Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 13 – No. 3211 August 06, 2011
Thought for the week: "Weak Men Excuse Their Faults. Strong Men Abandon Them." – Unknown
"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it." – John Ruskin
"When a person forgives another, he is promising to do three things about the intended wrongdoing: not to use it against the wrongdoer in the future; not to talk about it to others; and not to dwell on it himself." – Jay Adams
"True grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done." – John Wayne
"There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits on the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder." – Ronald Reagan
"Do a little more than you're paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family, and friends." – Art Linkletter
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." – Thomas Edison
"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when they discover that someone else believes in them and is willing to trust them with their friendship." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
There was a college student trying to earn some pocket money by going from house to house offering to do odd jobs. He explained this to a man who answered one door.
"How much will you charge to paint my porch?" asked the man.
"Forty dollars."
"Fine" said the man, and gave the student the paint and brushes.
Three hours later the paint-splattered lad knocked on the door again.
"All done!" he says, and collects his money. "By the way," the student says, "That's not a Porsche, it's a Ferrari."
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His mother in the house was looking out the window... saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.
From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go.'
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God.
He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril—and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins—and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not—let you go.
The truth in this story is very sobering. God will never let go. There are times when we do wade into dangerous waters, but God is there holding on tightly. He will be there to rescue us. It would be best if we never wade into those dangerous waters, but God will not leave us.
He will never turn away. You may run from Him, you may walk away from God, but God will always be there. His arms will always be ready for you when you want to come home to Him. He loves you and longs to have you near.
May your scars be reminders of God's great love and the times He hasn't let go of you!
Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves; then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity.
Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too."
Spurgeon, C. H., Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. Source: Tod Bolsinger's blog.
Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life.
Do you know why a car's windshield is so large and the rear view mirror is so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.
Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it; they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry; they can't last long either.
Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!
Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!
When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems, HE has faith in your abilities.
A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."
When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles; it takes away today's peace.
I grew up in much simpler times. Television was in its infancy, and the idea of a hero was exemplified in the white-hatted cowboy. There was a clarity and simplicity to this hero's moral code that left no doubt there is a right and wrong. As I became more sophisticated, it was easy to ridicule these simplistic approaches to ethics and living. Yet the more I learn, the more I've come to think there's as much danger in complexifying our choices into endless shades of gray.
Sure, there are extenuating factors and exceptions that challenge the validity of every ethical principle, but on balance we need clear prescriptive guidelines of virtue. Such guidelines are provided in the quaintly old-fashioned Cowboy Code promoted by the late Gene Autry:
Don't shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
Don't go back on your word or a trust confided in you.
Tell the truth.
Be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
Don't advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
Help people in distress.
Be a good worker.
Keep yourself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
Respect women, parents, and the law.
Be patriotic.
With a little updating, this code still works.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."1
I don't know who the author of today's story is, but it was sent to me by a Daily Encounter subscriber. It was so beautiful, I want to share it with you.
When Stephen was five, he wanted a flower bed of his own. So I helped him lay out the bed and get the ground ready. I asked him what kind of flowers he wanted to plant. His answer was simple, "Beautiful ones."
The next day after work I picked up several different kinds of bulbs. Stephen was so excited about finally planting his flowers. As he opened the packages, the disappointment was all over his face. Stephen looked up and said, "Mama, you got the wrong thing, these are not flowers, they are too ugly to be beautiful."
I assured him that if he would plant the bulbs, and take care of them, they would grow and be the beautiful flowers he wanted them to be. Stephen wasn't at all convinced, but he trusted me and was willing to give it a shot. He planted the bulbs, and every day he watered them and watched to see if they would grow. It seems like yesterday he was standing there in overalls, hands on his hips, staring at his flower bed, waiting to see something beautiful appear out of the dirt.
Finally, he could see the stems, then the little buds, the day two buds opened up was an amazing day. Stephen came running into the house yelling, "Hurry Mama, you have got to see my beautiful flowers."
As we stood by the flower bed, Stephen said, "I didn't think they would ever grow, but they did. I growed it beautiful right out of the dirt." Then he slipped his little hand into mine and asked, "Mama, how can something so beautiful come from something so ugly?"
I think of our Heavenly Father watching and waiting for us to come to Jesus; then He can take something ugly and stained with sin, clean us up, guard and love us as we grow. Then I can see Him standing and proudly looking at us and saying, "Look at My beautiful children; I grew them right out of the dirt."2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you are not only a God of love, justice and mercy, but also a God of infinite beauty. As best I know how, I surrender my heart and life to you and ask that you will make something beautiful out of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
Note: If you have never come to Jesus and asked him to be your Savior—and to make something beautiful out of your life—Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/christian
1. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV).
2. Submitted by Betty, a Daily Encounter subscriber. If anyone can let me know the name of the author, I will appreciate it and add it to the archived copy.
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