103–104). And his wisdom is as close as our next prayer: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

As you make decisions today, will you be “wise in your own eyes,” or will you seek the wisdom of God?

-jim denison