Pastoral Resources

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9 NIV).

It was Palm Sunday, 1987, when a dear woman was waiting for service to conclude and looking forward to an afternoon when the entire family would enjoy a rare day together As the final song was beginning to flow from the congregation, she knew something was wrong Pushing past the other family members, she made it as far as the outside steps It was Tuesday when she awoke and found herself in the hospital surrounded by her family and physician A visit to a neurologist was suggested.

The neurologist found an aneurysm in the major artery of the brain No symptoms: no headaches, no blurred vision, no motor problems-never been in better health Still young in years, still eating correctly, still exercising-yet within a touch of death She had two choices: 1) live with the knowledge of the aneurysm and hope for the best; or 2) have brain surgery.

How does someone handle news like this? How would you handle it? How did our friend handle it? Where is God at a time like this?

The tears came first, then the resolve to stay busy So she went back to work and did not tell anyone about it She discussed it only with family and a trusted physician Her decision-surgery She began to review life and wonder why, and at the same time, be thankful for what God had already provided.

Then the panic attack came Would the surgery leave her paralyzed, blind, or even dead? All were possible There were long talks with her husband far into the night-there was inability to sleep-it was real-it was happening and it was happening to her!

On one of those sleepless nights she walked downstairs, picked up her Bible, looked at a red ribbon imprinted with suggested topics: sorrow, worry, loneliness, courage -and picked courage The passage was Joshua 1:9, and the words jumped out at her: "Be strong and courageous Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord Your God will be with you wherever you go." Tearing a piece of paper from a note pad, she copied the verse and clasped it in her hand The sense of panic then drained away.

The piece of paper remained with her during the days leading up to the day of the surgery Surgery day found her with no fear of the surgery or the future The piece of paper remained in her right hand as she was moved into the operating room The final exam by the attending nurses revealed the paper.

The piece of paper with the verse had served its purpose She told the nurse to throw it away But in her beautiful wisdom, the nurse responded, "I have to take it now; but when you wake up, you will find it taped to your palm."

Twenty-six hours later two smiling nurses appeared "Did you find your verse?" Slowly she opened her fist The tattered scrap was secured with surgical tape Reading it would not be possible for a long time, but the words are etched forever in her memory: "...for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Only He can give us the courage to face life and death May we be moved to call upon His power and promises daily.

Dear "Friend,"

I visited your Sunday school service and was overjoyed to see that many of your class members were absent I was thrilled to see that those who came were late, or tired and sleepy during the Sunday School lesson and also the sermon.

I rejoiced in hearing some of the lessons that were not well-prepared, and that many of you just did not care Of course, it is devilish to see some of you leave after Sunday school and not get your souls fed in the worship service

Sunday is always one of my favorite days because that is the day I do some of my best work-getting Christians to stay home and watch television, or getting involved in sports and all sorts of "recreation."

I howl with laughter each time I see many of you fail to give much of your tithes and offerings; you make the board and minister squirm and fret over tight budgets and this takes away some of their effectiveness for the Enemy

I hope you will miss services again this Sunday Stay home where it is warm, and it will help you get used to the future climate And one thing more-do not let them get you to become a "born again" Christian!

A certain prisoner, most cunning and brutal, was singularly repulsive even in comparison with other prisoners He had been known for his daring and for the utter absence of all feeling when committing acts of violence The chaplain had spoken to him several times but had not succeeded even in getting an answer The man was sullenly set against all instruction At last he expressed a desire for a certain book, but as it was not in the library the chaplain pointed to the Bible which was placed in his cell, saying, "Did you ever read that Book?" He gave no answer but looked at the good man as if he would kill him The question was kindly repeated, with the assurance that he would find it well worth reading "Mister," said the convict, "you would not ask me such a question if you knew who I am What have I to do with a book of that sort?" The chaplain answered, "I know all about you and that's why I think the Bible is the book for you." "It would do me no good," he cried "I am past all feeling." Doubling up his fist, he struck the iron door of the cell and said, "My heart is as hard as that iron; there is nothing in any book that will ever touch me."

"Well," said the chaplain, "you want a new heart Did you ever read the covenant of grace?" To which the man answered sullenly by inquiring what he meant by such talk His friend replied, "Listen to these words: 'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you' " (Ezekiel 36:26) The words struck the man with amazement He asked to have the passage found for him in the Bible He read the words again and again; and when the chaplain came back to him the next day, the wild beast was tamed "Oh, sir," he said, "I never dreamed of such a promise! I never believed it possible that God would speak in such a way to men If He gives me a new heart, it will be a miracle of mercy; and yet I think He is going to work that miracle upon me, for the very hope of a new nature is beginning to touch me as I never was touched before."

The closer to God we are, the more peace and happiness we shall experience A baker never expects to get a better cake than the ingredients he puts into it Yet many people who complain that life is not as rewarding as they expected it to be, forget that in leaving out God they have left out that which alone can give life its glory, hope, love, and joy.

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact, but I am prouder to be a father A soldier destroys in order to build; the father never destroys The one has the potentialities of death; the other embodies creation and life And, while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle, but in the home, repeating with him our simple daily prayer, "Our Father Who art in Heaven...."

If the following story were not true, it would surely be unbelievable It is true, however, as you yourself will agree when you have read it.

There was once a great king His love for his people knew no limits Although the kingdom was very large, the king knew every person by name Everything the people of the kingdom had was a gift freely given by the loving king.

So, to show their love and appreciation to the king for all he had done for them, the people decided to have a great celebration to honor his birthday Everyone agreed it was a marvelous idea Preparations for the celebration were very elaborate No expense was spared by the people They adorned their homes with lights, decorations, and expensive ornaments There were parties, dinners, and celebrations throughout the kingdom.

All the people brought gifts for their friends and family Many of the gifts which the people gave each other were quite expensive, involving considerable indebtedness In fact, the people spent more on the birthday celebration than they spent at any other time of the year.

Many who were not citizens of the kingdom, and who did not even know the king, joined in the celebration Their celebration of the king's birth was marked by excessive drinking Since they did not know the king, they invented a good-natured, fat fellow in a red suit He laughed a lot, but never said anything But that didn't matter because they were too busy celebrating to listen anyhow.

The great day of celebrating his birth finally arrived, and some of his people did come bringing gifts and thanking him for his goodness to them But to his dismay, most of the citizens never came to his house at all on the day of celebration And the gifts brought to the king by those few who came were very meager when compared with the gifts they had given themselves.

For the most part the people said they had been so busy with all the celebrations and personal plans that they had forgotten about the king Several said they had thought of him, but really could not work it into their schedules or budgets to come see him or bring a gift A few were known to be quite put out when it was suggested that going to the king's house or remembering him with a gift was important.

Those people who did come to his house and who brought their loving gifts were welcomed and blessed by the king But when they had gone and he was alone again, the king fell to thinking of the vast numbers of his people who had forgotten and forsaken him How could they have forgotten? Had he not loved them all? How could so many of his beloved people who had found the time and money for shopping and feasting and partying and decorating and all sorts of celebrations-how could they possibly be so thoughtless, so ungrateful or selfish? Did they not know that he, too, had feelings? Was not the purpose of the birthday celebration originally planned to honor him?

When the king was alone, pondering these questions, he felt the tears well up in his eyes And in his loneliness, he wept.

One thought brought some hope and consolation Even though they had forgotten him, he had not forgotten them.

The best carpenter in the county was asked, "Which is your best tool?" Instead of pointing to a costly power saw or drill, he picked up a simple square and said, "This is the best tool; it makes all the others work."

Let us not overlook our best tool; the simple gospel (Romans 1:16) In this verse, Paul gives four reasons why the gospel is our most effective weapon:

First, it is power The original word is similar to our word for dynamite.

Second, it is of God Though Rome with her imperial power was great, the power of God was greater However sincere the motive, any alteration or substitution of that power only weakens it.

Third, it is unto salvation In addition to being a past event and a future hope, salvation is a present reality It can turn hate into love, despair into hope, and defeat into triumph.

Fourth, it is for everyone The saving power of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is for all!

In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber So long as it receives a message of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage-so long are you young When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then, are you grown old.

It was in a large prayer meeting that a rather pompous man arose and said, "Brethren, I am on board the old ship Zion, and I am sailing heavenward, and I am going at the rate of sixteen knots; I shall soon sail up the harbor of the blessed." Then another man with more arrogance rose and said, "I, too, am on board the old ship Zion, and I am sailing heavenward at the rate of thirty knots; I shall soon sail up the harbor of the blessed," and he sat down Then another man with even more arrogance got up and said, "I, too, brethren, am on board the old ship Zion It is a steamship with a terrific horsepower, and on this steamship I shall soon sail up the harbor of the blessed," and he sat down Then a plain Christian woman rose and said, "Well, brethren, I have been going to heaven seventy years, and I have been going afoot; I suppose from the looks of things that I shall have to go afoot the rest of the way If some of you people that are going by steam don't look out, you'll burst your boilers." As a dear saint of God said, let us make our boasting as follows: "I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I wish to be, I am not what I hope to be; but by the grace of God I am not what I was." Never leave the grace of God out.

Cripple love!

Corrode faith!

Eat away peace!

Kill friendship!

Silence courage!

Invade the soul!

Quench the spirit!

Destroy confidence!

Reduce eternal life!

Erase the promises of God!

Obliterate happy memories!

Shatter the hope of Heaven!

Lessen the power of the resurrection!

Keep the faithfully obedient from Heaven!

Cancer can only affect the physical body for a time It may hasten death, but it is appointed unto man, once to die, anyway (Hebrews 9:27) Therefore, if one is prepared through faith in Christ, and obedience to Christ's commands, we need not fear death! (John 12:48).

"Aunt Mary was very kind to stay with you this afternoon," said a mother to the small convalescent whom she had left in care of a relative, and whose wearied little face an hour later did not speak well for the success of the experiment "I hope you are not overly tired when she was trying so hard to amuse you." "She wasn't; she just wanted to amuse herself reading a book of hers to me when I wanted to play puzzles," was the truthful reply.

Picture with me, if you will, a man running through the wilderness being chased by a lion He knows that if he is fast enough and dodges through enough thickets, that he could possibly elude the lion Luckily, he does manage to elude the lion, only to be confronted by a bear Again, he runs with all his speed and strength, realizing now that his only hope is to reach the safety of his house Once again, he is successful and manages to elude the beast by reaching his house He runs inside, slamming the door behind him and feeling pretty good about having overcome the obstacles of life But, as he leans against the wall with his hand to catch his breath, he is bitten by a snake.

This was an actual illustration that God used in Amos 5:19 to show Israel the hopelessness of their situation.

We all have days and weeks like that, do we not? But are we like the woman who said that she had quit praying for patience because God might give her more? But God, being the wise and all-knowing Father that He is, will often give us what we need to grow healthy and spiritually strong, even though we do not ask for it-though He would like to hear us ask now and then Children almost never ask for a bath, but we give it to them anyway, because we know that it will help them.

When you lose hope of doing better, you lose everything that makes life worth living A great artist was once asked, "What's the best picture you've ever painted?" "The next one," he replied confidently But another artist was heard to lament, "Too bad I failed," though he was at the very height of his glory "Why do you say that?" asked a friend of his in astonishment "Because I've lost any hope of improvement," he said He was right; the person who has stopped hoping has truly failed.

Is Satan actually interested in the childhood years? After all, children from birth to six could not be any real threat to him and his forces of darkness Or could they?

Scripture tells us that Timothy, while still young enough to have to be fed, dressed and carried, knew the Holy Scriptures (2T 3:15) He had an experiential knowledge of them; they meant something to him Samuel's heart was already submissive at weaning when taken to the temple to serve God (1 Samuel 1) John the Baptist leaped in the womb at the presence of Jesus in Mary's womb.

It has been said, "Give me a child the first six years of his life and you can do what you will with him thereafter." It is during that short period that the bulk of a child's personality, character, habits and intellectual makeup is established.

The battle lines in the warfare for our children's souls are clear God says, "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children" (Isaiah 54:13, NKJV) "By the year 2000 we will, I hope," says Women's Lib advocate and Ms magazine editor Gloria Steinem, "raise our children to believe in human potential, not God."

Already born with an "I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it" nature, preschoolers are ripe to fall prey to a love for the world and all that is in it (1 John 2:15-16).

Satan's snares are everywhere The Saturday morning cartoon lineup is just one classic example Constant scenes of violence and moral decadence purposefully desensitize impressionable minds Hidden behind many of the seemingly cute and innocent cartoons are occult symbolisms "Magic" lures them to eventually practice witchcraft Youngsters, bombarded with appeals to materialism, plead, "Buy that for me, Daddy!" They can then vicariously "act out" cartoons and movies through similar toys.

Another please-meism snare are story books which convey that all of life is meant to be "fun, fun, fun." This attitude is further exemplified in shows like "Sesame Street" which teach that entertainment and education are inseparable (Entertainment is Satan's counterfeit for joy.) Then there are Satan's whispers in parents' minds: "Play is a child's work Let kids be kids! Their natures are innocent; they should be free to explore Curriculum should be fun, according to the interests of each child and his experience."

Bit by bit, preschoolers can thus be taken captive because what they think upon, they will become (Proverbs 23:7).

What can concerned parents do to prevent this from happening? We must stay alert to Satan's tactics and teach our children how to put on the whole armor of God to withstand his attacks (Ephesians 6:10-12) This means actively, constantly and purposefully teaching them the love, discipline and understanding of God's Word No time of day is exempt from this responsibility (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Therefore, providing a God-centered, God-purposed education is also essential In other words, every day should be consistent with Ph 4:8 The ultimate objective should be to rear our children to view the world as a spiritual battleground-not a playground! For then they will be truly equipped for every good work, thinking and living as mature Christians (2T 3:17).

A lady lay in bed suffering violent head pains While thus suffering she said to a friend who was watching by her side, "If only I could get ten minutes' sleep, I should feel better." The friend said nothing but offered up a silent prayer to God to grant the ten minutes' sleep True, the petition was feeble, and the faith feeble, but the Lord, who is very tender, did not despise either the feebleness of the faith or the smallness of the subject of the request The patient presently slept and described her sleep as most delicious Specific prayer availeth much We must narrow down our prayers if we want God to give us that which we need Our children feel free to come to us and ask us for even the most insignificant things The only hope of their getting that which they want is by asking, and asking specifically.

One of the most memorable sermons was preached by the late Emil Brunner at the Fraumunster Kirche in Zurich, Switzerland It was based on the phrase, "faith, hope, and love." The points were these: Every man has a past, a present, and a future Every man has a problem in his past, a problem in his present, and a problem in his future The problem in our past is sin, but God has an answer to that problem The answer is faith-faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ The problem in our future is death, but God has an answer to that problem also The answer to that problem is hope-hope in Christ's return based on the fact of His historical resurrection and His promises The problem in our present is hate, and God's answer to that problem is love It is the love of Christ lived out in the lives of those who trust Him.

When Mr Wesley was on a voyage with General Oglethorpe to Georgia, the General threatened revenge upon an offending servant, saying, "I never forgive." "Then I hope, sir," said Mr Wesley, "that you never sin." The General saw the force of this remark and modified his action toward the servant.

St Basil was a great man of God, one of the greatest of the Church Fathers One of his noble orations is dedicated to the memory of forty martyrs of Sebaste who were ordered by the officers of Licinius, in the year a.d 320, to offer sacrifices to heathen idols These were soldiers who had proven to be excellent in every respect But Licinius the emperor issued a decree that they must renounce Christ or else their lives would be in danger Those who refused to give up Christ were submitted to indescribable brutalities and tortures.

"The torturers were called forth The first was ready and the sword was sharpened Then some of the persecuted Christians fled, others succumbed, others wavered, and some before even being submitted to the tortures, were afraid because of their threatenings Some, when facing the tortures, became faint Others entered the battle, but were not able to persevere to the end in suffering the pains, and in the middle of the martyrdom they renounced Christ.

"However, the invincible and gallant soldiers of Christ proceeded visibly to the middle, at the time when the judge was showing the decree of the king and was asking them to submit to it Without being afraid of anything which they saw, nor losing their heads as a result of the threatenings, they confessed that they were Christians.

"These Christians soldiers were offered money and honors in order to induce them to join the ranks of the heathen To earthly honors they would not yield Then came threats of indescribable tortures What an answer these Christian soldiers gave: 'Do you have blessings of equal value to those you endeavor to deprive us of, to give us? We hate your gift because it will mean our loss We do not accept honor which is the mother of dishonesty You offer us money which remains here, glory which fades away We have despised the whole world Those things which we see in the world do not have for us the value of the heavenly things which we hope and long for We are afraid of only one punishment, the punishment of hell We are here ready to be tortured for you to twist our bodies and to burn them.'

"The judge was infuriated by the courage of these brave Christians, and so he devised a slow and most painful way of putting them to death It was very cold He waited for the night when the wind was violent and the air freezing He ordered these soldiers to be thrown naked on a frozen lake in the center of the town to die from freezing There is no more atrocious and painful death than that These Christian soldiers did not have to be forced to take off their clothes They took them off themselves and marched on to the frozen lake As each went, he said, 'We are not merely putting off our clothes, but we are putting off "the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" ' (Ephesians 4:22) All together they shouted, 'The winter is bitter, but heaven is sweet; the freezing painful, but sweet the rest Let us persevere a little longer and we shall be warmed in the bosom of the Patriarch [meaning Christ] Let us exchange all of eternity for the pains of one night Let the leg be burned so that it may ever dance with the angels How many soldiers have died in battle remaining faithful to a mortal king, and we, for the sake of remaining faithful to the true king, shall we not sacrifice this life? We are going to die anyway; let us die so that we may live.' Their prayer was unanimous and ascended with one voice, 'Forty have we entered this ordeal, may all forty of us receive the crown of martyrdom Oh, Despot, grant that not one of our number may yield You honored this number because you fasted forty days.'

"In spite of this earnest prayer, one of their number did not persevere and gave in to the offers of the heathen persecutors Great sorrow came upon the others because only thirty-nine remained in the arena of death Their plea became even more vigorous to their Heavenly Father Forty entered the ordeal and forty wanted to see the face of the Lord The deserter came to the warm place prepared by the emperor's executioners But going from the extreme cold to the warm place, and plunging himself into warm water, he died instantly The guard, a heathen who was watching all the developments and saw angels ministering to these saints of God, on hearing their prayers, decided to answer them He took off his clothes and declared with a loud voice, 'I am a Christian, too,' and jumped naked on the frozen lake joining the thirty-nine to complete their number to forty Thus their prayer was answered, forty entered the ordeal of martyrdom and forty saw the face of Jesus Christ Now, whose memory was cursed and whose was blessed? We call the saints who persevered unto death blessed, indeed."

A person without goals in his life is like a ship without maps and a compass He will drift aimlessly from day to day hoping to arrive at the nebulus port of "somewhere." His voyage though life will be left to chance Without goals life is uninteresting and without challenge Goals are decisions to action Goals are maps which give the routes to distant ports in life Goals help a person know where he is going and how he is going to get there A goal is more than a dream; it is a dream being acted upon It is more than an "Oh, I wish I could." A goal is a clear statement of "This is what I am going to do." Goals are not fanciful doubts; they are declarations of faith.

14Reasons for Setting Goals you have a list of goals that you are working on at this moment? If you do, congratulations, because it places you in a small group of achievers If you do not have goals for your life, let me share some basic reasons why you need to set goals.

Goals will give your life purpose They help you to specifically know where you are going They provide a clear target for your life.

Goals will help you develop a plan of action for reaching your goals.

Goals are exciting because they keep you active Work is a sure way to success and happiness.

Goals are biblical Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Ph 3:14).

Goals produce results They are not just exercises in futilities.

Goals help keep you young and interested in life There is hope and expectation in the future.

When you work on your goals you help to encourage others to do the same.

Good goals help you know where you are at each month You have planned your journey in life You have a map to check each action by.

When you set meaningful goals you are following the pattern of all great leaders who have gone before They work.

Goals are essential if you are going to accomplish things in life Whether on the job, in the home, or in the church, goals are vital to success.

Goals get us involved in the present The steps to accomplishment must be taken today.

Goals provide a procedure for doing things decently and in order It eliminates the "hit-and-miss" approach to life.

Goals provide a framework for evaluating our progress.

Nothing will happen until you set some goals for your life This is the major advantage of failure: you do not have to do anything to achieve it.

Not only does the Bible contribute to our belief in the best is yet to be, but the things of our daily lives reveal that this is true, too It is this belief that keeps the scientist, inventor, and researcher busy.

The best car hasn't been developed.

The final cure hasn't been discovered.

The safest plane hasn't been produced.

The best song hasn't been written.

The best product is not on the market.

The best church hasn't been grown.

The best sales presentation has not been perfected.

The best class hasn't been taught.

The best way hasn't been found.

The best...is yet to be.

The phrase "The best is yet to be" is a positive affirmation that gives life direction It provides hope: there is more to come in life It's the spirit of expectancy: good things are going to happen It is seen through the eyes that look for opportunities that will be greater than ever It is received through proper planning and work Desire is the fuel that makes it a reality THE BEST IS YET TO BE!