Difficulties With Man's Will

What are the difficulties of going our own way? Going our own way means there is no upward direction except in the eyes of others. Going our way means there is no eternal hope for our life. In addition, any hope we carry within us is something we have to generate on our own. Going our way means we will experience suffering and pain without purpose. If by chance, we discover a purpose to our pain and suffering, the purpose is a purpose we must assign rather than a purpose assigned by God. In addition, going our own way means we will carry within us an emptiness and darkness. Persons who are self-consumed and self-absorbed drink alcohol and use drugs to ease the pain of the emptiness and darkness. When we go our way instead of God's way there is an inner gnawing making us feel the need to run and run and run to get away from being eaten up by our darkness.

The Master's Hand

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit, keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized. That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life. Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

Author Unknown 

He Gave His Only Son

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening. In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak. "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast," he began, "when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high that, even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized." The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in the story. The aged minister continued with his story. "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of the waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!', he threw out the lifeline to the son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered." By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth. "The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that He could do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take hold of the lifeline." With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end. However, no one responded to the appeal. Within minutes after the service, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," politely said one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian." "Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. Sorrow began to overtake the old man's smiling face as he once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm here today to tell you that I understand more than most the pain God must have felt to give up His only Son. For you see, I'm the man who lost his son to the ocean that day, and my son's friend that I chose to save is your pastor."

God's Under the Bed

My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen. "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6'2"), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry days when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05 eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays -- oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. I don't think Kevin knows anything exists outside his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. He recognizes no differences in people, treating each person as an equal and a friend. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of arguing. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God -- to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap -- I am. My obligations, my fears, my pride, my circumstances -- they all become disabilities when I do not submit them to Christ. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of the Lord. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all. Author Unknown 

SEE PAST THE END OF THE GAME

 You may not be the "law enforcement" type of person. However, in any life, in any company, in any family, in any circumstance where we hope to avoid chaos, rules have to be enforced. In every circumstance, we need to provide or build mechanisms to enforce rules because people break rules. Some people break rules because they have limited self-control and limited self-discipline. Other people break rules by accident. Still, other people break rules out of spite, anger, or carelessness. Plain and simple, someone always needs to be assigned the task of enforcing rules. If there is no one to enforce the rules, rules will be broken without any thought for the consequences. By having a person in charge of rule enforcement, people will think twice about breaking the rules.

How Much Does a Prayer Weigh

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work. They had seven children and they needed food. John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" Louise replied, "Yes sir." "Okay," he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head. Then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scale went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was instead a prayer which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." It was sometime later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs.  

Author Unknown 

People Have Questions

People have questions about God, and questions about what He does. Some of these questions are hard questions. People ask things like, "Where are the answers when I need answers but no answers can be found?" "Where are the answers when I have cancer and I have to decide whether I want surgery or chemotherapy?" "Where are the answers when I am elderly and I am forced into leaving my home and I have to decide whether I will go to a retirement home or move in with my children?" When we need answers, sometimes it seems God is far away. The Psalmist talked about God when it seems God is far away when the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 22:19 "But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my strength, come quickly to help me." Where is the answer when you have to decide whether to put your parent in a nursing home or try to take care of him or her yourself? Where is the answer when you are a single parent and you have to decide whether to put your child in a daycare center or whether to hire a babysitter you barely know? Where is an answer from God and God's guidance for decisions you have to make when all the choices are bad ones? Part of the answer must rest in trust in the Lord and in trusting our ability to be His humble and contrite child. Part of the answer is in our ability to be willing to do only His will and not our own.

Your Great Destroyer

Satan is out to destroy you. Satan does not want to test you to see how strong you are. Satan does not want to test you to make you stronger. Satan wants you dead. Satan wants you dead in the spirit and dead in the body. Yes, suffering and pain are a test, but not a test from God. We can assign many things to God. We can say God is testing us, but when we say God is testing us, we are referring to the testing developing endurance and strength. An athlete works out to strengthen the body by continually exercising muscles by applying resistance or force against those muscles. Muscles in the arms grow stronger by using barbells. Wind sprints build up the muscles in the legs, arms, and lungs by the body's pushing against gravity. God does not concoct some kind of scheme to make you weak and see you fail. What God does do is coach you from the sidelines, so to speak, encouraging you to work hard to win the race. What God most wants from you during your times of suffering and trauma is for you to work against your painful circumstances. God wants you to work against the weakening of your faith. God wants you to work against your obstacles of pain put in your path by Satan. In this way, when Satan tries to destroy you, you can turn Satan's attack against Satan. When Satan attacks you, you must wage a counterattack. When you wage a counterattack against the pain, suffering, and adversity put upon you, you then glorify God by becoming stronger in your faith.

The Story of Kyle

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."  I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend’s tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up, and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.  My heart went out to him. So I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before, but we talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend, and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are going to really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech, so I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach -- but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked about how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture, you can change a person's life. - Author Unknown -

Grandfather's Table

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.
The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he sometimes had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Momma to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
- Author Unknown -

Reaching Out

Reaching out to others requires we not be too comfortable. Today, too many Christians are too often in a spiritual place of not wanting to grow. Too often, we are content with where we are. We are content to put our own wants and needs before anyone else. Today, in our faith, perhaps we do not have the passion to grow. Unfortunately, today, in the bone and marrow of our service to Christ, we are content. Unfortunately, today, in our faith, perhaps we feel we are big enough and we don't care to be bigger. Unfortunately, today, we are satisfied. We are happy. We are fat. We are lazy. We are rich. Everything is OK. Nothing is really wrong. Unfortunately, today, everything is peachy keen and we have little passion. In the faith, we are too often consumed with ourselves, and with our own little problems. For many of us who are capable of reaching out, reaching out is OK. However, reaching out is just too risky, so we don't reach out. In our faith, we want to be kept. We want to be secure. In our faith, we want to be tended to. We do not want to be uncomfortable, uneasy, or nervous. We do not want to take risks. We are like fish in an aquarium, where all of our needs, wants, and desires are met. Paul Harvey noted, "Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men but keepers of the aquarium."

Picking Splinters

Before you find fault with someone or before you pick a splinter out of their eye, the first prerequisite would have to be there must be an actual splinter in the eye. In your life, there are people who are splinter pickers. These people find splinters in the eyes of others even when these other folks don't know there is a splinter in the eye. Splinter pickers are always looking for the fault, the defect, the mishap, the misstep, the minor mistake, and the slip-up. When something like a mistake occurs, the splinter picker is the first person to charge up and tell the person with the splinter. Then, with a pair of big water pump pliers, the poor person gets his or her eye gouged out in an effort to get at the splinter. Splinter pickers somehow put themselves above others and feel appointed by someone, normally God, to do the gouge work. They are what others call "Holier than thou" since these splinter pickers have appointed themselves, or feel appointed, to be above the rest of us. More often than not, these splinter pickers find splinters that are not really there. Splinter pickers can gouge out the eye, they can split the church, and they can make new Christians fall away. Splinter pickers can destroy the home, make unnecessary waves at the workplace, and cause trouble and dissension when there was no trouble and dissension before the splinter picker goes to work gouging and hurting. Whatever you do, never find fault with anyone, especially a family member.

Our War In Life

Our war in life is not with the burdens we must bear. Our war in life is with the dark powers that want us to believe we cannot live because of the burdens and obstacles we face each day. The inside of your life is God's domain, His territory, and His kingdom if you give the inside of your life over to Him. It is the inside of your life where the mighty victories of your life are won with His help. You can pray for things to change on the outside of your life. However, God's greatest victory through you is when He and you defeat the influences on the inside of your life…the influences that keep you down, defeated, depressed, and hopeless.

Investing In Christ

We are willing to invest our lives in Christ because He defeated death and He came back to life after being dead three days. When we make our investment in Christ our investment means we trust His words, we trust His truth, and we trust Him. Investing in Christ means we have or can have a real, live relationship with Him. When we invest in Christ we have a real, live relationship with Him because He is alive this minute within us. For those of us who have faith, Heaven does not exist on the other side of the universe. For us, because we have made an investment in Christ through faith, Heaven is just an instant away. With our faith investment in Christ, the Holy Spirit, the very essence of Jesus, lives inside of us forever and ever.

Devastation And The Light Of God

No matter how devastating adversity may be, when we truly love the Light of God, the Light of God shines in our darkness. The Light of God can put the desire of our heart in proper perspective. When we can see ourselves and see our world with the Light of God shining within us, we see devastation and darkness in His Light. When we have the Light of God shining within us, we would rather do what the Light desires of us, even in our moments of darkness. The pain of our darkness and devastation, no matter the cause, is fed by the darkness, and when the Light of God is brought into the darkness, the darkness disappears. The darkness does not fill the emptiness in our soul. The darkness only stirs up a pain-filled hunger and thirst in our soul to such an extent we will often do anything to take away the pain. However, the Light of God fills our emptiness and takes away the devastation in our soul with peace and contentment beyond our understanding.

Giving Hope...As A Form Of Giving Love

Each of us is called to love others. One of the best ways of showing others we love them is to give them hope for the future. When you give hope as a form of love to others you help others prepare themselves for the future. When you give hope away you help others feel more confident and secure in a world where many people have little confidence and little security. When you give the gift of hope, others can begin to understand how much God loves them and how much He cares for them. It was noted elsewhere, "When you give hope, you give joy to the joyless. When you give hope, you give the laughter to destroy the grip of hopelessness. When you give hope, you show the beauty of giving without the "show" reflecting back upon yourself. When you give hope, you show the godly inner glow of humility. When you give hope, you show others another person cares for them and cares about them. When you give hope, others see hope is not so distant a leap to see Christ also loves them and cares about them. When you give hope, you show others there is no end in sight within the heavenly realms of love."

Memo From God

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it. If you find yourself stuck in traffic; don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the man in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed his children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!!

How Do You Get To The Light?

A religion or religious doctrine should never exclude a person from any of the Light or claim a person must only come to the Light through a particular doctrine. Religious persons sometimes tell people they cannot or must not gain any of the Light through any means except through a particular doctrine. Some persons of religious faith are afraid people find God, the Light, or spiritual enlightenment in a doctrine other than their own doctrine. We must realize it is better for a person to find some enlightenment about God than no enlightenment at all. We get to the Light by being willing to become the Light. We get to love by being willing to become love. In the doctrine of the Christian faith, we get to God by being willing to see Him dying for us on the Cross. In addition, we get to God by being willing to repent of our natural state of sin. We cannot fully and totally see God unless we see Him crucified for each of us individually and personally.

Obstacles And Strength

If you are ten times stronger than the satanic opponent and have the resources to do so, you can surround the opponent. If you are strong enough to obliterate the obstacles put in your path by the opponent without using up your strength or your resources you must do so. Do not use your strength or resources to obliterate obstacles unless you have an advantage greater than the lost strength or the resources you use up. If possible, you must obliterate obstacles on the playing field so you can engage the opponent on a level field of battle, without obstacles, and to your advantage. If possible, always engage the opponent on a field of battle to your advantage and to the opponent's disadvantage.

A Touching Story

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better." All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know one thing. What matters most in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

New Power

We have power over the air via human flight. We have built our country (the USA) into the most advanced country on earth but hatred against our country runs deep in many places. We have unbelievable technology but we are using the technology in unbelievably sinful ways. We have incredible inventions but we have abortions by the millions. We have life-saving medicine but a world full of vacant and empty souls. We have extended human life but the life being lived is often miserable. We are trying to control the weather but the weather is reacting in violent ways. We have reversed the aging process in experimental animals but we have lost the meaning and purpose of life in humans. We have discovered the kill switch in living cells telling the cells to die but millions of people live on the edge of starvation. Not only do we have power but we are getting more and more power from new power sources. What will happen now that we have new power?

What Hopelessness Does

Hopelessness conjures up deep feelings of desperation. When we are in hopelessness, no matter what we do or think, nothing will alter our life. Hopelessness diminishes our power and control over our lives. Desperation caused by hopelessness causes people to do desperate things. Hopelessness alters our perception of what will happen in the future in a way making the future look dark, bleak, and vacant of what we want or need. When we lose or give up power in our life, we tend toward hopelessness because we have perceived ourselves as having no control over circumstances. When we feel hopeless we become passive and often give up trying or believing our future holds promise.

Turning Your Life Around

Your whole life can be turned around, not by material things or material circumstances, but by the cleansing power of surrendering all you are and all you have to Christ. Your whole life can be turned around by undergoing the humbling experience of seeking forgiveness for your sins in Christ. The empowering experience of freedom from sin turns your life around. The enabling experience of feeling the love of God through Christ and His grace because you are forgiven turns your life around. The freedom from sin and the grace of God are such life-turning experiences, God's grace is so sufficient, even in suffering or even in the worst hardship, you can praise God who sent his Son to die for you. When you turn your life around, you are not the one who does the turning. Certainly, there is a turning going on, but the love of God is the turning power or turning force and you are the results of God’s turning.

Using Big-picture Instructions from the Bible

To achieve my hopes and dreams, will I have to do anything going against the big picture instructions God gives me in the Bible? The wisdom and guidance contained on every page of scripture work to our benefit. There are no short-cuts or easy avenues to realizing our hopes and dreams, especially when those hopes and dreams are pointed in the direction of God's will. Although there are no short cuts to doing God's will, scripture gives us incredible guidance and common sense to realize our hopes and dreams. Scripture gives us a way to establish win-win relationships at home and at work. Scripture gives us common sense ways to deal with problems and obstacles disabling to normally functioning adults. Scripture gives us a special vision and power rare in today's dark and ominous world. Hard to believe as it might be, the big picture instructions of scripture, when followed to the letter, end up taking care of a lot of the hour by hour details of our life. However, we must remember God's instruction manual only goes so far. He leaves many of the implementation decisions up to us in order to preserve our free will and test us to see how devout we choose to be.

Life and Curves

I love the way the first eight verses of Psalm 119 reads in the Message Bible.

Psalm 119:1-8---You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me. Life can throw you a curve from time to time. Each of us has certain desires and even set goals for our lives. Many times when we do so we never consider the plans God may have for our lives, I know I am guilty. Sometimes we just have to flow with the curve, let go and let God have his way. To let go and let God have His way means we turn completely loose of the steering wheel and let God do the steering. I have failed miserably in this area at times and today I want to recommit myself to surrender all to Christ. All to Jesus I Surrender!!

Adversity And The Light

Can adversity lead to the Light? Any adversity, any hurt, any heartache, any illness, any sickness, any infirmity, any obstacle of any kind has a spiritual component. This spiritual component can lead to the Light and the love we call God. The belief any adversity can lead to God is a belief you can prove to yourself to be true. The belief any adversity can lead to God will transform any adversity in your life into an opportunity to find Him. This belief, when proven to yourself, becomes certain knowledge God will lead you to Christ as the Light of the world. When you find Christ as the Light of the world in your adversity, you will then find Christ is the total essence of victory in any circumstance under any condition.

Miracles Then And Now

Matthew 15:22-29 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

These examples of faith and healing are put into the scripture for a reason. These examples of faith and healing are placed in our holy Word so we will believe and have the same kind of faith of the woman who kept crying out. The faith this woman used two thousand years ago is the same faith we can use today. The love of God we experience is real and is the same love people experienced two thousand years ago. The healing power Christ used in healing this woman's daughter is real and this healing power is the same today as it was then. The power of God to act is the same today as then. Miracles happen today just like they happened then because the same miracle power is at work today as it was then.

Living With Obstacles and Burdens

We may not be able to do anything about some of our obstacles, burdens, or circumstances in life. We may have to just let the obstacle, burden, or circumstance sit in our life. We may just have to let the obstacle, burden, or circumstance be where it is at the moment. We may have to climb over the obstacle, go around it, tunnel under it, and live with the fact the obstacle is always going to be where it is. We may have to learn to live in spite of the obstacle or burden. In many of the circumstances we cannot change, our greatest victory is learning to live in spite of the obstacle, burden, or circumstance. As ridiculous as this sounds, if darkness has its way, an inanimate obstacle or a circumstance will get you down, keep you down, and you will not live. It is the will of God that you come back against obstacles, burdens, and circumstances by living fully in spite of them.

Taking A Break And Resting

Psalms 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

Right now, take a little break from life. Stop and rest for just a second. Take a deep breath and sink into the hand of God. While you are resting in His hand, reflect upon how much He loves you. Look around you and you see how you live in a world hurrying up to a heart attack. With God, there is for you, the green and luscious goodness of His love in which He wants you to immerse yourself. In His luscious green goodness, there is nourishment. In His pasture, you find His love, His care, and His compassion. Perhaps today God wants you to stop and rest. Sometimes God even makes things happen so you will rest when you don't want to rest because when you are flat on your back, you are looking up to Him.

Love or Anger Rippling Out To Others

1 John 4:19---We love because he first loved us.

Your love or anger touches other persons. When you show anger toward others, anger ripples out across the hearts of others and out into the world. However, when you show love toward others, the emotion of love, so full of light and goodness, also ripples out across the hearts of others. Love ripples out across the universe and into the very heart of God. Every hour we have a choice about who we are and what we do. Every hour we have a choice of showing others love. Love brings joy to God, to others, and to you. Love changes the world because love is God and God is love. Every moment you need to choose to love. Every moment you need to choose to send out the substance of God. We must send out love because Christ loved us while we were yet sinners. An astounding truth is this…you can choose. You can choose to send out God. You can choose to give God away to others and to the universe. God wants you to share Himself. God wants you to give away all He is. Send out the substance of God. Send out God and He will come back to you many times over. We send out the substance of God not because we want something back but because God loved us before we first loved Him.

Keep Your Balance

The food of the heart is love. We thrive upon love. However, where is God's love when disaster strikes, or when we lose a loved one? Where is God's love when we are staring at death's door? Where is God's love when we and those we care about become innocent victims? Where is God and His love when we are alone in our private pain? Where is God and His love when we are besieged on every side by every spiritual enemy? We have all been in places in our life when these questions occur. The reality for most of us is we ask these questions because there are times when His love seems absent. There are times when God is silent when we talk with Him. There are times when it seems God has forgotten us. Many of us have wrestled with these questions for years. The Bible is full of answers for us and most of us know what the answers are. We know in our mind God is with us all the time. However, there are times when we need another way of looking at the way God works. Think of God's presence in your life like training wheels on a bicycle. Sometimes you lean to one side while you are learning to ride the bike and the training wheels keep you from falling over. At other times, when you have your balance the training wheels never touch the ground. In either case, if you are so busy just trying to keep your balance, you are never aware of the training wheels. Many times in our life, we are too busy trying to keep our balance to know or notice how Christ is still there supporting us.