In step

[RiverOL]

What Worked? What Didn’t?

. . . he is a new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come—2 Corinthians 5:17

God’s at work in us—every one of us—whether we can see it or not (Philippians 2:13). He’s working to transform our character into the character of his son, our King, Jesus Christ. And he’ll continue working until the work is complete (Philippians 1:6). Our job is to join him. Our job is to follow Jesus and work ourselves, in obedience, to increase the amount goodness and light in our lives . . . and to decrease the opposite:

“. . . do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16).

Who among us doesn’t need more goodness and more light? That’s rhetorical, of course. And when’s a better time to increase our intentionality about increasing our holiness than at the beginning of a new year? That’s rhetorical too.

So how do we? Well, we get intentional by looking at the choices we’ve been making—whom we’ve been spending time with, the practices we’ve been engaging in, the experiences we’ve been enjoying. We get intentional by taking time to reflect upon those choices . . . and upon their results. And we get intentional by deciding which relationships, which practices, which experiences we’d like more of, going forward, because they increase holiness—and which we’d like less of, because they don’t.

Consider the past twelve months. What was good? Who was good for you? What worked? What wasn’t so good? What didn’t work? Now, draw up (and commit to) a simple, practical, achievable plan for bringing more of what’s been good, and what’s worked for you, into the next twelve months . . . and less of what wasn’t and what didn’t.

 

[RiverOL]

What a Waste!
For reading & meditation - Philippians 4:13

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (v. 6)
We continue meditating on the principles we can use when our lives are threatened by stress: Recognize the symptoms of stress.

No alarm bells ring in our homes or offices when we are suffering undue stress, but there are adequate warning signs. People under stress generally become irritable and overreact to relatively trivial frustrations. They show a change in their sleep patterns, and become increasingly tired and restless. They derive less pleasure from life, experience no joy while praying or reading the Bible, laugh less, and become plagued with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.

They sometimes develop psychosomatic complaints such as tension headaches, indigestion and other things. Some people have what is known as "target organs" - physical organs that are the first to suffer when they are under stress. Harold Wilson confessed that whenever he had to fire a colleague, he suffered acute stomach pains. Henry Ford suffered cramps in his stomach whenever he had to make an important business decision. Trotsky, when under pressure, used to develop bouts of high temperature, and frequently had to spend time in the Crimea recuperating.

One businessman I know always has a glass of milk on his desk from which he takes frequent sips in order to calm his nagging peptic ulcer. Are you able to recognize your own particular patterns of stress? You owe it to God and yourself to find out. The waste that goes on in Christian circles through believers channeling their energies into coping with stress, rather than into extending the kingdom of God, is appalling.

Prayer: O God, sharpen my ability to recognize the things I do that contribute to stress in my life, so that all my energies can be channeled into spiritual activity, not self-activity. For Jesus' sake. Amen.​

 

[RiverOL]

The Power of a Single Flame

Jesus said, "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."1

"During my idealistic youth," Michael Josephson of Character Counts wrote, "I attended an event in a large stadium. Everyone was given an unlit candle. A speaker talked about the power of one person with an enlightened message. He lit his candle, walked over to two people in the stands and lit theirs with his candle. He asked them to light two others. Within a few minutes, everyone's candle was lit and the entire stadium glowed.

"It's the most powerful visual metaphor I've ever experienced. A single tiny flame had lit thousands of candles. What's more, as it was passed on and on, each glimmer continued to burn with undiminished light. The speed with which the sparkle and warmth of that single flame spread across the stadium was awe-inspiring."2

Today's ever darkening world with never-ending acts of terror, the growing threat of Iran with developing nuclear weapons, the rapid growth of Islam with endless numbers of radical Muslims who hate Jews, the West, and Christians—and are determined to overrun and kill us—all of this needs to be a wakeup call for every Christian.

Add to this the accelerating moral decline, plus the numerous secular-progressive radicals, judges, politicians, and leaders, etc., etc., with their increasing anti-God, anti-Christian, pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion philosophy and actions.

Thus, there is an urgent need for every Christian to let our light shine for Jesus and reach out to people everywhere with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ—the Light of the World and the only hope of our sin-sick world.

Let us together renew our resolve to be a candlelight for Jesus. Let our good deeds and kind words be a living testimony to the saving power of Jesus. And may we always stand up for what is right, and by our example show others the way. And, above all, resolve to keep on sharing the gospel with all we can while we can—and encourage other Christians we know to do likewise.

Remember the chorus we sang as kids in Sunday School: "See this little light of mine / I'm going to let it shine . . . Don't let Satan poof it out / I'm going to let it shine . . . Let is shine 'till Jesus comes / I'm going to let it shine / let it shine / let it shine.

For helps to "let your light shine" and reach others for Christ see: "Tips on how to be an effective People Power for Jesus Partner to help change the world—one person at a time" at www.actsweb.org/people_power/tips.php.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I resolve to do everything I can to let my light shine for Jesus. Please use me to be a lesser light to point others to Jesus, the Light of the World, and in so doing may many accept him as their personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Stop and Smell the Roses
For reading & meditation - Matthew 6:25-34
"... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ..." (v. 28, RSV)
Another principle that helps us cope with stress is this: Seek to overcome any rigidity in your personality. You can best understand rigidity by comparing it with its opposite - flexibility. A more formal definition of rigidity is this: "The inability or refusal to change one's actions or attitudes even though objective conditions indicate that a change is desirable." The rigid person clings to certain ways of thinking and acting, even when they are injurious to the personality and burn up their emotional energy. Someone described it as similar to driving a car with the brakes on. Take the housewife who worries herself into a migraine attack because she cannot maintain a scrupulously tidy home while her grandchildren are visiting. Or the businessman who triggers off another gastric ulcer because he falls behind with his schedule when his secretary is away sick. Inflexible goals can be crippling fetters. It's no good saying, "But there are things that have to be done, and if I don't do them, they just won't get done." Perhaps you need to rearrange your priorities, adjust your lifestyle and learn to say Ono." As someone put it, "We must not drive so relentlessly forward that we cannot stop and smell the roses by the wayside." You may be caught up in the midst of one of the busiest weeks of your year, but pause for a moment and ask yourself: am I driving, or am I being driven? Am I in control of my personality, or is it in control of me? Today, decide to take a step away from rigidity by pausing to "smell a rose."

Prayer:
O God, I am now at grips with the raw material of living; out of it must come a person - Your person. Help me to be rigid only in relation to You, and flexible about everything else. For Jesus' sake. Amen​

 

[RiverOL]

Don't Forget to Pray

"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord."1

When the armies of ancient Israel, led by Joshua, were conquering the Promised Land, the surrounding kings and nations were understandably terrified. This was because God was with the Israelites giving them great victories over their enemies—enemies whom God commanded the Israelites to destroy because of their sinful, decadent, and self-destructive ways.

The men of Gibeon, a close country, resorted to trickery. They sent a delegation to Joshua with the appearance of having come from a distant land so they could deceive Joshua into making a treaty with them. Their donkeys carried worn out sacks and old wineskins that were cracked and had been mended. They wore old clothes, worn and patched sandals, and the bread they carried with them was dry and moldy.

Their disguise worked very well. Joshua signed a treaty with them only to discover afterwards they were a neighboring people among those countries God had told Joshua to destroy. They had to live with the consequences as a result.

Joshua's mistake was that he made this treaty without praying and inquiring of the Lord—a valuable lesson for all of us to learn.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me never to forget my need for wisdom and guidance from you and daily seek your direction in everything I do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Don't Push the River!
For reading & meditation - Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven ..." (v. 1)

Refuse to be obsessed with time. It is right to be concerned about time, but it is not right to be obsessed with it. Do you live life by the clock? Then you are a candidate for stress. When filmmakers want to create tension, they show a clock relentlessly ticking away. Such tactics are pointless when applied to the ordinary issues of everyday life. Nervous glances at a watch will generate tension when you are caught in traffic, but they will not make the traffic move any faster. Fretting will do nothing to alter the situation.

So learn to relax, and do not become intimidated by time. Some people live life as if they are on a racing track, and set themselves rigid lap times for the things they want to accomplish during the day. Two motorists were given the task of driving for 1,700 miles. One was asked to drive as fast as he could without breaking any speed limits; the other was told to drive at any comfortable pace.

At the end of their journeys, it was found that the faster driver had consumed ten gallons more gas and doubled the wear on his tires; by driving at a speed which, in the end, proved to be only two miles per hour faster than the other driver! A man said to me in a counseling session when I advised him to slow down: "The trouble is that I'm in a hurry - but God isn't!" Learn the wisdom of letting things develop at their own pace, and follow the maxim that says: "Don't push the river - let it flow."

Prayer: O Father, save me from being obsessed by time. Help me to see that I have all the time in the world to do what You want me to do. And when I am over-concerned, I am overwrought! Help me, dear Father. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Doing Too Many Things?

The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day—Psalm 139:16

There are twenty-four hours in every day. We wish for more. We often act as if there were more: stay at work a little longer; stay up a little later, cram a bit more in. No matter what we do, though . . . still only twenty-four. God’s set the length. He’s also set the absolute number of those twenty-four-hour days each of us will ever get. We often act, though, as if that too weren't settled, as if our earthly days might stretch on forever. They won’t:

“Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5).

Our time is scarce—it’s limited and there’s less than we’d like. How we allocate it, therefore, how we run our calendars, matters. If we’re not intentional, external factors will govern the allocation: things that are more urgent will claim top priority. The problem is, urgent things aren’t always important things. In fact, many unimportant things become urgent if we let them: e.g., we sign up for something, maybe simply because someone asked us to or because everyone else is signing up, and its demands escalate and it begins to take too much time. This happens some and we default into calendars that don’t reflect our true priorities. We end up with days filled, but with the wrong things.

Look at your weekly calendar. Grab some paper. List the major items. Then sort it by importance (not urgency). What’s most important to you? Most important to God? Now, brother, begin to cut from the bottom, from what’s least important. Go up as far as you can. Cut what you can right now, and commit to phase out what you must, over time.

 

[RiverOL]

Keeping Fit for Jesus!
For reading & meditation - 1 Timothy 4
"... physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things ..." (v. 8)
We spend one last day meditating on the ways by which we can overcome stress in our lives. This final principle is: engage in as much physical exercise as is necessary. One laboratory experiment took ten underexercised rats, and subjected them repeatedly to a variety of stresses: shock, pain, shrill noises, and flashing lights. After a month, every one of them had died through the incessant strain. Another group of rats was given a good deal of exercise until they were in peak physical condition.

They were then subjected to the same battery of stresses and strains. After a month, not one had died. More and more Christians are waking up to the fact that God has given us bodies that are designed to move, and the more they are exercised, the more effectively they function. Studies on how exercise helps to reduce stress are quite conclusive.

Exercise gets rid of harmful chemicals in our bodies, provides a form of abreaction (letting off steam), builds up stamina, counteracts the biochemical effects of stress, and reduces the risk of psychological illness. The Bible rarely mentions the need for physical exercise, because people living at that time usually walked everywhere and therefore needed little admonition on the subject. In our world of advanced technology, however, common sense tells us that our bodies need to be exercised, and we should not neglect it. It may not be a spectacular idea, but often God comes to us along some very dusty and lowly roads. We must not despise His coming just because He comes to us along a lowly road.

Prayer:
Lord, help me not to despise this call of Yours to exercise my body. Forgive me that I am such a poor tenant of Your property. From today I determine to do better. For Your own Name's sake. Amen

​

 

[RiverOL]

Living with an Alcoholic Spouse

"Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."1

A Daily Encounter reader writes, "My husband is a heavy beer drinker. He averages 12 to 18 beers a day. He is not convicted about his drinking habit. He feels that only 'drunkenness' is a sin. We are new Christians and I thought he would discontinue his drinking once he was closer to God. We have only been married a short time, but this is distressing me. I don't want to come across as holier than thou. He knows how I feel about his habit, and sometimes it is very difficult to keep from complaining. Please help."

Dear Anita (name changed): If your husband has twelve to eighteen beers a day, I'd say he's an alcoholic. Unfortunately, most alcoholics deny their problem and continually rationalize their behavior; that is, until there is some kind of crisis intervention. So what can you do?

First, while your husband is obviously in denial, it is imperative that you face reality or you will become a part of and reinforce his sickness. There is a reason why you were attracted to an over-dependent personality. Chances are you may have had an alcoholic father and are repeating a family pattern. Or you may be codependent with a need to be needed in order to feel loved. Whatever the reason, you need to see your part in the problem. You can't change your husband but you can change you. As you change, your husband is almost forced to change, but, in all probability, not without rocking the boat. He wants you to be there to take care of him and to put up with his drinking. If you decide you are not going to be his "savior" any longer, trust me, he won't like it.

Second, you need to exercise tough love and confront your husband with reality. This is the most loving thing you can do. True, tough love is tough—really tough. There's no guarantee that it will work, but if you don't exercise tough love, you are both headed for disaster. You need to lovingly explain to your husband that his heavy drinking has you deeply concerned, that it is affecting your relationship, that he needs to see that his drinking is a problem, and that he needs to get help.

Third, before you do this, however, you need to have a good support system in place. Don't even try to go it alone. Get help for yourself. Get into a twelve-step Al-Anon support group and I urge you to see a qualified Christian counselor who can help you grow and guide you through this rocky process.

If your husband refuses to face reality (which he is bound to do at first) and continues his heavy drinking, at some point you may have to tell him that unless he faces reality and gets into a recovery program, you will have to separate yourself from him until he admits he has a problem and gets help to overcome. If you don't make a stand now, you are heading for far greater problems ahead.

Fourth, and most important of all, seek God's help. Ask God every day to help you to be as Christ to your husband in everything you do and say, and pray that your husband will see Jesus in you and want the same for himself.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in every distressing situation I am in please help me to see what I am contributing to the problem, admit what it is, and get the help I need to overcome. Also help me to always be 'as Jesus' to anyone I am in conflict with, and exercise tough love where tough love is needed. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Transformed!
For reading & meditation - Psalms 32
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." (v. 1)
We come now to speak of all those who have been broken, or are on the verge of being broken, by the memory of some deeply grievous sin. I am not thinking so much of those who have committed sin and have not come to Christ for forgiveness, but of those who, though they have been forgiven by God, are unable to forgive themselves.

A man came to me recently at the end of a meeting at which I had spoken, and told me the details of a particularly horrendous sin in which he had been involved. He said, "I know God has forgiven me, but the memory of what I have done is constantly with me. It is quietly driving me insane." This brought to mind a story I heard many years ago of a father who taught his son to drive a nail into a board every time he did something wrong, and then to pull out the nail after he had confessed the wrong and had been forgiven.

Every time this happened, the boy would say triumphantly, "Hurray! The nails are gone!" "Yes," his father would say, "but always remember that the marks made by the nails are still in the wood." The message I want you to get hold of and build into your life is this: the Carpenter of Nazareth can not only pull out the nails, but can also varnish and beautify the wood so that the marks become, not a contradiction, but a contribution.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, You who once were known as a carpenter's son, take the stains and blemishes of my past and work through them so that they contribute, rather than contradict. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen

​

 

[RiverOL]

From Apathy to Dependence to Bondage

"But of that day and hour [the day of Christ's return to earth for all his true followers] no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is."1

The following warning is attributed to an 18th-century Scottish writer who said: "The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage."

I wonder in what stage we are in the U.S.A., Australia, Europe, New Zealand and the Western World? Could it be apathy? Very likely. Do we, as churches, care enough to do anything about the ever accelerating moral decline and do what we can to help make an impact on our societies? Do we, as individuals as well as churches, care enough to do everything we can to help spread the saving gospel of Jesus Christ across the street and around the world? For without Jesus, people are lost—forever.

Thank God that he cared enough to send his only Son, Jesus Christ, to give his life to die in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins so that we could receive God's forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. And thank Jesus Christ that he cared enough for us to die for us. And because Jesus cared enough to give his life to die for us, do we care enough to give our life to live for and to serve him?

As the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth 2,000 years ago is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming to take his true followers to be with him forever is just as certain. Jesus is coming again. Let us make sure that we are ready for and actively serving him when he comes.

If you would like to commit or re-commit your life to Jesus and daily make yourself available to serve him, please pray the following prayer: "Dear God, in gratefulness to Jesus for giving his life to pay the penalty for all my sins and for your gift of forgiveness and eternal life, I surrender, commit and trust my life and way to you. I am available. Please make me usable and use me today to be 'as Jesus' in some way to every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen." I encourage you to pray this prayer of commitment at the beginning of every day for the rest of your life.

 

[RiverOL]

Grace - Greater Than All Our Sin!
For reading & meditation - Romans 5:12-21
"... where sin abounded, grace did much more abound ..." (v. 20, KJV)
We are meditating on how to recover from the brokenness caused by the memory of some deeply grievous sin. By that we mean a sin which God has forgiven but which, for some reason, still burns in our memories. The first principle is this: realize that God can do more with sin than just forgive it. I heard an elderly minister make that statement many years ago, when I was a young Christian, and at first I resisted it. I said to myself: "How can God use sin? Surely it is His one intolerance?"

Then, after pondering for a while, I saw what he meant. God uses our sin to motivate our will toward greater spiritual achievement, to quicken our compassion toward sinners and to show God's tender heart for the fallen. We must be careful, of course, that we do not fall into the error which Paul refers to in Romans 6:1-2: "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid" (KJV). If we sin in order that God may use it, then our motives are all wrong and we fall foul of the eternal purposes.

If, however, we commit sin, but then take it to God in confession - really take it to Him - then He will not only forgive it, but make something of it. Is this too difficult for you to conceive? Then I point you to the cross. The cross was the foulest deed mankind ever committed, yet God used it to become the fulcrum of His redemption. It was our lowest point - but it was God's zenith. Hallelujah.

Prayer:
O Father, I am so relieved to know that You take even my sins and make them contribute to Your purposes. Grace turns all my bad into good, all my good into better and all my better into the best. Hallelujah

​

 

[RiverOL]

017

Will God Ever Reject Me?

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."1

A troubled Daily Encounter reader writes: "The circumstances of my birth were not good. My mother, newly wedded to her husband, had me by another man. Ever since I found this out in my teenage years (when my parents finally got divorced after a horrible marriage), I have felt like an outcast, as if I were cursed because I was born in a sinful manner. I know a child of God cannot be cursed because Jesus hung on a tree for us, but it's very difficult to overcome this feeling at times. I often feel as if God has rejected me. Is this possible?"

Dear Michael (name changed), even though you may not feel it right now, let me assure you that you are not rejected by God. He loves you and me regardless of our feelings and no matter what we have ever done or have failed to do—or whatever anyone has ever done to us. God loves us all with an everlasting love. If truth be known, there must be millions of people who were never planned or even wanted, but are still loved and accepted by God no matter what.

Some years ago when my youngest son was still a teen, he was very angry at me about something that I have long since forgotten, but I will never forget what he said. He blurted out in a very angry manner, "Well, why did you have me anyhow?"

I immediately replied (and genuinely meant it), "Because you are a part of God's eternal plan!"

And Michael, this is also true of you and every child that was ever born. All are known by God from the foundation of the world. You, too, are a part of God's eternal plan. God loves you eternally. Jesus died on the cross for YOU. And if you have never accepted God's gift of forgiveness and salvation by receiving Jesus as your Savior, I urge you to do that today. For help, please read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Also, at the beginning of every day I encourage you to pray the following prayer:

"Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. Please guide me in the way that I should go, and help me to become the person you want me to be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Why Do I Do These Things?
For reading & meditation - 1 John 1:1-10
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (v. 9)

We continue meditating on the principles that enable us to recover from the brokenness caused by the memory of some grievous sin. A second principle is this: Understand the major reason why you tend to brood on the past. People who brood on the past, and keep the memory of their sin alive, do so for several reasons. Let's take them one by one: (1) They are not sure that God has forgiven them. If you have this kind of doubt, it is really a denial. It is taking a verse, like the one before us today, and flinging it back into God's face, saying "I don't believe it."

If you don't accept God's forgiveness, you will try to make your own atonement in feelings of guilt. Once you confess your sin, then, as far as God is concerned, that's the end of it. Believe that - and act upon it. It's the gospel truth! (2) They are in the grip of spiritual pride. You should be asking yourself, at some deep level of your mental and emotional life: How could I have ever done a thing like that? What this really amounts to is that you have too high an opinion of yourself. And that's about as bad as too low an opinion of yourself. (3) They have not forgiven themselves. It might help to stand in front of a mirror with your Bible open at the verse at the top of this page, reassure yourself that God has forgiven you, and say to yourself, by name: "---------, God has forgiven you - now I forgive you too!"

Prayer:
Gracious Father, although I understand many things, I fail so often to understand myself. Teach me more of what goes on deep inside me, so that, being more self-aware, I may become more God-aware. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Going Too Many Directions?

. . . let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us—Hebrews 12:1

Every man has a sweet spot—a skill, an aptitude, a function that results in maximum impact for a given amount of effort. We’ve all felt them, finding ourselves “in the zone.” We probably have one, maybe two, but our sweet spots are what make us indispensable to others—to our employers, our families, our friends, to the people we’re meant to serve. Of all the things we do, our sweet-spot activities are where we make a unique difference. They’re the things we’re made to do.

Sweet spots aren’t random, nor accidental. They’re crafted by our Creator. And they indicate where he wants us to focus our lives—for impact. You see, sweet spots are crafted with specific needs in mind. God cares about those needs, whatever they are, and he designs us to address them (Ephesians 2:10).

Identifying our sweet spots allows us to analyze our days, our weeks, and prioritize. It allows us to begin to concentrate our efforts on activities for which we were made. It also allows us to create margin in our work life. As Jethro counseled Moses, we can learn to curtail or delegate activities that fall outside our sweet spots and, thereby, keep our work from unreasonably impinging on other important areas of our lives (Exodus 18:13-27). We cannot eliminate all outside activities, of course; but, we can better manage our time to emphasize the inside ones.

Spend some time pondering your sweet spots. Now, grab a piece of paper and sketch out an ideal job description, one that perfectly leverages you in those spots. You won’t be able to move into that job instantly, of course . . . but the description should serve as a reference for making future decisions, allowing you to move closer to it, over time.

 

[RiverOL]

Remembering to Forget
For reading & meditation - Philippians 3
"... forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal ..." (vv. 13-14, RSV)

One more principle in relation to recovering from the brokenness caused by the memory of some dark sin: Forget it by reversing the process of remembering. Puzzled? Let me explain. Memory works like this: one revives an image of some past event, holds it in the mind for a certain length of time, and then this process is repeated until it is locked into the memory for good. Now begin to reverse that process.

The matter has been forgiven by God, so don't let your mind focus on it. When it rises to the surface by itself, as it will, turn the mind away from it immediately. Have in your mind a few interesting themes "on call." Think of another and more profitable theme. I know a Christian man, involved in one of the deepest sins imaginable, who has learned to blot out unwanted memories the moment they rise to the surface by focusing his thoughts on the cross.

It does not matter what the substitute image is so long as it is wholesome and can thrust the unwanted memory from your attention. Another thing you can do when the memory of your sin returns - even if it is only for a moment - is to turn your mind to prayer. Don't pray about the sin itself - that will keep it in the memory - but pray that God will build into you love, forgiveness, peace, and poise. Images that are consciously rejected will rise less and less in your mind. When they do occur, they will occur only as fact; the emotions will no longer register a sense of burning shame.

Prayer:
O my Father, how can I cease thanking You for the answers You give - they are so right. Everything within me says so. Now help me to put the things I am learning into practice. Amen

​

​

 

[RiverOL]

Will God Take Me Back?

"When he [the Prodigal Son] came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."1

A reader writes: "I was once a Christian with a great love for the knowledge of the Bible. I have, unfortunately, turned away from God in the last several years. Will God take me back? Will he return His Spirit to me? Please respond."

Dear Frieda (name changed), Will God take you back? Will the sun stop shining? Will the world stop turning? Will God reject you? Never, never, never will God reject you. He loves you with an everlasting love … not because of what you have ever done or have failed to do, but just because you are you, and because you are one of God's children. Not one of us is worthy to come to God in our own right, but because Jesus, God's Son, died to save us from our sins; through him even the worst of sinners can come to God. All we need to do is come to him, confess our sins and failures, and ask for his forgiveness … and THANK him for it. Don't depend on your feelings. Depend on God's Word which says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Confess your sins and failures to God today … and accept his forgiveness. And be sure to forgive yourself. Remember, if there is one prayer God loves to hear it is, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Pour out your heart to God today. Tell him exactly how you feel. Ask for his help in every area of your life. Every day commit and trust your life and way to God. I have done this daily for many years because I know that God can make a much better job of my life than I ever could.

Also, read again "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at:http://tinyurI.com/real-christian and be sure to read the last part about having assurance of your salvation and eternal destiny.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you are a friend of sinners—including me. Thank you for your everlasting love and for giving your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in my place to save me from my sins. Thank you that when I confess my sins to you, you forgive me fully and freely. Thank you for your forgiveness and for the gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

The End of the Beginning
For reading & meditation - 2 Corinthians 2:12
"... thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ ..." (2:14)

Although this is the end of the theme of "Strong at the broken places," I pray that, for many of you, it will be the beginning of a new approach to handling your weaknesses. How thankful I am that, in the early years of my Christian life, God impressed into my spirit the truth that my weaknesses could be turned into strengths. With just a few years of Christian experience behind me, I stumbled and fell. The temptation was to wallow in self-pity.

But by God's grace, I got up, brushed myself off, and said, "Devil, you won that round, but I'll work on that problem until it is no longer a weakness, but a strength." I did work on it, and today I can testify that the weakness which caused me to stumble has indeed become a strength. I say that humbly, recognizing that the strength I have is not my own, but His. Today is a new day. How will you face it?

Are you ready to face your weaknesses in the assurance that, no matter how life breaks you, you can draw out from each experience a lesson that will live on inside you and help you to find victory in a future situation? Just as a broken bone, when it is healed, becomes stronger at that place than it was before it was broken, so you can become stronger by your very weaknesses. Thus when you stumble, you stumble forward; when you fall, you fall on your knees and get up a stronger person. When we are Christians, everything is "grist to our mill."

Prayer:
O Father, I sense today that this is not the end, but the end of the beginning. From now on, I shall face the future knowing that, however life breaks me, in You I can become strong at the broken places. All honor and glory to Your peerless and precious Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Effective Leadership

The Apostle Paul said, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."1

I have read how "H. Gordon Selfridge built up one of the world's largest department stores in London. He achieved success by being a leader, not a boss. Here is his comparison of the two types of executives:

The boss drives his men; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader enthusiasm.
The boss says 'I'; the leader says 'we.'
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
The boss says 'Go'; the leader says 'Let's go!'"2

The greatest way to lead is by example. This principle also applies to parenting, for unless we model what we say and teach, our words may do more to drive our children away from, rather than draw them to the good we desire for them to learn and put into practice. Children catch on pretty quickly when we are being hypocritical.

And above all, when it comes to modeling authentic Christianity, it is imperative that we lead and teach by example. While the right words at the right time are very important, it's what we do much more than what we say that counts. As the old saying goes, "To win some we need to be winsome."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to be genuine and authentic in all that I am, do and say so that my life will model what it means to be a true Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, first for my family, and then for every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Coming Back from Doubt
For reading & meditation - John 20:19-31
""Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'"" (v. 28)
We consider another important place where some Christians are broken - the area of deep and disturbing doubts. Some men and women have received Christ as their Savior and Lord, but yet are afflicted with paralyzing doubts. Some of these people go through deep agony of soul as they wrestle inwardly with doubt, ending up spiritually exhausted.

Someone like this told me that she was a scientist and had serious doubts about certain parts of the Scriptures. ""I'm afraid that one day I will wake up,"" she said, ""and discover that science has disproved large chunks of Scripture."" I could sympathize with her problem, but really her doubts were quite unfounded. Real science will never disprove Scripture, only confirm it.

Half-baked science may appear to discredit the truth of God's Word, but real science can only validate it. I suppose the classic example of doubt is found in the disciple Thomas. We call him ""doubting Thomas"" - an unfair label if ever there was one. It's sad how we pick out a negative in a person and label him for that one thing. Thomas had his moment of doubt, but he came back from that place of weakness to become strong at the broken place. How strong? Let history judge.

A well-authenticated tradition has it that Thomas went to India and founded a church there. Even today there are Christians in India who call themselves by his name - the St. Thomas Christians. They are some of the finest Christians I have ever met. Thomas had his doubts allayed in one glorious moment of illumination - and then he went places. So can you!

Prayer:
O my Father, just as You took Thomas and changed him from a doubter to a man of amazing faith and achievement - do the same for me. For Your own dear Name's sake I ask it. Amen

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