Pastoral Resources

The great Scottish Bible expositor Alexander MacLaren once wrote: ‘We may have as much of God as we will. Christ puts the key of the treasure-chamber into our hand, and bids us take all that we want. If a man is admitted into the bullion vault of a bank and told to help himself, and comes out with one cent, whose fault is it that he is poor?”

A man returned to his home and played back his telephone-answering machine to discover that his message to callers had not registered beyond his initial “Hello.” Transcribed, the tape of the exchange between machine and one caller ran as follows:

“Hello.” “Hello. Hello. . . hello!” (click.)

“Hello.” “Hello, hello. . . hello, hello!” (click.)

“Hello.” “Hello, hello. . . You see, operator, he says ‘Hello,’ but he won’t say anything else.”

“I’m sorry, sir. We can only connect you with your party. We cannot make him talk to you.”

We can’t afford to win the gain that means another’s loss;

We can’t afford to miss the crown by stumbling at the cross.

We can’t afford the heedless jest that robs us of a friend;

We can’t afford the race that comes to tragic bitter end.

We can’t afford to play with fire, or tempt a serpent’s bite

We can’t afford to think that sin brings any true delight.

We can’t afford with serious heed to treat the cynic’s sneer,

We can’t afford to wise men’s words to turn a careless ear.

We can’t afford for hate to give like hatred in return;

We can’t afford to feed a flame and make it fiercer burn.

We can’t afford to lose the soul for this world’s fleeting breath;

We can’t afford to barter life in mad exchange for death.

How blind are we apart from thee, our great all-seeing Lord;

Oh, grant us light that we may know the things we can’t afford.

Imagine that you are out in the middle of a lake and there are two rowboats and you are standing with one foot in each boat. One boat, however, is filled with holes and is sinking fast. It is obvious that unless you do something you will soon be in the lake. The boat with the holes represents ourselves with all of the leaks caused by sin. The boat without holes represents Christ. It should be obvious that with one foot in each boat we shall end up in the same place that we would have ended up in we had had both feet in the boat marked “self.” The only safe place to be is to have both feet firmly planted in the boat marked Christ.

Or to change the picture, suppose that you were trying to cross from one cliff to another one which is a hundred feet away. It is five thousand feet down to the rocks below. You have, however, a one inch thick piece of rope which is capable of holding up several tons. There is a difficulty though, for you have only fifty feet of rope. I say, “Do not worry! I have fifty feet of thread. We can tie my thread to your rope and then tie that to trees on either cliff and then you can go across.” You decline my offer and I respond, “What is the matter? Do you not trust the rope?” “Yes,” you say, “I trust the rope but I do not trust the thread.” Then let’s change the story and make it ninety feet of rope and only ten feet of thread. You’re still not comfortable. Then suppose we make it ninety-nine feet of rope and only one foot of thread. One inch of thread? You see, if you have one inch of thread, you will be just as dead on the rocks below as if you tried to cross on a hundred feet of thread. The rope obviously represents what Christ has done and the thread represents what we have done. We must trust in Christ alone. As Charles Spurgeon put it, “If we have to put one stitch into the garment of our salvation, we shall ruin the whole thing.”

There comes a time in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike when God seems expendable. Noting that things are going along quite well, man, including Christian man, feels quite willing to go it alone.

Man, no matter how powerful, can be humbled by the weather-by the falling snow, as Napoleon discovered when he invaded Russia, or by the lack of rain or excess of it, or by an unusually bitter winter.

Whenever natural catastrophe struck, the spiritual leaders of our Pilgrim forebears used the pulpits of New England to remind the people that God was at work behind every catastrophe, and that He still spoke not only by the still, small voice but also by the thunder, the snow, the hail, the absence of rain, and if necessary even by death.

The Pharaoh was given sign after sign by God, and one after the other the signs were ignored. It was not until the tenth sign came that the Pharaoh let God's people go. Have we, too, hardened our hearts against God's message?

"I have a friend in Scotland," said James Denney, "who is a fishing-tackle maker and an enthusiastic fisherman. He told me once of losing his bait in a mysterious way without catching anything."

The explanation was that by some accident the barb had been broken from the hook. This is exactly what happens when people preach the love of God to men, but leave out of their gospel the essential truth that it is Christ on the cross in whom the love is revealed. In other words, the condemnation of our sins in Christ upon His cross is the barb on the hook.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. If it were possible for a created soul fully to ‘appreciate,’ that is, to love and delight in, the worthiest object of all, and simultaneously at every moment to give this delight perfect expression, then that soul would be in supreme blessedness. To praise God fully we must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God, drowned in, dissolved by that delight which, far from remaining pent up within ourselves as incommunicable bliss, flows out from us incessantly again in effortless and perfect expression. Our joy is no more separable from the praise in which it liberates and utters itself than the brightness a mirror receives is separable from the brightness it sheds.

Don Hewitt, creator of “60 Minutes,” on his special talent as a journalist:

My philosophy is simple. It’s what little kids say to their parents: “Tell me a story.” Even the people who wrote the Bible knew that when you deal with issues, you tell stories. The issue was evil; the story was Noah.

I’ve had producers say, “We’ve got to do something on acid rain.” I say, “Hold it. Acid rain is not a story. Acid rain is a topic. We don’t do topics. Find me someone who has to deal with the problem of acid rain. Now you have a story.”

A member of Alcoholics Anonymous once sent columnist Ann Landers the following:

We drank for happiness and became unhappy.

We drank for joy and became miserable.

We drank for sociability and became argumentative.

We drank for sophistication and became obnoxious.

We drank for friendship and made enemies.

We drank for sleep and awakened without rest.

We drank for strength and felt weak.

We drank “medicinally” and acquired health problems.

We drank for relaxation and got the shakes.

We drank for bravery and became afraid.

We drank for confidence and became doubtful.

We drank to make conversation easier and slurred our speech.

We drank to feel heavenly and ended up feeling like hell.

We drank to forget and were forever haunted.

We drank for freedom and became slaves.

We drank to erase problems and saw them multiply.

We drank to cope with life and invited death.

I have felt for a long time that one of the particular temptations of the maturing Christian is the danger of getting accustomed to his blessings. Like the world traveler who has been everywhere and seen everything, the maturing Christian is in danger of taking his blessings for granted and getting so accustomed to them that they fail to excite him as they once did.

Emerson said that if the stars came out only once a year, everybody would stay up all night to behold them. We have seen the stars so often that we don’t bother to look at them anymore. We have grown accustomed to our blessings.

The Israelites in the wilderness got accustomed to their blessings, and God had to chasten the people (see Num. 11). God had fed the nation with heavenly manna each morning, and yet the people were getting tired of it. “But now our whole being is dried up,” they said, “there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (v. 6).

Nothing but manna! They were experiencing a miracle of God’s provision every morning; yet they were no longer excited about it. Nothing but manna!

One of the evidences that we have grown accustomed to our blessings is this spirit of criticism and complaining. Instead of thanking God for what we have, we complain about it and tell him we wish we had something else. You can be sure that if God did give us what we asked for, we would eventually complain about that. The person who has gotten accustomed to his blessing can never be satisfied.

Another evidence of this malady is the idea that others have a better situation than we do. The Israelites remembered their diet in Egypt and longed to return to the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. They were saying, “The people in Egypt are so much better off than we are!” Obviously, they had forgotten the slavery they had endured in Egypt and the terrible bondage from which God had delivered them. Slavery is a high price to pay for a change in diet.

1. Of the Gospel (1:5) We get to know each other

2. Of the Spirit (2:1) We get to know ourselves

3. Of His Suffering (3:10) We get to know Christ

A couple of hunters chartered a plane to fly into the Canadian wilderness. Two weeks later when the pilot came to pick them up, he saw the two animals they had bagged and said, “I told you fellows I could only take you and one moose. You’ll have to leave the other behind.” “But we did it last year in a plane this size,” protested one of the hunters, “and the other pilot let us take two moose.” “Well, okay,” said the pilot. “If you did it before I guess we can do it again.” So the two moose and the hunters were loaded in and the plane took off. Because of the heavy weight, it rose with difficulty and was unable to clear an obstructing hill. After the crash, the men climbed out and looked around. One hunter said to the other, “Where are we, anyway?” His companion surveyed the scene. “I think we got about half a mile farther than we got last year.”

The word “access” is found only three times in the N.T. (; , ). These three passages teach us four things about access.

1. We have access into grace () God’s throne is the throne of grace ().
   
2. We have access unto the Father (). Though He is sovereign, we can still approach Him as a child does a father (, ).
   
3. We have access through Jesus Christ (). The blood gives us boldness ().
   
4. We have access by our faith (; ). The essential ingredient is prayer ().

Walter L. Spratt, Galt, Missouri

In Joh_1:16, the verb elabomen, "we received," has an active sense. It means "to take, to take hold of, to seize." This always indicates man's part in the process of his salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ. It should never be thought that man either merits this salvation or takes the initiative in its process. It is as if I had a piece of candy to offer to my child. It is my offering that prompts his receiving. My little boy would not say, "Daddy, give me that," if "that" were not there. Or here is a spring of water; I am thirsty. I can take a cup and fill it with water to satisfy my thirst. My cup would be absolutely useless if there were no possibility of getting it filled. Or I am sick; medicine is available which the doctor prescribes for me. It is up to me to take it or leave it, and my choice would determine the consequences. But I, the patient, could never boast that it was my receiving the medicine that cured me. My receiving was actually nothing more than an active passivity-obedience and submission to the doctor's advice. No man, therefore, who is given the privilege of receiving of the fullness of God in Christ can boast of it, for without the offering and the giving there would have been no receiving. But, on the other hand, the offering and the giving would do a man no good if he did not receive it.

Before game 7 against Houston, Kevin Johnson and several teammates on the Phoenix Suns held a chapel service. Charles Barkley, who didn’t attend, stood in front of the message board in the empty clubhouse and wrote, “God only helps those who help themselves. WE have to do it!” He angrily threw the felt marker to the floor.

When we come to God, we must bring nothing but Christ with us. Any ingredients, or any previous qualifications of our own, will poison and corrupt faith. He that builds upon duties, graces, etc. knows not the merits of Christ....[You] must everyday denounce as dung and dross your privileges, your obedience, your baptism, your sanctification, your duties, your graces, your tears, your meltings, your humblings...your workings, your self-sufficiency must be destroyed. You must take all from God’s hand. Christ is the gift of God...Ah, how nature storms, frets, rages at this, that all is a gift, and it can purchase nothing with its actings and tears and duties, that all workings are excluded, and of no value in heaven.

Christ was despised on earth by men, and in his greatest need, amid insults, was abandoned by those who knew him and by friends; and you dare to complain of anyone? Christ had his adversaries and slanderers; and you wish to have everyone as friends and benefactors? Whence will your patience win its crown if it has encountered nothing of adversity? -

I spent much of my ninth summer on a bicycle. About a mile from our house the road went down a steep hill and turned sharply at the bottom. Coasting down the hill one morning, I felt my gathering speed to be ecstatic. To give up this ecstasy by applying brakes seemed an absurd self-punishment. So I resolved to simultaneously retain my speed and negotiate the corner. My ecstasy ended seconds later when I was propelled a dozen feet off the road into the woods. I was badly scratched and bleeding, and the front wheel of my new bike was twisted beyond use from its impact against a tree. I had been unwilling to suffer the pain of giving up my ecstatic speed in the interest of maintaining my balance around the corner. I learned, however, that the loss of balance is ultimately more painful than the giving up required to maintain balance. It is a lesson I have continually had to relearn. As must everyone, for as we negotiate the curves and corners of our lives, we must continually give up parts of ourselves.

We can live only in relationships. We need each other. A rather crude and cruel experiment was carried out by Emperor Frederick, who ruled the Roman Empire in the thirteenth century. He wanted to know what man’s original language was: Hebrew, Greek, or Latin?

He decided to isolate a few infants from the sound of the human voice. He reasoned that they would eventually speak the natural tongue of man. Wet nurses who were sworn to absolute silence were obtained, and though it was difficult for them, they abided by the rule. The infants never heard a word—not a sound from a human voice. Within several months they were all dead.

W. S. Plumer said, “We never see sin aright until we see it as against God...All sin is against God in this sense: that it is His law that is broken, His authority that is despised, His government that is set at naught...Pharaoh and Balaam, Saul and Judas each said, ‘I have sinned’; but the returning prodigal said, ‘I have sinned against heaven and before thee’; and David said, ‘Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.’”

In Saint Louis in 1984, an unemployed cleaning woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer the bees continued to fly in and out the attic vent while the woman remained unconcerned, unaware of the growing city of bees.

The whole attic became a hive, and the ceiling of the second-floor bedroom finally caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey and thousands of angry bees. While the woman escaped serious injury, she was unable to repair the damage of her accumulated neglect.

As we paid nothing for God’s eternal love and nothing for the Son of His love, and nothing for His Spirit and our grace and faith, and nothing for our eternal rest...What an astonishing thought it will be to think of the unmeasurable difference between our deservings and our receivings. O, how free was all this love, and how free is this enjoyed glory...So then let “Deserved” be written on the floor of hell but on the door of heaven and life, “The Free Gift”. - Richard Baxter

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small uninhabited island. He cried out to God to save him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a rough hut and put his few possessions in it. But then one day, after hunting for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; he was stung with grief.

Early the next day, though, a ship drew near the island and rescued him.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked the crew.

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

Though it may not seem so now, your present difficulty may be instrumental to your future happiness.

A few days before his death, Dr. F. B. Meyer wrote a very dear friend these words: “I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the palace. Don’t trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning.”

Some years ago, musicians noted that errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as they went about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it was because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something had gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not know there was anything wrong with the peals, and quite unconsciously they had copied their pitch. So we tend to copy the people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world.

In his book The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis notes how believers often underestimate the full riches God has for His children.

…If we consider…the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.

When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ’s commands. Then they came together.

Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, “What did you do then?” “We were just one,” he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Philip Melancthon, the great Reformation theologian, once said to his friend Martin Luther, “This day you and I will discuss the governance of the universe.” What Luther said in response was unexpected: “This day you and I will go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God.”

Human beings grow by striving, working, stretching; and in a sense, human nature needs problems more than solutions. Why are not all prayers answered magically and instantly? Why must every convert travel the same tedious path of spiritual discipline? Because persistent prayer, and fasting, and study, and meditation are designed primarily for our sakes, not for God’s. Kierkegaard said that Christians reminded him of schoolboys who want to look up the answers to their math problems in the back of the book rather than work them through...We yearn for shortcuts. But shortcuts usually lead away from growth, not toward it. Apply the principle directly to Job: what was the final result of the testing he went through? As Rabbi Abraham Heschel observed, “Faith like Job’s cannot be shaken because it is the result of having been shaken.”

When personalized license plates were introduced in Illinois, the Department of Motor Vehicles received over 1,000 requests for the number "1". The state official whose job it was to approve requests said, "I am not about to assign it to someone and disappoint a thousand people." What was his solution? He assigned the number to himself.

A little boy and a little girl were riding a mechanical horse in a shopping mall. The little boy, who was riding in front, turned to the little girl and said, "If one of us would get off, there would be more room for me."

Nowhere is man's creativity more apparent than in his ability to discover new and original ways to commit the original sin. It all began in the Garden of Eden when the devil convinced Adam and Eve that he had found a way for them to move God over and become "Number 1." And the beat goes on-and we keep looking for ways to succeed where Adam and Eve failed. We look for ways to be first on everyone else's priority list. We look for ways to be first in line. We look for ways to be first at the checkout counter. We look for ways to be the first ones getting out of the parking lot. We look for ways to win in the game of "first come, first served." But these are mere symptoms of the real transgression. In the case of Christians, our creativity as original sinners is revealed most clearly when we look for ways to be known as disciples of Christ without following His example.

"We are Number 1! We are Number 1!" All well and good, perhaps, to hear the chant ringing out from football fans, but when we hear it ringing out from our hearts, it is all pride and imagination. Remember, therefore, "He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luk_1:51).

Inscribed on the doorway of the volunteer fire department in a small Minnesota town is the slogan: “We’ll know where we’re going when we get there.”

A ship wrecked off the New England coast many years ago. A young member of the coast guard rescue crew said, “We can’t go out. We’ll never get back.” The grizzled old captain replied, “We have to go out. We don’t have to come back.”

You can live on bland food so as to avoid an ulcer; drink no tea or coffee or other stimulants, in the name of health; go to bed early and stay away from night life; avoid all controversial subjects so as never to give offense; mind your own business and avoid involvement in other people’s problems; spend money only on necessities and save all you can. You can still break your neck in the bathtub, and it will serve you right.

When personalized license plates were introduced in Illinois, the Department of Motor Vehicles received over 1,000 requests for the number "1". The state official whose job it was to approve requests said, "I am not about to assign it to someone and disappoint a thousand people." What was his solution? He assigned the number to himself.

A little boy and a little girl were riding a mechanical horse in a shopping mall. The little boy, who was riding in front, turned to the little girl and said, "If one of us would get off, there would be more room for me."

Nowhere is man's creativity more apparent than in his ability to discover new and original ways to commit the original sin. It all began in the Garden of Eden when the devil convinced Adam and Eve that he had found a way for them to move God over and become "Number 1." And the beat goes on-and we keep looking for ways to succeed where Adam and Eve failed. We look for ways to be first on everyone else's priority list. We look for ways to be first in line. We look for ways to be first at the checkout counter. We look for ways to be the first ones getting out of the parking lot. We look for ways to win in the game of "first come, first served." But these are mere symptoms of the real transgression. In the case of Christians, our creativity as original sinners is revealed most clearly when we look for ways to be known as disciples of Christ without following His example.

"We are Number 1! We are Number 1!" All well and good, perhaps, to hear the chant ringing out from football fans, but when we hear it ringing out from our hearts, it is all pride and imagination. Remember, therefore, "He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luk 1:51).

Napoleon said, "Battles are won, not by men, but by a man." He was right in more ways than one. Victories are won, not by Christians but by Christ. It is our privilege and joy to share in His victory. Like the small boy who jumped up and down shouting "We've won, we've won!" at a football game-though he was not a member of the team or of the school represented by the team, we too can rejoice in a victory with which we associate ourselves. We can live in joy and triumph. We can shout, "We've won!" over the victory that was accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary nearly 2,000 years ago.

“Since God has put His work into your weak hands, look not for long ease here: You must feel the full weight of your calling: a weak man with a strong God.”

Couples who live together before marriage have weaker marriages, according to the Journal of Marriage and the Family. The magazine ran an article focusing on a study by researchers Alfred DeMars and Gerald Leslie. Their hypothesis was that couples who live together prior to marriage would be better adjusted and more satisfied with marriage. However, DeMars and Leslie discovered that those who had lived together before marriage scored lower on tests measuring communication in marriage than couples who did not cohabit. They also scored lower on tests rating satisfaction with their marriages, were less likely to stay in a marriage in troubled times, and had less satisfying marriages.

In front of the great Cathedral of Amiens stands a statue of Jesus Christ, and on either side His twelve apostles. Below them are written their greatest virtues, in contrast to their greatest vices. In Peter's case, his outstanding quality is his courage, but below it you see a figure of Peter fleeing from a leopard, representing his cowardice. Then beneath that you see the same figure sitting on a leopard and riding forth to conquest. The sculptor wished to teach us that by contact with the Lord Jesus Christ that very thing which is a man's weakness can be transfigured into his strength; that very thing from which he fled can become the glorious chariot on which he rides forward, conquering and to conquer.

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with ,400, that carried over no balance from day to day, and allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening canceled whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent, of course.

Well, you have such a bank, and its name is "Time." Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances. It allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present-on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!

Only one life

'Twill soon be past,

Only what is done for the Lord

Will last!

The historian, Gibbon, tells us that Abdulrahman, of the Muslim Caliphs of Spain, built for his pleasure the city, palace, and gardens of Zehra, beautifying them with the costliest marbles, sculptures, gold, and pearls. He had sixty-three hundred persons-wives, concubines, and eunuchs-at his service. His guard had belts and scimitars studded with gold. At his death, the following authentic memorial was found: "I have now reigned above fifty years in victory and peace.... Riches, honors, power, pleasure-the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot: they amount to fourteen."

It was 1916, and Hattie Green was dead. Hattie’s life is a sad demonstration of what it is like to be among the living dead. When Hattie died, her estate was valued at over $100 million; yet Hattie lived in poverty. She ate cold oatmeal because it cost money to heat it. When her son’s leg became infected, Hattie wouldn’t get it treated until she could find a clinic that wouldn’t charge her. By then, her son’s leg had to be amputated. Hattie died arguing over the value of drinking skim milk. She had money to meet her every need, but she chose to live as if it didn’t exist.

A wealthy eccentric died and left a million dollars to his nephew, John. When the will was read at the lawyer’s office, the lawyer said to John, “According to your uncle’s instructions, payment of your inheritance will depend on choices that you must make.” The lawyer held his two fists out in front of him and asked, “Do you choose what is in my right hand or in my left hand?”

John decided to take what was in the attorney’s right hand. The lawyer opened his left hand to reveal a gold coin and a silver coin. “Had you chosen this hand,” he said, “you would have received a substantial share in a gold mine or a silver mine in Chile.” Then he opened his right hand to reveal a nut and a coffee bean. “These represent a million dollars’ worth of nuts or coffee from Brazil,” said the attorney. “Which do you choose?” John decided on the nuts.

A week went by before John arrived in Brazil to take charge of his holdings. In the interim, fire destroyed a huge warehouse where the nuts that John had inherited were stored and coffee prices doubled. Since John hadn’t gotten around to insuring his holdings, he soon was bankrupt.

He barely had enough for his airfare home to New York or Los Angeles, where he could stay with a friend. He chose Los Angeles.

Just before he took off, the New York plane came out on the runway—it was a brand-new super jet. For the connecting flight to Los Angeles, the plane was a 1928 Ford trimotor with a sway back that took half a day to get off the ground. It was filled with crying children and tethered goats. Over the Andes one engine fell off. Our man crawled up to the cockpit and said, “Let me out if you want to save your lives. Give me a parachute.”

The pilot agreed but said, “On this airline, anybody who bails out must wear two chutes.”

John jumped from the plane and as he fell he tried to make up his mind which rip cord to pull. Finally he chose the one on the left. It was rusty, and the wire pulled loose. He pulled the other handle. The chute opened, but its shroud lines snapped. In desperation the poor fellow cried out, “St. Francis save me!”

Suddenly a great hand reached down from Heaven, seized the poor man’s wrist and let him dangle in midair. Then a gentle voice asked, “St. Francis Xavier or St. Francis of Assisi?”

Most of Jesus’ followers were not wealthy, but a few notable ones, like Joseph of Arimathea (v. 57), were. We can learn a great deal from the wealthy people recorded in the New Testament, about the dangers and the disciplines of money.

Person

What They Did With Their Wealth

Lessons to Be Learned

Zacchaeus the tax collector

(Luke 19:110)

Before faith, cheated citizens and abused the poor.

After faith, repented and made restitution.

(1) Ill gotten gain must be repaid.

(2) God saves and changes us—all the way down to our pocketbooks.

Joseph of Arimathea

(Matt. 27:56-61; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-53)

Pre-paid his own funeral

Sonated his tomb for the burial of Jesus

(3) Forsaking treasures on earth for the kingdom will be rewarded

Women supporters of Christ

(Luke 8:3; 23:55-24:10; Mark 15:40; 16:1)

Supported Jesus’ work

Assisted in His burial (probably donated expensive perfume).

(4) Generosity characterizes those who follow Jesus.

Roman centurion who believed.

(Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:5)

Showed kindness toward the Jews.

Paid for the building of a synagogue.

Showed compassion for his ill servant.

(5) When we love people it shows in the things we do and the projects we support.

Rich young ruler

(Matt. 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30

Unwilling to part with his wealth when tested by Jesus

(6) Those who cling to wealth have difficulty getting into the kingdom.

(7) Righteousness cannot be earned, but must be received as a gift.

(8) “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Philemon (Philemon 1)

Owned slaves and other property.

Forgave a runaway slave, both morally and financially.

Joseph, called Barnabas

(Acts 4:36-37)

Sold land and gave the proceeds to believers.

(10) Partnership in the Gospel may mean putting your money where believers hurt.

Ananias & Sapphira

(Acts 5:1-11)

Sold land and tried to deceive the church about the proceeds to gain a reputation

(11) God is not fooled by gracious appearances but sees the heart and acts accordingly.

Rich Christians written about by James (James 2)

Exploited the tendency of some to cater to them because of their wealth.

Dragged other believers into court and slandered Jesus’ name.

(12) God favors those who are rich in faith; they will inherit the kingdom.

Lydia (Acts 16:13-15, 40)

Hosted the first church in Europe in her home.

(13) We should use our resources and homes to accomplish God’s purposes.

Cornelius the Centurion

(Acts 10:1-48)

Generous to the poor.

Sought out Peter concerning the faith.

(14) Fear of God should prompt us to admit our own need for a Savior.

The Ethiopian Treasurer

(Acts 8:26-40

Nurtured his belief in God by traveling to Jerusalem.

Invited Philip to explain more about the faith.

(15) Stewardship of money and study of Scriptures go hand in hand—as do business trips and worship services.

Simon the Sorcerer

(Acts 8:9-25)

Longed for spiritual power and thought it could be bought and sold.

(16) The gifts of God cannot be bought.

Your checkbook is a diary of your values. God calls believers to be compassionate, merciful, and just to all. Does your checkbook reflect such values? Does it show a pattern of godly concern for people?

Several years ago, I heard the story of Larry Walters, a 33-year-old man who decided he wanted to see his neighborhood from a new perspective. He went down to the local army surplus store one morning and bought forty-five used weather balloons. That afternoon he strapped himself into a lawn chair, to which several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons. He took along a six-pack of beer, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and a BB gun, figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.

Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air, was caught off guard when the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky -- smack into the middle of the air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport. Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons, he stayed airborne for more than two hours, forcing the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon, causing long delays in flights from across the country.

Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police, reporters asked him three questions:

“Where you scared?”

“Yes.”

“Would you do it again?”

“No.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Because,” he said, “you can’t just sit there.”

To avoid offending anybody, the school dropped religion altogether and started singing about the weather. At my son’s school, they now hold the winter program in February and sing increasingly nonmemorable songs such as “Winter Wonderland,” “Frosty the Snowman” and—this is a real song—”Suzy Snowflake,” all of which is pretty funny because we live in Miami.

A visitor from another planet would assume that the children belonged to the Church of Meteorology.

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me.

I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily.

Oft times he weaveth sorrow and I in foolish pride forget

He sees the upper and I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle ceases to fly shall

God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

Josiah Wedgwood, English maker of the famous Wedgwood pottery, was showing a nobleman through his factory one day. One of Wedgwood’s employees, a young boy, was accompanying them. The nobleman was profane and vulgar. At first, the boy was shocked by his irreverence; then he became fascinated by the man’s coarse jokes and laughed at them.

Wedgwood was deeply distressed. At the conclusion of the tour, he showed the nobleman a vase of unique design. The man was charmed by its exquisite shape and rare beauty. As he reached for it, Mr. Wedgwood purposely let it fall to the floor. The nobleman uttered an angry oath and said, “I wanted that vase for my collection, and you have ruined it by your carelessness!” Wedgwood answered, “Sir, there are other ruined things more precious than a vase which can never be restored. You can never give back to that young man, who just left us, the reverence for sacred things which his parents have tried to teach him for years. You have undone their labor in less than half an hour!”

It’s like a World Series of weeds, a Hula Bowl of herbicides, with agriculture students from U.S. and Canadian universities competing to identify problems in farm fields. This year, Iowa State took top honors in the Collegiate Weed Science Contest, which tests students’ abilities to identify weeds and the right chemical to kill them and diagnose herbicide failure. “They need to be able to recognize weeds when they are tiny,” said James Worthington of Western Kentucky University, president of the North Central Weed Science Society. “When they get big enough that anybody can recognize them, it’s too late to do anything about them.”

It’s all about priorities in life and in ministry. I may have told the story the great preacher Fred Craddock tells about a missionary family in China who was forced to leave the country sometime after the communists took over. One day a band of soldiers knocked on the door and told this missionary, his wife, and children that they had two hours to pack up before these troops would escort them to the train station. They would be permitted to take with them only two hundred pounds of stuff.

Thus began two hours of family wrangling and bickering – what should they take? What about this vase? It's a family heirloom, so we've got to take the vase. Well, maybe so, but this typewriter is brand new and we're not about to leave that behind. What about some books? Got to take a few of them along. On and on it went, putting stuff on the bathroom scale and taking it off until finally they had a pile of possessions that totaled two hundred pounds on the dot.

At the appointed hour, the soldiers returned. “Are you ready?” they asked. “Yes.” “Did you weigh your stuff?” “Yes, we did.” “Two hundred pounds?” “Yes, two hundred pounds on the dot."” “Did you weigh the kids?” "Um, . . . no.” “Weigh the kids!”

And in an instant the vase, the typewriter, and the books all became trash. Trash! None of it meant anything compared to the value of the children.

According to a recent Self Magazine article, losing just one dietary bad habit can result in significant weight loss over a period of one year. If you just substitute high calorie offenders for similar tasting, lower calorie choices, the weight loss can still be significant. Give up one teaspoon of cream in your coffee and lose 6 pounds a year, or switch to a similar amount of skim milk and lose 5 pounds. Give up a glazed donut a day and lose 25 pounds a year, or switch to a medium-sized bran muffin and lose 11 pounds in a year. Skipping a teaspoon of butter on a daily bagel will leave you 11 pounds lighter at year’s end, or change to a similar amount of cream cheese and drop 5 pounds. Some other items you can drop and save on are a 12 ounce can of soda a day and forget 17 pounds in a year; a 1.2 ounce chocolate bar a day saves you 12 pounds in 18 months.

There’s nothing to it but to do it.

Jean Nidetch, a 214 pound homemaker desperate to lose weight, went to the New York City Department of Health, where she was given a diet devised by Dr. Norman Jolliffe. Two months later, discouraged about the 50 plus pounds still to go, she invited six overweight friends home to share the diet and talk about how to stay on it. Today, 28 years later, one million members attend 25,0000 Weight Watchers meetings in 24 countries every week. Why was Nidetch able to help people take control of their lives?

To answer that, she tells a story. When she was a teen-ager, she used to cross a park where she saw mothers gossiping while the toddlers sat on their swings, with no one to push them. “I’d give them a push,” says Nidetch. “And you know what happens when you push a kid on a swing? Pretty soon he’s pumping, doing it himself. That’s what my role in life is—I’m there to give others a push.”

A farmer had an old hound dog that he cherished. One day the dog disappeared, and several weeks passed without his return. In spite of this, the farmer continued to set out fresh food for the dog every day.

Finally, in curiosity, one of the farmer's neighbors asked why he continued to set out food for the dog when he obviously was not returning.

"He will be back," replied the farmer. "Because he knows I am here waiting for him. And when he gets here I want him to know he is welcome back."

Today we wait for Christ's return with great expectancy. We do not know the day nor the hour of His return, but we are confident that He is coming back.

As we wait for Christ's return, we prepare ourselves each day to meet Him.

“Tis my happiness below

Not to live without the cross,

But the Saviour’s power to know,

Sanctifying every loss:

Trials must and will befall;

But with humble faith to see

Love inscribed upon them all,

This is happiness to me.

God in Israel sows the seeds

Of affliction, pain, and toil;

These spring up and choke the weeds

Which would else o’erspread the soil:

Trials make the promise sweet,

Trials give new life to prayer;

Trials bring me to His feet,

Lay me low, and keep me there.

Did I meet no trials here,

No chastisement by the way,

Might I not with reason fear

I should prove a castaway?

Bastards may escape the rod,

Sunk in earthly vain delight;

But the true-born child of God

Must not—would not, if he might.

This is the feast of heavenly wine,

And God invites to sup;

The juices of the living vine

Were press’d to fill the cup.

Oh! bless the Saviour, ye that eat,

With royal danties fed;

Not heaven affords a costlier treat,

For Jesus is the bread.

The vile, the lost, He calls to them;

Ye trembling souls appear!

The righteous in their own esteem

Have no acceptance here.

Approach, ye poor, nor dare refuse

The banquet spread for you;

Dear Savior, this is welcome news,

Then I may venture too.

If guilt and sin afford a plea,

And may obtain a place,

Surely the Lord will welcome me,

And I shall see His face.

An old farmer frequently described his Christian experience by saying, “Well, I’m not making much progress, but I’m established!” One spring when he was hauling some logs, his wagon wheels sank down to the axles in mud. Try as he would, he couldn’t get the wagon out. Defeated, he sat atop the logs, viewing the dismal situation. Soon a neighbor who had always felt uncomfortable with the farmer’s worn out testimony came along and greeted him, “Well, brother Jones, I see you’re not making much progress, but you must be content because you’re well-established!”

The very concept of God having pleasure—the mighty Maker of the Universe being pleased, like a child, at things that take place on Earth—staggers the imagination. Most amazing of all is the revelation that it pleased Him to put His own Son through a terrible, bruising death, as the tremendous Messianic prophecy of our text reveals. Nevertheless, this was the only possible way whereby “the pleasure of the LORD” could be accomplished in the redeemed lives of lost men and women, whom He had created for eternal fellowship with the Triune god. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people. (Psalm 149:4).

Five times we read in the New Testament that God the Father spoke from heaven assuring us that He was “well pleased” with His “beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17, 17:5: Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; II Peter 1:17). Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. Had it not been so, none of us could ever have been saved, but the Lord Jesus Himself has confirmed to His own “little flock” that “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Thus, not only have we been created “for Thy pleasure” (Revelation 4:11), but also we have been predestinated “unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians l:5). This is far beyond our comprehension, so we merely rest in the great truth that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We know that “the LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy” (Psalm 147:11). - HMM

Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

A generation ago the George Arliss film, House of Rothschild, made major use of an incident that occurred at the end of the Napoleonic wars. In the dots and dashed of powerful light beams, a message flashed across the English Channel brought the dire news, “Wellington defeated.”

Among other consequences, a disastrous financial panic swept the British Board of Trade. No error or duplicity had been involved in the sending of the news. As actually transmitted it said, “Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.” A proper communication had been sent, but fog sweeping in had obliterated all but the first two words, leaving a tragic hiatus.

On one occasion Norman “Kid” McCoy, who was welterweight boxing champion in 1896, was fighting a contender who had the misfortune of being deaf. Once McCoy discovered his opponent’s disability, he wasted no time in taking advantage of it. Near the end of the third round McCoy stepped back a pace and pointed to his adversary’s corner, indicating that the bell had rung.

“Oh, thank you so much,” said McCoy’s opponent. “very civil of you.” But the bell hadn’t rung at all, and as soon as the other boxer dropped his hands and turned away. McCoy immediately knocked him out.

A world-class woman runner was invited to compete in a road race in Connecticut. On the morning of the race, she drove from New York City, following the directions—or so she thought—given her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The station attendant also knew of such a race scheduled just up the road and directed her there.

When she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot a modest number of runners preparing to compete. Not as many as she’d anticipated; an easier race than she’d been led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk, announced herself, and was surprised by the race officials’ excitement at having so renowned an athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record of her entry, but if she’d hurry and put on this number, she could just make it before the gun goes off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four minutes ahead of the first male runner in second place.

Only after the race—when there was no envelope containing her sizable prize and performance money— did she confirm that the event she’d run was not the race to which she’d been invited. That race was being held several miles farther up the road in another town. She’d gone to the wrong starting line, run the wrong course, and missed her chance to win a valuable prize.

An amusing radio comedian of many years ago, known as the Baron Munchausen, used to spin wild and improbable tales. When anyone challenged him he would ask, "Vas you dere, Sharlie?" God was there before there was any beginning; He was there when His only begotten Son came into the world, for He entered into human flesh through Him. He was there on the cross, for in Christ He suffered, bled and died for you and me. To anyone who questions this, you can retort, "Were you there? God was, and I prefer to take His Word for it."

Wesley was not an advocate of sensationalism in preaching. But on one occasion, he interrupted his own sermon and shouted, “Lord, is Saul also among the prophets? Is James Watson here? If he be, show Thy power!” And James Watson dropped to the floor and began to cry loudly for God’s mercy!

My brother Charles, amid the difficulties of our early ministry, used to say, “If the Lord would give me wings I would fly.”

I used to answer him, “If the Lord bid me fly, I should trust Him for the wings.” John Wesley

John Wesley preached his last sermon on Feb. 17, 1791, in Lambeth on the text “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Is. 55:6). The following day, a very sick man, he was put to bed in his home on City Road. During the days of his illness, he often repeated the words from one of his brother’s hymns: I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me! His last words were, “The best of all is, God is with us!” He died March 2, 1791.

While crossing a bridge in London, John Wesley stumbled and sprained his ankle. Some friends carried him to the house of Mrs. Mary Vazielle on Threadneedle Street. She was a widow with several children. She cared for Wesley and his response to her concern was to ask her to marry him. If we were writing fiction we might say that the sprained ankle was God’s providential way to bring those people together. But the marriage was a disaster, and Mary finally left John. Had Wesley consulted with his brother Charles, and asked for the prayers of the brethren, he might have avoided that unfortunate situation.

Mary was accustomed to her quiet home, and it was difficult for her to travel with her husband and stay in uncomfortable inns. It is unfortunate that Mary was not content just to ignore John’s ministry; she actually opposed it. She gave certain personal letters to his enemies and even made additions to them that made them worse! Once she even pulled her husband around on the floor by his hair! “I felt as though I could have knocked the soul out of her!” one of Wesley’s friends said. Wesley concluded that his unhappy marriage encouraged him to work harder and not complain about missing the comforts of a home. Certainly it encouraged him to be away from home more!

For hardy whalers, no ocean was too wide to cross in pursuit of their mighty prizes. In 1819, more than a dozen ships where launched from Nantucket, all headed for distant Pacific hunting grounds. One, the three-masted Essex, was to suffer a calamity so dramatic that its fate inspired a classic American novel—Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

For months the ship survived the hazards of rounding Cape Horn and taking its prey. But one day a mammoth sperm whale rammed the Essex head-on. Then the leviathan passed under the vessel, turned, and attacked again. The whale hit, as first mate Owen Chase recalled, “with ten-fold fury and vengeance.” The crew abandoned ship, and from their whaleboats watched as the Essex slid into the sea.

According to research conducted by the National Geographic Society, the 40-ton creation of God-the humpback whale-has a fascinating singing ability. Recordings have been made of the humpback whale singing in various pitches in solos, duets, trios, and choruses of dozens of interweaving voices lasting from six to thirty minutes. What an experience it is to hear, over one's own stereo system, songs from the ocean depths-sung by 40-ton whales! The passage of Psa 148:7 comes to mind: "Praise Him down here on earth you creatures of the ocean depths."

Irish novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett received great recognition for his work—but not everyone savored his accomplishments. Beckett's marriage, in fact, was soured by his wife's jealousy of his growing fame and success as a writer. One day in 1969 his wife Suzanne answered the telephone, listened for a moment, spoke briefly, and hung up. She then turned to Beckett and with a stricken look whispered, "What a catastrophe!"

Was it a devastating personal tragedy? No, she had just learned that Beckett had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature!

Irish novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett received great recognition for his work—but not everyone savored his accomplishments. Beckett’s marriage, in fact, was soured by his wife’s jealousy of his growing fame and success as a writer.

One day in 1969 his wife Suzanne answered the telephone, listened for a moment, spoke briefly, and hung up. She then turned to Beckett and with a stricken look whispered, “What a catastrophe!” Was it a devastating personal tragedy? No, she had just learned that Beckett had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature!

In 1986, a group of researchers published a study of Japanese mothers and mothers in Minneapolis. The mothers were asked to rank the most important things that a child needs to succeed academically. The answers tell a lot about the difference in our two cultures today.

The mothers in Minneapolis chose “ability.”

The mothers in Japan said “effort.”

Joe Scriven was a missionary from Ireland to Canada, working among the Iroquois Indians. He was joined by his fiancee who was also from Ireland. Just before the wedding, she was killed in an ice accident. Joe buried her with his own hands, and a broken heart. A year later, in a letter to his mother, he reflected, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Joe was on the road to triumph, even though there were times when the road was rough.

The pastor teaches, though he must solicit his own classes. He heals, though without pills or knife. He is sometimes a lawyer, often a social worker, something of an editor, a bit of a philosopher and entertainer, a salesman, a decorative piece for public functions, and he is supposed to be a scholar. He visits the sick, marries people, buries the dead, labors to console those who sorrow and to admonish those who sin, and tries to stay sweet when chided for not doing his duty. He plans programs, appoints committees when he can get them, spends considerable time in keeping people out of each other’s hair. Between times he prepares a sermon and preaches it on Sunday to those who don’t happen to have any other engagement.

Then on Monday he smiles when some jovial chap roars, “What a job—one day a week!”

I gave you life,

but I cannot live it for you.

I can teach you things

but I cannot make you learn.

I can give you directions

but I cannot always be there to lead you.

I can allow you freedom

but I cannot account for it.

I can take you to church

but I cannot make you believe.

I can teach you right from wrong

but I can’t always decide for you.

I can buy you beautiful clothes

but I cannot make you lovely inside.

I can offer you advice

but I cannot accept it for you.

I can give you love

but I cannot force it upon you.

I can teach you to be a friend

but I cannot make you one.

I can teach you to share

but I cannot make you unselfish.

I can teach you respect

but I can’t force you to show honor.

I can grieve about your report card

but I cannot doubt your teachers.

I can advise you about friends

but I cannot choose them for you.

I can teach you about sex

but I cannot keep you pure.

I can tell you the facts of life

but I can’t build your reputation.

I can tell you about drink

but I can’t say NO for you.

I can warn you about drugs

but I can’t prevent you from using them.

I can tell you about lofty goals,

but I can’t achieve them for you.

can teach you kindness

but I can’t force you to be gracious.

I can warn you about sins

but I cannot make your morals

I can love you as a daughter or son

but I cannot place you in God’s Family.

I can pray for you

but I cannot make you walk with God.

I can teach you about Jesus

but I cannot make HIM your Saviour.

I can teach you to OBEY

but I cannot make Jesus Your Lord.

I can tell you how to live

but I cannot give you Eternal Life.

Finding out that the mess you’re in is fully covered under your insurance policy

Discovering something you bought costing more than you paid for it

Finding something you thought you’d lost before you go out and buy a new one.

Realizing after you’ve locked the keys in the car that you forgot to close a window.

Bill stopped in at Abie’s little general store, looking for a bottle of mustard. The shelves were loaded with salt—bags and bags of salt. Abie said he had some mustard, but that he would have to go down to the cellar to find it. Bill went down with him, and there to his surprise were still more bags of salt. Everywhere he looked he could see salt.

“Say,” said Bill, “you must sell a lot of salt in this store!”

“Nah,” said Abie sourly. “I can’t sell no salt. But that feller who sells me salt—boy, can he sell salt!”