Week Forty-One, 2019

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

We live in a world where satisfaction comes from things, achievements and money. “If only I had X, I would be satisfied.” We strive for material accomplishments to keep up with our neighbors and then they re-finance and the race starts all over again. People strive for certain goals and when they get there somehow it doesn’t seem that great. It was Alexander the Great who by his early thirties conquered all of the then known world and then cried out is despair saying, “Are there no more worlds to conquer. “

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25.”

Achieving the standards of the world simply will bring neither happiness nor satisfaction. Yet Madison Avenue spends millions trying to make people unsatisfied. True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient and to want nothing. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.

There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. Those who are not satisfied with a little will never be with much. We should not spoil what we have by desiring what you don’t have.

There is a difference between needs and wants. The dictionary defines a necessity as “an indispensable thing” – something that everyone needs. There are some things that everyone clearly needs just to survive, such as food, water, shelter, and clothing. If a necessity is something that everybody needs, it seems logical that a luxury must be something that nobody really needs, but many people want.

The saving money can’t buy you happiness also means that it won’t prevent sadness. Some of the wealthiest are some of the saddest people. Affluence alone won’t bring happiness. Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep, a house, but not a home, a companion, but not a friend. True love is not for sale at any price.

The apostle Paul was a man who suffered and went without the comforts of life more than most people could ever imagine. Yet, he knew the secret of contentment: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Yet, people continue to seek after more of the things of this world, never contented with their lot in life. The bumper sticker that reads “He with the most toys wins epitomizes the worlds craving for more.”

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“Be content with such things as you have” means that as believers such should be our trust and confidence in God that we should be satisfied with our condition regardless of our circumstances. For we know assuredly that if we are faithful God will cause all things to work together for our good (Romans 8:28).

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Consider these national statistics: • Only 54 percent of foster children earn a high school diploma. • Only 2 percent earn a bachelor’s degree or higher. • 51 percent of foster care graduates are unemployed. • 84 percent of foster care graduates become parents too soon, exposing their children to a repeated cycle of neglect and abuse. On any given day, there are roughly 450,000 children in foster care. That’s one child per church in America. What are you willing to do about it?

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Anxiety continues to escalate in America, especially among young people. According to recent data, nearly half of college students surveyed “felt overwhelming anxiety over the previous year.” A third “had problems functioning because of depression.”

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True joy transcends circumstances. While happiness is a product of happenings, joy is the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22).

Jesus promised his followers that, after his resurrection, “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). The closer we are to Jesus, the more we will manifest his joy.

The key is to focus more on Christ than on circumstances. It is to live vertically in a horizontal culture, bringing every challenge to Jesus and finding in him the courage and hope he alone provides.

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Because Jesus humbled Himself for us, it is our duty, obligation, and joy to humble ourselves as well. But to adjust ourselves into a radically humble lifestyle to escape the clutches of That Other God, the question we must ask ourselves is this: Have we lived so long worshipping our own egos that we’ve lost our ability—perhaps even our desire—to humble ourselves as Christ did?”

Peter and Jesus

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And, when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Once abolish the God, and the Government becomes the god. G. K. Chestern

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Philippians 2:14–15

The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. Senator Margaret Chase Smith

The Lord answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf course. – Billy Graham

The problem with today’s younger generation is that they believe there is not a power higher than themselves.

Hateful ideas lead to hateful atrocities.

What the world throws away still matters to God.

We do not exist for ourselves alone. Thomas Merton

Sin speaks a dead language.

Lust is when you entertain yourself with what Jesus died to overcome.

Week Thirty-Four, 2019

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 8:21).

I have a confession. I like country music. I like the style combining the folk music of the Southeast and cowboy music of the West. I like the vocalized, simple in form and harmony music typified by romantic or melancholy ballads accompanied by acoustic or electric guitar, banjo and violin. It is always playing in my truck.

Recently I was listening to the words and was struck by the themes of one losing their truck, their dog and their girlfriend, often in a bar. Suddenly it hit me. I didn’t need to be filling my brain by those types of messages. Perhaps there is the same style of music with a better message. So, I went searching and found similar music with a Christian message.

The next day there was a little brown truck in my driveway delivering my new CD’s. I loaded them in my truck and have been enjoying them ever since. But here is the payoff. As I enjoyed the music, I found that my attitude changed for the good.

Recent studies suggest we get a very strong impression about someone when we ask them what music they like. Our music can become a badge of identity. All believers need to be careful about what they listen to. While our focus may not be paying attention, our brain hears and absorbs the lyrics.

Words are powerful and can influence us to pursue good things, give hope and spark inspiration. Or they can also cause us to pursue what is wrong, break our hopes, and cause us to lose our motivation to reach great heights. We can become what we listen to most.

If we aren’t very careful, we could end up being swayed and influenced by the words of the music around us. Proverbs 18:21 tells us “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Listening to the wrong things can be very dangerous to us. What we listen to affects what we meditate on. What we listen to or regularly hear tends to stick in our minds. Listening to the wrong words – whether sung or spoken – makes it harder for us to do what Philippians 4:8 tells us:

“Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things.”

What we listen to influences us and fills our hearts and minds, and then eventually influences our choices. When a Godly person keeps hearing nothing but ungodly and wicked things, sooner or later that person becomes influenced. His faith can be negatively affected in many different ways: convictions get challenged, ideas become contaminated, purity is compromised, and decisions are influenced. What we listen to either help us grow in our faith or destroy it.

If we soak ourselves in condemning words and keep listening to lies and divisive arguments, we will end up having a shipwrecked faith.

What are you listening to?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

You’ve probably never heard of Ryan Hrelgac from Kemptville, Ontario, Canada. But he’s an incredible young man.

When Ryan was only 6 years old, he learned in school of children in African villages who didn’t have access to clean drinking water. So, he began raising money to help by doing household chores. In a period of 4 months, he raised $70.

Encouraged by his attitude and actions, others began to join Ryan and during the next 12 months, he raised $2,000. Within two years Ryan had raised $61,000.

Today, Ryan is 28, and is responsible for the foundation, Ryan’s Well, which has raised millions of dollars and completed over 1500 water projects in 17 countries, bringing safe water and sanitation to over 1 million people.

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Fifty years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin separated the lunar landing craft from the Apollo command module. As they moved toward the moon, astronaut Michael Collins stayed behind. He was 250,000 miles from earth.

While Armstrong and Aldrin received much of the attention for their magnificent feat, their journey to the moon and back would have been impossible without Collins. He piloted the command module through maneuvers that detached it from the third stage of the rocket carrying them into space. He then pivoted the module and steered it as it docked with the lunar landing vehicle.

When the lunar module returned from the moon, Collins directed the command module to reacquire it, enabling Armstrong and Aldrin to reenter the craft they would ride for the journey home. Without Michael Collins there would be no lunar mission to celebrate.

Meanwhile, look at the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It turns out, the firefighters who saved the cathedral did so at great risk to themselves. According to the Paris mayor, “It was clear that some firefighters were going to go into the cathedral without knowing if they would come back out.” The iconic landmark is now being rebuilt and will be a lasting tribute to their sacrificial courage. Though most of us do not know the names of the firefighters who risked their lives to save Notre Dame, we stand in their debt.

The great conductor Leonard Bernstein said: “I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm. And yet, if no one plays second fiddle, we have no harmony.” – Leonard Bernstein

Remember it is the back-up people who make those up front achieve.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Scars are the evidence that wounds can heal and don’t last forever and that healing is possible. —Lecrae Moore

The solution to each problem that confronts us begins with an individual who steps forward and who says, “I can help.” —George H. W. Bush

The growth of the Kingdom has blessed the world. Those trusting in Jesus and following His Word can be found in every corner of the world. Emerson once said that the impact of Jesus upon mankind was “…not so much written as plowed into history.”

If our relationship with God is based primarily on the relationship with our favorite pastor, speaker, or teacher, then it’s eventually going to lead to trouble. —Ryan Denison

Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. —Francis Chan, Crazy Love

Discipleship demands my heart. My life. My all. —Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

To surrender is our heart admitting our weakness. To accept is our ego demanding the illusion of still being in charge.

Ability to resist temptation is directly proportionate to your submission to God.

The New Testament church was birthed in a cultural and political cesspool. There were no family values. Sexual perversion was normative, human life cheap, and justice nonexistent for anyone except the rich and powerful…. Yet none of the New Testament letters say anything about what we could call culture warfare. And the passages that deal with spiritual warfare are always framed in the context of personal spirituality and righteousness. —Larry Osborne

Week Thirty-Eight, 2019

PRESSING “UNDO”

“If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position, for a calm response can undo great offenses” (Ecclesiastes 10:4).

Many items of computer software have an “undo” button. It allows us to erase forever your most recent action and redo it the way you first intended or should have attended. It allows you to dismiss mistakes and proceed as if nothing wrong had happened. It also allows you to restore something you mistakenly deleted. It is so easy.

Real life is so much more difficult. You can’t un-cook an apple or take back and forever erase words you have said and things you have done. We all make wrong decisions at some point in our lives. What’s worse is that no matter how much we repent and ask God for His forgiveness, what’s done is done and cannot be undone. While God in Heaven will forgive us, the consequences on earth are still there.

Many of us feel condemned by what we have done. We fail to understand when God forgives our sins, He also forgets them. He never condemns us for something He has already forgiven.

What many of us do not understand, however, is the fact that while God’s forgiveness erases our offenses from His sight, we still have to face the consequences of our wrong decisions. Life is not as easy as a computer program.

When we have done or said or written the wrong thing, we need to do what we can to right the wrong. Often is not easy and something the world says is unnecessary, but the Bible teaches us it is. So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17

One thing I learned as a pilot is that I should always be looking for a place to land. Life is like that. Whenever we make mistakes, we should always be looking for how to right our wrongs as best we can. Sometimes it is embarrassing. Sometimes it is expensive, but it is always the right thing to do.

We go through life making mistakes, some accidental and some foolishly intended. I have done my share and so have you. To err is human; to forgive, divine. (Alexander Pope 1711). The key is how we follow up. Young sailors are taught how to ride out a storm by heading into the wind, not from it. Don’t run from your mistakes; confront them head on. Try to undo as best you can.

As you ask forgiveness of others, ask forgiveness also of God, the ultimate forgiver. We do not earn our forgiveness. We do not pay for our own forgiveness. Jesus died for it before we ever committed a wrong. Unlike our forgiveness of others, He blots it out forever. God’s love can never be taken away from you, ever – Romans 8:37-39

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Public trust in government today stands at 17 percent. Trust in the church and organized religion has fallen as well. From 1973 to 1985, American confidence in organized religion was at 60 percent, higher than confidence in any other institution. Today, only 38 percent of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the church or organized religion.

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We must never forget that the world is watching how we treat each other—and what they see can be far more powerful than what we teach. As it is, it’s no surprise that Christians do a less-than-stellar job when it comes to our attitudes toward each other and the world. It’s that kind of criticism that prompted Gandhi’s famous quote: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” And his follow-up: “If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.”

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Let’s start by dumping the idea that “it’s all about me.” That belief alone will dramatically change our perspective on living the Christian life. Instead of being so “inward” thinking, it’s time to get “outward” in our thinking. Here’s a good scale to measure our progress: How many times do we say “I” or “me” in our prayers?

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Three truths Christians should remember:

1. The loudest voices don’t represent all voices.

2. Don’t shout back. Listen.

3. God’s Word stands strong.

Jesus and disciples

“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked Peter. His response was immediate. Direct. Unequivocal. And divinely inspired. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:15-16).

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:13

A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.—Author and Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Christians are losing the battle for our culture because we would rather skip the training. We’d rather pursue our dreams than do the hard work. Phil Cook

What if we took Christianity as seriously as Navy SEALS take their training?

A tree that falls in a storm usually isn’t felled by the outside force of the wind. It falls because it’s already rotten on the inside. The same is true of Christians.

Nothing can destroy Christianity if we live like Christians.—A. W. Tozer, Culture

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it emotionally. Novelist Flannery O’Connor

You are called to a mission! Not just to bask in his glory on the mountaintop, but to share his message with a lost and dying world. Pastor Jack Graham

No one who has ever bowed before the burning bush can thereafter speak lightly of God. A. W. Tozer

In whatever way God is calling you to be a culture-changing Christian, know that the culture will likely resist. Those who hate our Father will hate his children. Jesus warned us: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Jim Denison

A person can be removed from slavery in an instant, but it takes a lifetime for slavery to be removed from a person.” Lecrae Moore

Week Thirty-Seven, 2019

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fool despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:1-7).

Microsoft is investing $1-billion in Open AI, a partnership intent on creating artificial intelligence that rivals the human brain. Artificial intelligence as it currently exists involves training machines to solve specific problems or perform particular tasks, like filter spam emails or predict an earthquake. The Microsoft and Open AI collaboration will zero in on artificial general intelligence: machines capable of learning and operating just as well as, or even better than, a human.

Should AGI became a reality, it could be used to tackle humanity’s greatest ills. “We want AGI to work with people to solve currently intractable multi-disciplinary problems, including global challenges such as climate change, affordable and high-quality healthcare, and personalized education” Open AI wrote in a blog post announcing the partnership. “We think its impact should be to give everyone economic freedom to pursue what they find most fulfilling, creating new opportunities for all of our lives that are unimaginable today.”

Because AI will affect so many areas of life, Christians need to be prepared to maximize the benefits of such technology, take the lead on the question of machine morality, and help to limit and eliminate the possible dangers.

Spiritually, we understand our own limits because, being creations of God (Genesis 1:27), we can’t outdo God’s creative power (Isaiah 55:8–9). Also, God’s depiction of the future does not seem to include any kind of technological singularity (see the book of Revelation).

AI might be able to perform certain, limited tasks better than a person can, but there is no logical, philosophical, or biblical reason to think it can be “better” in a meaningful sense. AI might emulate the patterns human beings use when we think, but it can never replace the prowess, dexterity, and creativity of the human mind.

God is still the master creator of intelligence and it is real, not artificial.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society. When you have an immoral society that has blatantly, proudly, violated all of the commandments of God, there is one last virtue they insist upon: tolerance for their immorality. D. James Kennedy

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In North Korea possession of a Bible is a capital offense and that regime officials have pledged to “wipe out the seed of Christian reactionaries.”

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A stunning 83% of the world’s population lives in nations where religious freedom is threatened or even banned.” Mike Pence

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The technology that enabled Apollo 11 to travel to the moon and back was remarkably effective and sophisticated for its day, but its computational capacity pales in comparison with the smartphone in your pocket.

— o —

Currently, the average American household carries $137,063 in debt, but only makes $59,039 in income per year. Debt to income ratio is an important measure of how people are handling their money. It’s not the only measurement, but it can tell us a lot.

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77% of all Americans support Roe V. Wade

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Pastor Kelly Knouse on Servanthood:

• Servanthood Begins with Attitudes Before Actions

• Servanthood Focuses on People Before Programs

• Servanthood Elevates the Mission Before Myself

— o —

Netflix Sees Historic Subscriber Drop, Loses 126,000 Customers After Threatening to Boycott Pro-Life Georgia

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How courageous will you be for Christ today?

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

A New Planner Won’t Change Your Life.

Every other religious faith wants to escape the world, but Jesus wants us to renew the world. That must start with a renewal of ourselves. Phil Cook

My husband said he needed space, so I locked him outside. Anonymous wife

We were fixed by Jesus to be fixers of others. Fixed people fix others. Mondonico Williams

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Jim Denison

The greatest mission field in North America is in the public school classroom. Kelley Knouse

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