Learn How to Fall

We can succeed through apparent failure, but we must learn how to fall.

When my daughter was beginning to ride her bike she discovered an all-important truth. After a particularly difficult afternoon she came inside and said; "Daddy, you know the hardest part about riding a bike? It's learning how to fall!" At five years of age she had discovered that falling was an inevitable part of the riding experience; but to have a "successful" experience, she needed to learn how to fall without causing damage to her body.

When we follow the call of God and step into the great unknown, we are ALWAYS successful. We are successful because success is defined as being obedient to His call, regardless of the physical results or accomplishments. We must never evaluate our walk with the Lord based on a worldly criteria. Rather, we are to walk by a faith which is lived out each day through trust and obedience.

When John the Baptist was in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:3). This question indicates some great turmoil. John preached a message of repentance to "Prepare the way of the Lord" (Luke 3:4), and he described Jesus as, "one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie" (Luke 3:16). And when John baptized Jesus, he heard a voice from Heaven say, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). But while in jail, John needed to ask, "Are You really the One?"

Matthew 11:4-6
"Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear... Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me.'"

The first part of this reply is what we expect. Jesus is saying, "Of course I'm the One! Don't you see the evidence?" But then Jesus answers John's real question with "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me." John was doubting because he had been sent to jail for following Christ. He had taken a discouraging fall and was questioning his chosen path. Was it possible that he should experience such hardship if Jesus was really the Christ?
Our walk with Jesus is never promised to be easy - it is promised to be eternal! We are never promised success in the eyes of the world; we are promised the true success which only His peace can give...and also an eternal glory in the presence of God! His plans and purposes are perfect and will most surely include aspects we cannot understand, include times when we become discouraged and appear to fall. These are times we must fall without falling away! In falling we must fall closer to Jesus and learn to trust Him even more. We can have a successful journey even through apparent failure; we can always be successful if we continue to follow where He leads and learn how to fall.

Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

The Book of Romans and God's Grace

(By Andrew Wommack, www.awmi.net)
Today, most Christians think the word "Gospel" is just a word that identifies religious things. They relate preaching on the wrath of God and impending judgment as the Gospel, but it's not. It's true that those who don't accept the sacrifice of Jesus will spend an eternity in hell, but that's not "good news." That's certainly not "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news." 

The Gospel is the "good news," that despite our sins and the judgment we deserve, God has provided complete redemption for us. Even more specifically, the word "Gospel" describes the grace that enables us to receive this forgiveness. 

If I told you that I had a gift of a million dollars for you, that would be good news. That would be nearly-too-good-to-be-true news. What if I put down difficult or impossible stipulations as things you must do to receive that money? Then it would cease to be a gift. Your performance would be required so you would actually be earning the money. All your joy over the "gift" would fade away as you despaired of meeting the criteria. You would probably be upset with me. It would be better to have never been offered the money than to have it dangled in front of you and then placed out of reach through impossible demands. That's the way it is with salvation. Just saying that Jesus provided salvation for us is not truly the "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news" unless it is emphasized that all Jesus provided is available to us by grace. The grace of God is the heart of the Gospel. 

Telling people they are going to hell if they don't repent is true, but it's not the Gospel. Even telling people that Jesus provided an escape is not the Gospel if we tell them they have to live holy lives in order to obtain that salvation. Putting any stipulations on what we have to do to acquire God's provision denies grace and, therefore, is not the Gospel. These are radical statements! Most of the church world doesn't define the Gospel this way, but that's the way Paul defined it, that "the gospel...is the power of God unto salvation." The power that we need to get saved and obtain everything that Jesus provided for us is in the Gospel. If we seem powerless to receive, it's because we don't have a full revelation of the true Gospel. 

I've heard people say before, "No one should hear the Gospel twice until everyone in the world has heard it once." The point is that we shouldn't put all our evangelism efforts into countries where people have already heard the Gospel. We should be putting a higher priority on bringing the Gospel to those who have never heard it. 

People have heard that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. They've heard that sin separates us from God and they have to be forgiven of their sins. They've even heard that Jesus died to forgive their sins. As a whole, have they heard that all that Jesus provided for us is a gift, accessible only by faith (Rom. 5:2). "Christianity" has preached that we have to live holy lives to receive from God. 

The religious system of Martin Luther's day preached Jesus. They talked about the forgiveness of sins and the wrath that awaited all who rejected the sacrifice of Jesus. They placed such a burden of personal holiness on the individual in order to receive what Jesus provided that they perverted the true Gospel with all their requirements. They were not preaching the Gospel. Martin Luther received the revelation that it is only by grace that anyone can be saved (Rom. 3:28), and it changed his life and the history of the world. Mainstream Christianity has lost the understanding of grace just as surely as it was lacking prior to Martin Luther's revelation. We need another reformation centered on the grace of God.
An amazing thing has happened in our presentation of the Gospel today. Evangelical Christianity preaches grace as the heart of the Gospel for the initial born-again experience, but then it reverts to personal performance in order to receive everything else from God. That's a perversion of the Gospel too. Paul said in Colossians 2:6, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." That means that since we can only be born again by putting faith in God's grace, everything else in the Christian life has to come the same way. 

If it was "just as I am without one plea" to get saved, then it has to be the same to get healed or prospered or delivered. Are we so foolish to think that we got saved by grace, but now we can be made perfect through our own efforts? (Gal. 3:3) 

That's why Paul wrote the book of Galatians. The Galatians had received the Gospel and had been born again, but after being saved, they left grace and went back to trying to earn the blessings of God through their adherence to rules and regulations. This brought some of the harshest rebukes the Apostle Paul ever gave to anyone. He said in Galatians 3:1, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" He also said in Galatians 5:4, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Every great revival in history had the grace of God at its core. An awakening to the grace of God will release the power of the Gospel, and revival will be the result. Revival isn't the result of holiness. Holiness is the result of revival. 

You might ask, "Are you saying that we can live in sin because salvation is by God's grace?" I'm glad you asked that question. Paul addressed that very question four times in the book of Romans. You could even say that if that question never comes up, then the true Gospel that Paul preached hasn't been presented. Most of the Gospel messages being preached in the pulpits of America never raise that question because they aren't preaching the true Gospel. 

Of course, Paul didn't advocate a life of sin and neither am I. Holiness is a fruit and not a root of salvation (Rom. 6:22). Paul told Titus in Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Grace teaches us to live holy lives. Our holiness is a response to God's grace, not something we do to earn God's grace. Grace cannot be earned, or it wouldn't be grace (Rom. 11:6). When we clearly see the grace God has extended to us, the love of God will abound in our lives and we will live more holy lives accidentally than we ever have before on purpose. 

Grace doesn't give us a license to sin, but it actually frees us from sin. In Romans 6:14 Paul said, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Grace breaks sin's dominion over us. The law, or a performance-based message, gives sin dominion over us. 

If these truths about the Gospel of God's grace as revealed through Paul in the book of Romans have not exploded in your heart, I plead with you to change that today. I promise you that these truths will transform your life just as they have mine. The Gospel is the power you need in your life to receive whatever your needs are from the Lord.

The Old Life Is Gone

Matthew 15:15-20
(15) Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” (16) So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? (17) Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? (18) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (20) These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." 

This “heart” issue is the reason for the apostle Paul's statement in II Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” The new convert is a new creation, a parallel to Adam and Eve in their creation. God formed them both in His image (Genesis 1:26), though the material source of them was of the earth, which God also created. Isaiah 64:8 affirms what is occurring in those whom God calls: “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.”

In like manner, in the new creation, the new convert, it is God who calls (I Corinthians 7:15), who provides faith (Ephesians 2:8), who grants repentance (Acts 5:31), and who gives His Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32). Just as God provided the means for Adam and Eve to function responsibly toward Him, so has He also supplied the means we need to function responsibly as a new creation.

His purpose is to create us in His spiritual image, so that we have qualities of heart and character as He does. These qualities will enable us to provide leadership as members of the government He will establish under Jesus Christ at His return. The prophecy of Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks of this government:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

How's Your Discernment???

Matthew 10:16
(16) “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 

Christ's mandate to us that we become "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" implies that we must develop discernment, the ability to detect motivation and the spirits that motivate. The gift of discerning the spirits will become increasingly important as we approach the end of this age because deception will be the hallmark of these extremely dangerous times.

In the Olivet Prophecy, the disciples ask Jesus to reveal the sign of His return. Jesus does not give one sign but several. At the top of the list, he warns the disciples of deception, and follows it up with warnings of false prophets, false miracles, and the warning not to be deceived (see Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-26).

We deduce from this last warning that false "Christian" ministers and ministries will have the capability of performing convincing lying wonders and signs. These false ministers will demonstrate power—occult power—for the specific purpose of leading all people astray, including the most sincere believer.

We have a clear warning from the apostle Paul that the battles we face on a daily basis cannot be won by conventional weapons that we can attain from the world. The weapons we must seek should be spiritual, having the power to destroy arguments and every false claim that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and God's Word (II Corinthians 10:3-5).

— David F. Maas

Hard Heart

Exodus 4:21
(21) And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
Exodus 7:3
(3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 14:4
(4) Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD." And they did so. 

God makes some people very difficult to deal with. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go'" (Exodus 4:21). It was not mere happenstance that this Pharaoh was particularly hardheaded, nor was he merely reacting to circumstance. God caused him to be intractable. God did a similar thing to Ezekiel before Israel:
Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 3:8-9)
If God will do this for one of His servants, a prophet, why can He not do it to Pharaoh, who, though an enemy of His people, is also serving God's purpose?

Exodus says Pharaoh hardened his heart nineteen times, and of that total, ten say God hardened Pharaoh's heart and nine that Pharaoh hardened it. This shows a balance. Undoubtedly, Pharaoh had a proclivity toward stubbornness, but God helped him along whenever necessary.
This suggests that on occasion God will disregard free moral agency to suit the purpose He is working out. If life and our destiny to be in the Kingdom of God is all a matter of free moral agency, then free moral agency is supreme God, not the Creator God. But it is true, the Potter has power over the clay to do with it as He pleases (Romans 9:21). Ultimately, God's power of choice trumps man's.

This is further underscored on other occasions revealed in the Exodus events. The sovereign God's power, when combined with Pharaoh's God-aided stubbornness, produced a calamity of monumental proportions for Egypt and glory for the eternal God. God says in Exodus 7:3-5:
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

He was producing yet more because He makes a similar statement in Exodus 14:4, as Israel was about to be confronted with crossing the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army not far behind: "'Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.' And they did so."

Where was the Egyptians' free moral agency throughout this entire affair? The Egyptians who died—in many cases, violent deaths during the destruction of Egypt's power—had little or no choice in the matter. In addition, they came to comprehend God's power only for a brief period of time, which did them no good and brought Him precious little honor. He may have received honor in the form of terror, and little or none in the form of grateful appreciation, admiration, and obedience from them. God, however, has a longer-range view: The time is coming when they will remember and give true honor to Him in thankfulness.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

Selling Our Birthright

Genesis 25:34
(34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. 

We all shake our heads in disbelief when we think about the well-known story of Esau selling his birthright for a measly bowl of lentil stew. How could he do such a thing? But are we any better today? Paul reminds us that the stories God includes in the Old Testament are there to help us avoid making the same mistakes (I Corinthians 10:11-12).

We have another advantage: Esau was not converted, and we are. Through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, we have help he never had. We can use this godly insight and power to learn and grow in the way of living that will please God.
What did Esau give up? Of course, we understand that God had prophesied that the older would serve the younger. Perhaps Jacob was aware of this and was trying to "help God" work out His foreordained providence. Whatever the case, until this point the birthright was Esau's. Albert Barnes comments: "In after times the right of primogeniture consisted in a double portion of the father's goods (Deut 21:17), and a certain rank as the patriarch and priest of the house on the death of the father." God had already promised vast lands and wealth to the descendants of Abraham who came through the birthright son (Genesis 26:1-5).

Imagine for a second that Esau could have foreseen all of North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, vast sections of Europe, and parts of the Middle East. Would he have had a greater appreciation for the birthright then? Possibly.

However, Esau could not imagine the unimaginable wealth, power, military might, political impact, and world leadership his descendants could have. This is not even considering the potential for a far greater spiritual inheritance—the blessing (see Genesis 27:1-29)—that accompanies the birthright. These benefits were not real to him; he could not touch them. They were too far in the future; they were not present at the moment. The only thing that was real to him was his need to eat some lentil stew. Right now.

Esau's impulsive, unholy, live-in-the-now lifestyle was about to cost him and his descendants dearly. As God says, he despised his birthright.

God has called us to a fabulous, unfathomable birthright. Our birthright, as firstfruits of God, makes Esau's birthright seem trivial. If we cannot or will not realize what God has offered us, we can let such great a prize slip away as tragically as Esau spurned his birthright (Hebrews 2:1; 12:14-17). If we do not value our birthright more than anything in this universe, we can sell it for our own equivalent of a bowl of lentil stew.

Look Back From Eternity

We will better see our purpose when we look back from eternity.

Ruth lived in the land of Moab just east of Canaan. She was not an Israelite but she married one of the sons of Naomi who had recently moved to Moab from Judah because of a famine. After ten years, Ruth's husband died. Naomi was going to return to her homeland and thought Ruth should remain with her people in Moab. But Ruth loved Naomi and desired to stay by her side.

Ruth 1:16-17
"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried."

Life back in Canaan was difficult for Naomi and Ruth. Without anyone to care for them, Ruth had to pick left over grain from the fields simply to have enough to eat. Fortunately, Jewish law made provisions for this type of charity to the poor. As a poor foreigner in a strange land, this was a very humbling time for Ruth.

After two harvesting seasons of faithfully gathering food for herself and Naomi, Ruth married Boaz who owned the field where she worked. They soon had a son, and Naomi was allowed to help care for the boy. Their life had suddenly, and wonderfully, improved. And though Ruth must have been relieved and pleased to have a son, imagine her amazement when she is allowed to look back and view the results of her life from God's perspective.

Ruth's husband, Boaz, was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. Their son was named Obed: "He was the father of Jesse, the father of {King} David" (Ruth 4:17). From this same family line (fourteen generations later), Mary would give birth to a boy named Jesus.

Our view of God's Kingdom is VERY limited. No matter how much we desire otherwise, there are simply pieces of the puzzle we are unable to fit together. While we walk this earth and breathe this air, we most likely will never see the purpose of our struggles. Yet, we must closely follow the One who leads and give ourselves wholeheartedly to each task we are given. We must learn to trust His perfect plan!
A shining light will always penetrate the darkness. And though we may not see the impact we have on others, one day we will stand with our Heavenly Father and rejoice as He reveals how we were used for His glorious purpose. One day we will watch our life unfold and clearly see the use of every helping hand, every encouraging word, and even every smile we shared in the midst of our trials. The shining light of our life has great meaning and purpose - true meaning and purpose which we will joyfully witness when we are allowed to look back from eternity. 

Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

Forgiven Transgressions

Luke 13:15-17
(15) The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? (16) So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" (17) And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. 

This healing is one of seven performed on the Sabbath. Jesus' adversaries closely scrutinized Him on the Sabbath in hopes of trapping Him in a breach of the law. A person's Sabbath conduct was the Jewish religious leaders' litmus test of conformity. Their tests followed their burdensome and humanly reasoned Sabbath rules (I John 5:3). While their rules bound people to unyielding strictures, Christ loosed the woman from Satan's bond.

Their rules against healing on the Sabbath gave them ammunition to attack despite His compassionate healings. Jesus later points out that a person is far more important than an animal, and even His enemies see no wrong in helping distressed animals on the Sabbath (Luke 14:5). The hypocrisy and foolishness of the religious leaders is obvious.
As a result, Jesus' opponents are humiliated, but the crowds are delighted. Having dishonored Christ and done the people great disservice, “All His adversaries were put to shame” (Luke 13:17). Shame will always be the result of sin. If a person does not repent of his opposition to Christ, shame will be his reward.

When sin and its curses are dealt with properly, good people rejoice. Dealing with sin in a lenient and lackadaisical way does not bring true happiness. David writes, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity” (Psalm 32:1-2). When sin is forgiven and overcome, people find true joy.
— Martin G. Collins

Why Easter is celebrated?

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. ... Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21.
Many Christians celebrate Easter Sunday as the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection. According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb where Jesus was buried and found it empty. An angel told her that Jesus had risen. The resurrection established Jesus as the powerful Son of God and is cited as proof that God will judge the world in righteousness.

Passover...

Jews celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses.
The final plague was the death of the first born. God told Moses that the Israelites should mark their doorposts with lamb's blood so that God could 'pass over' their houses and spare them from this plague. ... 

This is why, during Passover, Jewish people eat unleavened bread called Matzah.

The first night always includes a special seder (ritual dinner). Plus, traditional Jews outside of Israel don't work on either the first two or the last two days of the seven-day period. Outside of Israel, Jews celebrate a second seder on the second night of Passover. 

At a Passover seder, the following traditional items are on the table: Seder plate: The seder plate (there's usually one per table) holds at least six of the ritual items that are talked about during the seder: the shankbone, karpas, chazeret, charoset, maror, and egg. Maror and Chazeret are bitter herbs symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery the Hebrews endured in Egypt. 

What are Karpas and what do they symbolize?

Karpas is one of the traditional rituals in the Passover Seder. It refers to the vegetable, usually parsley or celery, that is dipped in liquid (usually salt water) and eaten. ... The word comes from the Greek 'karpos' meaning a fresh raw vegetable.

Roasted lamb shankbone: One of the most striking symbols of Passover is the roasted lamb shankbone (called zeroah), which commemorates the paschal (lamb) sacrifice made the night the ancient Hebrews fled Egypt. Some people say it symbolizes the outstretched arm of God (the Hebrew word zeroah can mean “arm”). 

A roasted hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

During Passover, followers of the Jewish faith are forbidden to eat, drink, or own chametz or (chometz) – food that is made from grain (barley, oats, rye, spelt, or wheat) and water and has been allowed to rise. ... They are then purchased back after the end of Passover. In Israel, Passover lasts for 7 days.

Self-Prophecy

Is Jesus relevant today? a continuation
Self-Prophecy

In advance of His death, Jesus told His disciples that He would be betrayed, arrested, and crucified and that He would come back to life three days later. That’s a strange plan! What was behind it? Jesus was no entertainer willing to perform for others on demand; instead, He promised that His death and resurrection would prove to people (if their minds and hearts were open) that He was indeed the Messiah.

Bible scholar Wilbur Smith remarked about Jesus:
When He said that He himself would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say, if He expected longer the devotion of any disciples – unless He was sure He was going to rise. No founder of any world religion known to men ever dared say a thing like that.

In other words, since Jesus had clearly told His disciples that He would rise again after His death, failure to keep that promise would expose Him as a fraud. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. How did Jesus die before He (if He really did die) rose again?

We all wonder what will happen to us after we die. When a loved one dies, we long to see him or her again after our turn comes. Will we have a glorious reunion with those we love or is death the end of all consciousness?
Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die. He made this startling claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.” According to the eyewitnesses closest to Him, Jesus then demonstrated His power over death by rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years.

But some people have no hope of life after death. The atheistic philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, “I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my own ego will survive.” Russell obviously didn’t believe Jesus’ words.
Jesus’ followers wrote that He appeared alive to them after His crucifixion and burial. They claim not only to have seen Him but also to have eaten with Him, touched Him, and spent 40 days with Him.

So could this have been simply a story that grew over time, or is it based upon solid evidence? The answer to this question is foundational to Christianity. For if Jesus did rise from the dead, it would validate everything He said about Himself, about the meaning of life, and about our destiny after death.

If Jesus did rise from the dead then He alone would have the answers to what life is about and what is facing us after we die. On the other hand, if the resurrection account of Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be founded upon a lie. 
Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way:

The claim of resurrection is vital to Christianity. If Christ has been raised from the dead by God, then He has the credentials and certification that no other religious leader possesses.

All other religious leaders are dead, but, according to Christianity, Christ is alive.

Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the resurrection. Josh McDowell was one such skeptic who spent more than seven hundred hours researching the evidence for the resurrection. McDowell stated this regarding the importance of the resurrection:

I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history. McDowell later wrote his classic work, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, documenting what he discovered.

So, is Jesus’ resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions. Let’s see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for themselves.

Jesus on Trial

Is Jesus relevant today? A continuation
Jesus on Trial

Legal scholar, Dr. Simon Greenleaf, decided to put Jesus’ resurrection on trial by examining the evidence. Greenleaf helped to put the Harvard Law School on the map. He also wrote the three-volume legal masterpiece A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which has been called the “greatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.” The U.S. judicial system today still relies on rules of evidence established by Greenleaf.

As a legal scholar, Greenleaf wondered if Jesus’ resurrection would meet his stringent tests for evidence. He wondered whether or not the evidence for it would hold up in a court of law. Focusing his brilliant legal mind on the facts of history, Greenleaf began applying his rules of evidence to the case of Jesus’ resurrection.

Contrary to what skeptics might have expected, the more Greenleaf investigated the record of history, the more evidence he discovered supporting the claim that Jesus had indeed risen from the tomb.

So, what was that evidence? Greenleaf observed several dramatic changes that took place shortly after Jesus died, the most baffling being the behavior of the disciples. It wasn’t just one or two disciples who insisted Jesus had risen; it was all of them. Applying his own rules of evidence to the facts, Greenleaf arrived at his verdict.

After evaluating all the evidence, Greenleaf accepted Jesus’ resurrection as the best explanation for the events that took place immediately after his crucifixion. To this brilliant legal scholar it would have been impossible for the disciples to persist with their conviction that Jesus had risen if they hadn’t actually seen the risen Christ.

To this legal expert, the case for Jesus’ resurrection was so compelling that he had no doubt it would hold up in a court of law. In his book The Testimony of the Evangelists, Greenleaf documents the evidence supporting his conclusion. In his conclusion he challenges those who seek the truth about the resurrection to fairly examine the evidence.

Greenleaf believed that any unbiased person who honestly examines the evidence as in a court of law will conclude what he did – that Jesus Christ has truly risen.

Did Jesus Say What Happens After We Die?

If Jesus really did rise from the dead, then He alone must know what is on the other side. What did Jesus say about the meaning of life and our future?

A Surprise Conclusion

Is Jesus relevant today? a continuation
A Surprise Conclusion

With myth, hallucination, and a flawed autopsy ruled out, with incontrovertible evidence for an empty tomb, with a substantial body of eyewitnesses to his reappearance, and with the inexplicable transformation and impact upon the world of those who claimed to have seen him, Morison became convinced that his preconceived bias against Jesus Christ’s resurrection had been wrong. He began writing a different book – entitled Who Moved the Stone? – to detail his new conclusions. Morison simply followed the trail of evidence, clue by clue, until the truth of the case seemed clear to him. His surprise was that the evidence led to a belief in the resurrection.

In his first chapter, “The Book That Refused to Be Written,” this former skeptic explained how the evidence convinced him that Jesus’ resurrection was an actual historical event. “It was as though a man set out to cross a forest by a familiar and well-beaten track and came out suddenly where he did not expect to come out.”

Morison is not alone. Countless other skeptics have examined the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, and accepted it as the most astounding fact in all of human history. C. S. Lewis, who once had even doubted Jesus’ existence, was also persuaded by the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. He writes, “Something perfectly new in the history of the Universe had happened. Christ had defeated death. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open.” 

Let’s consider just one more skeptic who was persuaded by the evidence.

LORD, Teach Us To Pray

Matthew 6:9-13
(9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 

New King James Version Change your email Bible version
Memorizing the Lord's Prayer—which is a bit of a misnomer; it should be "The Disciples' Prayer" or "The Model Prayer"—is a wonderful thing to do. Parents should make it their aim to teach it to their children. But unlike many in nominal Christianity, we need to go further and teach our children that the prayer is not one to be mindlessly repeated but a guideline for our personal, private prayers to "our Father in heaven." It maps out the general attitude and subjects of prayer that we should take to heart and cut deeply into our memories.

It is a wonder that so few who frequently use Matthew 6:9-13 both publically and privately know what Jesus says—no, commands—in the immediately preceding verses:
And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5-8)

Christ plainly says that public prayers made expressly to be seen by others is hypocritical, and prayers that are repeated vainly (meaning "carelessly," "uselessly," or "thoughtlessly") are heathen! Obviously, this does not mean that He forbids public prayer; there are many examples of proper public prayer in Scripture (see, for example, I Kings 8:22-53; Ezra 9:6-15; Nehemiah 9:5-38; John 17:1-26; etc.). Public prayer is a necessary part of opening and closing religious services. What Jesus denounces is making a show of praying to enhance one's reputation as a "religious" or "righteous" person, as well as repetitious, canned prayers and overlong, tedious prayers.

Overall, Jesus warns us against two mistakes when praying: making them about us and making them meaningless. Doing either (or both) will ruin their effectiveness and actually work at cross-purposes to spiritual growth. When we pray, we need to remember that it is a formal conversation with the divine Governor of the Universe. We have not entered His court for our own gratification and glory. We certainly do not want to bore Him by endlessly repeating the same five words or giving Him the expanded War and Peace version of our pitiful lives. To the contrary, we are before Him to praise Him, to thank Him, to beseech Him for help both for others and ourselves, and to praise and thank Him. I repeat myself for emphasis.

What would we think of a friend who came to the front door each morning, and upon opening it to admit him, we heard him say the exact same thing that he had said the past 532 straight mornings, droning on for half an hour without coming up for air? We might love him as a friend, but we would surely think he was a bit strange and wasting our time with his endless repetitions. We would soon tune out his robotic, one-sided conversation.

We are blessed that God is far more patient and understanding with us than we would be to such a bore. He listens to our petitions whether we are eloquent or mind-numbingly incoherent (see Romans 8:26). Yet, notice that Jesus tells the disciples—us—that the Father knows what we need before we ask Him. We are not springing anything on Him that He has not already figured out.
So there is no need for us to meander, be vague, or employ some kind of rhetorical device that is "guaranteed" to convince Him that He has to intervene right away. There is no need to try to impress Him with our knowledge or persuasiveness or righteousness. He wants us to be ourselves and to speak with Him as family members do—with, of course, the proper reverence for who He is.
What is most important—what He is looking for—is a "poor and . . . contrite spirit, and [one] who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). If the attitude is humble, focused on God's will and His plan for us, He will hear and respond. More importantly, we will be drawing closer to Him and taking on aspects of His character that are so essential to Christian life and the Kingdom of God.
— Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Are You Happy or Unhappy???

There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. 

Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within. The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, smiling and content with their life. Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.

The question is: how do they do that?

Ask any happy person, and they will tell you that they
1. Don’t hold grudges
2. Treat everyone with kindness
3. See problems as challenges
4. Express gratitude for what they already have
5. Dream big.
6. Don’t sweat the small stuff
7. Speak well of others
8. Never make excuses.
9. Get absorbed into the present
10. Wake up at the same time every morning
11. Avoid social comparison.
12. Choose friends wisely
13. Never seek approval from others
14. Take the time to listen
15. Nurture social relationships
16. Meditate
17. Eat well
18. Exercise
19. Live minimally
20. Tell the truth
21. Accept what cannot be changed.

No Neutrality In Christianity

1 John 2:15-17 (15) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (17) And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 

I John 2:15-17 warns us that there is a profound gulf between the Father and the world, and that a Christian is faced with making a choice between them. Spiritually, morally, and ethically, Christianity does not allow for neutrality. God is bringing us into a position where we recognize truth, admit it is true, and make it a part of our lives.

We are learning a new way of life, so He does not want us to be ensnared by the attractiveness of many things that are in the world. We cannot presume that because something appears to be harmless, it would be fine to do "just this one time." Therefore, we have to learn to resist the urge to think and conduct our lives as the world does.

"World" in I John 2 is the Greek cosmos, and its basic meaning is "an ordered system." Because of the disparity between God and this world, it cannot possibly be the world for which God gave His only begotten Son. The world He created He called "very good." Nor is He referring to mankind, also part of His creation. He loves people and desires to save them.

Nevertheless, He does not like man's way of life. This ordered, human-centered system is anti-God and anti-Christ, and satan sits at its head. This system occupies His creation and consists of people that God loves so much that He sent His Son to die for them, but He does not love the system! It produces people that need to be rescued, and it tends to make them worse and worse.

When God speaks of "the world," He is identifying all of man's purposes, pursuits, pleasures, practices, and places where God is not wanted. Much of this world is religious, cultured, refined, and intellectual, but it is still anti-God and anti-Christ.

Through His calling, God puts us into a position where He forces us to choose between disparate ways of life, and both of them are realities. We must choose either the eternal and worthwhile or the temporal and vain. God is not saying that this world is unpleasant, unattractive, or unappealing, but we have to choose between that reality and His. The sum of this passage is that this ordered system—anti-God yet appealing and attractive—has the power to seduce the believer, to ensnare him and turn him from God. We have to be vigilantly on guard against it.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

An astonishing measure of grace...

Genesis 18:23-25
(23) And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (24) Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? (25) Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 

Is God fair in His dealings with man? Consider this: Has God warned man what He is going to earn in the way of a death penalty if he sinned? Consider this list. In Exodus 21, we are warned that striking or cursing parents will result in death. In Leviticus 19, He says that if you desecrate a sacrifice, you are going to die. In Leviticus 24, He said that if you murder somebody, you are going to die. In Exodus 21, He says that if you kidnap somebody, you are going to die. In Leviticus 20, He says if you sacrifice a child in the fire, you are going to die. In Leviticus 24, He says If you take My name in vain—if you curse Me, if your use blasphemous statements about Me—you are going to die.

In Exodus 35, He issues the death penalty for breaking the Sabbath. In Leviticus 20, He issues the death penalty for consulting mediums. In Leviticus 20, He says that if you are practicing homosexuality, you are going to die. In Leviticus 20, if you practice incest, you are going to die. In Exodus 22, if you practice bestiality, you are going to die. In Deuteronomy 22, He says that if you rape somebody, you are going to die. In Deuteronomy 13, if you give a false prophecy, you are going to die.

In Exodus 22, if you practice sorcery, you are going to die. In Exodus 22, if you sacrifice to a false god, you are going to die. In Leviticus, if you commit adultery, you are going to die. In Numbers 4, if you desecrate a holy thing, you are going to die. In Numbers 16, if you disagree with God's judgment, you are going to die. In Leviticus 21, if you are a priest's daughter and you play the harlot, you are going to die.
I have only given you a partial list. God has clearly made known the penalty to mankind. Is God acting fairly? The penalty for some of these offenses really sounds harsh to modern minds. Death for a false prophecy? Death for committing adultery? Death for bestiality or homosexuality? All of these penalties are given in the Old Testament. By contrast, there is no corresponding list of penalties in the New Testament, which misleads some who are close to being biblically illiterate into thinking that they prefer the God of the New Testament to the God of the Old Testament. But the God of the New Testament is exactly the same Being as the God of the Old Testament; He says, "I change not" (Malachi 3:6). "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

Those of us who are living under the New Covenant need to begin to think seriously about the way we conduct our lives, and especially in reference to our own relationship with God. We cannot deny that the New Testament list of capital offenses would appear to be a dramatic reduction from the Old. What we fail to consider is that the Old Testament list above is a massive reduction from what appears at the beginning of the Book, as in Genesis 18. The list, mainly out of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, represents an astonishing measure of grace from how things began.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

WHETHER I LIVE OR DIE…

“According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21 NKJV).

I had the opportunity of attending a funeral service of a nineteen-year-old young man during my visit to the United States recently. This service was a unique one from any other funeral service I ever attended in many ways. One, I could not imagine that it would be that well attended with people both young and old from far and near. Two, in spite of the fact that the deceased was just a teenager, the service was not a mourning or sad one as people testified to the good and exemplary Christian life of the deceased. Three, the parents of deceased were in attendance. The father, who is a pastor, was the one that even preached at the service. Four, the funeral service was turned into a revival service where many teenagers openly gave their lives to Jesus Christ, and many others rededicated their lives to live for Jesus Christ. This fourth reason really made the death of the teenager to be an eternal gain for the people that gave or rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ. 

The life and death of this young man fulfilled the aspiration of Apostle Paul (and coincidentally mine) in Philippians 1:20-21. Apostle Paul was in a prison in Rome when he uttered the statement that he earnestly expected and hoped that Jesus Christ would be magnified in his body whether by life of by death. His life did magnify Jesus Christ. He lived for Christ and vigorously witnessed about the Christian faith. Because of these, he was beaten, stoned, hated, scorned, shipwrecked, and particularly imprisoned. In fact, he could boast that he worked harder than any other apostles by the grace of God (see 1 Corinthians 15:9-10). Most of the books of the New Testament were attributed to him. Undoubtedly, his death also did magnify Jesus Christ. He later explained further that his death would be gain because that would be far better for he would ultimately be with Christ in heaven. However, the death of that young man referred to earlier was not only gain for him in heaven, but also gain for many people here on earth because his death and burial brought them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

O, how I wish that whether I live or die, my life would be gain for other people and me! Gain for me because I will go and be with my Lord, and gain for others because it will encourage them to draw closer to God. Could your life or death be gain for you and other people? Only those who live for Jesus Christ can be gain to themselves and others when they die. Whether I live or die, my life or death will be gain for others and me. What of you?

In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Prayer Point: Pray that your life will be gain for you and others around you whether you live or die.

BIBLE VERSE FOR THE DAY
“According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21 NKJV).

******************
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
O, how I wish that whether I live or die, my life would be gain for other people and me! Gain for me because I will go and be with my Lord, and gain for others because it will encourage them to draw closer to God. - Bayo Afolaranmi

Walking With Jesus

Twice a month, I lead a spiritual talk at the local Long Term Care Centre. Studying for those sessions and talking to and with the people gives me insight into how people cope with living in a long-term care facility. Some are unhappy, others are depressed, while others are happy and do quite well. Most of their attitude depends on their physical and mental situation. In the private discussions that I sometimes have with those who attend, I get to hear a great deal about how they think about their situation.

Some years ago, a lady, who was a good friend through the church already, told me that she was very unhappy being in the Centre. She had wanted to stay in her own home, but she just could not handle it any more. Her husband was in the Centre as well. He was happy; she was not. During one of our private discussions, she told me, "Every morning, first thing, I ask Jesus to walk with me." She told me that without the assurance that He was walking with her, she would not have been able to carry on.

I heard on the news one day that a great number of people suffer from some kind of depression. It seems to be a very common affliction. I'm sure that we all go through periods when we just don't feel enthused about things or events in our own personal lives, and it really helps to know that Jesus will walk with us.

On the third day after the crucifixion of Jesus, two men, downright depressed, were walking home to Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

Luke 24:15b-24 – Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." (NIV)

After some considerable discussion, they reached their house and asked the stranger to join them for a meal, at which time, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus.

Jesus had been walking with them the whole time, and so it is with us. The risen Lord can and will give us the strength to carry on. We have the assurance that every step of the way, He walks with us.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the risen Lord who walks with us as we walk along the road of life. We pray that every day, we will always be aware of this very truth. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Joel Jongkind

Pride Brings You Down

A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. Proverbs 29:23

Pride is the great enemy of the Christian. Pride is an overly high opinion of yourself. It motivates you to do things that you know are not Christlike, and it hinders you from doing what brings glory to God. Pride influenced Adam and Eve to try to become like God (Gen. 3:5). Pride motivated Cain to murder his brother (Gen. 4:5). Pride provoked Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery (Gen. 37:8). Pride caused King Saul to resent David so deeply that he tried to murder him (1 Sam. 18:8). Pride led King Hezekiah to foolishly reveal his nation’s wealth to his enemies (Isa. 39:2). Pride was at the root of the Pharisees’ anger toward Jesus. Pride was the reason the disciples argued over rank in the kingdom (Luke 9:46).

Pride is your relentless enemy. If you succumb to its influence, there will be consequences. You may know that you have offended someone, but pride holds you back from asking forgiveness. You may realize you need to reconcile a broken relationship, but pride will lead you to deny that need. The Spirit may convict you that you are living a sinful lifestyle, but pride will discourage your admitting it. Pride will convince you that you deserve better treatment. Pride will impede your serving others. Instead, pride will have you striving for places of prominence. Pride will have you listen to flatterers and ignore honest counselors. Pride will lead you to isolate yourself so that you are not accountable to others.

Humility, on the other hand, is pleasing to God and places your life in a position where God will honor you. If pride has crept into some areas of your life, ask God to give you victory over it before it robs you of God’s will for you.

He Remembers No More

by C. H. Spurgeon
"For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more"   (Jeremiah 31:34).

When we know the LORD, we receive the forgiveness of sins. We know Him as the God of grace, passing by our transgressions. What a joyful discovery is this!

But how divinely is this promise worded: the LORD promises no more to remember our sins! Can God forget? He says He will, and He means what He says. He will regard us as though we had never sinned. The great atonement so effectually removed all sin that it is to the mind of God no more in existence. The believer is now in Christ Jesus, as accepted as Adam in his innocence; yea, more so, for he wears a divine righteousness, and that of Adam was but human.

The great LORD will not remember our sins so as to punish them, or so as to love us one atom the less because of them. As a debt when paid ceases to be a debt, even so doth the LORD make a complete obliteration of the iniquity of His people.

When we are mourning over our transgressions and shortcomings, and this is our duty as long as we live, let us at the same time rejoice that they will never be mentioned against us. This makes us hate sin. God's free pardon makes us anxious never again to grieve Him by disobedience. 

Our Great Mission

Matthew 28:18-20 KJV And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

If you’re a believer, you are part of the awesome body of Christ, which is called to bring His light to the world both individually and corporately. Though many see the church as a social organization, that’s not what the Bible says it is. Sometimes we forget that our purpose isn’t simply to have fellowship, sing, preach, and worship. Jesus entrusted us with good news of the true life He offers to everyone. This calling isn’t just for foreign “missionaries”--it’s for every believer. Your mission field includes your family, friends, coworkers, and perhaps even a people group God puts on your heart, often right in your community.

Before returning to heaven, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, in which He promised to be with believers to the end of the age. That pledge still stands. He doesn’t send us out to do His work on our own. Vowing never to leave us, He gave the assurance that all tasks He assigns will be achieved through us by His Holy Spirit.

What an honor to be included in the Lord’s redemptive plan for the world! He invites you to have a vital part in His kingdom work of transforming what is broken and giving new life. Everything you do in obedience is an opportunity for His Spirit to work powerfully through you!

He is still speaking His message of assurance to us: You’ll have Me as your companion, your captain, your victory. You’ll have Me as your resource, your energy, your anointing. Everything you need, you’ll find in Me. How does recognizing the greatness of your calling change the way you see your daily life?

from Dr. Charles Stanley

Two Words to End Any Conflict?

by Vaneetha Rendall Risner

A friend recently announced that she’d discovered the most powerful words to end relationship conflict.

I was admittedly skeptical. Each relationship is different, I reasoned. Each conflict has its unique characteristics. Besides, if there are universal words to end conflict they should be, “I’m sorry.” Or perhaps “I love you.” Or even, “I was wrong.” And those were not her words.

Nonetheless, I jotted her words down on a scrap of paper. I’d reread them from time to time when I was cleaning my office. Each time they felt strangely significant, though I didn’t know why. For months, the words kept coming back to me.

Finally, I tried them myself. In an actual conflict. The idea came to me unexpectedly, in the middle of arguing my point with someone.

And the results blew me away.

So I decided to make them my words for 2018. Each January, I choose a specific word or phrase to focus on for the entire year. A popular writer first gave me the idea to blog about it. In past years I have chosen words like encourage, pray, joyfully accept , savor , charitable and available .

Immediately, I knew these new words would be perfect for 2018.

What are these powerful words?

“I agree.”

I’m guessing most of you are underwhelmed. I was.

At first, I objected to my friend’s assertion because it seemed insincere to agree with someone just to keep a relationship intact. I don’t want to seem patronizing. Besides, sometimes disagreeing, even challenging someone, is the most loving thing to do. I don’t want to lie just to keep the peace. I already struggle with being a people pleaser, so pretending to agree with someone seems to play into my weakness and sin.

But as I thought more about it, I realized that when I’m in conflict with someone (usually a member of my family), I don’t WANT to agree with them. I want to pinpoint what I disagree with, not affirm what I think is correct. I focus on their poor word choice. I get defensive at their accusations of “you never” or “you always.” I look for ammunition to mount my defense.

As part of my rebuttal, I start listing everything I can to support my case, ignoring any elements I agree with in their position. I question their motives while rationalizing my own.

In every conflict, I focus on what is wrong with the other person’s statements rather than agreeing with what is right.

Yet inevitably, I have found there is always some truth in the arguments of others.

Sometimes there is great truth, and other times there is only a small amount. But I can always look for what I agree with. And when I can acknowledge what I see as truth, my acknowledgment has the power to completely disarm the other person.

To agree sincerely, I must listen attentively to what the other person is saying to find the truth in it. Sometimes I need to look past exaggerations and an irritated tone to hear the heart behind their words. Often there is pain buried behind their accusations. And I don’t need to agree with their conclusions – it’s often not the conclusion that people are most tied to anyway. They just want to be understood.

My friend who told me about the power of the words, “I agree” had been deeply hurt by a friend. Whenever she tried to talk to him about the situation, he denied her statements, deflected the conversation or blamed her. She felt trivialized and misunderstood.

To show her the power of agreeing, a counselor role-played with her, playing the part of her estranged friend. The counselor responded to her statements saying, “I agree. You’re right, I did do that. I know that I really hurt you.”

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

My friend was surprised at her emotional response to the therapist’s words, even though they were only role-playing. That simple acknowledgment was more powerful than she expected.

After that day, my friend tried agreeing with others when they were upset with her, trying to find the part that she could agree with. Inevitably, she found something.

Often, she had to look past the person’s inflammatory words to see what they were really upset about. It required humility. It required being willing to look at the situation purely from another’s perspective, without reference to her own. It involved listening, paying close attention to their words. She found it was especially helpful with her children, as it encouraged her to consider their point of view more intentionally.

As I mentioned earlier, I tried saying “I agree” with a non-defensive attitude myself. I was involved in a discussion about politics, which I rarely talk about. But as the discussion was getting more heated, I stopped to consider what the other person was saying.

Rather than focusing on what I wanted to say next and how I disagreed with the other person, I looked for something to agree with. When I found it, I said, “I totally agree with what you just said. That’s a great point.”

The other person was taken by surprise. Immediately, the hostility in the argument vanished and we were able to move on amicably. I was startled.

I didn’t expect agreeing to be so disarming. And as a result, I want to learn to do this more. That’s why I chose “I agree” as my words for 2018.

But I know it won’t be easy. In the middle of a conflict, the last thing I want to do is agree. Or to step back and admit I am wrong. Or even to stop and really listen, rather than plan what I am going to say next.

I can’t do this in my own strength. I am so tied in to wanting to be right. But that is why Christ came. Not only does he forgive me, he sets me free from the power of sin and death.

So besides remembering the words “I agree,” I need a heart change. I need my desires to change. I need to possess love and kindness and self-control, which are all part of the fruit of the Spirit. I need to genuinely care about people and to curb my tongue before my agreement has any meaning. I also need humility. Behavior modification cannot do any of that – only God’s Spirit can. And so, as his Spirit brings my words to mind, he must also help me follow through.

Change will not happen overnight. I know I will forget my word and I will argue without seeking common ground.

But I am praying that as I put the words, “I agree” before me every day, I will start seeking to understand others more. It may be a slow process. But true lasting change starts in the mundane daily interactions of life.

I think it will be worth it. Don’t you agree?

This article was originally published on Dance in the Rain .. Used with permission.

Vaneetha Rendall Risner is passionate about helping others find hope and joy in the midst of suffering. Her story includes contracting polio as a child, losing an infant son unexpectedly, developing post-polio syndrome, and going through an unwanted divorce, all of which have forced her to deal with issues of loss. She and her husband, Joel, live in North Carolina and have four daughters between them. She is the author of the book, The Scars That Have Shaped

Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering and is a regular contributor to Desiring God. She blogs at Dance in the Rain although she doesn’t like rain and has no sense of rhythm.

Just Winter

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:14-16 NIV)

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a dark, dreary day. The Christmas decorations had been taken down. The old year had given way to the new. Now it was just Winter. Outside a bitter wind was blowing. Gray clouds covered the sun. Several inches of snow lay on the grass and trees. Inside my water was dripping so my pipes wouldn't freeze and I was sipping coffee so I wouldn't freeze either. I asked my dog if he was ready to go for a walk, but he just turned around and lay down next to the heater. I shook my head, zipped up my sweater and slipped on my thick socks while I looked out my kitchen window. I wasn't looking forward to another 3 months of this. I sat wearily at the kitchen table to eat my oatmeal. Then suddenly I saw him! A beautiful, bright red cardinal had landed on a low hanging limb of the bare tree in my backyard. I looked lovingly at him while he stared back at me. He gently stretched his wings, gave me a final, knowing nod, and flew into the sky. His visit had left my spirits a little higher, my heart a little lighter, and my soul a little closer to Heaven.

Sometimes in our lives it is just winter. Sometimes the gray gloom of this world piles on the problems and troubles. Sometimes life feels both cold and bitter. Sometimes it is very hard to see the light. It is times like these when we need to call on our own inner cardinal. It is times like these that we most need to shine our own light, share our own love, and let ourselves fly. It isn't always easy and often takes effort, but with Heaven's help it can be done.

Just remember that God loves you in the Winter as well as in the Spring. Life may not always give you what you want but it does give you what you need to grow kinder, better, more loving, and closer to God. Let your inner cardinal fly then. Let God's light shine through you. Let your love help warm this world in the Winter as well as the Spring.

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

When a Dream Dies

by SHARON JAYNES

“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’” Ezekiel 37:4 b-5 (NIV)

I sat on my porch with my Bible and a hot mug of coffee. Early morning is my favorite time of day. Just me, Jesus and a smattering of birds. However, this morning, as I looked out over my backyard, my eyes landed on a mound of fur nestled in the grass.

I moved in for a closer look. My heart sank as I discovered what appeared to be a curled-up lifeless baby fawn. Probably the same fawn my neighbor had seen nursing from its mom the day before. My heart broke. I understand the circle of life, but still. A baby fawn lay dead in my yard. Most likely the target of the coyote I’d seen roaming around.

I couldn’t get close enough to see the wound. Sometimes that is the way of things. I would have to wait until my husband got home to take care of the situation, as I didn’t have the nerve.

All morning long my mind returned to the still form lying in the sun. Hours passed. At noon I looked out of the window and the fawn remained unmoved. I couldn’t stand it. I had to know what had happened to it. So I mustered up my courage and made my way to the fawn. Three feet away. Stop. No signs of an attack. I inched closer.

Finally, I knelt down by the beautifully-crafted creature, admiring God’s handiwork. But I couldn’t see what had killed it.

“What happened to you, little deer?” I whispered.

Suddenly, the fawn’s head popped up! Startled eyes stared into mine.. Like a deer caught in the headlights, I fell back on the grass. Time stood still for a moment as we stared at each other in disbelief!

Finally, the fawn sprang to its feet, wobbled a bit and scampered off. I sat in the grass and laughed and laughed and laughed. So, the fawn wasn’t dead after all. It had simply found a bit of grass and fallen asleep ... until almost noon.

After my heart rate returned to its normal pace, God spoke to my heart: “Sometimes things are dead, and sometimes they just need to be woken up.”

I pondered those words for the rest of the day. I called a friend who was struggling in her marriage -- in a very bad way. The sort of way that leaves you wondering if it will survive. I told her the story.

Sometimes things are dead, and sometimes they just need to be woken up.

Sometimes a marriage is dead, and sometimes it just needs to be woken up.

Sometimes a friendship is dead, and sometimes it just needs to be woken up.

Sometimes a dream is dead, and sometimes it just needs to be woken up.

I think of how God told the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the valley of dry bones: “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the L ORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the L ORD’” (Ezekiel 37:4-6 ).

I imagine Ezekiel felt pretty silly talking to those dry bones. And honestly sometimes I feel pretty silly obeying God and speaking life into the dry bones of some of my situations.

So here’s the word for me and you today.

For my friend struggling in her marriage ...

For my friend who cries for her adult son who walked away from God ...

For my friend who longs to cuddle up with a good husband rather than a good book ...

Don’t assume the dream is dead. Sometimes it just needs to be woken up.

Dear Lord, Wake me up! Stir my heart. It’s not over until You say it’s over. I commit to continue to pray for what others deem as a lost cause, for I know that there is never a lost cause when it comes to Your power to save, to deliver, to redeem, to rebuild. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY: Galatians 6:9 , “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV)

James 5:16 , “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (NIV)

REFLECT AND RESPOND: 
Read the verses in Ezekiel 37:1-10 .. How do you think Ezekiel felt when God told him to speak to the dry bones?

What would have happened if Ezekiel refused, telling God that it was a lost cause?

Is there anything in your life that you feel is a lost cause? If so, what is God saying to you through today’s scripture and devotion?