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Look… into my heart
Psalm 139:23 CEV

Dr David Jeremiah says, ‘When you’re sick, physical symptoms let you know there’s something wrong. “Me-virus” has warning signs too, like: Mirroritis: obsession with your appearance. Moneyitis: tightfistedness, equating your self-worth with your net worth and overspending on personal wants. Micromanageitis: insisting on doing things your way. Majestyitis: an exaggerated opinion of your importance and a sense of entitlement. Makeoveritis: the drive to “one-up” everybody else.’ The Psalmist prayed, ‘Look… into my heart… ‘ (Psalm 139:23 CEV).

KP Yohannan says, ‘When it’s only God and you, you’re more apt to face your pride and your sins. With everyone else we argue these things away, look wonderful and smile. Before God, we face ourselves, cleansing and purification take place, and we’re less phony.’

Curing ‘me-itis’ calls for: 1) strengthening your spiritual immune system with Scripture: ‘… [His] great and precious promises… enable you to… escape… corruption… ‘ (2 Peter 1:4 NLT) 2) prayer: ‘… Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done… His peace will guard your hearts… ‘ (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT) 3) a clear conscience: ‘… I confessed my sins… you forgave me and took away my guilt’ (Psalm 32:5 CEV) 4) fellowship: ‘not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together… exhorting one another… ‘ (Hebrews 10:25 NKJV) 5) service: ‘Each of you has received a gift… to serve others… that in everything God will be praised… ‘ (1 Peter 4:10-11 NCV) 6) relationships: Pick your friends carefully, and avoid ‘me-itis’ carriers ‘… Bad temper is contagious – don’t get infected’ (Proverbs 22:25 TM) 7) giving: ‘A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed’ (Proverbs 11:25 NIV).

It is God who makes us able to do all that we do.
2 Corinthians 3:5 NCV
God’s plan is to minimise you, and maximise ‘Christ in you’! And He will do whatever it takes to make it happen. When you succeed through your own efforts, you take the credit. But when you have to depend on God, He gets the credit: ‘… It is God who makes us able to do all that we do’ (2 Corinthians 3:5 NCV).

That doesn’t make you worth less, it just identifies the source of your worth. Chuck Swindoll says, ‘The very things we dread, brought contentment to Paul. He never said to his prison guard, “Next time you’re near the emperor’s assistant urge him to get me out. I shouldn’t be here in the first place.” Paul’s attitude prevented him from keeping record of wrongs done to him… He was in prison by divine appointment… If you want to learn contentment, develop an attitude of unselfish humility… Start with family and neighbours; model it before employees and clients… you won’t have to raise flags or pass out tracts… the results will amaze you. “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so… no one can criticise you. Live… as children of God… in a world… of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:14-15 NLT)… Joyful acceptance, free of petty disputes and bickering… Nothing’s more contagious!’ Paul continues, ‘… I am glad to boast about my weaknesses… that the power of Christ can work through me… I take pleasure in… insults, hardships, persecutions… troubles… For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT). If you haven’t reached that point yet, remember this acronym based on the word SELF: S-urrender to Christ daily; E-mpty yourself of anything that hinders you from doing His will; L-ift up your heart to Him; F-eed on His Word.

The Lord is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14 NKJV

God is jealous of anything that takes His place in your life, especially a ‘relationship idol’. You say, ‘What’s that?’ It’s the lie that convinces you your happiness depends on another person. When you look to somebody other than God for security, purpose, worth and contentment – all the things He willingly provides – He’s jealous. So tear down that idol! Yes, it’s hard to have nobody to share your life with, or come home to. But when God wants you to hear His voice, sometimes He silences all the rest. Has it occurred to you that you’re alone, not because nobody likes you, but because God is drawing you to a deeper place of intimacy with Him? ‘How can I know?’ you ask. Joshua was alone when God gave him the plan for conquering Jericho. John was alone on the island of Patmos when Heaven opened and he wrote the book of Revelation. The Bible says, ‘Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak’ (Genesis 32:24 NIV).

That’s when God changed his name from Jacob, a deceiver, to Israel, a prince with God. When you don’t know who you are, you’ll allow yourself to be swallowed up in somebody else’s life in order to find worth and fulfilment. You’ll think you need them in order to enjoy being you. No, let God tell you who you are. After all, who knows you better? The only way you’ll discover your true identity, is by being alone with God!

She named the child Ichabod
1 Samuel 4:21 NKJV

Eli the High Priest lived to see his two sons killed in battle, the Ark of the Covenant captured by the Philistines, and his daughter-in-law give birth to a child called Ichabod, which means ‘the glory has departed from Israel’. There’s a lesson here. Today the devil is trying to take the Ark – God’s influence – out of our homes. Through media and peer pressure the forces of darkness are seeking to capture the minds of our children by exposing them to the wrong values. Mum, Dad, what’s being written over your house? ‘The glory has departed’, or ‘… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)? We are in a war, but a lot of us have not been at war! If we’re going to ‘fight the good fight’ for and with our children, we need to get our act together. Children don’t mind following someone who’s showing by example how it’s done, and who’s doing it with them. Hannah, Eli’s neighbour, was such a parent. After years of being childless she made a vow to God: ‘… If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life… ‘ (1 Samuel 1:11 NCV).

God answered her prayer with Samuel, who became one of Israel’s greatest prophets. Later God gave Hannah more children ‘… so she became the mother of three sons and two daughters… ‘ (1 Samuel 2:21 NCV). That’s because He knew He could fulfil Hannah’s deepest longing and that it wouldn’t make her selfish. He knew she was more interested in His glory and benefit than she was in her own. Parent, can God trust you like that?

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
Galatians 2:20 NKJV

When men first learned to navigate the seas by using the stars, a whole new world opened up to them. A common saying in those days was, ‘He who is a slave to the compass enjoys the freedom of the open sea’. Make a total commitment to Christ, be your compass in life. Consult Him on every step you take. Let Him set your course and He will direct you to places of freedom and fulfilment you never knew existed. Be willing to say, like Paul, ‘… it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20 NKJV).

One night Toscanini, the famous Italian conductor, led the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, a very difficult piece to conduct. So majestic was the music that the audience stood for ten minutes of applause. Toscanini took his bows again and again. He turned to the orchestra; they bowed. The audience continued to clap and cheer. Finally Toscanini turned his back on the audience and speaking only to the orchestra said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am nothing, you are nothing, Beethoven is everything!’ CS Lewis wrote, ‘To love and admire anything outside yourself is to take one step away from utter spiritual ruin; though, we shall not be well so long as we love and admire anything more than we love and admire God.’ So, kneel at the feet of Jesus today and say, ‘I am nothing; You are everything. Here are my gifts, my resources and my dreams. I lay them at Your feet. I give them all to You, holding nothing back.’

One reason we resist forgiving is that we don’t really understand what forgiveness is or how it works. We think we do, but we don’t.

Most of us assume that if we forgive our offenders, they are let off the hook — scot-free — and get to go about their merry ways while we unfairly suffer from their actions. We also may think that we have to be friendly with them again, or go back to the old relationship. While God commands us to forgive others, he never told us to keep trusting those who violated our trust or even to like being around those who hurt us.

The first step to understanding forgiveness is learning what it is and isn’t. The next step is giving yourself permission to forgive and forget, letting go of the bitterness while remembering very clearly your rights to healthy boundaries.

Granting Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not letting the offender off the hook. We can and should still hold others accountable for their actions or lack of actions.

Forgiveness is returning to God the right to take care of justice. By refusing to transfer the right to exact punishment or revenge, we are telling God we don’t trust him to take care of matters.

Forgiveness is not letting the offense recur again and again. We don’t have to tolerate, nor should we keep ourselves open to, lack of respect or any form of abuse.

Forgiveness does not mean we have to revert to being the victim. Forgiving is not saying, “What you did was okay, so go ahead and walk all over me.” Nor is it playing the martyr, enjoying the performance of forgiving people because it perpetuates our victim role.

Forgiveness is not the same as reconciling. We can forgive someone even if we never can get along with him again.

Forgiveness is a process, not an event. It might take some time to work through our emotional problems before we can truly forgive. As soon as we can, we should decide to forgive, but it probably is not going to happen right after a tragic divorce. That’s okay.

We have to forgive every time. If we find ourselves constantly forgiving, though, we might need to take a look at the dance we are doing with the other person that sets us up to be continually hurt, attacked, or abused.

Forgetting does not mean denying reality or ignoring repeated offenses. Some people are obnoxious, mean-spirited, apathetic, or unreliable. They never will change. We need to change the way we respond to them and quit expecting them to be different.

Forgiveness is not based on others’ actions but on our attitude. People will continue to hurt us through life. We either can look outward at them or stay stuck and angry, or we can begin to keep our minds on our loving relationship with God, knowing and trusting in what is good.

If they don’t repent, we still have to forgive. Even if they never ask, we need to forgive. We should memorize and repeat over and over: Forgiveness is about our attitude, not their action.

We don’t always have to tell them we have forgiven them. Self-righteously announcing our gracious forgiveness to someone who has not asked to be forgiven may be a manipulation to make them feel guilty. It also is a form of pride.

Withholding forgiveness is a refusal to let go of perceived power. We can feel powerful when the offender is in need of forgiveness and only we can give it. We may fear going back to being powerless if we forgive.

We might have to forgive more than the divorce. Post-divorce problems related to money, the kids, and schedules might result in the need to forgive again and to seek forgiveness ourselves.

We might forgive too quickly to avoid pain or to manipulate the situation. Forgiveness releases pain and frees us from focusing on the other person. Too often when we’re in the midst of the turmoil after a divorce, we desperately look for a quick fix to make it all go away. Some women want to “hurry up” and forgive so the pain will end, or so they can get along with the other person. We have to be careful not to simply cover our wounds and retard the healing process.

We might be pressured into false forgiveness before we are ready. When we feel obligated or we forgive just so others will still like us, accept us, or not think badly of us, it’s not true forgiveness — it’s a performance to avoid rejection. Give yourself permission to do it right. Maybe all you can offer today is, “I want to forgive you, but right now I’m struggling emotionally. I promise I will work on it.”

Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It’s normal for memories to be triggered in the future. When thoughts of past hurts occur, it’s what we do with them that counts. When we find ourselves focusing on a past offense, we can learn to say, “Thank you, God, for this reminder of how important forgiveness is.”
Forgiveness starts with a mental decision. The emotional part of forgiveness is finally being able to let go of the resentment. Emotional healing may or may not follow quickly after we forgive.

The Freedom in Forgiveness, Restoration: Four Hurdles You Must Face, Building Trust, Reconcilable Differences: A Real-Life Fairy Tale, Dr. Bill Maier on Forgiveness and Restoration, Next Steps / Related Information

Words of Wisdom

Thought for the week: “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” – Amelia Earhart

“It takes a great man to be a good listener.” – Calvin Coolidge

“The best vitamin for a Christian – B1.” – Author Unknown

“Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A veteran–whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve—is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America, for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.’ That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.” – Author Unknown

“Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2. On the Lighter Side

Young Johnny finished summer vacation and went back to school.

Two days later his teacher phoned his mother to tell her that Johnny was misbehaving.

“Wait a minute!” said Johnny’s mom. “I had him here for two months and I never once called YOU when he misbehaved!”

Source: Mickey’s Funnies, www.mikeysFunnies.com.

3. In the Midst of the Storm

There was a ship at sea in time of storm. The passengers were in great distress. After a while one of them, against orders, went up on deck and made his way to the pilot. The seaman was at his post of duty at the wheel, and when he saw the man was greatly frightened, he gave him a reassuring smile. Then the passenger turned and went back to the other passengers and said, “I have seen the pilot and he smiled, ‘All is well.’” When our small boat of life is storm-tossed and our hearts are fearful, we may push through the storm to our Pilot who is standing at the wheel, and when we see His face we shall know that all is well.1

“You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall” (2 Samuel 22:29-30, NIV).

1. Robert Louis Stevenson. Source: This Day’s Thought, www.thisdaysthought.org. Submitted by Kathi of London, England.

4. When Your Case Is Weak

Have you ever noticed how many people, when they are in denial, are defensive, and/or are feeling threatened, shout.

In my student days, I recall one student in preaching class who wrote in red in the side of his sermon notes, “Weak point. Shout like _ _ _ _!”

Ken Connor said, “There’s an old adage popular among lawyers: If your case is weak on the law, pound the facts. If it’s weak on the facts, pound the law. If your case is weak on the facts and the law, pound the table.”

5. It All Counts

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4, NKJV).

I read this scripture this morning (Revelation 21:4) and it hit me like a 200 mile per hour rushing wind. I read it again and again, because I don’t want to forget it. I need these Words of God to go deep into my soul and spirit.

Billy Graham once said, “I read the ending of the Bible and it all turns out good.” No matter what is going on in this world, no matter what is going on in my world, no matter what is going on in your world; it’s all going to turn out OK!

Wherever we are in our journey of life, whatever “page we are on” in our own biography of living; the ending is no tragedy—the ending is a new beginning.

Ray Lammie in Ray Lammie’s Faith Thought of the Day. To subscribe send a blank email to belbarbara@aol.com with “Subscribe to FT of the Day” in the Subject line.
Editor’s note: Ray was a good friend and supporter of Daily and Weekend Encounter. He battled with cancer for several years and finally passed away several months ago as one of life’s battling, brave heroes.

6. The Family Treasure

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (637.3)

A 6-year-old girl I’ll call Sarah knocked over a display case that contained a much-cherished vase once owned by her great-grandmother. Her mom loved that vase and frequently referred to it as the family treasure. The vase hit the floor with a loud crash and shattered into pieces.

Sarah, shocked and frightened at what she’d done, screamed and began sobbing.

Her mom came running into the room fearing the worst. Seeing the shattered vase, her heart sank. Then she saw Sarah sitting on the floor wailing. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m sorry, Mommy. I broke the family treasure!”
Seeing despair on her daughter’s face, the mother’s heart plunged further.
Faced with two powerful and conflicting instincts—one toward anger and blame, the other toward compassion and forgiveness—she sat next to Sarah, pulled her on her lap, and kissed her tears. “Sweetheart, when I ran in here, I was terrified that something bad had happened to our family’s most precious treasure. But thank God, you’re okay. Sarah, you are the family treasure.”

Sarah’s mom turned what could have been a painful incident and a lifelong source of guilt into an enduring source of affirmation and worthiness.

I wonder if I would have had the presence of mind to realize in the instant after an upsetting event that I could choose my reaction, and that my choice would have a permanent impact on someone I love.

The reaction of Sarah’s mom was nothing short of heroic and stands as a reminder that, even in the face of powerful emotions, we do have choices—and they really matter.

This is my variation of a parable told by Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, which in turn was derived from a true incident from one of his congregants.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2009 Josephson Institute of Ethics; reprinted with permission. Michael Josephson, one of the nation’s leading ethicists, is the founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the premier youth character education program, CHARACTER COUNTS! For further information visit www.charactercounts.org

7. When My Child Was Lost

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

“You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.”1

Dr. Leighton Ford tells the story about when his daughter was young, several years ago.

I was minding the children while my wife was shopping. Debbie Jean had returned from school and was playing with her four-year-old brother in the back yard. When I called them to come in, Debbie Jean was missing.

I walked up and down the street calling her name—fearing the silence.

Later (after she was found), I reflected on the incident. During the nearly two hours that Debbie Jean was missing, nothing else mattered. In my study were books to be read, letters to be answered, articles to be written, planning to be done—but it was all forgotten. I could think of only one thing: my little girl was lost.

I had only one prayer and I prayed it a thousand times: “O God, help me to find her.”

“How often,” I ask myself, “had I felt that same terrible urgency about people who were lost from God?”

I had a similar experience when one of my baby sons was with his grandmother and I feared both were lost. I panicked a blue streak until I found them.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to realize in the depths of my heart that people without you are lost for all eternity. I’m available. Please use me to be as Christ to every life I touch, and do all that I can, in as many ways I can to help win others to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: Please join with us to be a People Power for Jesus partner at www.actsweb.org/people_power.

1. Mark 16:15 (TLB/NLT).

Let’s open a can of worms.

Recently I was asked by a church member, “Shouldn’t we focus our time being more Biblical and less relevant?” I’m smart enough to know he didn’t care about being Biblical, or relevant. His “question” was an attempt to publicly discredit some of my recommendations. Nonetheless, he represents a growing number of influential church leaders who use the term “Biblical” as a defense mechanism against becoming missional and relevant.

Many congregations are growing increasingly polarized over the topic of relevance. Most people opposed to the idea of relevance are actually opposed to change, and their weapon of choice to defeat relevance is to claim it is not Biblical. This could not be further from the truth!

The historical challenge facing the church since its birth has been to bring the timeless principles of God to the unique context of the culture in which the church finds itself. In other words, it’s to deliver Biblical truth in relevant ways.

The challenge facing today’s church is we have inherited a system which has neglected the historical challenge for several generations. The result: intentionally delivering timeless Biblical truth in relevant ways is a foreign concept to many. It’s also why about 80% of churches are currently in a state of plateau or decline. More importantly it’s why about 90% of churches haven’t recorded any conversions over the past 12 months.

Think this through: zero Kingdom growth is the result of churches efforts to “be more Biblical.” Some examples:

Christians have been charged with going to the people with the Gospel of Christ, yet most churches focus their efforts on getting the people to come to them.
Scripture calls Christians to be a people characterized by faith-filled radical self-sacrifice, yet most church members adamantly argue to preserve what makes them comfortable.
God’s plan for Christian leadership is that they prayerfully discern His will for their church. Yet, most church leaders will pray the Lord’s Prayer in church, not my will but Thy will be done; then they will go into a meeting and argue for two hours over what THEY want.

So, can a church be both Biblical and Relevant? Better Question: Can a church be Biblical without being relevant? I don’t believe it can. Yet, for many, the term relevant seems to be a stumbling block.

Solution: replace the term relevant with the term missional. After all, delivering timeless Biblical truth in relevant ways is what missional is all about. When Christians begin to see themselves as missionaries, then the church battles between Biblical and relevant will fade into history.

Better still: when more Christians see themselves as missionaries, the third largest mission field on the planet, the Untied States, is in for a revival of epic proportions!

Alan Chandler is a Consultant Partner with Church Doctor Ministries, a full-service church consultation ministry dedicated to helping Christians and churches become more effective for the Great Commission, to make disciples of all people. Alan can be reached at alanchandler@churchdoctor.org web www.churchdoctor.org

A recent survey by Lifeway Research reports that 65 percent of Protestant pastors work 50 or more hours a week. And many of the pastors responding to the survey say the extra time they spend results in less time with their families and less time with God.

My experience is pastors tend to overwork when they assume extra hours make them more effective in ministry. That’s simply not true, and this misguided notion can actually keep others in your church from developing into mature Christian leaders.

I know how it is, when you get frustrated with the way things are going, you tend to want to control everything. It is human nature but it isn’t the way God wants us to operate. It turns your ministry into one of those “whack-a-mole” games. The moment you whack down one problem, another one pops up. It’s never ending.

And that makes ministry frustrating! But it is also a natural by-product of trying to do everything yourself instead of teaching your members how to minister.

Trying to control everything or do everything not only saps your energy; it also means you’re not doing anything particularly well. God shaped you to do something specific with your ministry. You’ve been created with specific skills and gifts. When you try to be good at everything, you’ll end up not being good at anything.

What’s the antidote to your overloaded ministry? The apostle Paul says it is “to equip God’s people to do His work.” (Ephesians 4:12 NLT) Your job isn’t to do all the work of the church. It’s to prepare your members to do it.

At Saddleback we do this through our C.L.A.S.S. 301 where we teach members to discover their God-given S.H.A.P.E. If you don’t have a tool for getting people involved in ministry in your church, this would be a great tool to use.

Help the members of your congregation develop their God-given ministry assignments. They’ll be blessed and you will be blessed by spending more time with your family and by spending the time with God that is necessary to keep your congregation pressing forward with purpose.

Enoch had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Hebrews 11:5 NKJV

In the film ‘Cool Runnings’, the Jamaican bobsleigh team is so desperate to win an Olympic medal, they’re convinced none of their efforts matter if they end up without it. All the learning, joy and growth they’d devoted themselves to, are forgotten next to a piece of metal on a ribbon. Their coach is a 400-pound man who won an Olympic medal bobsleighing 20 years earlier and had been a complete loser ever since. He tells them, ‘If you’re not enough before the gold medal, you’re not enough with it.’

Jesus talked a lot about rewards. But the pursuit of rewards can hurt us when we go after them for the wrong reason. A trophy is not the achievement itself – it’s not the learning we’ve gained, the muscles we’ve trained, or the courage we’ve developed. It’s just a symbol of achievement. It’s an external validation of our worth. At best, the trophies in the showcase are little reminders, something to make us grateful for the past and keep us motivated for the future. At its worst, the trophy case becomes a shrine, a tool to prop up a false image of ourselves. Trophies bring momentary pleasure that can be addictive, but the pleasure always wears off. In the book of Revelation we see 24 leaders ‘… lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God… ” ‘ (Revelation 4:10-11 NIV). When you give all the glory to God, your accomplishments bring joy, but when you try to take the credit for yourself your trophies tarnish, fade and become a burden. Look at Enoch: his ultimate trophy was ‘that he pleased God’.

Solomon writes, ‘… riches do not endure… a crown is not secure for all generations’ (Proverbs 27:24 NIV). When we try to impress people we think are important, we’re trophy collecting. A trophy is anything you can get others to look at that will make them say, ‘Wow.’ Every vocation has its own trophies. Some pastors have trophy churches, trophies to their ability, troughs at which the ego feeds. But the problem with feeding at a trough is, all you ever get is slop. In her book Glittering Images, Susan Howatch tells about a clergyman who devoted his life to always appearing godly, wise, loving and charismatic. Meanwhile his soul starves because no one knows him.

‘They never meet the man I keep hidden. They just meet the man on public display. I call him the glittering image because he looks so good in the mirror. But beyond him… lies the angry stranger who appears in the mirror whenever the glittering image goes absent without leave.’ His ministry was his trophy – and also his prison. But there’s another kind of trophy to collect – the right kind. And you don’t have to outdo anyone else to get one. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi telling them that his old crowns – his religious accomplishments – he now considered ‘dung’. He was collecting a new kind of crown: ‘… what is our… crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord… Is it not you?’ (1 Thessalonians 2:19 NIV). For Paul, the ultimate trophy was not his personal achievement as an author or church builder. It was the joy of winning, discipling and investing in the lives of others. Think about it!