Pastoral Resources

One night a thief broke into the single-room apartment of French novelist Honore de Balzac. Trying to avoid waking Balzac, the intruder quietly picked the lock on the writer’s desk. Suddenly the silence was broken by a sardonic laugh from the bed, where Balzac lay watching the thief.

“Why do you laugh?” asked the thief.

“I am laughing to think what risks you take to try to find money in a desk by night where the legal owner can never find any by day.”

It’s sometimes very difficult

For us to understand

The wisdom and the love behind

The things that God has planned.

But we wouldn’t have the rainbow

If we didn’t have the rain;

We wouldn’t know of pleasure

If we never tasted pain.

We wouldn’t love the sunrise

If we hadn’t felt the night;

And we wouldn’t know our weakness

If we hadn’t sensed God’s might.

We couldn’t have the springtime

Or the yellow daffodil

If we hadn’t first experienced

The winter’s frosty chill.

And though the brilliant sunshine

Is something God had made

He knew too much could parch our souls

So he created shade.

So God’s given us a balance:

Enough joys to keep us glad,

Enough tears to keep us humble,

Enough good to balance bad.

And if you’ll trust in Him you’ll see

Though yesterday brought sorrow,

The clouds will part and dawn will bring

A happier tomorrow.

If you were to look at Rembrandt’s painting of The Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you’d be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.

Thomas Costain’s history, The Three Edwards, described the life of Raynald Ill, a fourteenth-century duke in what is now Belgium.

Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means “fat.” After a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald but did not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.

This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred. The problem was Raynald’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter. When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.” Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year…a prisoner of his own appetite.

- Dave Wilkenson

It seems that famed scientist Albert Einstein had more trouble finding his way home from work than he did finding the key to atomic power. One evening as Einstein sat deep in thought aboard the train that brought him home each night, the porter approached to collect his ticket. Einstein rummaged around in his coat, through his pockets, in his shirt, and everywhere else he could think of, growing alarmed at his inability to find the ticket.

“That’s okay, Dr. Einstein,” said the porter. “I know you ride this train every day. I can collect tomorrow.”

“That’s fine for you, young man,” Einstein replied, “but how am I supposed to get off the train without my ticket?”

When nothing whereon to lean remains,

When strongholds crumble to dust;

When nothing is sure but that God still reigns,

That is just the time to trust.

Admiral Heihachio Togo, whose brilliant tactics had destroyed the Russian fleet at the battle of the Sea of Japan in 1905, visited the United States shortly after the Russo-Japanese War. At a state dinner in Admiral Togo’s honor, William Jennings Bryan was asked to propose a toast. Because Bryan was well known as a strict teetotaler, it was feared that an embarrassing breakdown of protocol was about to occur. But as Bryan stood to propose his toast, he held up his glass and said, “Admiral Togo has won a great victory on water, and I will therefore toast him in water. When Admiral Togo wins a victory on champagne I will toast him in champagne.”

My husband, Ron, once taught a class of mentally impaired teenagers. Looking at his students’ capabilities rather than their limitations, Ron got them to play chess, restore furniture and repair electrical appliances. Most important, he taught them to believe in themselves. Young Bobby soon proved how well he had learned that last lesson. One day he brought in a broken toaster to repair. He carried the toaster tucked under one arm, and a half-loaf of bread under the other. - Edna Butterfield

Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought Leggs pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh. Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, “That’s stupid. That’s not fair. Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”

Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.”

“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” the student retorted. “There’s nothing there!”

“I did so do it,” Philip insisted. “I did do it. It’s empty. The tomb was empty!”

Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.

In his book Great Themes of the Bible, Louis Albert Banks told of the time D.L. Moody visited a prison called “The Tombs” to preach to the inmates. After he had finished speaking, Moody talked with a number of men in their cells. He asked each prisoner this question, “What brought you here?” Again and again he received replies like this: “I don’t deserve to be here.” “I was framed.” “I was falsely accused.” “I was given an unfair trial.” Not one inmate would admit he was guilty.

Finally, Moody found a man with his face buried in his hands, weeping. “And what’s wrong, my friend?” he inquired. The prisoner responded, “My sins are more than I can bear.” Relieved to find at least one man who would recognize his guilt and his need of forgiveness, the evangelist exclaimed, “Thank God for that!” Moody then had the joy of pointing him to a saving knowledge of Christ—a knowledge that released him from his shackles of sin.

What an accurate picture of the two contrasting attitudes spoken of in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the publican! As long as the sinner claims innocence and refuses to acknowledge his transgressions before the Lord, he does not receive the blessings of redemption. But when he pleads guilty and cries out, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner,” he is forgiven. God’s pardon is available to everyone, but it is experienced only by those who admit guilt and trust Christ. To be “found,” a person must first recognize that he is “lost.”

Xanthus, the philosopher, once told his servant that the next day he was going to have some friends for dinner and that he should get the best thing he could find in the market. The philosopher and his guests sat down the next day at the table. They had nothing but tongue-four or five courses of tongue-tongue cooked in this way, and tongue cooked in that way. The philosopher finally lost his patience and said to his servant, "Didn't I tell you to get the best thing in the market?" The servant said, "I did get the best thing in the market. Isn't the tongue the organ of sociability, the organ of eloquence, the organ of kindness, the organ of worship?" Then Xanthus the philosopher said, "Tomorrow I want you to get the worst thing in the market." And on the morrow the philosopher sat at the table, and there was nothing there but tongue-four or five courses of tongue-tongue in this shape and tongue in that shape. The philosopher again lost his patience and said, "Didn't I tell you to get the worst thing in the market?" The servant replied, "I did; for isn't the tongue the organ of blasphemy, the organ of defamation, the organ of lying?" Well done, servant; you certainly taught the philosopher a lesson, the same lesson the Apostle James wants to teach us in the third chapter. The tongue can do great good, and it can do great evil.

Most of senior pastor Jonathan Boucher’s parishioners favored independence. George and Martha Washington were frequent visitors, as Martha’s son John was a student at the church school. Nevertheless, Boucher not only held the Tory position, but openly preached loyalty to King George. This prompted frequent threats, so for six months he preached with a brace of loaded pistols on the seat cushion beside him. One Sunday, matters reached a climax when 200 armed militiamen showed up under the command of Osborne Sprigg, threatening to shoot if he dared mount the pulpit. In the ensuing scuffle, Boucher grabbed Sprigg by the collar and—holding a loaded pistol to his head—eased his way through the hostile mob. He reached his horse and escaped, sailing to England on the last ship before hostilities broke out.

Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin

But held it up with a smile.

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar then two! Only two?

Two dollars and who’ll make it three.

Three dollars once. Three dollars twice.

Going for three—But no

From the room, far back, a gray haired man

Came forward and pick up the bow.

Then wiping the dust from the old violin

And tightening the loosened strings

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer

With a voice that was quiet and low

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two.

Two thousand and who’ll make it three.

Three thousand once—three thousand twice

And going and gone,” said he.

The people cheered but some of them cried

We do not quite understand.

What changed its worth? Swift came the reply

The touch of the master’s hand.

And many a man with life out of tune

And battered and scarred with sin.

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd

Much like the old violin.

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,

A game—he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice

He’s going and almost gone.

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand.

A painter of landscape scenes always kept in front of him on his easel a number of precious stones-emerald, sapphire, ruby. Asked why, he replied, "To help me keep my colors true. In course of time, without some constant reference, my eye might lose its perception of color tones, and the colors I choose may not be right, may not be what they once were."

So it is with us, in the requirements of our ongoing life. Lest we wander astray, we need occasional exposure to some unchanging and unfading standard. Unless we are in touch with some constant reference, we can deviate and scarcely know it. We need some touchstone to test ourselves by, one that is worthy of what life is, one by which our lifetones can be safely set-the only perfect unchanging Lord.

Coleridge is the supreme example of tragedy of indiscipline. Never did so great a mind produce so little. He left Cambridge University to join the army; he left the army because he could not rub down a horse; he returned to Oxford and left without a degree. He began a paper called “The Watchman” which lived for ten numbers and then died. It has been said of him, “he lost himself in visions of work to be done, that always remained to be done.

Coleridge had every poetic gift but one—the gift of sustained and concentrated effort.” In his head and in his mind he had all kinds of books, as he said, “completed save for transcription.” But the books were never composed outside of Coleridge’s mind, because he would not face the discipline of sitting down to write them out. No one ever reached any eminence, and no one having reached it ever maintained it, without discipline.

Trial

Scripture

Judge

Decision

Religious Jewish Trials

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 Trials

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

1. In creation Gen. 1:1; John 1:4, Job 26:13

2. In incarnation John 3:16; Heb. 10:5; Luke 1:35

3. In redemption Heb. 9:14; 1 Peter 3:18; Gal. 2:20

4. In salvation Luke 15:4; 8; 22; Eph. 1:4; 7; 13

5. In communion Eph. 2:18; Rom. 8:27; 2 Cor. 13:14

6. In glory Rev. 1:4-5; Phil. 3:21; Jude 23

A. W. Tozer says: "The truth received in power shifts the basis of life from Adam to Christ, and a new set of motives goes to work within the soul. A new and different Spirit enters the personality and makes the believing man new in every department of his being. His interests shift from things external to things eternal, from things on earth to things in heaven. He loses faith in the soundness of external values; he sees clearly the deceptiveness of outward appearances; his love for and confidence in the unseen and eternal world become stronger as his experience widens.... The gulf between theory and practice is so great as to be terrifying.... Wherever the Word comes without power, its essential content is missed."

A young farmer in North Dakota brought home a fancy barometer for which he paid .65. In the following days he watched it avidly as it predicted the weather. On one of the walls of his home it hung in an honored place. But the day came when for three days it predicted "storm" while the sky was turquoise and clear. So he took it off the wall and back to town where he demanded his money back. Returning home, he and his wife became alarmed when they saw evidence of a storm ten miles out. When they turned in their yard, their home had blown away. The furniture was up in the apple trees, and the bathtub three blocks away in a pasture. But the grandmother had believed the barometer, and when a dark cloud appeared she took the two small children and went to the shelter in the old storm cellar, long unused, and they were saved.

In the house

Of Mr. & Mrs. Spouse

He and she

Would watch TV,

And never a word

Between them was spoken

Until the day

The set was broken,

Then, “How do you do?”

Said He to She.

I don’t believe we’ve met.

Spouse is my name.

What’s yours?” he asked.

“Why, mine’s the same!”

Said She to He.

“Do you suppose we could be...?”

But the set came suddenly right about

And they never did find out.

My appetite is my shepherd.

I Always Want.

It maketh me to sit down and stuff myself.

It leadeth me to my refrigerator repeatedly.

It leadeth me in the path of Burger King for a Whopper.

It destroyeth my shape.

Yea, though I knoweth I Gaineth,

I will not Stop Eating,

For the Food Tasteth so Good.

The Ice Cream and Cookies, they comfort me.

When the table is spread for me,

It Exciteth me,

For I knoweth that soon I shall dig in!

As I filleth my plate continuously,

My clothes runneth smaller.

Surely bulges and excess weight shall

Follow me all the days of my life,

And I will be FAT FOREVER.

Paul envisions two builders on the one foundation, Jesus Christ. The one builds a palace, the other a shack. No doubt in Corinth, as in other ancient cities, side by side with the temples shining in marble and brass were the huts of the poor and the slaves, built of flimsy materials such as Paul mentions. He envisions a sudden flame playing around these buildings, the fire of the Lord coming to judgment. The marble gleams whiter, the silver, gold and jewels more resplendently, while the tongues of light leap about the palace. But the straw hut goes up in a flare. The two builders stand before God, the ultimate Paymaster. The one man gets wages for work that lasts; the other gets no pay for what perishes.

Whenever I think about this subject, two fathers come before me. One lived on the Mississippi river. He was a man of great wealth. Yet he would have freely given it all could he have brought back his eldest boy from his early grave. One day that boy had been borne home unconscious. They did everything that man could do to restore him, but in vain. "He must die," said the doctor. "But, doctor," said the agonized father, "can you do nothing to bring him to consciousness, even for a moment?" "That may be," said the doctor; "'but he can never live." Time passed, and after a terrible suspense, the fathers wish was gratified. "My son," he whispered, "the doctor tells me you are dying." "Well," said the boy, "you never prayed for me, father; won't you pray for my lost soul now?" The father wept. It was true he had never prayed. He was a stranger to God. And in a little while that soul, unprayed for, passed into its dark eternity. Oh, father! if your boy was dying, and he called on you to pray, could you lift your burdened heart to heaven? Have you learned this sweetest lesson of heaven on earth, to know and hold communion with your God? And before this evil world has marked your dearest treasures for its prey, have you learned to lead your little ones to a children's Christ?

What a contrast is the other father? He, too, had a lovely boy, and one day he came home to find him at the gates of death. "A great change has come over our boy," said the weeping mother; "he has only been a little ill before, but it seems now as if he were dying fast." The father went into the room, and placed his hand on the forehead of the little boy. He could see the boy was dying. He could feel the cold damp of death. "My son, do you know you are dying?" "No, am I?" "Yes; you are dying." "And shall I die to-day?" "Yes, my boy, you cannot live till night." "Well, then, I shall be with Jesus to-night, won't I, father?" "Yes, my son, you will spend to-night with the Saviour." Mothers and fathers, the little ones may begin early; be in earnest with them now. You know not how soon you may be taken from them, or they may be taken from you. Therefore let this impression be made upon their minds--that you care for their souls--a million times more than for their worldly prospects.

Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:

Sleep

23 years

32.9%

Work

16 years

22.8%

TV

8 years

11.4%

Eating

6 years

8.6%

Travel

6 years

8.6%

Leisure

4.5 years

6.5%

Illness

4 years

5.7%

Dressing

2 years

2.8%

Religion

0.5 years

0.7%

Total

70 years

100%

“If there are any ‘churches’ which are scriptural in their membership, in their maintenance of discipline, in their preaching, and in all that concerns their public services, we do not know where to find them. We have traveled completely around the world, but there is no church known to us where we could hold membership.” So he and his wife remained at home on Sundays for the last three decades of his life.”

Several years ago I read an article about Queen Mary, who made it her practice to visit Scotland every year. She was so loved by the people there that she often mingled with them freely without a protective escort. One afternoon while walking with some children, she went out farther than she’d planned. Dark clouds came up unexpectedly, so she stopped at a nearby house to borrow an umbrella. “If you will lend me one,” she said to the lady who answered the door, “I will send it back to you tomorrow.” The woman didn’t recognize the Queen and was reluctant to give this stranger her best umbrella. So she handed her one that she intended to throw away. The fabric was torn in several places and one of the ribs was broken.

The next day another knock was heard at the door. When the lady opened it, she was greeted by a royal guard, who was holding in her hand her old, tattered umbrella. “The Queen sent me,” he said. “She asked me to thank you for loaning her this.” For a moment the woman was stunned, then, she burst into tears. “Oh, what an opportunity I missed,” she cried. “I didn’t give the Queen my very best!”

During a revival a young man said that he did not wish to become a Christian. When asked for his reason, he replied, "Several years ago I was in a man's kitchen. Finding me there, he swore at me and kicked me out. He was a professing Christian, and from that time on I decided never to have anything to do with religion. And I never have to this day." The young man was asked to write down his reason in full and sign it. Then it was handed back to him with the words, "Take this, and when you are asked for your excuse on the day of judgment, hand this up."

It is told of a famous smith of medieval times that, having been taken prisoner and immured in a dungeon, he began to examine the chain that bound him with a view to discovering some flaw that might make it easier to break it. His hope was in vain, for he found from some marks upon it that it was his own workmanship. It had been his boast that none could break a chain that he had forged. Thus it is with the sinner. His own hands have forged the chain that binds him, a chain that no human hand can break.

Paul Harvey tells the story of the uncertain soldier in our Civil War who, figuring to play it safe, dressed himself in a blue coat and gray pants and tiptoed out onto the field of battle. He got shot from both directions!

The Bible is full of examples of individuals who compromised in one form or another and their ensuing losses. Lot who separated from Abram and moved as far as Sodom (Gen 13:12-13; Gen. 19:1-29); Samson who compromised with Delilah (Jdg 16:1-2); and Solomon who loved many foreign women (1Ki 11:1-4) are but a few examples.

What about times when we are tempted to compromise our faith or beliefs? Will we stay strong or try and wear the blue and gray? Think about it!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might" (Eph 6:10).

Two close friends, a Jew and a Christian, often discussed their religions. Finally they decided to visit each other's place of worship. They went to the synagogue first. The time for the offering came and the Jew took a check out of his pocket and placed it in the offering plate. The Christian was very inquisitive so he moved about until he could see the amount of the check. It was for .50. He immediately turned to his Jewish friend and said, "Abe, is this your weekly or your monthly offering?" Abe turned to his Christian friend and said, "Why, don't you know I am an orthodox Jew and the Old Testament tells me that I should give one tenth of all that I make to the Lord? I thought you Christians did exactly the same thing." "Oh, no," the Christian replied. "Don't you know that we have been emancipated from the law and we are now under grace. We are free people; we are not bound by this law or any other." "And what do you do when it comes to your offerings to the church?" "Oh, Abe, that is simple. At the end of the week, we just give what is left over." "Really?" Abraham answered with surprise, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian."

In The Reader's Digest sometime ago a lady reported a rather interesting experience. She telephoned her bank in an attempt to correct an error which the bank had made. Her call was transferred from one person to another, from office to office, and there was much talk, but no help.

At last, the eighth person proved to be calmly and sympathetically helpful. He was genuinely pleasant thoroughly efficient, even friendly. The business finished, the lady said, "You're great! What is your position in the bank?" He answered, "I'm the ungoofer."

The ungoofer! Most of us need one now and again. And we have one. That lady had a lot of trouble getting through to the bank's ungoofer; but, my friend, you and I have no difficulty at all in getting through to ours, if we really try. Keep in touch with the One who forgives, untangles, heals-ungoofs. If there are tangles and snarls, messes and mix-ups, tell Him about them-and trust Him.

In a museum, an old white-haired man was standing fascinated before a picture of Christ. After gazing at it for a few moments he murmured to himself, with face all aglow, "Bless Him, I love Him!" A stranger standing near overhead him and said, "Brother, I love Him, too," and clasped his hand. A third caught the sentence and said, "I love Him, too"; soon there stood in front of that picture a little circle of people with hands clasped, utter strangers to one another, but made one by their common love of Christ. On further discussion they found they belonged to different Christian denominations. But this did not disturb their fellowship. Perhaps others belonging to their particular denomination, but not to Christ, could not do what they were doing, stand in awe before Christ and have fellowship with those who possessed the same feeling.

If you were to hold out a dime at arm’s length, the coin would block out 15 million stars from your view, if your eyes could see with that power.

To help us grasp the vastness of our galaxy, one scientist suggests we imagine a smooth glass surface. Shrink the sun from 865,000 miles in diameter to two feet and place it on the surface. Using this scale, Earth would be 220 paces out from the sun, and would be the size of a pea. Mars, the size of a pinhead, would be 108 paces beyond Earth. But to reach Neptune, you’d need to step off another 6,130 paces from Mars. By now you would be five miles from the sun—but there still wouldn’t be room on the glass surface for Pluto! And you would have to pace off 6,720 miles beyond Pluto to reach the nearest star. Yet, this glass model represents only a tiny fraction of the universe.

A half-witted man wore a most curious coat. All down the front it was covered with patches of various sizes, mostly large. When asked why the coat was patched in such a remarkable way, he answered that the patches represented the sins of his neighbors. He pointed to each patch and gave the story of the sin of someone in the village. On the back of his coat there was a small patch. On being asked what it represented, he said, "That is my own sin, and I cannot see it."

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”

The King of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave himself to you and me. The Bible calls Him, “the unspeakable gift!”

There is a tradition that Jonathan Edwards, third president of Princeton and one of America's greatest thinkers, had a daughter with an uncontrollable temper. But, as is often the case, this weakness was not known to the outside world. A worthy young man fell in love with her and sought her hand in marriage. "You can't have her," was the abrupt answer of Jonathan Edwards. "But I love her," the young man replied. "You can't have her," said Edwards. "But she loves me," continued the young man. Again Edwards said, "You can't have her." "Why?" asked the young man. "Because she is not worthy of you." "But," he asked, "she is a Christian, is she not?" "Yes, she is a Christian, but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could ever live."

Born again by the Word 1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18

Cleansed by the Word Eph. 5:26; Psalm 119:9

Saved by the Word 1 Tim. 4:16; James 1:21

Growing by the Word 1 Peter 2:2; Jer. 16:17

Sanctified by the Word John 17:17; 1 Tim. 4:6

Enlightened by the Word Psalm 19:8; 119:105

Kept by the Word Psalm 17:4; Rev. 3:10

My soul is sad, and much dismay’d;

See, Lord, what legions of my foes,

With fierce Apollyon at their head,

My heavenly pilgrimage oppose!

See, from the ever-burning lake,

How like a smoky cloud they rise!

With horrid blasts my soul they shake,

With storms of blasphemies and lies.

Their fiery arrows reach the mark,

My throbbing heart with anguish tear;

Each lights upon a kindres spark,

And finds abundant fuel there.

I hate the thought that wrongs the Lord;

Oh! I would drive it from my breast,

With Thy own sharp two-edged sword,

Far as the east is from the west.

Come, then, and chase the cruel host,

Heal the deep wounds I have received!

Nor let the power of darkness boast,

That I am foil’d, and Thou are grieved!

When a certain wealthy man died, his will could not be found. Since his wife and only son had preceded him in death, his possessions were sold at auction. Everything was disposed of except a picture of the son. Nobody seemed to want it until an elderly woman approached and pleaded with the auctioneer to let her have it for the few dollars in her possession. When he gave her the picture, she hugged it to her heart, for she had been the son's nurse in his infancy and boyhood days. Attached to the back of the painting she discovered an envelope addressed to an attorney. Taking it to him, she was astonished to hear him exclaim, "Woman, you have a fortune! This is the man's will, and in it he has left a large sum of money to anyone who loved his son enough to buy the picture."

If Abraham Lincoln was a young man today, the traveling library would supply him with books; a county caseworker would see that he had enough light to read by; the government would see that his parents got a monthly welfare check, housing assistance and food stamps. Abe could apply for an educational loan and some social service clubs would see that he went to camp each summer.

End result: There would be no Abe Lincoln such as the one we remember and love who overcame poverty and adversity to become one of the greatest Presidents of all time.

There is a legend about a grandfather clock that stood in a corner for three generations, faithfully ticking off the minutes, hours and days-its means of operation was a heavy weight suspended by a double chain. One of its new owners, believing that an old clock should not bear such a load, released the weight. Immediately the ticking stopped. According to the legend, the clock asked, "Why did you do that?" The owner replied, "I wanted to lighten your burden." "Please put my weight back," replied the clock. "That is what keeps me going."

In the world in which we live we always think of the price of things.

We look at a car, and we admire its features, but the price stands in the way of having it as our own.

We look at a new home, and we would love to live in it, but again, it is beyond our reach if the price is too high. We go into a jewelry store and see the exhibited diamonds and we would like an expensive one to show our love to a special person, but again, the price stands in the way.

The amazing thing about God is that He places the greatest fulfillment of our need at no price at all. However, we are likely to not appreciate the greatness of the gift, just because it is free.

The Swedish navy felt the need to construct a huge battleship, with 64 guns set in two decks, for its fleet. The “Vasa” was a beautiful ship, but it was top-heavy and did not have adequate ballast. On August 10 it began its maiden voyage from the Stockholm harbor. While the crew waved to the king and the crowds, the ship heeled after a violent gust of wind. The “Vasa” slowly righted itself, but moments later it listed again—so far that water washed into the lower gunport. To the amazement of the people on shore, the Vasa sank and an estimated 50 lives were lost. Rediscovered in 1956 and salvaged in 1961, it can be seen today in Stockholm.

B. M. Launderville has written, “The vine clings to the oak during the fiercest of storms. Although the violence of nature may uproot the oak, twining tendrils still cling to it. If the vine is on the side opposite the wind, the great oak is its protection; if it is on the exposed side, the tempest only presses it closer to the trunk. In some of the storms of life, God intervenes and shelters us; while in others He allows us to be exposed, so that we will be pressed more closely to Him.”

One foggy night in London, many years ago, a ragged unkempt man shuffled into a little music shop, owned by a Mr. Betts. Clutched under the man’s arm was a violin.

“Will you buy this old violin from me?” the man muttered. I’m starving. I need money to buy something to eat.”

“Well, I already have several violins,” Mr. Betts replied. “But I don’t want to see you go hungry. Will a guinea ($5.00 at the time) help you out?”

“Oh, yes,” said the man. “Thank you. Thank you.” He took the money and disappeared into the night.

Mr. Betts picked up the violin, took the bow and drew it across the strings. The violin gave forth a deep mellow tone. Surprised, Mr. Betts took a light and peered into the inside of the violin. He could hardly believe what he saw. There, carved into the wood were these words:

“Antonio Stradivari…1704.” Mr. Betts ran out into the street to find the old man, to pay him more for the violin. But he had gone.

A violinist noticed that his playing had a hypnotic effect on his audiences. They sat motionless, as though they were in a trance. He found he had the same effect on his friends’ pets. Dogs and cats would sit spellbound while he played. Wondering if he could cast the same spell over wild beasts, he went to a jungle clearing in Africa, took out his violin and began to play. A lion, an elephant, and a gorilla charged into the clearing, stopped to listen, and sat mesmerized by the music. Soon the clearing was filled with every kind of ferocious animal, each one listening intently. Suddenly another lion charged out of the jungle, pounced on the violinist, and killed him instantly.

The first lion, bewildered, asked, “Why did you do that?”

The second lion cupped his paw behind his ear. “What?”

Revival is the visitation of God which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God’s near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow.

Each revival movement has its own distinctive features, but the pattern is the same every time.

First God comes. On New Year’s Eve 1739, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and some of their friends held a “love feast” which became a watchnight of prayer to see the New Year in. At about 3 a.m., Wesley wrote, “the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.” Revival always begins with a restoration of the sense of the closeness of the Holy One.

Second, the gospel is loved as never before. The sense of God’s nearness creates an overwhelming awareness of one’s own sins and sinfulness, and so the power of the cleansing blood of Christ is greatly appreciated.

Then repentance deepens. In the Ulster revival in the 1920s shipyard workers brought back so many stolen tools that new sheds had to be built to house the recovered property! Repentance results in restitution.

Finally, the Spirit works fast: godliness multiplies, Christians mature, converts appear. Paul was at Thessalonica for less than three weeks, but God worked quickly and Paul left a virile church behind him.

Breathe from the gentle south, O Lord,

And cheer me from the north;

Blow on the treasures of thy word,

And call the spices forth!

I wish, Thou knowest, to be resign’d,

And wait with patient hope;

But hope delay’d fatigues the mind,

And drinks the spirits up.

Help me to reach the distant goal’

Confirm my feeble knee;

Pity the sickness of a soul

That faints for love of Thee!

Cold as I feel this heart of mine,

Yet, since I feel it so,

It yields some hope of life divine

Within, however low.

I seem forsaken and alone,

I hear the lion roar;

And every door is shut but one,

And that is Mercy’s door.

There, till the dear Deliverer come,

I’ll wait with humble prayer;

And when He calls His exile home,

The Lord shall find him there.

John was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they rode along, he began to be suspicious of his passenger. John checked to see if his wallet was safe in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between them, but it wasn’t there! So he slammed on the brakes, ordered the hitchhiker out, and said, “Hand over the wallet immediately!”

The frightened hitchhiker handed over a billfold, and John drove off. When he arrived home, he started to tell his wife about the experience, but she interrupted him, saying, “Before I forget, John, do you know that you left your wallet at home this morning?”

“Unaccountable, this,” said the wax, as from the flame it dropped melting upon the paper beneath. “Do not grieve,” said the paper, “I’m sure it is all right.” “I was never is such again,” exclaimed the wax, still dropping. “It is not without a good design and will end well,” replied the paper. The wax was unable to reply at once, and when it again looked up it bore a beautiful impression, the counterpart of the seal which had been applied to it. “Ah, I understand now,” said the wax, no longer suffering. “I was softened in order to receive this lovely, durable impress.”

Peter warned against “the way of Balaam,” Jude against “the error of Balaam” and John against “the doctrine of Balaam” (II Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). God evidently considers these warnings necessary and appropriate for Christians even today.

Yet Balaam, in his day, was a genuine prophet (note II Peter 2:16), possessed great knowledge concerning God, and even received direct revelations from God. What, therefore, were his way, his error, and his doctrine?

“The way of Balaam” was a readiness to prostitute his high spiritual gifts and privileges for “The wages of unrighteousness” (II Peter 2:14), being willing to preach something contrary to God’s Word for personal gain.

“The error of Balaam” was evidently his willingness to compromise his own standards of morality and truth in order “greedily” to accommodate those of his pagan patrons (Jude 11).

Finally, “the doctrine of Balaam,” which even in John’s day was already infiltrating the church, was to use his own teaching authority to persuade God’s people that it was all right for them also to compromise these standards, even “to commit fornication” (Revelation 2:14) with their idol-worshipping enemies.

No wonder Micah (the faithful prophet) urged God’s people to “remember” Balaam and his tragic end (Numbers 31:8).

Some of us stay at the cross,

Some of us wait at the tomb,

Quickened and raised with Christ

Yet lingering still in the gloom.

Some of us ‘bide at the Passover feast

With Pentecost all unknown,

The triumphs of grace in the heavenly place

That our Lord has made His own.

If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross,

His work had been incomplete.

If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb,

He had only known defeat,

But the way of the cross never stops at the cross

And the way of the tomb leads on

To victorious grace in the heavenly place

Where the risen Lord has gone.

Annie Johnson Flint

The fable of the fox and the wolf aptly illustrates the way of the world that the Christian is to avoid. It seems a fox was peering into a well from which people drew water by lowering an empty bucket, and pulling up the full one that was at the bottom. By accident the fox fell into the empty bucket and found itself at the bottom of the well. It made a lot of noise trying to get out. A wolf, hearing the noise, looked down and said to the fox, "What are you doing, my friend?" "I'm catching fish," was the sly answer; "Come down to help me." "How can I?" asked the wolf. "Jump into that bucket up there and you'll be down here in a moment." The foolish wolf obeyed, and because it was heavier than the fox it went down and the fox came up and started to run away. "Are you leaving me down here?" cried the wolf. But the fox answered slyly, "That's the way of the world, my friend; when one goes up, the other goes down."

Abraham Lincoln's comment, made when talking to a father who was chagrined and embarrassed because his 17-year-old son had begun to indulge in liquor, is most convincing: "Well, there is just one way to bring up a child in the way he should go, and that is to travel the way yourself."

A famous journalist abandoned a lucrative position for reasons of conscience. A friend asked, "Can you afford to do this?" "Well," said the journalist, "you see, I have a very wealthy partner." "Who is he?" asked the friend in surprise. "God Almighty," was the reply. A man who is in partnership with God can afford to lose his own independence, to surrender it to the interests of the Kingdom of God, to accept the Divine dictates, because the wisdom and spiritual resources of the heavenly Father are at his disposal.

"He ... continued all night in prayer to God" (Luk_6:12).

We never read that Joshua's hand was weary with wielding the sword, but Moses' hand was weary with holding the rod. The more spiritual the duty, the more apt we are to tire of it. We could stand and preach all day; but we could not pray all day. We could go forth to seek the sick all day, but we could not be in our closets all day nearly as easily. To spend a night with God in prayer would be far more difficult than to spend a night with man in preaching. Oh! take care, take care, that thou dost not cease thy prayers!

Bob Harris, weatherman for NY TV station WPIX-TV and the nationally syndicated independent Network news, had to weather a public storm of his own making in 1979. Though he had studied math, physics and geology at three colleges, he left school without a degree but with a strong desire to be a media weatherman. He phoned WCBS-TV, introducing himself as a Ph.D. in geophysics from Columbia U. The phony degree got him in the door.

After a two-month tryout, he was hired as an off-camera forecaster for WCBS. For the next decade his career flourished. He became widely known as “Dr. Bob.” He was also hired by the New York Times as a consulting meteorologist.

The same year both the Long Island Railroad and then Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn hired him. Forty years of age and living his childhood dream, he found himself in public disgrace and national humiliation when an anonymous letter prompted WCBS management to investigate his academic credentials. Both the station and the New York Times fired him.

His story got attention across the land. He was on the Today Show, the Tomorrow Show, and in People Weekly, among others. He thought he’d lose his home and never work in the media again. Several days later the Long Island Railroad and Bowie Kuhn announced they would not fire him. Then WNEW-TV gave him a job. He admits it was a dreadful mistake on his part and doubtless played a role in his divorce.

“I took a shortcut that turned out to be the long way around, and one day the bill came due. I will be sorry as long as I am alive.”

In ancient times in the East, a common practice among tribes at war was to fill each other's wells. Every well thus rendered useless was a public blessing destroyed. It is like a crime against humanity when a well of kindness in a heart is stopped. The world's need and sorrow are the losers. The thirsty come to drink where before their want had been satisfied, and are disappointed. But the most serious consequence is the harm that is done to the persons themselves whose love and compassion are thus restrained. One of the great problems of Christian living is to keep the heart gentle and sweet amid all the world's trying experiences. Nothing worse could happen to a person than to become cold toward human suffering, or bitter toward human infirmity and failure.

In Northern Greece we have a beautiful summer camp at the foot of Mount Olympus. It is right on the shores of the blue Aegean Sea whose water is very salty. But stand where the water has just receded and dig a few inches, and the hole will fill up with the most refreshing, sweet water you have ever tasted. It has come from the mountains and hidden out of sight to be discovered only by digging. When the sea rolls in and pours its bitter flood over the little hole, though it covers it with a shroud of brackish waters, the stream of sweet water still flows. Such should be the stream of love in our hearts. When the flood of unkindness and wrong pours over us, we may be treated cruelly by the world. But whatever injustice we may have to endure from others, the well of love within us should never retain a trace of bitterness but remain pure and sweet.

You may never have heard of a whelk, but this little ocean creature can ruin an oyster’s day. The whelk has an appendage that works like an augur, with which it can bore a small hole in the top of an oyster’s shell. Through this very small hole a whelk can devour an entire oyster, sucking it out little by little until the oyster is gone.

A group of young people were about to explore a coal mine. One of the girls was wearing a white dress. A friend urged her to go home and change. Not liking the interference, she turned to the guide who was to conduct them and asked, "Can't I wear a white dress to go into the mine?" "Yes, ma'am," was his reply. "There's nothing to keep you from wearing a white dress down into the mine, but there'll be plenty to keep you from wearing one back."

I want the whole Christ for my Savior,

the whole Bible for my book,

the whole Church for my fellowship,

and the whole world for my mission field

- John Wesley

While our friends from India traveled around California on business, they left their 11 year-old daughter with us. Curious about my going to church one Sunday morning, she decided to come along. When we returned home, my husband asked her what she thought of the service. “I don’t understand why the West Coast isn’t included too,” she replied. When we inquired what she meant, she added, “You know, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the whole East Coast.”

Bob Greene (in the Detroit Free Press) cited a study by attorney Michael Minton on the monetary value of a wife’s services in the home. First he listed the various functions she performs: chauffeur, gardener, family counselor, maintenance worker, cleaning woman, housekeeper, cook, errand runner, bookkeeper/budget manager, interior decorator, caterer, dietitian, secretary, public relations person, hostess.

Using this impressive list of household duties, Minton figured the dollar value of a housewife’s work in today’s (1981) labor market. He came up with the amount of $785.07 a week. That’s $40,823.64 a year!

A young man finally came to Christ and was baptized after years of indiffernce. Many talked to him about the Lord, but were not able to sway him. It is not known what finally moved him, but for years his faithful wife went to every service of the churchl, Sunday morning and evening, Bible Study on Wednesday night. Sometimes he went with her. Sometimes he was working or out of town, but she went. They had one, then two and finally three children. She went on with her children rain or shine. On one instance, it was raining so hard that one could hardly see. The wind was blowing. This good Christian mother drove up, got out of her car and carried one baby into the church building and then started back for another one when a man came forward to help her out on that last trip. It was her husband who was baptized, and we all probably know the sermon that converted him.

I. SANCTIFICATION IS GOD’S WILL FOR US

A. AVOIDING SEXUAL IMMORALITY AND IMPURITY IS GOD’S WILL FOR US - I Thessalonians 4:1-8

B. WISE LIVING IS GOD’S WILL FOR US - Ephesians 5:15-21

C. NON-CONFORMATION, TRANSFORMATION, AND RENEWAL ARE GOD’S WILL FOR US - Romans 12:1-2

D. CONTINUAL REJOICING, CEASELESS PRAYER, AND CONSTANT THANKSGIVING ARE GOD’S WILL FOR US - I Thessalonians 5:16-18

II. SECURITY IS GOD’S WILL FOR US - John 6:38-40

III. SERVICE IS GOD’S WILL FOR US - Ephesians 6:5-9; I Peter 5:2

IV. SUFFERING IS GOD’S WILL FOR US - I Peter 3:17; I Peter 4:19

Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur, Missouri, had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis. Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctors told him in frank terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn’t sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who has leukemia.

When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: “Douglas—I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I’m 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley.”

His face lit up. He said, “Oh!” It’s funny: Douglas Maurer was in a hospital filled with millions of dollars of the most sophisticated medical equipment. He was being treated by expert doctors and nurses with medical training totaling in the hundreds of years. But it was a salesclerk in a flower shop, a woman making $170 a week, who—by taking the time to care, and by being willing to go with what her heart told her to do—gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.

The late Dr. Wernher Von Braun once was asked what it would take for man to reach the moon, and he replied, "The will to do it." This answer holds good in nearly every field of human endeavor. In medicine, determination and persistence have paid off in spectacular breakthroughs in conquering diseases. In transportation the dream of traveling around the world in a matter of hours has become a reality because the will to do so was strong. "The will to do it!" How vitally important this attitude is in Christianity! If you really want to do God's will, you can, but you must will to do it. This is true in so many areas of our lives.

During the time when slave trade was still practiced in some parts of the South, a handsome young man was up for sale. The bids kept rising. Finally, an Englishman gained possession. The young slave began to chide him, "Ha, you buy a slave when slavery has already been abolished in England." The purchaser, however, said, "I have bought you to set you free." The young slave, overcome with emotion, replied, "I will be your willing slave forever."

Sarah was rich. She had inherited twenty million dollars. Plus she had an additional income of one thousand dollars a day. That’s a lot of money any day, but it was immense in the late 1800s.

Sarah was well known. She was the belle of New Haven, Connecticut. No social event was complete without her presence. No one hosted a party without inviting her.

Sarah was powerful. Her name and money would open almost any door in America. Colleges wanted her donations. Politicians clamored for her support. Organizations sought her endorsement.

Sarah was rich. Well known. Powerful. And miserable.

Her only daughter had died at five weeks of age. Then her husband had passed away. She was left alone with her name, her money, her memories,…and her guilt. It was her guilt that caused her to move west. A passion for penance drove her to San Jose, California. Her yesterdays imprisoned her todays, and she yearned for freedom.

She bought an eight-room farmhouse plus one hundred sixty adjoining acres. She hired sixteen carpenters and put them to work. For the next thirty-eight years, craftsmen labored every day, twenty-four hours a day, to build a mansion.

Observers were intrigued by the project. Sarah’s instructions were more than eccentric…they were eerie. The design had a macabre touch. Each window was to have thirteen panes, each wall thirteen panels, each closet thirteen hooks, and each chandelier thirteen globes.

The floor plan was ghoulish. Corridors snaked randomly, some leading nowhere. One door opened to a blank wall, another to a fifty-foot drop. One set of stairs led to a ceiling that had no door. Trap doors. Secret passageways. Tunnels. This was no retirement home for Sarah’s future; it was a castle for her past.

The making of this mysterious mansion only ended when Sarah died. The completed estate sprawled over six acres and had six kitchens, thirteen bathrooms, forty stairways, forty-seven fireplaces, fifty-two skylights, four hundred sixty-seven doors, ten thousand windows, one hundred sixty rooms, and a bell tower.

Why did Sarah want such a castle? Didn’t she live alone? “Well, sort of,” those acquainted with her story might answer. “There were the visitors…”

And the visitors came each night.

Legend has it that every evening at midnight, a servant would pass through the secret labyrinth that led to the bell tower. He would ring the bell…to summon the spirits. Sarah would then enter the “blue room,” a room reserved for her and her nocturnal guests. Together they would linger until 2:00 a.m., when the bell would be rung again. Sarah would return to her quarters; the ghosts would return to their graves.

Who comprised this legion of phantoms?

Indians and soldiers killed on the U.S. frontier. They had all been killed by bullets from the most popular rifle in America—the Winchester. What had brought millions of dollars to Sarah Winchester had brought death to them.

So she spent her remaining years in a castle of regret, providing a home for the dead.

You can see this poltergeist place in San Jose, if you wish. You can tour its halls and see its remains.

But to see what unresolved guilt can do to a human being, you don’t have to go to the Winchester mansion. Lives imprisoned by yesterday’s guilt are in your own city. Hearts haunted by failure are in your own neighborhood. People plagued by pitfalls are just down the street .. or just down the hall.

There is, wrote Paul, a “worldly sorrow” that “brings death.” A guilt that kills. A sorrow that’s fatal. A venomous regret that’s deadly.

How many Sarah Winchesters do you know? How far do you have to go to find a soul haunted by ghosts of the past? Maybe not very far.

Maybe Sarah’s story is your story.

If you were riding a bike into the wind, then stopped and turned around, you might think that the wind changed because it went from hindering you to helping you. In actuality it didn’t change, you did.

As a hundred thousand fans watched, Richard Petty ended his 45-race losing streak and picked up stockcar racing’s biggest purse—$73,500. It all happened at the Daytona 500.

Petty’s win, however, was a complete surprise. Going into the last lap, he was running 30 seconds behind the two leaders. All at once the car in second place tried to pass the number one man on the final stretch. This caused the first car to drift inside and force the challenger onto the infield grass, and slightly out of control. What happened next was incredible. The offended driver pulled his car back onto the track, caught up with the leader, and forced him into the outside wall. Both vehicles came to a screeching halt. The two drivers jumped out and quickly got into an old-fashioned slugging match. In the meantime, third-place Petty cruised by for the win.

A man who was greatly troubled came to his pastor because he said in all his good deeds he detected a mixture of selfish motives. "Should I stop doing these things," he asked in perplexity, "since I find some self-gratification in all of them?" The wise pastor assured him while we are in the flesh we shall always suffer the humiliation of knowing that nothing about us is perfect, even our motives. It is a matter of committing ourselves to God to love and serve Him in all that we do; and if the by-product of our actions is joy and satisfaction, there is nothing wrong in that.

It only takes a fifty-cent piece held close to your eye to blind you to the sight of the sun. Alexander the Great, full of pride over his recent triumphs, once came upon that wise philosopher Diogenes who was basking in the glory of the noonday sun. The powerful Alexander condescended to speak to the philosopher, asking if there was anything he could do for Diogenes. "Yes," was the reply. "Alexander can step aside from between me and the sunshine." Diogenes was wise in this respect. Alexander was great in conquest, but he was a fool to think he was more important to Diogenes than the sun.