Life out of Death

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24, NKJV)

George Muller was a man greatly used of God. A man whose faith in God is legendary and forms one of the great chapters of Christian history. Asked about the secret of his life he said, "There was a day when I died. Died to the approval or disapproval of the world, died to the praise or condemnation of the world and that was the day I began to live."

Have you learned to die to public opinion and sensitivity to criticism ? Not completely of course in that we need to heed constructive criticism and we need to be encouraged by compliments. But they should not sway us from our course and focus.

Right Choices

Choose you this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24.15

"We're all self-made," said one self-made philosopher, "but only the rich will admit it."

The fact is life is a series of choices. I am where and who I am today and doing what I want to do because of choices I made many years ago. Furthermore, who I am and what I do tomorrow will be largely affected by choices I make today. To do nothing is also a choice even if it is made unconsciously.

As Brian Tracy puts it, "It's choice, not chance, that determines our destiny."

Make sure today you are walking in the light and making the right choices and doing God’s will. How do we find God’s will? By wanting to do His will no matter what it costs and no matter what the consequences.

‘The will of God – nothing more, nothing less, nothing else” Spencer Walton.

Building Trust

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. (Hosea 4:6, NLT)

Whom do Europeans trust the most? 95 percent put their trust in firefighters, 92 percent in airline pilots and 89 percent in pharmacists.

Clerics occupy tenth place among 20 different professions. 53 percent of all Europeans trust the spiritual professions, according to the survey Reader's Digest European Trusted Brands 2007.

25,000 persons in 15 European countries were interviewed. At the bottom of the scale come industrial union leaders (23 percent), car salespersons (17) and politicians (7). "

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1, NLT)

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THE DECLINE AND FALL

"The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day." (Proverbs 4:18, NLT)

According to Edward Gibbon in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire said that there were five major attributes that marked the closing days of the great Roman Empire. 1. There was an increasing love of show and luxury; that is, affluence. 2. There was a widening gap between the very rich and the very poor. 3. There was an obsession with sex. 4. There was a freakishness in the arts masquerading as originality and creativity. 5. There was an increased desire to live off the state.

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Is our civilization really improving? Are we contributing towards the betterment of society? Is the world a better place because of your presence.

"Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." (Philippians 2:15, NLT)

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The Unique Jesus

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, NLT)

What made Jesus different? As the famous apologist and writer C.S. Lewis said, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He'd either be insane or else he'd be the devil of hell."

"You must make your choice," Lewis continues. "Either Jesus was and is the Son of God, or else He was insane or evil, but let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

What do you think about Jesus?

"There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”" (Acts 4:12, NLT)

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Best Qualifications

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2, NKJV)

The president of a major corporation, in reference to his company's hiring policies said: "If I could have only two qualifications on which to judge a person's promise, I would choose curiosity and determination. Only the curious will hear, and only the determined will overcome the obstacles to learning. Curiosity and determination are more important than a person's I.Q."

Are you satisfied with where you are or is there a determination to grow and increase in the knowledge of God.

"Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18, NLT)

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A Friend in Deed

If God be for us who can be against us.
Rom 8.31

A contemporary of Mozart and Haydn, he started losing his hearing at age 28, and eventually became totally deaf. Incredibly, though, he continued writing some of the most beautiful symphonies, concertos, sonatas, and quartets of all time. Today, he ranks as one of the greatest composers in history. His name was Ludwig van Beethoven. Born in December 17, 1770. Beethoven wrote: "No friend have I. I must live by myself alone; but I know well that God is nearer to me than others in my art, so I will walk fearlessly with Him."

We all need friends but believers need never be alone for we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. We all need friends to encourage us and motivate us and to challenge us. But there is one friend who is always available and never too busy and too distracted. We are always a priority with Him.

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24, NKJV)

Peace, Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. (Psalm 46:10, NLT)

Many years ago a little boy was given a priceless possession: his deceased grandfather's gold pocket watch. How he treasured it. But one day, while playing
at his father's ice plant, he lost the watch amidst all the ice and sawdust.

He searched and scratched, becoming frantic, but no watch. Then he suddenly realized what to do. He stopped scurrying around and became very still. In the
silence he heard the watch ticking.

"Be still and know that I am God ...."

In the busyness of life we need to slow down, stop and hear the voice of God.

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Second Opinion

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19, NKJV)

It was Mark Twain who said, “It’s not what I don’t understand in the Bible that bothers me, its what I do understand”.

We often find people hoping from one church to another until they find one that suits their particular interpretation of scripture. Rather like a patient who rejects a doctors bad news diagnosis and goes for a second, third, fourth, or fifth opinion until he gets the diagnosis he wants to hear.

God’s word is not a matter of personal bias or preference. His Word is sure.

"The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. " (Psalm 19:7, The Message)

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Peace With God

"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12, NLT)

Jim Elliot was a student at Wheaton College. In 1965 he and four other missionaries were killed in the jungles of Ecuador. Their deaths caused a tremendous reaction amongst the Christian community. Several books were published telling the dramatic story. Amongst his belongings was a diary with these words, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to lose what he cannot gain.”

Are you ready? Is your life right with God? Do you have that deep down assurance that you are a child of God, that your sins are washed away? Do you know that you have a place reserved in Heaven for you? You can find forgiveness and salvation in Christ. You can know peace with God. God offers salvation as a gift.

You can make that commitment, right now. You can know your sins forgiven and peace with God.

" I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13, NLT)

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Passing the Test

Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up (Daniel 3:18).

A young nurse was assisting a surgeon for the first time.

As he was completing the operation, she told him he had used 12 sponges, but she could account for only 11.The doctor curtly replied that he had removed them all from inside the patient. The nurse insisted that one was missing, but the doctor declared he would proceed with sewing up in the incision. The nurse, her eyes blazing, said, "You can't do that! Think of the patient!" The doctor smiled and, lifting his foot, showed the nurse the twelfth sponge, which he had deliberately dropped on the floor. "You'll do fine!" he said. He had been testing her.

You may be put to the test today. You may be pressured into going in a direction not compatible with your Christian walk. Will you pass the test today?

Most Generous

And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35, NLT)

The story is told of Dr William Trumbull, who was traveling by train one day when a drunken man got into the same compartment. After a while, he drew a bottle of liquor from his pocket and offered Dr Trumbull a drink. Dr Trumbull replied, “No thank you”. After taking some himself the man settled back in his seat. Sometime later he took the bottle out again and again offered Dr Trumbull a drink. Dr Trumbull gave him the same reply. After the same thing happened a third time, his conscience must have bothered him because he turned to Dr Trumbull and said, “You must think I am a real beast.” On the contrary, replied Dr Trumbull, “I think you are most generous”.
We are not called to judge others. We are called to encourage and look for the positives in others. Get out there and be an encourager today. Get out there and build somebody up – there are enough people tearing them apart

“ but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)

A Friend Indeed

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15, NKJV)

Out of Christendom's some 400,000 hymns, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus." is considered to be one of the top ten. This incredible popularity comes for a hymn that was never intended to be published. Joseph Scriven wrote the hymn in 1855 to send from his home in Ontario, Canada, to his mother in Ireland.

His goal was simply to comfort his mother during a difficult time in her life. It wasn't until 30 years later that the hymn was discovered by a friend who was caring for Scriven in his final illness. Once put in circulation the hymn quickly became a favorite.

Since then millions have sung its words in hundreds of languages and thousands have found comfort in the truth of a saviour who is a friend in every situation. He is a friend who never leaves nor forsakes us.

"There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24, NLT)