Encouraging Words

My visit to the home of an atheist was at the request of his daughter. He had recently been released from a local hospital after being treated for advanced throat cancer and his prospects for survival were poor to none. My mission was to bring him to faith but the years he had invested in building arguments against the existence of God made my goal seem almost impossible to achieve.

Communication with this bitter man was complicated by the fact that he was unable to speak so our conversations had to be carried on by his use of a lap sized blackboard. Another barrier to getting my message of God’s love to this sufferer was his talkative profane parrot which had been well schooled in his master’s political positions, the seriousness of his illness and his hatred of preachers.

Finally I learned that this man’s atheism was rooted in his observation of the painful suffering of a relative he had respected in spite, according to him, of her faith and consistency of life. I hadn’t known this woman but had no reason to doubt his high praise of her. This did help me to understand one of his barriers to faith. In light of her suffering, he was unable to reconcile her long period of pain to the existence of a loving God. Arguing that her time in heaven would by now have more than compensated for her earthly trials would never have convinced him because he didn’t believe heaven existed.

To say the least, things weren’t going well in this conversation.

Something had to change.

Then, suddenly, I knew what to do and asked a question that shattered this atheist’s unbelief: “Is there anything about the change in your daughter’s life that you can’t explain apart from a work of God?”

“Yes!” he replied without a moment’s hesitation.

His quick reply let me know she had changed so much that he couldn’t deny the miracle of new life in her and with that acknowledgement our argument ended and his unbelief quickly faded away.

Now our conversation changed completely. We could talk about God’s love for him, the sufferings of Christ on the cross; His death and resurrection.

Light was breaking through in his understanding of faith and he wasn’t just parroting answers to please me. Faith was being born. New life was on the way to a former doubter’s address and this good news would contribute to his happy daughter’s new life.

Thinking back on this special experience helps me remember that demonstrating our faith in God by how we live is more important than trying to win arguments.

We’ve all heard it before: “How you live speaks so loud that I can’t hear what you say!” And when memory transports me back to an angry atheist with a profane parrot being changed by the consistent life a caring daughter I realize again it’s true.

Someone out there is waiting for a caring person to show up who will help change disturbing doubts to dynamic faith that will be the answer to the prayers of their families, friends and churches.

Perhaps it’s you!

Introducing his study on going through difficult times, titled “When the Going Gets Tough,” Dr. Joe Stowell, president of Cornerstone University, says getting through a season of trouble is a lot like surviving a roller-coaster ride—except that we do not volunteer for trouble and trouble was never intended to be fun, adding: “Trouble is filled with stomach-wrenching drops, dips, and sudden curves. And just when we think we’ve caught our breath, we’re dropping again.”
For many years, my work has brought me into contact with people who were going through times so tough that they’ve wondered if they could survive, yet many of these troubled ones have not only been able to survive but thrive because of the power of their faith in God.
Take Evelyn.
I’ve never met this conqueror but was impressed by her reaction to great personal loss.
Evelyn lives in Tennessee and listens to my daily radio program, “Higher Ground” over “Sky Angel,” a satellite carrier of programs called the Sacred Favorites group.
Her letter to me was to express her appreciation for the help the program had been to her during the loss of her husband of sixty years.
Evelyn is clearly a woman of faith.
I could tell this by her statement: “God has helped me and your program has helped.” Then she added this line that challenged me and that I hope will do the same for each of the readers of this column: “I am asking you to pray for me that I can find a new way to serve the Lord and be useful the rest of the time I have to live.”  Here is a woman, who, after experiencing the greatest loss of her life, refuses to allow the past to get her down. She’s determined not to waste the years that remain and intends to make the most of her future. Most significantly, she’s determined to serve God and others for the rest of her life.
Early in life, Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, developed a tract he titled “The Four Spiritual Laws” as a means of introducing college students and others to his Lord. Key among these laws was the statement, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”
Is this true?
Does God really care about the future of each of us?
Absolutely!
And there is no age limit that forbids getting in on this exciting plan.
Retirement from the service of God by people of faith is unknown and, as Evelyn
expressed so eloquently, regardless of age, the future can be as active and fulfilling as the past, so how do we get in on God’s wonderful plan?
Evelyn chose to ask others to pray for her in her quest.
What’s your strategy for finding new ways to serve God?
You may want to start by asking the advice of your pastor or other leaders in your church. Move quickly because there’s a lot to do that will bless others…and you.

Bunhill Cemetery in London may have the highest monument to a mother anywhere in the world.  There, at the grave of Susannah Wesley, stands a monument fourteen feet tall honoring this mother of faith who was known for her ability to stay calm and cheerful in difficult circumstances.

“Give others the sunshine and give Jesus the rest,” Susannah repeated frequently and her simple secret of contentment through faith so impacted her sons, John and Charles, that they became the prime movers in England’s greatest spiritual awakening.  Millions still sing the songs that John and Charles wrote, not knowing that these musical expressions of faith, hope and love came from the influence of a mother who had a singing heart, even during tough times.

Susannah didn’t have an easy life.  She gave birth to nineteen children, nine of whom died in infancy and her husband, Samuel, was more interested in writing poetry than dealing with pressing issues facing his family.

In spite of her many pressures and responsibilities, however, this now famous mother found she could recharge her spiritual batteries by having a guarded time each day to read her Bible and pray, setting an example for mothers everywhere.

It’s not likely that Susannah would have approved the costly fourteen foot tall monument to her memory.  She was a no-nonsense woman who was more interested in living legacies than those made of stone.  Faithful children are the most important monuments to a mother’s faith.  Stones crumble and fall but faith transferred from one generation to the next endures forever.

Robert Moffat, a later world known missionary, said his mother had asked him to promise her that he would begin and close each day with God.  When he agreed to do so, his mother sent him off to serve God on foreign mission fields with her prayers and a kiss.  Moffat said that kiss made him a missionary and his great work remains as a monument to his faithful mother.

Thomas Edison wrote, “I didn’t have my mother long, but she cast over me an influence that has lasted all my life.  The great effects of her early training, I can never lose.  If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in me at a critical time in my experience, I should never have become an inventor.  My mother was the making of me.

When I stood before the board of the country church we attended to be examined for membership, the oldest deacon said, “I want you to remember that your mother brought you to Sunday School when the weather was too bad for men to get here.”

One of the most familiar hymns, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” was written by Joseph Scriven to help his mother through a period of anxiety.  Joseph had endured many trials, including the accidental drowning of his beautiful bride-to-be.  Was he now comforting his mother by saying that his faith was a monument to the value of her example during his time of great loss?  Probably.

A minister friend of mine was once approached by a delegation from a small religious group in his city to see if he would be willing to officiate at funerals of their members.

They told him they had no one trained in speaking at funerals and that, if he accepted their offer, they would require that he never mention death during his sermon because they didn’t believe in it.

The caring pastor decided to accept this offer to serve hurting people, in spite of their strange restriction, thinking it would provide him an opportunity to comfort grieving families and that in spite of their denial of reality, death would speak for itself.

In contrast to the conclusion of this delegation of death deniers, Easter faces the problem of death head-on and offers hope to those facing it.

Early in His ministry, Jesus had been challenged by His critics who demanded a sign to prove His authority to teach and work miracles.  “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” He had replied (John 2:18).

Thinking He was referring to the temple in Jerusalem, His enemies reminded Him it had taken forty six years to build that magnificent structure and that rebuilding it in three days after its destruction would require a miracle.  But He was speaking of the resurrection of His body three days after the coming crucifixion.

Talk about drawing a line in the sand!

With one startling statement, our Lord risked everything on His promise of resurrection. Others have since made similar statements and convinced many

to follow them but when death came and they didn’t rise from their graves they were  revealed to have been either deceived or deceivers.

This man was different.

There have been great military leaders but they have all been defeated by death.

There have been conquering kings but death has conquered them all.

There have been famous philosophers and teachers but they have all gone to their graves like the unlettered and unknown.

Then came Easter: bringing indisputable proof that our Lord was who He had claimed to be.  This demonstration of authenticity transformed His trembling disciples into dynamic people of faith.

In some areas, now considered vital, the infant first century church was powerless.

It was without financial power.  The members had to sell their belongings and pool their resources just to survive.

The first century church was also without political power.  Neither the apostles nor their followers could pull strings in high places.  Furthermore, there is no evidence that they ever tried to do so.  Their master had said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36) so they left politics to the politicians and set out to impact the world one person at a time. In doing so, they gained the reputation of being world changers.

Easter may be the perfect launching time for a spiritual awakening that revives our

churches and  changes our troubled world today.

The praises and palm branches of Palm Sunday’s crowd when Jesus entered Jerusalem are remembered at this time of the year but most forget the tears He shed over what the citizens of that sacred city would face in the years ahead.
Jerusalem means “city of peace” but the history of that embattled city is a story of war and destruction.  Today it is the location of the most volatile political, religious, economic and military problem on the planet…so the tears continue.
A Newsweek reader, living in Israel, once wrote to the editor describing the climate of fear in his homeland at that time: “Fear masters everything,” he wrote: “when you walk down the street you inspect everyone you pass with, as we say in Hebrew, seven eyes.”
No wonder Jesus wept.
Fear is a miserable master and to some degree this enemy stalks us all wherever we live, bringing depression, stifling ability, draining energy, diminishing courage and robbing life of adventure and success.
When fear is in control, we are constantly scanning the landscape in search of anything that might harm us.  Familiar sights and sounds become sentinels that continually warn us of possible impending disasters, keeping us ever on high alert.  Even a ringing phone can be an alarm signal causing us to dread what unwelcome words may dwell at the bell.
What breaks fear’s bondage?
Faith in Palm Sunday’s weeping one, who said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Fear and faith are opposites.
And faith always enlists prayer to summon its faithful protector.
The tears of Jesus on Palm Sunday, as he descended into Jerusalem, revealed His love for those who faced terrible things in their future.  Ahead lay his betrayal by Judas, a mock trial by spineless Pilate and the crucifixion.  Yet His tears that day were not for himself but for other suffering ones.
In his book, “Dark Threads the Weaver needs” Herbert Lockyer says, “At the head of the procession of the world’s sufferers is a thorn crowned man,” adding the reason most of us don’t measure up to His compassion for others is because we’re too busy looking in a mirror to look out the window.
“In a mirror,” Lockyer writes “you see only yourself, but through a window you do not see yourself but others.”
Our Lord was ever concerned about the pain and suffering of others.  His first prayer from the cross was for the forgiveness of his tormentors.  And even in that place of humiliation and suffering He took time to minister to a repentant dying thief, assuring him of heaven.
Are you so occupied with your own problems that you lack compassion for others?
Remember Palm Sunday’s tears.
And replace your mirror with a window.

     I’ve been meeting many people who are experiencing winter burnout (or freeze out).  Even the south has had a winter to remember, featuring killer storms that have just kept coming.  Now it’s time to look past wintry blasts to sweet spring, the season of new life; the gentle time of the year, the season of love, Good Friday and Easter.

     Flowers and colorful blossoms are about to break forth in all their splendor, speaking of God’s love of beauty and His provision of these for us all.

    But what if this breathtaking display that bursts forth every year during the delightful season called spring went unappreciated because we lacked the ability to take it in?  What if our reception of these wonders was only in black and white?

     Not a chance!

     The Creator’s plan is complete, providing both natural beauty and the human capacity to enjoy and appreciate it.  We can also learn from it.

     Jesus urged those who were worried about financial problems to consider the beauty given to lilies in spite of their lack of labor (Matthew 6:26-27), teaching them to trust rather than tremble during tough times.

     Then there is Solomon’s enduring poetic description of spring: “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain (or snow) is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of the birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in the land” (Song of Solomon 2;11-12).

     The first day of spring is always special to me.  I start the countdown at the beginning

of each New Year and have generally reported the number of days until spring to mycongregations each week until it arrived.  I once received a letter from a family of former members asking how many days remained until spring.

    Spring declares death can only win for a season and that life is always waiting in the wings to take the stage, so I keep trying to spread the good news.

     “There are only a few more days until spring,” I tell people I meet.  And you should see the looks I get.

     “That’s only on the calendar,” some say, wondering how I can be so upbeat about the arrival of spring before the weather is spring like.

     My reply is simple: when we enjoy the anticipation of spring, we’ll feel the balmy breezes and breathe in the aroma of flowers before they bloom.

     Expectation enhances experience.

     Dwight L. Moody, the nineteenth century’s most famous evangelist said, “After December 31st, winter’s back is broken.”  At the end of every year, this man of faith saw spring hurrying on its way to arrive on time: beautiful, life announcing, spring.

     A moving line of composer John W. Peterson’s song “I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES” must have been inspired by his delight in the Designer’s spring extravaganza:

     “I’ve seen the lily push its way up through the stubborn sod;

      I believe in miracles for I believe in God.”

     I do too.   How about you?

Nothing makes news like crucial court cases.  Consider the media coverage given to high profile trials that garner millions of dollars worth of television time and print space.  Everybody loves a mystery.  And there are few arenas of intrigue that compare to courtroom drama.

An attorney friend of mine once told me he would like to write a book about a trial that took place two thousand years ago: the trial of Jesus.  His goal would have been to retry the prisoner, resurrecting the facts and calling for a just decision. Had he fulfilled his dream, he would have birthed a book about the trial of the centuries.  The judge that day refused to render a legal decision, carving out for himself a place in judicial history that has been unmatched through the millennia because of his choice to stay in legal limbo.

Few remember the names of judges presiding over famous trials, but the name of a Roman politician named Pilate is remembered by millions as Easter approaches for his refusal to take a stand on the guilt or innocence of the accused one, even though he admitted he could find no fault in him (John 19:4).

There were many pressures on Pilate during that historic trial.  His wife had sent a message urging him to “have nothing to do with this just man.” He longed to find a way to free this peaceful prisoner but even a suggestion of this brought cries from the crowd that if he did so he wouldn’t be loyal to Caesar, a rumor he couldn’t allow to get back to Rome lest it cost him his job…or his head.

Finally, at the end of himself, Pilate asked a question that has endured through the centuries: “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ” (Matthew 27:22).

Pilate’s historic question was personal: “What shall I do?”

Some decisions are so personal that no one else can make them for us.

“My wife has all the religion in our family,” a man once told me.  But his religious wife will not be able to give an account before God for him.  Her faith will neither clear his name nor relieve him of personal responsibility.

The judge’s personal question demanded action: “What shall I do?”

Pilate didn’t want to do anything.  He tried to avoid deciding by publicly washing his hands to show that he wanted no part in sentencing this prisoner.  He knew what he ought to do but felt he must stay uncommitted in order to please the crowd.  And Pilate was neither the first nor the last to leave the decision that determines destiny to those they were trying to please.

Crowd pleasing Pilate had made some important decisions in his tenure as a representative of Rome, but they were all small compared with this one; no wonder he wanted to stay neutral.

“What if I just don’t care?” a woman asked when confronted with her need to respond in faith to God’s love.  Like Pilate, she didn’t want to decide.

But in not deciding, she decided.

So do we.

     February is the month Americans celebrate the birthdays of two unforgettable presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  While we do this officially on President’s Day, many still prefer to do so on the dates they were born: Lincoln on February 12, and Washington on February 22.
     Lincoln was a man of many firsts: the first president to be elected without being a native of one of the thirteen original colonies; the first to have a beard; the first to be a Republican; the first to hold a patent; the first to be photographed at his inauguration and sadly, the first to be assassinated.
     At the age of nine, Lincoln made a promise to his dying mother that affected him throughout his life:  “I want you to live as I have taught you, to love your Heavenly Father and keep His commandments,” she had said.  And during Lincoln’s long hard road from poverty to the presidency, he never forgot those words or his promise.
     Writing in “The Man and his Faith,” G. Frederick Owen said of Lincoln: God, to him, was not the God of the philosophers, but the God of Nancy Hanks Lincoln and of the Bible. Religion to him was not a philosophy which he was to formulate, but a personal experience into which he was to enter.
     In spite of his high standards, his honesty and his regular Bible reading, however, Lincoln seemed to ever be on a search for a relationship with God he had not yet found.
Then came Gettysburg and his entire night of prayer before that bloody battle.  According to this praying president, seeing the graves of the soldiers who fell at Gettysburg moved him to absolute faith in his mother’s Lord.  No wonder his brief but powerful “Gettysburg Address” has endured.  It was delivered by a man who tearfully told his friends that he had now received “the best gift which God has given to men.”
     On April 21, 1891, a three day auction began to sell a collection of George Washington relics.  Among these was a letter from the former president to his brother, John, dated July 18, 1755. in which he told about his survival of a hail of French musket fire in battle. Describing his peril at that time, he wrote:
     “I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets go through my coat and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me.”