Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 17 – No. 4515 November 07, 2015
Thought for the week: "Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." – Phillips Brooks
A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark chapter 17."
The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark chapter 17. Quite a few hands went up.
The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."
John Calvin said gratitude was at the center of the Christian life, and G. K. Chesterton called it "the mother of all virtues." It was gratitude for living in a free country that caused me to put on the uniform of a United States Marine officer during the Korean War. We do our duty to our country out of gratitude for those who went before us to defend the liberties we hold so precious.
I love the scene at the end of the movie, "Saving Private Ryan." Ryan ... returns to Normandy, and he is looking at the grave marker of Captain Miller, the man who died to save him during World War II. Ryan is on his knees. The grave marker is a stark, white cross. He addresses Miller, now long dead: "I've tried every day to live up to what you did for me ... I hope I've lived a life worthy of your sacrifice."1
Ed. Note: I trust that we who call ourselves Christians are, with God's help, living a life worthy of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us.
1. BreakPoint with Charles Colson. Commentary #020911 - 09/11/2002 www.pfm.org/
An Olympic Athlete Trainer says this: "There are four negative feelings or thoughts that produce toxic chemicals in the brain. They are Hate, Greed, Fear, and Jealousy. To get his athletes to do better, they must change these to Love, Generosity, Courage, and Praise."
He claims that service to others is one of the best ways to move into the healthy context. Doing this has proven, he says, to be effective in producing the winning edge.
Interesting discovery! Thoughts produce chemicals, and positive thoughts produce positive chemicals.
Of course there is a time for sorrow and vexation, but they must not dominate or they will infect.
If we interviewed 100 happy people, I think the most prominent common denominator would be good relationships. Despite the widespread promotion of materialism and vanity in our culture, wealth and beauty are not enough to produce happiness. In fact, they're not even necessary. What's more, bad relationships — at work, at home, or among friends — are a surefire source of anguish and heartache.
For most of us, the connections that most strongly influence our level of happiness are family bonds. And the most powerful of all are at the inner core of family, especially parent-child relationships.
No matter what your age, your kinship with your parents will always have a unique capacity to generate comfort or pain. Many children have ambivalent feelings about their folks. Yet most crave their approval, respect, and love. Parents have a similar need.
If you're a parent, resolve to make more consistent and conscientious efforts to make your children feel appreciated. If you want to make their lives and yours happier, be careful not to demean or diminish their achievements, and avoid expressions of disappointment. Tell your child you're proud to have him or her as a son or daughter.
And if you still can, give your parents pleasure by showing them you love them, not only for what they did for you as a child but for who they are now. Talk to them frequently and talk of meaningful things. Ask their advice, and don't roll your eyes in disdain if you disagree with it. One of the best ways to express your love is through respect.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."1
Nelson Searcy tells of a study that was conducted about the best tasting ice cream. Members of the control group were blindfolded and given all kinds of vanilla ice cream to taste—quality brand ice cream, gourmet ice cream, homemade ice cream, cheap ice cream and everything in between.
It didn't matter if it was gourmet, brand name, or homemade ice cream, "The number one determining factor was the percentage of fat in the ice cream. In other words, the more fat that was in the ice cream, the more people liked it."
As Searcy stated, "Now, isn't that one of the ironies of life? Why can't fried chicken, which happens to be my favorite food, be as good for you as an apple? I have never heard a doctor say—'A fried chicken leg a day will keep the doctor away.' The reason they say that is because if you had fried chicken every morning for breakfast, it would probably keep the doctor nearby because your cholesterol would shoot up. I guess I'll have to settle for apples."2
And who doesn't like a good fatty ice cream? As a kid we even used to pour pure cream over our ice cream. Yum! Yum! We had no idea how unhealthy that was.
Temptation, too, can have an overpowering attraction and appeal. It can look fabulous and at first taste very inviting—but in the long run its effects are deadly. It reminds me of an extremely beautiful fish that is found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It's only very small but its sting is incredibly painful. It needs to be avoided at all cost. Same with sin. Regardless how attractive it appears, its end result is deadly so it needs to be avoided at all costs. As Searcy said, "When we give in to temptation, we always regret it because in the long run we always give up something greater for instant gratification right now."3
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to remember that while sin's temptation can be very appealing, it always pays self-destructive dividends. Through Your Spirit please give me the strength to resist the lures of the evil one—and the good sense to always depend on You and not try to fight it in my own strength. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."
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