EARTHQUAKES EVERYWHERE

By:  F. Kong

Max Lucado in his book entitled “When Jesus comes” wrote of an earthquake.

The 1989 Armenian earthquake needed only four minutes to flatten the nation and kill thirty thousand people. Moments after the deadly tremor ceased, a father raced to an elementary school to save his son. When he arrived, he saw that the building had been leveled. Looking at the mass of stones and rubble, he remembered a promise he had made to his child: “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.”

Driven by his own promise, he found the area closest to his son’s room and began to pull back the rocks. Other parents arrived and began sobbing for their children. “It’s too late,” they told the man. “You know they are dead. You can’t help.” Even a police officer encouraged him to give up.

But the father refused. For eight hours, then sixteen, then thirty-two, thirty-six hours he dug. His hands were raw and his energy gone, but he refused to quit. Finally, after thirty-eight wrenching hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice. He called his boy’s name, “Arman! Arman!” And a voice answered him, “Dad, it’s me!” Then the boy added these priceless words, “I told the other kids not to worry. I told them if you were alive, you’d save me, and when you saved me, they’d be saved, too. Because you promised, “No matter what, I’ll always be there for you.”

What faith! To stand on the promise of a father. The father made good his promise and the kids never wavered in their belief. Now don’t you wish that the same thing happens to the community of believers?

Lucado continues:

God has made the same promise to us. “I will come back …,” he assures us. Yes, the rocks will tumble. Yes, the ground will shake. But the child of God needn’t fear – for the Father has promised to take us to be with Him. But dare we believe the promise? Dare we trust His loyalty? Isn’t there a cautious part of us that wonders how reliable these words may be?

Perhaps you have no doubts. Congratulations, then. Others, however, could use a reminder. How can we know God will do what He said? How can we believe He will move the rocks and set us free? He’s already done it once, that’s why.

He was crucified on the cross, and His body brought down and kept in a rich man’s tomb. It was sealed with a boulder but no rock is big enough to contain Him. No grave is deep enough to keep Him. He rose up, conquered death, and moved the boulder away. He’s done the impossible before and He’ll do it again.

The book of Revelations pictures the destruction of this decaying world and earthquakes will be used to accomplish this. But do you realize that these will be utilized not only for destruction but also for the formation of the New Heavens and the New Earth?

Would it be so impossible to believe that the shuffling and rearranging rock formation would propel Mount Zion to be the earth’s highest point? And there you find the King of Kings reigning in His rightful throne. I don’t know, do you?

Wouldn’t you think exciting days are ahead of us?

One translation of the Bible says, “Christ rose first; then when Christ comes back, all His people will become alive again.”

Guess what? Even rocks and graves won’t be able to hold us either!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

By:  M. Munroe

The greatest secret to living effectively on earth is understanding the principle and power of priorities. Life on earth holds no greater challenge than the complicating daily demand of choosing among competing alternatives for our limited time. Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities. How we use our time every day eventually defines our lives. Life was designed to be simple, not complicated, and the key to simplifying life is prioritization. So then, what is the principle and concept of priority?

Priority is defined as: the principal thing, putting first things first, establishing the most important thing, and primary focus. It is also defined as placing highest value and worth upon. If our priorities determine the quality of life and dictate all of our actions and behavior, then it is essential that we understand and identify our priorities.

The greatest tragedy in life is not death but life without a purpose—life with the wrong priorities. Moreover, life’s greatest failure is to be successful in the wrong assignment. Success in life is measured by the effective use of one’s time. Your time is important because your time is your life. And the key to effective use of your time is establishing correct priorities. First things first!

The principle of priority is important to the concept of the Kingdom of God. Why? Because if priority is the essence of life, then we should want to know what our priority in life should be so that we can live effectively. It may surprise you to know that most of the people in the world are driven by incorrect priorities that occupy and control their entire lives.

God established His priority at the beginning of creation and made it clear by His own declaration to mankind. Jesus Christ came to earth and reestablished God’s number-one priority. During His first discourse introducing His primary message and mission, Jesus established God’s priority for all mankind with several powerful and straightforward statements: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matt 6:25).

Jesus’ admonition to us not to worry implies that these basic needs for maintenance should not be the primary motivator for human action. Our confidence in our Creator’s obligation and commitment to sustain His creation should lead us to transfer our priority from our basic human needs to the priority of cultivating and maintaining a healthy relationship with His Kingdom and with Himself.

GOD’s INSTRUCTIONS TO THE RICH

By:  H. Dayton

Are you rich? Sometime I feel rich and sometimes I don’t. It usually depends on whom I am around. Most of us define a rich person as a person who has more money than we do. But if we compare our living standards to all the people who have lived throughout history or even with the rest of the billions of people living on the earth today, the majority of us who live in this nation are rich.

The Lord knew the rich would face serious spiritual danger. So Scripture offers three instructions for “those who are rich in this present world” (1 Timothy 6:17).

•  Do not be conceited.

“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited” (1 Timothy 6:17). Wealth tends to produce pride. For several years, I drove two vehicles. The first was an old pickup truck … When I drove that truck to the bank drive-in window to cash a check, I was humble. I knew the cashier was going to double-check my account to make certain that the driver of that truck had sufficient funds to cover the withdrawal. I waited patiently while she checked. When I received the money, I was so grateful. I drove away with a song in my heart and praises on my lips.

My other vehicle was a well-preserved, second-hand automobile that was expensive when it was new. When I drove that car to the bank, I appeared to be a different person. I deserved a certain amount of respect. I was not quite as patient when the cashier examined my account, and when I received the money, I was not as grateful … Wealth stimulates conceit.

James 1:9-10 addresses this issue: “But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.” The poor should be encouraged as children of the King of kings, while the rich are to remain humble because life is short. If you are rich, you need the constant reminder to be humble before the Lord and other people. 

• Put no confidence in your assets.

“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not … to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). This has been a tremendous struggle for me. It is easy for us to trust in those tangible assets we have accumulated. I know that money can buy goods and services. It has so much power that it is easy to be fooled into thinking that money supplies our needs and offers security. Money can become our first love. We tend to trust in the seen rather than in the invisible living God. This is why we need to constantly remind ourselves to walk by faith rather than by sight.

•  Give generously.

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

THERE BUT NOT THERE

By:  F. Kong

Thomas Carlyle lived from 1795 until 1881. He was a Scot essayist and historian. During his lifetime he became one of the world’s greatest writers. But he was human and humans make mistakes.

On October 17, 1826, Carlyle married his secretary Jane Welsh. She was an intelligent, attractive and somewhat temperamental daughter of a well-to-do doctor. They had their quarrels and misunderstandings, but still loved each other dearly. After their marriage, Jane continued to serve as his secretary.

After several years of marriage, Jane became ill. Being a hard worker, Carlyle became so absorbed in his writings that he let Jane continue working for several weeks after she became ill. She had cancer, and it was one of the slow growing kind. Finally, she became confined to her bed. Although Carlyle loved her dearly, he very seldom find time to stay with her long. He was busy with his work. When Jane died they carried her to the cemetery for the service.

The day was a miserable day. It was raining hard and the mud was deep. Following the funeral, Carlyle went back to his home. He was taking it pretty hard. He went up the stairs to Jane’s room and sat down in the chair next to what once was her bed. He sat there thinking about how little time he had spent with her and wishing so much he had a chance to do it differently.

Noticing her diary on a table beside the bed, he picked it up and began to read in it. Suddenly he seemed shocked. He saw it. There, on one page, she had written a single line.

“Yesterday he spent an hour with me and it was like heaven; I love him so.”

Something dawned on him that he had not noticed before. He had been too busy to notice that he meant so much to her. He thought of all the times he had gone about his work without thinking about and noticing her.

Then Carlyle turned the page in the diary. There he noticed written some words that broke his heart.

“I have listened all day to hear his steps in the hall, but now it is late and I guess he won’t come today.”

Carlyle read a little more in the book. Then he threw it down and ran out of the house. Some of his friends found him at the grave, his face buried in the mud. His eyes were red from weeping. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He kept repeating over and over again, “If I had only known, if I had only known.”

But it was too late for Carlyle. She was dead.

After Jane’s death, Carlyle made little attempt to write again. The historian said he lived another 15 years, “weary, bored and a partial recluse.”

Carlyle was there, near his wife but he was never there. Such a touching story but a sad one indeed.  This makes me think. I don’t get out of the house and I don’t have a very active social life either. I’d rather stay home before you come to the conclusion that I am such a family man, I have to be honest.

Lilia and the kids are with me. But am I with them? With all those hours I spend behind the computer I may be in the house but I’m not with them either. Maybe you’re there in the house but just like me you’re not there either. As I spend so much time with my Microsoft Word program, you may be spending more time with your favorite basketball stars than with your wife and kids.

Carlyle saw the truth but it was too late, I shared the story hoping that you will not make the same mistake. While our loved ones must have the money we make to live, it is the love we have that they really want. So give it now before it is too late.

Frank Crane says it beautifully in a poem entitled:

Beauty Of A House

The beauty of the house in harmony,

The security of the house is loyalty,

The joy of the house is love,

The plenty of a house is in the children,

The rule of the house is service,

The comfort of the house is God himself.

Love of our family is spelled T-I-M-E. And there is no fitting substitute.

ONLY ETERNITY IS ULTIMATELY IMPORTANT

By:  W. Kroll

It looked as though both the hero and the heroine of the Western movie were doomed. They were surrounded by a pack of cattle thieves intent on making sure neither left that place alive. One of the little boys in the front row of the theater sniffed, “If he had kept his eye on the gang instead of the girl, this never would have happened!”

Unfortunately, all of us are guilty of having our eyes on the wrong thing – especially when it comes to the matter of eternity. We get so caught up in the here and now that we forget eternity is far more important.

Eternity will last an awfully long time (in fact, using eternity and time in the same sentence is an oxymoron; they don’t logically belong together, like sanitary and landfill). God’s wisdom urges us to face the fact that the earthly part of life is brief (Prov. 27:1) and that we will spend far more of our life in eternity than anywhere else. Therefore, we need to look at our accomplishments as we will see them on eternity’s morning, when our earthly years will be behind us. What will be important on that great and glorious morning? Money? No, that will be gone, never to come back again. Position? That will have passed away forever as well. Pleasure and comfort? Those, too, will be irrelevant.

But we will value two things with all our being: the first is to know that God had His way and His will in our lives, and the second is to know that precious souls whom we influenced are standing around God’s throne.

We make an eternal investment when growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ is a priority in our lives. We have an eye on eternity when we give of our substance and of our time to help others come to know Christ as their Savior and Lord. Jesus commanded us to “lay up for (our)selves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:20). All other monetary investments pale by comparison. 

A REAL LOVE STORY

By:  F. Kong

Thomas Crum has a story to tell. In his book entitled “Journey to Center” he describes his own personal encounter with a great love story – a story of unending love and undying commitment.

One evening I found myself at a conference in Washington, D.C. And as fate would have it, Inventor Bucky Fuller happened to be making a presentation that evening at another conference in the very same hotel. I got to the ballroom in time to hear the end of Buck’s lecture. I was in awe of this little man in his eighties, with his clear mind, deep wisdom and boundless energy. At the end of the talk, we walked together through the underground parking lot to his airport limousine.

“I’ve got to go to New York City for another presentation,” he said, looking at me with an anxiousness that I had rarely seen in Bucky.

      “You know, Annie’s not doing well. I’m very    
        concerned about her.”

We hugged.

Bucky Fuller had once confided to me that he had promised his wife Annie to die before she did, so that he could be there to welcome her when it was her turn. I took the comment as a hope, not a commitment. Which shows how greatly I underestimated Buckminster Fuller.

Shortly after Bucky’s presentation in New York, he was informed that Annie had lapsed into a coma in a hospital in Los Angeles.

Doctors felt that there was a good chance she would not regain consciousness. Bucky took the first flight he could get. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he went immediately to Annie’s bedside. Sitting beside her, he closed his eyes. And quietly died.

I was reading this story inside my car. I usually do that – beats traffic every time. But the moment I got to the end of the story I simply heard myself saying, “Oh man! Man, oh man.!” Talk about love. Talk about commitment. How did he die? I don’t know. Don’t ask me. The story didn’t tell. What was the cause of death? I don’t know, don’t ask me. It’s no longer important. But it’s one of the most touching love story I have ever read.

What makes it so touching? Think about it. Is it the romance? The emotional glitz? I don’t think so. It’s all about commitment isn’t it?

Today’s understanding of love and romance is so cheap and shallow it’s no longer funny. Boy meets girl, arms lock in embrace, passionate kissing and hugging, behind a scenic spot as boy ran arms outstretched and girl on the other side doing the same then both embracing each other rolling across the sand with the golden sun slowly setting in the horizon. Cheap. Again I say it’s cheap. Happens only in the movies.

Real love is about commitment. Real love is hanging on in there when the pay envelope stops, when sickness takes over health and when the situation goes from difficult to impossible. Real love is all about integrity.

It takes more than romance to have this.

Romance is cheap, commitment is priceless.

Love keeps on going even when times are tough. Husband and wife have to know this.

So the pink slip comes and you’re laid off from your job. Both of you hang in there. So the doctor’s pronouncement confirms what you dread. Your husband’s confined to the wheelchair for the rest of his life. Both of you hold hands and hang in there.

So the business goes down the drain and the debts pile up. Both of you hold hands and hang in there. That’s what love is all about.

One day husband goes home thoroughly shaken and depressed. His wife knew what happened. Husband said, “I’m sorry sweetheart. They’ve let me go. I don’t have a job anymore. We’re poor and we don’t have money.”

The wife held his hands and said, “But you’re wrong my love. We’re rich! The money will come later!” Now that’s love.

Let me give you another example of what love is. It’s got something to do with three words.

The three words from the mouth of the Saviour are: “It is finished!” That’s God’s love when He gave up His Son for us. Jesus didn’t bail out. He hung in there, in fact He hang on the cross.

TAKE CARE OF THE LITTLE THINGS

By:  J. Maxwell

     When I teach at a conference or go to a book signing, people sometimes confide in me that they desire to write books too. “How do I get started?” they ask.

    

     “How much writing do you do now?” I ask in return.

    

     Some tell me about articles and other pieces they are writing, and I simply encourage them; but most of the time they sheepishly respond, “Well, I haven’t really written anything yet.”

    

     “Then you need to start writing,” I explain. “You’ve got to start small and work up to it.”

    

     Leadership is the same. You’ve got to start small and work up to it. A person who has never led before needs to try to influence one other person. Someone who has some influence should try to build a team. Just start with what’s necessary.

    

     St. Francis of Assisi said, “Start doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” All good leadership begins where you are. It was Napoleon who said, “The only conquests which are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves.” The small responsibilities you have before you now comprise the first great leadership conquest you must make. Don’t try to conquer the world until you’ve taken care of things in your own backyard.

What one small, specific leadership step can you take today?