live

It is not enough to own a Bible; we must read it.
It is not enough to read it; we must let it speak to us.
It is not enough to let it speak to us; we must believe.
It is not enough to believe; we must live it.

"Be ye doers of the Word; and not hearers only..." (James 1:22)
-william a. ward

his-story

We have just come through the Easter season, and this season has caused me to realize once again the importance of the "Historic Reality" of the Word of God.  Almost two thousand years ago the Apostle Paul called the time span of the Life of Jesus Christ "the fullness of time".  It was God's given moment in time when the Father chose to send forth His only-begotten Son to be the Savior of the world - to live, to die, and to resurrect from the dead.  It was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead that declares for all mankind that salvation is now a reality for all who believe!

The Bible is a book of history - "His-story"!  It is a historic record of God's salvation extended to mankind.  The Old and New Testaments are a continuum of events that declare the reality of God's love for mankind, and His desire for all to enter into His plan of salvation.

In fact, the plan of God for mankind's salvation began even before the world was created.  Ephesians 1:4 states, "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."  Mankind must decide what they are going to do with that reality!

As I recently re-read the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John concerning the last days Jesus spent with His disciples, I was reminded of the historic importance of these eyewitness accounts.  Men who were there, and who experienced the tension of the last days in Jesus' life, the horror of His crucifixion, the despair of His burial, and the JOY of His resurrection were commissioned by God to write down these historic events for all of mankind.  This commission was carried out through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Peter's words recorded in 2 Peter 1:16 declare, "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty."  John affirms the same eyewitness testimony when he declares that he was an eyewitness.  Here is John's statement in 1 John 1:1-2: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the father and was manifested to us!"

We have just celebrated a historic reality - Easter - just as we will celebrate the historic reality of the independence of our nation on the fourth of July!  Many today will not give the same credibility to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as they do to the historic reality of our nation's independence.  This, however, does not make Jesus' resurrection from the dead any less credible.  The same rules of historic evidence apply in both instances.  Each individual must decide what he or she is going to do with these historic records of Jesus Christ.

I remember one time when I was ministering in the jail there was a young man of the Muslim faith who shouted at me, "Are you telling me that if I do not believe in your Jesus that I am going to hell?"   We had been talking about the statement of Jesus in John 14 verse 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."   My response to him was, "The words I just read are not my words, but they are the words of Jesus Christ."  This young man was going to have to decide for himself what he would do with the words of Jesus Christ.  This decision is one that everyone who hears the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, will have to make.  This historic proclamation found in Scripture is one I want to encourage Christians to declare with boldness.  The assurance of the historic record was declared with boldness then, and we must declare it unashamedly in the trying times we are living in.

Please, be encouraged to declare with boldness God's message of love and salvation in Jesus Christ - the same boldness Peter demonstrated before the Sanhedrin when asked to give an explanation of how a lame man was healed at the temple: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this?  Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?..Rulers of the people and elders of Israel; If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.  This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  [Acts 3:12-4:12]

-chaplain ken trevethick

story

Herman and I locked our general store and dragged ourselves home. It was 11:00 p.m., Christmas Eve of 1949. We were dog tired. We had sold almost all of our toys; and all of the layaways, except one package, had been picked up. Usually we kept the store open until everything had been claimed. We wouldn't have been happy on Christmas knowing that some child's gift was still on the layaway shelf. But the person who had put a dollar down on the package never returned.

Early Christmas morning we and our twelve-year-old son, Tom, opened gifts. But I'll tell you, there was something humdrum about this Christmas. Tom was growing up; I missed his childish exuberance of past years. As soon as breakfast was over Tom left to visit his friend next door. Herman mumbled, "I'm going back to sleep. There's nothing left to stay up for." So there I was alone, feeling let down.

And then it began. A strange, persistent urge. It seemed to be telling me to go to the store. I looked at the sleet and icy sidewalk outside. That's crazy, I said to myself. I tried dismissing the urge, but it wouldn't leave me alone. In fact, it was getting stronger. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I got dressed. Outside, the wind cut right through me and the sleet stung my cheeks. I groped my way to the store, slipping and sliding.

In front stood two boys, one about nine, and the other six. What in the world? "See, I told you she would come!" the older boy said jubilantly. The younger one's face was wet with tears, but when he saw me, his sobbing stopped. "What are you two doing out here?" I scolded, hurrying them into the store. "You should be at home on a day like this!" They were poorly dressed. They had no hats or gloves, and their shoes barely held together. I rubbed their icy hands, and got them up close to the heater.

"We've been waiting for you," replied the older boy. "My little brother Jimmy didn't get any Christmas." He touched Jimmy's shoulder. "We want to buy some skates. That's what he wants. We have these three dollars," he said, pulling the bills from his pocket. I looked at the money. I looked at their expectant faces. And then I looked around the store. "I'm sorry," I said, "but we have no --"  Then my eye caught sight of the lay-away shelf with its lone package. "Wait a minute," I told the boys. I walked over, picked up the package, unwrapped it and, miracle of miracles, there was a pair of skates! Jimmy reached for them. Lord, let them be his size. And miracle added upon miracle, they were his size.

The older boy presented the dollars to me. "No," I told him, "I want you to have these skates, and I want you to use your money to get some gloves." The boys just blinked at first. Then their eyes became like saucers, and their grins stretched wide when they understood I was giving them the skates. What I saw in Jimmy's eyes was a blessing. It was pure joy, and it was beautiful. My spirits rose.

We walked out together, and as I locked the door, I turned to the older brother and said, "How did you know I would come?" I wasn't prepared for his reply. His gaze was steady, and he answered me softly.  "I asked Jesus to send you."

The tingles in my spine weren't from the cold. God had planned this. As we waved good-bye, I turned home for a brighter Christmas.

Author unknown 

decided

There is a song I remember from the days of my youth that I still find running through my mind. The opening line goes, "I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back." Those were brave words for a young man in the early battles of life's struggles with Satan. They brought to mind shiny new uniforms and victorious battles -- a hero of the Faith with medals of valor. 

The second line was even more presumptuous. "Though none go with me, Yet will I follow. No turning back, no turning back." It never crossed my mind how lonely that boast might be. After all, if David could "Walk through the valley of the shadow of death" and "fear no evil," surely I could walk alone in the earthly shadows and be brave. 

But, the years have passed and the battle is still engaged. The uniform is worn and tattered. While there are many scars from the wounds, there are no medals to attest to heroism. In fact there has been precious little to point to with pride. There have been days of glory, but also days of shame. 

Wonderful moments when the Spirit has blessed me "soar on eagle's wings," and days of deep darkness and despair. I have come to understand the Psalms of King David much more clearly as he rides the roller coaster of the battle of life. But, the song is still there... and though ragged and scarred, I find the words of decision no less true. 

I have learned that with all my strength I am a pitiful mismatch for the forces of Satan, but I serve in the army of a King who has assured the victory! I long for the faith of Job to cry out, "Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him" (Job 13:15), but I find "O God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13), much more appropriate. Still, the song hasn't gone away, "I have decided to follow Jesus!... No turning back, no turning back!" 

-bill sherrill

prayer

"And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years" Acts 13:21

 

One of my friends said it yesterday. I had heard it before. I have said it before. "You had better be careful what you ask for (in prayer), you might get it."  Indeed, that is exactly what happened to Israel. 

All the other nations had kings. Israel had an old prophet. All the other countries had national leaders. Israel had a high priest. Israel asked the aging prophet for a king. They wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a figure they could look to for protection. They wanted a king. (If you remember, Moses said this time would come. He prophesied that they would want a king. He also said that king would lead them in wrong paths.) 

So God gave them a king. Saul. He reigned for forty years. He was an imposing figure, head and shoulders taller than his countrymen. He was strong. He was humble. He was promoted to king of all Israel -- and he was a failure.  As time passed, Israel began to see that their king was just a man with all of man's weaknesses. He may have been strong as an ox, but he was as weak as a hollow tree in spirit. He lacked the mental strength to be a powerful leader. He became overwhelmed with his own authority -- his own ambition. And he fell. And he almost took Israel with him. 

We have all been in Israel's position. We want what we want and we want it now! Not only do we want it, but we demand that God provide it. We don't want to wait for it. We don't want to pay the price for it. We don't want to save for it. We want it -- NOW! And God had better come through because if He doesn't we will do it ourselves. And we pay the price. And that price is much higher than the cost of the thing we want. It is a spiritual price that goes far beyond a few dollars. It saps the soul of strength. It drains the spirit of energy. It taps the resources we have reserved for God's mission, and we suffer for it. We are in pain. We are weakened. Because of our weakness, others begin to suffer with us. 

We no longer have the spiritual fortitude to help our brother or our sister. Instead we are pulling from them the strength they need for their own battles. A downward spiral has begun. The trail of smoke can be seen for miles around. Doom and defeat seem eminent. But wait. Inside that hulk of a dying body is a pilot -- no, The Pilot. He has not bailed out yet. He has not given up the ship. He is pulling. He is fighting the battle for us. And He has the strength to pull us out of that fatal nosedive we have forced upon ourselves. 

At the last moment, the flaming hulk of our life is saved and set on a path to recovery. Not because of our strength, but because of the authority of the One who knows how to save the dying. 

Israel had his David. We have our Jesus. Both are redeemers. David saved a dying nation. Jesus saves a dying soul. Behold, your redemption draws near. 

soldier

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit,
    ...trained by experience,
    ...tried by adversity,
    ...and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army;
But, I will not get out,
    ...sell out
    ...be talked out
    ...or pushed out.

I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs, me, I am there.

I am a soldier.
I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered,
    ...petted,
    ...primed up,
    ...pumped up,
    ...picked up,
    ...or pepped up.

I am a soldier. No one has to call me,
    ...remind me,
    ...write me,
    ...visit me,
    ...entice me,
    ...or lure me.

I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place,
    ...saluting my King,
    ...obeying His orders,
    ...praising His name,
    ...and building His Kingdom!

No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
   I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
   I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even.
I will win.

My God will supply all my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.

Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me, and
Hell cannot handle me!

I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain.

I am a soldier, in the Army, I'm marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am a soldier, marching, Heaven bound.
Here I stand! Will you stand with me?

fixer

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

I am into fixing things. If something breaks, get out the masking tape, superglue, or bandages. We all knew my dad could fix anthing, from a picture frame that fell apart to a table leg that had broken. All you had to do was take it to him and you knew he would get it fixed and back to you.

My husband is a fixer, too. Our granddaughter says emphatically, when something, like a flat tire on her bike needs fixing, or a splinter in her finger, “PopPop can fix it.”

There are some things we just cannot fix, though, no matter how hard we try. We cannot fix broken hearts. That is a real tough one, but not too hard for our God.  Luke 1:37 tells us, “nothing is impossible with God”. The Lord himself said, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)

When we take our broken hearts to the healer, the One who created our hearts, we can have them fixed. The only real fix for a broken heart is the Lord….His mercy, His kindness, His gentleness, and most of all His loving presence. He is not only the ultimate creator, He is the ultimate fixer.

That is good news.

-sally i. kennedy

encouragement

"Let us encourage one another." (Hebrews 10:25)

One writer observed a mother walking with a small handicapped child whose both legs were in braces. He was having a difficult time but his mother was right there with him encouraging him at every step.

"That's great! You're doing splendidly," she kept repeating.

"I want to run," the boy called.

"Very well, try it," his mother encouraged enthusiastically. As he did, he tripped and almost fell and as would have excepted his mother was right there beside him and caught him so he wouldn't hurt himself. "You did fine," she said again, "and next time you will do even better."

God, too, knows our limitations. He sees our brokenness and doesn't expect us to be able to make it alone. He knows we can't run with a broken leg. He also knows we can't live the Christian life without help and encouragement. He wants us to know that he is right there beside us to encourage us to keep trying and to keep growing and become stronger.

God also knows that we need supporting friends to encourage us, to help keep us on track, and to keep us accountable-as none of us can make it alone.

-dick innes

choice

"I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" (Psalm 91:2)

Mrs. S. had lived alone for many years and got out only with the help of a wheelchair. Every Sunday she wheeled herself into the side aisle of our sanctuary (one without handicap access) where she worshiped enthusiastically. She always seemed to be "up." People smiled when they were around her.

One evening Mrs. S. spoke to the youth of the church and was asked how she could always be so alive, so full of joy. She responded, "Because I *choose* to. I had no choice about living the last half of my life as a widow or having one of my sons killed in the Korean War. And I certainly I didn't choose to have to ride around in this chair for the past ten years. But one thing I did choose - to be happy. I decided to make the best of every day and to see the best in every person."

A friend who had been a missionary in South America told me of taking some American visitors through his city. One of them spotted a beautiful, large poinsettia tree in front of a small house as they passed by. The visitor wanted to take a picture and, not realizing that the plant was brittle, reached up to pull down a branch for the camera. A six-foot length of flame-red poinsettia snapped to the ground.

At that moment the woman of the house stepped out of the door and confronted the gringos standing there, poinsettia branch in hand. Humiliated, they offered to pay for her loss. But they could no more fix the personal damage than they could repair the tree. Still, instead of adding to their embarrassment, the woman cheerfully asked them in for tea. She chose to forgive them, to overlook their clumsy behavior. She chose to offer them grace.

Nothing is more crucial to the quality of our lives than the choices we make about how we approach the circumstances and relationships of each day. In the end it is that attitude which largely determines the outcomes we will find. The Lord made today, but it is we who decide how we will live in it. I *choose* God as my refuge . . . I *choose* to believe . . . I *choose* to find a way. 

-dr. michael a. halleen

waiting

"Those who wait upon the Lord, will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like the eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

"...for twelve years she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." Mark 5:25

"While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said, "Why bother the teacher any more?'" Mark 5:35

Parents waiting for children out past curfew know it. Couples having trouble conceiving a child know it. A family separated by overseas military service knows it. A person needing an organ transplant knows it. A candidate for law or medical school knows it. A pregnant mom 10 days past due knows it. A person struggling to be hired for a job knows it. In fact, at one time or another, most of us come to know this brooding beast. It's the long wait -- that drawn out time of fretful anticipation and extended longing.

"Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength..."

Often, this is easier said than done. Before we get to "mount up on wings like eagles," we often have to obediently grind away through the brutal passage of agonizing time. Before we can "run and not grow weary," we have to trudge on as anticipation dims and hope's flickering flame fights against the winds of despair. Many times, we just have to keep walking and trust that some hidden grace will help us "not faint."

That's what makes this story of Jairus' daughter so compelling to me. Like you, I don't like to wait. In my mind, if there is any privilege for those with power and position, one should not have to wait! "They" surely don't have to wait like I do. "They" get to move to the head of line. "They" get to throw around their weight and get what they want when they want it.

In this case, however, "they" (or more accurately, "he") didn't. (see Mark 5:21-43) Instead, Jairus' humbling approach to Jesus, an approach that could cost him everything in sacred society, was interrupted by a desperate woman who had faced "the long wait" herself as she had hopelessly gone to every healer available to her, and no doubt prayed incessantly for her own cure. This woman, who could not go into the synagogue because of her uncleanness, derailed the hope parade of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue.

I find two things amazing about both of them. First, neither complains about his or her wait. Not the woman, who has spent her fortune on false medical hopes, nor Jairus, who has spent his respect capital to associate himself with a suspicious teacher. Both wait for their Lord to act.

Impatiently waiting? Probably! But, they waited and received their grace. Second, they both received the personal attention of the Lord -- the man of power who could expect that attention and the woman on the fringes who, in her day, could not expect it.

Jesus refused to let the woman have an anonymous miracle!

He personally and specifically blessed her. Jairus' daughter would not be healed for the crowd, but only in the closed intimacy of Jesus' chosen few and Jairus' family. Both waited faithfully. Both received the personal attention of the Master! Each received his or her heart's greatest desire.

This is not a story about long ago and far away. It is a reminder that Jesus is there for those who wait. It is a renewal of the ancient hope that God will act for those who don't give up during the long wait. You see, the issue isn't the wait. Instead, it is all about refusing to give up hope when the journey seems so long (12 years for the woman) and the problems so insurmountable (a dead 12-year old daughter for Jairus).

Maybe you face the long wait right now. Maybe your heartbreak or shame or disappointment or loss seems insurmountable. If so, I want to encourage you to come back to this story of the powerless woman and the powerful man and remember the place their broken hearts met, the place their broken dreams were mended, and the place their long wait ended. Know that place is really a person, and his name is Jesus.

-phil ware

...shift

Night Shift

(Psalm 134:1-3)

Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion. (Psalm 134)

Years ago when I was attending seminary, I worked the night shift on occasion. It paid a little more money than the day shift, but I was a bit lonely. If you've ever had to work the night shift, you will appreciate Psalm 134.

God never slumbers or sleeps. Therefore, we can serve and praise Him any time of day. The psalmist says there were priests who prayed and praised God in His temple at night. There was a constant repetition of praise and prayer from the temple.

We can bless the Lord in the night seasons. It's not easy when we are going through the nighttime experiences of life to lift our hands and bless the Lord. But He does give us songs in the night. Paul and Silas were able to lift their hearts in praise to God while in the Philippian jail (Acts 16).

They were on the night shift. They knew that God was awake, so they blessed Him, and He sent deliverance. We can get some strange blessings in the night seasons, for God speaks to us in different ways. Others may not see your praise at night, but God sees and hears.

Whether you are in the sunshine or in the darkness, whether you are serving on the day shift or the night shift, remember that you are serving the Lord. Because He never slumbers or sleeps, He hears your prayer and praise at all times, and He will bless you.

...think

Recently I have been picking a book - usually a short one - out of the Bible and reading it non-stop. I try to take the time to let it speak to my mind and my heart.

The last few days I have been reading the book of Second Timothy. This verse caught my mind and my heart, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." The two words that caught my attention were "sound mind". Actually, there is one compound Greek word that is translated "sound mind". [sos = safe + phren = mind, thus "safe-thinking"]

Oh, how we have a need in our world today for "safe-thinking"! "Safe-thinking" is found in the Word of God. The Apostle Paul stated it this way, "Finally, my brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8)

What more contemporary words of encouragement for wholesome, "safe-thinking" could be given than these? In a world filled with the antithesis of "safe-thinking" what better guidelines than those found in Philippians 4:8? 

I  am concerned that, in today's media, we find much that is unwholesome and unsafe. Television is filled with programs and commercials that take us away from "safe-thinking", and move us toward the profane and dark side of mankind.

The descending maelstrom of today's media blitz is weakening the foundation of gospel truth and Christ-centered thinking which set this nation's foundation. Proverbs 23:7 declares, "For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is…" Thoughts generate direction, and direction determines destination. We all would do well, in the unwholesome media blitz, to consider what direction our thoughts are encouraging us to go, and what destination we are headed for.

In a world whose airwaves are being filled with "darkness", and are controlled by the prince of the power of the air, I would like to encourage us all to follow the Apostle Paul's exhortation in Romans 12:2 - "Do not be conformed (Don’t allow peer pressure and trends to be the model to follow) to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit) - that you may prove (by testing the truth of Scripture) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

-ken trevithick

marketplace

It appears to me that more people who claim to be Christ-followers in this world are caught up in "doing church" over "being church". Church isn't a place. It isn't a set of ritual acts. It isn't the performance abilities of teachers or musicians. Church is the life of Jesus on display through his people – with Jesus functioning as head and all his people as various parts of his body in the world.

 

Jerry Cook tells a story about Richard C. Halverson that illustrates the contrast between "doing" and "being" as the people who confess Christ.

 

Dr. Halverson was chaplain of the United States Senate for several years. He would occasionally visit the seminary where Cook was a student. After one of those visits to speak to students, he joined a group of them for coffee and made himself available for informal conversation.

 

"Dr. Halverson," began one of the seminarians, "where is your church?"  The student was asking about the street location of the Presbyterian Church Halverson served, but he got a deeper and more insightful answer.

 

"Well, its three o'clock in Washington, D.C. The church I pastor is all over the city right now. It's driving buses, serving meals in restaurants, sitting in board meetings, having discussions in the Pentagon, deliberating in Congress." He proceeded with a long list of roles and responsibilities where his church was functioning that day. "And periodically we get together at a building on Fourth Street," he added, "but we don't spend a lot of our time there."

 

The pastor-chaplain was not naive with his answer. He was brilliant. And he had the clear intent to challenge a young would-be pastor to raise his sights above the Sunday event of church as an assembly. Or even church as programs and budgets and organization. The church was never intended to be isolated from the world but to penetrate it as salt does food. Jesus wants his people to be "in the world" but not "of the world" – functioning as light to dark places.

 

Where will you be today? In meetings? On the phone? Calling on clients? Teaching algebra? Cleaning house? Delivering products? Delivering speeches? Delivering babies? Wherever you will be and whatever you are doing there, you will be part of the spread-out, scattered-over-the-world church. Your role is to be a stand-in for Jesus, to make the world a better place and to invite people to receive his free gift of salvation.

 

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)

-steve blair

 

title

Some years ago radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller announced that he would speak the following Sunday on "Heaven." It was to be broadcast on radio. During that week he received a letter from an elderly gentleman who was very ill. 

Here is part of that letter: "Next Sabbath you are to talk about 'Heaven.' I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over 55 years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price. But the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice. 

I am not holding it for speculation since the title is nontransferable. It is not a vacant lot. For more than a half-century I have been sending material out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me, which will never need to be repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old. 

Termites can never undermine its foundation for it rests upon the Rock of Ages. Fire cannot destroy it. Floods cannot wash it away. No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and ready for me to enter it and abide in peace eternally without fear of being ejected. 

There is a valley of deep shadow between the place where I currently live and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in the City of God without passing through the dark valley of shadows. But I am not afraid, because the best friend that I have ever had went through the same valley alone, a long, long, time ago and drove away all the gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first met and became acquainted 55 years ago, and I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake nor to leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the valley of shadows, and I shall not lose my way when He is with me. 

I hope to hear your sermon on "Heaven" next Sabbath from my home, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so. 

? who

 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false. (John 1:47)

I read how Ray, an energetic three-year-old, liked to play being Superman.  Each morning he would have his mother pin a bath towel to the back of his T-shirt and off he'd go imagining he was wearing the magic blue and red cape pretending he was Superman. In his mind he came to believe he was Superman.

Then came kindergarten. When the teacher asked Ray for his name, he replied, "Superman." Trying to hide her amusement she asked again, "I need to know your real name." Again he replied in all sincerity, "Superman."

The teacher, still trying to hide her amusement, got down to Ray's level and, looking squarely into Ray's eyes, said quite firmly, "I need to know your real name. What is it?"

Little Ray looked around the room, making sure no one was listening and, leaning close to the teacher, whispered in her ear, "I'm Clark Kent."

We smile at a child's innocence and make-believe world. But in reality some of us, afraid of being known for who we truly are, have hidden behind a pretend-mask for so long that we have come to believe that the role we play is the real us. In doing so, we fail to realize that the loneliness we struggle with is caused by our living in a make-believe world, neither knowing who we are or being known for who we are. For we can only ever be loved and connected to other loving people to the degree that we are known. Masks can't be loved. Only real people can be loved.

Let's learn to be like Nathanial about whom Jesus said when he first saw him, "Here comes a man in whom there is nothing false." Or in our language, "Here comes an honest man."

...and...

Herb Caen writes, in the San Francisco Chronicle, "every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

When we awaken each morning, we must realize that "The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8)

In Psalm 5, we read that David came to God early in the morning and asked for his protection and help. We also need to pay attention to the vital importance of prayer.

"The Secret" 

By Bishop Ralph Cushman 

I met God in the morning 

When the day was at its best, 

And His Presence came like sunrise, 

Like a glory in my breast. 

All day long the Presence lingered, 

All day long He stayed with me, 

And we sailed in perfect calmness 

O'er a very troubled sea. 

Other ships were blown and battered, 

Other ships were sore distressed, 

But the winds that seemed to drive them, 

Brought to me a peace and rest. 

Then I thought of other mornings, 

With a keen remorse of mind, 

When I too had loosed the moorings, 

With the presence left behind. 

So, I think I know the secret, 

Learned from many a troubled way: 

You must seek Him in the morning 

If you want Him through the day! 

rely

Rely not on yourselves, but on God...

He delivered us...

He will deliver us...

He will continue to deliver us..." (2 Corinthians 1:9-11)

I quit!

I've tried my best to live

...as God expects me to

...as my family expects me to

I want to do the best, but I always fail.

I give up!

There's no use trying!

I just fail...

"Rely not on yourselves, but on God...

He delivered us

He will deliver us

He will continue to deliver us"

Again and again and again

like food, 

like sleep,

God will give us strength every day.

"Rely not on yourselves, but on God"

 

daily

opulence.  If all God hears from you is Give me this money, Give me this home, Give me this job, power, social status, ect., then you have missed the point of prayer.

Matthew 7 makes a statement about which prayers the Father will and will not answer.  These are very, very powerful verses of Scripture because they simple say, “Ask.”  Asking is not a difficult thing to do.  In fact, if you have children, you know that they are almost constantly "asking".  When was the last time your child came to you and said, "Dad, Mom, what can I do for you today?"

God invites His children to be children.  Ask, Seek, Knock.  And if those statements are not staggering enough, notice to whom He delivers that invitation: everyone!

The natural reaction at this point is, “Wait a minute!  I’ve been asking for years.  I’ve been knocking longer than that.  And I’ve been seeking, and I haven’t found anything.  You just said that Jesus was teaching us to pray about sustenance, not opulence.”  Isn’t this a contradiction?  Doesn’t this passage offer an open-ended promise of provision? 

Not quite.  That’s why reading the Bible in context is so important.  Pay special attention to the two comparisons: bread and fish to stone and snake.  What is the point?  Very simply, bread and fish are good for you; stones and snakes are not.  The earthly son has requested two good items, the earthly father responds accordingly.  The reverse is also true.  If an earthly son asked for a stone to eat, any loving father would refuse.

To follow through with our analogy, God is not saying, “Ask for whatever you want.”  Instead, He is saying, “Ask for what is good.”  When you ask for good things, our heavenly Father will surely approve, and He will never substitute something harmful.  If you have prayed for something you desire with all your heart and have not received it, it is because this desire is either not good or not good for now.  God is either saying “No” or “Wait”.

Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and ye shall find;

knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth;

and he that seeketh findeth;

and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

—Matthew 7:7-9

settle

The story is told of a professor who stood before his class of 20 senior organic biology students, about to hand out the final exam.

"I want to say that it's been a pleasure teaching you this semester. I know you've all worked extremely hard and many of you are off to medical school after summer.  So that no one gets their GPA messed up because they might have been celebrating a bit too much this week, anyone who would like to opt out of the final exam today will receive a "B" for the course."

There was much rejoicing amongst the class as students got up, passed by the professor to thank him and sign out on his offer.  As the last taker left the room, the professor looked out over the handful of remaining students and asked, "Any one else?  This is your last chance." One final student rose up and took the offer.

The professor closed the door and took attendance of those students remaining.  "I'm glad to see you believe in yourself." he said.  "You all have "A's."

Too often, we're content to settle for second best.  A lot of students would be thrilled to settle for a "B" ("That's better than I usually get." "That's doing better than most of the others I know.").  And most students, I think, would rather get a "B" with little time spent studying, than to make the effort it takes to get an "A".

A lot of us are content to settle for second best in our spiritual lives as well.  We're close to God (at least closer than many people we know), but we aren't willing to take the time and the effort to have the kind of relationship we know God wants us to have.

The biggest problem with settling for second best is that we miss out on that which is best.

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!'  'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' " (Luke 10:42)

What Martha was doing was good (second best, even), but "Mary has chosen what is better."  May we always seek out and choose "what is better" in our relationship with God!

-alan smith

lost

Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb. . . they laid Jesus there. (NIV) John 19:40-42

After hanging on the cross for nearly 6 hours, Jesus bows His head and breathes His last breathe. As evening approaches, a rich man named Joseph, boldly goes to Pontius Pilate and asks for Jesus' body. Joseph is a prominent member of the Jewish Supreme Court, who secretly has become a disciple of Jesus. Pilate orders Jesus' body to be given to Joseph.

Joseph, accompanied by Nicodemus, takes down the body, wraps it in a clean linen cloth. Then he places it in a new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolls a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and goes away. Mary Magdalene and some other women had followed Joseph, see the tomb where Jesus' body is laid. Friday evening comes to an end with not much to look forward to on Saturday. . .

That's it - here's a man who lived a good life, but died a criminal's death. Jesus' disciples were most likely trying to make new plans for their futures. Hope was gone, He had died on the cross. End of story. . . or so it seems. Little did they know what Sunday would bring! Jesus Christ back from the dead!

Are you in a waiting mode? waiting for circumstances to change? for health to be restored? for a spouse to begin a relationship with Christ? for a child to return to God? As you wait, where are your eyes? Are they on "Saturday's" circumstances? or on "Sunday's" hope?

The disciples were only seeing what the present moment brought. . . despair and disappointment. We know the rest of the story. . . that on Easter morn, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. . . once and for all defeating death and offering hope to all who believe in Him. If you feel like you're experiencing "Saturday's waiting mode", look for Jesus and know without a doubt that in Him you have a glorious eternal future!
-marji kruger