A Soccer Ball and a Sea of Smiles

I am the father of a large family, a full-time Christian volunteer, and a part-time sports coach. During our family’s two-year stay in India, I always packed some sports equipment when we traveled.

Our time there included many challenging and rewarding experiences. Our teenagers did volunteer work at several medical clinics, where they cheered up and helped ease the suffering of terminally ill children. They also taught at a home for children who had lost their parents to AIDS. We traveled to the sites of natural disasters, bringing water, food, clothing, and other relief supplies. It seemed that wherever we turned, someone needed encouragement or assistance.

One Saturday, after an especially busy week, we packed a picnic lunch and a soccer ball and headed for a cricket ground on the edge of a nearby college campus. The dense trees and bushes that surrounded the field reminded us of our native Northern California. The day was perfect, and so was the spot.

Such beauty, such peace, such rest, I thought. This is going to be great! No crowds, no noisy traffic, no pressing business—just my family and me! Heaven!

I pulled out my old, worn soccer ball and tossed it to one of my girls.

No sooner had we begun to kick the ball around than a horde of slum children emerged from the woods. They had been there all along, it turned out, curiously studying our every move. The sight of the soccer ball, though, had been more than they could stand. Before we knew it, we were face to face with more than 50 children, ranging in age from about 6 to 13, all eager to join the fun. They wore ragged clothes, no shoes, tousled hair, and gorgeous smiles. And they all expected something from this family of foreigners.

I called them to gather around, and tried to make myself heard over the hubbub. When it became clear that most of the children didn’t speak English, I called for an interpreter. An older boy stepped forward. I pulled out my whistle and proceeded to explain the rules. From the oldest to the youngest, they listened respectfully and nodded. We chose teams, and the game began.

Like a swarm of bees, we ran up and down the field, chasing and kicking that ball for hours. Forget the teams. Forget the rules. Forget the goals. These kids just wanted to kick the ball! You never saw so many smiles, or heard so many giggles and so much laughter!

Every once in a while, someone would kick the ball out from the conglomeration of little bodies and into the open field. When this happened, one boy seemed to always get to the ball first and claim it for his own. Off he would go, running and kicking the ball away from the rest of us until someone caught up with him and guided him back to the group. Not even my whistle blowing or everyone else’s shouts could get him to return with the ball.

Finally, bewildered, I asked my young interpreter why this one boy wouldn’t stop when I blew the whistle.

“Why, sir,” he said, “the boy is deaf.”

Much later, we ended the game and the children gathered at midfield to say goodbye. I was exhausted but immensely satisfied. The sea of smiles and happy faces warmed my heart.

When all but a few of the children had returned to the mud huts and hovels they called home, two boys, one on a bicycle and the other pushing it, approached me. The younger one on the bike had something to say. With a beaming smile that I will never forget, he exclaimed, “Thank you, sir, for a wonderful day. I had so much fun!”

“You are welcome,” I replied. “But I don’t remember seeing you on the field today.”

It was only then that I realized why his friend had been pushing him. His legs were paralyzed and twisted from polio. My look of shock and dismay only triggered another bright smile.

As he was being pushed off toward home, he looked back and announced, “I enjoyed very much watching you playing with my brothers and friends today. Thank you, sir! Thank you!”

I had been looking for a little relaxation and time with my family, but found a lesson instead.

When I thought I’d given all I could and it was time to look out for me and mine, God put others who needed His love in my path. He gave me the renewal I needed, but not in the way I had expected. The joy of giving melted away the tiredness and burned-out feeling.

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Matthew 10:42 ESV / And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

2 Corinthians 8:12 ESV / For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

Luke 6:30 ESV / Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.

Loneliness—and the Cure

There is a mystery in human hearts: to every one of us, from time to time, there comes a sense of utter loneliness.

Some of the loneliest people in the world are those who are constantly surrounded by others, yet they feel that no one truly knows or understands them. They may even have an abundance of material things—everything to satisfy every physical need—yet they complain of loneliness. They long to share their interests with someone, to find someone who will listen to their problems and sympathize with them.

We may have a lifelong companion or dear friends who love us, but even they will never know or understand us completely. We may climb the heights of success or accomplishment, yet there is no one who can fully share the emotion of that moment when we finally reach our goal. Our dearest friend is a stranger to our supreme joy and cannot realize our most bitter pain. Some tears are always shed alone. No other human being can ever enter the deepest recesses of our mind or soul.

“There is no one who really understands, no one to share all I feel!” Such is the cry of each of us, in turn. We wander in a solitary way, no matter what or where our lot may be. Each heart, mysterious even to itself, must live its inner life in solitude.

But why? Why do we all have this deep craving to be understood by someone? Why this intense longing to have another share our joys and triumphs, sorrows, and defeats?

Did God, who made us a living soul, make some mistake in this, His masterpiece, humankind? Has He left some void in our makeup? He made provision for every other hunger of life: bread for the hunger of the body, knowledge for the hunger of the mind, love for the hunger of the heart. Has He then left the soul unsatisfied, with this longing for deepest understanding and truest companionship unfulfilled? Has He left this loneliness of ours unanswered?

There is an answer to these questions. This incompleteness that we feel is a need of our soul for God. He knew that when we found human sympathy lacking, we would seek the divine. He knew that this very sense of isolation, of not being understood, would drive us to Him.

God made us for Himself. He desires our love. He put a little sign on the table of your heart that reads, “Reserved for Me.” In every heart, He wishes to be first. He therefore keeps the secret key Himself, the key to open all our hearts’ chambers and to bless with perfect sympathy and peace each solitary soul that comes to Him.

God Himself is the answer, the fulfillment. He who made us is the only One who can fill every part of our life. God’s Word says He is our “satisfying portion.” Not until He fills that inner longing will we ever be truly satisfied or completely free from loneliness.

God wants to satisfy that need, but He and His love are so big, so great, that they are beyond our comprehension. That is why He needed to make someone who could show us His love in terms we could understand, someone who was within our realm, someone we could experience, one Man who was like Himself, His Son.

Jesus is touched with our every longing, and He will satisfy every longing of our heart. As He enters our life, He becomes our satisfaction. He is complete companionship, ideal and perfect friendship.

There’s no need to ever be lonely. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and “I am with you always.”

So when you feel this loneliness, it is the voice of Jesus saying, “Come to Me.” And every time you feel that no one understands, it is a call for you to come to Him again. And when beneath some heavy load you faint and say, “I cannot bear this alone,” you say the truth. The grief that no one understands conveys a secret message from the King, entreating you to come to Him again. You cannot come too often.

His presence satisfies the lonely soul, and those who walk with Him from day to day can never know a solitary way.

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Proverbs 15:13-14 ESV / A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Psalm 62:5 ESV / For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

John 14:18 ESV / “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Do Some People Really “Have It All”?

Question: Why is it that some people seem to lead charmed lives? They have perfect looks, perfect health, lots of natural abilities, and lots of friends—everything—while people like me seem to have no end of deficiencies and problems.

Answer: On the surface, things often don’t seem fair, but a lot goes on in every person’s life that is unseen by others. In the wise words of King Solomon in the Bible, “To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under Heaven.” Not everyone goes through the same rough spots or at the same time, but everyone has their share eventually.

No life is complete without a touch of suffering, sadness, and difficulty. God allows each person to experience some sort of difficulty because He wants each to learn to overcome. He wants us to experience coming to the end of ourselves and then turning to Him and finding His power. It takes a desperate situation to bring that about. So, while you may look at others and think they have it so easy, you can be assured that they have troubles too.

It’s also important to remember that God often sees things quite differently than we do. We consider people blessed if they have a more carefree or obviously successful life with fewer problems, illnesses, and so on. But God’s blessings often come disguised as problems. He would rather we have a full life than an easy life. He wants our lives to be rich in faith, depth of spirit, understanding, self-sacrificial love, inner strength, and tenderheartedness. All of these treasures of spirit come from an intimate relationship with Him, and often these come by way of trials, suffering, or surviving great difficulties. That relationship and the spiritual growth that comes with it result in a deeper and more lasting joy.

If you could “have it all” at the cost of a life of contentment, completeness, and joy, would you want that?

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Isaiah 26:3 ESV / You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

1 Timothy 6:6 ESV / Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV / For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong

You Are Unique!

Do you know who the happiest people are? Those who have the courage to be themselves, just the way God made them, rather than try to be something they’re not in order to fit in or impress others. Struggling to live up to what you think others expect of you puts a heavy weight on you, but there’s freedom in humility.

When I was young I didn’t like the way I looked. I thought my nose was too big and that I was too skinny and ugly. I had quite an inferiority complex about that, and it took me a long time to get over it. Part of it was my pride, and part of it was comparing myself to others. But as I grew older, I realized none of that really mattered. I understood that the Lord had made me the way He wanted me, and that He had made me that way because He loved me.

He loves you too the way He made you, and you’re beautiful in His eyes. We’re all unique and special. In His eyes there is no ugliness, no matter what we look like.

Building self-esteem often has a lot to do with your relationship with the Lord. The closer you draw to Him and the more at peace you are with Him, the more content and at peace you’ll be with yourself, and the happier and more relaxed you’ll be. When you’re living close to the Lord, you’re handsome or beautiful because His love and His light are shining through.

I have a suggestion for you: Sit down sometime and let the Lord speak to you about yourself. Or ask someone else to pray and ask Him how He sees you, what your inner beauties are, what your inner strengths are, and what gifts and abilities He likes to bring forth in you. Let Him encourage you, and you’ll find that you can actually be quite happy being His unique creation.

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Acts 20:35 ESV / In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Peter 3:1 ESV / Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,

2 Timothy 3:17 ESV / That the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Chasing Happiness

In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Will Smith’s character makes the observation that the United States Declaration of Independence includes in its short list of “unalienable rights” the right to the pursuit of happiness—not the right to be happy, but the right to pursue happiness. Why, he questions, was it worded that way? His conclusion is that its author, Thomas Jefferson, must have understood that happiness is something that we all desire and strive for, but also something that not all will find or be able to hold onto.

I had my years of chasing happiness, of always feeling that if only I had a boyfriend, if only I could change certain aspects of my job, if only my circumstances could be just the way I wanted them, then I would be happy and free from the bouts of depression I struggled with.

Two years ago I hit a low point. I felt that all the cards had been stacked against me, that I must be the most horrible person in the world, and that I wasn’t worth anything. In desperation I asked God to do something—anything—to pull me out of the morass I was sinking into.

In one of my times of prayer, He helped me see that a major reason I was so down was that I wasn’t willing to accept and make the most of the situation I was in. It was true. I felt that the problem was always with my circumstances, never with me. Accepting my circumstances, whatever they happened to be at the time, seemed impossible at first. That made me even more depressed, but finally I gave in and asked God to help me to accept that truth—that the real problem was not my circumstances, but my attitude toward them.

Once I was willing to let God change my attitude, He did the rest. For example, before long He brought a wonderful person into my life, and that reassured me of His love and boosted my self-esteem.

I am still hit by depression from time to time, but now when it starts to pull me down its dark path I know I don’t have to give in. I have learned that happiness is a choice, and one that I must make every day. Circumstances don’t need to be perfect for me to choose to be happy and thankful for what I have and to make the most of it.

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Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV / For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 6:14 ESV / For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Hebrews 13:8 ESV / Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Divine Nature

God has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these [we] may be partakers of the divine nature.” What is the “divine nature”?—It is the essence of God, how He thinks and how He acts. And through the promises He gives in His Word, we can be like He is. We can partake of those same attitudes, those same feelings, those same ways of looking at things by believing and putting into practice the principles and promises that are right there in the Bible.

We can transcend the confines of earthly attitudes that keep us weighed down, sorrowful, fretful, worried, and fearful. We can not only have a head knowledge of the fact that “all things work together for good to those who love God,” but we can believe, practice, and experience it.

We can be cleansed of all those attitudes and mental habits that are earthly and not heavenly. Jesus told His followers, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” We can be rewired into new creations in Christ Jesus, and through His power overcome our wrong attitudes and bad habits.

The more we live in the Word and believe it and practice it, the more we’ll be in sync with that heavenly realm. The more we “set [our] mind on things above, not on things on the earth,” the easier it becomes to live in this world without being controlled or shaped by it.

* * *

God has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these [we] may be partakers of the divine nature.” What is the “divine nature”?—It is the essence of God, how He thinks and how He acts. And through the promises He gives in His Word, we can be like He is. We can partake of those same attitudes, those same feelings, those same ways of looking at things by believing and putting into practice the principles and promises that are right there in the Bible.

We can transcend the confines of earthly attitudes that keep us weighed down, sorrowful, fretful, worried, and fearful. We can not only have a head knowledge of the fact that “all things work together for good to those who love God,” but we can believe, practice, and experience it.

We can be cleansed of all those attitudes and mental habits that are earthly and not heavenly. Jesus told His followers, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” We can be rewired into new creations in Christ Jesus, and through His power overcome our wrong attitudes and bad habits.

The more we live in the Word and believe it and practice it, the more we’ll be in sync with that heavenly realm. The more we “set [our] mind on things above, not on things on the earth,” the easier it becomes to live in this world without being controlled or shaped by it.

* * *

How to avoid burnout

When a candle burns, it’s mostly the wax, not the wick, that’s burning. An oil lamp is the same; it must be the oil that burns, and not the wick. If the wick burns without oil, it will be consumed quickly. Most of the wick must be deeply immersed in the oil, so only a small part of the wick is exposed to the air and flame.

Sometimes we work too hard, trying to do everything ourselves when we need to let Jesus do it through us. When we do the burning, we give off smoke and soot and burn out fast, but when we let the Lord’s oil, the Holy Spirit, flow through us and do the burning, we last a long time.

“It is no longer I who burn, but Christ burns in me.”

When a candle burns, it’s mostly the wax, not the wick, that’s burning. An oil lamp is the same; it must be the oil that burns, and not the wick. If the wick burns without oil, it will be consumed quickly. Most of the wick must be deeply immersed in the oil, so only a small part of the wick is exposed to the air and flame.

Sometimes we work too hard, trying to do everything ourselves when we need to let Jesus do it through us. When we do the burning, we give off smoke and soot and burn out fast, but when we let the Lord’s oil, the Holy Spirit, flow through us and do the burning, we last a long time.

“It is no longer I who burn, but Christ burns in me.”

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2 Peter 1:4 ESV / By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Romans 1:20 ESV / For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Genesis 1:1 ESV / In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Announcement

1. Cell Group
Date: 7 Oct 2016
Time: 8:00pm
Venue: Penang Children's Home Chapel

2. Thanksgiving Night
Date: 8 Oct 2016
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Penang Children's Home

3. Launch of Self Denial 2016
Date: 2nd Oct 2016

4. Children Camp 2016
Date: 6-9 December 2016 / Age: 7-12 year old
Venue: Sufes Campsite Kg Batu 5,Jalan Pahang 35000 Tapah, Perak
Cost: RM100
Closing Date: 1st Nov 2016.

More like the Master

Christians are supposed to try to be like Jesus—living as He would, acting as He would, speaking as He would, and even thinking as He would. But how do we accomplish that? How can we be more like Him? As in the Persian fable, it comes from living close to Jesus.

Many of us do spend time with Jesus, but how much quality time do we spend with Him, where we shut out the business of the day and give Him our full attention, communing with Him, enjoying Him, and getting to know Him better in order to become more like Him? If we don’t, no matter how many good qualities we possess or how dynamic we are or how dedicated we are, no matter how good we are with people or what else we may have going for us, if we’re not spending time with Jesus, we’re not going to be a very good reflection of Him or His love to others.

The dictionary defines “communion” as “a feeling of emotional or spiritual closeness, a connection.” So communing with Jesus means to make an emotional and spiritual connection with Jesus. Praise, prayer, and reading God’s Word are all ways of making and sustaining that connection. These are the lifeblood of our spiritual lives.

Quality timeMany of us tend to pick up the pace when our workloads increase, and that leads to more stress. Taking time off to relax can help relieve the pressure, but time alone or with friends or family can’t give us what Jesus can.

Hobbies can also be relaxing and fun, but if we’re not careful, they can actually contribute to the problem by taking time away from the essentials, including the most essential—taking time with Jesus. That’s a common mistake people make—filling every spare moment with more “busyness,” when the Lord wants them to take that time with Him.

The surest way to complete and lasting renewal—in fact, the only way—is to spend time with Jesus. We need His love and strength and wisdom, and the only way we can get those is by spending time with Him.

But carving out time from your daily schedule is no guarantee that you’re going to get closer to the Lord; it’s what you do with that time that counts. You need to get still, empty your mind of the business of the day, and let the Lord fill you with positive, encouraging, strengthening, faith-building thoughts from His recorded and living Word.

Jesus said the requirement for a fruitful life is abiding in Him. “Abide in Me, and I in you.” That means staying connected with Him by taking time to read His Word and pray and listen to Him.

It’s easy to let prayer become a formality, but one thing that can help you avoid that is to think of Jesus as the Friend, Counselor, and Lover that He wants to be to you. As someone once said, “The more one loves Jesus, the more he delights to be with Jesus alone. Lovers love to be alone.”

But He won’t push you. He waits to see how much you are willing to abandon all other distractions in order to put Him first. If you have Him in first place, then you will see and feel His power and help in your life beyond what you ever imagined.

The nature of Jesus“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

These are virtues that define Jesus, and if we read His Word and spend time with Him in prayer on a regular basis, we will take on some of His attributes. How can we expect to be changed for the better? Let’s go down the list and see.

Love: God is love. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love. As followers of Jesus, we, too, need to manifest love in every way we can.

Joy: True happiness comes from being close to God and living our lives His way.

Peace: The word in the Old Testament that is translated “peace” actually has a broader meaning: completeness, soundness, and overall well-being. In the New Testament, “peace” often refers to inner tranquility, a combination of hope, trust, and quiet of mind and spirit. Peace comes from faith, and faith comes from reading and believing God’s Word.

Longsuffering: At least one English version of the Bible translates this “patience”—the ability to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. We often need to be patient, either with people or with circumstances, and we need to do so in a spirit of love.

Gentleness: To be gentle is to have a mild and kind nature, a gracious and honorable manner, consideration, and a spirit of fairness and compassion. Jesus sounds like a true gentleman, doesn’t He?

Goodness: My Bible dictionary says that goodness consists of righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy, and love. Other definitions include having an upright and virtuous character, and having a kind and gentle disposition. Again, these certainly characterize Jesus. If His Spirit abides in us, so they should also characterize us.

Faith, or faithfulness: One of the meanings of faithfulness is unwavering belief. Another is being conscientious, having a sense of responsibility and devotion to duty.

Meekness: I particularly like one definition that says meekness is “an attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward men, springing from a recognition that God is in control.”

Temperance, or self-control: This is the ability to control your behavior, especially in terms of reactions and impulses.

Jesus wants to impart to us these qualities, so they mesh into the core of our being. We will then demonstrate them in our lives, not only for our own benefit by changing our nature and improving our personality, but also for the benefit of others whom He wants to bless and reach through our example.

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1 John 4:16 ESV / So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Ephesians 5:25 ESV / Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Romans 5:8 ESV / But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

A Better You

How will reading God’s Word make your life better?

Food for spiritual strength and growthJust as your body needs food to survive and grow strong, your spirit needs spiritual nourishment from God’s Word. This little analogy crops up repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments:

When Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” He was quoting Moses.
Job declared in his time of suffering, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”

In Psalm 119, King David said to the Lord, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

The apostle Peter, writing to new Christians, admonished them to “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word.”

Deeper relationships with JesusWhen you received Jesus into your heart, you began a wonderful and fulfilling personal relationship with Him. He wants to be your best friend, counselor, teacher, guide, and much more! The way to get to know Him better is through His Word. The four Gospels, especially, reveal His nature, His personality, His power, and His love.

He wants His relationship with you to be a two-way, give-and-take affair. It is through reading the Word that you will find out not only what He has for you, but also what He would like from you.

Think of His words as personal love letters to you from the one who knows and cares about you more than any other can.

Truth and freedomIt seems that everywhere you look today, someone is marketing “the truth” in the form of some new book, program, or product. Who are you supposed to believe—and how much will it cost you?

Well, Jesus has the real article. “If you abide in My word,” He promises, “you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

You can rest assured that the Bible tells the truth. Become familiar with its precepts, and you will have a standard by which you can measure all things.

FaithFaith isn’t something you can try to have. It comes by taking in the Word of God. If you’re weak in faith, it’s probably because you’re not reading and believing God’s Word enough. But the more you read and study the Word with an open mind and receptive heart, the more your faith will grow. It’s that simple and that sure!

HappinessLasting happiness comes from following Jesus’ loving example, and you know how to do that from His Word. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love. … These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Contentment and peace of mindBy studying God’s Word, you will come to understand His loving ways. This will give you faith that whatever your circumstances may be, He is in control and has your best interests at heart. “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” When disappointments, obstacles, and setbacks wear on you, taking a little time to read from God’s Word will put things back in proper perspective.

Answers to your problems and questionsWhen you’ve got questions, the Lord has answers, and when you have problems, He has solutions—and they’re all in His Word. By reading God’s recorded Word or hearing Him speak to your heart personally when you pray for guidance—His spoken Word—you can find the answer to every question and every problem you will ever have. Once you become familiar with the spiritual principles, divine wisdom, and practical counsel that are in the written Word, you will find that the Lord will show you how to apply it to questions and problems that come up in your own life. His Word will be like a light, illuminating the path ahead of you.

Finding God’s willGod has a plan for your life. He knows what’s best for you, so if you can learn to let Him direct your decisions, everything will work out great in the end. It sounds simple enough, but how do you find out what is God’s best for you in a particular situation? How do you find “God’s will”?

The Word is the known, sure, absolute, revealed will of God. So when you’re faced with a decision, look at all He’s said before. Pattern your decision on a similar situation in the Word, or on the foundation principles of God’s Word. You can also ask God to speak to your own heart directly and show you what His will is for you in that particular situation.

God’s Word also has the power to change the way you see life’s problems. It will cause you to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove [know] what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Models for godly livingThe Bible is full of stories about otherwise ordinary men and women whose faith and love for God saw them through thick and thin and made them great in His eyes. Much can be learned and much strength can be drawn from their examples. There are also many faith-building accounts of God’s love and care for His children, His protection, and His supply of their every need, as well as examples of what not to do and the consequences of violating His spiritual principles. “Whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

God’s promises and power at your disposalThe Bible is full of promises that God has made to man—promises that He wants us to apply practically. Some of His promises are universal, like “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Others were originally made to certain individuals or groups, but they are also available to anyone who applies them to their own similar situation and meets whatever conditions may be attached.

As you become more familiar with God’s Word, you will learn to recognize His promises and claim them as your own. When you do that, it shows you have faith. It’s a positive declaration of your faith and knowledge of the Word which pleases God and sets His power in motion to answer your prayers.

More loveIt is difficult to follow Christ’s injunction to “love your neighbor as yourself” when your “neighbors”—those you interact with on a regular basis—are sometimes the most difficult people to get along with, much less love. Where do you find the “Christian grace” to overlook the overbearing boss, the jealous coworker, the noisy partyers next door, or worse? How do you learn to love as Jesus loved? “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” As you read and study God’s Word, you’ll acquire more and more of His Spirit and love, and that will help you be more understanding, compassionate, and tolerant toward others.

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1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

John 8:31-32 (NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Romans 10:17 (NIV) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Five Things I Love About Jesus

Randomness: Jesus has an intricate plan for the whole universe, but I love how He seems to be perfectly random about lots of things that don’t have much bearing on that plan. Like the irregular texture of tree bark, or where the next branch will pop out. Either that, or it’s not random at all and that branch needs to be exactly where it is for the universe to run right. If that’s the case, I love how He makes it look random to me.

Intricacy: The flip side of random. I love how He makes seemingly random things happen, but then they all come together at the end and make perfect sense, and I realize it wasn’t haphazard at all, but pure genius.

Color: He seems almost obsessed with color, but it’s not like He splatters psychedelic fluorescent everywhere. He adds just enough khakis and grays so that when something bright comes along, it wows me.

Passion: His way of being passionate about everything He does. For instance, if I was going to create an insect I’d pick a head, a body, a few legs, and maybe a stinger or something. But He can’t stop at that. “Oh, here I could add some antennae with trillions of little hairs on them that will act as sensors, then maybe some fold-up wings to hide inside its shell, a compound eye, a trochanter here, mesothorax there, and a subesophageal ganglion.” He’s crazy!

When I “create” a cloud, I take a blank piece of paper, draw a straight line, add three humps above it, and I’m done. When He creates a cloud, He starts with an insanely complex background of atmosphere, then bunches together millions of microscopic icy crystals, each with six perfectly symmetrical sides but its own unique form. Then He sends light to render it in full 3-D and air currents to make it dance. It seems He can’t get involved in a project without giving it His best.

Care: Boy, does He care! He cares about everything! I mean every single little tiny microscopic itsy bitsy thing. Imagine how much importance He puts on you and me, or the detail, care, and planning that went into each of the 6.8 billion of us now living, as well as the billions before and after. It wears me out just thinking about it. I am so lucky to have Him!

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Hebrews 11:6 ESV / And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

2. Thessalonians 1:8 ESV / In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Galatians 3:28 ESV / There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Getting to Know Jesus

I was 21 when I read from the Bible for the first time. Someone had suggested I read the Gospel of John first, but I knew so little about the Bible at the time that I didn’t understand the Gospels were four separate accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. So I started at what seemed the more logical place, at the beginning of the New Testament, with the Gospel of Matthew.

By the time I got to the Gospel of John, I was fascinated with Jesus. He had the perfect answer to every question and always knew exactly what to do. But more than that, He seemed to understand me and know exactly what I needed. His words were powerful and alive. He was alive! His words reached across nearly 2000 years and touched me in a way I had never experienced before. When I finally came to John 15:15—“I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you”—I felt He was speaking directly to me. Jesus called me His friend! I got so excited I couldn’t sit still. I wanted to tell the whole world.

I had prayed to receive Him as my Savior a few months before, but nothing much changed until I began reading His words with an open, receptive heart. His words were powerful and alive and, best of all, personal. And it got even better. Some time later, I discovered that Jesus still speaks directly and personally to His followers today, just as wonderfully as He spoke to His first disciples.

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Hebrews 4:15 ESV / For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

John 3:16 ESV / For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Luke 2:34 ESV / And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed

Thirsty No More

A retelling of John Chapter 4

Susannah sighed as she draped her head-covering over her long raven hair. Picking up an empty clay urn, she set out on the long, hot, dusty walk to fetch water from the communal well near Sychar, the Samaritan village where she lived.

She approached the well warily, because there sat a stranger—a Jew, judging by appearance. She was astonished when the man asked her for a drink of water, because the Jews’ religious customs forbade them any interaction with the Samaritans, whom they considered “unclean.”

“You’re a Jew and I’m a Samaritan!” she exclaimed. “Why do you ask me for a drink?”

“If you knew who I was,” the stranger replied, “you would be the one asking for water.”

Susannah was mystified. How could this man get water out of the well? He had nothing to pull it out with.

The stranger answered with words that she would later repeat until they were imprinted upon her memory—words that millions after her would draw hope from.

“Everyone who drinks water from this well will get thirsty again. But anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give comes from the fountain of eternal life.”

“Go on then, give me a drink of that water. Then I won’t ever get thirsty or need to come here anymore!”

“Go and bring your husband,” the stranger told her.

She hesitated, then lowered her eyes. “I don’t have a husband,” she conceded.

“That much is the truth. You have been married five times, but the man you are living with now isn’t your husband.”

Susannah was astonished. “You’re a prophet, I see,” she began. “You might be able to settle a certain dispute then. My people have always worshiped on Mount Gerizim, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the only place to worship.” The fact that a Jewish ruler had destroyed the Samaritans’ temple on their holy mountain 200 years earlier went unspoken, but clearly it was on her mind.

“Believe me,” the stranger replied, “the time is coming when you won’t worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. God is a Spirit, and those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth.”

She marveled at this answer. God—a Spirit who she could worship anywhere? Her race, religion, gender, age, background—could none of that matter? She felt warmed by the idea of God’s love being inclusive of all people, even herself.

There was something else she wanted to ask. “I know that the Messiah will come—the one called Christ—and explain everything to us.”

The stranger gazed into her eyes, and her heart beat faster. “I am that one!”

Her eyes widened and her thoughts raced. “I must tell my friends and family! Wait here for me!”

Susannah rushed back to Sychar, her still-empty urn forgotten.

The midday heat had passed, and people were milling around the market square. She excitedly told all those she could about the man she had met and their conversation. “He must be the Christ!” she exclaimed. “He had never seen me before, yet he knew everything about me.”

Soon Susannah returned to the well at the head of a small crowd. The stranger was still there, now accompanied by several men, and from them she learned that the stranger’s name was Jesus.

He did not stay a stranger, because the people were captivated by what He told them. Some of them invited Him and His companions to stay with them, so Jesus spent two days in Sychar, explaining the Holy Scriptures.

Some days later, Susannah made her way back through town with a full water pot. Her load was heavy, but her steps were light. She still needed to fetch water daily, but her inner emptiness was gone.

One of the townsmen who noticed her walking by said, “You tried to convince us that this man Jesus was the promised Messiah. Well, now we believe—no longer just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves and are certain that He is the Savior!”

Susannah smiled as she went on her way. She was not the only one who had found the living water!

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John 7:38 (NIV)  He who believes in Me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

Revelation 22:17 (NIV) Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

John 6:51 (ESV) I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”