Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Life Of Value"

His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21

An elderly, housebound widow became discouraged with her life. Unlike many others in her condition, she decided not to throw in the towel or veg out. Still able to play the piano, she placed a small ad in the community newspaper: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent--the service is free." The notice included the number to dial.

When people called, she had a simple question, "What hymn would you like to hear?"

Within a few months, her playing had touched several hundred people. The old, familiar hymns stirred many hearts, and those hearts unburdened themselves to her listening ear.

When I first heard that story, I thought, “Not bad for a lady who couldn’t get out of the house.”

It’s sad that so many people, in situations far healthier than that of this lady, would give up on life even as they give into discouragement. That is certainly not what God wishes for His people.

The Lord has given gifts and talents to all of us. Sometimes those gifts of grace come in abundance; sometimes they are in relatively short supply. No matter their amount, they can all be used to glorify the Savior who gave His life as the sacrifice to save us.

God can always use a soul that cares; He can always direct hands that are willing to reach out –including ours. Writing/recording this message, I cannot guess the nature of your particular situation, nor have I been given prophetic knowledge concerning the gifts God has given you. But I do know the Lord wants you to use His gifts to touch others.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Working Out"

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 1 Corinthians 9:25

More than one person has told me, “My father taught me how to swim by taking me to the lake and throwing me in. He gave me a choice, either I had to sink or swim.”

That’s an education method that makes me cringe.

Just as I cringed when, last week, I read the ABC News story on how a father in China tied the hands and feet of his ten-year-old daughter and supervised as she swam for three hours in the Xiang River. In a telephone interview, dad related how his daughter had watched someone train that way on a television show and, inspired by what she had seen, insisted she be allowed to do the same.

This kind of story is becoming more common as the people of China, normally a little bit sports crazy, are being transformed into certifiable atheletaholics. How else can you explain the trek of an 8-year-old girl who managed, in fifty-five days, to run more that 2,200 miles from her island home in the province of Hainan to Beijing?

To the credit of the Chinese media, some commentators thought the girl’s run might have been pushing the limits of what a child ought to do.

While none, or very few, of the people listening to or reading our devotion would want, encourage or push their children to such physical extremes, we certainly all understand the need for an athlete to be disciplined in every aspect of his life. Forget the scandals and steroids; we know if any competitor is going to win a prize he must be self-controlled in all things. He must practice, and he must prepare; he must do that which is necessary for him to grow stronger, faster, better.

That, according to Holy Spirit-inspired St. Paul, is also true when it comes to our spiritual race. As Christians, we always rely on the Savior whose sacrifice has won the ultimate and final victory over sin, death, and devil. Even so, the Lord wants His people to be faithful in their following as they live their lives in the grace of God. By the Holy Spirit’s leading and direction we need to grow stronger, so we might be able to fight the fight, run the race, and not drop out of the competition.

That’s what Christians do, because, after Judgment Day there is a blood-bought wreath of victory going to be given to all who are faithful unto death.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Rewriting History"

The guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” Matthew 28:11-14

When he was 16 years old, Reverend Kinjo beat to death his mother, his brother and his sister. Surprisingly, his was an act motivated by love, not hate.

Kinjo did what he did because soldiers from the Japanese Imperial Army had convinced the Island residents of Okinawa that murdering your loved ones, and then committing suicide, was better than falling into the hands of the American troops. The military persuaded many of the Okinawans that the victorious U.S. military would run their tanks over the men and then rape the women and girls.

Forgiven by his Lord, Reverend Kinjo has no desire to remember or resurrect the events of what happened 62 years ago. Even so, Kinjo is once again telling his story. He is talking about what he did in response to a new set of government-inspired textbooks, which imply the people of Okinawa committed mass suicide and murder on their own and without any kind of coercion.

Reverend Kinjo is talking, because he doesn’t like to see the facts of history being rewritten.

You and I shouldn’t like historical revisionism either, not when it comes to the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. In Jesus’ day, the Jewish priests tried to rewrite the Savior’s resurrection by urging the guards to lie about the morning’s events. In our age some rewrite history by saying, “Jesus survived the events of His crucifixion, married Mary Magdalene, and became the Patriarch of the French Monarchy.” In either age, we’re taking about unacceptable historical revisionism.

The inspired truth is simple: Jesus, the innocent Son of God and the Virgin Mary, was crucified. Already dead on the cross, a Roman spear was plunged into Jesus’ heart as a guarantee of His finish. When the Christ was buried, a guard and official seal were set at His grave to make sure nothing funny could happen. In spite of seal and guard, on the third day, Jesus conquered death even as He had already conquered Satan and sin. On the third day a living Lord rose, so we might assure all who believe on Him as Savior that they have salvation.

The resurrection is God’s truth, and no matter how much people try to bend it, change it, revise it, or ignore it, the victory of the Christ remains God’s only truth that saves.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Little Children"

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

Josh Barber was hungry, and because he was hungry he thought nothing of grabbing the family car keys and heading off to the neighborhood Applebee’s for some lunch. That’s not hardly the kind of information that makes for headline news.

Not unless you realize Josh Barber is six-years-old.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea of Josh. I’ve seen his interviews. He is a good, kind, considerate kid. He knew that his father was at work, his mother had just undergone cancer surgery, and grandma was still asleep because she works nights. Having driven his toy electric car around the neighborhood, Josh didn’t think twice about taking grandma’s car keys, and having moved his child seat from the rear of the vehicle to a position behind the steering wheel, started out for Applebee’s.

Josh managed to get the car into reverse, and he managed to push down on the gas. The trip went well until Josh backed into the neighborhood electrical box and telephone junction. That’s when Josh decided he might need some adult supervision after all. He ran back into the house yelling, “Grandma, grandma, I was driving your car, and I hit something.”

Josh’s story ends with his father thanking God for saving his boy from injury, grandma saying she was going to get up earlier, and Josh promising a police officer, “not to drive again.”

It occurs to me that Josh’s story is a lot like our own. We think we’re mature; we think we know what we’re doing; we believe we can, all on our own, take care of ourselves. Such kind of thinking has always managed to get humanity into a lot of trouble.

In truth, we need God; we need the Savior. It’s pretty obvious that when we’re left on our own we humans manage to make a mess of our lives, our world, our eternity. Which is why, right from the beginning, it’s best if we come to the Lord for direction and let His wisdom and love guide our actions.

That’s what John was trying to tell us when he said: “Little children, I write these things to you so you may not sin.” John wanted God’s “little children,” no matter what age they might be, to know it is always best to trust the Lord. But John also wanted God’s little children to know that when they’ve made a mess of things, they can still go to their Savior Jesus. The Savior who has redeemed them, can also fix things for God’s “little children.”

[Soldier4Christ]

"Above The Call Of Duty"

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Since the days of the Civil War, 3,400 Congressional Medals of Honor have been awarded. As of this writing, there are only 109 recipients of that medal still alive. The reason there aren’t more is simple: most Medal of Honor winners died doing something “above and beyond the call of duty.”

One of those living Medal of Honor winners is Viet Nam vet Paul Bucha. I’ve read of Mr. Bucha’s heroics: how he, in the face of overwhelming forces organized his men, got his wounded evacuated, directed artillery fire, distributed ammunition, and single-handedly wiped out a fortified enemy bunker. There is more, a lot more that Paul Bucha did to earn his Medal, but this devotion has space limitations.

The reason I mention Paul Bucha is that he, and a number of his fellow Congressional Medal of Honor winners, believe heroism isn’t something limited to soldiers or wartime situations. They believe there are regular folks, every day citizens who have done special things that are also “above the call of duty.” So these folks might be honored, the Congressional Medal of Honor winners have set up a Web site (www.aboveandbeyond365.com) where we can nominate heroic people to receive a special award.

Now, if you’re wondering what kind of heroic people they’re looking for, Paul Bucha explained: “Heroism, in war or peace, is an act of defiance –a deed in which people slam their fist and say, 'No. That isn't going to happen.’”

As I read that Washington Post story, it occurred to me the Savior’s name ought to be at the top of the list. Seeing humanity was destined to die, Jesus wasn’t going to let this happen. So we might be saved, Jesus became one of us and got involved in a battle to save our souls. For 33 years, He lived “above and beyond the call of duty,” fighting against Satan, doing all that was necessary to defeat sin.

Then, during His last days, knowing what was going to happen to Him, Jesus sacrificed Himself. In the last 24 hours of His life, He was unjustly accused; He was beaten, spit upon, whipped, and crowned with thorns. At the end, He received no Medal of Honor from His appreciative countrymen. Instead of being recognized, He was crucified. Seeing what He has done, we must exclaim, “Over and above the call of duty, indeed!”

I’m sure Jesus’ Name will not be submitted to these worthy men for honorable consideration. Even so, I can still, as Luther says, “thank and praise, serve and obey Him.” It is an honor that the risen Savior deserves.

[Soldier4Christ]

"How Does God Want Me to Talk to Him?"

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” Matthew 6:9 (NIV)

Christian author Oswald Chambers wrote: “Prayer is simple. Prayer is supernatural. And to anyone who does not profess faith in Jesus Christ, prayer looks like a waste of time.”

How does God want people to talk to Him? We are to pray to Him in the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ tells people to pray. He models how to pray. He reveals the power available to those who pray. He prays for people Himself. And He teaches people how to pray in this special prayer in Matthew 6:9-13: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples because He was preparing to die for them. Jesus gives you this prayer, because He has already died for you. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ make it possible for people to talk to God.

People who profess faith in Jesus Christ are able to talk to God, and people who talk to God “in Jesus’ name” are heard by God.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Rules"

October 27, 2007

Click here to listen to an audio version of today's devotion.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:8-9

All of us are philosophers who live according to certain rules. Although most of what follows hasn't been written down, I'd like to share some of my rules of life. I believe:

1. A newly washed window gathers dirt twice as fast as an unwashed window.
2. The ability to find a ballpoint pen is inversely proportional to how badly it is needed.
3. The same clutter that will fill a one-car garage will fill a two-car garage.
4. The number of doors open varies inversely with the outdoor temperature.

Lastly, having had teen-agers, I believe rule 5:

The capacity of any hot-water heater is equal to one and one-half showers. Probably, you could add your own rules of life.

There are some other rules of life that are not mine, that we should talk about. Those are God's rules, which say:

1. Although it doesn't make any sense for Him to do so, God loves us.

I also believe the second rule that states: 2. God cared enough about us to send His Son to take our place.

The last rule is just as true.

3. Those who believe in Jesus as Savior, gladly live their lives in thanksgiving to Him and in service to each other. These are rules of life, and I live by them. I encourage you to do so, as well. Because, as anyone can tell you. . .you can't change the rules of life.

[Soldier4Christ]

"At The Controls"

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

In 1994, a Russian Aeroflot jet crashed in Siberia. Although I haven't heard the official reason for the crash, at least for a while, it seemed that the problem was 'pilot error'. The recorder from the cockpit of the plane tell us that the pilot's teen-age son and his pre-teen daughter were up there with him, playing with the controls for most of the flight. One of the last things that was heard was the voice of his daughter saying, "Daddy, can I turn this?"

I think the Lord of heaven, when He looks at the wrecks of this world, might see us as little children who are monkeying around with a lot of things that we don't know anything about. Our poking and prodding has led to sadness, destruction, and pollution all around. That's why it's so necessary for us to trust our Father whose hands should be at the controls of this universe. When we follow His directions in our dealings with the world, things will change for the better.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Not Enough"

Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? John 6:9

This Daily Devotion begins with two words. One of them you know, the other you don’t. The word you are acquainted with is chores. If you grew up on a farm, in a large family, or in a home where your parents believed you should learn responsibility, you were given chores, duties that enabled you to contribute to the overall benefit of the household. Chores are a good thing.

Now, here’s the word you don’t know. It’s ayah. An ayah is a child in India who works for his or her living. Ayahs do the thankless jobs that nobody wants to do or pay for. For example, an ayah who works in a restaurant might be asked to baby-sit the children of patrons who are dining there that day. For the service provided, an ayah will be given the opportunity to eat the scraps that are left on the plates of the patrons.

Ayahs will spend their lives wearing hand-me-down clothes. Ayahs never go to school, and ayahs are never taught any trades or skills that enable them to better themselves or move up in the world. Now you know what an ayah is. Being an ayah is a bad thing.

There are two other things about ayahs you need to know. First, even though India has made it illegal to hire a child as an ayah, there are still, depending on whose figures you believe, somewhere between 12 and 90 million children serving as ayahs. The second thing you need to know is Jesus loves and wishes to save every one of those ayahs.

Indeed, when Jesus spoke about how Christians should care for the “least of these,” who is the hungry, the naked, those who were in prison, He might well have had India’s millions of ayahs in mind.

It is a daunting task, so overwhelming we might be inclined to paraphrase the apostles whose words serve as the text for today’s devotion. You remember what they said: “How far (can our resources) go among so many?” The human answer to that question is, “Not very far at all.” The Divine answer is, “As far as the Holy Spirit wants to take it.”

When the disciples distributed the loaves and fishes to the multitudes, God blessed the distribution. If we share the Savior with the ayahs and other forgotten folk around the world, might He not do the same once again?

[Soldier4Christ]

"In Truth"

Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.” Acts 9:13

When pictures of the planes tearing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center were broadcast to the maximum-security federal prison in Florence, Colorado, some of the prisoners were very pleased.

Ramzi Yousef may have been one of the men who danced in joy. After all, had he not helped plan the first attempt to bomb those Towers in 1993?

Now, at least according to a CBS “60 Minutes” broadcast, Yousef has denounced Islam and been converted to Christ. Those who believe the sincerity of his conversion point to the fact he has shaved his beard, that he has stopped reading the Muslim Koran, and that he has been eating pork.

Those who have doubts about his relationship with the Savior are sure the whole conversion thing is a ruse. For example, the former federal prosecutor of New York, Andrew McCarthy, showed his skepticism about Yousef’s sincerity when he asked, “Does Christianity get a vote on whether to accept him?”

On one level, of course, McCarthy’s question is unanswerable. Nobody but the Lord has the ability to look into a human heart to see if it has been changed and the Savior is ruling there. To go beyond that fact, in many ways, is pure conjecture.

Even so, Scripture does contain a similar case where the Holy Spirit and the Savior brought about an unlikely conversion. Saul was as unlikely a recruit for Christianity as anyone might imagine. A devoted servant of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Saul was dedicated to eliminating the Savior’s Name and anyone who followed Him. Still, after a miraculous meeting with the Christ on the road to Damascus, Saul was changed.

The Lord knew it, but no one else did. That’s why, when the Lord asked Ananias to minister to blind Saul, he replied, “Lord, I’ve heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done.” Even so, Ananaias went to Saul and was able to see, firsthand, the wonders of what the Holy Spirit can do.

Now, it’s not likely that you will ever meet with Mr. Yousef. On the other hand, you may be surrounded by people on whom the Holy Spirit is working. For their sakes, I encourage you to do a difficult thing: Don’t write them off on the basis of past performance. On the contrary, encourage them to follow the Savior. After all, you just never know what might happen.

[Littleboy]

Amen Pastor,
Praise God that their are no limits to the depths of his nets(love)...
And that can find and pull any man from the darkest of place's on this Earth...
I Praise God for All who have recieved their invitation(Jesus) to the Marriage Supper of The Lamb
by recieving the Lord as their Personal Saviour...
I have filled my cup with the Blood of our Lord and i have drank all of it,
My plate was full with his flesh and i have eatin it up and have had my fill,
I am full and i am nurished & i am content with all that from which i have recieved from my Father...
Thank You Father For Loving me/us!
Your Loving Brother Duane

[Soldier4Christ]

"Dry Bones"

And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. Ezekiel 37:3-5

California is burning.

This past Saturday, I spoke in Visalia, California. It was a wonderful weekend of thanksgiving.

Even so, everyone’s conversation, quite understandably, kept turning to the wildfires that are raging to the south. You could see the pain in people’s faces as they spoke of the acres burned, the homes destroyed, the fires which continued on unchecked.

Although there were a few times when people asked, “Do you think our state will recover? Do you think these people can ever get their lives back?” Most of the time hearts were spent sending prayers to the Lord above. All of us, like all of you, asked the God of grace to stay the flames and bring harmony to the land, the hearts and the souls of those whose lives had been so tragically disturbed.

Thinking about what I was seeing on TV, listening to the thoughts of my friends in Visalia, I could not help but remember the vision of Ezekiel in which God showed him a valley filled with dry bones. Having revealed this scene of destruction and death, God put forth the question that introduces our text. He said, “. . .can these bones live?”

Ezekiel, surveying the desolate situation could have logically replied, “Absolutely not! It can’t be done! Instead, with a Spirit-given faith, the prophet responded, “O Lord God, You know.” The rest of the 37th chapter of Ezekiel speaks of how the Lord miraculously brought those dead bones back to life. God, who is the Creator of life, accomplished that which would be impossible for anyone else to do.

As you and I observe the wildfires in California, we might wonder, “Will things ever be right for this state and its suffering people?” The answer is an unqualified, “Yes!” The Lord who created the universe and all it contains is able to restore that which has been blackened by a wildfire. The Lord who has redeemed souls from the fires of hell, can save believers from the despair that is brought by an earthly fire.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Getting Prepared"

Click here to listen to an audio version of today's devotion.

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:44

“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” If memory serves, that’s what Chicken Little said to his friends. Nothing happened.

“All computers are going to shut down at midnight on January 1, 2000.” That’s what some experts said a number of years ago. Nothing happened.

Now we’re being told there is a possibility that millions of televisions might go black on February 12, 2009. Those of us who lived through the Y2,000 scare can be forgiven if we ask, “Thanks for the warning, but is something really going to happen this time?”

The answer is: Quite possibly.

The government has determined that by February 12, 2009 every television station will switch its method of broadcasting. If your television isn’t ready to receive the signal, it’s just going to show you a lot of snow, or black, or something. It’s not going to show you a picture.

So, should we panic? Should we run into the streets yelling, “It’s the end of civilization and life as we know it?” No, that’s just not necessary. Before then everybody will be told on how to avoid the difficulty. Before then most people will take the steps necessary to avoid blackout. Before then you will be told what to do so your TV signal might be saved. Which is a nifty way of leading into the text for this devotion.

When Jesus was with us, He told us the day was coming when He would return to judge the world. On that day, for those who aren’t prepared, it will be lights out: eternal death, damnation, destruction –the end of life as they know it.

How’s that for a bleak prediction?

Thankfully, the Bible doesn’t scare us without also sharing how we can escape the scenario. Scripture spends a lot of time telling us how to be ready for the unknown day of judgment. On Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) Repentance, Baptism, Faith, Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit. Those are the gifts God wants us to have before the lights go out.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Learning to Leave Our Problems in God’s Hands"

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

A speaker was talking about managing difficult situations. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience about the weight of the contents in the glass. The answers varied from 20 to 500 grams. The presenter told them that the absolute weight did not matter too much. The important thing was the length of time he could hold the glass. If he held it for a minute, said the speaker, nothing happens. If he held it for an entire day, he would have to call an ambulance because it would cause him a serious problem. The glass was the same weight, but the longer he held it the heavier it became.

Many young people, with their different experiences of bitter conflicts in their lives, start to load themselves with grief, grudges, and hate. As time goes by, they become unable to bear any of it. The burden is so heavy that despair and bitterness take over their lives.

For young people with this negative attitude, conflicts become huge. In their despair, they seek a solution but suffer great anguish in the process. They do not want to forgive and do not even want to receive the forgiveness of those they have offended. Their negative attitude is harmful to them and affects their personal lives.

When in the course of your youth you face conflicts, always remember to look to our God, the Creator of life and love. It is through faith in His Son, Jesus, that all burdens are removed. It is through Christ that forgiveness is both received and given. Rest in Him, so you may be able to enjoy His peace and protection. Our dear Lord gives us the necessary strength in the midst of our struggles. His presence leads us on paths that make us stronger by taking away our weaknesses and grief.

In order to get out of difficulties, and not surrender to them, come to Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Growing In Value"

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

The man had made a fortune. Now, he wanted to increase that fortune by buying some land in a marsh area of Manhattan. He did so, and one day took his son out to inspect the new property. The son was amazed to see that the tract was little more than a swamp and had no value at all. The father, buying for property for the future, saw the property in a completely different way. He saw what the land would become someday.

That's what our Lord did for us when He sent His Son into the world to save us. Anybody else might only have seen us as worthless sinners, worthy of being ignored. God, wanting to build His kingdom, saw us for what we could become...people saved and living their lives freely in His compassion and grace. The question that remains unanswered is, "What are you worth?" You know the price God paid. You know how highly He values you. Have you been growing in worth as the years have gone on, or are you decreasing?