GRATEFULNESS vs. MURMURING

I have been reading through the ONE YEAR BIBLE and for the past several
weeks the readings have been in Numbers. I have been amazed at how often
in that book, Moses talks about the murmuring and grumbling of the
children of Israel.

I found myself saying, “How could they be so stupid?” and then the Holy
Spirit places His hand on my shoulder and says, “And how can you? Don’t
you do the same thing?” Ouch!!!

Bill Gothard in his book THE POWER OF TRUE SUCCESS — HOW TO BUILD
CHARACTER IN YOUR LIFE suggests several principles about gratefulness:

1. Gratefulness is receiving all things from the sovereign hand of God
and finding the benefits in each one. (James 1:17)

2. Gratefulness depends on the ability to see or anticipate the benefits
of God’s bigger program.

3. Nothing holds back a heart from gratitude so much as holding on to
expectations. Are your expectations His? Are they unrealistic? (See
Psalm 62:5) “A proud man is seldom a grateful man; he never gets as much
as he deserves.” — Henry Ward Beecher

4. Thank God for what you DO have instead of murmuring about what you
DON’T have. Helen Keller said, “So much has been give to me, I have no
time to ponder over that which has been denied.”

5. Grateful people appreciate WHAT they have; murmurers don’t want what
they are given. (See Exodus 16:8)

6. Gratefulness is defined by God as a sacrifice because it means
surrendering our NATURAL tendency to murmur. (See Psalm 116:17).

“Think not on what you lack as much as on what you have.” — Greek
Proverb

Are you grateful this morning our are you a murmurer? Good thought to
ponder today.

HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH THIS THING CALLED LOVE?

A number of years ago our Board mapped our our ministry core values. We
established a list of 10 non-negotiables that must never change at
America’s KESWICK. They are benchmarks to guide us into the future years
of ministry.

A list of core values are of no value if you never review them. For me,
as the Executive Director, I must go back to them almost weekly to see
how we are doing. In a sense, they are a part of my “report card” (now
for some of you those two words send shivers up your spine!). The review
process is good.

Today’s passage from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is one of the CORE VALUES for
all us — LOVE. Paul gives a pretty strong statement on what love looks
like — how we should love our spouses, our kids, and others for that
matter. Eugene Peterson in his paraphrase, THE MESSAGE, lays it out this
way:

Love NEVER gives up.
Love cares more for OTHERS than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut.
Doesn’t have a swelled head.
Doesn’t force itself on others.
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end!

So how are you doing today? Would you pass the test? Allow Christ to
love THROUGH you today. This would be a great portion of Scripture to
commit to memory and meditate on daily. I know that I need some work on
this today.

COLONY GRADS: We are building a “Grad Web Album” on our website and
would like to include your picture along with a couple lines about when
you graduated and what you’re doing. You can email your pictures to:
bwelte@americaskeswick.org

LIVE WELL, LIVE WISELY

From the Book of James (The Message)

“Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom?
Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly! It’s the way
you LIVE, not the way you TALK, that counts.

Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t
wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourself sound wise isn’t wisdom.
It’s the furthest thing from wisdom — it’s animal cunning, devilish
conniving. Whenever you’re trying to LOOK better than other or get the
better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the other’s
throats.

Real wisdom, GOD’S wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized
by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing
with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not
two-faced.

You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God
and enjoy its results ONLY if you do the hard work of getting along with
each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.” (James 3:13-17)

Good words from THE WORD for you to meditate on this morning and
throughout the day.

MORNING PRAYER

“Compassionate Lord, Your mercies brought me to the dawn of another day,
Vain will be its gift unless I grow in grace, increase in knowledge,
ripen for spiritual harvest.
Let me this day know You as You are, love You supremely, serve You
wholly, admire You fully.
Through grace let my will respond to You, knowing that power to obey is
not in me, but that Your free love alone enables me to serve You.
Here then is my empty heart, overflow it with Your choicest gifts;
Here is my blind understanding, chase away its mists of ignorance.
O ever watchful Shepherd, lead, guide, tend me this day;
Without Your restraining rod I err and stray;
Hedge up my path lest I wander into unwholesome pleasure, and drink its
poisonous streams;
Direct my feet that I be not entangled in Satan’s secret snares, nor
fall into his hidden traps.
Defend me from assailing foes, from evil circumstances, from myself.
My adversaries are part and parcel of my nature;
They cling to me as my very skin;
I cannot escape their contact.
In my rising up and sitting down they barnacle me;
They entice with constant baits;
My enemy is within the citadel;
Come with almighty power and cast him out, pierce him to death, and
abolish in my every particle of carnal life this day.” from VALLEY OF
VISION — Prayers of the Puritan

Great prayer as we begin this new week and the first day of Spring.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Counseling ‘Phone Numbers”
By A Anonymous

All calls are free of charge. Isn’t that great!

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:

When in sorrow, …………………………………… call John 14.
When men fail you, ……………………………….. call Lamentations 3:17-26.
If you want to be fruitful, ………………………….call John 15.
When you have sinned, ………………………….. call Psalm 51.
When you worry, …………………………………. call Matthew 6:19-34.
When you are in danger, ………………………… call Psalm 91.
When God seems far away, ……………………. call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring, ………………… call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful, ……………… call Psalm 23.
When you grow bitter and critical, ……………. call 1st Corinthians 13.
For Paul’s secret to happiness,…………………. call Colossians 3:12-17.
For understanding of Christianity, …………….. call II Corinthians 5:15-21.
When you feel down and out, ………………….. call Romans 8:31-39.
When you want peace and rest, ……………….. call Matthew 11:25-30.
When the world seems bigger than God, ……. call Psalm 90.
When you want Christian assurance, …………. call Romans 8:1-30.
When you leave home for labor or travel, …… call Psalm 121.
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, … call Psalm 67.
For a great opportunity, ………………………….. call Isaiah 55.
When you want courage for a task, …………….call Joshua 1.
For how to get along with fellow men, ……….. call Romans 12.
When you think of investments and returns,…. call Mark 10.
If you are depressed, ……………………………… call Psalm 27.
If your pocketbook is empty, …………………… call Psalm 37.
If you are losing confidence in people, ……….. call 1st Corinthians 13.
If people seem unkind, ……………………………. call John 15.
If discouraged about your work, ………………. call Psalm 126.

If you find the world growing small and yourself great, ……..call Psalm 9.

Alternate numbers:

For dealing with fear, …………………………….. call Psalm 34:7.
For security, ………………………………………… call Hebrews 6:13-20
For assurance, …………………………………….. call 1 John 5:9-15.
For reassurance, ………………………………….. call Psalm 145:18.

Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is
necessary. All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day!

Have a blessed Lord’s day. Enjoy HIM today.

A LOOK IN THE MIRROR

“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise
his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me
a sinner!'” (Luke 18:13)

If you’ve ever wondered how far God would go to show His
love, look in the mirror and wonder no more. We need not look any
further than ourselves to find the most shocking and amazing displays of
God’s grace. If we think otherwise, it is only because we have not seen
ourselves as we truly are.

It has been said and sung many times: “There but for the
grace of God go I.” At first this sounds grateful, but such sentiment
masks a dangerous pride. It is actually not unlike the statement of a
religious leader in Jesus’ day as he looked upon a sinner on his knees
crying out for God’s mercy. “Lord I thank you that I am not like that
sinner over there,” the Pharisee prayed. It is a view that focuses on
someone else’s misfortune. Someone else is worse than I am. Much better
to be thinking and praying, “Here, because of the grace of God, and for
no other reason, am I.” I am the only person I truly know about when it
comes to sin. I am the authority on the subject.

The Pharisee hasn’t a clue about the sinner-who he is or
what he has done. Nor does he have any business making the assumption
that the sinner is lot is any worse than his. The only prayer any of us
can pray on the subject of sin is: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
This is the only prayer that sends heaven scurrying.

It is best to steer completely clear of the comparison game.
Any attempt to better oneself at the mercy of someone else’s failure
will always bring a twisted view of both ourselves and others.

The immensity of God’s mercy is not displayed in what He did
for the world, or for someone else. Nor is it discovered through some
theological understanding of the many nuances of His grace. The
immensity of God’s mercy is revealed finally-and only-in the incredible
realization that, lo and behold, it found out the worst of the lot. It
looked from heaven and found out me!

John Fischer

Scripture Reading: Genesis 29-30; Matthew 9:1-17

Today’s devotional comes from REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE — a 365 daily
devotional published by America’s KESWICK. Currently out-of-print, a new
edition will be released in June published by Christian Literature
Crusade. Singer-songrwiter, John Fischer, is a member of the Board of
Reference of America’s KESWICK.

PRAYER — HIS PART AND OURS . . .

“Then Isaiah said, ‘Prepare a poultice of figs.’ They did so and applied
it to the boil, and he recovered.” 2 Kings 20:7

“I would have you understand that prayer must be accompanied by means.
It is an outrage to ask God to do a thing while we sit passively.
Prayer, to be acceptable, must come not only from the heart, but from
the hands. We must work while we pray — devotion and work going
together. Martin Luther cam to his dying friend’s beside and prayed for
his recovery, and insisted, at the same time, that he should take some
warm soup, the soup being just as important as the prayer.

In the time of the great plague that came to England, the priests prayed
all day and all night for the removal of the plague, but didn’t think of
clearing out the dead dogs and cats that lay in the gutters causing the
sickness. We must use means as well as supplication.

If a man prays for good health, and then sits down to a full supper of
indigestibles at eleven o’clock at night, his prayer is a mockery. A man
has no right to pray for the safety of his family when he knows there is
no cover for his cistern.

The Christian man, reckless about his health, ought not to expect the
same answer to his prayer as the Christian man who retires regularly at
a reasonable hour and practices good hygiene. Paul said to the
passengers of the Alexandrian corn-ship that they would get safely
ashore, but he told them that they must use means, and that was, ‘Stick
to the old ship!’

God is not weak, needing our help, but God is strong and asks us to
cooperate with him that we may be strong too. Pray by all means, but
don’t forget the fig-poultice . . . Sometimes, we know full well what to
do, but we continue to pray, asking God to do what we know we should do.
As you pray, always be asking God, ‘Is there a fig-poultice for this
situation?’ If the answer is yes, then do what you know you must.”
adapted from MAGNIFICENT PRAYER — 366 Devotions to Deepen Your Prayer
Experience by Nick Harrison — published by Zondervan.

“See that you do not use the trick of prayer to cover up what you know
YOU ought to do.” — Oswald Chambers

This weekend we added a number of new men to our Freedom Fighter list.
Welcome guys! We are glad you have joined us. Freedom Fighter was
birthed because of our passion to see men living victoriously in a world
filled with craziness and change. We desire to see men not living on the
edge with temptation and sin — but living in freedom — being more than
conquerors.

Most of what I share with you each morning is fresh from what I am
reading and learning through my daily devotional time with the Lord.
This morning my friend Oswald Chambers once again nailed me . . . I
admit to you that one of my life long battles has been pleasing people.
Sometimes I have allowed the fear of man to override my fear of God. But
it isn’t about pleasing people — it’s about PLEASING HIM! Listen to the
words of Chambers from today’s devotional from MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
. . .

“We make it our aim . . . to be well pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians
5:9)

“It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal
constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest
priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win
souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only
‘to be well pleasing to Him.’ IT IS NOT A LACK OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
THAT LEADS TO FAILURE, BUT A LACK OF WORKING TO KEEP OUR EYES FOCUSED
AND ON THE RIGHT GOAL.’ At least once a week examine yourself before God
to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul
was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can
only catch a look of approval from his Conductor.

Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from the
central goal of being ‘approved to God’ (2 Timothy 2:15) may result in
our rejection from further service for Him. When you discern where the
goal leads, you will understand why it is so necessary to keep ‘looking
unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Paul spoke of the importance of controlling
his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. He
said, ‘I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest . . . I
myself should become disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it
without interruption. MY WORTH TO GOD PUBLICLY IS MEASURED BY WHAT I
REALLY AM IN MY PRIVATE LIFE. Is my primary goal in life to please Him
and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how
lofty it may sound?”

Powerful words for our consideration this morning. “Lord, my desire
today is to be pleasing to YOU, and you alone. Help me today not to fear
people, but to fear YOU. Help me today to stay focused on the RIGHT
goal. I pray that for me and for my fellow Freedom Fighters.”

THE VALUE OF A GODLY MENTOR

Three verses today that jumped off the pages of the Word (from THE
MESSAGE) and reminded me of how grateful I am for the older men God has
placed in my life over the years:

“Moral dropouts won’t listen to their elders; welcoming correction is a
mark of good sense.” — Proverbs 15:5
“Know-it-alls don’t like being told what to do — they avoid the company
of wise men and women.” Proverbs 15: 12
“Listen to good advice if you want to live well — an honored guest
among wise men and women.” Proverbs 15:31

Over the years God has placed in my life older, mature men who have
impacted my life in astounding ways. Much to my dismay, many of my peers
and men younger than me tend to shy away from older folks and don’t see
the value of allowing them to come alongside to give counsel and
assistance. My life is richer and fuller because of the many men that I
have allowed to come alongside of me to counsel, guide, pray with, and
simply listen too.

Some have offered me correction. It hasn’t always been easy to listen to
— I do struggle with pride. But I have to tell you — I have avoided
some pretty major disasters in my life by listening to their godly
advice. Some have actually given me an action plan. I must admit that
there were times when “their” plans didn’t make any sense. But it did it
— and I avoided some major blunders.

I am reminded today of one mentor, Joe Dariano. He was the choir
director of a church in Pennsylvania for many years. I was asked to
candidate for the position as he was wanting to “retire” as the choir
director. I can remember sitting on the swing with Joe at his home as he
shared time after time with me, godly counsel that I needed to hear.
Sometimes he said tough things. At times he encouraged me and helped me
to grow.

During a major tough time in our lives, Joe came alongside of us, not to
condemn us, but to support us and stand with us when we were facing one
of the most horrible moments of our lives. At that point in our lives —
he was there to put an arm around us, give a hug, pray, and just love on
us. God used Joe Dariano in our lives to walk us through this crisis and
to help us get to the other side victoriously.

Do you have a mentor in your life? Find an older man in your church and
ask to spend some time with him. Ask him questions. Share your
struggles, your concerns, your fears. Then do what most of us have a
hard time doing — LISTEN! You might be amazed at what you hear!
Thanks, Joe Dariano for investing in my life.

WHAT ARE YOU YIELDING TO?

” . . . you are that one’s slave whom you obey . . . ” (Romans 6:16)

“The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what
controls and dominates me is that I am responsible for having yielded
myself to whatever it may be. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame
because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey
God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.

If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most
enslaving tyranny on earth. There is no power within the human soul
itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by
yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of
lust, and although you hate yourself for having yielded, you become
enslaved to that one thing. (Remember what lust is — ‘I must have it
now [INSTANT GRATIFICATION],’ whether it is the lust of the flesh or the
lust of the mind.) No release or escape from it will ever come from
HUMAN power, but only through the power of redemption.

You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only ONE who can
break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.
‘. . . He has anointed Me . . . to proclaim liberty to the captives . .
. ‘ Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1)

When you yield to something, you will soon realize the tremendous
CONTROL it has over you. Even though you say, ‘Oh, I can give up that
habit whenever I like,’ you will know you can’t. You will find that the
HABIT absolutely DOMINATES you because you WILLINGLY yielded to it. It
is easy to sing, ‘He will break every fetter,’ while at the same time
living a life of obvious SLAVERY to yourself. But yielding to Jesus WILL
break every kind of slavery in any person’s life.'” — amazingly
powerful words today from the pen of Oswald Chambers in the daily
devotional, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST.

On Saturday at our Freedom Fighter day, I was amazed how few men have
protection on their computers for them and their family. Of the 275 men
in attendance, only 7 men raised their hands to indicate that they are
using a software to provide protection from the smut that is one-click
away from disaster. We cannot play with fire men. You MUST protect
yourself and the ones you love. SAFE EYES is a filtering program that
will provide protection and accountability. Do you want your kids
trapped in the same bondage that you have been in for years? A $50
investment can make a difference. If you are not protected– call our
Keswick Bookstore today and order SAFE EYES. We will ship it to you
postage free. IT IS AN INVESTMENT THAT WILL KEEP YOU FROM YIELDING TO
THE FLESH and protect your family. Do it today! 732-350-1187 ext 31.