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. 16 – No. 4714 November 22, 2014
Thought for the week: "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." – Thomas Jefferson
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." – Thomas Jefferson
"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." – Thomas Jefferson
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." – Thomas Jefferson
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." – Thomas Jefferson
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." – Thomas Jefferson
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." – Thomas Jefferson
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." – Thomas Jefferson
The United Kingdom (UK) proposed a new law to prevent the insulting of religion, to replace the existing law on blasphemy. Such a law is already in place in Australia where an Australian court found Pastor Daniel Scot "guilty of religious vilification after he criticized Islam in a church seminar."
There can be no doubt that militant followers of other religions will use such laws to take Christians to court. Other countries are likely to attempt to legislate similarly. A full briefing can be found at the Christian Institute: http://www.christian.org.uk/home.htm
Some years ago when Apple Computer fell on hard times, Apple's co-founder and chairman, Steven Jobs, went from California to New York City. "His purpose was to convince PepsiCo's John Sculley to move west and run his struggling company. As the two men overlooked the Manhattan skyline from Sculley's penthouse office, the Pepsi executive started to decline Jobs's offer. 'Financially,' Sculley said, 'you'd have to give me a million-dollar salary, a million-dollar bonus, and a million-dollar severance.' Flabbergasted, Jobs gulped and agreed—if Sculley would move to California. But Sculley would commit only to being a consultant from New York.
"At that, Jobs issued a challenge to Sculley, 'Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to change the world?' In his autobiography, Oddesy, Sculley admits Jobs's challenge 'knocked the wind out of me.' He said he'd become so caught up in his future at Pepsi, his pension, and whether his family could adapt to life in California that an opportunity to 'change the world' nearly passed him by. Instead, he put his life in perspective and went to Apple."1
Let me ask you a question, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling "sugared water"—or doing what you are doing today for the rest of your life? Or do you want to help change at least your world?" There's nothing wrong with selling sugared water ... or doing a million other things; but there's nothing earth-changing about many of these undertakings either.
The question is, "Is what you are doing making a difference in someone's life—or that of many lives—and that for eternity? Do you want to join hands with Jesus Christ and help make an impact on your world? If your answer is yes, he may call you to be a prayer intercessor, to give sacrificially, to change your profession, or he may call you to leave your comfort zone to go out into the world of Christian service.
Whatever you choose to invest your life in, be sure that what you are doing is investing in people's lives for all eternity, and in so doing, storing treasure in heaven.
1. Leadership, Spring, 1991, Vol. XXII, No. 2, p. 44.
Take a look around—in business, education, and politics. If there's one thing we don't have enough of, it's good leaders: men and women who have the vision and the ability to change things for the better.
Former Air Force General William Cohen has written a fine book called The Stuff of Heroes where he identifies eight laws of leadership.
Here are his rules:
First, Maintain Absolute Integrity.
Second, Know Your Stuff.
Third, Declare Your Expectations.
Fourth, Show Uncommon Commitment.
Fifth, Expect Positive Results.
Sixth, Take Care of Your People.
Seventh, Put Duty Before Self.
Eighth, Get Out in Front.
His laws embrace important competencies like knowledge, communication skills, commitment, optimism, caring, and a powerful sense of duty; but General Cohen recognizes that the foundation of the successful leader is character, including complete trustworthiness, honor and courage.
The best leaders draw on these moral qualities to influence others through inspiration, persuasion, trust and loyalty. They do the right thing despite the costs and risks, and do it not because it will yield approval or advantage, but simply because it is the right thing.
In these cynical times, it's easy to think such leadership is unattainable; yet in every walk of life are hundreds of men and women—parents, teachers, coaches, civic activists—who fit the mold. What's more important, every one of us could be among them.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom."1
Today in the Word shared how "researchers who had made repeated dives to the wreckage of the Titanic challenged the accepted theory that an iceberg tore a 300-foot gash in the side of the ship. The ship's bow is mired in mud, but the team 'looked' at the hull using sound waves. They concluded that the damage is 'astonishingly small,' just six small gashes along the starboard hull. Unfortunately, the openings were made at the worst possible place, along six watertight holds."
Little things can do great damage: a little lie here, a little cheating there, a little stealing, a little gossip, and/or a little unresolved conflict—like a little gash in a mighty ship—can open a floodgate of damage somewhere down the track.
Any holes in your life? Any in mine? Let's not neglect them. Let's get smart and, with God's help, take care of them today—before they sink us.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to see the 'little' things in my life that, if I fail to resolve them now, they may 'burn out of control' farther down the line. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."
8. Receive Daily Encounter E-mail ... Without Charge
Daily Encounter, a without charge weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 373,000+ 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 95 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 one prayer report is e-mailed monthly. Thank you.
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 373,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 7,400+ 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, almost every day of the year we are seeing decison for Christ responses from around the world!
If you find value in the 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 greeting card without charge 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."
