Tuesday, October 27, 2015

[size=18pt]Integrity

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine."1[/size]

Don Johnson of Afterglow wrote, "In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric hordes to the north, so they built the great Chinese wall. It was so high they knew no one could climb over it and so thick that nothing could break it down. They settled back to enjoy their security. During the first hundred years of the wall's existence China was invaded three times. Not once did the barbaric hordes break down the wall or climb over the top. Each time they bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right through the gates. The Chinese were so busy relying upon the walls of stone that they forgot to teach integrity to their children."2

Integrity means: keeping your word; being faithful to your commitments; doing an honest day's work; not doing in the dark what you would never be caught doing in the light. It is being loyal, trustworthy, and faithful. It means: being true to yourself and honest with others; being genuine, authentic, and real, faithful, trustworthy, and loyal.

Our individual lives and our families will not be saved by personal power, wealth, education, popularity, nor beauty, but by integrity and our trust in the Lord. Neither will our nation be saved by the power and might of our military nor our brilliant technical warfare. In the long run we will only be saved by our integrity and our trust in the Lord, for "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me as an individual to always maintain integrity, and help us as a nation to realize the tremendous importance of maintaining integrity. And grant that we will be forever reminded that 'blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 33:12,16-19 (NIV).
2. Afterglow, www.afterglow.org.

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=152

Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by Richard (Dick) Innes of ACTS International.

Thursday, October 29, 2015
[size=18pt]
Exponential Growth

"Then He [Jesus] said to His disciples, "'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"1[/size]

Tradition says that the man who invented the game of chess was told by the Chinese emperor to name his own reward. The man simply asked that a grain of rice be placed on the first square of the chess board: two grains on the second square, four on the third, eight on the fourth, sixteen on the fifth, and so on, the grains doubling each time. The emperor quickly agreed, but was horrified when he came to the sixty-fourth square.

The only hope of mankind for peace for today and hope for eternity is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. If I tell one person about Jesus, and we both tell another, that makes four persons sharing the Good News. By the time I've told twenty-one people, and if all the others do the same and so on, more than one million people will have heard the gospel in no time.2

Jesus started the entire Christian message with a motley band of twelve disciples. By Ascension Day it had grown ten times to 120. "A little over a week later, on Pentecost, it increased to over 3,000. By the time the last of the twelve died, there were an estimated half-million followers of Jesus Christ.

"That was at the end of the first century. By the end of the second century, this number had increased to almost ten million. By the close of the ninth century, there were 100 million Christians. Today, the number has grown to over one billion believers around the world. None of this growth would have been possible had Christians not been excited and supportive of missions or prayed to 'the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"3

Since going online in 1998 ACTS International has received over 44,000 salvation and re-commitment to Christ responses from around the world. These responses have come from Daily and Weekend Encounter and our gospel messages on the ACTS web site at www.actsweb.org. Many more of these salvation responses would undoubtedly come from Daily and Weekend Encounter readers if every subscriber would forward copies to friends, contacts and family members.

Imagine if every one of our well over a-third-of-a-million 373,000 plus subscribers to Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters would forward a suitable copy of Daily Encounter to one other person each month for one year, this would mean that 4,476,000+ people would have an opportunity to receive the gospel in a non-offensive way. And what if each Encounter subscriber would forward a copy to one other person each week for a year? This would mean that 19,396,000 more people would have an opportunity to receive the gospel. If every Christian would just "keep on keeping on" sharing God's message, the spreading of the gospel would increase exponentially. With the invention of e-mail and the Internet this has never ever been easier to do.

Never have we had such an opportunity. God has given us the message and commissioned us—you and me included—to take it to all the world. He has given us the methods. All He needs is His people working together all doing their share to reach our world for Christ. Will you make a commitment to help spread the gospel and thereby be a part of what God is doing in the world today?

NOTE: To make it extremely easy for you to share Daily Encounter and ACTS Good News gospel outreach websites in a non-offensive way with family, friends and contacts, we have printed high quality, attractive business witness cards. See samples online at http://actscom.com/witness_cards.php. Try them. You'll like them. I've given scores away and have never had anyone not accept it—except by only one man—and he was a Christian! Be sure to get a pack of 50 today. Be sure to order especially a 50-pack of the "Thank You for Your Friendly Service" witness cards. These are a real winner.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your great salvation which has given me the gift of eternal life and a home in heaven to be with You forever—a life that has been saved from eternal damnation. I am available for You to use to be a part of Your plans and what You are doing in the world today. Please give me a passion for lost souls and help me to be as Christ to every life I touch—and use me today to help spread the gospel in whatever way I can. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV).
2. Dorothy O'Neill, Encounter magazine (Australia), March/April 2002.
3. Dennis Kastens, "Echoes of Eternity," from the sermon: "Laborers Needed for the Harvest."

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Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by Richard (Dick) Innes of ACTS International.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

[size=18pt]Old Bombs

"If you are angry, don't sin by nursing your grudge. Don't let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; for when you are angry you give a mighty foothold to the devil."1[/size]

In June of 1987 workers on a building site in London hit a cast iron pipe when using a pile driver. After digging out the buried pipe—and dropping it—they realized it looked suspiciously like a bomb.

It was! It turned out to be a 2,200 pound bomb from World War II—one of the largest the Germans used during the blitz which killed 15,000 Londoners. The area was evacuated and a bomb disposal unit took 18 hours to disarm it.

Unresolved buried emotions such as anger, hatred, unforgiving atttude, resentment, shame, guilt, and grief can be like buried bombs and can be easily triggered and detonated. No wonder Paul advised us to never sleep on our anger and Peter said to get rid of such feelings. To do this we need to get them out in the open and defuse them by expressing them in a safe place ... in a creative way ... to a trusted friend or counselor ... or write them out as David often did in the Psalms. The important thing is to get them out and off our chest and not bottle them up inside.

To heal negative emotions we need to feel them. To resolve them we need to relive them. That is, we need to bring back painful memories from past hurtful experiences to conscious memory so we can get them out in the open where they can be expressed and resolved. Bottling up feelings, like burying old bombs, is a very dangerous course to follow.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your Word, the Bible, which gives practical instructions for creative and healthy living. Please help me to follow Your instructions and face any buried negative emotional "bombs" in my life, and help me to resolve them creatively so I won't explode onto other people. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Ephesians 4:26 (TLB), [NLT].

NOTE: See the article, "Getting in Touch with Your Feelings," at: http:///3jceny

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=156

Wednesday, November 4, 2015
[size=18pt]
Winning over Worry and Anxiety, Part I

"Don't worry about things—food, drink and clothes ... don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time."1[/size]

It's Monday morning. The weekend is over. The alarm clock blares out its hideous jangle and suddenly you are snapped into the world of reality. First comes the struggle to get out of bed, then the rush to get to school or work on time, and then comes the stress of trying to juggle all one's seemingly endless responsibilities. Or just the opposite may be true for those out of work.

Is this how your week starts? And aren't these pressures mild compared to the ones you face as the day and week wear on?

We live in a world of ever-increasing stress and worry with school, work, and family, financial, social, and relational pressures. Not many people are free from worry of some kind.

Worry and anxiety are major problems of contemporary society. In excessive amounts they can take years off your life.

Some people like to think that things don't bother them. "No problem," they say as they put on a brave front and reach for the aspirin or alcohol bottle to deaden their fears, worries, and anxieties.

However, it isn't possible to deaden inner anxiety. Unresolved, it will reveal itself in many ways.

For instance, George withdraws when he is upset, hurt, or uptight. Susan talks endlessly to cover her anxiety. Bill chain smokes to avoid facing his. Harry attacks when he feels threatened. Jack dominates, and Jill procrastinates. Dennis is a constant complainer. Joan is a compulsive eater, Fred a compulsive drinker, Tom a compulsive worker, and Frank a compulsive gambler—all because of unresolved worry and anxiety.

Anxiety may also express itself in a physical way. Stuttering, abdominal pains, high blood pressure, a twitch, allergies, ulcers, nervous stomach, tension headaches—all have been named by doctors as symptoms of anxiety and worry.

Yes, sooner or later unresolved worry and anxiety will win out. When one fails to creatively talk out his worries, he will act them out in some destructive way.

Long ago the Bible pointed out that "a relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life."2 Jesus himself said, "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes.... Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."3

And the Apostle Paul wrote, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus"4

However, it's one thing to know about God's peace and another thing to experience it. And as E. Stanley Jones said, "Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles."

To be continued. See tomorrow's Daily Encounter.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to come to terms with my fears, worries and anxieties, and learn how to resolve these and trust more fully in You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Mathew 6:25 and 34 (NIV).
2. Proverbs 14:30 (NLT).
3. Matthew 6:25 and 34 (NIV).
4. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT).

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=161

Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by Richard (Dick) Innes of ACTS International.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

[size=18pt]
Winning over Worry and Anxiety, Part II[/size]

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."1[/size]

An overload of worry and anxiety, like an overload of stress, is a killer. We all know that. More importantly, what we also need to know is how to win over such.

It begins with being able to see and admit our real fears, which are a basic cause behind many worries and anxieties. By facing and resolving these, and by learning to trust our life and circumstances to God, and giving our worries to Him—and leaving them with God. The following are other major causes of anxiety with helpful tips for winning over them.

First: If anxiety is situational—that is, caused by adverse circumstances or too much work, or not enough work—I find it helps to list all my pressures on paper. This is half the battle. I then eliminate the least important matters, work on the things I can do something about, and begin to learn to accept the things I cannot change and stop worrying about them.

Second: If the problem is caused by pent-up feelings, such as resentment, hurt, or anger, those feelings need to be expressed in healthy ways and resolved, otherwise they may cause ongoing worry and anxiety—or they may make you sick. If you're nursing a grudge, if possible put things right with the person you feel hurt you, and regardless, you need to forgive him/her.2

Some hurt or angry feelings can be talked out with a trusted friend or counselor. Or go for a drive in your car, park in a safe place where you can be alone, lock the doors, and with the windows closed, the radio turned up loud, talk to the person who hurt you as if they were in the car with you. Express freely your true feelings toward them, and do this as many times as necessary until all the pent up feelings are dissipated. Or if it helps, go to the bedroom and cry your hurt and/or grief feelings out, or write them out as David often did in the Psalms.

One night when I was worried and couldn't sleep, I got up and typed a letter to God sharing all my feelings with Him. Within a half-hour I had released my pent-up feelings. I then read them back to God, tore up the page, went back to bed, and fell asleep immediately.

Third: Good, hard physical exercise is also helpful when you're feeling worried or anxious. It helps burn up excess adrenalin.

Fourth: If your worry is caused by unmet emotional or spiritual needs, you can remedy this by growing in your relationship to God and others—both of which are keys to vital, worry-free living. A spiritual-growth group or a good twelve-step recovery group can be a big help for worriers. As you open up your true self to others and to God and feel their love and acceptance, you can slowly exchange feelings of fear, guilt, anger, inadequacy, anxiety, and worry for feelings of hope, confidence, peace, and love.

"Perfect love drives out fear,"3 wrote the Apostle John in the Bible. So we need to ask God not only to help us overcome our fears, but also to fill us with love. The more we love and trust God and others, the less we fear man and circumstances.

To be concluded in tomorrow's Daily Encounter, Part III.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to face and resolve the causes behind all my worries, cares, and anxieties. And 'give me the courage to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 1 John 4:18 (NIV).
2. See Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV).
3. 1 John 4:18 (NIV).

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Friday, November 6, 2015

[size=18pt]Winning Over Worry and Anxiety, Part III

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."1[/size]

I have read how, in 1929, business tycoon J.C. Penney was in the hospital because of his severe anxiety. One night he was sure he was going to die, so he wrote farewell letters to his wife and son.

But he survived the night, and hearing singing the next morning in the chapel, felt drawn to go in. A group was singing, "God will take care of you," after which followed Bible reading and prayer.

Penney said, "Suddenly something happened. I can't explain it. It was a miracle. I felt as if I had been instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into warm brilliant sunlight. I felt as if I had been transported from hell to paradise. I felt the power of God as I had never felt it before.

"I realized then that I alone was responsible for all my troubles. I knew that God with his love was there to help me. From that day to this, my life has been free from worry. The most dramatic and glorious minutes of my life were those I spent in that chapel that morning."2

Most causes of anxiety and worry lie within ourselves. At best they are triggered by outside circumstances. Only when we admit to and resolve these causes, are we free to fully surrender our worries and anxieties to God and experience his peace.

Whether this peace comes instantly or over a period of time doesn't matter. The important truth to remember is that God is always there. His love and power are constant and available to all. As we reach out to Him through the fog of our worry and damaged emotions, we discover that He is waiting to help us if only we will be totally open and honest with Him, respond to His love, and give Him the chance to help us.

Every day, visualize Jesus being with you and opening yourself to receive His love, joy and peace. After resolving the causes of worry and anxiety as spelled out in Wednesday and Thursday's Daily Encounters, the ultimate source of worry-free living is found in learning to trust God fully for every detail and in every circumstance of our life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and every circumstance in which I find myself to You. I choose to trust You regardless of my feelings, and please help my feelings to catch up with my choice to trust You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT).
2. S.I. McMillen, None of These Diseases (Westwood, N.J.: Fleming Revell Co., 1963), p.98.

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=163

Monday, November 9, 2015

When You Can Know that You Know that You Know

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."1

Gen. Douglas MacArthur was a cadet at West Point. A brilliant student, MacArthur was struggling with a class in which he was studying the time-space relationship later formulated by Einstein as his Theory of Relativity. The text was complex and, being unable to comprehend it, MacArthur committed the pages to memory. When he was called upon to answer a question about this time-space relationship, he solemnly reeled off almost word for word what the book said.

When he was finished, the instructor, Colonel Fieberger, looked at him somewhat quizzically and asked, "Do you understand this theory?"

"It was a bad moment for me," says MacArthur, "but I did not hesitate in replying, 'No, sir.'"

You could have heard a pin drop, MacArthur reports. He braced himself and waited. And then came the slow, measured words of the professor: "Neither do I, Mr. MacArthur. Section dismissed."2

MacArthur was relieved that he wasn't expected to know the answer to that complex question.

There are numerous questions about life that you and I can't answer either. And yet there are some who feel compelled to answer every question asked of them whether they know the answer or not.

For instance, evolutionists claim emphatically that man descended from apes in spite of the fact that a missing link between man and monkeys has never been found. It's much easier to believe that man, nature, and the universe all happened by chance because if we believe in a Divine Creator, then we are responsible to Him for our life and manner of living.

Then for would-be theologians some of us like to think we have a corner on the truth, but too often we major on the non-essentials instead of majoring on the essentials that are very clear in the Bible. For example, when it comes to Christ's return, the major issue is not so much the when of Christ's return, but that we are ready for it because God alone knows the day and hour of that day.

Then there are questions about life that we simply cannot fully answer. For example, we don't understand why some good people suffer, or why some bad people prosper. We can't understand why some people from a certain kind of background become criminals, while other people growing up under the same set of circumstances become sterling citizens.

However, there is one thing in life that we can know that we know that we know—and that is the answer to life's most important issue—our eternal well-being. God's Word, the Bible, assures us that all who put their trust in Jesus as their personal Savior can know without a shadow of a doubt that they have the gift of eternal life. As God said through the Apostle John: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [Jesus] so that you may know that you have eternal life."3

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for giving all the information we need to know about the eternal destiny of our souls—especially that all who have accepted Jesus as their Savior have the knowledge and assurance that our sins are forgiven, and that we have Your promise of eternal life to be with You in Heaven forever. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer; gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

NOTE: If you are not sure of your eternal welfare, be sure to read, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian ... without having to be religious," at: http:///8glq9

1. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV).
2. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, "Reminiscences," in Discover, July 1996, p.16.
3. 1 John 5:13 (NIV).

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=160

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Power of Imaging, Part I

Seeing Jesus walking on the water, Peter said: "'Lord, if it's You ... tell me to come to You on the water.' 'Come,' He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'"1

I'd dare say that most of us could walk a twelve-foot-long by one-foot-wide plank that was on the ground. But suspend it thirty feet up in the air between two buildings, suddenly, for most of us (including me), it becomes a terrifying, nigh on impossible task.

Why?

Like Peter, because we are afraid of falling our faith is swallowed up by fear. We suddenly see ourselves plunging, and what we picture happening paralyzes us. In many, if not most, instances, what we imagine, see or visualize in our mind is what we make to happen.

In other words, if you imagine yourself falling off that plank, you're much more likely to make it happen. But if you see yourself confidently walking across it safely to the other side, you will be able to do it.

Life's like that. If you see yourself as being loving and lovable, you will love others and be loved by them. If you see yourself as confident and successful, you will act accordingly and be successful. If, on the other hand, you see yourself as unlovable, insecure, and a failure, you will act in an unlovable manner and set yourself up to fail.

Thus, a major key to successful living is to visualize exactly the type of person you want to become and what you want to make of your life—see it in your mind's eye as already happening, and believe, with God's help, that it is possible.

This kind of visualizing, or imaging as it is called, is a powerful means of help for overcoming problems, healing of sicknesses, achieving goals, improving relationships, and changing one's life.

To be continued...

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, when I have to walk across life's difficult places, please help me to keep my eyes fixed on You, and believe that You will hold my hand lest I fall. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 14:28-30 (NIV).

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Power of Imaging, Part II

"Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you."1

Imaging—picturing in your mind's eye—can help you achieve that which seems nigh on impossible.

One day (many years ago) when I was working on our church building, I borrowed my boss's heavy circular-saw bench. When returning it, it fell off the truck, right in the middle of a major highway. It had taken four of us to load the saw bench onto the truck and here it was, lying in the middle of the road with only two of us to re-load it!

No problem ... all we could see was getting it back on the truck. And, with seemingly super-human strength, heaved it back onto the truck in a flash. We fastened it securely, and were on our way in no time at all. We amazed ourselves with a strength we didn't even know we had. This type of thing is fairly common.

Where did the extra strength come from? I'd say that the picture in our mind of getting the saw bench back onto the truck as quickly as possible, plus the urgency of the situation, triggered an extra supply of adrenaline, making it possible for us to lift it. Had we focused on the problem and our inability to lift it by ourselves, we never would have been able to achieve that task.

Imaging can also help in the healing of sicknesses.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peal in his book, Imaging, tells about Harry DeCamp who was healed of cancer. He was not a religious man, but was challenged to believe in God when a friend sent him a card which said, "With God all things are possible."

Harry chose to believe that through faith and prayer, God could heal him, and started to visualize in a dramatic way the healing process taking place within his body.

"He began to imagine armies of healing white blood cells in his body cascading down from his shoulders, sweeping through his veins, attacking the malignant cells and destroying them. A hundred times a day, two hundred, three hundred, he went through this imaging process. He worked at it constantly, day and night."2

Harry also kept on with his chemotherapy and in six months he was healed. What cured him? His faith, the chemotherapy, or his creative imaging? Probably all three!

For some unknown reason, when the image we create in our mind is vivid and clear, the desire to achieve it, and the faith to believe it is possible are strong enough, the untapped powers of the mind come to our rescue and help us achieve the very thing we image and believe in. Unfortunately, the same principle is effective for those who wish to perform acts of evil. Actually, all of us are visualizing things in our mind much of the time. Just think how temptation works! We just need to use this ability for good.

To be continued ...

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to see what You want me to become and do for Your glory, and picture these in my mind until, with Your help, one by one, they are all achieved. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 9:29 (NIV).
2. Imaging, by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, p. 22.

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Friday, November 13, 2015

The Power of Imaging, Part III

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."1

Faith is seeing what God wants us to do. Visualizing this adds wings to our faith. It is picturing in our mind's eye what we believe God wants us to do. Besides helping us to achieve what seems an impossible thing for us to do, and to help in the healing process, it can also help in the following ways:

Imaging can help achieve goals.

When I first went to the city where I started the work of ACTS International, I was with another organization and was told by a key church leader (who happened to be a member of our board of directors and who had considerable control) that I'd better realize right from the start that I wouldn't be able to do anything in this city because there wasn't enough money here.

Amazing! This was the exact image this leader had in his mind—and undoubtedly that influenced other board members, and was why that organization had very little income even though they had been in operation for twenty years. I ended up moving out of this organization to commence the work of ACTS.

I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I never believed God called anyone to do anything that couldn't be done! At the time, I'd never heard of the term "imaging," but I began to formulate and write down specific goals, then see them as achieved. And then, with God's help and guidance, I went to work to make it happen.

From a standpoint where there was an image or vision of not being able to do anything, a new image not only reached out across South Australia (where we began), but to all Australia, then to New Zealand, and then to North America. And now, via e-mail and the Internet, it is reaching out around the world.

The way we see and image what we want to see achieved makes all the difference in the world. In many ways what we see is what we get.

Imaging can change your life. And, as already noted, it adds wings to your faith!

Regardless of your present circumstances, feelings or background, you, too, can change your life. You can do this by changing your self-image and by imaging what you want to become and do with your life.

That is the way most people achieve their goals. It's the way we've built ACTS International. It was how I built my own home. It's how I improved my education and do the work I do. And I still build things by first seeing and picturing them in my mind. I'm sure this is the way President John Kennedy achieved the goal of putting man on the moon in the 1960s. You can just imagine him looking up at the moon hundreds of times and "seeing" an American there long before it happened. Had he not visualized it in his mind, I doubt that it ever would have happened.

Don't misunderstand me, there's no magic in imaging, but it helps keep you working towards and focused on your goals. In realty, achieving worthwhile goals never comes easy. Besides, it's one thing to dream dreams, but quite another to fulfill them. To do so, it takes God's help plus, on our part, relentless effort, persistence, dedication, training, discipline, determination, patience, endurance, stick-to-itiveness, time, hard work, and faith.

The most important thing of all is to be certain that our goals are not only worthwhile, but also in harmony with God's will. And then, with the added dimension of imaging, the dynamic of faith, and the power of prayer, we can be assured of achieving them. Remember, too, that another definition of faith is visualizing what God wants you to do. Among other things, God wants all of us to be made whole, to find fulfillment, to reach our potential, and to achieve something worthwhile with our lives.

So ask God today to give you an image of what He wants you to become and do. Begin to create that image in your mind right now. See it clearly. Write it down, and formulate a plan to fulfill it. Bring it to God every day, asking for His help to fulfill that which He wants you to become and do. As long as you are committed to God's goal and purpose for your life, you can be assured that He will help you to fulfill it.

Remember: "Faith is visualizing what God wants you to do!"

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that You have a plan and purpose for my life. Help me to know what that is, to hold it as a picture in my mind, and bring it to You every day for Your help, direction, guidance, and provision. Show me how to fulfill this plan, and give me the courage and determination to never give up until Your goal and purpose for my life is fulfilled. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV).

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

When You Feel That God Has Let You Down

Jesus said, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."1

Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, a well-known preacher in the twentieth century, said that once, when he was a high school student, he had a very difficult examination. But he had discovered that verse, "And whatever you ask in my name, that will I do."

Weatherhead believed that verse meant that all he had to do was ask and he would pass the exam. He told God he was believing his promise, and that he wanted a good grade. The next day young Weatherhead took the examination, but when the grades were in, he had failed. He was disillusioned. He rebelled and almost lost his faith. He came to the conclusion that the promises of the Bible were not good—all because God had not granted his wish for a good grade.

The next year he repeated that course. He worked hard, and passed. This time he decided that he didn't need God—that he could get along by himself.

After some years had passed, Dr Weatherhead came to understand that his own powers and abilities were in reality the power that God had given to him. He began to realize that God had already given him the power to pass the examination, but he had not used that power the first go around.2

I'm sure many of us could identify with Weatherhead in that we have, at times, wanted and expected God to do all sorts of things for us without any or sufficient effort on our part.

Fortunately, it doesn't work that way. God is not codependent. He will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. That's why He sent Jesus to die for us because it is impossible for us to save ourselves. But God won't do for us what we need to do for ourselves. If He did, He would be keeping us over-dependent and immature.

True, God feeds the sparrows, but He doesn't throw the food into their nests.

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, help me to realize that You have already moved the heavens to come to earth to save me from my sins, but also that You won't do for me what You have already equipped me to do for myself. Help me to remember that personal responsibility is my responsibility. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. John 14:13 (NKJV).
2. Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, "Our Desire and Our Growth."

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=165

Monday, November 16, 2015

God: A Bayer's Aspirin?

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."1

I recall one lady who complained bitterly to me, saying in a mournful tone, "I can't understand why God gave me such a terrible husband."

"Who chose your husband?" I asked.

"God," she said, totally convinced in her mind that He did.

There was nothing I could do to get this extremely unhappy woman to see that it wasn't God who chose her husband, but it was she. With people like this it's, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's made up." Or, as another saying goes, "A man (or woman) convinced against his/her will is of the same opinion still."

As said before, unhappy people are attracted to other unhappy people and, if they marry, they have unhappy marriages. The opposite is also true in that happy people are attracted to happy people and when they marry, they have a much greater chance of having a happy marriage. It has little, if anything to do with God. It has to do with our facing our problems, resolving them, and growing up.

Unfortunately, some people, as John Powell describes them, treat God as if he were a giant Bayer's aspirin pill with the prescription: "Take God three times a day and you won't feel any pain."

Not so. God will give us wisdom if we ask for it and guidance if we seek it, but when we want or even expect God to do for us what we need to do for ourselves and are responsible to do, we set ourselves up for disappointment with God, when in reality, we need to be disappointed in ourselves.

For those who say, "'Sorry, but that is the way I am. I was like this in the beginning, am now, and ever shall be' is a handy motto and delusion to have around if we don't want to grow up."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be made whole so that my lifestyle, actions, attitudes, and relationships are responsible and wholesome. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV).
2. John Powell, Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am, p. 167.

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=166

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Whatever You Do, Don't Miss Life's Greatest Opportunity

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."1

A few years ago one of my best friends was cut down in the prime of life. He was only forty-something. His doctors gave him only a matter of months to live. His passing was a shock and a sad loss for many of us. One of the last things my friend said to me before he died was how much he regretted not being able to do some important things he planned on doing. "And now it is too late," he said.

As John Greenleaf Whittier said, "Some of our most painful regrets are for opportunities lost."

Another person who will know the tragedy of opportunity lost was King Agrippa who said to the Apostle Paul when he shared the gospel with him, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian."2 But King Agrippa, as far as we know never did accept Jesus as his Savior, and if not, is lost forever. And all the regrets forever will never ever give him that opportunity again.

You and I, too, will be lost forever if we fail to accept God's pardon for sins forgiven and His gift of eternal life. None of us has any guarantee of tomorrow, and as God's Word reminds us, "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation." Remember too that opportunity comes to pass—not to pause.

As William Shakespeare so eloquently expressed it:

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune.
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen. The saddest are these: It might have been!"

If you have never accepted God's free pardon for all your sins by accepting Jesus as your Savior, or are not sure you have done that, please do it today. Don't wait until tomorrow for tomorrow may be too late. For help go to http:///8glq9 for the article. "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian." Don't be an almost-persuaded-might-have-been person.

And if there is some unfinished business you've been putting off doing for some time, don't put it off any longer. Do it today. And if there is someone you need to call or contact and let them know you love and appreciate them, and haven't yet told them, do it today.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for another reminder of the things I need to take care of today. With Your help I make a commitment to do today what I need to do. If I have never accepted Jesus as my Savior, I will do that right now.* Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

*Again, for help to accept Jesus as your Savior be sure to read: "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian—without having to be religious," at: http:///8glq9

1. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV).
2. Acts 26:28 (NKJV).

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=170

Friday, November 20, 2015

Tigers in the Dark

"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies."1

I read some time ago how a well-known television circus show developed a Bengal tiger act that was performed live before a large audience. One evening, the tiger trainer went into the cage with several tigers to do a routine performance. The door was locked behind him. The spotlights highlighted the cage, the television cameras moved in close, and the audience watched in suspense as the trainer skillfully put the tigers through their paces.

In the middle of the performance, the worst possible fate befell the act: the power went out! For thirty long seconds the trainer was locked in with the tigers. In the darkness they could see him, but he could not see them. A whip and a small kitchen chair seemed meager protection under the circumstances. But he survived, and when the lights came on, he calmly finished the performance.

In an interview afterward, he was asked how he felt knowing the tigers could see him but that he could not see them. He first admitted the chilling fear of the situation, but pointed out that the tigers did not know that he could not see them. He said, "I just kept cracking my whip and talking to them until the lights came on. And they never knew I couldn't see them as well as they could see me."2

Do you ever feel caught in the dark with the "tigers of your heart" or circumstances that seem to be out of your control? I sure have. Two things I do in these situations. First, I keep quoting today's Scripture, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" I'm sure David kept saying this when King Saul was out to kill him—and David couldn't know where he was most of the time. Second, I ask God to confront me with the truth and reality of what I might in any way be contributing to the situation I am in.

It's not until I pray for what I am contributing to "my dark nights of despair" that I see the light—and know exactly what I need to do to change my circumstances wherever this is possible, or at least to overcome my tigers of fear.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that my life is in Your hands and that You are always with me in my dark days of despair just as You are in my happy days of rejoicing. Thank You, too, for Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to always remember this, and trust my life to You, and be willing to face what I am contributing to my situation, change what I can change, and learn to accept joyfully what I cannot change. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

For further help read: "Conquering Fear" at: http:///rhlho

1. Psalm 118:5-7 (NIV).
2. Thomas Lane Butts, cited on KneEmail, http://www.oakhillcoc.org.

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=172

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Long Suffering Vs. Suffering Long

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."1

One man, whom I shall call Jerry, was divorced by his wife twenty years ago. She has long since been remarried to another man. But Jerry is still living under the delusion that she will come back to him.

Instead of growing through longsuffering, Jerry is groaning through suffering long ... which is a thief of peace and happiness and has stopped him from getting on with his life (and growing)—and makes this kind of suffering worse than useless.

God's purpose for longsuffering is to help us grow, to learn patience, and become better, healthier, and more peaceful and fulfilled persons.

Suffering long is when we can change our circumstances (or at least our attitude) but keep doing what we've always done and expect different results. But as the old saying goes, "Nothing changes if nothing changes."

Unfortunately, when we are blind to the reality of what we are contributing to the situation we are in and keep hoping for change, too often we do more of the same of what we've been doing all along. And then as we remain in our pain, we play the excuse-game, the rationalization-game, and/or the blame-game; that is, blaming others, God or the devil for our misfortunes and miseries—but fail to take personal responsibility for changing ourselves!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in a take-off in the words of another, 'Grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV).

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Tuesday, November 24, 2015.

False Fears

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."1

Business professors Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad wrote about an experiment with four monkeys. In their cage was placed a pole with a bunch of bananas suspended at the top. When one of the monkeys climbed the pole, just as he reached out to grasp hold of a banana, he was doused with a torrent of cold water. Squealing, he quickly scampered down the pole. The same thing happened to the three other monkeys. After several more attempts, they abandoned all hope of reaching the bananas.

The researchers then replaced one of the monkeys with another monkey, and as soon as the newcomer monkey began to climb the pole, the other three monkeys pulled him away. After several more attempts, he too gave up. A second one of the four original monkeys was replaced and the same thing happened to him. He, too, was pulled away from the pole when he attempted to climb it. In time all four of the original monkeys were replaced; none of whom dared climb the pole even though they never knew why and had never been doused with cold water.2

False fears, which may have had validity at one time but are no longer valid, are not only taught and learned by monkeys, but also by people. Such fears can be learned through an early traumatic experience—or learned from a parent—and be firmly programmed into our unconscious mind, and hold us back from becoming and doing all that God envisioned for us to be and do. For some people, irrational fears can be crippling. Only as we see and know the truth can we begin to be set free.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to confront all of my fears and see them for what they are. Help me to overcome them and be set free to become and do all that You planned for me to be and do. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

For help be sure to read the article, "Conquering Fear," at: http:///rhlho

1. John 8:32 (NIV).
2. From Failing Forward, by John C. Maxwell. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=176

Monday, November 23, 2015

Whatever Bothers Me

"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.'"1

Years ago when I was doing a counselor training course, one of the instructors made the statement, "Whatever bothers you is your problem!"

"Hmmm," I thought to myself, "that's an interesting concept—never thought of that before."

At the time I was going through a rough situation personally and was in despair about it. During the course of the training, I explained to my counselor about my predicament and he said, "That must make you angry."

"No," I replied, "I'm just hurt." And he left me with the thought, "That must make you angry!"

Shortly after that I went for a long walk, thinking about, "That must make you angry." Then the truth hit me like a bolt of lightning! "Whew," I admitted to myself, "I am angry—very angry!"

I was never able to change the person whom I felt had rejected and hurt me so badly, but I was able to change me, and come to terms with my feelings (which I had learned to bury and deny at an early age), and resolve them. It also helped me to deal with the anger I had towards my father from whom I had been estranged for many years and resolve that impaired relationship. Fortunately, I was able to do this a few months before he died. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

What others do to me may or may not be a problem, but how I react and feel is always my responsibility. However, to the degree that I overreact, that is always my problem.

It is true; whatever bothers me is my problem. This can be a hard pill to swallow, but until we accept this reality, we will continue to blame others for our feelings and possibly never resolve our hurts/anger or impaired relationships.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for the people in my life whom You have used to confront me with truth and reality. They have been angels in disguise. Help me to always recognize them as such and use their insights to help me become a better, healthier, and more loving and accepting person. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Luke 18:13 (KJV).

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=173

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Tradition

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."1

I have read how, as a boy in the Midwest, Dale Carnegie used to amuse himself by holding a stick across a gateway that the sheep had to pass through.

After the first few sheep jumped over the stick, Dale would take it away. Oddly enough, all of the remaining sheep would also leap through the gateway over the imaginary barrier. The only reason for their jumping was that those in front of them had jumped.

Sheep are not the only ones with this tendency. Many of us are prone to do what we have seen others do, believe what others believe, and often accept without question what our leaders teach.

Traditions can be a blessing or a bane. Some religious traditions are good and help keep healthy ties to the past. Other traditions may hold the church back. In recent years, one significant area of conflict has been the desire to change the church from traditional to contemporary style of worship--primarily in the type of worship music. And what has been the end result? According to reports from the well respected Christian Barna Research Group, today's church in North America is in decline. Sometimes it seems that, even though what we do isn't being effective, we still cling to what some leaders want to do regardless of its effectiveness or otherwise.

Other traditions, especially man-made religious traditions, can keep people in bondage and stop progress in the church.

I know of one church where some members complained, not against singing praise choruses in their Sunday morning worship service, but against having a screen on which to view the words. They said they couldn't worship God with a screen in the front of the church sanctuary! That church clung so tightly to tradition that it was unable to move from the old ways to any of the new, and died. It no longer exists.

There's much truth in what Gloria Steinem is credited as having said: "The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn."

Saddest thing of all was that the religious people of Jesus day, while they were waiting for the promised Messiah, didn't recognize or accept Him when He came. Tradition blinded them to reality.

But there are also good traditions that we need to keep. Accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord is a 2,000–year–old tradition. It has never changed. It never will. Jesus is still the only way to God. As Jesus himself said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me."2

As today's Bible verse points out, the early Christians in Berea constantly examined the Scriptures to make sure that Paul's teachings were in harmony with the Word of God. We need to do the same—and cling to that which is true and discard that which is untrue or no longer relevant. As the Apostle himself taught, "Test everything. Hold on to the good."3 Besides, have you ever noticed how silent the New Testament is on methodology? I think God had a good reason for that.

Suggested prayer. "Dear God, please help me to keep a healthy balance between the old and the new, to discern the difference between traditions that are in harmony with Your Word and those which are man–made irrelevant traditions. Please give me the wisdom to know the difference between the two, the courage to hold to that which is true, and the willingness to discard that which is not of You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Acts 17:11 (NIV).
2. John 14:6 (NIV).
3. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV).

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Perseverance

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will."1

At the turn of the last century, Julia Woodward went to Ecuador as a missionary to minister to a tribe of some 15,000 Indians. In her half–century of work, she saw only a handful of these people accept the gospel and come to Christ. However, she taught the people to read and write and began to translate some of the Bible into their language. After 50 years of faithful service, she retired and was replaced by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clawson who, after a relatively short time, saw almost this entire tribe embrace the Christian faith and become Christians. This was made possible because of the seed sown by Julia Woodward.

As another has said, "Don't ever underestimate the power of a seed. In 1959, there were one-million Roman Catholics and 600,000 Protestants in China. That may sound like a lot, but when you compare it to a population that is rapidly approaching one billion, you understand what a tiny seed that represented. When China closed its doors to the outside world, many people began to wrap a burial shroud around the Christian church in China. They said that it would never survive. In 1979 China again opened its doors to the West and to the rest of the world. And a strange thing had happened. That tiny seed 20 years earlier had taken root. The number of Roman Catholics during those dark years rose from one-million to three-million and the number of Protestants rose from 600,000 to three-million. The church in a time of persecution and hardship had grown 53% in a twenty-year period!"2

You and I may never be a Paul or a Julia Woodward, but we can keep sowing seeds of the gospel and of God's love. Here an encouraging word ... there an encouraging word to a friend in need ... little acts of kindness all along the way ... praying with one who is discouraged and/or hurting ... being as Christ to every life we touch.... Such seeds are never wasted—only God knows the eternal influence and impact of such. As Solomon wrote, "Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will."

Suggested prayer. "Dear God, please help me to keep on sowing the seed of Your Word and the gospel in the way that I live and act, and through well-spoken and timely words. Please use me to help others to find You and/or come closer to You. Use my life as a living investment in eternity. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB).
2. www.eSermons.com

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=181

Friday, December 18, 2015

Following Footsteps

"Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."1

Lee Strobel tells about a mother from Costa Mesa, California who told about the day her three-year old son was on her heels wherever she went. She was having trouble doing her routine chores.

"Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around I would trip over him," she said. "Several times I suggested fun activities to keep him occupied, but he would just smile and say, 'That's alright Mommy I'd rather be in here with you.' He continued to follow me and after the fifth trip, my patience wore thin and I asked him why he was following me constantly."

"My Sunday school teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps but I can't see Him so I'm walking in yours."

The greatest way we can teach our children about and show our loved ones the love of Jesus is through the example of how we live, and how we model his love in our everyday life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to so live that people, especially my children (and loved ones), will see Jesus in me and will want to follow in my footsteps and have Jesus in their life too. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV).

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Christmas: A Call to Remember, Part I

"An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.'"1

In his book, A Room Called Remember, Fredrick Buechner tells about the great snowfall in New York City in the winter of 1947. At first it seemed no different from any other snowstorm. The flakes gently floated down without any wind to drive them. All day they fell. Gradually the sidewalks, parked cars and buildings were covered with a blanket of white. Streets became slushy. Shopkeepers were out with their shovels trying to keep clear a path to their doors. And the snow kept falling. The plows couldn't keep ahead of it. Consequently, the traffic nearly came to a standstill. Businesses closed early and people did their best to get home before nightfall.

By the next morning bustling New York was a totally different city. Abandoned cars were buried. Nothing on wheels could move. Skiers glided gracefully down Park Avenue. The most striking transformation, however, was the silence. The only sounds were muffled voices and the ringing church bells. People listened because they couldn't help themselves. And our world rarely listens anymore—whether in New York or Toronto, London or Los Angeles, Sidney or Singapore—unless a crisis of sufficient magnitude thrusts a wrench into the wheels of our high-speed, technological society and forces us to a standstill.

Except, perhaps, as Buechner points out, at Christmas time when it's hard not to stop and listen. Business increases to a frenzied pace. Canned carols blast out over the din of traffic. Bells jingle. Red-robed Santas freeze in Chicago, while their counterparts fry in Melbourne. Then, suddenly, night falls on Christmas Eve. The last shop closes. All the hullabaloo stops. Everything is silent—for one brief day.

This year don't miss the silence. Take time to listen. Be still and hear the true message of Christmas which, above all, is a call to remember that God has not forgotten us, but is vitally involved in the affairs of mankind. Two thousand years ago He came to earth in person to save us from our sins.

So as Christmas day arrives, may I encourage you to pause for just a moment and listen—listen with your heart—to God's Word: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel [which means] 'God with us.'"2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, how can I ever thank You enough for Your great love gift to the world—the greatest Christmas gift I could ever receive—the gift of Your Son, Jesus, who came to earth as a babe to live and then die for my sins so I can receive the gift of forgiveness and that of eternal life to live with You in heaven forever and ever. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

Your Invitation from God to accept His forgiveness ... the greatest Christmas of all: http:///6k49w.

1. Matthew 1:23 (NIV).
2. Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV).

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=282

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

God So Loved the World

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."1

In a tribe of Indians, or so the story goes, someone was stealing chickens. The Chief declared that, if caught, the offender would receive 10 lashes.

When the stealing continued, he raised it to 20 lashes. Still the chickens methodically disappeared. In anger the Chief raised the sentence to 100 lashes.

The thief was finally caught, but the Chief faced a terrible dilemma. The thief was his mother! When the day of penalty came, the whole tribe gathered. Would the Chief's love override his justice? The crowd gasped when he ordered his mother to be tied to the whipping post.

The Chief removed his shirt, revealing his powerful stature, and took the whip in hand. But instead of raising it to strike the first blow, he handed it to a strong, young brave standing at his side. Slowly the Chief walked over to his mother and wrapped his massive arms around her in an engulfing embrace. Then he ordered the brave to give him the 100 lashes.

That's what JESUS did for you and me when he came to earth clothed in an external garment of human flesh some 2000 years ago, which is commemorated as "Christmas." In love he became our substitute and died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. He overcame our inability to save ourselves by paying the price for our sins. His death bridged the gulf between God and man and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to be restored to fellowship with him through faith in Christ and in his atoning death for us.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear Jesus/God, how I thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your life to die on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty for every sin I have ever committed, for Your full and free pardon, and for the gift of eternal life for all who accept You as their personal Savior. For this I will be eternally grateful. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus's name, amen."

NOTE: To help you to be sure you have accepted God's forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, click on "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. John 3:16 (NASB).
2. Contributed by Alexandra Perros from Holland.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015.

I Don't Do Ceilings

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."1

Some time ago I read how a graduating student at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, had just received his appointment from the bishop. He was grumbling because the appointment didn't fit what he felt he deserved. Another student, in a loving but unsympathetic way patted him on the back and said, "You know the world is a better place because Michelangelo didn't say, 'I don't do ceilings.'"2

My very first job in the church started when I was barely a teenager. It was back in the day when we used hard copy printed hymn books. It was a very small church with old-fashioned pews without any racks on the back for holding hymn books. So after every church service for several years I voluntarily collected all the song books from every pew and stacked them very neatly in the hymn book cabinet.

Not that I was looking for any reward because I wasn't, but because I was faithful in this task, by age 16 I was asked to teach a boy's Sunday School class. Then I was asked if I would teach this same class in a second church. For three years I taught this Sunday School class in two churches—one in the morning and the other in another church in the afternoon where church was held later to suit farmer families. Even in my college days I worked part-time in a very large church in Chicago as a janitor and helped clean up that church after Sunday services—including scrubbing floors in fellowship rooms!

Over the ensuing years, while there have always been challenges, more opportunities opened up until today the ministry of ACTS via several gospel websites, Daily Encounter and Weekend Encounter is reaching many thousands of people worldwide every day of the year with the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My point is that every Christian is called to serve God, and when we are faithful in serving God even in the smallest ways, God opens doors for wider opportunities. We do this in thanksgiving to God for all He has done for us—especially in giving His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for all our sins through His death on the cross so we could be freely forgiven and receive God's gift of eternal life to live with Him forever in Heaven, and we do this for God's glory—and never for our own.

Suggested prayer for the first thing every morning: "Dear God, I am available afresh today. Please make me usable and use me today to be an effective witness for Jesus and to be 'as Jesus' in some way to every life I touch. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

Imagine the impact that could be made for Christ's Kingdom if every Daily Encounter subscriber would genuinely make this commitment—and do it year after year after year!

Remember, too, in the words of another. "Only one life 'twill soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last."

Note: By way of interest, I have prayed this prayer every morning since the days of my youth, and plan to do so every day for the rest of my life. I challenge and encourage you to do the same.

1. Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV).
2. Homiletics Annual CD, 1999 Edition Cited on www.sermons.com

http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=1987


Monday, December 21, 2015

Fathers Are a Critical Need

"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."1

In their book, The Gift of Honor, Gary Smalley and John Trent tell about "Keith Hernandez ... one of baseball's top players. He is a lifetime .300 hitter who has won numerous Golden Glove awards for excellence in fielding. He's won a batting championship for having the highest average, the Most Valuable Player award in his league, and even the World Series. Yet with all his accomplishments, he has missed out on something crucially important to him—his father's acceptance and recognition that what he has accomplished is valuable.

Listen to what he had to say in a very candid interview about his relationship with his father: 'One day Keith asked his father, "Dad, I have a lifetime .300 batting average. What more do you want?" His father replied, "But someday you're going to look back and say, 'I could have done more.'"

The number of people I've worked with over the years in recovery work who have a deep father-wound is reason for discouragement. They are numerous. Many sons and daughters of so-called successful businessmen felt that their fathers cared more about their work than they did about them. Many kids of pastors feel the same way. Many adult children of alcoholic fathers grew up feeling neglected, receiving little or no emotional support or affirmation from their dads. And I've worked with numerous men and women who felt that their father was never involved with them emotionally, and deep down they felt abandoned by him.

Many a woman has looked for love in all the wrong places, substituting sex for love in a desperate attempt to fill the empty void caused by an emotionally absentee father. (Many men who have a deep mother-wound do the same thing.)

Regardless of what some would try to tell us today, fathers have a vital role in the well-being of the family, and therefore in the well-being of the nation. As former President Reagan said, "As goes the family so goes the nation."

One of the greatest things we fathers can do for our children is to acknowledge our own father- and/or mother-wound, and admit our inability to affirm our loved ones emotionally. Then we need to get into a recovery program to overcome our issues and grow towards wholeness ourselves. Only then will we be able to fully love and affirm the most important people in our lives—our sons, daughters, and spouses.

Furthermore, one of the greatest needs of every one of us is to know and experience the love and affirmation of God, our Heavenly Father, at the very core of our being.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to face and overcome my father-wound so that I will be able to be the father that my children need. Where I have failed, please forgive me, and above all, please help me to know and experience Your affirmation at the very core of my being. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

NOTE: Be sure to read the article, "Healing a Man's Father Wound" at: http:///9dse4

1. Colossians 3:21 (NIV).

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Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas: A Call to Remember, Part II

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'"1

As we said yesterday, don't miss the silence of Christmas Day as much of the world comes to a standstill on this day. Take time to listen with your heart. Be still and hear the true message and meaning of Christmas that, above all, is a call to remember that even though much of mankind has forgotten God, God has not forgotten us, but is vitally involved in the affairs of mankind. Today we celebrate how two thousand years ago God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.

Among the many tragic consequences of men forgetting God, in this past century alone, have been World Wars I and II, followed by the division of Eastern Europe and the onslaught of godless Communism, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the ongoing Mid-East conflicts, endless other wars, and the ever-increasing acts of terrorism around the world by religious fanatics and others. History has repeatedly shown that when individuals and nations forget God, they ultimately lead themselves to self-destruction.

But every year Christmas comes around to call us to remember God and to turn back to Him—as individuals—to save us from eternal damnation and—as nations—to save us from self-destruction.

Another tragedy of our time is that, instead of recognizing Christmas as God's call to turn back to Him, people look for a vision or an emotional high or something electric as a sign of God's presence. And they miss Him. When Christ came the first time, people didn't recognize Him either because He didn't come the way they expected Him to come. They missed not only the opportunity of a lifetime but also of an eternity!

Don't miss Christ's call to you this Christmas because you don't have some new experience out of the ordinary. Among other ways, God speaks to us through the miracle of Christmas, and commitment to Him is a step of faith based on an act of your will—with or without any feelings or great flashes of insight.

Christ's call to commitment is the same today as it has been for the past two thousand years: "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest"2

If you believe the true meaning of Christmas—that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth to die for your sins—and you have never made a commitment of your life to Him, or if you sense a need to recommit your life to Him, click on the "Your Invitation from God" link below for further help.

Your Invitation from God at: http:///6k49w.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, grant that this day as the wheels of industry come to a standstill, that the world will again be reminded of the reason for the silence and give thanks for the greatest Christmas Gift mankind has ever seen—the gift of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And grant that we who know the Savior will do everything in our power to heed Your Great Commission to communicate the good news of Your salvation to everyone everywhere. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 11:28 (NLT).
2. Ibid.

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Monday, December 28, 2015

God "Speaks"

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."1

A young teenager named Cody went on a mission venture to Ethiopia. While there he was exposed to poverty conditions he never knew existed. On one occasion, a little boy tugged on his shirt, evidently indicating that he wanted the t-shirt which Cody was wearing.

Cody gently turned him away and kept his shirt. He returned to the States and began to reflect upon the trip. The face of the little boy would not leave his memory. Nor would his t-shirt.

Cody began a campaign to collect t-shirts to send to the poverty-stricken country. He made calls, knocked on doors, and eventually had a whopping 18,000 t-shirts of which 10,000 were usable.

CNN called after hearing of his efforts and reported that they had discovered a relief plane to ship the shirts free of charge—but they could not guarantee where they would end up.

The relief agency used a jet and flew into a country not requiring a customs inspection—you guessed it—Ethiopia. The recipients were ecstatic. So was Cody.2

Perhaps, more often than not, if we look for the obvious, we will see it every-which-way we turn. And, if we are in tune with God and living in harmony with His will, we will see it.

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, please help me to see the world around me through the eyes of Jesus and be what He would be and, with Your help, do what He would do. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. James 1:27 (NIV).
2. "Vision—It's The Tool of The Spirit." Adapted from John Ortberg, www.willowcreek.org.

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Temptation

"But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust."1

Temptation. It befalls all of us. It can come directly from the devil, a devil's advocate, through a friend, or from my own self.

We are all open to temptation for, like a lawn bowl that has a bias (weight) on one side that causes it to curve away from the goal, we have a bias that, unless guarded, causes us to go astray and miss the mark of God's goal for us. The bias is our sin nature that we are all born with.

So how do we defend against temptation?

First and foremost, as author Max Lucado suggests in his book, On the Anvil, there are two very simple strategies for protecting ourselves from sin and temptation. The first is to recognize Satan. So often, we are lured into a sin because it looks so attractive, so fulfilling, so right at the time. So we find ways to rationalize our actions and make excuses for our attitudes. Instead, we must be like Jesus in the desert and call Satan by name. No more sugar-coating the truth. Don't try to water down the power of sin. Call it what it is.

Second, we can guard against some temptations by making sure we get legitimate needs met in legitimate ways. For instance, after fasting for forty days, Jesus was hungry. This is when Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Satan always has a way to tempt us at our weakest and/or neediest point. For another example, some singles when they are lonely, instead of getting their companionship needs met in healthy ways, turn to sex as a poor substitute for love.

Third, realize that God's salvation begins at the point where we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our life—and as we grow in wholeness and maturity. As Jesus often asked, "Do you want to be made whole?" Wholeness is a requirement for wholesome living, for only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, our actions, our thoughts (the beginning point of temptation), our behavior, and our relationships be wholesome.

Fourth, walk with God. Growing in wholeness is a life-long process, so in the meantime to avoid giving in to temptation, we need not only to make sure we get our needs met in healthy ways, but also to walk with God. That is, we need to know what His Word teaches by reading and studying it faithfully, and we need to commit and trust our life to God every day, and seek His guidance and help to live a life that will glorify Him in all that we are and do.

Fifth, be filled with God's Spirit who gives us the insight to recognize temptation for what it is and the power to overcome its onslaughts.

Sixth, pray. Sometimes a simple prayer such as, "Help, God, Help," or stating firmly, "Jesus Christ is Lord," can be the best antidote against falling prey to temptation's alluring charms.

Lastly, when we do give in to temptation and sin, remember that God says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."2 The important thing is to get up, put things right where needed and possible, and go on.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that You have provided a way of escape from giving in to temptation for me through Your so great salvation. Help me to keep growing in faith, love, maturity and wholeness, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I will have the strength to overcome every temptation. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. James 1:14 (NASB).
2. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV).

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Character Counts, Part I

"So get rid of your feelings of hatred. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs. Now that you realize how kind the Lord has been to you, put away all evil, deception, envy, and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of our salvation."1

According to the organization, Character Counts, "The Six Pillars of Character are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship," to which we could add a seventh, personal honesty.

Trustworthiness: Some time back we heard on the news how one teacher failed a student whom she caught cheating on her final exam. The cheater's parents were so outraged that she, the teacher, was forced to resign! Teaching at Harvard Business School years ago, Chuck Colson noted that the students didn't have a clue about ethics. Hence today we are reaping the results of failed businesses. Sadly, cheating for far too many students and people has become an accepted norm by too many today.

But the fact remains, when we break trust, we reap what we sow—even if it is eventually.

Respect: Another thing I was taught when growing up was to respect my elders, open doors for ladies, give my seat on a bus to ladies and the elderly, say thank you when kindnesses are shown to me, etc., etc. Guess I'm still pretty much old-fashioned because I still do these things.

I also believe strongly in respecting and appreciating the men and women in our police force, the armed forces, and all who invest their lives in helping to protect us and the freedoms we enjoy—the price of which has been paid for by others.

And how I wish people would learn from an early age to respect other people's property, the blessings and benefits of our advanced society, and our beautiful countryside!

Responsibility: A very popular pastime these days is the blame-game! Here's a classic example from New York: "A five-foot-10-inch 272-pound man sued four fast-food chains, claiming their fare contributed to his obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

"The class-action lawsuit, which was filed in the Bronx Supreme Court, was seeking undetermined compensatory damages against McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, and Burger King on behalf of 56-year-old Caesar Barber and others."2

So would I purposely put my hand on a stove hotplate, burn my hand, and then sue the manufacturer of the stove!? I also recall hearing on the news a man being interviewed about smoking. He claimed he should be able to smoke where he wanted to because it was the tobacco company's fault that he was addicted to cigarettes!

Amazing, isn't it! And, can you imagine any lawyer in his right mind and of any character taking on such cases!

To be continued ...

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be trustworthy, respectful, and responsible in all that I am and do and thereby bring glory to Your name. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 1 Peter 2:1-2 (TLB-NIV).
2. The Orange County Register July 27, 2002, News P. 25.

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Thursday, December 31, 2015

Character Counts, Part II

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."1

Yesterday, in discussing seven pillars of character (the first six of which are from Michael Josephson of the organization, Character Counts), we talked about, trustworthiness, respect and responsibility. Today we address the following characteristics: fairness, caring, citizenship, and personal honesty (integrity).

Fairness: It is true that in many ways life isn't fair, for as the Bible says, "It rains on the just as well as the unjust."2 This is one reason why bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. We just happen to live in a broken world, which affects us all. However, we can offset much of the unfairness of life, if we all seek to treat all people at all times with fairness.

Caring: The highest law always ought to be as God's Word teaches: to love one another.3 If we truly love God, we will love and care for one another. And as Jesus said, if we love God and others, we will be fulfilling all of God's laws.4 In so doing, we can and will make our world a better place for ourselves, our children, and our children's children.

Citizenship: As the Australian Citizenship website states, "Citizenship is a serious commitment." Whether we are citizens of a country or citizens of heaven, while we have privileges and rights, we also have duties and responsibilities. Good citizenship requires both. Thus to have healthy communities, along with our rights and our privileges, it is our duty and responsibility to be model citizens and all work together to make our church, our club, our family, our society, and our nation a better world in which to live.

Personal Honesty (integrity): In my opinion, denial is perhaps one of the most practiced, subtle, and self-destructive "sins of the saints."

When we speak of denial, we are not talking about denial of self, which, with an honest motive, is another healthy characteristic. We're talking about denial of one's reality, the failure to admit one's character weaknesses, the denial of one's negative feelings, and blindness to one's motives.

We are reminded that it is the pure in heart who will see God5 and that God desires truth in the innermost being.6

Without access to one's own truth or inner reality, there is no growth, no healing of persons, no forgiveness, and no resolution of personal problems or relational conflicts.

So here they are—seven pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, and personal honesty.

And whether we believe and accept it or not, character does count ... for time and eternity!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be mindful of the fact that character does count. Help me not only to be trustworthy, respectful and responsible, but also exercise fairness, always be caring (loving), practice good citizenship, and always be honest and maintain integrity so that in all ways I will be like Christ and bring glory to Your name. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 5:8 (NASB). 2. Matthew 5:45. 3. John 13:34. 4. Matthew 22:40. 5. Matthew 5:8. 6. Psalm 51:6.

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[size=15pt]Thank you everyone who has been following and sharing in Daily Encounter With God series in 2015.
I wish you all the best in the New Year 2016.

May our Almighty Father JEHOVAH God protect and save you and your beloved ones from dangers and dangerous people and from evils and evil doers every day by day wherever you may go and wherever you may be on earth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our LORD, Saviour and Messiah. Amen.[/size]

Friday, January 1, 2016

You, too, Can Make a Difference

Wishing all Daily Encounter readers a very Happy New Year

"For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. For to me, living is for Christ."1

I read about a group of nuns who were given a vacation trip through the Rocky Mountains where they had never been before. They were filled with awe as they marveled at the wonder of the many miles of majestic mountains. However, every time they stopped to enjoy the view, one particular nun would slip away by herself. So on one occasion the other nuns decided they would follow her to see what she was up to. "They watched her as she walked into the gully. She bent down and reached under a sizable rock, and then turned the rock upside down. She brushed her hands and turned around to walk back up the trail. When she looked up, the entire Order of nuns was watching her.

"Margaret, what are you doing?" they asked.

"I'm turning over a rock," she replied.

"Why?" they asked. "Do you do that every time?"

She answered, "Yes."

"Why do you do that?"

She replied: "Because I will never pass this way again, and it's my intent to have made a difference while I was here. So I turn some rocks over so that this place is different because I passed here."2

A little amusing perhaps, but seriously, I want to make a difference—for time and eternity—as I pass through the journey of life! I don't think any of us want to have lived in vain. The best and ultimate way I know to make a difference is to make myself available for God to use every day of my life.

We are not all called to be homemakers, doctors, bakers, dressmakers, preachers, communicators, or whatever—but we are all called to be faithful and when we make ourselves available to God every day, be assured, he will use us to make a big difference in the lives of the people he brings across our path.

As Stephen Grellet so eloquently put it: "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."3

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, at this the beginning of another New Year, I commit and trust my life and way to you and am available for Your service. Please use me this year to be 'as Christ' in some way to every life I touch and, in so doing, help make a difference in the world in which I live. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Philippians 1:20-21 (NLT).
2. Rev. Douglass M. Bailey, Sermon: "Hard Truth for Advent."
3. Attributed to Stephen Grellet (1773-1855).

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http://www.ustream.tv/channel/21763939

Monday, January 4, 2016

Come Unto Me

Jesus said, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."1

I have read that one of Denmark's leading sculptors had a consuming ambition to sculpt the greatest statue of Jesus Christ ever made. He began by painstakingly shaping a clay model of a triumphant, majestic figure. "This will be my masterpiece," he stated on the day the model was completed.

However, during the night, a heavy fog rolled into the area and sea-spray seeped into the sculptor's studio through a partially open window. In the morning, he was shocked to see his model. The droplets of moisture that had formed on the statue created the illusion of bleeding. The head had drooped. The facial expression had melted into compassion. The arms drooped and expressed welcome. The artist was horrified and was aghast at having to start all over again.

As he kept looking at his statue of the Savior, his thoughts began to take a different shape. He realized that this image of Christ was much closer to reality. He then wrote his caption and placed it under the figure: "Come unto me!"

Indeed, that is the call of Jesus to each of us today, "Come unto me ... and you will find rest for your souls."

Suggested prayer: "Dear Jesus, 'Just as I am without one plea / And that Your blood was shed for me / And that You bid me come to Thee / O Lamb of God I come, I come.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

If you would like to come to Jesus to find rest for your soul, go to http:///8glq9 and read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian."

1. Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV).

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Hidden Treasures

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."1

You've probably read how the late newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst invested a fortune in collecting great works of art.

On one occasion he read about an extremely valuable painting and was determined to obtain it for his collection. Apparently, his agent searched in art galleries worldwide—all to no avail. Some months later, the prized painting was actually found in one of Hearst's own warehouses!

Oh the incomparable riches and unlimited blessings that we all have in Christ Jesus—riches that will take eternal ages for us to fully comprehend and appreciate. Today, they are ours for the taking. Above all is God's full and free pardon for all our sins and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Have you discovered and accepted these incomparable gifts from God for yourself?

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will see all the riches of grace You have in store for me, and accept these. And above all, help me to see my need for and accept Your gift of salvation, sins forgiven, and the gift of eternal life. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

NOTE: If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior and are not sure of life after death, be sure to read "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http:///8glq9.

1. Ephesians 2:6-8 (NIV).

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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Power of Appreciation

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."1

In Character Counts Michael Josephson shares how the students at Sandy's high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had just committed suicide. He left a note saying, "It's hard to live when nobody cares if you die." Realizing this was both a traumatic event that needed to be confronted and a teachable moment, a teacher talked to the students about how important it is that people feel valued. So, he told them to imagine they were about to die. Then he gave an assignment: "Write a note to tell someone how important he or she is to you."

Sandy, who had a rocky relationship with her mother, was especially moved by the idea that she might die without telling her mom how important she was, so she wrote a note: "We've had some rough times and I know I haven't been a very good daughter but I know I'm lucky to have you in my life. You are the best person I've ever known. Thanks for not giving up on me." She told her mom about the assignment and gave her the note. Her mom cried and hugged Sandy but said little.

The next morning Sandy found a note on her mirror. "Dearest daughter," it said, "I want you to know how much you are valued. Being your mother is the most important thing in my life. The truth is I've felt like such a failure I was seriously considering ending it all. I thought you'd be better off without me. Your appreciation makes my life worth living."

Be careful not to underestimate the power of expressed appreciation. As Sandy learned, it can make a big difference.2

Need I say more?

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be an encourager to all the people You bring into my life, and help me always to remember and be thankful for all the encouragement I have received from You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Hebrews 3:13. (NIV).
2. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts. www.charactercounts.org.

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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Life Is Not a Game

"Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him."1

Again today I want to quote Michael Josephson of Character Counts. Speaking about athletes he said the following:

"I was leading a discussion with former elite athletes when someone asked about the ethics of trying to intimidate or injure an opponent. 'Football's a physical game,' said a former NFL star, who went on to extol the advantages of intimidation through the infliction of pain. A former Super-Bowler spoke without remorse about 'taking players out' with a particularly dangerous but then legal 'chop block' aimed at the knees.

"When an Olympic track athlete said that, legal or not, it is wrong to be intentional or callous about inflicting possible career-ending injuries, he was ridiculed. 'It's part of the game,' was the response, and a room full of men continued to rationalize brutality.

"Another former football player brought the room to silence. A huge man, he barked, 'Hold on,' and held his hand up high. In it was a prosthetic leg. He said his leg was amputated from the knee down due to a chop block. 'Was it worth it?' he asked.

"Applying 'game theory,' athletes not only injure others but permanently damage their own health pumping up with illegal drugs, politicians breed cynicism and distrust with lies and insincerity, and numbers-manipulating executives disgrace themselves and demolish the jobs and retirement accounts of thousands.

"Declaring a tactic 'part of the game' may delude the conscience, but it doesn't justify vicious, disrespectful or dishonorable conduct—no matter how many people are doing it. Life is not a game."2

Thank you, Michael, I couldn't have said it better. Character does count if we want to leave a better world for our children and our children's children. Plus, we always reap what we sow—always—even if it is eventually!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to always remember that character counts. And please deliver me from the temptation to take any shortcuts that would hurt anybody else in order for any kind of selfish, self-centered, self-gain. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 26:27 (NKJV).
2. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts. www.charactercounts.org.

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