1. That my health AFTER thirty depended in a large degree on what I put into my stomach BEFORE I was twenty-one.
2. How to take care of money.
3. That a man’s habits are mighty hard to change after he is twenty-one.
4. That a harvest depends upon the seeds sown.
5. That worthwhile things require time, patience and work.
6. That you cannot get something for nothing.
7. The folly of not taking older people’s advice.
8. The value of absolute truthfulness in everything.
9. That what Mother wanted me to do was right.
10. Dad wasn’t an old fogy after all.
11. More of the helpful and inspiring messages of the Bible.
12. The greatness of the opportunity and joy of serving a fellow human being.
13. That Jesus Christ wants to be my Savior and friend.

Good stuff to ponder today — from “It’s Better to Build Boys Than Men” by S. Truett Cathy — founder of Chick-fil-A

The Results of Fatherlessness

The United States is the world’s leader in fatherless homes. The results of our actions, according to the FATHER’S MANIFESTO

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
85% of youth in prisons grew up in fatherless homes.
75% of all adolescent patients in drug treatment centers come from fatherless homes.

Children from fatherless homes are:

5 times more likely to commit suicide
32 times more like to runaway
20 times for likely to have behavioral disorders
14 times more likely to commit rape
9 times more likely to drop out of school
10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution
20 times more likely to end up in prison

from “It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men” by S. Truett Cathy founder of Chic-fil-A!

Are you a Dad — there is great responsibility in your God-given role. Think about it!

Understanding the message of the victorious Christian life is sometimes a hard adjustment. It is an adjustment to our thinking to realize that it is IMPOSSIBLE to live the Christian life. We buy into the lie that it is all about WHAT WE do rather than allowing CHRIST to live HIS life through us.

The fruit of the spirit described for us in Galatians 5:22-33 is a perfect description of Jesus Himself. Remember that CHRIST LIVES IN YOU — as we get to know more and more of him, we are being transformed from glory to glory — “But we with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Pastor, author and songwriter, Mike Pilavachi, writes in his book, FOR THE AUDIENCE OF ONE, that “someone said once that we shouldn’t pray, ‘Lord, give me joy, love, peace and patience,’ but we should say ‘Lord, I want more of YOU in me.’ Why wear out ourselves by TRYING desperately to improve OUR levels of self-control when we get the whole package by
being transformed into HIS likeness? THE MORE WE LOOK AT HIM, THE MORE HIS CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY BEGIN TO BE LIVED OUT IN US. ” . . . it is important to not that it is the SPIRIT’S fruit, not OURS . . . fruit trees aren’t exactly flexible when it comes to production; a pear tree won’t produce apples any more than a banana tree will produce lemons. No amount of concentration, hard work, fertilizer will help either tree divert from its genetic script. The fruit of the Spirit is a description of the character of Jesus, and the only person who can bear the fruit of the Spirit is Jesus . . . Only Jesus can tease of the characteristics of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, humility, and self-control. And it comes naturally to Him.”

We tend to pray for the fruit and want it NOW! But Pastor Mike Pilavachi reminds us that “growing fruit always takes a full season. You cannot expect the apples to be hours away as soon as the blossom arrives; instead, you need to allow the development to take place over the months and years. Once the period of basking in the summer sun is over, the apples tend to be ready, but only then. It has nothing to do with YOU — only HE can produce the fruit in YOU.”

Good words for you to ponder today.

People are funny when it comes to their grass! I served with an organization for many years and it was the “unpardonable sin” to walk on the grass. It was funny that they built some really nice tennis courts and forgot to put in paths. There were signs leading up to the courts that said: “Do not walk on the grass.” Not sure how you were supposed to get there . . .

One of my friends sent me a photo of a sign he saw in Maine: “GRASS GROWS BY INCHES AND DIES BY FEET … PLEASE STAY ON THE PATH.” That is a really cool sign and reminder for each of us.

The writer of the little book of 1 John wrote in chapter 2:6 “the one who says he abides in Him out to walk in the same manner as He did.” How do we do that? Dr. Warren Wiersbe in his commentary, “BE REAL” says: “Jesus Himself taught the disciples what it means to abide in Him. He explains it in His illustration of the vine and the branches (John 15). Just as the branch gets its life by remaining in contact with the vine, so believers receive their strength by maintaining fellowship with Christ. To abide in Christ means to depend completely on Him for all that we need in order to live for Him and serve Him. It is a living relationship. As He lives out HIS life THROUGH me, we are able to follow His example and walk as He walked.

Christ lives out HIS life THROUGH me by the power of the Spirit who lives within our bodies. It is not by means of IMITATION that we abide in Christ and walk as He walked. No, it is through INCARNATION: through HIS Spirit. ‘CHRIST LIVETH IN ME!’ To walk in the light is to walk in the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).”

Apart from Christ, my friend, IT IS NOT JUST DIFFICULT TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE — IT IS IMPOSSIBLE! He wants to live HIS life THROUGH YOU — “CHRIST IN YOU — THE HOPE OF GLORY.” (Colossians 1:27)

Today, stay of the path — allow Christ to live His life THROUGH you today. Enjoy your Labor Day!

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me!” (Galatians 2:20)

“All unbelievers have an old nature which is characterized by sin. Before you came to Christ you were one of those individuals. You were a sinner because it was your NATURE to sin. This ‘natural man’ cannot accept or understand the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).

What happened to the OLD you at salvation? You died– not he physical you, of course, but that old inner self which was empowered by the old nature you inherited from Adam (Romans 6:2-6; Colossians 3:3). What was the method of execution? Crucifixion with Christ. Paul announced in
Galatians 2:20: ‘I have been crucified with Christ.’ And in Galatians 6:14, Paul disclaimed any right to boast ‘except in the cross of our Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.’ At salvation you were placed INTO Christ, the one who died on the cross for your sin. Being IN CHRIST, your old self died with Him there.

Notice the remarkable difference. In Adam you had an OLD self; IN CHRIST you have a NEW self. In Adam you had a sin nature (Ephesians 2:1-3); IN CHRIST you are a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). In Adam you were in the flesh (Romans 8:8); IN CHRIST you are in the Spirit (Romans 8:9). In Adam you could only walk AFTER the flesh; IN CHRIST you may choose to walk after the SPIRIT or after the flesh. YOU ARE A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST!” from DAILY IN CHRIST by Neil and Joanne Anderson published by Harvest House.

What a wonderful truth to celebrate as we WORSHIP today on this HIS DAY!

“Fellowship with God is not an abstract theological concept, but a LIVING relationship. Living in a continuous agreement with God is to walk in the light. Satan can’t accuse me if I live in the light, but walking in the light is not moral perfection (1 John 1:8). We are not sinless, but the confession mentioned in 1 John 1:9 brings us into agreement with God about our present moral condition before Him.

What makes it possible to be this open with God about our condition is the fact that we are already His children. Our eternal state is not at stake, only our daily victory. We don’t have to PRETEND with God in the HOPE that He will accept us. As His children, we’re already accepted so we are free to be honest with Him. We have no relationship to lose, only fellowship to gain. Knowing that we’re secure in Christ, we can express ourselves honestly to Him. He already knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12).

Knowing that we are forgiven, let’s come before His presence with thanksgiving. God is our Father, and like any parent He doesn’t appreciate grumbling, complaining children, especially since this Father sacrificed His only begotten Son for us. He will not be very interested in our list of demands if we haven’t been obedient to Him. I also don’t think He is going to be very interested in helping us develop our OWN kingdom when we are to work at establishing the one one that will last — HIS!

To sit in the presence of my Father who loves me, who has made an incredible sacrifice so I can be there, doesn’t have to be a dismal, failing experience. He invites us into His presence just as we are, because in Christ our weakness and sin have been covered: ‘Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from and evil conscience ‘ (Hebrews 10:22)”

Good words from DAILY IN CHRIST — A Devotional and Neil T. Anderson published by Harvest House.

Our speaker for the week, Dr. Wendall Calder, shared an incredible message last night entitled WHAT TIME IS IT — IT’S LATER THAN YOU THINK. It is a message that every child of God needs to hear. In fact, I am going to stick my neck out on the limb and make it available to our
Freedom Fighter family on cassette or CD at now cost. All I ask is that when you receive it you prayerfully consider sending a gift to help cover the cost of the postage. If you would like the CD or cassette, reply to this email and include your mailing address.

The text was from 2 Timothy 3:1-5. I am giving you just THE WORD this morning as it speaks for itself. We are seeing this fulfilled as we watch with horror at what is taking place in New Orleans.

“You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly
bad. They will be hardhearted and never give to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with
pride, and prefer good times to worshipping God. They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear.”

These are times of great opportunity, my friend! Challenging times to be living for and serving the Lord. “So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” (Ephesians 5: 15,16)

“No heart can measure, no tongue can utter, the half of the greatness of God. The whole creation is full of His glory and radiant with the excellency of His power. His goodness and wisdom are displayed on every hand. The countless hosts of terrestrial beings, from man the head to the creeping worm at the foot, are all supported and nourished by the Divine bounty. The solid fabric of the universe leans upon His eternal arms.

Universally is He present, and everywhere is His name is excellent. God works always and everywhere. There is no place where God is not. God is there in a thousand wonders, upholding rocky barriers, filling the flower cups with their perfume, and refreshing the lonely pines with the breath of His mouth. Descend, if you will, into the depths of the ocean, where the water sleeps undisturbed and the very sand is motionless in unbroken quiet — but the glory of the Lord is there, revealing its excellence in the silent palace of the sea. Borrow the wings of the
morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea — but God is there.

Nor on earth alone is God extolled, for His brightness shines forth in the skies above the earth and His glory exceeds the splendor of the starry heavens. Above the region of the stars He has immovably set His everlasting throne, and there He dwells in light indescribable. Let us adore Him who ‘alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.'” (Job 9:8-9)

from HOW GREAT THOU ART — A Daily Devotional by Steve Halliday & William Travis published by Multnomah

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens!” (Psalm 8:1)

“Our God delights in taking the worst of circumstances of life and transforming them into stunning triumphs for His people. In a word, He is the God of turnabouts.

The Lord not only brings good out of evil, He turns evil on its head. He not only overcomes the outrage, He turns it inside out. God will use the most unlike scenarios to display His own omnipotence and the powerlessness of His enemies. God is often exactly where we do not expect to see Him, bringing good out of bad, turning evil inside out.

When our world is caving in, when things look as grim as they possibly can, when it seems as though Satan has applied the coup de grace to our fondest hopes and greatest desires — at precisely that point the Strong One steps in and brandishes the evil for His glory!

Now, THAT is a God to worship! That is a God to adore! And that is the God who fills the universe with His splendor — not some shuffling, half-dead, powerless deity who’s in it way over his head.

As you focus your attention on the everlasting God, you, too, may see your worst nightmares fade and vanish into the shadows as the blinding brilliance of God’s perfect plan for you takes shape. You, too, may be surprised at the unorthodox ways God chooses to bring Himself glory.
Just when you think you have this business of turn-abouts figured out, another one hurtles you through your back door in a form and guise unlooked for. Just when you believe you know how God must act in a certain situation, the turnabout shifts shape before your unbelieving eyes. BUT ALWAYS THE SAME GOD IS BEHIND THEM ALL! — Steve Holliday HOW GREAT THOU ART — A Daily Devotional, published by Multnomah

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” Philippians 1:12-14

“The brain — pride and joy of the nervous system — is staggering in its abilities and complexity. ‘In man is a three-pound brain, which, as far as we know, is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe.’ Thus wrote scientist and author Isaac Asimov. In so
stating, he was giving God a compliment, even though he remained an avowed atheist up to the end.

The basic cell of the brain is called the neuron, of which there are ten billion to one hundred billion. In addition to long extensions called axons, each neuron has ten thousand tiny branching fibers and filamentous projections called dendrites. Each neuron is thus in contact with ten thousand other neurons, for a total of one hundred trillion neurological interconnections.

If you were to stretch out all the neurons and dendritic connections in the brain and lay them end to end, they would extend one hundred thousand miles and circle the earth at the equator four times.

One way to visualize these dendritic connections is as light switches, either in the off or on position. The brain holds 10.14 bits of information and thus has a storage capacity one thousand times that of a Cray-2 supercomputer. Unlike the parts of a computer, however, nerve cells are highly individual. No two cells are exactly the same, nor do they respond to the same incoming information in the same way. Each neuron us unique in all the universe.

The brain is capable of firing at ten thousand million computations a second. The capacity of the brain is such that it can hold the information equivalent to twenty-five million books, capable of filling a bookshelf five hundred miles long. In contrast, the Library of Congress has eighteen million volumes.

The brain can be the conduit of distress or a channel of blessing. Overloading our synapses with excessive multi-tasking will leave us besieged by anxiety. If we live in an emotional gutter and perseverate on problems and pain, then we will be battered by our thoughts. If, on the other hand, we yield our spirit to the Spirit of God, our surrendered thoughts can lead us to green pastures and still waters where He restores our souls.” from A MINUTE OF MARGIN by Richard Swenson MD published by NavPress.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE to make it obedient to Christ . . .” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5