Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 18 – No. 0116 January 02, 2016
Thought for the week: "The Choices we make make us!" – Anonymous
Happy New Year: Joy and I wish all of our readers God speed and his very best for the New Year of 2016.
"To believe and not to act is not yet to believe because I only truly believe that which motivates me to action." – Richard Innes
"The parable of the shepherd who left his flock of 99 to search for the 1 missing sheep has now been reversed. The shepherd has one sheep and looks for the 99." – An Englishman.
"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." – Mother Teresa
"Everyone starts from scratch, but not everyone keeps on scratching!" – Anonymous
"Being defeated is often just a temporary condition. Giving up makes it a permanent one."– Marilyn Von Savant
"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but also the parent of all the others." – Cicero, Philosopher
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement. Won't you forgive and forget? Your absence is breaking my heart. I was a fool, nobody can take your place. I love you.
All my love,
Belinda
P.S. Congratulations on winning last week's Powerball lottery.
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Like the trees of the forest,
may you find nourishment
in rain as well as sunshine;
Bend with the winds of misfortune
without breaking;
Give of yourself to others
to provide shade from
the blistering heat;
Grow old gracefully and not
become rigid or unbending;
And above all—
may you keep reaching upwards
towards heaven and to God.
Noah really needed an 'A' on a term paper. His friend Jason tells him that lots of kids "recycle" papers they don't write and offers to give him a paper his older brother got an 'A' on three years ago. When Noah asked his for advice, his father hoped his son wouldn't cheat but he didn't want to be judgmental so he said, "Son, it's your life, I can't tell you what you should do. It's a personal decision."
I think that's shabby parenting. Noah's dad declined to provide moral guidance and lost an opportunity to strengthen Noah's values, and his own credibility as a reference point. Kids need parents to bolster their moral will power to resist temptations. His reluctance to actively intervene and influence is an abdication of responsibility.
What's more, his noncommittal response is not an expression of moral neutrality but a statement that conveys the moral judgment that honesty and integrity are optional.
True, this is a personal decision. Noah has the power; he can choose to be honest or dishonest, ethical or unethical – it's his call. But the real question is one of propriety: he didn't ask his dad "What can I do?" but "What should I do?" This is a question about ethics and it can't be dodged or evaded.
If we want our children to build good values and a strong character based on virtue we have to be willing to teach and advocate those virtues. Sometimes that means saying, "That's wrong!"
"As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."1
The question has often been asked, "If you knew today was the last day of your life, what would you do?"
Do you have any impaired relationships you would want to resolve before you pass on? Have you left a will so your loved ones will benefit from your life's work? Most important of all, when you come to the end of life's journey and you stand before a holy God at the entrance to Heaven, if God asked you, "Why should I allow you to enter Heaven," what would you say? In other words, if you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would spend eternity in Heaven with God?
If not, I urge you to make that preparation today. Eternity is forever. As I did in younger days, many people think that if they do enough good deeds to outnumber or outweigh the wrongs (sins) they have committed, this will qualify them to enter God's heaven. Wrong.
God's Word makes it very clear that nobody enters heaven because of their good works. It is only by God's grace (unmerited favor) that we are given God's gift of forgiveness and saved for all eternity. His Word says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."2
God's Word also says, "For the wages [consequences] of sin is death [spiritual death which is eternal separation from God], but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."3
Because God is a God of infinite holiness no sinner can ever survive in His presence any more than a moth can survive in a flame. Furthermore, because God is also a God of infinite justice, all sin must be judged according to God's standard of holiness and perfection, and His justice calls for death; that is, spiritual death which is eternal separation from God in the place the Bible calls hell.
Fortunately however, God is also a God of infinite love. This is why He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cruel Roman cross 2,000 years ago in your place and mine to meet the demands of God's justice so we can be forgiven of all our sins and receive God's gift of eternal life. This is the expression of His perfect love.
All you need to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died in your place to pay the penalty for all your sins, and to ask God for His forgiveness and accept His gift of eternal life. The following prayer will help you to do this.
Prayer: "Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs/sins I have committed. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins. Please forgive me. I invite You, Jesus, to come into my heart and life to be my Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to You. Please give me the desire to be what You want me to be and to do what You want me to do. Thank You for dying for my sins, for Your free pardon, for Your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen."
NOTE: If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, please be sure to Click HERE (http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php) to let us know you prayed this prayer, and we will send you the URL (web site address) of the free "Ten Steps to Christian Growth" which will help you to grow in your new spiritual life.
NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon, click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php.
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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
Books:
Books by Dick Innes, Editor of Weekend Encounter You Can't Fly With a Broken Wing How to Mend a Broken Heart I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian
Communications
Healing, Wholeness & Happiness by Dick Innes
Loving & Understanding People by Dick Innes
I Hate Witnessing by Dick Innes
God's Formula for Success by Dick Innes
Damaged Emotions by David Seamands
Healing of the Memories by David Seamands
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