Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 13 – No. 1511 April 09, 2011
Thought for the week: "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." – John F. Kennedy
"We can chart the path to the future clearly and wisely only when we know the path that has led to the present." – Adlai Stevenson, US Senator
"The best way to get something done is to begin." – Author Unknown
"Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life." – Bertolt Brecht
"Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; heaven so real that we must have men there, Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the Man of Sorrows the Man of Joy by the conversion to him of many." – J. Hudson Taylor.
"The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." – Lily Tomlin
You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the screen.
Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic, and you turn around to go and get it.
You get up in the morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.
You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :-)
You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
Our country is like a large ship fighting through stormy waters in foggy weather. Spiritually and morally, we've lost our sense of direction. Sexual sins, greed, pride, indulgence, slothfulness, ungratefulness, and irreverence characterize our nation. Prayer and Bible reading are no longer allowed in schools, and it's become legal to kill unborn babies. We are on our way to becoming a pagan nation where ungodly ideas and morals are not only accepted but celebrated. Our country is on a collision course with disaster.
Amidst the darkness of our age, the church is called to be like a lighthouse. In foggy weather or on dark nights, lighthouses warn ships of danger and help guide them safely through treacherous waters. Jesus said: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).
Because you and I have the light of God's Holy Spirit within us, we have a responsibility. We are to send out a beam of truth into the circle of our family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
My life is like a sailing ship
depending on the winds
to take me where I want to go,
sometimes the winds
are in my favor.
Other times they're not.
And when the gales
of adversity blow
the winds I can't control,
but the set of the sails I can—
for that, and not the
direction of the wind,
is what takes me where
I dream and plan to go.
Robert Thorton related the following incident from his childhood:
In the middle of one of my parents' more memorable disagreements, my father jumped up from the table, grabbed two sheets of paper, and said to my mother, "Let's make a list of everything we don't like about each other." Mom started writing. Dad glowered at her for a few minutes, and then wrote on his paper. She wrote again. He watched her, and every time she stopped, he would start writing again. They finally finished. "Let's exchange complaints," Dad said. They gave each other their lists. "'Give mine back," Mom pleaded when she glanced at his sheet. All down the page Dad had written: "I love you, I love you, I love you."
Larry wrote me the following letter: "I've been a small businessman for almost 23 years in a business where people lie, cheat, and steal. I'm sorry to say I became one of them. In the short term it may have helped, but long term it came back to haunt me. There's no amount of success that's worth it. I am now 48 years old. I have lost my good name; my values and my ethics have been destroyed. Is there any way I will ever be able to restore my reputation and lead a life of integrity?"
What a pity that so many people delude themselves into believing that traditional ethical principles like honesty and integrity don't apply in the business world. They govern their daily decisions by pragmatism—what works—without reference to principles—what's right. And, piece-by-piece, decision-by-decision, they sell their souls and sully their names until they find themselves naked and alone on the barren wasteland of moral compromise.
The good news is that Larry can start leading a life of integrity immediately. He can redeem himself and become a man of character simply by choosing to be honest, responsible, respectful, caring, and fair.
The bad news is that his reputation will take longer to restore. Character is what you really are; reputation is what people think of you. And since people are more likely to judge us by our last worst act rather than our most virtuous habits, rebuilding a reputation can take years of honorable living.
Still, each phase of one's life brings new opportunities for learning and growth, and if Larry wants it badly enough, the best part of his life is ahead.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."1
A party of tourists was on its way to Palestine and their guide was describing some of the customs of the East.
He was explaining how in England, for example, a shepherd follows the sheep, but in the East the shepherd leads the way and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.
When the tourist group reached Palestine, one of the first sights they saw was a flock of sheep not being led by the shepherd but being driven along by the man. The guide, being perplexed, stopped to talk to the shepherd.
"How is it that you are driving these sheep?" he asked. "I have always been told that the Eastern shepherd leads his sheep."
"You are quite right, sir," replied the man. "The shepherd does lead his sheep. But you see I'm not the shepherd. I'm the butcher."2
With so many religious voices today vying for the hearts and minds of adherents, we need to be certain that we know Jesus, the true Shepherd, recognize his voice and follow him. Remember that there are many false prophets that are nothing but "butchers" in sheep's clothing.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to know for certain that I am committed to Jesus, the true Shepherd. Help me never to stray from him, always know his voice, and follow him. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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