Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 15 – No. 3913 September 28, 2013
Thought for the week: "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." – Albert Schweitzer
"What the vast majority of American children need is to stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured, and stop being catered to. In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings." – Ann Landers
"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings." – Hodding Carter
The following are quotes from Billy Graham:
"Overcoming Adversity: Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has."
"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened."
"Business: Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything."
"Attitude: If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life."
"Belief: We cannot truly face life until we face the fact that it will be taken away from us."
"Character: When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost."
Australian Field Mice: While on a business trip to Australia, a Texan rancher befriends an Australian rancher. The Australian invites the Texan to his ranch and points to an enormous wheat field and tells the Texan that this is his field.
The Texan acts unimpressed and says, "In Texas our small wheat fields are twice that size."
The Australian then takes the Texan to his house and points to his herd of large, healthy cattle. The Texan asks the Australian if these are calves and explains that Texan cattle are much larger.
The Texan continues to explain how things are just bigger and better in Texas. As he continues his boasting, some kangaroos go hopping across the field. The Texan stops bragging and asks, "What are those monstrous creatures that just went by?"
The Australian takes full opportunity of the moment and answers, "Oh, those things? They're just a few field mice."
And after a dramatic pause says, "But don't worry, mate, our cats will take care of them!"
I have read how a missionary went to evangelize a tribe in the Far East islands. In doing so he translated the Bible into their language. But apparently, there was no word in their language for either "belief," "faith" or "trust." He struggled with this for some time but eventually found the answer. Chatting to a tribesman in his house one day, he sat down in a chair and leaned back, putting his full weight on the chair, and asked the tribesman, "What am I doing?"
The tribesman gave him the word which being translated back into English was: "leaning fully upon."
What a great definition of faith, believe, and trust which is not merely an intellectual exercise but a behavior.
In a past Daily Encounter I had written how, as Christians, we need to let our light shine so that others would see God's love shining through us and made the comment that all the darkness in the world couldn't put out or diminish the light of one small candle.
A subscriber, Angela Mehan, responded by saying, "This reminds me of an experience I had when I was in Girl Scouts. We used to go spelunking (cave exploring), and I remember one trip in particular. We had gone deep enough into the cave that no light from the outside could get to us. The guide had us turn off all our flashlights so we could see just how dark total darkness is. I couldn't see anything! No matter how close I got my hand to my face I still couldn't see it. Then the guide lit a single candle. It was amazing how much we could see, even though the candle itself wasn't all that bright. So even though we were completely surrounded by darkness, that single candle allowed us to see.
"This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy."
Susan Polis Schutz, Blue Mountain Arts, Inc. co-founder.
Todd was an angry nine-year-old being raised by his mom after his dad abandoned the family. Not knowing how to handle his anger, she sent him for the summer to live with his grandparents on a farm. When Todd screamed at his grandmother, his granddad immediately pulled him outside where he showed him a two-by-four, a box of two-inch nails and a big hammer. He told Todd that every time he lost his temper he would be sent outside and that he couldn't return until he pounded a big two-inch nail all the way into the two-by-four.
After about a dozen trips to the "nail shed," Todd began to control his temper more and pound less. After a solid week of self-control he proudly announced that he had learned his lesson.
His grandma said, "Not yet," and she took him to the shed. She told him to pull out all the nails he had pounded in. After two hours Todd told his grandma he was finished.
She smiled and put her arm around him as they surveyed the bent nails and the holes in the two-by-four. Then she said: "Your temper may have helped you pound in those nails but it didn't change anything, did it? Pulling out the nails didn't do much good either. It's like saying you're sorry. Sorry doesn't fix the holes."
"Here's the thing, Todd. Anger makes holes that sorry can't fix. You can't do much about old holes, but you can stop making new ones. Remember, every time you do something mean and nasty you're putting a hole somewhere, in someone. That's what your dad did to you. Please don't do that to anyone else. You are better than that."
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Conies [rabbits or rock badgers] are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the crags."1
While tiny ants teach us many lessons including the importance of being prepared as much as possible for whatever might come our way, the conies or rock badgers show us the need for precaution and being responsible for taking care of ourselves.
These small animals hide behind the rocky crags jutting up in the mountains where eagles can't get to them. They also hide close to the rocks where they remain unseen by prowling lions. Away from the safety of the rocks they would be dead meat.
Some of us are too over-dependent, depending on somebody else or the government to take care of us. God's goal for each of us is that we mature and grow up, not be dependent or over-dependent, but interdependent. If we don't take care of ourselves and protect ourselves from the many temptations that come our way, nobody else is going to do it for us.
As Peter put it, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."2
We don't want to become cynics, but we do need to be careful, take necessary precautions, and accept full responsibility for every area of our lives. And, above all, we need to trust our lives to God daily as did David who said, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."3
Prayer: "Dear God, please help me to always put my trust and take refuge in you. Deliver me from evil, temptation, harm and disaster. And guide me in the way that I should go. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Proverbs 30:26 (NIV). 2. I Peter 5:8 (NIV). 3. Psalm 18:2 (NIV).
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