Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 10 – No. 0208 January 12, 2008
Thought for the week: "Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible, the other ninety-nine will read the Christian." – D. L. Moody
"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." – Mark Twain
"One of the secrets of success is to refuse to let temporary setbacks defeat us." – Mary Kay
"Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man [or woman] of value." – Albert Einstein
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." – Helen Keller
"Your organization [or personal life] will never get better unless you are willing to admit that there is something wrong with it." – Norman Schwarzkopf, general
"The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life." – James Christensen
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." – John Kennedy, 35th U.S. president
I feel inadequate when talking with a mechanic, so when my vehicle started making a strange noise, I sought help from a friend. He drove the car around the block, listened carefully, then told me how to explain the difficulty when I took it in for repair.
At the shop I proudly recited, "The timing is off, and there are premature detonations, which may damage the valves."
As I smugly glanced over the mechanic's shoulder, I saw him write on his clipboard, "Lady says it makes a funny noise."
In his Ministry Toolbox newsletter, Rick Warren emphasizes the importance of offering listeners an opportunity to respond to the gospel. He says, "I believe we should always offer unbelievers an opportunity to respond to Christ in a seeker-service. They may choose to not respond, and you must respect that without pressuring them, but I feel the opportunity must always be offered. Too many pastors go fishing without ever reeling in the line or drawing in the net."
I love going to to Chicago's Wrigley Field for a baseball game—sitting in the stands, downing a great hot dog, and cheering the Cubs on to victory...!
Unfortunately, Christianity has become a lot like professional sports. As a friend of mine has observed, there are nine guys on the baseball field doing all the work and thousands in the stands just watching. And as you probably know, that's not God's game plan for His people. He wants us to climb out of the stands, get out on the field, and join the team.
If you are wondering what good you can do on the field, wonder no more. What about your financial resources? Jesus can take your "silver and gold" and use it to accomplish great things for His glory.
But more than just getting out your checkbook, you have gifts you can contribute. God has given each of us gifts that can help advance His kingdom. Whether it's teaching, encouraging, serving, showing hospitality, or extending mercy, each ability can yield great dividends. Let's follow the example of Paul, who tirelessly served on God's field for the joy of being used by Him.
Believe me, it's far more rewarding to be on the field than to sit in the stands.
"Him [Jesus] we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily" (Colossians 1:28-29).
A successful man known for his philanthropy was driving his new car through a poor part of town. He'd driven the route hundreds of times before on his way home.
A young boy tried to flag him down. The man was in a hurry and didn't want to get involved, so he pretended he didn't see him. The traffic signal turned red, though. As he slowed for it, he heard a loud thud. The boy had thrown a brick at his car!
The man burst out of the car and grabbed the boy. "You juvenile delinquent!" he screamed. "You'll pay for this or go to jail!"
"I'm sorry, mister," the boy cried. "My mom's lying on the floor in our apartment. I think she's dying! Our phone's been cut off and I've been trying to get someone to stop. I didn't know what else to do! Take me to jail, but call a doctor for my mom first."
The man was filled with shame. "I'm a doctor," he said. "Where is she?" The grateful boy took him to his apartment. The man administered CPR and called an ambulance.
"Will she live?" the boy sobbed.
"Yes, son, she will," the doctor said.
"Then it's worth going to jail. I'm so sorry I hit your new car. You can take me in now."
"You're not going anywhere," the doctor said. "It was my fault you had to throw a brick to get my attention."
The doctor made sure the boy was taken care of, and as he drove home he resolved not to fix the dent. He would keep it as a reminder that not everyone in need has a brick to throw.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."1
Chuck Colson in BreakPoint talked about evolution scientists who "came up with the 'million monkeys' theory to show that Shakespeare's genius was nothing special, that his works could have come about purely by chance. And, the theory goes, 'If monkeys could knock out a Shakespearean tragedy given enough time, then what about creating Shakespeare himself? Couldn't he be almost as easily explained on Darwinian grounds?'
"But do you know what happened when scientists tried to test their theory? Obviously, they couldn't test it for a million years, but they thought they could get some idea about the truth of the theory by testing it for a month. The monkeys pressed some random letters on the keyboard, bashed the computer with stones, and—to put it as delicately as possible—used it as a toilet. 'Suffice it to say,' the authors remark dryly, 'their literary efforts fall a good deal short of the Bard [goal].'2
It's difficult to see how extending this farce for a million years would have made any difference at all. In fact, a scientist at MIT used a computer simulation to prove that it could not have happened."3
It seems to me that it takes a whole lot more "faith" to believe in evolution than it does to believe in intelligent design and a divine Creator.
Everybody believes in something—and what we believe in is a choice. Choose wisely for what you choose will determine your eternal destiny. Eternity is forever and that is an awful long time.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will see the truth about life, about you, and about my eternal destiny with or without you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Psalm 19:1 (NIV).
2. Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt, A Meaningful World.
3. Chuck Colson, "What Has Darwin to Do with Shakespeare?" BreakPoint, October 12, 2006. www.breakpoint.org.
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Books by Dick Innes, Editor of Weekend Encounter You Can't Fly With a Broken Wing How to Mend a Broken Heart I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian
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