Where Do I Begin?

A company was well known for its highly effective sales personnel. They were able to outperform all of their competitors by their volume of sales, the new customers they attracted and the loyalty of their old ones.

Once, during an interview, a professor asked the personnel director what he did to attract so many outstanding people to his company. After thinking for a moment he replied, “We give them a water test.”

The professor was surprised. He thought he knew of every pre-employment test available. So, he asked, “What is the water test?”

“Well,” he responded, “before we hire anyone, we take them into a room where the faucet is running, the sink is overflowing and water is pouring onto the floor. We offer the person a mop and say, ‘Mop up the water.’ If they begin to mop up the water without turning off the faucet, we know they are poor problem solvers and decision makers, and they would not be good employees. So, we don’t hire them.”

Too often Christians try to “clean” up their lives without turning “off” old habits and behaviors that lead to sin. If we want to become who God wants us to become, we must turn away from every temptation that can distract, defeat and destroy us. We can solve the problem of sinning by deciding to keep away from evil.

Prayer:  We look to You, Heavenly Father, for insight and guidance as we face the difficult choices of life. May we always recognize our need for Your wisdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    Reject every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

The Greatest of These

Abraham Lincoln was known for his kindness to everyone. He was often criticized by his associates for being so gracious.

On one occasion one of them said, “With all of the power you have, why don’t you destroy your enemies?”

“Am I not destroying my enemies,” he asked, “when I make them my friends?”

Perhaps there is no more misunderstood or misused word in our world today than the word “love.” Nearly everyone has their own personal meaning for it. For some it has a “sexual” meaning. For others it has an “I like to be with you” meaning. And there are those who see love as demonstrating an unselfish concern for others - helping them when they are unable to help themselves or even provide for themselves.

Paul speaks of a love that is supremely concerned with the best interests and welfare of others. It is a love that makes the needs and concerns of others my very own. It is as though I am saying, “I don’t walk away from the needs of others, I take them with me. If they have a need, it is my need. If they hurt, I hurt. If they are in pain, it is my pain as well. If they have no food, I will share my food with them.”

As Christians we must move beyond the feeling, sentimental and emotional types of love to a love that forces us to do what Jesus would have us to do for others.

Prayer:  Lord, we see in Your life and death the real meaning of love. Strengthen us to live as you lived and to love as You loved so others will see You in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13

"Make Your Plans Large!"

One of my most prized possessions is my mother’s Bible. Shortly after she went to be with the Lord, I was leafing through the well-worn and tear-stained pages. In the margin next to Ephesians 3:20 she had written, “If God is your partner, make your plans large.”

In that passage of Scripture, Paul wrote, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” What power, Paul?

Here Paul is speaking about the mighty power that raised Christ from the dead: the power that is available to Christians that comes from the living God. This power from God enables us to accomplish not only more than is possible for us to do on our own - but we are enabled to accomplish exceedingly abundantly more than we might even be able to ask or think!

God wants to work in and through the lives of His children - you and me. He wants to make His mighty power that raised His Son, Jesus Christ, from the grave available to each of us. So we must expand how we think.

Exceedingly suggests excessiveness and abundantly means overflowing, or an overabundance of something. But he does not end with those words. He continues by adding more than we can ask or think!

 If we sincerely take God at His Word, the only limitations on Christians are the ones we place on God.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, it is beyond our abilities to truly understand the “mighty power” that is available to us. Increase our faith so we, in turn, can do more for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20

I Must Know Them!

Years ago there was a king who would leave his palace and walk through the streets of his city dressed as was one of his subjects. His guards feared for his life and often would try to stop him. Said one, “You must not do it for security’s sake!”

“But,” he replied, “I can’t rule my people unless I know them and how they live.”

What a comfort to know that our God knows us and understands us from having lived a human life in and through His Son. Whatever we face He has faced and whatever path we travel He has traveled. Jesus learned life’s secrets in the school of experience and can now bring us His encouragement, strength, insight and guidance.

We often forget that Jesus gained His knowledge of life’s ways because He was here among “us.” And He is now with His Father and remembers what it is like to be lonely and rejected, abandoned and fearful, alone and afraid, weary and worn out. He understands what it means to be tempted and tried, embarrassed and rejected and even forsaken by His very own brothers.

And it is because He passed through all of these experiences that now, in Heaven, He can be touched with our infirmities, and give us His sympathy, help, hope and understanding. Remember, He has endured and survived whatever His Father brings into our lives.

Prayer: We are grateful, Father, that You know us, understand us and now intercede for us. This gives us confidence to hold on tightly and never give up. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

Give Up or Go On?

Little Margie was having a difficult time learning to skate. It seemed as though the skates her father gave her far exceeded the strength and coordination of her legs and muscles. A neighbor watching her fall down and get up was amazed at her tenacity and determination. Finally he said to her, “Why don’t you give up?”

“Because,” she said with tears in her eyes, “my father didn’t give me these skates to give up with but to go on with.”

How like our Heavenly Father. He does not “give” things to us to cause us to fall down, but to help us “go” with Him and grow into the likeness of His Son, our Savior.

We speak often about Paul’s “affliction” - not ever knowing what it was or the problems it may have caused him personally. But we do know that he said, “So I am glad to boast about my weaknesses…for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The great lesson for us to learn from Paul is that if and when we are wiling to admit our weakness, God will fill us with His power and strength. There is always the temptation for us to try to “do it on our own.” It is the natural thing to do. But that is not how God created us. God wants us to depend on Him for everything.

Prayer:  Father, give us a willingness to recognize that in You, with You and through You, we can overcome any weakness that may defeat us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Empty Hands

Alexander the Great left an indelible mark on the world. In his early life he was tutored by Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, which shaped much of his thinking. By the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires in the ancient world. He was undefeated in battle and to this day is considered to be a military genius and is remembered as one of history’s greatest commanders. He established over 30 cities as a result of his conquests and was responsible for spreading the Greek language and culture wherever his victories took him.

When individuals died during that period in history, it was customary for their hands to be wrapped in burial cloth. However, he decided that he would not follow that tradition. He said when he died he wanted people to see that his hands were empty.

When asked why, he replied, “After all, we did not bring any money with us when we came into this world and we can’t carry away a single penny.”

Paul echoed the same words. He said we brought nothing into the world with us when we came, and we will certainly not take anything with us when we leave. He wants us to understand that one day whatever we have will be left behind when we go to meet our Redeemer. The goal of the Christian is to lay up treasures in heaven by investing in God’s Kingdom.

Prayer:  Lord, it is natural to want the things of this world. They are attractive and appealing. Enable us to see “things” through Your eyes and use them for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  1 Timothy 6:7

All Together, Now!

One morning on their way to school a group of young boys was walking past a home with a large iron gate. Michael thought he would provide a bit of humor for the group and decided to put his arms and head through the gate and said, “Look at me! My head and hands are on one side of the gate but my heart and body are on the other side.”

Before he could get his head and hands out of the gate, one of his friends slammed the gate, and Michael Faraday was badly hurt. He overcame his injuries and became one of the most influential scientists in history for his contributions in the field of electromagnetism.

Later in life he said, “That experience taught me one thing: My heart, head and hands should always be on the same side.”

This great scientist explained an important truth: there is a path that flows from the heart to the head and from the head to the hands. Simply stated, what begins in our heart usually grows, and in one way or another, spreads outward and ends up dominating the way we live and what we live for.

God’s Word reminds us that we must “not let any part of our body become a tool of wickedness.” So, when our eyes are enticed to look at objects that may lead to temptation and sin, we must immediately look to Him to “deliver us from evil.”

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to realize that sin has a way of beginning with an innocent glance that can lead to everlasting destruction. May we keep our eyes on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Romans 6:12-14