WILLPOWER OR WILTPOWER?

Little Debbie looked at her mom with sadness in her eyes. “Please, Mom, may I have one more cookie?”

“Sweetheart,” replied her mom, “you’ve already had three.”

“I know, Mom,” she whined, “but they are so good. Just one more? Please?”

“All right,” agreed her mom, “one more and that’s all!”

“Thanks, Mom!” exclaimed Little Debbie. “You sure don’t have much willpower. You gave in without even thinking.”

Giving in to temptation is easy if we do not call on the Lord when we face the slippery slope of life. The easy way out, however, is rarely the best way out. When we give in without counting the cost we are usually giving up something of value.

Paul reminds us that we all face the same type of temptations. In fact, he says, that “they are no different from what others experience.” Why is it, then, that some Christians have better “survival rates” than others?

It’s because of our focus. If we depend on ourselves for the strength to overcome the “evil one” we will surely lose the battle. But if we look to and call upon the Lord, the battle becomes His and victory is assured.

Prayer:  Lord, before we are tempted and tried may we fill our minds with Your Word, open our hearts to Your Spirit and depend completely on You for our survival. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13

WILLING AND ABLE

Little Anne was anxious for her birthday to arrive. It was to be a day of celebration filled with presents and a party with her best friends.

One morning before school she asked, “Mom, when’s my birthday? How long before it’s here? You know, how much time do I have to start being good ‘cause you know it’s hard for me to be good.”

How true of all of us!

If we truly want to be good and do good, however, we need to listen to the advice of Paul: “For God is working in you, giving you the power to do what pleases Him.”

To do good we must first be willing to do good. For the Christian doing good is being Christ-like. For some of us it takes a while. We know that our goal is to have an attitude like Christ and act as He did. But what do we do until that happens? Many of us have had that as a goal for years and still have not achieved the results we want: to think and act like Jesus.

Look at it this way: If we are willing, God will enable us to do what He would have us to do. We can read the Gospel message and see what Jesus did and then go into His world and do whatever He did to honor His Father. Willingness always precedes ability. And ability comes from imitation, practice and application.

Prayer:  Lord, sometimes we really try to complicate things to get out of doing them. Truth is, if we want to do good we can do good for You promised to help us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13

“WHY DIDN’T YOU ASK ME?”

Henry Ford was always the center of attention. It seemed that people could never get enough information about him or what he was doing. On one occasion he purchased a very large insurance policy. It made the headlines in a Detroit newspaper.

One of his friends, an insurance salesman, read the article and called Mr. Ford. “Why,” he asked, “didn’t you purchase the policy from me?”

“Because,” came the answer, “you didn’t ask me.”

All of us have the same needs. No doubt that God “wired us” the same so we could understand one another’s needs so we would know how to help each other. We are quick to help others when we know that they have physical or emotional needs. It comes naturally. But the greatest need that each of us has is a spiritual need: To know Jesus Christ as Savior. We must always consider this need.

It’s difficult for most individuals to ask for help. However, when they do, it is a good place to begin to build a relationship to ask life’s most important question: Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior?

Prayer:  Help us, Father, to be aware of the needs of others and in Your name help them when we can. But let us never forget their most important need: salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” Luke 14:15-24

WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

During one of the civil wars in Italy a regimental leader was having a difficult time recruiting soldiers to fight. To solve his problem, he was going from city to city looking for people to join him. Many joined him bringing with them their swords and guns.

One old lady was so moved as she saw the response that she wanted to join in the battle. So, she grabbed her broom, put it over her shoulder and began to march with the men.

Many laughed at her, and one person jeered from the crowd, “What are you doing old lady? What good are you?”

“Not much,” came the answer, “but at least everyone will know whose side I’m on.”

Every day we are confronted with choices that reflect our allegiances to Christ. Often they are subtle and do not require much effort and get little attention from others. Sometimes the call to obedience may result in revolutionary changes and completely upset lifelong plans and dreams. Surely there have been times when all He asked was to “be still and know that I am God.”

The call varies but our response to be faithful to Him is always optional. We either turn toward Him and do as he asks us to do or turn away from Him and follow our selfish ambitions. To choose is not optional.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we are always available when You call us to serve You. We pray, however, that when You call we will respond in faithful service. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! “If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:14-15

WHAT NEXT?

Have you ever eaten a Twinkie? Those moist cakes filled with creamy vanilla? Do you know how they got to the grocer’s shelf?

Jimmy Dewar is the creator of the delicious little treats. He never planned on baking Twinkies. The idea for them came to him out of frustration.

He began by making strawberry shortcakes but ran into a problem. At the end of the season, he had pans but no strawberries. He then decided to create a banana filling which was well received in the stores. But he ran into another problem.

One year there was a shortage of bananas, and he was forced to try something else. He thought and worked and experimented and came up with the idea of a vanilla filling. It was and still is a delicious treat and enjoyed by many every day. Besides, the creamy vanilla filling has no season.

That’s the way God works in our lives. When he closes one door He willingly opens another if we are faithful, work diligently and look to Him for guidance. Unfortunately, many Christians look upon difficult days as a reason to become despondent - not dependent upon God.

God’s Word declares, “I have opened a door for you that no one can shut.” Trust Him. He wants you to succeed.

Prayer:  Open our eyes, Lord, to see the opportunities that You set before us. May we look to You each day with excitement for the challenges You will bring us! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Revelation 3:8

WHAT COUNTS

In the game of baseball victory is determined by runs. It is not determined by strikes or strike outs, hits, double plays, triple plays or the number of innings a game may go. It is only determined by runs.

The player who hits the ball into left field for a single, even stretching it into a double and sliding safely into second is not rewarded with “half-a-run.” It is not part of the final score.

How true of life. How true of everything we do. It is not how well we start, how well we continue for awhile, but whether or not we finish what we started.

Paul had a co-worker named Demas. How long he was involved with Paul or whether or not he had any particular skills in church planting is not known. What is known is that he deserted Paul because he loved the things of “this life.” He allowed his desire for worldly things and pleasures to surpass his desire for the things of the Lord.

There are two ways we might view the world. One is the way God intended it to be and the way it will be when He returns in His glory. The other way we might look at the world is as Demas did - as it is now with its evil attractions and sinful pleasures.

All of us have the same choices as Demas and Paul: to live for the things of this world or the world to come.

Prayer:  Create within us, Lord, the desire to seek first the Kingdom of God and a life of righteousness. May we honor You in all we do and forsake the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 2 Timothy 4:10

TRYING TO FIND ME

A telephone salesman called a home, and a small child answered the phone just above a whisper. “Hello,” he said.

“Is your mother in?” asked the salesman.

“Yes,” he said in a hushed voice. “But she’s busy.”

“Well,” the salesman continued, “is your father home?”

“Yes,” came the quiet reply. “But he’s busy too.”

Wondering what was going on the salesman asked, “Well, what are they doing?”

“Looking for me,” whispered the child. “I broke my mom’s favorite vase and I’m hiding.”

Hiding is the natural thing to do when we’ve done something we think is wrong. It has a long heritage going back to the Garden of Eden when Adam said, to God, “I heard you, so I hid.” Facing the Lord is not pleasant even though we know that He loves us and will willingly forgive us if we ask.

Often when we are guilty of being disobedient or knowingly commit a sin, we fear approaching Him. But that is the time we need Him the most. We need to remember that He does not want to hurt us but to heal us. He is anxious to forgive us, restore our relationship with Him and grant us His pardon and peace. “If we confess, He is faithful and just to forgive.”

Prayer:  We know, Heavenly Father, that we do what is unacceptable to You when we sin. May we be swift to confess and repent and forsake what we know is wrong. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9

TODAY IS NOT TOMORROW

Abraham Lincoln spent years as a circuit riding lawyer. On one of his trips he and a friend were faced with crossing the dangerous Fox River. While traveling through a small village he decided to ask a minister about the best place to cross it.

“Well,” said the minister, “it’s always pretty bad. I am familiar with all its dangers. But I have one fixed rule that I never change: I never cross it until I reach it.”

Planning for tomorrow is time well spent. But worrying about what might happen tomorrow is a foolish use of our time. When we worry we close our eyes and ears and cannot see or hear our Heavenly Father at work in our lives. So what do we do?

First, we must release the problem to the Lord in prayer. We must hand the problem to Him as a quarterback hands off the football to a running back. The football can get to its final destination when it is let go.

Second, we must fix our thoughts on the power of God to solve the problem. We must allow His Spirit to guide us and give us insight to solve the problem.

Third, we must activate our faith and believe that God will lead us to the solution that He has for us - not necessarily the solution we want. To combat worry and anxiety we must take God’s promises at face value.

Prayer:  Help us, Father, to believe that You will solve our problems and take away our anxieties when we look to You in faith and accept Your will in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:33-34

THROUGH IS NOT THE END

A patient, waiting for his appointment, began leafing through a copy of Who’s Who in America. After several moments he closed the book. A patient seated next to him asked if he was looking for his name or someone he knew.

 “No,” he replied, sadly. “I’m listed in Who’s Through.”

Obviously he did not know the Lord. For anyone who turns to Him at any time will be met with open arms and given an opportunity to embark on a new beginning.

David made this abundantly clear when he wrote, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire,…set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

People who do not know God often think that they have to pull themselves up by their “bootstraps.” But what God did for David He can and will do for everyone!

This powerful Psalm describes what God can do for anyone at any time. God will not only rescue us from the depths of our despair, but place us on solid ground, steady us with His strength, as we begin a new walk with Him and give us a new song to sing along the path that He has prepared for us.

Prayer:  How grateful we are, Father, that no one is ever beyond Your love or grace, salvation or mercy. May we recognize Your power to redeem and rescue us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. Psalm 40

THE RESURRECTION

            Lo, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it; his appearance was as lightening, and his clothes were as white as snow. For fear of him, the guards trembled and became as dead men.

            And the angel said to the women, “Be not afraid I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Why seek the living among the dead? Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful man and be crucified and on the third day rise again.’ Come now and see that place where He lay. (Then they remembered His words.)”

            “Go quickly and tell His disciples and Peter that He is risen from the dead, and lo, He goes before you into Galilee. There, you will see Him as He told you.”

            Some went away with fear and trembling and said nothing because they were afraid. Others went away quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples.

Prayer:  Father, how grateful we are for Your victory over death and the assurance of eternal life with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:   Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24