Lessons from The Bible

Proverbs 30:10 (NLT)

10 Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.

Most of proverbs was written by King Solomon, but chapter 30 is different in that it is penned by "Agur Ben Jakeh.’’ These are divinely inspired verses kept on record. In verse 10 there is a warning given against slander towards a worker; for the person slandered may point out the wrong and it will be held against the slanderer.

The Bible is an amazing book. It contains life stories many of us can relate to. I relate to the verse above because I have seen others slander a person in an office and then the slanderer was disciplined for their harmful words. The verse in Proverbs is just one piece of wisdom we can draw from The Bible.

The Bible also documents the lives of people, such as King David. We know David loved God and God loved David.  However, David did not live a perfect life.  Even though David desired to keep God’s commandments, he failed at times. Through the life of David we can see God’s love, mercy and grace towards him. God offers the same love, mercy and grace to us.

There are illustrations of dysfunctional families in The Bible. Abraham who had a strong faith in God often feared someone would kill him over his wife Sarah, because he believed her to be a beautiful woman. So there were times Abraham would say that Sarah was his sister as a means of trying to protect himself instead of trusting God.

Isaac is where we see the family dysfunction come into play. God had told Abraham’s son Isaac to go and live in Egypt. It is at this point we encounter these verses in Genesis 26:6-7, “So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.””  What is Isaac doing, the same dysfunctional thing his father did. He didn’t trust enough in God to protect him so he told a lie concerning his wife. A legacy passed on to him by his father.

Yes, The Bible holds many good illustrations about life. Take time to read God’s word and see what lessons you can learn.

When a need arises

Psalm 119:93 (NKJV)
93 I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life.

The psalmist says he will never forget the commands and principles given to him by God; for those commands and principles are what allowed his existence to continue.

 

 

In our electronic world of today people are very familiar with search engines that find information on the internet almost instantaneously. The word Google has become a part of everyday life - If you don’t know something, Google it.

I have a co-worker who was in Boy Scouts as a youth. He memorized and learned many things making his way to become an Eagle Scout. He still carries with him many of the things he learned. A lot of them dealt with life, being ready and the ability to survive.

What if you found yourself alone on a deserted island, would you rather have survival knowledge in your mind or on the laptop you brought with you. You probably have maybe at most 4 hours to retrieve all the information you need off your laptop before the battery dies and then what do you do? If you haven’t memorized and learned some skills your stay on the island is going to be very difficult.

The electronic Bibles of today are nice in that they are compact, can contain many versions of The Bible, and can even search for keywords. However, if we don’t commit what we read to the mind and a moment comes that we need a Bible verse for comfort or hope - that will be the exact moment our electronic Bible is somewhere else.

The psalmist said, “I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life.” Let’s commit God’s word to our memories that we will have an answer when the need arises.

Jesus Christ - a love so great

Ephesians 3:14-19 (NKJV)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Above is the apostle’s prayer to God on behalf of the Ephesians who Paul loved. The prayer is to the Father who is in Christ - just as Christ is in the Father – just as we are in Christ and Christ is in us. We see from the words his posture that he bows kneeled before The Lord. Then he makes his request to the Father that the Ephesian’s who are in Christ would be strengthen, that through their faith Christ would be close to them, and that they might know the heights, the widths, and the depths of the Love Jesus Christ.

 

 

Billy Graham loves The Lord and has been a personal witness for Jesus Christ all around the world. Billy is currently 94 and has several health issues, but he wants to finish well by providing one last message to a country close to his heart – America.

My Hope America with Billy Graham is a nationwide effort to reach people across the United States with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Following a simple biblical model, My Hope America with Billy Graham combines the impact of video programs with the power of personal relationships. Under the guidance of their local pastors, Christians across America will open their homes this November to share the Gospel message with friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors using one of several new evangelistic programs featuring life-changing testimonies & powerful messages from Billy Graham. [http://myhopewithbillygraham.org/what-is-my-hope/?]

Just as the Apostle Paul loved the Ephesians, Billy Graham loves America, the country he considers home.  Yet it is a temporary home - for Billy knows his permanent home is in heaven. Billy has preached in America, just as he has preached in so many other places across the world. Billy Graham wants people to know the great love of Jesus Christ – a love so great that it is hard to comprehend.  Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross so all could be free from the bonds of sin. When a man gives his life for another that is a friend who loves greater than we can understand.

Let us be in prayer for Dr. Graham that his message will have a great impact upon all who hear him.

 

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

 

Strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus

2 Timothy 2:1 (NKJV)

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul writes to his friend Timothy to be persistent and consistent in his work for The Lord. In order to do the work ahead, Timothy must remain strong in Christ, accepting the grace Christ Jesus has given him through his faith. As we face trials and tribulations we need to grow stronger in our faith and that which is good. Our resolution must be to take the grace we are given and use it to love God and Jesus Christ even more.

St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople and Church Father (349–407) once said, “We must not mind insulting men, if by respecting them we offend God.” 

In our society we often think that stating our belief against sin is either not politically correct or that it is a sin itself. Jesus was often confronted by religious groups and He was never hesitant to confront the issues brought to Him. Sometimes Christ insulted the religious leaders around Him. Jesus stood firm on God’s principles and His first loyalty was to God.

The Bible teaches us that we are to pray for others and we are to lead others to Christ. Obviously we cannot be hateful in our methods or we will lose the opportunities to speak to others about Christ. The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:15-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Not through hate, but through love we are to learn about God and Christ, check our own ways, correct our own faults, and then instruct others in what is right. We must put God first and stand in His grace if by chance we insult others, we stood firm for God.

In everything we do be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. For Christ, being perfect, never hesitated to point out one’s sin, but Christ also offered love, mercy and grace. Ensure you that when you stand up for God you speak in His truth, His mercy, His grace, and His love for others. Remember the words of the Apostle James, “let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Discretion in the affairs of life

Psalm 112:5 (NKJV)
5 A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion.

This versus tells us that if one is to increase their estate they will use prudence in their decisions. It is not through a miracle, but from the wisdom God imparts unto us that correct judgments are made concerning the affairs of life. It is this discretion and wisdom that allows us to gain in prosperity, to save for times ahead. A person may be charitable, but again it is done with discretion that his own funds are put to use wisely.

 

 

I once worked in a downtown area. It was common to be walking down the street and a homeless person walk up and ask for money because they were hungry. Instead of immediately saying no, I would ask a question – Would you allow me to buy you a meal? It was a test I used to see if the person really was hungry. For I wanted to help those truly in need, but I didn’t want to give my hard earned money to someone looking for a way to buy alcohol or drugs.

Most of the time when I would ask a person the question they would say they really needed the money. These people failed the test and I would say “I’m sorry. I would be glad to buy you something to eat, but I don’t have money to give away.”

One day I walked outside for lunch and it was a very cold day. A man standing outside our office building shouted the familiar words, “Hey man, can you help me out with some money?  I’m hungry.” I looked at the man and returned his question with my question, “Would you allow me to buy you a meal.” His immediate response was, “Yes!” I pointed to several restaurants in area and said, “Which one would you like to go to eat.” He quickly responded, “The Duck Inn, they have a wing special.” He was actually trying to be conservative in his request and had already thought about his plans to eat.

I took the man to the restaurant and at first he didn’t want to go in. He was afraid his appearance would get him kicked out. I told him, “I’m with and you look ok to me. Let’s go in, get you some food you can eat, and sit where you can be warm.” The man followed me in, placed his order and I paid for his meal. I then asked the cashier if the man could sit peacefully and eat and even get a refill of coffee so he could be warm for a bit and the response was - that would not be a problem.

 

We need to remember to use discretion in the affairs of our life. We need to be responsible with our resourses we can help others who truly need help.

 

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” Mother Teresa

A miracle IN CHRIST

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Apostle here tells us that what sin bought man was death. For in the Garden of Eden were two trees, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and tree of life. God had forbidden man to take of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but man did as he desired and took Adam and Eve took of the fruit. The cost for them was they could no longer partake of the tree of life; for to have taken from the tree of life after taking from the tree of knowledge of good and evil would have meant living an eternity in sin. So God removed Adam and Eve from the garden to protect them and placed an angel with a flaming sword near the tree so they could never return. The future consequence of their sin was death.  However in Christ Jesus we find eternal life in heaven when we place our faith and trust in Him.

 

 

He fell 47 stories, breaking his ribs and right arm, shattering both legs and injuring his spine. He needed 24 units of blood, had a catheter inserted into his brain and underwent at least 14 operations in the 28 days since his Dec. 7 [2007] plunge. He was in a coma for weeks after the horrifying 500-foot fall that killed his brother, but window washer Alcides Moreno is awake, talking and likely to walk again, his doctors said Thursday.  "If you're a believer in miracles, this would be one," said Dr. Philip Barie, chief of critical care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.

[excerpt -Source:  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/window-washer-fell-47-floors-walk-stunned-doctor-article-1.339493#ixzz2ZrkKlTDc]

 

Adam and Eve fell from their grace in God to a place of sin, death and judgment. They had been walking as the image of God, sinless in their nature, but they fell into the deep trap of sin. Fortunately if you believe in Christ and have your faith and trust in Christ there is another miracle we can believe in. For The Bible tells us in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Romans 8:1 states, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:22 tells us, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” What a miracle we can have in Christ!

In Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NKJV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

The apostle says, “if anyone is in Christ” – in the time of the apostle those who had placed their faith in Christ were not known as Christians, but instead were known as those who were ‘in Christ”. For in Christ they were to continue His work reconciling others.

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary indicates that when we reconcile a person to someone we are “to restore to friendship or harmony’ to that person. Those who are “in Christ” have the ministry of restoring others friendship and harmony with God through faith in Christ who Himself is in God.

If we are in Christ through faith then we too are in God through faith in Christ.  It is in Christ that we have a relationship to God – for we have become heirs with Christ as adopted children to the kingdom of God.

A review by Bill White of Paramount California says, “The movie The End of the Spear tells the true story of five missionaries who gave their lives to reach the violent Waodoni tribe in the jungles of Ecuador in the 1950s. Led by Nate Saint, the missionaries were eager to reach the Waodoni people before they all died off from their intertribal warfare and vicious revenge killings.

As Nate prepares for his adventure, his family gathers around him on the dirt airstrip in front of their house. As he kisses his wife goodbye, his son, Steve, looks at the gear in the plane and notices a rifle. Obviously worried, he turns to his father and asks, "If the Waodoni attack, will you use your guns? Will you defend yourselves?"

Nate looks his boy dead in the eye and responds, "Son, we can't shoot the Waodoni. They're not ready for heaven. We are."

[End of the Spear (Every Tribe Entertainment, 2006), directed by Jim Hanon, written by Bill Ewing and Bart Gavigan]

The 5 missionaries had a mission and a purpose and died for that purpose. Their hope was to reconcile the Waodoni people to God before they killed themselves off or they were killed by others. Their hope was to lead the Waodoni to Christ that they may know God through Christ and in Christ. They knew they could be sacrificing their lives for Christ because they were prepared to die and Waodoni were not.

In Christ we have a purpose to reconcile others to Him no matter where our journeys may take us!

These missionaries gave their lives, but through them an incredible purpose unfolded. For the families of those who were slain took up where they had left off and brought the Waodoni to BE IN CHRIST.

God makes us strong

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

The verse above is one of encouragement and hope for the Israelites. For God tells them not to fear or be dismayed for He is with them, will strengthen them, help them and support them with His own hand.

 

 

There are people who seem to running on empty in their lives. They are overwhelmed by everyday life and just don’t quite seem to have the strength to carry on. God reminds us and gives us hope in His Word that He will strengthen and help us in our times of need. David wrote in Psalm 118:14, “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

We also need to remember that while God strengthens us - Satan tries to weaken us. The Apostle Peter wrote saying, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The prophet Amos wrote: Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall be all around the land; He shall sap your strength from you, And your palaces shall be plundered.”

God keeps His promises and will provide us strength as we stay close to God. God’s word tells us that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. So remember to stay close to God so you can draw strength from God when you are weak. For in turning our weakness over to God we are made strong.

When I learn your righteous judgments

Psalm 119:7 (NKJV)
7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.

Psalm 119 is longer than most other Psalms and is a collection of David’s thoughts towards God. Here we find that David’s desire is to know God’s righteous judgments by having a close fellowship with God. As he press forward to learn, David said he would praise God for the righteous brought into his own life by what God has taught him.

 

 

In late 2012 seventy-five year old Marion Shurtleff purchased a Bible in a used book store near her home in San Clemente, California. After making her purchase and returning home, she discovered a couple of folded pages tucked in the middle of the Bible.

The contents of the yellowed notebook sheets contained a child's handwriting that looked familiar. To her amazement, Shurtleff discovered her name at the top of the first page. When she looked closer she realized that she was actually reading a four-page essay she had written as a ten-year-old to earn a merit badge for the Girls Scouts in Covington, Kentucky—more than 2,000 miles from where she had just purchased the Bible.

By her own account, Shurtleff was deeply moved. "I opened the Bible and there was my name," Shurtleff said in a phone interview from her home. "I recognized my handwriting. I was shaking, literally. I was crying."

Although it remains a mystery how the essay ended up in a Bible in a used bookstore half way across the country, one thing is certain. When we look deeply into God's Word we see evidences of our lives, too. In the pages of Scripture we see individuals just like us—people who pursue faith and hope in God, people who also battle depression, doubt, lust, and pride. As we read the biblical stories about Abraham, Ruth, David, Mary, and Peter we also recognize our own life story.

[Greg Asimakoupoulos, Mercer Island, Washington; source: Brian Mains, "Marion Shurtleff makes amazing discovery in used Bible, finds childhood essay she wrote 65 years ago," WCPO Digital (5-28-13)]

 

 

Often as I am reading The Bible I will find myself relating to the person I am reading about. There were so many people in The Bible that went through so many difficult situations, heartache, joy, excitement and many other emotions. As you read you can feel yourself drawn towards God to learn what He desires for your life.

Hopefully you are taking time to learn about God’s desires for your life. One desire is that you know His Son Jesus Christ in a close and intimate way. Because Christ was both God and Man; Christ knows our struggles and desires to help up through each one of them. Do you know Christ? If so you know how to live a righteous life for Christ is leading you to that life.

The Strength of Christ in Us

Colossians 2:9-10 (NKJV)
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary states, “Under the law, the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim, in a cloud which covered the mercy-seat; but now it dwells in the person of our Redeemer, who partakes of our nature, and is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, and has more clearly declared the Father to us.” People believed the Mosaic Law was given to make the complete in righteousness if they could keep all the laws, although they could not. Yet in Christ we are made complete and our sins are reconciled thru Christ with The Father.

 

 

On October 19, 2010, a test was conducted at the Institute for Business and Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina. Researchers constructed two 1,300-square-foot houses inside a $40 million laboratory and then observed how a simulated hurricane would impact the homes.

The first home was built according to conventional standards. The second home included reinforcement straps that connected every level of the building, from the foundation all the way to the roof. Then the researchers turned on giant fans, creating gusts of wind up to 110 miles per hour (equal to a category 3 hurricane). In the first two experiments, which lasted under ten minutes, both homes survived the intense winds. But when they tried a third experiment, turning on the fans for more than ten minutes, the conventional home began to shake and then collapsed. In contrast, the home with the floors and roof reinforced to the foundation sustained only cosmetic damage.

Tim Reingold, an engineer working on the experiment, summarized the results with a pointed question: "The bottom line you have to ask yourself is, which house would you rather be living in?"

 

So I ask would you rather be living by the law that always seems to fall apart in your life or would you rather have Christ living in you who anchors you firmly in your faith that even when you are weak -- Christ will hold you firm?

Listening to The Father's voice

Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Jesus after fasting for 40 days was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread. Jesus gave the reply above. Matthew Henry writes:  This is observable, that Christ answered and baffled all the temptations of Satan with, It is written. He is himself the eternal Word, and could have produced the mind of God without having recourse to the writings of Moses; but he put honour upon the scripture, and, to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the law; and he says this to Satan, taking it for granted that he knew well enough what was written. It is possible that those who are the Devil’s children may yet know very well what is written in God’s book; The devils believe and tremble. This method we must take when at any time we are tempted to sin; resist and repel the temptation with, It is written. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, the only offensive weapon in all the Christian armoury (Eph. 6:17); and we may say of it as David of Goliath’s sword, None is like that in our spiritual conflicts.

 

 

In June of 1992, Jim Davidson and Mike Price climbed Mt. Ranier. On the way down from the summit, the two climbers fell 80 feet through a snow bridge into a glacial crevasse, a pitch-black, ice-walled crack in the massive glaciers that cover Mt. Ranier. Mike Price died.

In his book The Ledge, Jim Davidson tells the story of his miraculous survival and courageous climb out of the crevasse. Throughout the book, Jim reflects back to his childhood and young adult years, describing his relationship with his father.

As early as Jim can remember, his father had shown what some considered an almost reckless confidence in his son. Jim worked for his father painting high, steep-pitched roofs and electrical towers as early as age 12. The work terrified his mother, but Jim's father kept communicating his belief that Jim could accomplish great things if he pressed through adversity and kept going.

As Jim stood, bloodied and bruised, on the two-foot wide snow ledge next to the body of his climbing partner, he heard the voice of his father. The years of inspiration that Jim's father had invested in him flooded back into his mind and washed over him with encouragement.

With minimal gear and no experience in ice climbing at that level, Jim spent the next five hours climbing out, battling fatigue and the crumbling ice and snow that threatened to bury him. Throughout his ordeal, Jim kept recalling the words of his father. Five grueling hours later, thanks to his father's words, Jim climbed out of the crevasse to safety. [Jim Davidson, The Ledge: An Adventure Story of Friendship and Survival on Mount Rainier (Random House Publishing, 2011)]

 

 

While Jim was encouraged by his father’s words to survive, Jesus was also encouraged by His Father’s words to endure temptation. This is why reading The Bible and having a relationship with God and Christ is so important. For when we find ourselves in difficult situations, Our Heavenly Father calls out to us, reminding us of His love for us, His wisdom and His promises. Take time to read God’s word written in The Bible and let Christ walk with you in fellowship for He has faced all the temptations and understands what we struggle with.

Christ - Making us strong when we are weak

1 Peter 5:10-11 (NLT)
10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen.

From the commentary of Matthew Henry:  The apostle begins with a most weighty prayer, which he addresses to God as the God of all grace, the author and finisher of every heavenly gift and quality, acknowledging, on their behalf, that God had already called them to be partakers of that eternal glory, which, being his own, he had promised and settled upon them, through the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ. Observe, What he prays for on their account; not that they might be excused from sufferings, but that their sufferings might be moderate and short, and, after they had suffered awhile, that God would restore them to a settled and peaceable condition, and perfect his work in them—that he would establish them against wavering, either in faith or duty, that he would strengthen those who were weak, and settle them upon Christ the foundation, so firmly that their union with him might be indissoluble and everlasting.

 

 

All of us will suffer at times over the course of our life. King David in his psalms often wrote of the suffering he was enduring. However, David always came back to the fact that God would be his redeemer and comforter no matter what happened. David knew whether in life or death God would bring him comfort from his suffering. It is our relationship with God and Christ that is the answer to suffering. Sure we may be able to find our way out of a painful situation, but there can be self-condemnation, fear, loneliness, anxiety and depression that walk along with us in our suffering. This is why a relationship with Christ is so important. The Apostle Paul wrote of his suffering and constantly being tormented by Satan. Paul said, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Then he went on to say, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

We need to let go of our fears and trust Christ for the resolution to our problems. The resolutions may not always work out the way we desire, but they work out to fulfill God’s plan of making us stronger in life.

My wife and I had a dear Christian friend who recently passed away at age 57. Earlier in her life her teenage son was killed in a car accident as he went to buy her a Christmas present. She mourned his loss and suffered greatly over it, but God gave her strength to go one. She later divorced her physically abusive husband after her son’s death. She lived with her daughter and granddaughter and had an illness the doctors could not find. Before she passed away she told my wife, “Because of Christ at least I know I will either wake up with my son in heaven or with my daughter and granddaughter here on earth.”  Even in her suffering Christ had given her comfort.

 

So the answer to our suffering is a relationship with Christ - A relationship where we can talk to Him about our problems and allow Him to work in us to make us strong when we are weak.

Less Talk and More Care to What is Said

Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)
19 Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.

A straight forward proverb that when one talks too much without thought to their words sinful thoughts can easily slip out. It is therefore the wise man that keeps his mouth bridled, keeps him in check, and suppresses what thoughts he may have that inspire sin.

 

 

An article, “Angry Wife Gets Revenge on eBay, published June 22, 2005 by www.foxnews.com discusses the British Radio Shock Jock Tim Shaw who often said many appalling things.

Tim shaw was doing his usual 10 p.m.-to-1 a.m. shift at Birmingham-based Kerrang! 105.2 FM when he told pin-up girl Jodie Marsh on air that he'd be willing to leave his wife and two kids for her.

Unfortunately, his long-suffering wife was listening — and quickly put up his Lotus Esprit Turbo sports car for sale on eBay.

"I need to get rid of this car immediately — ideally in the next 2-3 hours before my cheating [jerk] husband gets home to find it gone and all his belongings in the street," Hayley Shaw wrote on the eBay description page, which as of Wednesday afternoon was still up.

"I am the registered owner and I have the log book. Please only buy if you can pick up tonight," she added.

The auction lasted exactly five minutes and three seconds. The car, estimated to be worth $45,000, sold for 50 pence (90 cents) and was soon driven away by a buyer who wishes to remain anonymous.

"I am sick of him disrespecting this family for the sake of his act," Hayley Shaw told a Birmingham newspaper. "The car is his pride and joy, but the idiot put my name on the log book [registration], so I just sold it. I didn't care about the money. I just wanted to get him back."  

 

 

The Bible warns us of the danger of being careless with our words and continuing to speak when we should stop. When we let the words of our mouth get out of control, the consequences can harm everyone around us and have devastating consequences on us as well.

 

Four days after the car was sold, the anonymous buyer left short, simple feedback on Mrs. Shaw’s eBay account:  “Thank you, Hayley, the car is excellent. Thank your hubby for me.”

The words of God

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Apostle Paul writing to his beloved friend Timothy tells him that the Bible is inspired by God. In the Greek ”inspired by God” can literally mean “God breathed”. Man may have written the words, but the words were spoken through them by God. Then the apostle goes on to give us the purpose of the scriptures; they are for knowing our beliefs, for learning what to disapprove of, for correction of waywardness, and to learn what is righteous.

 

 

Karen Bota of the Sentinel Standard on 04/15/2013 wrote an article "Judge imposes fine on self for cell phone mishap”. Here is the article:  A Michigan judge handed down an unusual ruling. Judge Raymond Voet has a clearly posted policy in his courtroom that electronic devices causing a disturbance during court sessions will result in the owner being cited with contempt of court. He usually imposes a fine of $25 on top of that.

But on a Friday afternoon in April 2013 he enforced that policy on himself.  During the prosecutor's closing argument, the judge's new smartphone, which was in his shirt pocket, loudly requested that Voet give the phone voice commands for voice dialing.

Voet said, "I'm guessing I bumped it. It started talking really loud, saying 'I can't understand you.' My face got as red as a beet." Voet tried to turn it off, but the phone kept talking and creating a disturbance.

Voet added, "I set the bar high, because cell phones are a distraction and there is very serious business going on. The courtroom is a special place in the community, and it needs more respect than that. I tow a tough line, and I got to back it up this afternoon."

At the next recess, Voet held himself in contempt of court, fined himself $25. Later on, Voet said, "Judges are humans. They're not above the rules. I broke the rule and I have to live by it." Voet paid the fine immediately.

 

 

So often we are ready to point out the sins of others, but we first need to be willing to take a hard look at ourselves. The Bible tells us, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We need to apply God’s word to our own lives first and examine our faults and our shortcomings. We need to teach ourselves what is right and what is wrong before we even attempt to try to tell others. For Jesus said, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” In other words, your issues are usually bigger than what you perceive your friends to be.

Praises to God

Psalm 138:1-3 [NLT)
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods. 2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. 3 As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.

In this Psalm David reflects back on God with thankfulness upon the experiences he had of God’s goodness to him. David not only gives thanks to God, but praises God above all other gods’ man created and the tales man created to go with them. For David knows God is the one and only true God, the creator of the universe and creator of man. David praises God for his unfailing love and that God’s promises always come true because of God’s honor. David expresses that as soon as he prays an answer starts to unfold and in the interim God provides him strength to see him through to the answer is revealed.

 

 

It is fitting and right to sing of you, to praise you, to thank you, to adore you in all places of your dominion. For you are the ineffable God, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, existing forever and yet ever the same, you and your only-begotten Son and your Holy Spirit. You brought us into being out of nothingness, and when we had fallen, you raised us up again. You have not ceased doing everything to lead us to heaven and to bestow upon us your future kingdom. For all this do we thank you and your only-begotten Son and your Holy Spirit - for all the benefits of which we know and those of which we are ignorant, for those that are manifest to us and those that lie concealed.

We thank you also for this sacrifice, which you are pleased to receive from our hands, even though there stand before you thousands of archangels and myriads of angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged and many-eyed, borne aloft on their wings who sing, proclaim, cry out, and chant the triumphal hymn:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts! Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!  [John Chrysostom, Christian History, no. 44.]

 

All the hosts of heaven cry out praises to God, yet God hears our praise and is pleased with us. God takes pleasure in us and finds us precious in His sight. God loves us more than we can imagine and is always waiting to respond to our prayers and God provides us strength to see us through whatever His response might be.

Finding joy and peace

Isaiah 12:1-3 (NIV)
12 In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

The anger of God is much different than man in that God’s anger is righteous, slow to take place and shows displeasure over sin. The people here are praising God; for in their repentance God has once again comforted them from the sin that ensnared them. God is salvation and from His salvation we can trust God and not be afraid; for God lifts us up when we are weak and defends us when we are in need. It is in His salvation provided through Jesus Christ that we can find joy, rest and peace.

 

 

Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, reflected on his visit to a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti nearly a year after the devastating earthquake. The church's building consisted of a tent made from white tarps and duct tape, pitched in the midst of a sprawling camp for thousands of people still homeless from the earthquake. This is how he describes the church and the lesson he learned in Haiti:

In the front row sat six amputees ranging in age from 6 to 60. They were clapping and smiling as they sang song after song and lifted their prayers to God. The worship was full of hope … [and] with thanksgiving to the Lord.

No one was singing louder or praying more fervently than Demosi Louphine, a 32-year-old unemployed single mother of two. During the earthquake, a collapsed building crushed her right arm and left leg. After four days both limbs had to be amputated.

She was leading the choir, leading prayers, standing on her prosthesis and lifting her one hand high in praise to God .… Following the service, I met Demosi's two daughters, ages eight and ten. The three of them now live in a tent five feet tall and perhaps eight feet wide. Despite losing her job, her home, and two limbs, she is deeply grateful because God spared her life on January 12th last year … "He brought me back like Lazarus, giving me the gift of life," says Demosi … [who] believes she survived the devastating quake for two reasons: to raise her girls and to serve her Lord for a few more years.

It makes no sense to me as an "entitled American" who grouses at the smallest inconveniences—a clogged drain or a slow wi-fi connection in my home. Yet here in this place, many people who had lost everything … expressed nothing but praise.

I find my own sense of charity for people like Demosi inadequate. They have so much more to offer me than I to them. I feel pity and sadness for them, but it is they who might better pity me for the shallowness of my own walk with Christ.  [Richard Stearns, "Suffering and Rejoicing in a Haitian Tent Camp," Christianitytoday.com (1-12-11)]

 

We all need to praise the Lord for what He does in our lives. For no matter what material goods we may have God can bring joy and peace into our lives. Demosi Louphine lost things she owned and her arm and leg and still found joy in the Lord. In the Bible, Paul and Silas sat in a prison yet they were able to pray and sing hymns to God. May we too find that joy and peace in our lives and give praise to God.

A Loving and Lasting Friendship

Romans 8:35-37 (NLT)
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

In these verses the apostle emphasizes the great love Christ has for us. Some think because they face troubles, persecution, hunger or other life issues that perhaps Christ does not love them or that God is punishing them – BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE. For these problems are created out of the evil in the world and by the consequences of our own natural sinful desires.  Because Christ loved us He died on the cross for our sin and through His death overwhelming victory is ours. God gave His only son Jesus Christ so that we could be free from sin that is how much God loves us.

 

 

 

Picking, choosing, and deciding which sins are trivial and which are the biggies is a completely human tendency. A young man once told me, "It's like a heavenly bank account. As long as I make more deposits than withdrawals, I'm in good shape."

I shared the biblical reality with him: the very first time he made a withdrawal, the account was emptied and closed forever. He thought that was a bit harsh. But I explained that I didn't make the rules; God did. And I shared this truth with him not to depress him, but to make him aware and appreciative of God's mercy.

If you're a believer, your account has been closed, and a new one opened in Christ's name. You're wealthy, but you can't make another deposit or withdrawal. As Christians we just get the benefits of this new account, living off the interest—or, to put it another way, living off the blessing granted us by the blood of Jesus. [David Rich, 7 Biblical Truths You Won't Hear in Church (Harvest House Publishers, 2006), p. 37; as quoted in the April 8 entry of Men of Integrity (March/April 2009)]

 

In Romans 8:38-39 the apostle goes further to explain God’s great love for us. It says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Believe and know that Christ loves you whoever you are and that Christ desires to have a relationship with you that provides a loving and lasting friendship.

No shame

1 John 2:28 (NLT)
28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

The apostle writes to those who have placed their faith in Christ. He does so in an endearing way referring to them as dear children. They were to remain in fellowship with Christ so they would not falter in shame.

 

 

The quality of your life will be determined by the amount of time you spend alone with God in reading, praying, and planning. [Annie Ortlund, Today's Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart."]

Just as with any relationship it is important to spend time with the person you want to be close to. When we spend time alone with Christ, reading his word, praying honestly with our heart and listening closely -- we are in fellowship with Christ.

I have a friend who drank, fought, cussed and did many other unsavory things. Then he learned about the love of Christ. He learned Christ wanted a different life for him. So he surrendered himself to Christ and asked Christ to help him change. As he learned about Christ’s love for him and how Christ wanted a relationship with him he changed. He gave up the old habits and adopted the habits of his friend Jesus. Romans 12:2 tells us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This man had a genuine desire to be like Christ as he grew in his relationship with Christ.

You see as my friend walked with Christ he didn’t want to participate in his old ways any longer. Instead he wanted to be more like his new friend Jesus. He knew being like his friend Jesus there would be no shame in things he did.

The gift of mercy and grace

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Abraham believed the promises of God and God counted Abraham righteous because of his faith. Similarly when we place our faith in Christ God grants us mercy and grace and makes us righteous in His sight because of the salvation provided by Jesus Christ. God gave us a new chance in life to live free from sin and live out a good life God planned for us long ago. It is a free gift for all who place their faith in Christ.

Albert Tomei is a justice of the New York State Supreme Court. A young defendant was convicted in Judge Tomei’s court of gunning down another person execution style. The murderer had a bad record, was no stranger to the system, and only stared in anger as the jury returned its guilty verdict. The victim’s family had attended every day of the two-week trial. On the day of sentencing, the victim’s mother and grandmother addressed the court. When they spoke, neither addressed the jury. Both spoke directly to the murderer. They both forgave him. "You broke the Golden Rule——loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You broke the law——loving your neighbor as yourself. I am your neighbor," the older of the two women told him, "so you have my address. If you want to write, I’ll write you back. I sat in this trial for two weeks, and for the last sixteen months I tried to hate you. But you know what? I could not hate you. I feel sorry for you because you made a wrong choice."

Judge Tomei writes: "For the first time since the trial began, the defendant’s eyes lost their laser

force and appeared to surrender to a life force that only a mother can generate: nurturing, unconditional love. After the grandmother finished, I looked at the defendant. His head was hanging low. There was no more swagger, no more stare. The destructive and evil forces within him collapsed helplessly before this remarkable display of humaneness." In choosing the path of forgiveness, that grandmother unleashed a power that could not be tapped in any other way. And that power was what caused the defendant to hang his head for the first time. [Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder (Word, 1995)]

God looks at us and sees the sins we have committed, yet God has compassion towards us just as this mother and grandmother did. God has forgiven us and ready to give us a new life. All we need to do is reach out and take the free gift of Salvation He offers through His son Jesus Christ.

If you have never accepted God’s free gift all it requires is a heart that desires Christ. Tell God you are a sinner and want to turn from your sins and that you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ who died for your sins. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and show you the way to life a life free from sin.