Topic : 2 Corinthians

Comforting Others

In 2 Cor. Paul speaks of his suffering for the purpose of comforting. Many times we go through suffering in order to comfort others.

Dr. Mitchell shared the story of a woman who had a 6-month old baby. One bright day, the mother was in the kitchen with the baby in her arms—the baby died there in her arms. Her husband, a pastor, a funeral director tried to take the dead baby away from his mother. The mother would not give him up. A little lady two blocks away heard of this. She had lost her baby six months previously. She came over and sat with the woman. She didn’t try to take the baby, but began to tell of her experiences and how her baby was in Heaven with Jesus and she, too, would go there one day. Without saying a word, the woman handed her the baby. She took him in to the father, came back, and both on their knees were praying. She was able to comfort her because of her own suffering.

Source unknown

Resource

• Loving Across Our Differences, by Gerald L. Sittser, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), pp. 157ff

Resource

• Cf. Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson, p. 162

Christ Is Sufficient

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:4

God allows His children to experience sorrow and suffering that they may be better able to comfort others who are going through deep waters. Today I received a letter from a dear Christian friend, Commissioner John Needham of the Salvation Army. It brought to mind an incident that occurred in the central territory where he has been serving.

One day Commissioner Booth-Tucker was preaching in Chicago when a man stepped out of the crowd and said to him before the entire audience, “Booth-Tucker, you can talk about how Christ is dear to you; but if your wife were dead, as my wife is, and you had babies crying for their mother, you couldn’t say what you are saying.”

A few days later, Booth-Tucker lost his lovely wife in a tragic train accident. Her body was returned to Chicago for the funeral. As the service concluded, the husband took his place by the casket and said, “The other day when I was preaching in this city, a man said that if my wife were dead and my children were crying for their mother, I couldn’t say Christ was sufficient. If that man is here, I tell him that Christ is sufficient! My heart is crushed, bleeding, and broken. But there is a song in my heart, and Christ put it there. The Savior speaks comfort to me today.” The man was present, and on hearing that, he came down the aisle to surrender his life to the Lord.

Are you going through troubled waters today? Just as the Savior is now sustaining you, He will enable you to make known His grace and love to others who need comfort in their trials. - P.R.V.

Our Daily Bread, Sunday, November 30

One Sufferer to Another

Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur, Missouri, had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis. Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctors told him in frank terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn’t sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat.

Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who has leukemia. When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: “Douglas—I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I’m 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley.” His face lit up.

He said, “Oh!” It’s funny: Douglas Maurer was in a hospital filled with millions of dollars of the most sophisticated medical equipment. He was being treated by expert doctors and nurses with medical training totaling in the hundreds of years. But it was a salesclerk in a flower shop, a woman making $170 a week, who—by taking the time to care, and by being willing to go with what her heart told her to do—gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.

Bob Greene, “From One Sufferer To Another, Chicago Tribune, Aug., 1987

Crouzon’s Disease

Many years ago I read an article about Ian Munro, a plastic surgeon at the University of Toronto. At that time, he was one of the few doctors in the world who took apart and then rebuilt the skulls of infants who had Crouzon’s disease. The head of a child who suffers from this condition becomes so misshapen that the extreme pressure put on the brain can cause mental retardation. Dr. Munro devised an operation in which as much as 90 percent of the skull and facial bones are broken in order to reshape the skull. What motivated Dr. Munro to pioneer in such a highly specialized field? His own child is mentally deficient as a result of Crouzon’s disease. This created in that father’s heart deep sympathy for those who suffer from the same condition.

H.G.B., Our Daily Bread, 3-15-91

Pressure-Produced Power

We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. (2 Corinthians 1:8).

The pressures of life can be overwhelming. A young man who is just beginning his career feels the pressure of doing his job well, making the house and car payments, being a good husband and father, and making wise, long-range decisions. A working mother is concerned about keeping the house neat, making sure that all the laundry gets done, maintaining job security, satisfying her husband, and helping her teenagers become responsible adults.

Sometimes the stress gets to us, and we feel we can’t survive another day. But as Christians we can endure the strain successfully if we view life’s pressure situations as opportunities for us to demonstrate God’s power. The following poem, which appeared in the old publication Record of Faith, makes that point:

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;
Pressed so intensely, it seems beyond strength;
Pressed in the body, and pressed in the soul;
Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll.
Pressure by foes, and pressure from friends,
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.
Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving the staff and the rod;
Pressed into living a life in the Lord;
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured.

Under pressure? Sure. We all are. But we can be victorious if we let that pressure teach us to live in the power of Christ! - D.C.E.

Source unknown

With Patience

With patience in His love I’ll rest,
And whisper that He knoweth best,
Then, clinging to that guiding hand,
A weakling, in His strength I’ll stand.

- Pentecost

Think less of the power of things over you and more of the power of Christ in you.

Our Daily Bread, Tuesday, January 24

“Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit” 2 Corinthians 5:5)

This is a fascinating concept and a wonderful reality. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is said to be an “earnest”—that is, a pledge or deposit—on an ultimate fulfillment of a magnificent promise from God Himself. The word translated “earnest” (Greek arabown), translated “pledge” in the Old Testament (see Genesis 38:17-20).

Now if the guiding presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, is merely an earnest payment, the fulfillment must be glorious beyond comprehension. This “selfsame thing,” as our test calls it, is a wonderful “house which is from heaven,” the spiritual body we shall receive when we go to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1,2).

The phrase also occurs in 2 Corinthians 1:11: “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” In context, the earnest payment here is associated with the “sealing” of God and the assurance that “all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The third and last use of this word in the New Testament is in Ephesians 1:13,14: “.in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” We are “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17, and He is to inherit all things.

Thus, the Holy Spirit, a present possession of all who have received Christ as Savior, is also God’s pledge of a glorious future—a perfect body, a great inheritance and the certain fulfillment of all of God’s gracious promises. - HMM

Source unknown

Resource

• Improving Your Serve, Charles Swindoll, “Serving”

We Are not Ignorant of [Satan’s] Devices

General George Patton of World War II fame was seldom at a loss for words. What he said during a battle in North Africa may be legend, but it typifies the man. Patton’s troops and tanks were engaged in a successful counterattack of German forces under General Erwin Rommel. Patton is reported to have shouted in the thick of the battle, “I read your book, Rommel! I read your book!” And that he did. In Rommel’s book Infantry Attacks, the famed “Desert Fox” carefully detailed his military strategy. And Patton, having read it and knowing what to expect, planned his moves accordingly.

Satan has authored no book. God, however, has exposed our enemy’s tactics in His Holy Word. Here are but a few of his subtle strategies: Quote Scripture to lead us astray (Matt. 4:6). Afflict the body (2 Cor. 12:7). Pluck away the seed of the Word (Mark 4:15). Tempt by impure thoughts (1 Cor. 7:5). Tempt by pride (1 Tim. 3:6). Hinder through circumstances (1 Thess. 2:18). Seduce by pleasure (1 Tim. 5:11,15). Severely buffet in a crisis (Luke 22:31). Tempt to hypocrisy and lying (Acts 5:3).

The name Satan means adversary. He is also described as “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10) and “a murderer from the beginning” and a liar (John 8:44).

Study these passages and plan your defense. Be always on the alert. Submit to God and resist the devil. Victory can be yours, but first you must know your enemy so you can recognize his strategy.

D.J.D., Our Daily Bread, November 11

Resource

• Decision Making and the Will of God, p. 219

Resource

• Raymond Stedman, Authentic Christianity, pp. 21ff

Living Testimony

Sir George Burns, founder of the Cunard Steamship Company, was a living epistle. Biographer Edwin Hodder had this to say about him:

“If the Bible were blotted out of existence.[and] if there were no visible church at all, I could not fail to believe in the doctrines of Christianity while the living epistle of Sir George Burns’ life remained in my memory.”

Source unknown

Resource

• Raymond Stedman, Authentic Christianity, pp. 37ff

Covenants

• New Covenant: Nothing coming from me, everything from God.
• Old Covenant: Everything coming from me, nothing from God.

Raymond Stedman, Authentic Christianity, p. 40

Resource

• Raymond Stedman, Authentic Christianity, p. 52

Resource

• “Evangelical Preaching,” Charles Simeon, p. 59.

Resource

• Raymond Stedman, Authentic Christianity, p. 117

Resource

• J.O. Sanders, Enjoying Intimacy with God, Moody, p. 143

Color Blind

The famous agnostic Thomas Huxley was once lovingly confronted by a very sincere Christian. This believer stressed to Huxley that he was not in any way impugning Huxley’s sincerity. Nevertheless, might it not be possible that mentally the great scientist was color blind? That is, some people cannot see traces of green where other people cannot help but see it. Could it be that this was Huxley’s problem—that he was simply blind to truth that was quite evident to others? Huxley, being a man of integrity, admitted that this was possible, and added that if it were, he himself, of course, could not know or recognize it.

Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 8, p. 708

God Chooses Nobodies

God can achieve his purpose either through the absence of human power and resources, or the abandonment of reliance on them. All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on him made possible the unique display of his power and grace. He chose and used somebodies only when they renounced dependence on their natural abilities and resources.

Oswald Chambers, in Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 134

The Greatest Blessing

“For our light affliction worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

If we could ask the apostle Paul what he saw as life’s greatest blessing, I suspect he would answer something like this: “Personal salvation with its provision of the present and the future.” For him, nothing else really mattered. He constantly looked beyond his trials and adversities, sensing the presence of Jesus Christ and rejoicing in the prospect of happiness in heaven with Him.

Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand spent 14 years in prison for preaching the gospel. Although his captors smashed four of his vertebrae and either cut or burned 18 holes in his body, they could not defeat him. He testified, “Alone in my cell, cold, hungry, and in rags, I danced for joy every night.” During this time he turned to a fellow prisoner, a man he had led to the Lord before they were arrested, and asked, “Have you any resentment against me that I brought you to Christ?” His response: “I have no words to express my thankfulness that you brought me to the wonderful Savior. I would never have it another way.” These two men exemplify the supernatural joy that can be experienced by believers who live on the edge of death as the result of being severely persecuted.

Salvation, which brings strength for today and hope for tomorrow, lasts forever. Therefore, we don’t have to be defeated by troublesome circumstances. When we know we are saved, we have the assurance that God is at work in our lives, preparing us for the eternal realities of the better world. Yes, salvation is life’s greatest blessing. - H.V.L.

Our Daily Bread, Thursday, February 21

No Rear

Historian Shelby Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was fierce and within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. “Captain, give me a gun!” he shouted. “This fight ain’t got any rear!”

Daily Walk, July 10, 1993

Instead

Do not be worn out by the labors which you have undertaken for My sake, and do not let tribulations ever cast you down. Instead, let My promise strengthen and comfort you under every circumstance. I am well able to reward you above all measure and degree. You shall not toil here long nor always be oppressed with griefs. A time will come when all labor and trouble will cease. Labor faithfully in My vineyard; I will be thy recompense. Life everlasting is worth all these conflicts, and greater than these. Are not all plentiful labors to be endured for the sake of life eternal? Lift your face therefore to heaven; behold I and all My saints with me—who in this world had great conflicts—are now comforted, now rejoicing, now secure, now at rest, and shall remain with Me everlastingly in the kingdom of My father.

Thomas a Kempis

Glory

Glory
Eternal weight of glory
More exceeding and eternal weight of glory
A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

The Optimist

The famous preacher D.L. Moody told about a Christian woman who was always bright, cheerful, and optimistic, even though she was confined to her room because of illness. She lived in an attic apartment on the fifth floor of an old, rundown building. A friend decided to visit her one day and brought along another woman—a person of great wealth. Since there was no elevator, the two ladies began the long climb upward.

When they reached the second floor, the well-to-do woman commented, “What a dark and filthy place!” Her friend replied, “It’s better higher up.” When they arrived at the third landing, the remark was made, “Things look even worse here.” Again the reply, “It’s better higher up.”

The two women finally reached the attic level, where they found the bedridden saint of God. A smile on her face radiated the joy that filled her heart. Although the room was clean and flowers were on the window sill, the wealthy visitor could not get over the stark surroundings in which this woman lived.

She blurted out, “It must be very difficult for you to be here like this!” Without a moment’s hesitation the shut-in responded, “It’s better higher up.”

She was not looking at temporal things. With the eye of faith fixed on the eternal, she had found the secret of true satisfaction and contentment.

Fallen Leader

William Shent was a barber who had been converted and had become a Methodist preacher. But he fell into sin, and the society in Keighley had to deal with him. Hearing that the society had been unusually hard on Shent, John Wesley wrote the members a letter.

“I have a few questions which I desire may be proposed to the Society at Keighley. Who was the occasion of the Methodist preachers first setting foot in Leeds? William Shent. Who received John Nelson into his house at his first coming hither? William Shent. Who was it that invited me and received me when I came? William Shent. Who was it that stood by me while I preached in the street with stones flying on every side? William Shent. Who was it that bore the storm of persecution for the whole town and stemmed it at the peril of his life? William Shent. Whose word did God bless for many years in an eminent manner? William Shent. By whom were many children now in paradise begotten in the Lord and many now alive? William Shent. Who is he that is ready now to be broken up and turned into the street? William Shent.

And does nobody care for this? William Shent fell into sin and was publicly expelled [from] the Society; but must he be also starved? Must he with his grey hairs and all his children be without a place to lay his head? Can you suffer this? O tell it not in Gath! Where is gratitude? Where is compassion? Where is Christianity? Where is humanity? Where is a concern for the cause of God? Who is a wise man among you? Who is concerned for the gospel? Who has put on bowels of mercy? Let him arise and exert himself in this matter. You here all arise as one man and roll away the reproach. Let us set him on his feet once more. It may save both him and his family. But what we do, let it be done quickly.

Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 245

Rejecting the Word

Charles T. Studd gave himself without reservation to Christ. He was born into a wealthy British family in 1862. He became an outstanding cricket player, most notably at Cambridge University. In his third year at the university, he was converted at a Moody-Sankey meeting and dedicated his life to Christ. Author Stanley Collins explains, “The world was at his feet, as had been forecast and expected, when suddenly the whole picture changed. He announced he was giving away his personal fortune, leaving the world of sports, and becoming a missionary to China.” For 9 years, Studd served with Hudson Taylor’s mission until poor health forced him to return to England in 1894. A few years later, a growing burden led him to begin plans to open Africa from the Nile to the Niger for missions. He left for the continent in 1910, and in 1919 he established the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade. Studd explained his motivation in these words: “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice that I make can be too great for Him.” - R.W.D.

Our Daily Bread, Sunday, August 14

Love of Christ

When Hudson Taylor was director of the China Inland Mission, he often interviewed candidates for the mission field. On one occasion, he met with a group of applicants to determine their motivations for service. “And why do you wish to go as a foreign missionary?” he asked one. “I want to go because Christ has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” was the reply. Another said, “I want to go because millions are perishing without Christ.” Others gave different answers.

Then Hudson Taylor said, “All of these motives, however good, will fail you in times of testings, trials, tribulations, and possible death. There is but one motive that will sustain you in trial and testing; namely, the love of Christ.”

Source unknown

Love Constrains Us

A missionary in Africa was once asked if he really liked what he was doing. His response was shocking. “Do I like this work?” he said. “No. My wife and I do not like dirt. We have reasonable refined sensibilities. We do not like crawling into vile huts through goat refuse. But is a man to do nothing for Christ he does not like? God pity him, if not. Liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We have orders to ‘Go,’ and we go. Love constrains us.”

Our Daily Bread

No Angle

In response to a reporter’s question, a missionary talked about the hardships of his work as a physician in a distant land. Probing, the reporter asked, “Why would an educated man like you dedicate his life to a work like that?” The missionary replied, “Because a man who loves God comes to love the people God has sent him to help.”

The skeptical reporter continued, “but what other reasons do you have?” “None that I’m aware of.”

Later the reporter said, “I still don’t know what makes a man like that tick. Everybody has to have an angle.”

Today in the Word, February, 1991, p. 21

Resources

• Ray Stedman, Authentic Christianity, pp. 157-9
• Christ At The Crossroads, C. Swindoll, 1991, p. 82

Augustine

The story is told that when Augustine was still without God and without hope, the Holy Spirit convicted him on the basis of Paul’s words in Romans 13:14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Augustine acknowledged his sinfulness, accepted Jesus as his Savior, and became a different person. His entire outlook on life began to change because of his new nature. One day he had to attend to some business in his old haunts in Rome. As he walked along, a former companion saw him and began calling, “Augustine, Augustine, it is I!” He took one look at the poor, disreputable woman whose company he had formerly enjoyed, and he shuddered. Reminding himself of his new position in Christ, he quickly turned and ran from her, shouting, “It’s not I! It’s not I!” Augustine had found the secret of Paul’s words: “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Satan would like to defeat us by telling us that we are no different than we were before we were saved. But God says that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” And I’d rather believe Him, wouldn’t you? - H.G.B.

Our Daily Bread, Thursday, April 29

Accountable

At the Army Training Camp at Fort Dix, New Jersey, there is a large box at the entrance with a large hole on top. You may drop in that box, without fear, any illegal substance—drugs, alcohol, knives, guns,—and begin a new life in the army. But, if you keep them and are caught, you are held accountable.

Leadership, IV, 3, p. 95

Newness of Life

“Newness of life supposes newness of heart. Walking in Scripture stands for the course and character of one’s life, which must be new. Walk by new rules, towards new ends, from new principles. Make new choices of direction. Choose new paths to walk in, new leaders to walk after, new companions to walk with. “Old things should pass away, and all things become new. Such a person is something he formerly was not, does things he did not. And this newness is to be alive to God through Christ. To converse with God, to have a regard for Him, a delight in Him, a concern for Him: This is to be alive to God.

“The love of God reigning in the heart is the life of the soul towards God. Christ is our spiritual life; there is no living to God but through Him—through Christ as the Author and Maintainer of this life; through Christ as the Head from whom we receive vital influence; through Christ as the Root by which we derive sap and nourishment, and so live. In living to God, Christ is all in all.”

Matthew Henry, Source unknown

John Newton

A few years before John Newton died, a friend was having breakfast with him. Their custom was to read from the Bible after the meal. Because Newton’s eyes were growing dim, his friend would read, then Newton would comment briefly on the passage.

The day the selection was from 1 Corinthians 15. When the words “by the grace of God I am what I am” were read, Newton was silent for several minutes. Then he said, “I am not what I ought to be. How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to be, although I abhor that which is evil and would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be, but soon I shall put off mortality, and with it all sin. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor yet what I hope to be, I can truly say I am not what I once was: a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge that by the grace of God I am what I am!”

Source unknown

All Things New

London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball.

When we become God’s, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build.

Ian L. Wilson, Source unknown

Christ’s Ambassador

Paul considered himself Christ’s ambassador. What is an ambassador? He is an authorized representative of a sovereign. He speaks not in his own name but on behalf of the ruler whose deputy he is, and his whole duty and responsibility is to interpret that ruler’s mind faithfully to those to whom he is sent.

Paul used this “ambassador” image twice—both in connection with his evangelistic work. Pray for me, he wrote from prison, “that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:18-20). He wrote also that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

Paul called himself an ambassador because he knew that when he proclaimed the gospel facts and promises and urged sinners to receive the reconciliation effected at Calvary, he was declaring Christ’s message to the world. The figure of ambassadorship highlights the authority Paul had, as representing his Lord, as long as he remained faithful to the terms of his commission and said neither less nor more than he had been given to say.

Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, page for July 24

Resource

• John R. W. Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait, Some New Testament Word Studies, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1961), pp. 44ff

Barabbas

Commenting on Barabbas, Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote, “He was the only man in the world who could say that Jesus Christ took his physical place. But I can say that Jesus Christ took my spiritual place. For it was I who deserved to die. It was I who deserved that the wrath of God should be poured on me. I deserved the eternal punishment of the lake of fire. He was delivered up for my offenses. He was handed over to judgment because of my sins. Christ was my substitute. He was satisfying the debt of divine justice and holiness. That is why I say that Christianity can be expressed in the three phrases: I deserved hell; Jesus took my hell; there is nothing left for me but His heaven.” - D.C.E.

Our Daily Bread, Wednesday, March 30

Shortcomings

A man was greatly disturbed about his sin, so he wrote to Martin Luther. The reformer, who had agonized much over his own shortcomings, replied, “Learn to know Christ and Him crucified. Learn to sing to Him and say—Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness. You took on You what was mine; You set on me what was Yours. You became what you were not that I might become what I was not.” - D.J.D.

Our Daily Bread, Wednesday, April 15

Quote

Christ became what we are in order that we might become what he is. - Irenaeus

Source unknown

Burning Candle

A Saxon king who put down a rebellion in the distant province of his kingdom, then placed a burning candle in the archway of the castle and announced that all who had rebelled would be spared if they put down their arms and took an oath of loyalty to the king. Clemency and mercy were offered, but the offer was limited to the life of the candle.

Marching Orders, Carl Laney, p. 25

President McKinley

But in all things commending ourselves by kindness, by love unfeigned. 2 Corinthians 6:4, 6

When William McKinley was President of the United States, he had to make a decision about the appointment of an ambassador to a foreign country. Two candidates were equally qualified, so McKinley was still a Congressman, he had observed an inconsiderate action by one of the men. He recalled boarding a streetcar at the rush hour and getting the last vacant seat. Soon an elderly woman got on, carrying a heavy clothesbasket. No one got up to offer her a seat, so she walked the length of the car and stood in the aisle, hardly able to keep her balance as the vehicle swayed from side to side. One of the men McKinley was later to consider for ambassador was sitting next to where the woman was standing. Instead of getting up and helping her, he deliberately shifted his newspaper so it would look like he hadn’t seen her. When McKinley noticed this, he walked down the aisle, graciously took her basket, and offered her his seat. The man was unaware that anyone was watching, but that one little act of selfishness would later deprive him of perhaps the crowning honor of his lifetime. - H.G.B.

Our Daily Bread, Monday, November 8

Mark Twain

Mark Twain married a Christian lady. She at first didn’t want to marry, but later did. He at first went through the motions of religion with her, but later said he couldn’t keep up the hypocrisy. In time, she came to the place where she no longer believed in a personal God. During a time of deep grief, Twain said to his wife, “If your Christian faith will comfort you, go back to it.” She replied, “I have none.”

Source unknown

Ox and Ass

Cf. Deuteronomy 22:9-11

Principle:
What God has joined, we must not separate.
What God has separated, we must not join.

Unequal yoking is:

Unfitting - Different in size, temperament, strength. Ox clean, Ass unclean.
Unfair - Both would suffer pain, discomfort. A poor working combination.

Kingdom Conflict, J. Stowell, Victor, 1985, p. 59

Resource

• Between Two Truths, Klyne Snodgrass, Zondervan, 1990, p. 159

Influence

In his commentary on Isaiah, H. A. Ironside tells of some boys who caught two chirping baby linnets. They decided to teach these birds to sing by placing them in a small cage and hanging it next to the cage of a pet canary. The canary, of course, sang beautifully, so the boys thought if the linnets were close to it they too would become good songbirds. Several weeks went by with no apparent results. Then one day the youngsters were startled by a strange sound coming from the canary’s cage. “Listen,” said one of them, “the canary is cheeping like a linnet.”

A similar danger awaits the Christian who fellowships with ungodly people in the world. He will become like them. But worse than that, he will incur the disfavor of the Heavenly Father, whose will it is that His children separate themselves from sin and evil.

As Christians, we shouldn’t be isolated from the world. We have to live in it, but we do not have to be “of it.” Our Lord said to the Father, “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). Only a separated Christian can bear witness to a sinful world. - P.R.V.

Our Daily Bread, Sunday, July 15

Personal Purity

Temple worship in Israel was an awesome prospect, especially when the glory of God’s presence filled the most holy place! Imagine your fear, your sense of frailty, your concern for personal purity, if you were called to serve inside the Temple of God. As the law prescribed, the priest who entered the holy place was to make offering for his own sins before standing before God to offer sacrifice for the people’s sins. And sins committed outside the Temple would have to be covered before worship could take place. Imagine then the calamity that would occur if a worshiper actually committed sin inside the Temple. It would be an atrocity of the worst kind. To commit sin in the Temple would be unthinkable—and possibly fatal! With this picture in mind, Paul addressed believers who were immersed in the immoral and sexually-oriented culture of Corinth. To them the picture of committing immorality inside a place of worship would hit home, since temple prostitution was common in Corinth’s pagan religions.

What must have had the greatest impact on Paul’s readers, though, was not simply the distasteful idea of a person sinning inside a place of worship. Is was the fact that their very bodies were now the temple of the Holy Spirit! This meant that for a believer, to commit any kind of immorality would be the same as a worshiper committing sin in the most solemn place of worship. The rationale is clear: if our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then we must not profane that temple with any sort of sexual immorality. The alternative is to “honor God with your body,” in the same way that a place of worship would be put to its proper use.

Today in the Word, June 28, 1989

Ethical Purity

On the corporate level, ethical purity is mandatory if we are to experience the full blessing of God. George Mueller of Bristol, England, a man known for his prayers of faith and his mighty influence on others, set forth seven statements of ethical commitment. How would modern Christian organizations fare under the light of these guidelines, as quoted by Catherine Marshall in Beyond Our Selves'

1. No funds would ever be solicited. No facts and figures concerning needs were to be revealed by the workers in the orphanage to anyone, except to God in prayer.

2. No debts would ever be incurred.

3. No money contributed for a specific purpose would ever be used for another purpose.

4. All accounts would be audited annually by professional auditors.

5. No ego-pandering by publication of donor’s names, with the amount of their gifts, would be allowed; each donor would be thanked privately.

6. No “names” of prominent or titled persons would be sought for the board or to advertise the institution.

7. The success of the institution would be measured not by the numbers served or by the amounts of money taken in, but by God’s blessing on the work, which Mueller expected to be in proportion to the time spent in prayer.

Leading the Way by Paul Borthwick, Navpress, 1989, p. 116

Resource

• Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, pp. 144ff

Two Kinds of Repentance

Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience. One is ‘the sorrow of the world,” a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught. Many people recognize the unpleasant consequences of their sin and are persuaded that they are guilty. This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary reformation but not to a genuine turning to Christ for forgiveness. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, is accompanied by conviction of sin, the work of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:37). This stems from the realization of offending a holy God. It leads to genuine repentance.

An unknown author wrote, “There is a radical distinction between natural regret and God-given repentance. The flesh can feel remorse, acknowledge its evil deeds, and be ashamed of itself. However, this sort of disgust with past actions can be quickly shrugged off, and the individual can soon go back to his old wicked ways. None of the marks of true repentance described in 2 Corinthians 7:11 are found in his behavior. Out of a list of 10 men in the Bible who said, “I have sinned,” we believe only five actually repented. They were David (2 Sam. 12:13), Nehemiah (Neh. 1:6), Job (Job 42:5,6), Micah (Micah 7:9), and the prodigal son (Luke 15:18).” - H.G.B.

Our Daily Bread, Monday, July 16

Resource

• The Grace Awakening, C. Swindoll, 1990, p.118

Giving

Getting the Church on Target, Lloyd Perry, Moody, 1977

Which One is the Lord’s'

During calving season a farmer came home quite excited and announced, “One of our cows had two calves. I think we should give one to the Lord.” After discussion, the family wanted to know which calf was going to be the Lord’s. The farmer said, “When the time comes to sell them, I’ll know which one is the Lord’s.” A few days later the farmer came back to the house looking dejected and announced, “The Lord’s calf just died.”

Source unknown

Generosity

The outstanding Baptist preacher, Dr. George W. Truett, was helping a struggling congregation raise money for their church building. They still needed $6500. Truett found the response weak. With only $3000 pledged he said in exasperation, “Do you expect me to give the other $3500 needed to reach your goal? I’m just a guest here today.”

Suddenly, a woman near the back stood. Looking at her husband seated on the platform recording pledges, she said in a shaking voice, “Charlie, I wonder if you would be willing for us to give our little home? We were offered exactly $3500 cash for it yesterday. If the Saviour gave His life for us, shouldn’t we make this sacrifice for Him?”

Truett reported that the fine husband responded with equal generosity. “Yes, Jennie, I was thinking the same thing.” Turning to Truett, he said, “Brother Truett, if it’s needed, we’ll raise our pledge by $3500.”

Silence reigned for a few moments. Then some of the folks began to sob. Those who fifteen minutes earlier had refused to do more now either added their names to the list or increased their donations. In a short time, their goal had been achieved, and Charlie and Jennie didn’t have to forfeit their home. Their willingness to sacrifice had stimulated others to similar generosity.

Leslie B. Flynn, in Resource, July/August, 1990

Giving

There was a man, they called him mad;
The more he gave, the more he had.

Source unknown

Henry Ford

The American industrialist, Henry Ford, was once asked to donate money for the construction of a new medical facility. The billionaire pledged to donate $5,000. The next day in the newspaper, the headline read, “Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local hospital.” The irate Ford was on the phone immediately to complain to the fund-raiser that he had been misunderstood. The fund-raiser replied that they would print a retraction in the paper the following day to read, “Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000.” Realizing the poor publicity that would result, the industrialist agreed to the $50,000 contribution in return for the following: That above the entrance to the hospital was to be carved the biblical inscription: “I came among you and you took me in.”

Bits & Pieces, March 3, 1994, pp. 1-2

Balogna Sandwich

Imagine a man who goes to a church picnic, and only brings a dry balogna sandwich. He sits alone and begins to eat his sad excuse of a sandwich, when a grandmother and her family come up and sit by him. They take out of their picnic basket mouth-watering fried chicken, home-made whole-wheat bread, potato salad, and a couple of huge, juicy apple pies. As they are getting ready to sit down to their scrumptious feast, the grandmother leans over in his direction and says, “Why don’t we just put yours and ours all together?” That’s what God does—he takes our poor rags and gives us his riches.

Source unknown

Stickler for Correct Dress

British statesman and financier Cecil Rhodes, whose fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes Scholarships, was a stickler for correct dress—but apparently not at the expense of someone else’s feelings. A young man invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes’s home in his travel-stained clothes. Once there he was appalled to find the other guests already assembled, wearing full evening dress.

After what seemed a long time Rhodes appeared, in a shabby old blue suit. Later the young man learned that his host had been dressed in evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his young guest’s dilemma.

Today in the Word, February, 1991, p. 10

A Gift of God

Wealth, like manna, is the gift of God. It is like that spread by His hand around us every day. Some are able to gather much more than others. By their skill, health, diligence, or by providential arrangements, they are eminently successful.

Others are sick, aged, unskilled, and less successful. All that is obtained is by the arrangement of God. The health, the strength, the skill, the wisdom by which we are enabled to obtain wealth, are all His gift.

Honestly obtained wealth should be regarded as His bounty, and we should esteem it a privilege daily to impart to others less favored and less successful. To continue the analogy, manna—if kept more than a single day—became foul and loathsome. Does not wealth that should have been distributed to relieve the wants of others become corrupting in its nature? Wealth, like manna, should be employed in the service which God designs—employed to diffuse everywhere the blessings of religion, comfort, and peace.

Albert Barnes, Source unknown

Dennis the Menace

Dennis the Menace, sitting in church between father and mother: The offering plate comes by, and he asks, “Wouldn’t it be cheaper just to buy a season ticket?”

Source unknown

Amazing Alliance

Trees have made an alliance with another amazing microscopic symbiont, mycorrhiza fungi. Beneath the typical tree, roots generally reach half as deep and twice as wide as the tree we see above ground. When the roots of two trees touch, a battle for dominance usually ensues—unless the mycorrhiza fungi are on the scene. Forest scientist David Perry of Oregon State University has found that these fungi not only reduce competition between the trees but also link together roots from trees of the same or even different species. In one experiment, Perry grew seedlings and watched their roots join through the mycorrhiza. Then the scientist cast shade over one of the seedlings. The shaded tree began to draw nutrients from the sunlit tree through the fungal linkage between them.

“Thanks to these fungi,” says Perry, “It could be that a whole forest is linked together like a community. If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, a third to sunlight, the trees apparently can share with one another.”

“What Good is a Tree?” Lowell Ponte, March 1990, Reader’s Digest, p. 37

Padarewski

Many years ago two boys were working their way through Stanford University. Their funds got desperately low, and the idea came to them to engage Padarewski for a piano recital. They would use the funds to help pay their board and tuition.The great pianist’s manager asked for a guarantee of $2,000. The guarantee was a lot of money in those days, but the boys agreed and proceeded to promote the concert. They worked hard, only to find that they had grossed only $1,600.

After the concert the two boys told the great artist the bad news. They gave him the entire $1,600, along with a promissory note for $400, explaining that they would earn the amount at the earliest possible moment and send the money to him. It looked like the end of their college careers.

“No, boys,” replied Padarewski, “that won’t do.” Then, tearing the note in two, he returned the money to them as well. “Now,” he told the, “take out of this $1,600 all of your expenses, and keep for each of you 10 percent of the balance for your work. Let me have the rest.”

The years rolled by—World War I came and went. Padarewski, now premier of Poland, was striving to feed thousands of starving people in his native land. There was only one man in the world who could help him, Herbert Hoover, who was in charge of the U.S. Food and Relief Bureau. Hoover responded and soon thousands of tons of food were sent to Poland.

After the starving people were fed, Padarewski journeyed to Paris to thank Hoover for the relief sent him.

“That’s all right, Mr. Padarewski,” was Hoover’s reply. “Besides, you don’t remember it, but you helped me once when I was a student at college, and I was in trouble.”

Bits & Pieces, August 22, 1991

Resource

• Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 23

Forbidden Thoughts

“Christ counts evil thoughts as traitors not only to us, but also to Him. Like the psalmist, you may say, ‘I hate vain thoughts; not only because of the curse they bring to my heart, but for the grief they give to my King.’ Their intrusion is forbidden by the double barrier of our own choice and the keeping power of Jesus.

“Let the peace of God keep the door of your heart and mind, scrutinizing each intruder and turning back the unfit. Let the Holy Spirit bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

“Let the faithful Savior have the keeping of the soul entrusted to Him, that He may watch every menacing thought which lurks in the shadow or steals up the glen. He is well able to keep what is committed to Him. He will not fail the supplicant whose lips are familiar with the prayer: ‘Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You and worthily magnify Your holy name.’“

F. B. Meyer, Source unknown

Growth Chart

The growth chart had slipped from the playroom wall because the tape on its corners had become dry and brittle. Five-year-old Jordan hung it up again, meticulously working to get it straight. Then he stood his sister against the wall to measure her height.

“Mommy! Mommy! Anneke is forty inches tall!” he shouted as he burst into the kitchen. “I measured her.”

His mom replied, “That’s impossible, Sweetheart. She’s only 3 years old. Let’s go see.”

They walked back into the playroom, where the mother’s suspicions were confirmed. Despite his efforts to hang the chart straight, Jordan had failed to set it at the proper height. It was several inches low.

We easily make Jordan’s mistake in gauging our spiritual growth or importance. Compared to a shortened scale, we may appear better than we are. Only when we stand against the Cross, that “great leveler or men” as A. T. Robertson called it, can we not think of ourselves “more highly than we ought to think.” Christ, himself, must be our standard.

Robert H. Heijermans, Source unknown

Pure Motives

Can you imagine Jesus or Peter or Paul promising to pray for people in return for money? Do you suppose they told their audiences that they’d intercede from them on the condition that a contribution be made to their “ministries”? Certainly not! Paul, for example, could say to the Corinthians, “I have preached to you the gospel of God freely.” He had in mind the proclamation of the Word, but the principle of serving with pure motives applies to any spiritual endeavor.

How different from the preacher described in the following news item: “You can now buy blessings on the installment plan. An evangelist and faith healer who often lectures in this area is now offering 12 monthly blessings for $84. Under his plan, those wanting [him] to pray for them can fill out a coupon and mail $7 each month for 1 year to post office boxes in the United States and Canada. ‘Write us every month and tell us what you need from God’ says [the evangelist’s] promotional material.[He] promises to pray for those who pay and hints that his prayers have brought others financial rewards. With the first installment comes a blessings certificate to ‘hang on your wall.’ With the second comes an ‘anointed billfold’ that he has prayed over for prosperity. There is no money-back guarantee.” - R.W.D.

Our Daily Bread, Sunday, August 31

Unexploded Shells

During the Franco-German War of 1870-71, two unexploded shells were found near a house. The homeowner cleaned them up and put them on display near his fireplace. A few weeks later he showed these interesting objects to a visitor. His friend, an expert in munitions, suddenly had a horrible thought. “What if they’re still loaded?” After quickly examining the shells, he exclaimed, “Get them away from the fire immediately! They’re as deadly as the day they were made!” Without realizing it, the homeowner had been living in grave peril.

Likewise, many people unknowingly live in constant jeopardy of something far worse—a Christless eternity in hell. Failing to recognize the consequences of unbelief, they are in danger of sealing their doom at any moment. The risk of rejecting Christ and living in unbelief cannot be exaggerated, for what we do with Him and His offer of salvation determines where we will spend eternity. - H.G.B.

Our Daily Bread, Monday, February 27

Resource

• Sanctity of Life, C. Swindoll, Word, 1990, pp. 70ff

Thank God for Thorns

An unknown poet has written:

Once I heard a song of sweetness as it cleft the morning air,
Sounding in its blest completeness like a tender, pleading prayer;
And I sought to find the singer whence the wondrous song was born;
Till I found a bird, sore wounded, pinioned by an ugly thorn.

I have seen a soul of sadness while its wings with pain were furled,
Giving hope and cheer and gladness that should bless the weeping world;
Soon I learned a life of sweetness was of pain and sorrow born,
For that stricken soul was singing with its heart against a thorn!’

You are told of One who loves you, of a Savior crucified,
You are told of nails that pinioned, and a spear that pierced His side;
You are told of cruel scourging, of a Savior bearing scorn,
And He died for your salvation with His brow against the thorn.

You are not above the Master! Will you breathe a sweet refrain?
Then His grace will be sufficient when your heart is pierced with pain;
Will you live to bless His loved ones though your life be bruised and torn,
Like a bird that sang so sweetly with its heart against a thorn'

If you have thorns in your life, thank God for the roses of grace that inevitably go with them.

H.G.B., Our Daily Bread, Friday, February 6

Resources

• Ask Him Anything, L.J. Ogilvie, Word, 1981, pp. 73ff
• Taking The Guesswork Out of Applying The Bible, Jack Kuhatschek, IVP, 1991, pp. 34ff

Resource

• The Upside of Down, Joe Stowell, Moody, 1991, pp. 144ff

Poor Sermon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, known as “the prince of preachers,” felt he delivered his sermon so poorly one Sunday that he was ashamed of himself. As he walked away from his church, the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, he wondered how any good could come from that message. When he arrived home, he dropped to his knees and prayed, “Lord God, You can do something with nothing. Bless that poor sermon.”

In the months that followed, 41 people said that they had decided to trust Christ as Saviour because of that “weak” message. The following Sunday, to make up for his previous “failure,” Spurgeon had prepared a “great” sermon—but no one responded.

Spurgeon’s experience underscores two important lessons for all who serve the Lord. First, we need the blessing of God on our efforts. Solomon said in Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” And second, our weakness is an occasion for the working of God’s power. The apostle Paul said, “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Our Daily Bread, May 18, 1992

Holy Laughter

The other evening I was riding home after a heavy day’s work. I felt very wearied and sore depressed, when swiftly and suddenly as a lightning flash that text came to me, “my grace is sufficient for you.” I reached home and looked it up in the original, and at last it came to me in this way: ‘MY grace is sufficient for you.’ And I said, ‘ I should think it is, Lord,’ and burst out laughing. I never fully understood what the holy laughter of Abraham was until then. It seemed to make unbelief so absurd. It was as though a mouse feared it might die of famine, and Joseph might say, ‘Cheer up, little mouse, my granaries are sufficient for you.’ Again, I imagined a man way up yonder in a lofty mountain, saying to himself, ‘I breathe so many cubic feet of air every year, I fear I shall exhaust the oxygen in the atmosphere.’ But the earth might say, ‘Breathe away, O man, and fill your lungs ever, my atmosphere is sufficient for you!’ Be great believers! Little faith will bring your souls to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your souls.

C. H. Spurgeon, Source unknown

His Resources are Mine

It matters little to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cash worth of things, or the most expensive articles. In either case he looks to me for the money and brings me his purchases. So, if God should place me in serious perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? No fear that His resources will prove unequal to the emergency! And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.

Hudson Taylor, quoted in Burning Out for God, E. Skoglund, p. 10

God Chooses Nobodies

God can achieve his purpose either through the absence of human power and resources, or the abandonment of reliance on them. All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on him made possible the unique display of his power and grace. He chose and used somebodies only when they renounced dependence on their natural abilities and resources.

Oswald Chambers, in Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 134

Resource

• “Glory in Infirmities,” Charles Swindoll, Growing Strong, pp. 42-3

Blessings in Disguise

We don’t often thank God for our trials, heartaches, and difficulties. Although we are willing to praise Him for His goodness, we sometimes fail to realize that even adverse circumstances are blessings in disguise.

Scottish preacher George Matheson had that problem. He realized that he was not as ready to praise God when things went wrong as he was when they went right. However, after he began to lose his eyesight, he changed his thinking. He struggled for some months with this weary burden until he reached the point where he could pray, “My God, I have never thanked You for my thorn. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensated for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the value of my thorn.”

When we count our blessings, we should include the weaknesses, the hardships, the burdens, and the trials we face. If we do, we might find that God has used our difficulties more than the “good” things to help us grow spiritually. Why is that? Because it is in those difficult places that we discover the sufficiency of His grace. In our trials, we turn to God. As we depend on Him, we find that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). Take a moment and think about the way God has led you. When you praise God for your blessings, do you remember to thank Him for the thorns? P.R.V.

Our Daily Bread, Thursday, April 14