I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST …

“Someone said that it couldn’t be done,
But he, with a chuckle, replied:
‘That maybe it couldn’t, but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say no till he tried.’
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
Somebody scoffed, ‘Oh you’ll never do that,
At least no one ever has done it.’
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With the lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That ‘cannot be done,’ and you’ll do it.”

Is there something in your life that you think cannot be done? Has God called you to step out by faith to do something extraordinary? Then remember these two truths this morning:

1. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13
2. “Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Good things to consider on this beautiful Saturday.

TEN LITTLE CHRISTIANS

10 little Christians came to church all the time;
one fell out with the preacher; then there were nine.
9 little Christians stayed up late;
one overslept on Sunday, then there were eight.
8 little Christians on their way to heaven;
one took the low road, then there were seven.
7 little Christians, chirping like chicks;
one didn’t like singing, then there were six.
6 little Christians seemed very much alive;
one took a vacation, then there were five.
5 little Christians pulling for heaven’s shore;
one stopped to rest awhile, then there were four.
4 little Christians each busy as a bee;
one got his feelings hurt, then there were three.
3 little Christians couldn’t decide what to do;
one couldn’t have his way, then there were two.
2 little Christians each won one more;
now don’t you see, two and two make four.
4 little Christians worked early and late,
each brought one, now there were eight.
8 little Christians, if they double as before ….
in just seven Sundays we’d have thousand twenty-four.
In this little jingle there is a lesson true —
you belong either to the building or to the wrecking crew!

(From WHO AM I IN CHRIST by Dr. Neil Anderson)

“And He gave some . . . For the equipping of the saints for the work of the service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we ALL attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

Now to which crew do YOU belong?

THE DUTY OF SELF TESTING

Tom Paschke, our Director of Housekeeping, has been sharing his story this week on our KESWICK TODAY radio ministry. He shared this poem with our conference guests on Monday:

Present Tense

it was spring…but it was summer I wanted…
the warm days and the great outdoors.

it was summer…but it was fall I wanted…
the colorful leaves and the cool dry air.

it was fall…but it was winter I wanted…
the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

it was winter…but it was spring I wanted…
the warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child…but it was adulthood I wanted…
the freedom and the respect.

I was 20…but it was 30 I wanted…
to be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged…but it was 20 I wanted …
the youth and the free spirit.

I was retired…but it was middle age I wanted…
the presence of mind, without limitations.

my life was over… but I never got what I wanted.

Guarding our hearts is an on-going process to help us protect the way we view life. It helps us to think about our dreams, goals and desires in light of God’s purposes for our lives. One of the ways we guard our hearts is to do what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5 — “Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves.”

Dr. Henrietta Mears, author of WHAT THE BIBLE IS ALL ABOUT reminds us that in Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he emphasizes that the Corinthians should test themselves to make sure of their faith. “He was anxious that none of them should be deceived. Use every means to KNOW where you really stand spiritually.

Do not depend on a mere profession of religion.
Do not rely on church membership. Joining the church saves no one. Joining CHRIST saves us. Examine your standing.
Do not trust on a past experience.
Live only for today.
Trust only in a present love, a present faith, and a present service.
Do not rest upon mere approved methods of conduct. One may god through the FORMS of religious worship and not be religious. Wax museum figures wink and blind and seem to breathe, but there is no particle of life in them.
Examine yourself about the MOTIVES that move your life. Is it to please GOD or people?
What do you love?
Do I love to think of Christ?
Do I love to pray?
Do I love to study God’s Word?
Do I love Christian friends?
Do I love the church?
Do I love to serve Christ?

Good things to ponder as we go through the process of self-testing.

THE RIVERS OF LIFE

“He who believes in Me . . . Out of HEART will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

From the pen of Oswald Chambers in MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST:

“A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received HIS fullness, ‘rivers of living water’ will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even ‘to the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the VISIBLE effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the OUTFLOW — ‘This is the work of God that you BELIEVE …’ (John 6:29) God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.

A river is VICTORIOUSLY persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even broader and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not SEEM to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes ALL obstacles. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow ANYTHING to come between you and Jesus Christ — not emotion nor experience — nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of healing ad far-reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for other.”

Great quote: If all be a gift, see the odious ingratitude of men who sin against their giver! God feeds them, and they fight against him; he gives them bread, and they give him affronts. How unworthy is this! Should we not cry shame of him who had a friend always feeding him with money, and yet he should betray and injure him? Thus ungratefully do sinners deal with God; they not only forget his mercies, but abuse them. ‘When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery [Jer. 5:7].’ Oh, how horrid is it to sin against a bountiful God!–to strike the hands that relieve us! Thomas Watson

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:35

“Nothing you could ever experience, no matter how terrible or frightening, could EVER separate you from the love of God. No tribulation and distress you might suffer could be so intense that God’s love for you is not even more fervent. No persecution could be so painful that God’s love cannot bring comfort. Famine might starve you of food, but you will never hunger for the Father’s love. Poverty cannot strip you of God’s compassion, just as even death itself is incapable of robbing you of your heavenly Father’s infinite love.

If you base YOUR view of God’s love on YOUR circumstances, you will become confused. There may be times when you will ask, “How could a loving God allow this to happen to me?” You may begin to question what you find CLEARLY stated in the Word of God. God promised that you would NEVER be separated from His love; He did not say that you would never face hardship, persecution, poverty, or danger. IF YOU DOUBT GOD COULD LOVE YOU AND STILL ALLOW YOU TO EXPERIENCE DIFFICULT EXPERIENCES, consider the life of Jesus.

If you allow the death of Jesus on the cross to forever settle any questions you might have about God’s love, you will approach difficult circumstances with CONFIDENCE. Knowing that there will never be ANYTHING that could separate you from God’s PERFECT love, you will watch to see how God expresses His love in each circumstance. Don’t ever judge God’s love based on your circumstances. Instead, evaluate your circumstances from the perspective of God’s love.” from the pen of Dr. Henry Blackaby — EXPERIENCING GOD DAY BY DAY, published by our good friend at Broadman & Holman.

Great Quote: “Jesus shines the light of the gospel on us both to expose our brokenness and to bring us to brokenness. I guess we should call this gospel brokenness, because only the gospel of God’s grace can enable us to be completely honest about our stuff without falling into toxic shame or self-contempt. And only the Gospel can humble us, soften us, and give us the power to repent-or at least, not run away or rant. When followers of Jesus walk openly in this kind of brokenness-gospel brokenness-angels in heaven rejoice, and people without faith, or those with much cynicism about Christians, are likely to reconsider who Jesus is. Write this down: no greater beauty can be found at any point or any place in God’s story than the times when God’s people manifest this gospel brokenness-for that is where God’s glory is revealed most clearly.” Scotty Smith, Restoring Broken Things

MY GREATEST HERO

It is truly hard to believe how quickly time flies. Twenty years ago today at around 7:00 PM, my greatest hero slipped into eternity and went home to be with Jesus. There are times that I must admit that I really feel cheated. Cheated because Zach, Tanner, Lindsay, Emma Grace (soon to be born) and Baby Welte (soon to be born) will never know their “Pop-Pop” Welte on this side of heaven.

From the world’s perspective, he was really a nobody. Yet at his Memorial service over 450 people stood in line for hours to greet our family. The local funeral director told us later that in all his years of doing funerals, he never saw one like this.

His childhood was a difficult one. He was raised in an abusive family with a Dad that beat him and sexually abused his kid sister for many years. He was sent to live with an Aunt and Uncle for survival. He became an alcoholic and lived a life of sin. Somehow in God’s sovereignty, he met my Mom. They fell and love, and by her the example of her life, Dad wanted what she had. Pastor Walter J. Dick, former Executive Director of Montrose Bible Conference and now with the Lord, had the joy of leading my Dad to Christ and then married them. Under his ministry my Dad grew in his Christian walk and began to use his God-given gifts for the Lord.

He loved to sing and was encouraged to develop his gift. Throughout his lifetime he sang in various churches in the Philadelphia area as well as ministering in the prisons with the Salvation Army.

Back when we were young kids, Dad and Mom took us to Wildwood, New Jersey for a week. Walking down the Boardwalk we discovered the BOARDWALK CHAPEL. We stepped inside while a service was going on and the rest is history. Before we knew it, Dad was asked to share his testimony and sing, and that began an over 35 year involvement with that ministry.

Despite two heart attacks, strokes, colon cancer, and other physical challenges, Mom and Dad spent several summers as house parents at the Boardwalk Chapel. The week before Dad went to heaven, he was asked to give his testimony and sing. The song he chose was WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS. The last line of that great hymn reads: “Love so amazing, so divine! Demands my soul, my life, my all.” After finishing the hymn, Dad sat down on the front row and had a massive stroke that affected the brain stem and never regained consciousness.

My Dad wasn’t perfect, but he sure left us a wonderful legacy about the joy of serving Jesus. In the world’s eyes, he was a nobody — but because of what Jesus Christ did in his life, my Dad was a SOMEBODY. Dad, you are still my greatest hero! I love you.

THIS WEEK ON KESWICK TODAY, Colony of Mercy graduate, Tom Paschke, shares how God has been at work in his life. Listen on-line at http://www.americaskeswick.org.

GOD’S PROTECTIVE HAND

I need to praise the Lord for his protection of America’s KESWICK during the storms that impacted our area the past 48 hours. It was pouring when we left the Activity Center on Friday night after the evening service. Rather than park our car in its normal spot at our house, we parked it right by the back door so that we could avoid getting drenched.

It rained right on through the night and when I got up Saturday morning, I decided that I wasn’t going to chance walking to work in the rain, and it certainly was raining hard enough that riding in my golf cart would result in being totally drenched. So I was prompted to take the car and would come home for Jan and Zach to get them at lunchtime. Little did I know that this prompting was a part of God’s protective hand.

Thirty minutes later, Jan was in the shower and heard the odd sound of electric sizzle. She thought she was about to be electrocuted. A large tree near our house fell ripping the electric wires right off the side of the house. The amazing thing is that three landed right where we had parked our car on Friday night. Had I not taken the car, it would have been crunched. Thank You, Lord, for your protective hand in the midst of the storm.

I was reminded of these words from the old hymn, A SHELTER IN THE TIME OF STORM

The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
Refrain
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
A shade by day, defense by night,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm
We’ll never leave our safe retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our Helper ever near,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
GREAT QUOTE: The more you praise God, the more you become God-conscious and absorbed in His greatness, wisdom, faithfulness, and love. Praise reminds you of all that God is able to do and of great things He has already done. Faith comes through God’s Word and through praise. Faith grows as you praise the Lord. Wesley L. Duewel

FROM “WITHOUT HOPE” TO “A LIVING HOPE”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy as begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Almost all of the New Testament was written to people who were in trouble in one way or another, who were unhappy for various reasons, who were tempted to look back to the live out of which they had been saved. They were unhappy and troubled even though they were Christians. They didn’t know what to do or believe, and they needed help. In other words, the apostles were writing to real people just like us and giving them God’s answers to the same kinds of problems we face.
What did they tell them? One of the primary questions they answered over and over had to do with God’s forgiveness. Apparently, these people had committed so much sin so many different times, they were worried and wondered if God would still love them, forgive them, and let them into heaven.
Like these people, maybe there is some sin in your life that makes you think God couldn’t love you and He just wouldn’t forgive you: “God couldn’t love me. After all, I stole something. I had an abortion. I’ve told a lot of lies. I’ve had premarital sex. I’ve committed adultery or been involved in homosexuality.”
Well, the Bible says you are wrong about God! He knows all about your sins and still loves you. He wants you to come to Him for complete forgiveness and for His help and guidance.
In Ephesians 2:11-12 we read that we were sinners “without hope and without God in the world,” totally undeserving and unworthy of God’s favor and forgiveness. But He extended His kindness to us and instructed us to gladly and humbly accept it and believe that He loves us.
The Apostle Peter writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Dr. John Ankerberg Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 21-22; Luke 18:24-43

Today’s devotional is taken from our daily devotional REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE now in its second printing. You can purchase a copy from the KESWICK BOOKSTORE by calling 800-453-7942. Dr. John Ankerberg is speaking at America’s KESWICK on Saturday and Sunday evening as a part of our Labor Day Weekend conference.

Great Quote: We must know the power of the Blood if we are to know the power of God. Our knowing experimentally the power of the Word, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer is dependant upon our knowing the power of the Blood of Christ. (Reuben Archer) R. A. Torrey

AT THE THRESHOLD OF TEMPTATION

“The grace of God has appeared to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” Titus 2:11,12

“Yielding to temptation is another step toward a stronghold being established in your mind. Whenever you are stimulated to conform to PLAN B instead of God’s PLAN A for your life, you are experiencing temptation. The essence of all temptation is the invitation to live independently of God and fulfill legitimate needs in the world, the flesh, or the devil instead of Christ. That’s the great contest. And Satan knows just what buttons to push to tempt you away from dependency on Christ.

The moment you are tempted to get your need met in the world instead of Christ, you are at the threshold of a decision. If you don’t immediately chose to take that thought “captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), you will begin to consider it as an option. And if you begin to mull it over in your mind, immediately your emotions will be affected and the likelihood of yielding to that temptation is increased.

The Scriptures teach us that God has provided a way of escape from every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). But the escape is right at the threshold of the temptation. If you don’t control the temptation at the threshold, you run the risk of allowing the temptation to control you. Rare is the Christian who can turn around after directing his will toward Plan B.

For example, a man sees a pornographic picture and is tempted toward lust. He has the opportunity to respond by saying something like, ‘My relationship with sin has ended. I chose to take this thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I’m not going to look at it or think about it.’ And he separates himself from the picture immediately and escapes the lust.

But if he hesitates at the threshold, stares at the picture, and begins to fantasize about it, he will trigger and emotional landslide producing a physical response which will be difficult to stop. He must capture the tempting thought in the threshold or it will probably capture him.” from Dr. Neil Anderson DAILY IN CHRIST published by Harvest House.

Good principle to apply to your life today.

THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER

” . . . One of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray.’ ” (Luke 11:1)

Prayer is not a normal part of the life of a NATURAL man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life.

Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simple as a means of GETTING THINGS for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

‘Ask, and you will receive …’ (John 16:24) We complain before God, and sometimes we are apologetic or indifferent to Him, but we actually ASK Him for very few things. Yet a child exhibits a magnificent boldness to ask! Our Lord said, ‘ . . . Unless you … become as little children …’ (Matthew 18:3) Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work.

The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at WIT’S END. When a person is at WIT’S END, it no longer seems to be the cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems — the very things that have brought you to your WIT’S END. But as long as you think you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.

To say that ‘prayer changes things’ is not as close to the truth as saying, ‘PRAYER CHANGES ME and then I change things.’ God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things EXTERNALLY, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.” from the pen of Oswald Chambers — MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
Good quote: When we in prayer seek only the glorification of the name of God, then we are in complete harmony with the Spirit of prayer. Then our hearts are at rest both while we pray and after we have prayed. Then we can wait for the Lord. Ole Kristian O. Hallesby

Good words for your consideration today.