Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 17 – No. 3415 August 22, 2015
Thought for the week: "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs—jolted by every pebble in the road." – Henry Ward Beecher
There is an important poem that my wise friend, Anonymous, once wrote which distils the importance of controlling our thoughts if we want to control our destiny. Anonymous entitled this poem, "The Winner's Creed" and may this creed inspire new thoughts and visions of greatness in our lives:
"If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a person's will –
It's all in the state of mind
If you think you're outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger woman or man,
But sooner or later the one who wins
Is the one WHO THINKS HE CAN."
Hugging is healthy; it helps the body's immunity system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, and rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.
Hugging is all natural: it is organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and is 100 percent wholesome.
Hugging is practically perfect: there are no moveable parts, no batteries to wear out, no periodic checkups, low energy consumption, high energy yield, insulation proof, non-fattening, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and, of course, fully returnable.
For those who claim there are many roads to God or heaven, or for those who say that since God is a good God, He lets everyone in.
I ask them if they owned a company and hired someone to work for them, explaining what was expected of them to do in the position they were being hired for, but if that person chose instead to do what he saw fit, not what you had asked him to do, what would be the end result? Most people answer that they would fire the person because they didn't do as asked.
Then I ask, and what about baseball? What if someone went out on the field and started tackling people to "make a goal"? Of course that image gets them laughing. But the point is obvious, if we have rules to follow for everything from playing games to work, then why should we not expect there are rules for getting into heaven? It's ludicrous to assume that it's a free for all and everyone gets in.
– Joyce Meyne
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6, NIV).
Years ago I was talking to a group of Army generals about the way politicians often treat the defense budget as an all-purpose public works fund to help bring money into their districts. One general admitted, "Yes, if the chairman of the Appropriations Committee comes from a place that makes trucks, we're probably going to buy those trucks. That's the way it is, the way it always was, and the way it always will be."
I suggested that it was a form of bribery to buy the trucks just to please the politician. The general barked, "It's not bribery. It's extortion!"
"Don't sound so powerless," I replied. "You're a GENERAL!"
Without skipping a beat, he answered, "Yeah, but I'm only a one-star."
"I'm only a one-star." I hear this sort of abdication of moral responsibility a lot—from business executives who surrender to "pressures" to engage in dubious business practices, journalists who see their great calling being overcome by a growing profit obsession and others who just feel they can't buck the system.
I understand it's easier and often seems smarter to go along to get along, yet when systems become corrupt, irrational, or wasteful, it's our duty to do what we can do to make things better.
As Edward Everett Hale said, "It's true I am only one, but I am one. And the fact that I can't do everything will not prevent me from doing what I can do."
When there's a gap between reality and ethical ideals, people of character don't surrender their ideals. They fight for them. They work to change the way things "are" to the way they "ought to be." And much more often than we realize, defective systems collapse at the first sight of principled resistance.
It has been wisely said that "it is choice not chance that determines our destiny." The fact is that we are where we are today primarily because of choices we have made in the past. Furthermore, we will be where we are in five, ten, or twenty years—and throughout eternity—based on choices we have or will yet make.
Floyd Lane, a talented basketball player who attended City College in New York in 1951, accepted a $3,000 bribe to shave points in just three games. Because other players were doing this, he decided to go with the group.
Big mistake. He and the other players got caught, arrested, and expelled from school. For the next 23 years he was unable to get a job as a player or a coach in sports because of what he had done. Finally, in 1974 his old college employed him as a coach.
When we make mistakes, which we all do from time to time, it's encouraging to know that we still have the choice to put things right. Fortunately, when we admit what we have done, God forgives us. And where possible, where we have hurt others, we need to make amends for what we have done. We also need to forgive ourselves. The important thing is to think first, pray, and make wise choices from now on.
And most critical of all is to choose to accept God's forgiveness and his gift of eternal life (if you haven't already done so), as this choice is absolutely essential to guarantee that you spend eternity with God. Whatever else, DO NOT leave earth without God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life. For help, go to http://www.actsweb.org/christian.
Prayer: "Dear God, please help me to make wise choices in everything I do—especially in choosing to love and serve You all the days of my life, and where I will spend eternity. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."
1. Joshua 24:15.
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