Sunday, August 31, 2014

THE DEVIL'S BEANS


Rowland Hill, a prominent preacher of former years, related this incident in one of his sermons:

"The other day I was going down the street, and I saw a drove of pigs following a man. This excited my curiosity so much that I determined to follow. I did so and to my great surprise, I saw them follow him to the slaughter house.

I was anxious to know how this was brought about and I said to the roan, `My friend, how did you manage to induce these pigs to follow you here?'

`Oh, did you not see?' said the man. 'I had a basket of beans under my arm and I dropped a few as I came along and so they followed me.'

`Yes,' said the preacher, `and I thought so it is, the devil has his basket of beans under his arm and he drops them as he goes along and what multitudes he induces to follow him to an everlasting slaughter house.'” - Gospel Herald.

1Pet 5:8 (NHEB): "Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Jas 4:7 (ISV): "Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you."


Friday, August 29, 2014

JEALOUSY


Oscar Wile once told the story of how the devil was crossing the Libyan Desert when he met a number of people tormenting a holy hermit.

They tried to involve the hermit in sins of the flesh, tempting him in every way they knew, but to no avail. The sainted man shook off all their suggestions.

The devil then whispered to his workers. "What you do is too crude. Give me a chance to show you how."

The devil told the holy man, "Your brother has been made bishop of Alexandria." And a scowl of malignant jealousy crept across the face of the hermit. "That," said the devil to his crew, "is the sort of thing I recommend." (‘The Love Road to Calvary’ by James R. Bjorge)

1Co 3:3 (ISV): “…As long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, you are worldly and living by human standards, aren't you?”

“The cure for the sin of envy and jealousy is to find our contentment in God.” - Jerry Bridges.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

TEACHING


Life is a matter of building. Each of us has the opportunity to build something - a secure family, a good reputation, a career, a relationship to God. But some of those things can disappear almost overnight due to financial losses, natural disasters & other unforeseen difficulties.

What are we to do?

Daniel Webster offered excellent advice, saying, "If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will erase it. But if we work on men's immortal minds, if we instill them with high principles, with just fear of God & love of their fellow-men, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot erase & which will brighten & brighten to all eternity. - (Morning Glory)

“Only Christianity & its teachings can explain the purpose & meaning of this world - also gives the basis for right & wrong, good & evil, etc.” - Ken Ham.

2Ti 2:2 (CEV) says: “You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others.”

“The best learning I had came from teaching.” - Corrie Ten Boom.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

ANGER


Abraham Lincoln's secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, was angered by an army officer who accused him of favoritism.

Stanton complained to Lincoln, who suggested that Stanton write the officer a sharp letter. Stanton did, and showed the strongly worded missive to the president.

"What are you going to do with it?" Lincoln inquired. Surprised, Stanton replied, "Send it."

Lincoln shook his head. "You don't want to send that letter," he said. "Put it in the stove. That's what I do when I have written a letter while I am angry. It's a good letter and you had a good time writing it and feel better. Now burn it, and write another." ("Today in the Word")

"Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one." - B. Franklin.

"It is he who is in the wrong who first gets angry." -William Penn.

Pro 15:18 (NET) says: "A quick-tempered person stirs up dissension, but one who is slow to anger calms a quarrel."

DON'T COMPLAIN


Maya Angelou is a famed American poet & author. From the age of 3 to 7, she was raised by her grandmother, a period of calm & stability in what would be a very traumatic childhood.

Grandma ran a general store & one thing that annoyed her was people complaining. They’d complain about the heat, the cold & other issues grandma thought trivial.

Whenever that occurred, grandma would wait till the complainer left the store, call Maya over to her & say, “Did you hear what so & so complained about? There are people who went to sleep all over the world last night, poor & rich & white & black, but they never woke up.

And those dead folks would give anything, anything at all for just five minutes of this weather that person was grumbling about.

So you watch yourself about complaining. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is to change it.

If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. But don’t complain.”  ('Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul.')

Num 11:1 (GNB): "The people began to complain to the Lord about their troubles. When the Lord heard them, he became angry and sent fire on the people..."

1Th 5:18 (KJV): "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Sunday, August 24, 2014

D L MOODY (1837-1899)


~One critic suggested that Moody should realize his limitations and not attempt to speak in public.

"You make too many mistakes in grammar,” he complained.

“I know I make mistakes,” replied Moody, “and I lack a great many things, but I'm doing the best I can with what I've got.”

He paused and looked at the man searchingly and said, “Look here, friend, you've got grammar enough - what are you doing with it for the Master?"

Luke 12:48: "...Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given."

~Someone once asked Mr. Moody, "Can a man chew tobacco and go to heaven?"

The startling reply came, "Yes, but he would have to spit in hell!"

Proverbs 26:5: “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.”

Friday, August 22, 2014

OBEY WHOLE LAW!


Centuries ago, missionaries went amongst the barbaric tribes of Western Europe.

They found that many of these barbarians insisted on keeping their right hands out of the baptismal water when they were plunged beneath its surface during their baptism.

They were willing to become followers of Christ in every aspect except one; they wanted their strong right arm left free to kill enemies and to use as they please. (Encyclopedia of Illustrations).

“One leak will sink a ship; and one sin will destroy a sinner.” - John Bunyan.

Jas 2:10 (GW) says: “If someone obeys all of God's laws except one, that person is guilty of breaking all of them.”

Thursday, August 21, 2014

WELCOME HOME!


A number of years ago, Newsweek magazine carried the story of the memorial service held for Hubert Humphrey, former vice-president of the United States. Hundreds of people came from all over the world to say good-bye to their old friend & colleague.

But one person who came was shunned & ignored by virtually everyone there. Nobody would look at him, much less speak to him. That person was former president Richard Nixon. Not long before, he had gone through the shame & infamy of Watergate. He was back in Washington for the first time since his resignation from the presidency.

Then a very special thing happened, perhaps the only thing that could have made a difference & broken the ice.

President Jimmy Carter, who was in the White House at that time, came into the room. Before he was seated, he saw Nixon over against the wall, all by himself. He went over to him as though he were greeting a family member, stuck out his hand to the former president, & smiled broadly.

To the surprise of everyone there, the two of them embraced each other & Carter said, "Welcome home, Mr. President! Welcome home!"

Commenting on that, Newsweek magazine asserted, "If there was a turning point in Nixon's long ordeal in the wilderness, it was that moment & that gesture of love & compassion." - as told by Maxie Dunnam in ‘The Workbook on Living as a Christian.’

“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.” - Henry W Beecher.

Luke 19:10 says: All the people who saw it started grumbling, "This man (Jesus) has gone as a guest to the home of a sinner (Zacchaeus)!"

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Guidance (G-u-i-dance)


When I meditated on the word "guidance," I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music & everything is quite uncomfortable & jerky.

When one person lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness & attentiveness from one person & gentle guidance & skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word guidance. When I saw "G", I thought of God, followed by "u" & "i". God, "u" & "i" dance". God, you & I dance. This statement is what guidance means to me.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. I became willing to let God lead. - The Sermon Fodder.

Psa 27:4 (GNB) says: “I have asked the LORD for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the LORD's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance.”

Friday, August 15, 2014

PRACTICING GRACE


Charles Spurgeon & Joseph Parker both had Churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself.

Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers & became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker’s Church the next Sunday to hear his counterargument.

Parker announced, “I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today & this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead.” The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates three times.

Later that week there was a knock at Parker’s study. It was Spurgeon. “You know Parker; you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved; you have given me what I needed.” - ministry127.com

“The most miserable prison in the world is the prison we make for ourselves when we refuse to show mercy.” - Warren Wiersbe.

Mat 5:7 (KJV): “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

REAL FREEDOM: Freedom from Bondage to Sin


One reason many have never realized their bondage to sin may seem very paradoxical, but it is, nevertheless, very true. It is because they have never tried to get free.

There is a yard where a dog is heavily chained. The dog, however, is fast asleep & so he does not realize his bondage. Later on we may even notice the dog eating his food, still chained, but as the food is close to the kennel his chain is not irksome & he is thus still unconscious of his bondage.

But soon comes the owner of the dog, who, forgetting the chain, calls the dog. The animal springs up, eager to reach his master. What happens then? All his efforts are vain, & now for the first time he feels the irksomeness & restraint of his fetters.

It is exactly similar with sin. Try to get free & you feel your bondage. - Dr.W.H. Griffith Thomas.

“The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.” - Billy Graham.

“If you want to be free, just start doing what God wants you to do, one step at a time & you'll eventually walk out of your messes.” - Joyce Meyer.

John 8:36: “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.”

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Is Your Church a Museum or Mission?


A city church, located in an area of the downtown where there were few residents, was forced to a decision. A large corporation was offering them a great deal of money for their site to put a parking lot. The money would enable the church to move to another part of the inner city where they would find many more people to serve.

Even though this was exciting to some of the congregation, other members were resistant to the idea. They pointed out that the church was the guardian of a building whose history & architecture reached back into the early part of the nineteenth century. Denominational history had been made in that building & some of the grand figures of the church had passed its portals.

Eventually the congregation decided to sell the site & make the move to a new building. The pastor who was with this congregation through all this upheaval said, “We had to decide whether we wanted to be in a museum or in mission.” They couldn’t have both ways.

It meant staying on their site, glorying in their past history & serving a few people, or giving up their past & gearing themselves to a significant ministry among the city’s people. They opted for mission status over museum status. - Wallace H. Kirby.

Act 7:48 (ISV) says: “However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands.”

Eph 3:17 (KJV) says: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith,…”

Sunday, August 10, 2014

WISE SAYINGS…


Pro 4:5 (GW) says: “Acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding. Do not forget. Do not turn away from the words that I have spoken.”

I. Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -

1. Time

2. Words

3. Opportunity

II. Three things in life that can destroy a person -

1. Anger

2. Pride

3. Unforgiveness

III. Three things in life that you should never lose-

1. Hope

2. Peace

3. Honesty

IV. Three things in life those are most valuable -

1. Family

2. Friends

3. Kindness

V. Three things that make a person -

1. Commitment

2. Sincerity

3. Hard work

(Author Unknown) - googleusercontent.com

Pro 3:13 (ESV) says: “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who gets understanding,”

CALL FOR DISCERNMENT


It is not uncommon to receive posts consisting of Christian stuff (with even Bible verses), but the conclusions being something like this:

'Within 10 min, forward this post to at least 15 people, if not, something bad will happen to you.' or 'If you do the forwarding as instructed, within 24 hrs, some miracle/good will happen to you.'

These kinds of conclusions have no basis in Scriptures. Such posts are from the desk of the devil as any kind of motivation based on fear is devilish.

Bible only says: God will certainly punish anyone who breaks rules in the Bible & bless anyone who follows the rules in the Bible.

Hence, we can & should delete such posts as soon as we get it without any fear. Do not be part of such evil processes by forwarding such posts to others.

Surprisingly, even some professing believers forward posts that have statements like, 'This is God sending this message' ; 'I am a dead person sending this message' etc.,

Of course, forwarding Scriptural posts to others will be a blessing to the recipients. It is good. In such cases, posts may end something like this: 'You may feel free to forward to others' or even, 'don’t let the devil stop you from forwarding to others'. But, certainly not with threats like: ' If you don't...' or 'If you do...giving devil's false promises'.

"Fear is born of satan & if we would only take time to think a moment, we would see that everything satan says is founded upon a falsehood." - A B Simpson.

"Meet your fears with faith." - Max Lucado.

Pro 1:33 says: "Whoever listens to me will have security. He will be safe, with no reason to be afraid."

2Ti 1:7 says: "For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control."

May God help you to spread only His Word in all its purity for His glory.

(You may save this post & forward to those who may send unscriptural posts as mentioned above.)

Friday, August 8, 2014

Let the lower lights be burning!


Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876), one of the great hymn writers, traveled with evangelist D. L. Moody as his song leader. In Chicago, Bliss was listening to Moody preach in an evangelistic campaign about a violent storm on Lake Erie:

On a dark, stormy evening, when the waves rolled like mountains & not a star was to be seen, a ship, rocking & plunging, neared the Cleveland harbor.

“Are you sure this is Cleveland?” asked the Captain, seeing only light from the lighthouse.

“Quite sure,” replied the pilot.

“Where are the lower lights?”

“Gone out, sir!”

“Can you make it to the harbor?”

“We must, or perish, sir.”

With a strong hand a brave heart, the old pilot turned the wheel, But in the darkness, he missed the channel & without the lower lights his ship crashed on the rocks & many on board died in the tragedy.

“Brethren,” concluded Moody, “the Master will take care of the great lighthouse. Let us keep the lower lights burning.”

Bliss went home wrote the following hymn & sang it at Moody’s next service:


Dark the night of sin has settled,
Loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Chorus:
Let the lower lights be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor struggling, fainting seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

(hymnalaccompanist.com)

Thursday, August 7, 2014

DISCOVER YOUR STYLE!


A true heart of compassion will let those on the way to destruction know they can escape, but the only escape is through Jesus Christ. We need to tell people they're in trouble with God and that God alone has provided a way to escape.

But How? Do we all have to share the same way? No, the unbelieving world is made up of a variety of people. It's going to take more than one style of evangelism to reach such a diverse population!

So what is your style?

Confrontational? (Acts 2) Repent and be baptized, save yourselves from this corrupt generation.

Intellectual? (Acts 17) Paul debated with the philosophers on Mars Hill to convince them.

Testimonial? (John 9) One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!

Relational? (Mark 5) Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.

Invitational? (John 4) The Samaritan woman at the well begged the people of the city to come and hear Jesus for themselves.

Serving? (Acts 9) Dorcas impacted her city by doing deeds of kindness.

Don't ever think you're a second class Christian because you don't proclaim Christ like Peter or Paul. Discover your own method. Then get out of your comfort zone and use it for the Glory of God. - Source Unknown. (moreillustrations.com)

GO!


"Millions of surveys which we have helped to take around the world indicate that approximately 98 percent of the Christians do not regularly introduce others to the Savior." - Bill Bright, President of Campus Crusade for Christ.

“Christ met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today still don't seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.” (‘Why Christians Sin’ by J.K. Johnston).

Mat 28:19 (GNB) says: “Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: …”

“Christ beats His drum, but He does not press men; Christ is served with volunteers.” - John Donne.

“Any method of evangelism will work if God is in it.” - Leonard Ravenhill.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

A TESTIMONY


Imagine getting through your busy day without hands or feet. Meet Nicholas Vujicic. Without any medical explanation or warning, Nick was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without arms & legs.

The early days were difficult. Throughout his childhood, Nick not only dealt with the typical challenges of school, but he also struggled with depression & loneliness.

Nick constantly wondered why he was different than all the other kids. He questioned the purpose of life, or if he even had a purpose.

According to Nick, the victory over his struggles, as well as his strength & passion for life today, can be credited to his faith in God.

Since his first speaking engagement at age 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions. Today this dynamic young evangelist has accomplished more than most people achieve in a lifetime. He’s an author, musician, actor, & his hobbies include fishing, painting & swimming.

In 2007, Nick moved to southern California, where he is the President of the International non-profit Ministry, ‘Life Without Limbs.’

Nick says, “If God can use a man without arms & legs to be His hands & feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”

Luke 18:27: Jesus answered, "What is humanly impossible is possible for God."