Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter (without charge) click on the Subscribe button.
Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.
Global Communications Outreach:
Learn how to be a missionary right from your own home and have a vital part in worldwide gospel outreach by becoming an ACTS People Power for Jesus Partner. Click HERE There is no charge.
Vol. 12 – No. 3110 July 31, 2010
Thought for the week: "Never does the human soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury." – E. H. Chapin
"True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance." – Akhenaton
"To really know a man, observe his behavior with a woman, a flat tire and a child." – Unknown
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." – William Shedd
"Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy." – Brian Tracy
"Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment." – Sidney Poitier
"You can't shake hands with a clenched fist." – Golda Meir
Last summer my wife and I met a couple who were friends of my wife at a restaurant. After lunch, the women decided to go shopping, and I invited the man to go sailing. While we were out on the water, a storm blew up. The tide had gone out, and we were down wind trying to work our way back through a narrow channel. At one point the boat grounded, and we had to climb overboard and shove with all our might to get it back in deep water.
As my new friend stood there, ankle deep in muck, the wind blowing his hair wildly, rain streaming down his face, he grinned at me, and with unmistakable sincerity said, "Sure beats shopping."
One of William Barclay's friends tells this story. In the church where he worshiped there was a lonely old man, old Thomas. He had outlived all his friends and hardly anyone knew him. When Thomas died, this friend had the feeling that there would be no one to go to the funeral, so he decided to go, so that there might be someone to follow the old man to his last resting-place.
There was no one else, and it was a miserable wet day. The funeral reached the cemetery, and at the gate there was a soldier waiting. An officer, but on his raincoat there were no rank badges. He came to the gravesite for the ceremony, then when it was over, he stepped forward, and before the open grave swept his hand to a salute that might have been given to a king. The friend walked away with this soldier, and as they walked, the wind blew the soldier's raincoat open to reveal the shoulder badges of a brigadier general.
The general said, "You will perhaps be wondering what I am doing here. Years ago Thomas was my Sunday School teacher; I was a wild lad and a sore trial to him. He never knew what he did for me, but I owe everything I am or will be to old Thomas, and today I had to come to salute him at the end." Thomas did not know what he was doing.
Ed Note: "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow. Perhaps it all will" (Ecclesiastes 11:4,6 TLB).
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have." – Louis E. Boone
"Be Fearless, and Flourish!" – Rick Beneteau
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we often might win, by fearing to attempt." – William Shakespeare
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." – Eleanor Roosevelt
In his book, The Purpose and Power of Love and Marriage," Myles Munroe says:
When a male demands, a female reacts; she doesn't respond.
When a male gives, a female responds.
When a male commits, a female submits. Nothing is more precious to a female than a committed male. Nothing is more depressing to a female than an uncommitted male.
When a male abuses, a female refuses. Whenever a man abuses a woman, she refuses to respond.
When a male shares, a female cares. If you find a man who is willing to share with the woman in his life, you will find a woman who is willing to care for her man.
When a male leads, a female follows.
When a man carries out his God-given responsibility for leadership, a woman responds by following his lead. Leadership does not mean being bossy, always telling others what to do. Good leaders lead by example, not by decree. Jesus led by example, and so did Moses, Peter, Paul, and all the other great leaders in the Bible. Leading by example means doing ourselves the things we wish others to do.
Todd was a sadly quiet 11-year-old struggling to adjust to the death of his mother. His father had left long ago, and Todd was living with an aunt who made it known she resented the responsibility.
On several occasions, his teacher Sheryl heard his aunt tell him, "If it weren't for my generosity, you'd be a homeless orphan."
Sheryl took extra pains to make Todd feel valued in class, and encouraged his interest in making things. Just before Christmas break, Todd shyly presented her with a small decorated box he'd made.
"It's beautiful!" Sheryl gushed.
Todd replied, "There's something special inside that my mom gave me before she died. She said it's the one thing I can give and still have plenty left over. It helps you feel better when you're sad and safe when you're scared."
As Sheryl started to open the box, Todd warned her, "Oh, you can't see it."
"Well, what is it?" Sheryl asked kindly.
"It's love. You're the first person since my mom that I love."
Sheryl hugged Todd tightly and said, "I'll treasure this forever. It's the best gift I ever got."
She kept it on her desk until she retired, and touched it whenever she was sad or scared. It never failed to make her heart smile.
Years later, Todd sent her the tassel he wore during his graduation from medical school. It's been in the box ever since.
In truth, love—not diamonds—is the gift that keeps on giving. What's more, love generates itself. The more you give away, the more you have left.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."1
One of my many favorite quotes happens to be from a Buddhist monk who wisely said, "To know and not to do is not yet to know."
To translate this into our Christian terminology, we could put it this way: "To believe and not to act is not yet to believe because we only truly believe that which motivates us to action."
For instance, many of us say we want to weigh less than we do. But do we? Really? Very few of us ever eat anything we don't want to eat. And many of us don't take the time to exercise enough to keep to our desired weight. In reality, often what we think we want is just a wish! We only truly want something when we are willing to make the commitment and pay the price to achieve it.
Furthermore, if we say we believe that our friends, neighbors and people throughout the world are lost eternally without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and give nothing or do nothing to help take, send or give the gospel to them, we don't really believe this either.
And if I say I want to be made whole, and don't do what I need to do to be made whole, I choose by default not to be made whole. It is true regardless of who said it: "To know and not to do is not yet to know."
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in all things worthy and noble please help me to be a 'doer' and not merely a 'listener, talker, or wisher.' Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
8. Receive Daily Encounter E-mail ... Without Charge
Daily Encounter, a free weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 345,000+ subscribers. Scores of letters from around the world have come from readers saying how much they are being helped by this brief, practical devotional.
Over 89 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!
NOTE: Some ISPs (especially AOL) now use e-mail filtering software that allows you to add e-mail addresses to your 'buddy', 'safe', or 'approved' list. Please be sure to add acts@actsweb.org to yours so you won't miss any issue of Daily Encounter.
One of ACTS greatest needs is Prayer Partners to stand with us as we seek to share the gospel with millions of people around the world through E-mail and the Internet and to win the lost to Jesus. If you would like to be an ACTS Prayer Partner, please subscribe to the Prayer Encounter list. Approximately two prayer reports are emailed monthly. Thank you.
If you have a special prayer request please submit it to David Clark at: www.responda.co.uk/prayer.php. David is not on the ACTS staff but is offering this as a service to Daily and Weekend Encounter readers.
NOTE: Please hold all prayer requests until
after August 2 as David is on vacation.
Helpers Needed: If you can help David pray for prayer requests, please could you go to: www.responda.co.uk/member.php
Weekend Encounter and Daily Encounter are just two of the ways the nonprofit organization, ACTS International, is working to improve the spiritual and emotional life of many thousands of people around the world.
Every weekday Daily Encounter is going to 345,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 8,000+ subscribers worldwide— many of whom are in places where it is forbidden to spread the Christian gospel and message. Plus we reach several hundred thousand more every week through our advertising. As a result every day we are seeing an average of 5-6 salvation responses from around the world—almost 3000 in the past 12 months!
If you find value in the free Weekend Encounter and/or Daily Encounter, we hope you will be comfortable donating at least $26. That's only 50 cents a week for an entire year (tax-deductible in the U.S.). You can donate in one of the following ways:
Oprah Winfrey: "Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi." – Oprah Winfrey
1. Bible concordance and Bible helps
2. New Hope Crisis Counseling with trained
lay/volunteer counselors. www.newhopenow.org 3. E-Word Today for a daily Bible reading
4. To find your ZIP+4 Area Code in the U.S.A.
5. How to find and write to your U.S. Representative
6. ASK ... Smart answers fast
7. Send a FREE greeting card for all occasions
8. To check the weather in your area
9. Hoax Web Sites
10. Plus many more sources of helpful information
"Because the world is hungry,
go with bread.
Because the world is filled with strife,
go with peace.
Because the world is filled with deceptions and lies,
go with truth.
Because the world would die without,
go with the love of God."
ACTS International
PO Box 73545
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
U.S.A.
To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
without charge click on the Subscribe button.
Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.
