Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 9 – No. 4207 October 20, 2007
Thought for the week: "The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and of love." – William Wordsworth
"Since you usually get what you expect in life, expect the best for yourself." – Denis Waitley
"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." – Thomas Edison, inventor
"Today I know that I cannot control the ocean tides. I can only go with the flow. When I struggle and try to organize the Atlantic to my specifications, I sink. If I fail and thrash and growl and grumble, I go under. But if I let go and float, I am borne aloft." – Marie Stilkind
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." – C. S. Lewis
"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." – Warren Buffet
"If you want to see God's power at work, you must get out of the church and into the world. Watch the extravagant lengths which God will go to reveal Himself to people who don't know Him. Then you will learn how truly awesome our God is." – Author Unknown
"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done." – Marie Curie
When the last scene of the movie, Titanic, faded to black and the people in the theater began rushing for the exits, one patron shouted: "Quick! There are only enough cars in the parking lot for half of us!"
Martha Washington, wife of George Washington, once said, "I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."1
While there is a lot of truth in this statement, it is very difficult to be cheerful and happy if you have a throbbing toothache, have recently experienced the loss of a loved one, have been rejected, or have a chemical imbalance in the brain. I believe in being a positive realist so when in a situation such as the above, I determine with God's help to make sure I do everything in my power to do what I need to do and get the help I need to resolve the challenging situation I am in.
1. Cited on Brian's Quote of the Day, Brian Tracy.
A few years ago, a radio station ran a contest. Disc jockeys invited their listeners to tune in their clock radios. "Just for fun," they said, "when you wake up to the sound of FM-106, call and tell us the first words you spoke when you rolled out of bed. If you're the third caller, you'll win $106."
It didn't take long for the contest to grow in enthusiasm. The first morning, a buoyant disc jockey said, "Caller number three, what did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?" A groggy voice said, "Do I smell coffee burning?" Another day, a sleepy clerical worker said, "Oh no, I'm late for work." Somebody else said her first words were, "Honey, did I put out the dog last night?" A muffled curse was immediately heard in the background, and then a man was heard to say, "No, you didn't." It was a funny contest and drew a considerable audience.
One morning, however, the third caller said something unusual. The station phone rang. "Good morning, this is FM-106. You're on the air. What did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?"
A voice with a Bronx accent replied, "You want to know my first words in the morning?"
The bubbly DJ said, "Yes, sir! Tell us what you said."
The Bronx voice responded, "Shema, Israel ... Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." There was a moment of embarrassed silence. Then the radio announcer said, "Sorry, wrong number," and cut to a commercial.
It is a sad commentary on our society that people find more joy in hearing people curse in the morning than from God's name being glorified. One of the jobs given to the Levites in the Old Testament was "to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening." (I Chronicles 23:30).
All of this is intended to make you stop and think. What were the first words you spoke when you got out of bed this morning? Was it a curse or a blessing? Did your first words revolve around your job, your dog, or your God who created you and gave me a new day? Just a little food for thought.
In his autobiography, Just As I Am, Billy Graham tells about a conversation he had with John F. Kennedy shortly after his election. On the way back to the Kennedy house, the president-elect stopped the car and turned to me. "Do you believe in the Second coming of Jesus Christ?" he asked.
"I most certainly do."
"Well, does my church believe it?" asked Kennedy.
"They have it in their creeds."
"They don't teach it," Kennedy said. "They don't tell us much about it. I'd like to know what you think."
I explained what the Bible said about Christ coming the first time, dying on the cross, rising from the dead, and then promising that he would come back again. "Only then," I said, "are we going to have permanent world peace."
"Very interesting," he said, looking away. "We'll have to talk more about that someday." And he drove on.
Several years later the two met again at the 1963 National Prayer Breakfast.
"I had the flu," Billy Graham remembers. "After I gave my short talk and he gave his, we walked out of the hotel to his car together as was our custom. At the curb he turned to me.
"Billy, could you ride back to the White House with me? I'd like to see you for a minute."
"Mr. President, I've got a fever," I protested. "Not only am I weak, but I don't want to give you this thing. Couldn't we wait and talk some other time."
"It was a cold, snowy day, and I was freezing as I stood there without my overcoat.
"Of course," he said graciously.
But the two would never meet again. Billy Graham comments, "His hesitation at the car door and his request, haunt me still. What was on his mind? Should I have gone with him? It was an irrecoverable moment."
An angry woman once approached me after a speech and told me off for laying a guilt trip on her or anyone else who occasionally sacrifices ethics to keep a job. As a single mother, she said, she had to put her kids' welfare before theoretical abstractions like honesty and respect. In the real world, integrity can be both costly and risky.
It was a good warning against self-righteousness, but using one's family as an excuse for moral compromise can be a seductive rationalization. Surely, putting family first includes more than financial security. It also involves setting a good moral example and providing children with a solid foundation of values upon which they can build meaningful and successful lives.
It has never been easy to resist powerful pressures to lie, cheat or look the other way. It requires not only courage but foresight to realize it's a lot easier to get a new job than to restore self-respect and rebuild credibility.
In the long run, which is the better gift when the going gets tough—to surrender ethics and send the message that your family can't afford integrity, or to make the tougher choice that character does matter and whatever happens, you can make it and that no job is worth dishonor?
Sometimes the dues we pay to maintain our principles are high, but the ultimate cost of moral compromise is much greater. In fact, the more an act of honor costs, the more it's worth. Every act of moral courage contributes to a lasting legacy our children will be proud of all their lives. Don't give that up for the short-term benefit of security.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Then [King] Agrippa said to Paul, 'Almost you persuade me to be a Christian.'"1
Years ago, Walter took his friend Arthur to see some land in open country where cattle were idly grazing. Walter explained about his dream for developing this area. He told his friend that in time the area would be surrounded by many restaurants, hotels and convention centers. He told Arthur that his plan would take all of his money and he needed others to develop the surrounding area. He wanted his friend to have the first opportunity to buy into this project.
But Arthur thought to himself, "Who in the world is going to drive twenty-five miles for this crazy project?"
He said to Walter that he would think about it and decide later on.
"Later on will be too late," Walter cautioned Arthur. "You'd better move on it right now."
"And so Art Linkletter turned down the opportunity to buy up all the land that surrounded what was to become Disneyland. His friend Walt Disney tried to talk him into it. But Art thought he was crazy."
Life's like that. King Agrippa had the opportunity to accept Christ and become a Christian. He turned it down. Judas had one of the greatest opportunities in all history to become a follower of Jesus. Instead, he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Unbelievable! The two thieves who were crucified with Jesus also had the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life. One accepted. The other didn't.
Life offers all of us many opportunities. We all have the opportunity to become followers of Jesus and to be a part of what God is doing in the world today. That choice is ours. Today. As God's Word says, "Now is the accepted time ... now is the day of salvation."2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, when opportunities from you come knocking on my door, no matter how quiet they are, please give me an ear to hear, a listening heart to hear what you are saying, and the wisdom to say, 'Yes,' to you and your call. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
Note: If you have never accepted God's invitation to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, please click on http://tinyurl.com/8glq9 for the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian without having to be religious." I urge you to do that right now.
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