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Pride only leads to arguments, but those who take advice are wise. Prov.
13:10 (NCV)

What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? I don’t
know the answer to that riddle, except to observe that it is bound to lead
to a mighty conflict.

What happens when two know-it-alls engage in a conversation? It can be about
anything from the weather to world history to sports to religion. There can
only be one outcome: an argument!

Think about the arguments you have had. If they are too numerous to get a
grasp on, just think about the last one. Ask yourself this question (and
answer honestly, since there is no point in lying to yourself, anyway):
“What role did pride play in the argument?”

Pride inevitably leads us to conflict because:
1. We refuse to consider the possibility that we may be wrong;
2. We think too highly of our own opinions and too lowly of anyone’s opinion
that does not support our own;
3. We become more interested in finding evidence that supports our own
beliefs than arriving at the truth;
4. We not only want to be right, we want to be ACKNOWLEDGED as being right;
5. Since we already know that we know everything, we don’t need input from
anyone else.

Pride separates friends. Pride shuts out the views of others. Pride stunts
growth.

You can have a heart filled with pride, or you can have a teachable spirit.
But you can’t have both. Which do you have? Which do you desire?

A Prayer For Today: “Father, Please help me to empty myself of foolish
pride. Help me to value others. Give me a teachable spirit. Give me a tender
heart. Help me to grow. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for… Heb. 11:1 (NKJV)

This is the best definition of faith available. It is also a powerful
statement concerning the importance of faith to the believer.

The word “substance” is translated from the Greek word, hupostasis, which is
a compound word literally indicating a foundation. Figuratively, it carries
the idea of assurance or confidence.

Faith is the very foundation of all that we are and do. Without it, we
cannot even function as Christians. We cannot please God. We cannot really
even know Him.

Through faith we hear the voice of God, though our ears have not. Through
faith, we see the face of Christ, though our eyes have never. Through faith,
we long for a city we have never visited. Faith makes the abstract concrete.
Faith makes the impossible possible. Faith makes the invisible visible.
Faith makes the unbearable bearable.

A life of faith is more than mere subsistence. It is substantial. It is
superior. It is sublime. It has substance!

A Prayer For Today: “Father, thank You for the gift of faith. Increase my
faith. Teach me to live by faith and to walk by faith. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.”

“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also
may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who
will sincerely care of your state.” Phil. 2:19-20(NKJV)

“We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes
honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the
grapes it has borne.”
- Marcus Aurelius

In these fast-paced days of trouble and care, it is easy to become a human
enchilada, wrapped up in oneself, with no care for the welfare or interests
of others.

I often hear preachers and bible college professors lament that
proportionately fewer and fewer kids are choosing the ministry as a
profession. Maybe they have seen that ministry is often a thankless
endeavor. Certainly, anything that involves selflessness and sacrifice is
out of step with the world’s agenda. Self-promotion and self-interest is,
and always has been, the order of the day.

But, Christian friend, you and I are called to something higher, nobler. We
are called to live outside the enchilada of selfishness. Let us then come
out of our shell. Let us look beyond the end of our own noses. Let us reach
out and touch others with the same kind of love that found and forgave us.

A Prayer For Today: Father, today I ask that You feel free to interrupt my
plans. Invade my life with an opportunity to be a blessing to someone who
needs it. Keep me alert and sensitive to the needs of those around me. Help
me to give without strings, and cheerfully. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. For there is
not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Also, do not take to
heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For
many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.
Ec. 7:19-22 (NKJV)

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
- Douglas Adams

One thing about humans: we can really mess things up. I, for one, have
found myself completely capable of messing up almost anything. It seems that
every plan I have ever devised immediately encountered the one thing I
failed to take into account. Maybe that isn’t exactly the case, but at least
it seems that way.

When plans fail or fall apart, whether due to our own ineptness or because
of the inadequacies of others, it is easy to have one of two knee-jerk
reactions:

1] If it is your fault the venture failed, you may be tempted to quit
trying. You may find failure too painful, too humiliating. So, you quit.
2] If the failure is the fault of another, then you may decide to quit
trusting. You may adopt that old attitude, “If you want anything done right,
you have to do it yourself.” Good luck with that approach! You can only do
so much yourself. So, you have immediately limited your impact and
diminished your possibilities. And what if you do it yourself and still it
fails? Will you then move into the first group and just quit trying?

I have been thinking about this foolproofing of plans, and my thought is
that only God can devise a foolproof plan. Then, I wondered even at that.
Forgive me if I border on sacrilege a moment, but the most wonderful plan
ever devised is the plan of salvation. Is it foolproof? Nope! Millions of
fools reject it every day. Solomon said, “The fool says in his heart, There
is no God.” Now, fools like that don’t throw God off, but they sure miss out
on a marvelous plan.

We all play the fool from time to time. I guess the message here is this:
1] Don’t be foolish about the things of God. That is a foolishness you
cannot afford: it has eternal consequences.
2] Don’t quit trying…no matter how many times you fail. Success never
comes to quitters.
3] Don’t quit trusting, even though you will be disappointed and hurt. There
is no reward without risk. Risk disappointment and you may be rewarded with
a friendship or partnership that not only helps you achieve your goals, but
enriches your life.
A Prayer For Today: Father, I know that I am prone to failure and foolish
mistakes. I also know that others may disapoint me. I ask that you give me
wisdom and patience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 2
Tim. 4:6 (KJV)“No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body, to
risk his well-being, to risk his life in a great cause.” - Theodore
Roosevelt

Every investor understands that great risk always accompanies a great
return. Risk little, gain little. Risk much, and you may gain much. But you
may also lose much.

Paul had already risked more than most. He had lost more than most. In terms
of social position, financial reversal, physical trauma, abandonment, being
misunderstood, misrepresented, misinterpreted, maligned, hated, and abused,
few have lost more to a cause than Paul sacrificed in the name of Jesus
Christ.

Now, he stands on the precipice, that thin line that divides time from
eternity, and looks both backward and forward. Looking back, he has no
regrets, as he testifies that he has “fought a good fight, kept the faith
and finished his course (v.7).” Looking ahead, he claims that everything he
has sacrificed will be worth that first second in eternity, where he
anticipates receiving a crown of righteousness from none other than Jesus
Christ Himself (v.8).

Actually, Paul lost nothing. In Philippians 3, he declared that everything
he had given up he counted as nothing and that what he had gained was
everything. He illustrated the truth that Jesus preached: “He who keeps his
life will lose it, but he who gives his life to me will keep it.”

What have you risked for Jesus lately?

A Prayer For Today: Father, I want to give all of myself to You. I pray that
You will take my life and use it to Your glory. I know that nothing I will
give up will equal even the least of Your blessings. Bless me today, Lord.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“…That which is wanting cannot be numbered.” Eccl. 1:15

The Late Erma Bombeck once quipped, “Ugly carpet will last forever.”

I think she was onto something, don’t you? Solomon was right there with her,
too. He observed that there were more ugly, unnecessary, or undesirable
things in this world than could be counted.

And then there was the fellow who said he had done a study that proved mean
people live longer than nice folks. Someone heard about the study and
offered that they don’t really live longer, it only SEEMS like it.

Isn’t that the way it goes? The things we don’t want, don’t like, can’t use
are in abundance. People we would rather not see coming, keep coming. Few
and far between are the things and the people we take great pleasure in.

That said, I am determined today to appreciate the ordinary, tolerate the
irritating…and cherish the rare, beautiful, exquisite things I encounter.
Life here is too short, and eternity is too long, to waste time fretting
over ugly carpet and mean people.

Have a great day!

A Prayer For Today: Father, help me to see the beauty in ordinary things.
Help me to discover the good in that person I am most annoyed by. Help me to
recognize, value, and love the things you have graciously given me to enjoy.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ… For in fact the body is
not one member but many.
1 Cor. 12:12,14 (NKJV)

In a middle school English class I taught, one of my junior high classes I had thirteen students: six were Hispanic; five were Black; Two were Caucasian. They came from divergent backgrounds. Two had no brothers or sisters. One of them had a grand total of TWENTY-FOUR brothers and sisters, half-brothers and half-sisters, and step-brothers and sisters! Some of my students were quite poor; a few were middle-class; one was well-off.

I decided that the first thing we needed to establish in our class was a sense of community. These kids needed to feel a part of something bigger than their own individualities. So, we adopted a motto:

“Unity in Diversity: Reaching New Heights Together.”

When asked to repeat it, one of them said, “University!”

Not quite, but not bad! Combine the words unity in diversity and that is about what you get: A place where learning can take place on a higher level.

In the community of a church, the members are also diverse. They are not all alike. They do not all think or act alike. They do not all possess the same skills or gifts. Sometimes, they are as different as night and day. Yet, they are each a member of the body of Christ. They have to work together - in unison and harmony, just like a body. Each member is unique. But each is also important.

Let us remember that unity does not have to mean that we are replicas of one another; only that we respect each other and follow Christ together. If we Ido that, we shall reach new heights together!

A Prayer For Today: Father, help me to be an active, participating part of
the body of Christ. Give our church a sense of community. Help us to put
aside our petty differences and work together for the sake of our Savior, in
Whose name I pray. Amen.”

After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting
at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up,
and followed Him. Luke 5:27, 28 (NKJV)

Have you ever really stopped to consider just what it was the apostles did
when they answered Christ’s call to service? They left it all behind.
Everything. Their plans. Their careers. Their way of life. They sold out -
lock, stock, and barrel.

How many of us can say the same? How many of us can say that we have “left
all” to follow Christ?

Well, at some level every believer can say that. When you put your faith in
Christ, when you claimed Him as your Savior, you “left all” of your sins at
the Cross. You “left all” of your unbelief and indecision. You “left all.”
That is called salvation.

All that remains is for us to “leave all” for Christ in service. Levi got up
and followed Jesus. Have you “left all” of your excuses out and followed
Him? Have you “left all” of your life on the altar of God’s will?

When Jesus calls you to a place of service, there is but one good response:
STOP what you are doing, GET UP, and GO.

A Prayer For Today: Father, help me to recognize and respond with faith to
Your call and claim upon my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
Eccl. 1:5 (NKJV)

Life can be so unpredictable. One of my good friends, whose life has always
seemed to me the picture of stability, has just lost everything he has spent
the past decade building - and he is struggling with that loss. So am I. My
heart aches for him and his family.

Solomon, ever the thinker and philosopher, also struggled to make sense of
life. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes from a unique perspective: he was
recording life as it was viewed “under the sun.” Without rising above the
fray to see the divine design, life can appear to be maddeningly monotonous,
always turning on itself. Every day, the same thing. The sun comes up. The
sun goes down. The rivers flow into the sea, the water evaporates into the
clouds, the rain falls, the rivers are replenished…and on and on.

But as I consider how utterly unpredictable the events of our lives can be,
I take refuge in the very thing that was driving Solomon to distraction. I
am glad that this is a world of order. I am relieved at the predictability
of nature’s laws. Thank God, He has given us some things we can count on!

One of those things is this: no matter how difficult yesterday may have
been. Whatever tragedy it may have brought to your life. Whatever reversals.
Whatever heartache. Whatever pain. The world did not stop turning. The sun
still rose this morning. And it will again tomorrow.

Yes, troubles do come. Sorrows often abound. Difficult decisions have to be
made. A job may be lost. So may a friend. Or a family member. But…

The sun also rises.

A Prayer For Today: Father, thank You for giving me a world of order in
which to live. Help me to trust You and to know that whatever comes my way,
has come because You have allowed it - and You have a reason. Give me faith,
Lord, to trust You to make as much sense of my life as You have Your
universe. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

My darling, you are beautiful!
Oh, you are beautiful,
and your eyes are like doves.
S of S. 1:15 (NCV)

Bruce Barton said, “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences
come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.”

Little things can make a huge difference. Dr. John Pemberton experienced the
truth of this concept at Joe Jacobs’ Drug Store in Atlanta, Georgia. The
year was 1886, and Dr. Pemberton was excited about a new drink he was
planning to produce and market. He took his formula, made primarily of
extracts from coca plants and cola nuts, to Willis Venable, who had leased
space in the drug store to run a soda fountain.

Pemberton asked Venable to mix one ounce of his syrup with five ounces of
water and tell him what he thought. Venable did, kind of liked it, and
suggested they make another. The second time, however, Venable accidentally
put soda water in it. Coca Cola was born and the world would never be the
same.

Soda water instead of tap water. Just a little thing that made a huge
difference. Just so, little things can make a big difference in our
relationships. Saying “I love you” to your kids. Holding hands with your
spouse. Dropping a note to a friend. Commending your pastor on his sermon.
Flowers. Candy. A movie. A reassuring smile. Saying things like, “I am proud
of you,” or, “You can do it,” or, “Don’t give up.” An afternoon drive
through the country. A trip to the ice cream parlor. A stop at your
neighborhood Hallmark store.

Little things, all of them. But a life without them is as flat as Coca-Cola
made with tap water. A thoughtful, timely deed or word, however small, is to
a relationship as soda water is to a soft drink. It adds fizz.

A Prayer For Today: Father, help me to find small ways to express my love.
Please keep me from the trap of taking the people in my life for granted.
Help me to love them as vibrantly as You have loved me. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.”