DO YOU NEED A FACE LIFT?

I know I wrote about this several weeks ago, but as I was reading
through Proverbs this morning, three verses jumped out at me that are
worth sharing.

Proverbs 15:13 – “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad
heart makes it hard to get through the day.”
Proverbs 15:15 – “A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful
heart fills the day with song.”
Proverbs 15:32 – “A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart, and good
news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.”

One of my pet peeves when folks gather together for worship is the lack
of joy evident on their faces when they are praising the Lord. I’m not
suggesting that we plaster fake smiles on our faces … but I sure wish
we could turn the video cam’s on our congregations when they are
singing. Sometimes when I look out over congregations I lead, they look
… well I won’t go there.

I realize that on any given Sunday there may be folks who are going
through tough times, but when you and I stop to think of WHO we are
worshipping and what HE has done for us … the joy in our hearts should
bubble out to notify our faces. My grandmother used to say you become
like the people you hang around. Hang around miserable people and you’ll
become just like them!

Friday night we were walking in the mall with our kids and Garrett was
holding baby Emma. It is amazing to me how a baby can make a shift in
someone’s countenance. People would see her and big smiles would break
out on their faces. It is even more fascinating to watch older people
when someone brings a baby into the room.

Well think about that … this morning we are worshipping the BABE of
Bethlehem that came to give you and me ABUNDANT LIFE! We deserve hell
and have been given newness of life, our sins have been forgiven, we
have a new name that is written in the Lamb’s book of life with ink that
cannot be erased, we have been adopted into the family of God, and have
heaven too! Now if that doesn’t put a smile on your face – then as by
good friend Dr. Ron Blue would say – your firewood is wet!

Try it today. As you are worshipping Him allow the joy in your heart to
register on your face. Who knows – the person standing next to you might
even ask – What happened to your face? Did you get a face lift? Have a
wonderful Lord’s day.

Great quote: The Bible is the greatest traveler in the world. It
penetrates to every country, civilized and uncivilized. It is seen in
the royal palace and the humble cottage. It is the friend of Emperors
and beggars. It is read by the light of the dim candle amid Artic snows.
It is read under the glare of the equatorial sun. It is read in city and
country, amid the crowds and solitude. Wherever its’ message is
received, it frees the mind from bondage and fills the heart with
gladness. Arthur Tappan (A. T.) Pierson

THE PRIMARY LABORATORY

“Wives, be subject to your husbands … Husbands, love your wives …
Fathers, do not exasperate your children (Colossians 3:18-21)

“God works in our lives primarily through committed relationships. Your
family is the primary laboratory for your character development. This is
precisely the order of Scripture: Establish YOUR identity in Christ,
then focus on living out who you are at home. Notice the order in
Colossians 3:10-25:

* God’s great goal for His children is that we conform to HIS
image: “Put on the new self” (vs.10).

* Our identity is no longer in racial, religious, cultural, or
social ties: “There is no distinction … but Christ is all, and in all”
(vs. 11).

* Character is the focus of development once identity is
established: “Put on the heart of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience” (vs. 12).

* Character is developed in the context of relational living:
“Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other” (vs. 13).

* Love is the highest level of character development: “Beyond all
these things put on love (vs. 14).

* The means by which all this is accomplished is Christ in you:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts … Let the word of Christ
richly dwell within you” (vss. 15-16).

* The primary setting for character development is the home:
“Wives be subject to your husbands … Husbands, love your wives …
Children, be obedient to your parents … Fathers, do not exasperate
your children.” (vs. 18-21)

As a parent, you are not just shaping your child’s behavior, you
are developing his character. Training a child means discipling Him to
be Christ-like. Don’t be a phony at home; your spouse and children will
see right through it. You can’t model perfection, but you can model
growth.”

Adapted from Daily in Christ – A Devotional by Neil T. Anderson
(Harvest House)

Great quote: “Difficulty is actually the atmosphere surrounding
a miracle, or a miracle in an initial stage. Yet if it is to be a great
miracle, that surrounding condition will be not simply a difficulty but
an utter impossibility. And it is the clinging hand of His child that
makes a desperate situation a delight to God.” – Mrs. Cowman Streams in
the Desert

Recommendation: This week an incredible movie on the life of
Esther will be showing in movie theaters all over the country. I highly
recommend it to you. For information check out:
http://www.onenightwiththeking.com.

ARE YOU ANXIOUS?

Today is Friday the 13th and I have a Board meeting. I have been blessed
with a great Board of men and women who love the Lord and are committed
to the mission and vision of the ministry of America’s KESWICK. But in
all honesty, Board meetings for me are always anxious times. This
morning as I woke up and opened the word, it was neat to know that the
Lord once again knew what I needed to hear from Him for today.

From STREAMS IN THE DESERT ….

“Do not be anxious about anything …” (Philippians 4:6)

“Anxiety should never be found in a believer. In spite of the magnitude,
quantity, and diversity of our trials, afflictions, and difficulties,
anxiety should not exist under any circumstance. This is because we have
a Father in heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves
His ‘one and only Son’ (John 3:16), and whose complete joy and delight
it is to continually assist them under ALL circumstances. We should heed
His Word, which says, ‘Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but IN
EVERYTHING, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God.”

IN EVERYTHING – Not simply when our house is on fire or when our spouse
and children are gravely ill, but even in the SMALLEST matters of life.
We are take EVERYTHING to God – little things, very little things, even
what the world calls trivial things. Yes, we are to take EVERYTHING,
living all day long in holy fellowship with our heavenly Father and our
precious Lord Jesus. We should develop something of a SPIRITUAL
INSTINCT, causing us to immediately turn to God when a concern keeps us
awake at night. During those sleepless nights, we should speak to Him,
bringing our various concerns before Him, no matter how small they may
be. Also speak to the Lord about ANY trial you are facing or ANY
difficulties you may have in your family or professional life.

BY PRAYER AND PETITION – earnestly pleading, persevering and enduring,
and waiting, waiting, waiting on God!

WITH THANKSGIVING – always laying a good foundation. Even if we have no
possessions, there is one for which we can always be thankful – that He
has saved us from hell! We can also give thanks that He has given us His
Holy Word, His Holy Spirit, and the most precious gift of all – His Son!
Therefore when we consider all this, we have abundant reasons for
thanksgiving. May this be our goal.

AND THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING WILL GUARD YOUR
HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS (Philippians 4:7) – This is such a
wonderful, genuine, and precious blessing that to truly know it, you
must experience it, for it ‘transcends all understanding!”

May we take these truths to heart, instinctively walking in them, so the
result will be lives that glorify God more abundantly than ever before.
Search your heart several times a day, and if you find something that is
disturbing your peace, remember to take the proper steps to restore the
calm.”

Wow! Thank You, Lord, for this powerful reminder. I pray today that this
will be an encouragement to someone in our Freedom Fighter family as
well! Amen.

Great quote: It has been well said that no man ever sank under the
burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden
of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load
yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least
remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the
future to Him, and mind the present. George MacDonald

FREEDOM IN YOUR WORK

Do you like your job? Are you fulfilled? Do you look at your job as a
necessary evil or do you enjoy what you do?

I guess I have a weird personality (no comments from the peanut gallery)
… but I have been blessed with positions that I have really enjoyed. I
enjoy what I do at America’s KESWICK. Now I would be lying to you if I
would say that there has never been a day that I have thought or said,
“I can’t do this anymore” or “I am throwing in the towel.” But those
days are relatively few.

I read this quote recently: “Find out what you love to do and you will
never have to work another day in your life.” Now it intrigues me as to
how many principles the world teaches that come from the Scriptures.
Today in my reading of Proverbs, and I hope that there are many of you
that are still on that journey with me, I came across this verse: “The
diligent find FREEDOM in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work.”
(Proverbs 12:24)

“A designer in Dallas, Texas, was once asked by a client to build a
large, elaborate model. It was one that called for several building
interiors and hundreds of human figures. The model was to be created in
a scale of one inch to five feet, which meant that each of the human
figures was only a little more than an inch in height. Each had to be
hand-painted, using a brush with a single hair.

As the designer hunched over his table one day, painstakingly painting
the figures and then carefully gluing them in place, one of his
employees asked him, ‘Don’t you find this tedious?’

The designer replied, ‘Tedious?’ My goodness, no! I’ve loved making and
painting models ever since I made my first model airplane at age seven.
I just can’t believe someone is actually paying me to do this!

Whether you work with your hands or your mind, loving what you do is the
secret to having ‘fun’ while you make money. Indeed, work will cease to
be “work.” A kindergarten teach once said about her class of
five-year-olds, ‘They build and tear down and rebuild in a day more than
most construction workers do in weeks, but they never call it work. They
call it play!” from GOD’S LITTLE DEVOTIONAL BOOK FOR LEADERS

How about you, my friend? Do you have FREEDOM in your work today? Or are
you oppressed? Might be a good time to step back and prayerfully look at
what you are doing. Good thoughts to ponder today.

Great quote: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient
paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest
for your souls . . . ” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

ALL THINGS ARE PURE

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”
Titus 1:15

“Your heart’s condition will be expressed through your life. It will be evident by your ATTITUDES, your WORDS, and your BEHAVIOR. Jesus said that you can clearly see others only when your own eyes are unobstructed (Mark 6:42). If your vision is hindered by sin, you will not look at others properly.

If your heart is pure, you will approach life without malice. You will not question the motives of everyone around you; you will not doubt the truth of everything others tell you; you will not look for the faults in others. Instead, you will look for the good in others, finding what is praiseworthy. You will not be naïve or gullible, but you will seek what is good rather than what is evil. If your heart is pure, you will see others the way God sees them (Matthew 6:22).

If your heart is defiled, everything with which you are involved will seem corrupt as well. You will assume evil motives in others because you know what you would do given the same circumstances. You will be cynical about what you hear because your own words are deceitful. You will be drawn to evil people and evil things.

How do you look at the words and actions of others? Are you critical of them? Are you judgmental? If so, ask God to purify your heart. Once He has, you will be free to see yourself and others as God does.” Powerful words from the pen of Dr. Henry Blackaby – Experiencing God – The Devotional.

GREAT QOUTE: “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible – with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him – He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes.” – Oswald Chambers

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I had the opportunity to spend some time last night with Margie
Blackley, the wife of Chaplain Bill Blackley who went home to be with
Jesus on Friday evening. Margie and Bill will have been married for 61
years in just a few weeks. Chaplain Bill has been in ministry for almost
their entire married life.

In talking with Margie, she shared with me several stories of how
Chaplain Bill had made a difference in someone’s life by just being
dressed up when he went into a restaurant. She shared a story of how we
was headed to the rest room and a man sitting alone at a table called to
Chaplain Bill, “Hey, did you pray for me today?” Blackley, looked at the
man and realized he was a total stranger, smiled and waved and walked
into the men’s room. When he came out, he walked over to the man, and
again the man said, “Did you pray for me today?”

Blackley was curious as to why the man asked the question. The man said,
“I figured you must be a preacher ’cause of the way your dressed. Will
you pray for me?” Right there in the restaurant, Chaplain Bill had the
opportunity to share Christ and prayed with this total stranger. He made
a difference in the life of this man.

The question was asked, “Can one person really make a difference in the
world today?” Listen to what one writer said: “One New Yorker thought
so. He was so determined to be complimentary to every person he saw,
every day. A friend asked him, ‘Do you even compliment cab drivers?’ The
man said, ‘Certainly! If I am nice to one cab driver, he’s likely to be
nice to the next twenty fares, at a minimum. If they are in turn nicer
to the shopkeepers, waitresses, and their own families, that one gesture
of goodwill might influence a least a thousand people.’

‘Now, if only three people that I talk to today have a happier day
because of what I say to them, I might indirectly influence the attitude
of 3,000 people. If a few of those I talk to are teachers, or people who
have contact with more than the usual number of people . . . why my good
mood might touch more than 10,000 lives. Not one thing I do today is
likely to have that kind of impact!” (adapted from God’s Little
Devotional Book for Leaders, published by Honor Books).

So what about you … are you willing to make a difference today in
someone’s life? It could have a rippled effect that could turn this
world upside down! Think about it.

Join us on Thursday evening, October 12th for our first Men’s Fellowship
night of the new season. Dinner begins at 6:15 PM followed by a time of
worship, testimony and a challenge from the Word. Our speaker this month
is Pastor Ed Hlad. Following the gathering, you may use the Activity
Center. Call today for reservations: 732-350-1187.

COME TO JESUS …

“Come to me …” Matthew 11:28

Today’s reading from Oswald Chambers socked me right between the eyes
…

“Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of
the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to
know how real you are, test yourself by these words – “Come to Me …”

In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade
the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather
than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the
race seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, ‘Just as I am, I come.’
As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will
always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you
to do something very big and yet all He is telling you to do is “Come to
me …”

“Come to me …” When you hear those words, you will KNOW that something
must happen IN you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you
WHAT you have to do, and it will involve ANYTHING that will uproot
WHATEVER is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will
never get any further until you are willing to do THAT very thing. The
Holy Spirit will search out that ONE IMMOVABLE STRONGHOLD within you,
but He cannot budge it unless YOU are willing to let Him do so.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away
thinking, ‘I’ve really received what I wanted THIS time!’ And yet you go
away with NOTHING, while all the time God has stood with HIS hands
outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take HIM. Just
think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus,
who lovingly says, ‘Come to me …'” from My Utmost for His Highest

Good words for you and me today. Are you willing to COME TO HIM today?

Great quote: “Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my
side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect
agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the
atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the
supernatural grace of God.” – Oswald Chambers

“I will enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with
praise …” Psalm 100:4

As you prepare your hearts for worship today, here is a prayer from a
Puritan from the treasure A Valley of Vision:

O My God,
You fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
My heart admires, adores, loves You,
For my little vessel is as full as it can be,
And I would pour out all that fullness before You in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with You
Ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
Ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
Ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
Crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless You for the soul You have created,
For adorning it, for sanctifying it,
Though it is fixed in barren soil;
For the body You have given me,
For preserving its strength and vigor,
For providing senses to enjoy delights,
For the ease and freedom of limbs,
For hands, eyes, ears that do Your bidding;
For Your royal bounty providing my daily support,
For a full table and overflowing cup,
For appetite, taste, sweetness,
For social joys of relatives and friends,
For ability to serve others,
For a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
For a mind to care for my fellow-men,
For opportunities of spreading happiness around,
For loved ones in the joys of heaven,
For my own expectation of seeing You clearly.
I love You above the powers of language to express,
For what You are to Your creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.”

Good prayer to set the stage for worshipping Him today.

For information about the services for Chaplain Bill Blackley, please
see our website: http://www.americaskeswick.org.

Great quote: Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes
off his goal — and God.

FINISHERS

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course …” 2 Timothy
4:7

It’s hard to believe, but another one of my staff members went home to
be with Jesus last night at 8:30 PM. Chaplain Bill Blackley has been a
faithful servant of the Lord for many years at the Colony of Mercy. He
was saved as a child at the rescue mission where his parents served in
New York and committed his life to serving the Lord through preaching
and playing his cornet. Last evening after having major heart surgery
several days ago, at age 85, he closed his eyes on earth and opened them
in glory!

Someone said, “The test of a first-rate work is that you finish it!”

“The Brooklyn Bridge, which links Brooklyn to Manhattan Island, is one
of the most famous bridges in the world. At the time it was first
conceived in 1883, however, bridge-building experts throughout the world
told the designer, a creative engineer by the name of John Roebling,
that his idea wouldn’t work.

Roebling convinced his son Washington, who was also an engineer, that
his idea had merit. The two of them developed the concept, resolved the
problems others forecast, and enthusiastically hired a crew to build
their bridge.

After only a few months of building, a tragic on-site accident took
John’s life and severely injured Washington, who became unable to talk
or walk. Everyone thought the project would have to be abandoned, since
the Roeblings were the only ones who knew the dynamics of building the
bridge.

Washington, however, could still THINK, and he had a burning desire to
see the bridge finished. As he lay in his hospital bed, he had an idea!
He would communicate with the engineers by using one finger to tap in
code on his wife’s arm what he wanted to tell them.

Washington tapped out his instructions for 13 years until the bridge was
built!” (from God’s Little Devotional Book for Leaders – Honor Books)

How about you? Are you going to faithfully complete and finish what God
has called YOU to do? Thanks, Chaplain Blackley for the impact you had
on hundreds of men who came through the Colony of Mercy. Thanks for
showing us the example of how to finish well!

Good quote: “Whenever I am conscious of Satan’s presence, I try to
follow the formula once offered by a little girl: “When Satan knocks, I
just send Christ to the door.” Billy Graham

ARE YOU AN OPTIMIST OR A PESSIMIST?

Two old men were in the hospital. The man by the window was describing
to the man in the other bed all the things that were going on outside.
He described the beautiful trees, the birds, the activity that was
taking place below. He talked about being able to see the park and a
beautiful lake. The man in the next bed was quite jealous of the man
with the bed next to the window.

During the night, the man in the bed near the window got very sick. He
was struggling to breathe. The man in the other bed could have called
for help, but he the guy struggle, and guess what, he died. After
removing the man’s body, they decided to move the other man to the other
side of the room with the window. He was so excited that he would
finally have the great view all to himself.

They nurses moved the bed and got him all settled in and he leaned
forward to look out the window only to discover the view was a brick
wall!

Some of us go through life with optimism while others of us are
pessimists. Some of us see the glass half full while others see the
glass half empty. King David was an optimist: “Then David said to the
Philistines, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with
javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of
the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will
deliver you into my hand.” 1 Samuel 17:45-46a

Speaker and teacher, Dr. Henry Blackaby says: David was certainly an
optimist! Regardless of his circumstances, David could always see God’s
activity! A pessimist focuses on the PROBLEMS, concentrating on the
reasons why something CANNOT be done. The optimist sees the same
problems, but he sees them from the perspective of GOD’S PRESENCE.

David was just a young boy when he faced Goliath, and intimidating
veteran warrior who frightened even the bravest Israelite soldier. As he
prepared for battle, David saw that Goliath was a giant. He HEARD his
boastful taunts. He could not fail to notice his enemy’s weapons: a
sword, a shield, and a javelin. David did not barge into the battle
unprepared for a fight. He armed himself with five smooth stones. David
was prepared for God to grant him victory with the first stone he hurled
at the giant or the fifth. David was ready to accept God’s victory,
whether it came easily or with much effort.

Optimists do not ignore the difficulties; they are keenly aware of them.
But the knowledge of God’s presence prevents them from becoming
discouraged or giving up. It is impossible to stand in the presence of
God and be a pessimist!

The account of David and Goliath vividly pictures the SOURCE of the
Christian’s faith – not our own size, strength, or resources, but the
power of almighty God. If we focus on our OPPOSITION and PROBLEMS, they
will seem gigantic. But as we focus on GOD, we will see our situation in
the proper perspective and be assured that all things are possible with
God (Philippians 4:13).

So … are you an optimist? A pessimist? Good words for today.

Great quote: …being a disciple means living a disciplined life, and it
is not very likely that you will get other disciples unless you are one
first.
Evelyn Underhill