Pastoral Resources

During a thunder storm that contained high winds, a giant oak tree was blown down. The tree was thought to be in perfect health; that is, from outward appearance it seemed to be in good health since it was almost perfectly shaped and full of green leaves. However, the massive tree could not withstand the stress of the high wind because of deterioration on the inside. What started as a tiny corruption at the center of the tree had spread until that tremendous tree was so weakened that it was toppled by the wind.

One may reach a point where he forsakes God altogether. It is because he (like the tree) has decayed on the inside. Perhaps the deterioration started with a little lie or one small drink of beer or forsaking the assembly to go fishing or camping. Long before our feet carry us where we ought not go, and our hands do what they ought not do, the desire is in our hearts (Psa 119:9-11). With pure hearts we will be able to stand the stress of temptation and the stress of everyday living.

Track star Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics, but to get there she had to overcome enormous hurdles. Stricken with scarlet fever at the age of 4, she lost the use of her left leg and had to learn to walk again when she was 7.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright once told of an incident that may have seemed insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his life. The winter he was 9, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his reserved, no-nonsense uncle. As the two of them reached the far end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow’s flight, and then young Frank’s tracks meandering all over the field. “Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again,” his uncle said. “And see how my tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important lesson in that.”

Years later the world-famous architect liked to tell how this experience had greatly contributed to his philosophy in life. “I determined right then,” he’d say with a twinkle in his eye, “not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had.”

"Father," said Thomas, looking up from his studies. "How do you know there is a God?"

"Why do you ask that question? Do you doubt the existence of God?" asked the father.

"Well, I heard one of the professors say that we could not be sure that there is a God. Is there any way really to know?"

"Well, my boy. Do you remember the other day that you were laughing about Robinson Crusoe's dismay at discovering that there were other persons on the island beside himself? How did he discover them? Did he see them? No, he discovered one track of a bare foot in the sand, and he knew that it could not be his own. He knew that only a human being could have made it, and he knew that whoever made it could not be far off, for the tide had not yet reached it. All those things he knew to be true, although he had not seen a human being within miles of the island. And the knowledge was all gained from a mark in the sand.

"If one print of a bare foot in the sand is absolute proof of the existence and presence of a human being, what are we to suppose when we see the prints of the Master's shoe, as Bunyan calls it, covering the whole wide world? We see on mountain and valley the print of the fingers of God. We see a million plants and flowers and trees that only God could make grow. We see all the rivers and the springs of the world fed from invisible specks of atmospheric moisture. What do all those things mean-those millions upon millions of footprints on the clay of the world? They mean God living, present, ruling, and loving! They mean God and nothing else!"

An ad appeared in a newspaper that read: “Farmer wants to marry woman, 35, with tractor. Send picture of tractor.”

Lindy Chappoten, a pitcher of middling talents who played for the old Shawnee Hawks in the Class D Sooner League, was once traded to the Texarkana Bears for 20 uniforms.

A small country church in Wisconsin has a special tradition that they have used at the close of their communion services for a number of years. It is adapted from an ancient Jewish closing of the Passover meal. Since it is the hope of every devout Jew to celebrate the Passover at least once in David’s city, the Jewish custom is to end the meal with a toast. Passover participants raise the cup and say, “Next year, in Jerusalem!”

The cup in the Lord’s Supper serves as two reminders: we are to look back to the shed blood of Christ and forward to the Lord’s second coming. In other words, for all Christians, there will be a last sharing of the bread and the cup on this side of eternity: when they meet once again, they will be in Christ’s presence. At the close of communion, the members of this church raise their cups in anticipation and say, “Next time, with Christ!”

Neither Packer nor I are claiming that all tradition is bad. I agree with Packer’s statement that,

“All Christians are at once beneficiaries and victims of tradition—beneficiaries, who receive nurturing truth and wisdom from God’s faithfulness in past generations; victims, who now take for granted things that need to be questioned, thus treating as divine absolutes patterns of belief and behavior that should be seen as human, provisional, and relative. We are all beneficiaries of good, wise, and sound tradition and victims of poor, unwise, and unsound traditions.”

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.

I was part of a church on the Gulf Coast when God sent a spirit of renewal in the midst of terrible personal tragedy. A fourteen-year-old boy named Eddie had been drowned in the nearby bayou during a torrential rain the week before.

Though we missed the main force of the hurricane that spawned the downpour, the waters of every bay and inlet were up and raging. Eddie and his brothers had constructed a raft of Styrofoam and were floating in the rushing waters of the bayou. As they approached the spillway, the raft broke up. Two of the boys made it out of water in spite of the steep concrete banks. But Eddie could not get out. He clung to a piece of Styrofoam from the raft, calling for help.

The other boys ran home to tell their dad, Leroy. Leroy jumped into his pickup truck and raced to the bayou. With Eddie floating just out of reach, Leroy ran back to the truck and got a rope. “I threw him the rope, but the rope was too short,” Eddie’s dad lamented. “And I saw my boy go over the spillway into the deep waters below. We found his body about three o’clock the next morning.”

When Leroy told me the heartrending story, I was seated across a desk from him at the funeral home. A chill went down my spine and tears came to my eyes as I visualized the boy screaming, “Help me, somebody help me! I can’t hold on much longer!” I could see not only Eddie, but the unbelieving multitudes of our city and the world clinging in desperation to some fragile thread of hope. I could see us as Christians throwing out ropes—ropes too short to reach our world in this day.

In his youth, Andrew Carnegie, the famous steel maker, worked for Thomas A. Scott, the local superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Carnegie was employed as a telegrapher, secretary, and general factotum at $35 a month.

One morning a serious railroad accident delayed the passenger trains and shunted freight trains onto the sidings, unable to move in either direction.

Scott could not be located, so Carnegie plunged into the breach—knowing what had to be done, but also aware that an error could cost him his job and perhaps criminal prosecution. He signed Scott’s name to the orders and got the trains moving with no mishaps.

When Scott arrived at the office, Carnegie told him what had happened. Scott carefully looked over everything that the boy had done, and said nothing. “But I noticed,” Carnegie said, “that he came in very regularly and in good time for some mornings after that.”

Some years ago a fearful railroad wreck took a dreadful toll of life and limb in an eastern state. A train, loaded with young people returning from school, was stalled on a suburban track because of what is known as a “hot-box.” The limited was soon due, but a flagman was sent back to warn the engineer in order to avert a rear-end collision. Thinking all was well, the crowd laughed and chatted while the train-hands worked on in fancied security. Suddenly the whistle of the limited was heard and on came the heavy train and crashed into the local, with horrible effect.

The engineer of the limited saved his own life by jumping, and some days afterwards was hailed into court to account for his part in the calamity. And now a curious discrepancy in testimony occurred. He was asked, “Did you not see the flagman warning you to stop? ”He replied, “I saw him, but he waved a yellow flag, and I took it for granted all was well, and so went on, through slowing down.”.The flagman was called, “What flag did you wave? “A red flag, but he went by me like a shot.”.“Are you sure it was red?”.“Absolutely. ”Both insisted on the correctness of their testimony, and it was demonstrated that neither was color-blind. Finally the man was asked to produce the flag itself as evidence. After some delay he was able to do so, and then the mystery was explained. It had been red, but it had been exposed to the weather so long that all the red was bleached out, and it was but a dirty yellow!Oh, the lives eternally wrecked by the yellow gospels of the day—the bloodless theories of unregenerate men that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping them on their downward road!

In Genesis 2:16 God first outlines the perimeters within which there is freedom. Then he specifies the restriction. Finally he states the consequence of disobedience.

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.

If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with encouragement, he learn to be self-confident.

If a child lives with tolerance, he learn to be patient.

If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative.

If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love.

If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with recognition, he learns to have a goal.

If a child lives with fairness, he learns what justice is.

If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is.

If a child lives with sincerity, he learns to have faith in himself and those around him.

If a child lives with love, he learns that the world is a wonderful place to live in.

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long. Our Daily Bread, October 1

A person on railroad tracks hear a train approaching, looks behind him, sees the train and then freezes on the tracks in fear. The train “outruns” its sound—which means that by the time you hear it, it is virtually on top on you. If a train engineer sees you on a track, he or she will blow the whistle. Often it takes more than one blast to get the average person’s attention, say train engineers. But trains can’t stop the way motor vehicles can. A freight train has about 100 cars, weights 12 million pounds, and takes a full mile to stop. An optical illusion happens with tracks. When you see a train coming, it looks as if it is traveling half as fast, and is two times farther away from you than it really is. For example, if it is going 60 miles per hour and is half a mile away, it looks as if it is traveling 30 mph and is one mile away.

1. Plans day unrealistically

2. First to arrive, last to leave

3. Always in a hurry

4. Makes no plan for relaxation

5. Feels guilty about doing anything other than work

6. Sees unforeseen problem as a setback or disaster

7. Is always thinking about several other things when working

8. Feels need to be recognized and overextends because of this

A girl was asked what forgiveness is. She gave the following beautiful answer: "It is the odor the flowers give off when they are trampled upon." For the merciful Christian, this odor reaches far, far away, even up to the judgment seat of Christ; the Christian need not be afraid when he gets there.

When Cambridge University student Thomas Bilney bought a Greek New Testament, his interest was purely academic. But when Bilney opened God’s Word, he encountered the gospel and was transformed.

The Protestant Reformation was underway, so Bilney joined the Cambridge Protestants. He began preaching, but was arrested in 1527 and threatened into silence. But Bilney could not keep quiet. He was arrested, released, and in 1531 arrested one last time. Condemned as a heretic, Bilney died at the stake for the gospel of Christ.

As Dr. Harry A. Ironside preached one day, he noticed a man in the crowd writing on a card, which he presently handed to the speaker. The man was Arthur Lewis, an agnostic lecturer, and he proposed a challenge to the speaker to debate the subject, "Agnosticism versus Christianity," and offered to pay all expenses involved.

Dr. Ironside read the card aloud to his audience and then said: "I accept on these conditions:

"First, that you promise to bring with you on the platform one man who was once an outcast, a slave to sinful habits, but who heard you or some other infidel lecture on agnosticism, was helped by it and cast away his sins and became a new man and is today a respected member of society, all because of your unbelief.

"Second, that you agree to bring with you one woman who was once lost to all purity and goodness, but who can now testify that agnosticism came to her while deep in sin and implanted in her poor heart a hatred of impurity and a love of holiness, causing her to become chaste and upright, all through a disbelief in the Bible."

"Now, sir," he continued, "if you will agree, I promise to be there with one hundred such men and women, once just such lost souls, who heard the gospel of the grace of God, believed it and have found new life and joy in Jesus Christ our Savior. Will you accept my terms?"

As might be expected, the atheist could only walk away silently.

One of the most dramatic examples of the Bible’s divine ability to transform men and women involved the famous mutiny on the “Bounty.” Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, nine mutineers, along with the Tahatian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long and a mile wide. Ten years later, drink and fighting had left only one man alive—John Adams. Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island’s population.

So far this is the familiar story made famous in the book and motion picture. But the rest of the story is even more remarkable. About this time, Adams came across the “Bounty’s” Bible in the bottom of an old chest. He began to read it, and the divine power of God’s Word reached into the heart of that hardened murderer on a tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean—and changed his life forever. The peace and love that Adams found in the Bible entirely replaced the old life of quarreling, brawling, and liquor. He began to teach the children from the Bible until every person on the island had experienced the same amazing change that he had found. Today, with a population of slightly less than 100, nearly every person on Pitcairn Island is a Christian.

CAMELS BIBLE In 1832 an edition had Rebekah leaving her tent to meet Isaac with a group of - not damsels - but camels.

WIFE-HATER BIBLE An 1810 version read, “If any man come to me, and hate not … his own wife (instead of “life”), he cannot be my disciple.”

“SIN ON” BIBLE. The first English-language Bible to be printed in Ireland, in 1716, encouraged its readers to “sin on more” rather than “sin no more.”

A similar error in 1653 had declared: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?”

THE WICKED BIBLE of 1631 reported the Seventh Commandment as “Thou shalt commit adultery,” a mistake that infuriated King Charles. He ordered all copies destroyed and fined all printers whose hands had touched the edition.

MURDERER’S BIBLE. This 19th-century faux pas had Mark 7:27 as “Let the children be killed” instead of “filled.”

PLACEMAKER BIBLE. a 16th Century printer had Jesus blessing the “place-makers” instead of “peacemakers.”

An American printer later substituted the “Parable of the Vinegar” for the “Vineyard.”

PRINTERS BIBLE. Perhaps King David was on target in a 1702 edition, which quoted him as saying “Printers (instead of “princes”) have persecuted me without cause.

Watching a trapeze show is breathtaking. We wonder at the dexterity and timing. We gasp at near-misses. In most cases, there is a net underneath. When they fall, they jump up and bounce back to the trapeze.

In Christ, we live on the trapeze. The whole world should be able to watch and say, “Look how they live, how they love one another. Look how well the husbands treat their wives. And aren’t they the best workers in the factories and offices, the best neighbors, the best students?” That is to live on the trapeze, being a show to the world.

What happens when we slip? The net is surely there. The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has provided forgiveness for ALL our trespasses. Both the net and the ability to stay on the trapeze are works of God’s grace. Of course, we cannot be continually sleeping on the net. If that is the case, I doubt whether that person is a trapezist. - Juan Carlos Ortiz

Are you trapped in the tyranny of things? A wealthy man was moving into a new house, and his next-door neighbor happened to be a Quaker. The Quakers, as you know, believe in simplicity and plainness of life. The Quaker neighbor watched as the movers carted in numerous pieces of furniture, a great deal of clothing, and many decorative pieces. Then he walked over to his wealthy new neighbor and said in his quaint Quaker way, "Neighbor, if thee hath need of anything, please come to me and I will tell thee how to get along without it." Jesus would have agreed with that advice, for He said one day, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of things that he possesses."

On a February day in 1925, Floyd Collins climbed into Sand Cave in search of fortune. Suddenly, his lantern failed. Crawling through the darkness, Collin’s foot hit a seven-ton boulder. It fell on his leg, trapping him in the coffin-like narrowness of a dark, subterranean straitjacket. For days Collins was trapped 125 feet below ground in an ice-cold space 8 inches high and 12 feet long.

In the meantime, his plight became a national sensation. As the rescue attempt wore on, some 50,000 tourists bought hot dogs, balloons, and soft drinks from vendors at the cave in Kentucky. But in the end, Floyd Collins died alone in the icy darkness, crying out deliriously, “Get me out. Why don’t you take me out? Kiss me goodbye, I’m going.”

After cleaning out his office files one Monday afternoon, a federal employee was faced with mountains of old documents and reports. He stacked them on top of his wastebasket with a sign reading: “Rubbish.” The next day, the papers were still there, so he added the words: “Please remove.” On Wednesday, nothing had changed, and therefore a more explicit notice was used. “This is rubbish,” it said. “I do not want it. Please remove.” Thursday revealed the need for still stronger words: “This is RUBBISH, REFUSE, GARBAGE. Get it out of here!” This sign had been heatedly scrawled with a red felt-tipped marker. On Friday, the papers were still not removed. However, a small note in pencil had been written beneath Thursday’s sign.

It read: “Cannot remove unless marked ‘Trash.’“

Last night I took a journey

To a land far ‘cross the seas;

I didn’t go by boat or plane,

I trusted on my knees.

I saw so many people there

In deepest depths of sin,

And Jesus told me I should go

That there were souls to win.

But I said, “Jesus, I can’t go

And work with such as these.”

He answered quickly, “Yes, you can

By traveling on your knees.”

He said, “You pray; I’ll meet the need,

You call and I will hear;

Be concerned about lost souls,

Of those both far and near.”

And so I tried it, knelt in prayer,

Gave up some hours of ease;

I felt the Lord right by my side

While traveling on my knees.

As I prayed on and saw souls saved

And twisted bodies healed,

And saw God’s workers’ strength renewed

While laboring on the filed.

I said, “Yes, Lord, I have a job

My desire Thy will to please;

I can go and heed Thy call

By traveling on my knees.”

-Sandra Goodwin

Last night I took a journey

To a land across the seas;

I did not go by boat or plane,

I traveled on my knees.

I saw so many people there

In deepest depths of sin,

But Jesus told me I should go,

That there were souls to win.

But I said, “Jesus I cannot go

And work with such as these.”

He answered quickly, “Yes you can

By traveling on your knees.”

He said, “You pray; I’ll meet the need,

You call and I will hear;

Be concerned about lost souls,

Of those both far and near.”

And so I tried it, knelt in prayer,

Gave up some hours of ease;

I felt the Lord right by my side

While traveling on my knees.

As I prayer on and saw souls saved

And twisted bodies healed,

And saw God’s workers’ strength renewed

While laboring on the field.

I said, “Yes, Lord I have a job,

My desire Thy will to please;

I can go and heed Thy call

By traveling on my knees.”

When a friend once wrote to Dr. Livingston about the sacrifices he was making in spending his days among the savages of Central Africa, he made the spirited reply: "Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, in the consciousness of doing good, in peace of mind, and in the hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with such a thought! I never made a sacrifice." May we, too, seek "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," rather than our own selfish satisfaction.

John G. Wendel and his sisters were some of the most miserly people of all time. Although they had received a huge inheritance from their parents, they spent very little of it and did all they could to keep their wealth for themselves.

John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years.

The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers. Even worse, they were like the kind of person Jesus referred to “who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water" (Psa 1:3).

Who shall be like a tree? The good man, anyone who loves God, and loves his Bible and loves to do right.

The trees can teach us many lessons:

Grow straight and beautiful. Live a life so you will have a good reputation; do not let any sin make you grow crooked and full of knots and gnarls.

Be sound of heart. Some beautiful trees are rotten-hearted, hollow-hearted. They are dying trees, they are hypocrites, the lumber man cuts one down and it cannot be used. Be honest, be true, be sincere, be what you want people to think you are.

Be strong. Do not let any little wind of temptation blow you over. Overcome evil with good. Sometimes the winds topple even live trees in the forest, but God is better to His children than trees. "Ye shall not be tempted above that ye are able."

Keep growing. Last winter was cold, last summer was hot, but every live tree grew a little; it added one more ring to the trunk, a few more twigs to the branches. Do not let trouble keep you from growing in faith; do not let hard work keep you from growing in love; keep growing every year.

Give help to others. All live trees are of some use-shade, timber, nuts or fruits. Every Christian can be of some use in the world. Find your work and do it well.

God cares for all. For every tree there is a place to grow, plenty of air, light and rain. There is also for you all that you need. God cares for all His children. He never has forgotten one; He will never fail you nor forsake you.

Be contented. No tree ever worries, fusses, or grumbles. Does it grow in a wilderness? It may yet be a part of a city palace. Is your life lonely or sad? Some day death will transplant you into the great city of heaven.

The trees look in at your window, they smile down upon you along the streets. Learn the lessons that they teach, and you may be like a tree planted by the river of water.

75% of divorced people remarry—and 60% of them already have children. If current trends continue, stepfamilies could outnumber traditional families by the year 2000.

Joseph Parker stepped into the pulpit of the City Temple in London for his Thursday sermon and announced that he was under some trepidation that day because of a letter he had received. It seemed that a gentleman wrote to tell Parker that he would be in the congregation that day for the express purpose of making a philosophical analysis of the sermon. After a long pause, Parker said, “I may add that my trepidation is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the gentleman spells philosophical with an ‘f.’”

Trial

Scripture

Judge

Decision

Religious

 

Jewish

 

First

Jn 18:12-14

Annas

Go signal given to liquidate Jesus

Second

Mt 26:57-68

Caiaphas

Death sentence, charge of blasphemy

Third

Mt 27:1-2

Sanhedrin

Death sentence made legal

Civil

 

Roman

 

Fourth

Jn 18:28-38

Pilate

Not guilty

Fifth

Lk 23:6-12

Herod

Not guilty

Sixth

Jn 18:39-19:6

Pilate

Not guilty, but turned over to the Jews

Take a piece of wax, a piece of meat, some sand, some clay, and some shavings, put them on the fire and see how they react. Each of them is being acted upon by the same agent, yet...the wax melts, the meat fries, the sand dries up, the clay hardens, the shavings blaze.

Just so, under identical influence of circumstances and environment one man is made better, and he becomes stronger, and another becomes weaker, while another withers away.

This explains why one hears the Word of God and is made better. Still another hears the same thing and is made angry. Not so much what is done to us, but what we do, determines our destiny. Take heed how you hear and act.

One day a small boy saw a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. It was straining with all its might to get out of the opening which was too small. Thinking he was helping the butterfly, the boy took his knife and slit the cocoon. But to his dismay the butterfly emerged with small and shriveled wings and was unable to fly. Within a short time it was dead. When the boy asked his father about it, his father explained that the butterfly needed the struggle to get out of the cocoon, for this was the process that developed its wings and made them strong enough for flight. In trying to help by relieving the butterfly of its painful struggle, he had actually deprived it of that which was necessary for its development and its very life. This same principle carries over into all of human life-the struggles and the trials we face actually serve for our development, not only in the physical realm but also in the moral and spiritual.

From his early boyhood, John Paton wanted to be a missionary. Before studying theology and medicine, Paton served for ten years as a Glasgow City Missionary. After graduation, he was ordained and set sail for the New Hebrides as a Presbyterian missionary. Three months after arriving on the island of Tanna, Paton’s young wife died, followed by their five-week-old son. For three more years, Paton labored alone among the hostile islanders, ignoring their threats, seeking to make Christ known to them, before escaping with his life. Later, he returned and spent fifteen years on another island.

Paton was working one day in his home on the translation of John’s Gospel—puzzling over John’s favorite expression pisteuo eis, to “believe in” or to “trust in” Jesus Christ, a phrase which occurs first in John 1:12. “How can I translate it?” Paton wondered. The islanders were cannibals; nobody trusted anybody else. There was no word for “trust” in their language. His native servant came in. “What am I doing?” Paton asked him. “Sitting at your desk,” the man replied. Paton then raised both feet off the floor and sat back on his chair. “What am I doing now?” In reply, Paton’s servant used a verb which means “to lean your whole weight upon.” That’s the phrase Paton used throughout John’s Gospel to translate to “believe in.”

“I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contented condition, when suddenly a stab of pain threatens serious disease, or a newspaper headline threatens us all with destruction.

“At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happiness look like broken toys. And perhaps, by God’s grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys.

“Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation in only too clear. God has had me for but 48 hours and then only by dint of taking everything else away from me. Let Him but sheathe the sword for a minute, and I behave like a puppy when the hated bath is over—I shake myself as dry as I can and race off to reacquire my comfortable dirtiness in the nearest flower bed.

“And that is why tribulation cannot cease until God sees us remade.”

As physics professor at Adelaide University in Australia, Sir Kerr Grant used to illustrate the time of descent of a free-falling body by allowing a heavy ball suspended from the lecture-theater roof trusses to fall some 30 feet and be caught in a sand bucket.

Each year the bucket was lined up meticulously to catch the ball—and each year students secretly moved the bucket to one side, so that the ball crashed thunderously to the floor.

Tiring of this rather stale joke, the professor traced a chalk line around the bucket. The students moved the bucket as usual, traced a chalk mark around the new position, rubbed it out and replaced the bucket in its original spot.

“Aha!” the professor explained, seeing the faint outline of the erased chalk mark. He moved the bucket over it and released the ball—which thundered to the floor as usual.

Pompeii in Italy and St. Pierre in Martinique can both teach us a lesson. On both of these, fire caused by a volcano brought unprecedented destruction. The museums that contain relics of these catastrophes display nothing that was made of wood. All that survived the fire were metallic objects. In Pompeii, pitchers, bowls, jewelry, and other ornaments survived the fire because they were composed of gold, silver, and precious stones. But no remains of wood, hay, and stubble have ever been discovered, for these things were completely destroyed in the heat of the catastrophe.

“Ah! If our likeness to God does not show itself in trifles, what is there left for it to show itself in? For our lives are all made up of trifles. The great things come three or four of them in the seventy years; the little ones every time the clock ticks.” - Alexander Maclaren

A friend once saw Michelangelo at work on one of his statues. Some time later he saw the statue and seeing so little done said, "Have you been doing nothing since I saw you last?" "By no means," replied the sculptor. "I have retouched this part and polished that; I have softened this feature and brought out that muscle; I have given more expression to this lip, and more energy to this limb." "Well, well," said the friend, "all these are trifles." "It may be so," replied Michelangelo, "but recollect that trifles make perfection, and that perfection is no trifle."

C. S. Lewis said of the Trinity that it is either the most farcical doctrine invented by the early disciples or the most profound and thrilling mystery revealed by the Creator Himself, giving us a grand intimation of reality. Lewis does a masterful job in helping us approach this mystery of divine personality by the use of analogy.

A good many people nowadays say, “I believe in a God, but not in a personal God.” They feel that the mysterious something which is behind all other things must be more than a person. Now the Christians quite agree. But the Christians are the only people who offer any idea of what a being that is beyond personality could be like. All the other people, though they say that God is beyond personality, really think of Him as something impersonal: that is, as something less than personal. If you are looking for something super-personal, something more than a person, then it isn’t a question of choosing between the Christian idea and the other ideas. The Christian idea is the only one on the market. You know that in space you can move in three ways—to left or right, backwards or forwards, up or down. Every direction is either one of these three or a compromise between them. They are called the three Dimensions. Now notice this. If you’re using only one dimension, you could draw only a straight line. If you’re using two, you could draw a figure: say, a square. And a square is made up of four straight lines. Now a step further. If you have three dimensions, you can then build what we call a solid body: say, a cube—a thing like a dice or a lump of sugar. And a cube is made up of six squares.

Do you see the point? A world of one dimension would be a world of straight lines. In a two-dimensional world, you still get straight lines, but many lines make one figure. In a three-dimensional world, you still get figures but many figures make one solid body. In other words, as you advance to more real and more complicated levels, you don’t leave behind you the things you found on the simpler levels; you still have them, but combined in new ways—in ways you couldn’t imagine if you knew only the simpler levels.

Naturalists are amazed at the resistance of weak things in nature. There is security and triumph of frail things that baffles man's understanding and imagination. "It is a curious thing," wrote Kay Robinson, "that the extremes of heat and cold seem to be most easily endured by the flimsiest creatures. What is it that, when the frost is splitting our strongest metal water-pipes, protects the tiny tubes of life-giving moisture in the almost spectral organism of a gnat? Larger things get frostbitten and perish. In tropical countries the tiniest insects brave the blistering midday heat which shrivels the largest herbage, and drives men, birds and animals gasping under shelter. In India a small, blue butterfly flits all day about the parched grass or sits in full blaze of the sun where metal or stone becomes so hot that it burns the hand. What heat-resisting secret resides in the minute body of that little butterfly, scarcely thicker than notepaper? Nature's power of preserving life touches the miraculous." The same God who made the natural world made the spiritual also. Similarly, then, the saints have the least reason to be afraid when they most feelingly recognize their utter weakness and dependence. We prevail by yielding; we succumb to conquer like those sea-flowers that continue to bloom amid the surf when the rocks are pounded. In acquiescence and diffidence, in yielding and clinging, we triumph over adversity as the fern survives geological cataclysms and the butterfly the scorching sun. In our weakness we experience God's strength (2Co 12:9).

This was the shout of the throngs as Jesus entered Jerusalem or His last week of public ministry. Even though the multitudes were shouting His adoration, these were the same throngs that would be calling for His crucifixion just a few days later. Nevertheless, as they welcomed Him into Jerusalem that day, spreading palm branches and their own garments in His path, little did they know that they were fulfilling an ancient prophecy. “Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: ... Blessed be He that comes in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 118:25,26), they cried.

“Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord,” is essentially the meaning of “Hosanna.” The crowds were acknowledging Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Son of David, and the “chief priests and scribes ... were sore displeased” at this (Matthew 21:15). But this also had been predicted in the Psalm: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23).

It was these “builders”—”the chief priests and elders” who “persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus” (Matthew 27:20). As a result of this repudiation by these leaders of His people, the Lord wept over Jerusalem, and was forced to prophesy its coming judgment, quoting once again this ancient prophecy: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ... Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39).

One day He will, indeed, be made the great “head stone of the corner,” and all His people will acknowledge Him in that day. In the meantime, the prayer of the prophecy is appropriate for each unsaved person to pray today: “Save now, O Lord,” thus acknowledging that Jesus has, indeed, come in the Lord’s name.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2). - HMM

A familiar Mother Goose rhyme goes:

PUSSY CAT, PUSSY CAT, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

I’VE BEEN TO LONDON TO VISIT THE QUEEN.

PUSSY CAT, PUSSY CAT, WHAT DID YOU THERE?

I FRIGHTENED A LITTLE MOUSE UNDER THE CHAIR.

Like that cat, Christians sometimes settle for petty involvements, trivial pursuits—chasing mice—when we have the opportunity to spend time with royalty, with the King! Instead of remaining content with minimum daily requirements, we can deepen our relationship with God and grow into maturity.

Dawson Trotman’s drowning swept like cold wind across Schroon Lake to the shoreline. Eyewitnesses tell of the profound anxiety, the tears, the helpless disbelief in the faces of those who now looked out across the deep blue water. Everyone’s face except one—Lila Trotman, Dawson’s widow. As she suddenly walked upon the scene a close friend shouted, “Oh, Lila ... He’s gone. Dawson’s gone!” To that she replied in calm assurance the words of Psalm 115:3:

But our God is in the heavens;

He does whatever He pleases.

All of the anguish, the sudden loneliness that normally consumes and cripples those who survive did not invade that woman’s heart. Instead, she leaned hard upon her sovereign Lord, who had once again done what He pleased.

1. Trouble seems to be woven into the fabric of living (Job 14:1).

2. Many of our distresses are caused by our own sin and foolishness (Prov. 21:23, Ps. 78:32-3).

3. Some difficulties are created by other people (Ps. 9:13).

4. God allows trouble but is always in control (2 Chr. 29:8).

5. We have a refuge and strong defense in the Lord (Ps. 59:16).

6. He invites us to call upon Him in our distresses (Ps. 50:15).

7. We can expect deliverance in keeping with His will (Ps. 107:6, 143:11).

As a professional animal trainer, I was disturbed when my own dog developed a bad habit. Every time I hung my wash out on the clothesline, she would yank it down. Drastic action was called for. I put a white kitchen towel on the line and waited. Each time she pulled it off, I scolded her. After two weeks the towel was untouched. Then I hung out a large wash and left to do some errands. When I came home, my clean clothes were scattered all over the yard. On the line was the white kitchen towel.

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished up a rough first day on the job. A flat tire had made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

Then, opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles, and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterwards he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the best of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that is my 'trouble tree,'" he replied. "I know I cannot help having troubles on the job, but one thing is for sure-troubles do not belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang 'em on the tree every night when I come home; then in the morning, I pick them up again.

"Funny thing is," he said smilingly, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there are not as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

A man consulted a doctor, “I’ve been misbehaving, Doc, and my conscience is troubling me,” he complained.

“And you want something that will strengthen your willpower?” asked the doctor.

“Well, no,” said the fellow. “I was thinking of something that would weaken my conscience.”

“Here’s the scenario,” the instructor announced to his class of novice truck drivers. “You’re in an 18-wheeler with a heavy load, barreling down a mountainous two-lane highway. Ed, your co-driver, is asleep. There are six trucks behind you, and as you come over the top of a hill, they pull out beside you to pass. Suddenly, you see several trucks coming in the opposite direction, pulling into your lane to pass. What did you do?”

“That’s simple,” a student called out. “I’d wake up Ed.”

“Why would you do that?” asked the instructor.

“Because,” replied the student, “Ed ain’t never seen a truck wreck like this before!”

O God, whose favourable eye

The sin-sick soul revives,

Holy and heavenly is the joy

Thy shining presence gives.

Not such as hypocrites suppose,

Who with a graceless heart

Taste not of Thee, but drink a dose,

Prepared by Satan’s art.

Intoxicating joys are theirs,

Who while they boast their light,

And seem to soar above the stars,

Are plunging into night.

Lull’d in a soft and fatal sleep,

They sin and yet rejoice;

Were they indeed the Saviour’s sheep,

Would they not hear His voice?

Be mine the comforts that reclaim

The soul from Satan’s power;

That make me blush for what I am,

And hate my sin the more.

‘Tis joy enough, my All in All,

At Thy dear feet to lie;

Thou wilt not let me lower fall,

And none can higher fly.

Jack had been president of a large corporation, and when he got cancer, they ruthlessly dumped him. He went through his insurance, used his life savings, and had practically nothing left. I visited him with one of my deacons, who said, “Jack, you speak so openly about the brief life you have left. I wonder if you’ve prepared for your life after death?”

Jack stood up, livid with rage. “You *** Christians. All you ever think about is what’s going to happen to me after I die. If your God is so great, why doesn’t He do something about the real problems of life?” He went on to tell us he was leaving his wife penniless and his daughter without money for college. The he ordered us out.

Later my deacon insisted we go back. We did.

“Jack, I know I offended you,” he said. “I humbly apologize. But I want you to know I’ve been working since then. Your first problem is where your family will live after you die. A realtor in our church has agreed to sell your house and give your wife his commission.

“I guarantee you that, if you’ll permit us, some other men and I will make the house payments until it’s sold.

“Then, I’ve contacted the owner of an apartment house down the street. He’s offered your wife a three-bedroom apartment plus free utilities and an $850-a-month salary in return for her collecting rents and supervising plumbing and electrical repairs. The income from your house should pay for your daughter’s college. I just want you to know your family will be cared for.”

Jack cried like a baby. He died shortly thereafter, so wrapped in pain he never accepted Christ. But he experienced God’s love even while rejecting Him. And his widow, touched by the caring Christians, responded to the gospel message.

Even if people reject the gospel, we still must love them.

Van Campbell

One day when I was in Brooklyn, I saw a young man going along the street without any arms. A friend who was with me, pointed him out, and told me his story. When the war broke out he felt it to be his duty to enlist and go to the front. He was engaged to be married, and while in the army letters passed frequently between him and his intended wife. After the battle of the Wilderness the young lady looked anxiously for the accustomed letter. For a little while no letter was received. At last one came in a strange hand. She opened it with trembling fingers, and read these words: "We have fought a terrible battle. I have been wounded so awfully that I shall never be able to support you. A friend writes this for me. I love you more tenderly than ever, but I release you from your promise. I will not ask you to join your life with the maimed life of mine:" That letter was never answered. The next train that left, the young lady was on it. She went to the hospital. She found out the number of his cot, and she went down the aisle, between the long rows of the wounded men. At last she saw the number, and, hurrying to his side, she threw her arms around his neck and said: "I'll not desert you. I'll take care of you." He did not resist her love. They were married, and there is no happier couple than this one. We are dependent on one another. Christ says, "I'll take care of you. I'll take you to this bosom of mine." That young man could have spurned her love; he could, but he didn't. Surely you can be saved if you will accept the Saviour's love. If God loves us, my friends, He loves us unto the end. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

During WWII General Creighton Abrams found himself and his troops surrounded on all sides. With characteristic optimism, he told his officers, “For the first time in the history of this campaign, we are now in a position to attack the enemy in any direction.”

The following New Testament facts remind us of our continuing responsibility to the local church. Circle “T” for True or “F” for False in front of each question, the check your answers. O 3

T F 1. Worshiping God in nature is a good substitute for going to church.

T F 2. In the first century, believers met on Sunday.

T F 3. Although the Bible teaches giving, it does not specifically refer to the taking of a collection.

T F 4. Loving discipline of its members is the responsibility of every local church.

T F 5. Pentecost marks the birthday of the church.

T F 6. The only reason for going to church is to hear the preaching of the Word.

T F 7. Problems arose in the Corinthian church because of too much emphasis on the personality of its leaders.

T F 8. Elder and deacon were offices in New Testament churches.

T F 9. The chief cornerstone of the church is Christ.

T F 10. The first century church had a commissioning service for missionaries.

Answers:

1. False (Hebrews 10:25)

2. True (Acts 20:7)

3. False (1 Cor. 16:1,2)

4. True (1 Cor. 5:1-13)

5. True (Acts 2:1-4)

6. False (Acts 2:42)

7. True (1 Cor. 3:3,4)

8. True (Titus 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:8-12)

9. True (Eph. 2:20) 10. True (Acts 13:1-3)

Scoring: Ten points per question; 80 to 100 - Excellent; 60 to 70 - Good; 40 to 50 - Average; 20 or 30 -

Better ask your pastor some questions! 0 or 10 - Been sleeping in church?

Two painters were asked to paint a picture illustrating peace. The first painted a beautiful evening scene in the foreground of which was a lake, its surface absolutely calm and unruffled. Trees surrounded it, meadows stretched away to the distant cattle gently browsing; a little cottage, the setting sun-all spoke of perfect rest. The second painter drew a wild, stormy scene. Heavy black clouds hung overhead; in the center of the picture an immense waterfall poured forth huge volumes of water covered with foam. One could almost hear its unceasing roar, yet perhaps the first thing to strike the eye was a small bird, perched in a cleft of a huge rock, absolutely sheltered from all danger, pouring forth its sweet notes of joy. It is the second painter who could describe the peace that passeth all understanding which is the Lord Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God in the heart of the redeemed. One can only have peace with himself if he has peace with God.

Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience. One is ‘the sorrow of the world,” a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught. Many people recognize the unpleasant consequences of their sin and are persuaded that they are guilty. This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary reformation but not to a genuine turning to Christ for forgiveness. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, is accompanied by conviction of sin, the work of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:37). This stems from the realization of offending a holy God. It leads to genuine repentance.

An unknown author wrote, “There is a radical distinction between natural regret and God-given repentance. The flesh can feel remorse, acknowledge its evil deeds, and be ashamed of itself. However, this sort of disgust with past actions can be quickly shrugged off, and the individual can soon go back to his old wicked ways. None of the marks of true repentance described in 2 Corinthians 7:11 are found in his behavior. Out of a list of 10 men in the Bible who said, “I have sinned,” we believe only five actually repented. They were David (2 Sam. 12:13), Nehemiah (Neh. 1:6), Job (Job 42:5,6), Micah (Micah 7:9), and the prodigal son (Luke 15:18).” - H.G.B.

We hear much about revival these days, but the heart of revival is the Lordship of Christ. A mere emotional upheaval, a spurt of religious excitement, is not revival. When Christians become convicted of rebellion against the rule of Christ in their lives, confess their sins, renounce self, take the cross and let Jesus have the first and last word in everything, that is revival, by whatever name you call it.

A tax assessor came one day to a poor minister of the gospel to determine the amount of taxes he would have to pay. "What do you possess?" he questioned.

"Oh, I am very wealthy," replied the minister. "List your possessions, please," the assessor instructed.

The man of God replied, "First, I have everlasting life- Joh 3:16. Second, I have a mansion in Heaven- Joh 14:2. Thirdly, I have peace that passeth understanding- Phi 4:7. Fourth, I have joy unspeakable- 1Pe 1:8. Fifth, I have divine love that never faileth- 1Co 13:8. Sixth, I have a faithful, pious wife- Pro 31:10. Seventh, I have healthy, happy, obedient children- Exo 20:12. Eighth, I have true, loyal friends- Pro 18:24. Ninth, I have songs in the night- Psa 42:8. Tenth, I have a crown of life awaiting- Jam 1:12."

The tax collector closed his book and said, "Truly, you are a very rich man, but your property is not subject to taxation."

John Wesley was about 21 years of age when he went to Oxford University. He came from a Christian home, and he was gifted with a keen mind and good looks. Yet in those days he was a bit snobbish and sarcastic. One night, however, something happened that set in motion a change in Wesley’s heart. While speaking with a porter, he discovered that the poor fellow had only one coat and lived in such impoverished conditions that he didn’t even have a bed. Yet he was an unusually happy person , filled with gratitude to God. Wesley, being immature, thoughtlessly joked about the man’s misfortunes. “And what else do you thank God for?” he said with a touch of sarcasm. The porter smiled, and in the spirit of meekness replied with joy, “I thank Him that He has given me my life and being, a heart to love Him, and above all a constant desire to serve Him!”

Deeply moved, Wesley recognized that this man knew the meaning of true thankfulness. Many years later, in 1791, John Wesley lay on his deathbed at the age of 88. Those who gathered around him realized how well he had learned the lesson of praising God in every circumstance. Despite Wesley’s extreme weakness, he began singing the hymn, “I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath.”

The study of God, His nature, attributes, character, abilities, revelation, etc. True theology is found in the Bible which is the self-revelation of God.

Until I learned to trust,

I did not learn to pray,

And I did not learn to fully trust

Till sorrows came my way.

Until I felt my weakness,

His strength I never knew,

Nor dreamed till I was stricken

That He would see me through.

Who deepest drinks of sorrow

Drinks deepest too of grace,

He sends the storm so He himself,

Can be our hiding place.

His heart that seeks our highest good

Knows well when things annoy,

We would not long for heaven

If earth held only joy.

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,

Trust Him when thy strength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him

Seems the hardest thing of all.

Trust Him, He is ever faithful,

Trust Him, for his will is best,

Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus

Is the only place of rest.

An old Methodist preacher once offered this prayer in a meeting: "Lord, help us to trust Thee with our souls." Many voices responded with a hearty, old-fashioned "Amen!" "Lord, help us to trust Thee with our bodies," he continued. Again the response was a vociferous "Amen!" Then with still more warmth he said, "And, Lord, help us to trust Thee with our money." Not an "amen" was heard in the house, except that of an impoverished old lady.

As D. L. Moody said, "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity." Luther gave a similar testimony when he said, "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."

The essence of legalism is trusting in the religious activity rather than trusting in God. It is putting our confidence in a practice rather than in a Person. And without fail this will lead us to love the practice more than the Person.

When a person loves earthly things so much that he can’t get along without them, he opens himself to much suffering, both physical and mental. Some people, for example, have taken foolish risks to keep their riches intact. They have died rushing into burning houses or were killed because they stubbornly resisted armed robbers. Apparently they felt that without their material possessions life would not be worthwhile.

Others, when forced to part with their wealth, have been thrown into agonizing despair, even to the point of suicide. In 1975, six armed gunmen broke into the deposit boxes in a London bank and stole valuables worth more than $7 million. One lady, whose jewelry was appraised at $500,000, wailed, “Everything I had was in there. My whole life was in that box.” What a sad commentary on her values!

A father asked his son to carry a letter from their camp to the village. He pointed out a trail over which the lad had never gone before. "All right, Dad, but I don't see how that path will ever reach the town," said the boy. "Do you see the trail as far as the big tree down there?" asked the father. "Oh, yes, I see that far." "Well, when you get there by the tree, you'll see the trail a little farther ahead, and so on until you get within sight of the houses of the village." Even so should we trust God, being willing to follow His directions one step at a time.

A Louisville Kentucky woman, very active in church work, had walked over to the edge of the swimming pool to watch the youngsters at play. She was thoroughly enjoying their fun when a 13-year-old boy ran up to her and asked, "Say, lady, do you go to Sunday school?"

"Why, yes I do," she replied, a bit surprised.

"Then," he said, "please hold this quarter for me while I go into the pool."

Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny.

“What did he find?” asked the cohort.

“A piece of the truth,” the Devil replied.

“Doesn’t it bother you that he found a piece of the truth?” asked the cohort.

“No,” said the Devil, “I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it.”

When a Calvinist says that all things happen according to the predestination of God, he speaks the truth, and I am willing to be called a Calvinist. But when an Arminian says that when a man sins, the sin is his own, and that if he continues in sin, and perishes, his eternal damnation will lie entirely at his own door, I believe that he speaks the truth, though I am not willing to be called an Arminian. The fact is, there is some truth in both these systems of theology.

There is a tale told of that great English actor Macready. An eminent preacher once said to him: “I wish you would explain to me something.” “Well, what is it? I don’t know that I can explain anything to a preacher.” “What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all.”

Macready’s answer was this: “This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction.”

William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State in Woodrow Wilson’s Cabinet, was interviewing a man who was seeking a diplomatic post in China. Bryan warned the applicant that it was necessary to qualify as a linguist. “Can you speak the Chinese language?” he asked. The man was equal to the occasion. Looking Bryan squarely in the eye, he replied, “Try me. Ask me one thing in Chinese.”

There is a kind of crystal called Labrador Spar. At first sight, it is dull and without luster; but if it is turned round and round, it will suddenly come into a position where the light strikes it in a certain way, and it will sparkle with flashing beauty.

People are like that. They may seem to be unlovely, but that is because we do not know the whole person. Everyone has something good in him or her.