ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Yesterday was one of those days. It started out with a phone call that one of our Colony grads who was supposed to lead our prayer times for the conference this weekend, was taken to the hospital with stroke like symptoms. A half-hour after that, we received word that one of our precious donors had had a massive stroke and went home to be with Jesus at 4:30 in the morning. Not long after that while in our Board meeting, my wife came to the door and judging by the look on her face, I could tell there was a problem.

Our youngest daughter’s baby (growing in her womb) had not moved in twelve hours and they were obviously greatly concerned. (Everything is fine, thank the Lord!). By the afternoon, we received word that the Director of our Keswick Institute of Biblical Studied had his good friend at the seminary die unexpectedly. Then I received word that the one of our staff baby’s was diagnosed with pneumonia.

It sort of felt like one of those “JOB” days. If you’ve never read his story in Job 1, he continued to receive bad news all day long. The text says, ” . . . And while they were speaking …” more and more bad news was being delivered. In the course of several hours, this man, favored by God, lost all of his possessions as well as all his kids. What was so amazing, was at the end of a very, very, bad day, Job didn’t run and hide — he didn’t crawl up in some corner and give up. The end of the first chapter says that “Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” (Job 1:21-22)

Wow. Despite the way Job’s day went — HE WORSHIPPED! That’s the heart of a worshipper! Not just worshipping when things go well, but worshipping even when it has been ONE OF THOSE DAYS. As you prepare for the Lord’s day tomorrow, have you had ONE OF THOSE DAYS? WEEKS? MONTHS? May the song and praise from our lips be this — BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.

Have you made your plans to join us for our 2006 summer conference season? We have four great Adventure Weeks planned for you. For information, you can download our summer brochure at http://www.americaskeswick.org. Have a great day.

HEADQUARTERS

I was blest as a teenager to get to hear one of America’s great preachers, Vance Havner, now with the Lord. Recently I was given a copy of a devotional thoughts, long out of print. Here is one of my favorites . . .

“Most of us report somewhere or other to headquarters. The soldier reports to his commanding officer. The clerk reports to the boss. The teacher reports to the principal. In the shop, in the store, in business and profession, we show up now and then at headquarters.

For a good many years I have been reporting to headquarters. But I go to no office building, I get in touch with no man. I can take my hat off while walking in the woods, or wake up in the middle of the night anywhere and report to the top command. For I was called and commissioned to preach the Gospel. Heaven is headquarters, and I do not have to wait in an anteroom nor take my place in a line or get by a secretary. There is a rent veil, and I can come boldly to the throne of grace. Anytime, anywhere, I can reach the Manager.

How good it is when puzzling problems arise, when difficult decisions must be made, to stroll into the woods and talk things over! Or if emergencies suddenly develop and quick action must be taken, I do not have to phone — heaven is nearer than the next town.. There is glorious liberty in it, for, so long as I am on good terms with Headquarters, I need not worry about my popularity down here.

But while having one’s headquarters in heaven gives blessed liberty, it also involves much responsibility. To our own Master we stand or fall, but there is law in liberty. We must give an account to Him for our stewardship, and it is required of stewards that a man be found faithful. Our Lord does not merely suggest it, He requires it. There is law in the New Testament as well as in the Old. We do not run loose under grace. But it is the law of Christ, the law of life and love. ‘The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.’

So I shall continue to report to Headquarters here. And eventually I shall report up there. But I shall not turn in my credentials to retire. I shall be recommissioned for work in a new sphere. It is said concerning the Heavenly City, ‘And His servants shall serve HIM.’ That is why I need to keep in touch with Headquarters here:

Take time to be holy, be calm in your soul;
Each thought and each motive beneath His control;
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
You soon shall be fitted for service above.”

When was the last time YOU reported to Headquarters? He is waiting to hear from YOU today!

Devotional thought from REST FOR THE WEARY by Vance Havner published by Revell

TAKING THE INITIATIVE

” . . . Add to your faith virtue . . . ‘ 2 Peter 1:5

Good words today from the pen of Oswald Chambers: My Utmost for His Highest . . .

ADD means that WE have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves — God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not FORCE us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must ‘work out ‘ our ‘own salvation’ which God has worked IN us (Philippians 2:12).

ADD means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning — to instruct yourself in the way you must go.

Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative — stop hesitating — take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in on what God says to you when He speaks, and never reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make it impossible for you to go back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying, ‘I will write that letter,’ or ‘I will pay that debt’; then do it! Make it irrevocable.

We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about EVERYTHING, forming the habit of finding out what HE says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes, we instinctively TURN TO GOD, we will know that the habit has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative where we ARE, not where we have not yet been.”

Wow — I am always amazed how timely Oswald’s writings are for today. God has so used his writings in my life. I trust that today these words will impact your life like they have done again for me this morning. What area of your life has the Holy Spirit pinpointed today where you must take the initiative? I’d love to hear from you.

Jennifer Sands continues to share lessons learned from the tragedy of 9-11. Hear her story today on KESWICK TODAY radio. Visit our website: http://www.americaskeswick.org

Shouldn’t . . . Can’t … Won’t

Three interesting words that went through my mind very early this morning. All three impact the choices we make in our lives. Yesterday we looked at the downward cycle in the lives of the children of Israel:

They forgot His works
They forgot their Savior
They did not believe His word
They grumbled
They did not listen to His voice

And as I read further in Psalm 106 today, I add to more to the list:

They provoked Him to wrath . . .
They became unclean in their practices.

What a downward spiral. If we are not careful — we can follow the same downward path. And if we are honest with ourselves . . . At times, haven’t we been there because of wrong choices we have made?

I have been on this journey with my weight loss for several years now and have been stuck. I know what I SHOULDN’T eat . . . I know what I CAN’T eat. But until I resolve that I WON’T eat the wrong things — I will live in defeat.

All of us face temptations and those sins in our lives that the writer of Hebrews said are “besetting sins” — “the ones that so easily entangle us.” You know exactly what I am talking about because just now the Holy Spirit placed His finger on that area of your life. Think about that area — Have you found yourself saying — “I know I shouldn’t do that” — but you do. Then the conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and we tell ourselves — “I can’t do that again” and we promise ourselves, and often God, that we cannot go there again.

The Apostle Paul faced a similar struggle . . . “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate . . . For I do not do the good I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.” (Romans 7:15, 19)

What the children of Israel couldn’t get is what we need to remember. We need to move from I SHOULDN’T and I CAN’T to I WON’T. That is only possible THROUGH Christ. He gives us the power to make those choices.

I know what I need to do with my eating. I need to resolve today that WON’T eat those things that I KNOW are going to cause me to go backwards and fall. It is the same with those things I struggle with. I need to move from I SHOULDN’T . . . I CAN’T . . . To I WON’T.

I was reminded of an old hymn that I was taught as a child:
I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.
Refrain
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I will hasten, hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I am resolved to go to the Savior,
Leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true One, He is the just One,
He hath the words of life.
I am resolved to follow the Savior,
Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
He is the living Way.
I am resolved to enter the kingdom
Leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me,
Still will I enter in.
I am resolved, and who will go with me?
Come, friends, without delay,
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,
We’ll walk the heav’nly way.
So what is it this morning with you? Is there an issue that you have been saying, “I SHOULDN’T?” Have you found yourself yielding to it and then saying “I can’t do this again?” Purpose today . . . Resolve today . . . By God’s grace you CAN say “I WON’T.”
Hope my ramblings this morning made sense. Dialog with me about it if you’d like. I always enjoy hearing from you. Have a good day.

DON’T FORGET

One of the things that plagues many older Americans is forgetfulness. We tend blame it on age. I hang out with a fair amount of senior citizens because of where God has placed us at America’s KESWICK. Forgetfulness is an on-going problem.

But “forgetfulness” seems to be something we deal with since early childhood. Raising Zach has been fun even at this age, but as we do through these pre-teen years with him and still have some discipline issues to deal with (do they ever go away?) he will often say, “I forgot!” We scratch our heads as parents and say, “How can you forget? We just talked about this yesterday!”

The children of Israel, like you and me if we’re honest, struggled with forgetfulness. They witnessed so many miracles, signs and wonders under the leadership of Moses and yet how quickly they forgot what God did for them. God would perform a miracle that would astound them, and then so quickly they went back into their sinful ways.

In Psalm 106 this morning, just in the space of several verses I read:

106:13 — They QUICKLY forgot His Works
106:13 — They forgot God their Savior who had done great things . . .
106:24 — They did not believe His Word but grumbled in their tents . . .
106:25 — They did not listen to the voice of the Lord . . .
106:32 — They provoked Him to wrath . . .

This is certainly a “text that preaches” because we too so often fall into this pattern, don’t we? We see God’s amazing miracles. We are astounded and blessed, and then so quickly forget about it. Sometimes I find myself scratching my head when I am facing a “mountain” or a wall. How will we ever make it through? I have seen God do so many amazing things since coming to America’s KESWICK, and yet at times it is like my ADD kicks in big-time and I forget that HE IS ABLE.

When we allow ourselves to wallow in unbelief it leads to a cynical spirit which then opens the door for us to be grumblers and complainers. We grumble at work. We grumble at church. We grumble at home. As a leader, I get discouraged sometimes when the “natives” start grumbling. Then I remember poor Moses — 3 million of them! Wow!

Forgetfulness leads to unbelief. Unbelief unchecked turns to cynicalness which leads to a grumbling heart. But if we allow it to grow and fester, we close our ears to the voice of God. We ignore the promptings of His still, small voice. We read the Word, and yet ignore what He is saying. He speaks — but we don’t even hear.

The Lord got frustrated with the people. He was determined to wipe them out. But a man named Phineas stood up and “interposed” — came between. And it says in Psalm 106:30 — “And so the plague was stayed!” You can be a Phineas today — at work — at church — at home! Maybe it means even being a Phineas in your own life. You can stop the cycle. We’ll talk about that tomorrow.

Lord, help us to be “remembers” today instead of forgetters.

Jennifer Sands continues to share lessons learned after the tragedy of 9/11 on today’s edition of Keswick Today. Listen to the broadcast right from our home page: http://www.americaskeswick.org

I CAN DO ALL THINGS?

I have shared with you several devotionals reflecting on the topic of “I
am not but I know I AM” . . . And today in my quiet time, the Lord
reminded me of this powerful truth . . .

“Are spiritually minded people equipped with a stress exemption? Do they
ever burn out? These might sound like heretical questions. Nevertheless,
the issue is important to consider, because if we answer the question
wrongly — in either direction — there will be significant
consequences.

Many people with great faith assume that God gives them a special
exemption to stress, overload, and burnout. It therefore comes as a
great surprise when they, too, hit the wall. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO
ME? I MUST NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH FAITH!

Disillusionment sets in. Then discouragement. They stop ministering.
They have no permission to tell others of their pain. What to do?
Unfortunately, they sometimes find themselves trapped in a system that
provides no comfort — only judgment.

Overload, like influenza, is a non-sectarian pathogen; everyone gets a
part of this pain. It strikes indiscriminately. Believers and
unbelievers alike experience overload, just as they both experience the
flu when it comes to town. Christians have the same limits and
susceptibilities as everyone else.

Philippians 4:13 is a wonderful verse, where Paul writes, ‘I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Can you fly? Can you go six
months without eating . . . Or sleeping? Neither can you live a healthy
life chronically overloaded. God did not intend this verse to represent
a negation of life balance. Jesus did not work twenty-hour ministry
days, and He did not fix every problem in Israel. Daily He simply loved
the person standing in front of Him.

Philippians 4:13 is completely true. But we need to re-understand it,
cleansed from our modern presumptive bias that God is suspending human
limits on our behalf. We cannot do ‘all things,’ but we can do
everything the Father has ordained for us, in the strength that Christ
provides.

As it turns out, salvation solves the lostness problem — and that is of
incalculable value. But it does little to solve the overload problem.
This is not to say we don’t have deep spiritual resources that are of
immense value. But is some ways we also have a heightened sensitivity to
the pain and brokenness of the world around us. And that often hurts
unbearably.

God had His reasons for not delivering us from this type of pain. It is
best to trust His heart in the matter.” from Dr. Richard Swenson — A
Minute of Margin — Restoring Balance to Busy Lives.

“We give our family and ourselves an incredible gift when we make the
decision to live within God’s limits. It opens the door to genuine rest
in our lives.” — Tim Kimmel

Listen to KESWICK TODAY and hear the powerful testimony of Jennifer
Sands. Her husband was the pilot of the first plane to hit the World
Trade Center. Jennifer’s powerful testimony will bless your heart. You
can listen on-line @ http://www.americaskeswick.org.

FOR SOME REASON THIS DID NOT GO OUT YESTERDAY . . . SO I AM USING IT FOR
TODAY’S FREEDOM FIGHTER . . .

INFLUENCE

Have you ever stopped to think that YOU influence the lives of the
people you meet? On Thursday night I had the privilege of being a part
of a memorial service for a dear friend who greatly influenced my life.
She was 91 when she slipped into eternity last Saturday at 6:30 AM.

If I had to make a list of the people who influenced my life as a child,
this lady would be on the top three. She loved kids and had an
incredible ministry called Kids Korner that met on Friday nights at our
home church. As a young teenager, she pulled me aside and encouraged me
to be a “helper” on Friday nights — setting up chairs, helping with
memory verses, learning to run a movie projector, and all other kinds of
fun jobs. She got us involved in helping with Vacation Bible School and
eventually had us teaching a class.

During my later teen years and while dating, she would send me notes of
encouragement always reminding me how important it was to serve the
Lord. She loved God and when you touched her she bled JESUS and HIS
WORD. After we were married and were in “full-time” Christian service,
she would invite me to sing and preach at the Sunday B Ladies Auxiliary
meeting. Her smile, her encouraging words, her notes reminding me of her
prayers influenced me in ways that she never could imagine.

Shortly after coming to America’s KESWICK, we established a number of
off-campus prayer groups. One meets in Philly at a retirement community.
Much to my surprise, this grand lady was a resident and began attending
our prayer times. What I quickly discovered is that her love for Jesus
had only intensified even more! I loved to hear her pray and talk with
her Savior.

As I reflected this week on her life, I realized that had it not been
for Gertie Shoemaker, I may not be in ministry today. I am thankful to
the Lord that He brought her into my life. She has had a profound impact
on my life, family and ministry. It helped me to realize again that I
too can have an influence on the lives of others. That is an awesome
responsibility and privilege. May I never take that for granted. Thank
you, Gertie Shoemaker for influencing my life for Christ.

Pr 4:13 – Always remember what you have been taught, and don’t let go of
it. Keep all that you have learned; it is the most important thing in
life.
1Co 2:13 – We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We
didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it
from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re
passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
Php 4:9 – Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or
seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

2Ti 1:13 – Hold on to the pattern of right teaching you learned from me.
And remember to live in the faith and love that you have in Christ
Jesus.
2Ti 3:14 – But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have
become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.

THE JOY OF CHRIST

Growing up we sang a lot of praise choruses that had motions to them.
One of the songs was “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy — down in my
heart” . . . to which was the echo — “where?” — “down in my heart to
stay!” One of the attributes of the Christian should be a life that is
filled with joy. A joy that is in the heart, bubbles up from the heart
and expresses itself on the face, which is then obvious to everyone
around them that there is something different about them.

Henry Blackaby, writes in his daily devotional EXPERIENCING GOD DAY BY
DAY: “If there is anything that ought to characterize the life of a
Christian, it is joy! Jesus spoke many times to His disciples about His
joy being complete and full in them. His disciples were filled with joy
as they realized who they were: children of God and joint heirs with
Christ (Romans 8:16-17). They had been dead in their sins but were now
made alive in Christ (Romans 6:4). They had once been helpless victims
of death, but now death had no hold over them (1 Corinthians 15:55-58).
With such a marvelous salvation experience with Christ, how could the
disciples be anything less than joyful?

Don’t deny yourself that which is your birthright as a child of God.
Don’t be satisfied with a joyless life. There ought to be in every
Christian a deep, settled fullness of the joy of Christ that no
circumstance of life can dispel. This comes as you allow the Holy Spirit
to express Himself in your life. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy
(Galatians 5:22). This joy is unlike any happiness that is produced by
the world. It fills you and permeates everything you do.

Jesus did not pray that your would merely be happy or even that you
would escape grief. He prayed that you would have the same joy that the
Father had given Him: a divine joy, a joy that comes from a deep and
unwavering relationship with the Father. It is a joy that is grounded so
firmly in a relationship with God that no change in circumstances could
ever shake it. This is the kind of joy that Christ is praying will be in
you.”

How about you this morning? Is your life characterized by the joy of
Christ? Good thought to ponder today.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

“If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and
seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles
7:14

Today people will gather all across our nation to pray. God hears our
prayers. This is a day to pray for our President and those who serve
with him. It is a day to pray for our nation. The 2006 theme is
“America, Honor God.” God called Israel to humble themselves and pray
and to turn from their wicked ways. I want to encourage you today to
spend some time before the Father and examine YOUR heart.

I share with you one of the prayers of the Puritans that deal with sin
in our lives. The words of powerful:

Merciful Lord,
Pardon all my sins of this day, week, year, all the sins of my life,
sins of early, middle, and advanced years,
of omission and commission,
of morose, peevish and angry tempers,
of lip, life and walk,
of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride,
of unfaithfulness to the souls of men,
of want of bold decision in the cause of Christ,
of bringing dishonor upon Your great name,
of deception, injustice, untruthfulness,
in my dealings with others,
of impurity in thought, word and deed,
of covetousness, which is idolatry,
of substance unduly hoarded, improvident ally squandered,
not consecrated to the glory of thee,
the great Giver;
sins in private and in the family,
in study and recreation, in the busy haunts of men,
in the study of Your Word and in the neglect of it,
in prayer irreverently offered and coldly withheld,
in time misspent,
in yielding to Satan’s wiles,
in opening my heart to his temptations,
in being unwatchful when I know him nigh,
in quenching the Holy Spirit;
sins against light and knowledge, against conscience and the restraints
of thy Spirit,
against the law of eternal love.
Pardon all my sins, known and unknown,
felt and unfelt,
confessed and not confessed,
remembered or forgotten,
Good Lord, hear; and hearing, forgive. Amen!

“Oh Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival, start the work in ME.
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead!”

DYING TO SELF

I recently spoke to a lady who is in her 90’s. She has become a dear
friend to our ministry and I love her because she is really wanting to
see God work in her life. She recently shared with me that one of her
friends loved her enough to confront her about her attitude. She told me
that this friend told her she was a spoiled brat and needed to be put
over their knee and get paddled! Not that is bold words to tell someone
in their 90’s!

But she asked the Lord to examine her heart and concluded that she was
self-centered and spoiled rotten. She was so wrapped up in herself and
her on little world, that she was actually miserable. Her prayer has now
been that she will “die to self” and allow Christ to live through her.

Louie Giglio shares that when we refuse to die to self we become more
interested in “the story of us.” We try to become the I AM rather than
the “i am not!” Here are the signs that that he gives to demonstrate
that we have slipped back into the “story of us”:

1. When I live like I am privileged, I have lost the plot. In other
words, when I start acting like I deserve a certain outcome or a higher
standard of life, I have failed to strike the fatal blow to self and am
living like I actually have rights in this world apart from God.

2. When I am demanding, I have lost the plot, insisting that God and
others meet my needs on the timetable that I see fit.

3. When I act pompous, I have lost the plot, thinking I am somebody
while only proving that I haven’t had a good look at God today.

4. When I crumble under pressure, I have lost the plot, declaring the
outcome of life rests squarely on my shoulders, not his.

5. When I start protecting, I have lost the plot, marking turf as though
it were actually mine and forgetting that everything I have comes first
from above.

6. When I crave the spotlight for myself, I have lost the plot, losing
sight of the story line and the one true Star!

7. When I fail to celebrate the successes of others who are living for
HIS fame, I have lost the plot, thinking that possibly we are on
different teams when we actually share the same supporting roles in the
same story.

8. When I dwell on feelings of being unloved, unnoticed, or
insignificant, I have lost the plot, abandoning the miracle of knowing
God on a first-name basis.

“All of these privileged, demanding, arrogant, frazzled,
turf-protecting, glory-stealing, self-loathing moments are nothing more
that a clarion call alerting us to the fact that it’s time to die again,
reminders that the life of smallness requires a vigilant watch and a
constant willingness to strike the fatal blow in the heart of me. To die
to self is to gain an unfathomable scale — a daily funeral that is
nothing more than the doorway to a life filled with the matchless WONDER
OF ALL THAT HE IS!” — Adapted from “i am not but i know I AM” by Louie
Giglio, published by Multnomah.

So how are you doing today? Good thoughts to ponder.