THIS AIN’T NO APRIL FOOL JOKE

“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

This is another paradox that the world apart from Christ will never understand! To them it might even seem like an April Fool’s joke! Paul instructs us to be thankful even in the midst of all that is happening in our lives, whether it is good or whether it is bad!

A part of our ministry at America’s KESWICK is ministering to senior saints. I love them! They are some of the coolest people. Some are grumpy and complain about everything. Then there are ones that are just the sweetest people you will ever meet.

There were three sisters who faithfully attended our conferences. All three had back issues that caused them to walk hunched over. Myrtle Townsend was a school teacher and administrator for many years. Of the three sisters, she had the worst back issues. Yet every time we were with her she expressed how thankful she was to the Lord for all He was doing in her life, even when she was in such pain.

Jim Kennedy and I visited with her in her home several weeks before the Lord called her home. Despite the fact that she was bedridden and in constant pain, she had a grateful heart!

My good friend and Bible teacher, Glenna Salsbury, wrote today’s devotional in REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE. Listen to her words:

“This Scripture challenges us at the very core of our daily lives. Think about what the Lord is exhorting us to do. We are to be grateful for EVERY circumstance, situation or experience in our lives. This is an easy truth if our circumstances seem positive in our lives. But what if you are faced with tragedy, serious health problems, personal failure or sin, mistreatment at the hands of others, discouragement, or loss? Is the Lord asking us to come to Him with a thankful heart as well?

Amazingly, the answer from God’s Word is clear. ‘Yes, dear child of mine, be thankful in every circumstance, every day, even when you do not FEEL thankful and cannot see any positive element. My ways are not necessarily understandable to you. But you can rest in my love for you and in my Word to you. I will work all things in your life together for your highest good. Every detail in your life experience is designed to bring you into a deeper knowledge of me. Your highest life experience will be to learn to trust Me, to walk by faith, not by sight!”

That kind of living is called VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING. It is only possible when we allow Christ to BE our life and to live HIS life in and through us. Then and only then can we be thankful in EVERY circumstance and situation – like even when money is tight and you have no clue where the next dollar will come from!

Glenna writes at the end today’s devotional: Lord, help me to embrace your Word and to give thanks in your faithfulness even when I don’t FEEL thankful about my circumstances! That’s my prayer today for me and for you, my dear brothers in Christ. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Today’s Scripture: Judges 13-15; Luke 6:27-49

Something for you to think about: “If God has ever given you victory of one sin, He can give you victory over ALL sin. He who has kept you from sin for a moment, can with equal ease keep you from the same sin for a day or a month.” Ruth Paxson

Personal note: Thanks to many of you who joined us for our day of prayer. I appreciated you joining us at the throne of grace! I will share with you HOW and WHEN God provides! It will be exciting.

CHILD-LIKE FAITH
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4

Here is one of those interesting paradoxes of Scripture. We are to grow and mature in our faith, but we are also to retain child-like faith!

Kids view life so differently than we do as adults. Yesterday at church, Zach’s Sunday School teacher challenged his class to make a list of unsaved friends and begin to pray for their salvation. Zach immediately commented that he didn’t have any unsaved friends to pray for. When we got in the car he started asking who he should pray for. Jan and I gave him a few names and his comment to me later was, “Now I will pray that they will get saved.” It was as simple as that.

How often do I have the faith of a child when I pray? Today we are having a day of prayer in regards to our finances at America’s KESWICK. Unless God shows up, this could be the first time in 12 years that our staff will have to miss a payroll or we will need to borrow the money to meet payroll.

Last night I was placing the sign-up sheet on the counter at the Front Desk, and one of my staff guys (a graduate of the Colony) asked me what I was doing. His immediate response was, “Well let’s start now and pray!” I wish you could have heard his prayer — simple child-like faith that his great God is going to supply our needs this week!” I had chills going up and down my spine as he simply laid out his request to his Father.

This morning as I opened the Word to have my quiet time, the first verse on the page was this, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Then I read these words: “If you are going through a difficult or confusing time, know that your Lord has gone BEFORE you and He is PRESENT with you. He is fully aware of what you are facing, and He is ACTIVELY responding to your need!” (Henry Blackaby)

Lord, today I need child-like faith to believe that You will meet our needs. I don’t know HOW you will do it, but by faith, I am trusting you and taking you at Your Word. Thank You for sending blessing me with a friend like David Askildsen who has child-like faith. Give me that same faith today as we face this insurmountable challenge. Amen.

How about you? Do you have that child-like faith in YOUR Heavenly Father?

Today’s Scripture: Judge 11-12; Luke 6:1-26

Think About This: “Jesus Christ is not my security AGAINST the storms of life, but He is my PERFECT security IN the storms. He has never promised me an easy passage, only a safe landing.”

I have challenged our Board, staff and praying friends to take 15 minute blocks to pray today. If you’d like to join me in praying for our needs, send me the times you will pray and I will add you to the list. It will encourage our staff today.

Post-Resurrection Living. . . Again

Allow me to take you to Acts 1:1-14 today. We’re thinking this weekend about living as followers of Jesus post-resurrection. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave his disciples some simple instructions.
They were to wait in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came to empower them. Most of us already know that.

Think with me about what happened while they waited. I think we can learn from the things the disciples did while they waited. They way they began their post-resurrection living offers us insight into how we, too, can live with power in our lives.

First, I want you to notice that the disciples chose to obey Jesus’ instructions. He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait. That’s what they did. Verse 12 tells us that they returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and went into an upper room. The men who would become the apostles and some of the other disciples obeyed that very simple instruction. All of us who want to live with post-resurrection power must understand the importance of obedience. Everything else flows out of the choice to obey.

The next thing we notice is the spirit marking the disciples while they waited. Verse 14 shows us that the men and women gathered in that upper room were waiting with one accord. We sometimes saw the disciples bickering and divided while Jesus was alive. That behavior is gone! In fact, if you follow the events of the first few chapters of Acts, you’ll notice the “one accord” theme recurring through those early days of the church. Most of belong to churches that hardly ever experience one accord. That lack of unity hinders the work of God’s Spirit in our midst. Each of us can choose to contribute to unity or diminish that unity. What do you choose?

Finally, those men and women in the upper room prayed. (1:14) They prayed for each other. They prayed for the people of Jerusalem. They prayed for God to use them for His glory. As you follow the development of the early church in the Book of Acts, you’ll see that every major movement of God began after God’s people prayed. You and I have yet to learn what God can do when we live obedient lives in harmony with our brothers and sisters and pray for God’s work.

Obedience. Unity. Prayer. These simple steps will take us to a post-resurrection life marked by God’s power and blessing. They are qualities of life that will mark us as followers of Jesus. We can’t ask for more than that. – Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River and our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor.

Today’s Scripture Reading – Judges 9-10; Luke 5:17-39

Great Quote For You to Think About: If you can’t be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape. – Anonymous

Post-Resurrection Living

We’re almost a week past Resurrection Sunday. And, we’re just a little bit farther past Good Friday when Jesus died. What difference do those two days make in your life? What difference should Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday make in our lives?

Consider Galatians 2:20 with me this morning. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Paul reminds us in this verse of some things that have the power to transform us as we live post-resurrection. First, he tells us that we live as followers of Jesus by the life Jesus lives in us. That simple fact empowers each of us to live in freedom and the power of the resurrection. As followers of Jesus, through the presence of His Spirit in us, we have every resource we need to live as Jesus has called us to live.

He also reminds us that we have the privilege of living as Christians because Jesus died for us. Apart from His death and all that death means, each of us would still live separated from God and without hope. He loved us and gave Himself for us. We must never lose the impact of that incredible gift in our post-resurrection lives.

Finally, Paul teaches us that we cannot live this post-resurrection life on our own. In fact, Paul understands that we have actually died with Christ (see Romans 6); we’re crucified with Him. Too many of us are too sure of ourselves. We think we’ve got it together enough to live this post-resurrection life in our own strength. Paul says that’s impossible.

Coming to faith in Christ brings us to the cross. We’re crucified with Him. As we die to the power of sin and put off that old man, Jesus brings His life to us. Because He died and rose from the grave, He lives in us with resurrection power. That power transforms us as we yield more and more of ourselves to Him. Every man who longs for freedom will discover this key to post-resurrection living. If you’ve not already discovered it, it’s not too late! — Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River and our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor.

Today’s Scripture: Judges 7-8; Luke 5:1-16

Great Quote: Such is our dependence upon God that we are obliged not only to do everything for His sake, but also to seek from Him the very power. This happy necessity of having recourse to Him in all our wants, instead of being grievous to us, should be our greatest consolation. What a happiness is it that we are allowed to speak to Him with confidence; to open our hearts and hold familiar conversation with him, by prayer! He Himself invites us to it. —

Francois Fenelon

GRATITUDE

There is an interesting principle that is at work in our me-society.
Have you noticed it? People just aren’t thankful. Our gratitude level seems to have plunged. We take things for granted: life, family, job, health, possessions.

Recently one of our friends lost both his son and wife – almost a week apart! Gone! I had an email from a dear friend, Dr. Al Platt, whose wife has cancer, and a special needs daughter. What amazed me was his “attitude of gratitude.” Despite the challenges he and his two ladies are facing, he is grateful for the time God has given them.

Dr. Richard Swenson says in his book ONE MINUTE MARGIN: “In everyone’s life there is much to be unhappy about and there is much to be grateful for. Realistically acknowledging both ends of the spectrum is appropriate.

When we turn to look at our problems, we assess them and make a plan – no matter how small or grand – to work on them. This plan we formulate with our MIND and motivate with our WILL. Then we look in the other direction at our blessings, finding our obligation for gratitude. Here we may fully engage our EMOTIONS.

Often we send our emotions to do battle with our problems, and despair results. Then we send our will to express our gratitude lacking any confirming passion whatsoever.

Of course our emotions ought to be informed about our problems; of course our mind and our will ought to express gratitude. But we should send out that warrior best suited for the duty. And I think there can be little debate concerning the most appropriate assignments here.

If we can adopt such a balanced approach, we will combine a realistic and objective involvement in working on our problems with a simultaneous assurance that there is much good in life. We’ll recognize that the world is full of beauty, that most people are worthy of our respect and trust, and that the affairs of suffering humans are replete with acts of love, kindness, nobility, and sacrifice. And we’ll remember that overseeing it all is a God who knows us well, who loves us anyway, and who is very, very good.

We all have within our grasp much to be thankful for. Gratitude fills.
Discontent drains. The choice is ours.”

So today – will you choose discontentment or gratitude! The choice us ours today. By faith, let’s choose to be men of gratitude. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

Today’s Scripture: Judges 4-6; Luke 4:31-44

Today’s quote: “The modern world has far too little understanding of the art of keeping young. Its notion of progress has been to pile one thing on top of another, without caring if each thing was crushed in turn.
People forget that the human soul can enjoy a thing most when there is time to think about it and be thankful for it.” G. K. Chesterton

BREAKING THE SPEED OF LIFE

“Be still and know that I am God …” Psalm 46:10

Yesterday we drove to Lancaster, Pa, one of our favorite places to visit. I am always impressed with the simplicity of the Amish people and their way of life. In fact, I joked with Zach and Jan yesterday, that they are not feeling the crunch on electric and gas prices like we are. Maybe it is time for Keswick to buy some horses and buggies!

Being off this week causes me to realize how fast life can be even in ministry. These past several weeks have been crazy. Listen to what Dr. Richard Swenson says about this in his daily devotional, ONE MINUTE MARGIN:

“We are a nation on the move and in a hurry, the people of the forward stampede. We eat fast food during rush hour. We ship by FedEx, place calls through Sprint, balance books on Quicken, and diet with Slim Fast.
We’re hyperliving, like field mice on amphetamines at harvest time, moving so fast we’re passing up photons.

Our global treadmill is equipped with an automatically advancing speed rheostat, and every year the world spins faster. Gone are the1930’s when … people moved slower then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of store, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four house long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with … if we were bored in 1930, we are breathless and exhausted now.

The speed phenomenon is not only subjectively true, but objectively measureable. Because progress gives us more and more, faster and faster, the escalating pace of daily life is both scientifically verifiable and a permanent feature of the modern age.

Personally, I don’t mind going fast. I don’t even mind going faster. But going TOO FAST is another issue. It is not wrong to enjoy the pleasure of being efficient and productive. But the anguish of being gasping, resentful, and consume is real, compliments of excessive speed.

Is there a speed limit to life … a pace beyond which the brain, body and spirit begin to suffer? What happens when we exceed this limit? Clearly there IS such a limit, and clearly many of us exceed it routinely.

The increase in ambient speed is one of the most pressing problems of our time. Our lives are nonstop. We walk fast, talk fast, eat fast, and then excuse ourselves by saying, ‘I must run!’ This frenzy is responsible for much personal and family dysfunction. Very little of lasting spiritual value happens in the presence of speed.

Speed. Hurry. We pay a price for the pace at which we live.” Ouch! Ouch!
Ouch! Something for me to think about today. How about you?

Today’s Scripture: Judges 1-3; Luke 4:1-30

Great Quote: “Consciously slow the pace of life. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal. Throttle back. Put on the brakes and obey the speed limit of the soul. The green pastures and still waters yet await us – but not in the direction the treadmill is spinning.” – Dr. Richard A.
Swenson

ACCEPTING OUR INADEQUACIES

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” – 2 Corinthians 3:5

Today’s reading came at just the right time. I was having one of those moments last night where I was feeling very inadequate to be the President and CEO of America’s KESWICK. So this one was timely and hit me right where it needed to hit:

“As we press past all our fears of being inadequate to fulfill the call God has on our lives, we begin to see the full blessing that comes with accepting our inadequacies. Paul wrote, Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5 NASB

Here are some blessings from recognizing our inadequacies:

1. They drive us to God. If we feel we are self-sufficient in all
things, we may not seek the Lord’s guidance.

2. They relieve us of the burden of trying to do the will of God in
our OWN strength. The burden rests on Him.

3. They force us to live our lives and do His work in the power of
the Holy Spirit.

4. They provide God the opportunity to demonstrate what great things
HE can do with so little. We know we are incapable and that HE is capable of all.

5. They free God to use us to the maximum of our potential. We stop
trying to interject our own contributions, giving all of who we are for HIS purposes.

6. They allow God to receive the full glory for HIS work. If we know
HE is responsible, we will point to HIM.

7. They enable us to walk in contentment and quietness of spirit.
Nothing is more satisfying than seeing God use our willingness to advance HIS kingdom.
— from Pathways to His Presence – Charles Stanley (Nelson Publishers)

I know I needed this reminder today from HIS lips to my ears. God is faithful in speaking to our hearts.

Today’s Scripture: Joshua 22-24; Luke 3

Great Quote: Encouragement is awesome. It (can) actually change the course of another person’s day, week, or life. Charles (Chuck) Swindoll

RESURRECTION DAY!

Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

The Power of the Resurrection

This is Resurrection Sunday. It’s the day we celebrate the empty tomb and honor our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This single event, Jesus’ resurrection, separates Christianity from ever other world religion. The fact that Jesus lives brings to Christianity a hope that no other faith system offers. Praise God for the empty tomb!

But what difference does the resurrection make in your life and mine?
Just knowing the facts of the resurrection won’t change our lives or make us more like Jesus. Yesterday we thought about the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 2. Remember “Let this mind be in you . . .?” They are important words for those of us who follow Jesus.

But other words in Paul’s letter to Philippi bring us from yesterdays “in between” time to “real” time. Hear what he says in Philippians 3:10, “. . . that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. . . .” Within the context of those words (see vss. 1-11), the apostle helps us understand that nothing was more important to him than knowing the power Jesus’ resurrection brings to those who follow Him.

Each one of us who choose to be Freedom Fighters understand the challenges that fighting for freedom bring to our lives. Most of us have learned that we can fight for freedom in our own strength. The resurrection of Jesus Christ puts us on notice. We don’t have to fight on our own! Jesus rose from the grave to provide us with power beyond anything our own resources might provide. Paul understood that. Nothing he had was worth holding onto if it would prevent him from living in resurrection power.

He also understood that “the fellowship of [Jesus] suffering” when with His resurrection power. That’s why “Let this mind be in you. . . .”
from yesterday is so important. We can know Jesus’ power, but only if we live willing to endure His sufferings. As I once read somewhere, “We can’t have the crown (power) without the cross (suffering).”

I urge you to join other Freedom Fighters who are hungry to know Jesus’
resurrection power. Identify those things which hinder knowing Jesus’
power in your life. Come to the conclusion that nothing is more important or more valuable than living in resurrection power. Jesus died on Good Friday so you could know resurrection power today! Don’t live another day without it. It’s priceless!

Have a blessed Resurrection Day. – Pastor John Strain is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River and our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor.
Today’s Scripture: Joshua 13-15; Luke 1:57-80The Watergate cover-up reveals the true nature of humanity. Even political zealots at the pinnacle of power will, in the crunch, save their own necks, even at the expense of the ones they profess to serve so loyally. But the apostles could not deny Jesus because they had seen Him face to face, and they knew He had risen from the dead. No, you can take it from an expert in cover-ups — I’ve lived through Watergate — that nothing less than a resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive and is Lord. Two thousand years later, nothing less than the power of the risen Christ could inspire Christians around the world to remain faithful — despite prison, torture, and death.

Charles (Chuck) Colson