Part of the unspoken code among settlers of the American West was that a man always kept his word. That explains why Andrew Garcia made a 1,300-mile trek in 1879 to pay a debt. In September of the previous year he had bought supplies in Bozeman, Montana, to hunt buffalo. The 10 pack-mules, ammunition, food and gear cost him $300 more than he had, so a merchant loaned him the rest. He promised to pay it back by January 1.
The winter snows came early that year, however, and Garcia couldn't get back to Bozeman. His travel took him through Colorado and down into New Mexico. Finally, a year later, he headed back to Bozeman. "Don't bother," his buddies told him. But Garcia believed in keeping his word, so he returned and paid the debt.
Followers of Christ should also be known as people of integrity. If we say we'll help with a Sunday school class, or assist in the nursery, or spend time with a family member, or complete a job as agreed, do we keep our word even if something better comes along? Are we true to our word?
God's promises are never broken (Ps.119:160), and what He does, He does in truth (Ps.33:4). As His followers, our words are to be as true as His Word.
>>> David C. Egner

Happy weekend

Lieutenant Paul Galanti, a US Navy pilot, spent 6 and half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. The experience has given him a heightened sense of ordinary privileges that most of us take for granted. Speaking of his life today, nearly three decades after being released, Galanti says, "There's no such thing as a bad day when there's a doorknob on the inside of the door."
After 2,300 straight days in a locked cell you might consider the privilege of walking outside whenever you please to be one of life's greatest luxuries.
The writer of Psalm 119 makes the starting statement, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes" (v.71). From a time of suffering, the psalmist gained a greater love for God and an increased appreciation for His commands. "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your Word" (v.67).
Perhaps you can identify with the words of the psalmist. You've "been there" and you know what itg means. Or you may be on the middle of a great hardship today. When the days are dark, and relief is out of sight, we need to cling to what we know is true about the goodness and faithfulness of God. And then, when He brings us out into the light, we too will see the results and thank God for the legacy of affliction.
>>> David C. McCasland

Happy weekend

The story was been told of a young boy who was being cared for by a nanny. He saw a beautiful vase in the China cabinet, and he wanted it. When he was refused, he began screaming, kicking and crying. His mother, hearing the fuss, came into the room to find out what the problem was.
Picking up the child, she said to him, "What do you want, darling?" He pointed to the vase, so she gave it to him. But that didn't satisfy him and soon he began crying again. "Now what does my little darling want?" the mother asked. "I want... I want," said the boy between sobs, and then he blurted out, "I want what I can't have!"
The desire for what is off-limit is not confined to spoilt children. It reflects a tendency in all of us that goes back to the beginning of history. The fruit of the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" was forbidden (Gen.2:17), a fact that very likely enhance its appeal.
The Bible teaches us that many practices and attitudes in today's society are forbidden. But that often fuels the flame of desire. So it's important we know God's will, identify evil allurements, and resist temptations. We must be aware of the appeal of the forbidden.
>>> Richard W. De Haan

Good morning

A man was sitting at a park bench shredding old newspaper and spreading them around. "What are you doing?" asked a bystander. "I'm spreading this paper around to keep the elephants away." The visitor looked around the well kept city park. "I don't see any elephants," he said. The man smiled. "Works pretty good, doesn't it," he replied.
Worry is like that. We expend a lot of energy on problems that don't exist. Yes, I know we all face real problems, but we often create additional ones by thinking of all the bad things that might happen but never do.
One of the great challenges for worriers is to turn every worry to prayer and then to stop there, leaving it with God. Some people find this difficult to do, perhaps because they are pessimistic or sensitive by nature. But there is hope!
Paul's counsel in Phil.4:6 is not a mechanical formula but a tested reality. He had found peace and contentment (v.7,11). Yet, notice the phrase in verse 12, "I have learned." Learning takes time. It is a process marked by trial and error, and by perseverance. Aren't you glad that our teacher, the Lord Jesus, is patient with us- even when we tear up papers and spread them around?
>>> Dennis J. De Haan

Good morning

The great American baseball player Satchel Paige once said in jest, "Don't look back- something may be gaining on you." I'm contrast, George Santayana, a Spanish thinker and writer, noted in 1905, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
So which is it? Do we move on, never looking back, or do we dwell on our past errors to avoid making them again?
Scripture seems to indicate that we should do a little of both. We do need to think back on our lives and learn from our mistakes. That's part of the process when we confess sins and ask God for forgiveness. We need to think about our disobedience long enough to seek God's mercy and then choose to "go and sin no more" (Jn.8:11). Forgiveness is God's way of clearing the slate. But it's our responsibility to depend on the strength of the Holy Spirit who lives within us to avoid repeating the errors of the past. The apostle Paul, for example, acknowledged his past mistakes, drew upon God's mercy, and then focused on becoming more like Christ (Phil.3:13-14).
So, is it best for us to look back or to look ahead? We would be wise to do a little of both: we need to look back for forgiveness, then look ahead to make progress.
>>> J. David Branon

Good morning

A pastor told me a fascinating story of a church in a Canadian fishing village. The founding fathers had chosen to build the church at the rocky edge of the Atlantic ocean. Because it was located at the center of where the fishermen and townspeople lived, the church flourished. As the congregation grew, however, the members decided to construct a new building far from the waterfront. Then an interesting thing happened. They seemed to lost their zeal for the lost after they moved. Why? Some said it was because there were no longer among the people. We see in Mark 1 that Jesus began His ministry by walking among the Sea of Galilee and calling fishermen to be His disciples. He told them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (v.17). Where are the "fish" in our communities? Do we expect them to come on their own to our church and hear the pastor present the gospel? Or have we chosen to follow Christ and become fishermen who dare to go where the fish are, taking the message of life and hope to our schools and workplace and neighborhoods? Just as we won't catch fish in a kitchen sink, we can't "catch" souls if we don't go where they are. >>> David C. Egner Good morning

One day. That great day is coming fast when we will stand one by one before our Maker to give account of how we spent and used the life God gave us. Nobody will represent you. Nobody will support you. You'll stand solely and behold the glory and righteousness of God.
This Jesus you're relegating to the back; you'll stand before Him trembling and wishing you had accepted Him.
He'll ask you, "What did you do with the life I gave you? The beauty I gave you did you use it to seduce or give me glory? The mouth I gave you did you use it to bless or to gossip and curse? The hands I gave you did you use it to work for me or for the devil? The eyes many people prayed for I gave it to you what did you do with it? Study the Bible or watch porn? Your legs were given to you so you'd spread my love and Word. Did you? Nope! You danced for the devil and walked into places you shouldn't. Your phones, television, laptop are blessings from me but when was the last time you had time for me? What did you use it to do? Post seductive pictures on social media, watch and read blasphemous articles and pictures etc. Oh! The intelligence I blessed you with you used it against me by inciting hate and leading many to sin calling yourself a sharp guy/girl. I'm I lying?"
Then your "sharpness" will wither. Your "fastness" will disappear. Your "strong mind" will leave you. Why? You'll see God in a new light. You'll see Him and know you've been very wrong all along but then it'll be too late.

It's not late now to retrace your steps now. Seeing is believe but please don't wait to see God's judgement. Be ready. He loves you. He does not desire to see you perish. Accept Him today. Repent and turn from your sinful ways and be saved.

Are you ready to take this big step? Say this prayer: LORD JESUS, I CONFESS I'M A SINNER. FORGIVE ME. I TURN FROM MY SINS AND ACCEPT YOU AS MY LORD. AMEN.
If you prayed that prayer you're welcome into God's family. Feel free to chat with me for questions and guidance. Remain blessed.

A pastor told me a fascinating story of a church in a Canadian fishing village. The founding fathers had chosen to build the church at the rocky edge of the Atlantic ocean. Because it was located at the center of where the fishermen and townspeople lived, the church flourished.
As the congregation grew, however, the members decided to construct a new building far from the waterfront. Then an interesting thing happened. They seemed to lost their zeal for the lost after they moved. Why? Some said it was because there were no longer among the people.
We see in Mark 1 that Jesus began His ministry by walking among the Sea of Galilee and calling fishermen to be His disciples. He told them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (v.17).
Where are the "fish" in our communities? Do we expect them to come on their own to our church and hear the pastor present the gospel? Or have we chosen to follow Christ and become fishermen who dare to go where the fish are, taking the message of life and hope to our schools and workplace and neighborhoods?
Just as we won't catch fish in a kitchen sink, we can't "catch" souls if we don't go where they are.
>>> David C. Egner

Good morning

Before you come to know Jesus personally, the Bible may have seemed remote and uninteresting. But now it's personal and alive because you know the author as your Savior and friend.
What a change Christ makes in our lives! In Ephesians 2, Paul celebrated this transformation. He began, "You He made alive, who were dead (v.1). Now that Christ lives in our hearts, we want to hear His "music" in all of His expressions- through His Word, His creation, and His people.
Today, everywhere we look, we can see the work of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Conductor of life. Get to know Christ personally, and you will love to hear His music.
>>> David C. McCasland

Good morning

A man from Michigan had an idea for removing a tree stump from the yard of a friend. He decided to use some dynamite he had stored away in his house. It did the trick. The explosion turned the stump into an airborne missile that travelled 163 feet down range before crashing through a neighbors roof. The stump opened a 3-foot hole in the roof, split the rafters, and pushed through the ceiling of the dining room.
If we are honest, we can see ourselves in the actions of the dynamite user. We have used explosive words and actions to try to solve problems, which only made things worse. We get action, but we leave much damage in our wake.
We are not the first to make anger work for us. It happened to people in the Bible too. Moses, for instance, became extremely frustrated with his murmuring followers (Num.20:10). So, instead of speaking to the rock to get water, as the Lord had instructed him, he angrily struck it twice (V.11). He did get water from the rock, but there was a problem- Moses had disobeyed God. Because of this, God told him he could not enter the Promised Land (V.12).
Anger, like dynamite, is explosive. Unless it is handled with wisdom and self-control, it can do great damage.
>>> M. R. De Haan 11

Good morning dear friends

When Jesus commanded the rich young ruler to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt.19:19), what did He mean by the words "as yourself"? And what did the apostle Paul mean when he repeated those words in Romans 13:9?
The statement by our Lord and by Paul is not a command to love ourselves more; it's a recognition that most of us already look after our own welfare in reasonable ways. That is, we love ourselves enough to feed and clothe ourselves, to keep a roof over our heads, and to avoid being cheated and injured. In practice, we should love our neighbor at least that much.
But there's more. In John 15:12, Jesus also commanded His disciples to love one another just as He had loved them. He used the Greek word AGAPE, which signifies an active love that is unconditional, self-sacrificial, and for the good of others. This love is often more of a decision than an emotion. Author David Walls wrote, "We cannot command feelings, but we can command an active determination of our will."
Even when we don't feel love for someone, if we choose to show love our feelings will eventually follow. Let's take the initiative to show love everyday.
>>> Joanie E. Yoder

Good morning

When Jesus promised His disciples that He would one day return to earth, He said that He would come at a time they do not expect (Mt.24:44). Therefore, people today who set time for Christ's second coming are really wasting their time. Jesus never told His followers how to calculate the day of His return. Rather, He emphasized that our main priority is to make sure we are ready for Him, and that we are occupied in His service when He comes (V.45-46).
A woman who lived by this preaching was shopping in a small country store. Several young people were just standing around doing nothing. Knowing she was a Christian, they began ridiculing her. "We hear you're expecting Jesus to come back," they jeered. "That's right," she replied brightly. "Do you really believe He's coming?" they asked. "Absolutely," she answered. They said, "We'll, you'd better hurry home and get ready. He might be on the way!" Facing them, she said, "I don't have to get ready- I keep ready!"
Are you ready for the arrival of God's Son? Will you be glad to meet Jesus when He returns? If not, get ready now. Without delay, turn away from your sin and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then keep ready by walking in His will everyday.
>>> Joanie E. Yoder

Good morning

I read a story about a woman who was dying. She had lived a good and moral life and had never felt she needed a Savior. But when a minister offered to come and talk with her, she allowed him to visit. The pastor explained the way of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Emphasizing that Jesus died for the sins of everyone in the world, including her, he urged her to trust the Savior.
The woman responded, "Do you mean to tell me that if I'm going to be saved, I have to come to God on exactly the same terms as anyone else- even the most wicked person in the world?" "That's right," the pastor answered, "there's only one way." The woman thought for a moment and then declared, "Well, if that's the case, I want no part of it!"
Because of her pride and her unwillingness to come to Christ as a sinner, she had to face the judgement of God. She failed to recognize that even "good" people do not qualify to stand before a holy God.
We all need a Savior to deliver us from all our sins. We must humbly admit our guilt, acknowledge that we could never save ourselves, and by faith receive the gift of eternal life that God so freely gives. The Lord graciously offers salvation to all- because we are all sinners.
>>> Richard W. De Haan

Good morning

What did Jesus mean when He told His followers that they were "the salt of the earth?" (Mt.5:13). In the ancient world, salt had many uses. For one, it preserved food. Without salt, meat and fish would quickly spoil. In a similar way, Christians who upholds God's moral standards can slow the decay of society.
Salt was also used as fertilizer. Until the mid 1900s, English farmers added salt to their fields to increase the yield. Salt helped crops to grow. Christians too can encourage the growth of what is good wherever they live.
Salt also brings out the flavor of what is good. By their witness, salty believers help the people around them to taste life fully as God intended.
Yet Jesus warned that salt can lose its flavor. Pure salt as we know it, made up of sodium chloride, can't lose its taste. In ancient Israel, however, farmers would dig salt from the shores of the Dead Sea. Although it was called salt and looked like salt, it was mixed with other substances. Farmers would make a pile of the salty material to use on their crops, but when the rain came, the pure salt would sometimes drain away. What was left looked like salt, but it had lost its saltiness.
What about you? Are you a salty Christian?
>>> Haddon W. Robinson

Good morning

If you were in the midst of a disaster, would you think to witness to people around you? John Harper did.
Harper was a Scottish minister who was travelling by ship to preach for 3 months at Moody Church in Chicago. As the ship crossed the Atlantic, it struck an iceberg and began to sink. Some passengers were able to reach lifeboat, but many, Harper included, were flung into the cold Atlantic.
As the people frantically tried to stay afloat, Harper swarm around asking individuals if they knew Jesus. At one point, Harper approached a passenger floating on a piece of debris and pleaded with him to trust Christ. Just before Harper slipped under the icy waters for the last time, he said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
Four years later, at a meeting of survivors of that ship, the Titanic, the man testified that he had been saved twice that night. First, he had trusted Christ because of Harper's witness, and second, he had been plucked from the frigid sea.
Harper's dying wish was that he could bring hope to hopeless people. Is that our living wish? In crisis or at ease, do we let people know about the One who can save for eternity? Harper's final witness reminds us to tell the good news to people who are drowning in their sin.
>>> J. David Branon

Happy Sunday

A Christian who helps to place orphans in homes tells about a little Russian boy named Ivan. He's a lovable child with a shock of brown hair falling over his face. When he learned that he might be able to leave the orphanage, he said, "Please, will you find me a mother?"
Fathers are important too, but there are times when nothing but a mother's touch will do. Even grown men need it. The apostle Paul, probably in his fifties, sent special greetings to a fellow believer in Rome named Rufus. Interestingly, he added greetings to "his mother and mine" (Rom.16:13). Why would he refer to her in this way?
During his years of ministry, Paul faced many hardship (2 Cor.6:4-10). Could it be that Rufus had brought a weary and tired apostle to his house, where Paul received from the mother of Rufus, comforting words, a fresh garment, and a nourishing meal? Did Paul receive from her the empathy and tenderness that only a mother can give? We don't know this for sure, but it could explain his unusual greeting in Romans 16:13.
I believe that God has given mothers a unique capacity for showing kindness, compassion, and for influencing the spiritual direction of children. Let's be thankful for our mothers and for those who have been like a mother to us.
>>> Herbert Vander Lugt

Good morning

Many of us own a copy of the Bible. Some of us may have many copies in different versions and even different languages. This ancient book, written originally in Hebrew and Greek, with small portions in Aramaic, is still "the most influential book in history" according to a 1996 survey of United States citizens.
Of the people surveyed, 79.8% said that the Bible was the most influential. Next on the list was Doctor Spock's baby book, which received only 4.7% of the vote. Then came Charles Darwin's The Origin Of The Species (4.1%) and George Orwell's 1984 (2.4%). The Bible was the overwhelming winner among influential books.
But how many of those who applaud the Bible's influence ever read it? Do you? Do I? And if we do, do we read it regularly? Do we read a passage here and there, or do we follow some system that will make us familiar with the whole Bible? Do we have a strong desire to know the Word? (Ps.19:10).
An even more important question is whether we believe and practice what we read. Is this book decisively influencing our lives? Is our relationship to the Bible one of obedience? After all, this book is immeasurably more than a collection of human writing. It is God's authoritative Word.
>>> Vernon C. Grounds

Good morning

The newspaper has always been a trusted friend. It arrives with regularity and tells me about the people and event of the day. A few days without it and I feel out of touch. Without its summary of government, business, sports, and international affairs, I feel handicapped in conversation.
Yet, an interesting thing happened one day. The "trusted friend" brought news of an event I already knew about, but only the core facts were correct. The report also included an analysis by an authority who said more than he knew. It was a good reminder that we ought to live by something more reliable than the daily newspaper.
Nehemiah also read information that he knew was wrong (Neh.6:6-. He knew that the letter from an enemy leader contained lies designed to scare him and his countrymen off the job of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. But Nehemiah was wise. He responded by continuing to do what he knew was right. He was sure his motives were correct. So he asked the Lord to strengthen his hands for the work that remained (v.9).
When falsely accused or disturbed by the powerful forces of evil, let's not live on the basis of the ever-changing news. Instead, let's listen to God and keep doing what he has called us to do.
>>> M. R. De Haan 11

Good morning

He was born into wealth and raised in a mansion. Yet he traded in his stylish clothes for dull prison gray after being convicted for planting a car bomb that took the lives of two members of his family. He had tried to get control of a $10-million family estate. The impact of his own foolish choices became clear the day he sat in a state of shock as the verdict of guilty was read before a hushed courtroom. What irony! This man could have been rich. He could have had so much if he had been willing to wait.
Yet, that doesn't have to be the end of the story. Think about the possibilities that still remains. As long as he has breath, he can, like the thief on the cross, acknowledge his sins and ask Christ for help. And just as the thief, who was considered unfit for society, was made fit for Paradise, this man can become "a new creation" (2 Cor.5:17), a citizen of heaven.
Such a turnaround is always possible for the sinner. This is what God was saying to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel. Because He takes no pleasure in the the death of the wicked, He pleads with them to repent.
Perhaps you've been thinking you're too bad to be forgiven. You're not. Turn from your sin and trust Jesus as your Savior, and you'll make that possibility a reality.
M. R. De Haan

Happy weekend

Woody Allen once said, "If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank." He was joking, but he was expressing an attitude that was quite common. God, though, doesn't respond to such frivolous challenges to prove His existence. In fact, if the average person discovers $10 million in his bank account, instead of thinking of God he would probably assume that it was a computer error or a clerical mistake.
Many people in Jesus' day persisted in denying His deity, in spite of His obvious miracles. As a test, they demanded "a sign from heaven" (Lk.11:16). Jesus refused their arrogant, insulting demand. Their real problem was not a lack of evidence; it was their stubborn unbelief.
Such unbelief exists today, even though God has provided ample evidence of his existence as a basis for faith. There is the testimony of nature and conscience (Rom.1:20, 2:14-15), the history of the life of Christ (Heb.1:1-4), and the work of the Holy Spirit in believer's lives (1 Jh.3:24; 4:13). To demand more is sinful.
Our responsibility is to believe the testimony that God has provided, to trust in His Son, and to obey Him (Jh.3:36; 1 Jh.2:3-6; 5:1-13). When we do, He gives us inner assurance that we are His, which makes the further signs unnecessary.
>>> Herbert Vander Lugt

HAPPY WEEKEND

In the 1960s, many restless young people were duped into believing that getting high on drugs was the way to find the "reality" they craved. Those highs, however, were only illusions, not the real thing.
The Lord knows that we often look in the wrong places for what our longing hearts crave. He knows that we can only be satisfied by knowing Him, and He wants us to discover that He is the truth.
Jesus said to His disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (Jn.14:6). But Philip didn't yet understand that Jesus was all he needed. He wanted to see the Father as well, and said, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us" (v.. Jesus replied, "He who has seen me has seen the father" (v.9). He was declaring that He is equal with God the Father, and because of that He is all we need.
I recently saw these words on a bumper sticker on a car: STILL LOOKING FOR THE ULTIMATE HIGH. What the driver really needs is a relationship with Jesus Christ, not some artificial high. He alone brings true meaning and satisfaction in our lives. Have you found Christ to be your ultimate reality?
>>> Joanie E. Yoder

Happy weekend.

A family counselor has identified what she calls "a salt-mine mentality" today. "In the 1980s it became all work, work, work," says Mori Freed, "earning as much money as you can." She says that people obsessed with making money get thrown out of balance. They become depressed and don't know why, even though they've met all the goals they've set. Other observers see a similar trend in education, where homework time for elementary school students has almost doubled in the past 20 years.
Solomon offered these words of wisdom for everyone who strives for success: "Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!" (Prov. 23:4). Another translation says, "Have the wisdom to show restraint."
What's it like in our homes? Is there time for fun and laughter together, or is there constant conflict about work and school, with harsh words about getting the job done? What is it like in our hearts? Even Christian ministry can become an unhealthy obsession.
Whatever success and riches we seek are empty without balance and the blessing of God. It may be time to take a hard look at our involvements, then slow down, back off, and have some fun.
>>> David C. McCasland

Good Morning

How much is one human life worth? It's a question that's been debated on different front, from abortion to euthanasia.
How do we know that each person on earth has distinct and separate value? What proof do we have that every individual man and woman and child should be treasured?
We know the value of each person because of Jesus.
The following story appeared in Church Herald: "Muretus, a Christian scholar of the 16th century, became ill while on a trip. The doctor who were called in to treat him did not know him. He looked so much like an ordinary individual that they said, 'Let's try and experiment on him, for he looks of no importance.'" Muretus overhead this remark, and he called to the doctors, "Call not any man cheap for whom Christ died."
The apostle Paul, referring to Christ, said that he "died for all" (2 Cor.5:15). Jesus said that it was because of God's love for the world that the father sent His Son to die on the cross (Jn.3:16). Indeed, if Christ gave His life so that each person could be forgiven through faith in Him- and He did- that each person is more valuable than we could ever imagine. When He died for all, He died for each. And that should show us the value of one.
>>> J. David Branon

N.B: There's no kind of sin- even if it's mass-murder, incest, terrorism etc you committed that God will not forgive. You know why? Because HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH AND IS WAITING FOR YOU! why not take a bold step and walk into His embrace today
GOOD MORNING

A factory worker approached his supervisor at the end of the day looking confused. "How do I turn off my machine?" he asked. "You don't remember?" his boss asked. "No," the employee said. "In fact, I'm not sure where I am and what I'm doing here." The concerned supervisor sent him to a doctor. The diagnosis? Amnesia.
This situation has a spiritual parallel to Isaiah 44. God's people Israel apparently had forgotten who they were, for whom they worked (v.21), and how much the Lord had done for them (v.22). They needed to be reminded that it is foolish to depend on anything made by human hands (v.9-20), and that the Lord alone is able to control the course of human events (v.24-25).
What could be worse for us today than forgetting that we belong to Christ, that He has bought us with His own blood, that he knows how we should live, and that He is the One who is in control of all circumstances of our lives? Let's check ourselves. Maybe we, like ancient Israel, have had a lapse of memory. If so, let's forsake our sin, return to the Lord, and remember who we are and why we are here.
Spiritual amnesia is a dangerous condition, but it can be reversed.
>>> M. R. De Haan

Happy Weekend

You can't show a greater love for people than James Harrison demonstrated. And he did it for people he didn't even know.
Harrison, a member of the Ouachita Baptist University choir, was returning home from Europe with his fellow singers. As their plane was landing in Little Rock, Arkansas, it was hit by heavy rains and high winds. The jet skidded off the runway and hit a bank of light, ripping open the fuselage.
As chaos reigned and flame broke out in the mangled plane, Harrison began to help others. Over and over, he pulled passengers to safety and ran back to the plane for more. On his last trip into the burning wreckage, he was overcome with smoke. He didn't make it out alive.
At his funeral, the choir director quoted John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Jesus was really speaking of his own death on our behalf, and the choir leader pointed out the value of this ultimate sacrifice.
We may never be called upon to make the kind or sacrifice James made during that horrible tragedy. Yet every day we have opportunities to set aside our comfort to love our neighbours (Mk.12:31). How much love do we show?
>>> J. David Branon

Happy Weekend

Thomas Shepard (1605-1649) was raised in a godly Puritan home, but while he was attending Cambridge University, he fell into a life of sin. One Sunday morning, when he awoke from a drunken stupor, a heavy weight of sadness over the enormity of his guilt crushed him to the point that he left his former way of life.
For the next 9 months, the fear of God's wrath almost drove him to "run my head against the wall... and kill myself." But while listening to a sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:30, he suddenly realized that Christ was everything he needed- that Jesus had lived the perfect life he couldn't live, had paid for his sins on the cross, and was now his Advocate in heaven.
Commenting on John 1:12, "As many as receive Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God," Shepard wrote, the Lord gave me a heart to receive Christ with a naked hand,... and so the Lord gave me peace."
If you want the peace that only God can give, ask Him to give you a deep awareness of your sinfulness. Then reflect on the wonder of His grace by which He made Jesus Christ everything you need. Finally, either renew the commitment you already have with the Lord, or for the first time receive Jesus as your Savior.
>>> Herbert vander Lugt.

Good Morning!

It was only a little comma, but it cost the Lockheed Corporation millions of dollars! An error was made in a contract with an international customer- a misplaced comma in a crucial number. The company insisted that the manufacturer honor the contract as written. Unfortunately for Lockheed, the error was made in an equation that adjusted the sales price, and it cost them $70 million.
That's the way it is with sin too. It has a high cost, even though at the time it may seem so small. Seemingly harmless transgressions can end up doing great damage. Carrying a few extra pounds can cost a runner valuable time in an important race. Likewise, a "root of bitterness" or hatred in our lives can produce enormous spiritual harm to ourselves, others, and our relationship with God (Heb.12:15).
Proverbs 3 tells us that we can expect God's chastening if we disobey Him (v.11-12). That's why we would be wise to "fear the Lord and depart from evil" (v.7). If we take God and His Word seriously, we will hate any sin in our lives- big or little.
How about you? Are you letting some sin entangle you and slow you down in your christian race? (Heb.12:2). Confess it now, or it will have a much higher cost later.
>>> David C. Egner

Good Morning!

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his car looked like a refugee from a junkyard. Yet the unkempt man who stopped to help them on the Chicago expressway was, to my friends, angelic.
While travelling the busy highway of Chicago, Ken and Sue's van blew a tire. As they edged towards the shoulder of the expressway, with cars flying past, they quickly prayed for help. That's when the man in the rusty car waved and yelled to them that he would help.
Most of us are reluctant to trust complete strangers, so my friends were understandably wary of this scraggly man. Yet they soon found out that he was a mechanic who himself had been stranded just days earlier. He grabbed his tools, got to work in their car, and quickly had them back on the road.
We often judge people by the way they look or dress, or by what kind of car they drive. Sure, we must be careful whom we trust, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss everyone who doesn't dress like a television news anchor.
People come in all sizes, color, and conditions. Before we set aside those who doesn't match our personal standards, we need to remind ourselves that our Creator doesn't play favourites (Gal.2:6). Neither should we.
>>> J. David Branon.

Happy weekend

A sign by the roadside carried this message: "I'm getting tired of the rat race. The rats keep getting bigger and faster." Many men and women, no doubt, feel that way. In spite of amazing advances in technology, peoples frustration level seems as high or higher than ever. The core problem is that sinful human nature hasn't changed.
Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon made three insightful observations about the rat race of life in his day. First, he said that a desire to outdo one's peers was the motive behind much human industriousness, and this was a no-win situation (Eccl.4:4).
Second, those who dropped out of the rat race became lazy and unproductive. This kind of idleness is foolishness and self-destructive (v.5).
Third, Solomon said that people become so obsessed with making money that they didn't form healthy relationships. This made them go through life without purpose or meaning, never satisfied with all they had worked for (v..
Remember, "Better a handful with quietness than both hands full,... with toil and grasping for the wind" (v.6). To avoid grasping or self-destructive escapism, put God at the center of your life and be thankful for what He has given you. Then you'll succeed in the rat race of life.
>>> Herbert Vander Lugt.

GOOD MORNING.

Cutehector:
Wats your favorite book in d bible

I love every chapter and verse; including Songs of Solomon! But I love the book of Proverbs more.

Whenever I mail a letter, it's an exercise of trust. Let me explain what I mean. When I write to a distant friend, it's impossible to deliver the message myself. I need the help of the postal service. But for them to do their part, I have to drop my letter in the mailbox first. I can't hang on to it. I have to place it in the mail slot and let go. Then I must trust the postal service to take over until my letter is delivered to my friend's home. Although I can't see what happens to it, my faith in the postal service assures me that my letter is as good as there!
Likewise, whenever we are faced with a problem, our faith is challenged. Knowing that it is impossible to resolve the difficulty ourselves, we recognize our need of God's help. First, though, we must go to Him in prayer. Until that moment, we are still holding on to our problem. We know the situation won't get resolved until we let go and commit it into God's hand. Once we let go, we then must trust God to take over until the problem is resolved in His way. Although, we can't see what He's doing, our faith is "the evidence of things not seen" (Heb.11:1), the assurance that He's work is as good as done!
Have you exercise trust in Him today?
>>> Joanie E. Yoder.

HAPPY WEEKEND

Shortly after the novel Gone With The Wind had been published, a young woman sat beside a history professor at a dinner. Trying to make conversation, she asked him if be had read it. "No," the professor answered. The woman admonished, "You'd better hurry up. It's been out 6 weeks." Then the professor inquired, "Have you read Dante's Divine Comedy?" "No," the woman said. The professor responded, "You'd better hurry up. It's been out 600 years."
These days, new books dealing with all sort of subjects pour from printing presses in an overwhelming cascade. Even if we do nothing but read, we couldn't keep up with the output. So we must discriminate and decide what we'll read and what we'll ignore.
But there's one ancient book we must not ignore. It's the Bible, God's inspired Word. For many centuries, it circulated in scrolls and handwritten manuscripts. But ever since Johannes Gutenberg devised the printing press, Scripture has been reproduced in countless forms and editions.
Important as many books are, only the Bible reveals the good news about Jesus (Acts 8:35). Only the Bible teaches us how to please Him. So let's make sure we give the Bible the priority it deserves. It's a "must read" book.
>>> Vernon C. Grounds.

GOOD MORNING