Someone cursed Benjamin Franklin, charging that the Constitution of the United States was a farce. "Where is all the success that it guarantees us?" he sneered. Franklin, smiling, answered, "My friend, the Constitution guarantees only the right to the pursuit of happiness." Psa_34:14 tells us to not only seek peace but pursue it.

A man went inside a telephone booth and dialed the number of a friend. When the connection was made, the friend kept saying, "I can't hear you; speak louder; I can't hear you." All he cold hear was the roar of traffic in the background. "Shut the door so I can hear," he said to the caller. In order to hear God's voice speaking to you, you've got to shut the door to the outside world so that its enticements won't distract you. Doing this could change your whole life. Then when you go back into the crowd, you'll not only be able to listen to what the world has to say, but you'll have something to say to the world that you've personally heard from God.

Speaking of conscience, E. L. Allen said, "Honestly, what use do we make of our God-given reason? I know what use I make of it. I use it chiefly to provide reasons for what I want to do without admitting it is for pursuing some personal ambition. A man may have his conscience so well disciplined and trained that, instead of blazing a trail before him, it is like a pet dog which just trots obediently at his heels and never so much as barks! 'If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!' "

Not every coin that bears the exact stamp is a genuine coin. Very often, the counterfeit, the base and worthless coin, bears the right stamp also. It isn't the impression that matters so much as the nature of the metal. Many an action that bears the impression of a good conscience is condemned before God as perilous, injurious, and destructive in its issues. The coin must be tested on the touchstone to discover if it rings true. Conscience must be tested on the touchstone of Christian principle and the Spirit of the Master. It is not enough to say, "It seems right to me." We must ask how does this action, this line of conduct, ring on the touchstone of Christian principle? Not what we think but what Christ thinks, what the Master thinks, matters most.

It is essential that we should exercise conscience, but let us not forget that in this matter, as in all others, privilege is linked with responsibility. Of course, we may attribute unworthy motives to authoritarian churches that proclaim the right to dictate to the individual what is right and what is wrong. We may say, as many have said, that they adopt this standpoint for their own ends to acquire power and control. But that is not a satisfactory explanation, and it is an unworthy charge. Their action is generally based on the danger of individual judgment and the peril of the individual conscience, because this privilege that we all claim does have it perils. It is so perilous, indeed, that while we pay lip service to its sanctity and sacredness, we are compelled to curtail its freedom. There is no community that can or dare base its life upon the freedom of each individual's conscience. It would result in chaos. Jesus Christ allows us a certain freedom. Freedom is the basis of joy, but if it oversteps the bounds of moral responsibility it is too perilous.

"My boy," said a father to his son, "treat everybody with politeness, even those who are rude to you; remember, you show courtesy to others, not because they are gentlemen, but because you are one."

The student in the lower grades who is always idly dreaming of the time when he will be a senior, and thus neglects his present studies, will never be prepared to take his place with any distinction in his senior year. If we scholars in the larger school of life are so fascinated by revelations of the unseen world that we lose interest in the present one, we will never be prepared for its highest enjoyment.

Cricketers talk a great deal about visual imperfection, for sooner or later the bowler finds the blind spot, the batsman misjudges the ball, and his sport comes to an end. The devil plays for the blind spot, and if there is such a defect in our spiritual vision, sooner or later it gets us into trouble. The blind spot in the natural eye is a necessary, unavoidable, physiological defect of which the brightest and most skillful athlete cannot rid himself. However, morally and religiously no part of our nature need be dark, and we may successfully defend ourselves in every assault. If for any subtle, selfish reason we harbor some bias of the mind, some prejudice that warps the judgment, some neglect of charity, some inertia that obstructs conviction, some deviation of aim, some deflection in action, we lay ourselves open to grievous losses and sorrows. "But if we walk in the light, as he [God] is in the light, we have fellowship one with another" (1Jo_1:7). If we don't have fellowship with other believers, there is a dark spot in our spiritual vision. But the Christian whose heart is full of light enjoys the company of those of like precious faith, "and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." It is our privilege to walk in the full light, to have our whole soul instructed and illuminated.

Some time ago we noticed that a tree planted at the sunny end of a house had large and beautiful blossoms. It was a feast to the eyes; but what an amazing difference in some of the branches trained round the corner of the house where they got much less sun. The blossoms were starved and drooping, and there was little promise of fruit. They had the same root and stem in common, but while one part of the tree was in the full glorious light, the other branches were in the shade.

Our character is affected in the same way by insufficient enlightenment. The dark places produce unfruitful branches: strange weaknesses, distortions, immaturities, indirection, failures in practical life and conduct. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal_5:22-23). If we are to bear all manner of precious fruit, each in its rightful season, we must trustfully and joyfully lay open our whole soul to the full expanse of God's light shining in the face of Jesus Christ.

As in the natural body, so in the mystical body of Christ, the Church, a large measure of liberty is granted to each member. But this liberty may not pass the bounds by which another member would be injured or suffer loss. My liberty to stretch out my arms depends on how close I am to the other fellow. As Paul says in Gal_5:13, "For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

In a great cathedral in Europe, there is a window made by an apprentice out of the bits of stained glass that were thrown away as worthless refuse when the other windows were made; this is the most beautiful window of all. You can build a noble character for yourself, in spite of all the hurts and injuries done consciously or unconsciously by others, with the fragments of the broken hopes, joys and the lost opportunities that lie strewn about your feet. No matter how badly others have hurt and marred you, they cannot prevent you from building a beautiful character for yourself; conversely, others by their best work cannot cause you to build a beautiful character. The fine character of your father or mother is not yours; you've got to build your own.

The world is full of nominal Christians-but how many are Christians in deed? The Bible makes it clear that mere belief is not enough.

A United States Senator recently quoted a very moving, yet indicting poem, "Listen Christian!" (by Bob Rowland), which reads as follows:

I was hungry,

and you formed a humanities club

and discussed my hunger.

Thank you.

I was imprisoned

and you crept off quietly

to your chapel in the cellar

and prayed for my release.

I was naked

and in your mind

you debated the morality of

my appearance.

I was sick

and you knelt

and thanked God

for your health.

I was homeless

and you preached to me

about the spiritual shelter

of the love of God.

I was lonely

and you left me alone

to pray for me.

Christian,

you seem so holy;

so close to God.

But I am still very hungry,

and lonely,

and cold...

This poignant poem is an obvious modification of the words of Jesus Himself as recorded in Mat_25:35-36: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me."

 

A person without goals in his life is like a ship without maps and a compass. He will drift aimlessly from day to day hoping to arrive at the nebulus port of "somewhere." His voyage though life will be left to chance. Without goals life is uninteresting and without challenge. Goals are decisions to action. Goals are maps which give the routes to distant ports in life. Goals help a person know where he is going and how he is going to get there. A goal is more than a dream; it is a dream being acted upon. It is more than an "Oh, I wish I could." A goal is a clear statement of "This is what I am going to do." Goals are not fanciful doubts; they are declarations of faith.

14 Reasons for Setting Goals

Do you have a list of goals that you are working on at this moment? If you do, congratulations, because it places you in a small group of achievers. If you do not have goals for your life, let me share some basic reasons why you need to set goals.

Goals will give your life purpose. They help you to specifically know where you are going. They provide a clear target for your life.

Goals will help you develop a plan of action for reaching your goals.

Goals are exciting because they keep you active. Work is a sure way to success and happiness.

Goals are biblical. Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phi_3:14).

Goals produce results. They are not just exercises in futilities.

Goals help keep you young and interested in life. There is hope and expectation in the future.

When you work on your goals you help to encourage others to do the same.

Good goals help you know where you are at each month. You have planned your journey in life. You have a map to check each action by.

When you set meaningful goals you are following the pattern of all great leaders who have gone before. They work.

Goals are essential if you are going to accomplish things in life. Whether on the job, in the home, or in the church, goals are vital to success.

Goals get us involved in the present. The steps to accomplishment must be taken today.

Goals provide a procedure for doing things decently and in order. It eliminates the "hit-and-miss" approach to life.

Goals provide a framework for evaluating our progress.

Nothing will happen until you set some goals for your life. This is the major advantage of failure: you do not have to do anything to achieve it.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will (Mat_10:29 RSV).

We worry too much. We follow the example of our earthly father Adam when he confessed to God, "I was afraid...and hid" (Gen_3:10). We have become a fearful people, even though most of our fears are often unfounded or just plain silly, because we do not have our eyes on the sparrow.

One of the renderings for the term sparrow in Hebrew referred to small birds, and in Matthew the word probably refers to a small house sparrow. The birds were well known in Syria; they were small, tame and found everywhere. Because of their great number they were sold cheaply; five would go for one and one-half cents. The idea is that if God cares for something so inexpensive and small, then certainly He will care for and protect us!

Jesus always gives us the assurance, "I am with you always" (Mat_28:20). Yet we continue to be afraid: Nuclear war, loss of health, serious accident, job loss, and a thousand other things.

The lesson of 1Jo_4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear," should teach us something: that either we do not love God as we should, or we do not believe Him when He says that He loves us. Think about the following:

"Worry comes through human interference with the divine plan."

"You cannot change the past, but you ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future."

"Why worry when you can pray?"

"Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due."

The story is told of the ship that was trapped in a severe storm at sea. All were preparing to abandon ship, all except one young lady who was playing with her dolls. When asked if she were not afraid, she calmly replied, "No, because my father is the captain."

When the storms of life seem to trap us, let us learn to keep our eyes upon the sparrow and to say, "I am not afraid because the Captain is my Father!"

Have you ever been caught in a revolving door? It just keeps on going around and you cannot get out. Some people are like that, they have no direction as to where they are going. You may ask someone, "Where are you going?" The person will answer, "I don't know." Then how will you know when you get there? Besides its common use as the entrance to a house or building, this word is used metaphorically as the entrance to anything. Jesus said that He is the door, the entrance, into the kingdom (Joh_10:7-9). The door of faith is the opportunity of belief offered to the Gentiles in Act_14:27. Elsewhere it means opportunity.

Paul refers to a great door opening to him in 2Co_2:13. Rev_4:1 says, "I looked and a door was opened." Do we have the ability to see the open doors, and if so, do we go in and avail ourselves of the opportunities that await us? Jude talks about people who have no direction, driven about by winds first one way then another. This accomplishes nothing. Ephesians 4 speaks of being carried about by every wind, again depicting no direction.

Some brethren show no more direction after being a Christian for thirty or forty years than they did when they first obeyed. This is the door that goes nowhere. They have gone through the door but stopped, so in essence it has taken them nowhere. Paul relates to this when he says, "By reason of time you ought to be teachers, you have that need that someone teach you again what be the first principles" (Heb_5:12).

The sins committed by ancient Israel were recorded "for our admonition" (1Co_10:6, 1Co_10:11) that we might not make the same mistakes. Many great men have failed God because they were found in the wrong places. In the form of a question, we introduce several of the "wrong places" where some great servants of God failed.

Are you on the slippery path of DISHONESTY, as was Abraham when he went down to Egypt (see Gen_12:10-20)? Since his wife, Sarah, was such a beautiful woman, Abraham feared that the Egyptians might kill him in order to have her. To prevent this, Abraham deceived them by telling them she was his sister. It was only a "half-truth" for Sarah was Abraham's half-sister (Gen_20:12). We have a modern name for what Abraham did: "situation ethics," the philosophy which says that one's ethics are determined by the situation in which he finds himself. According to this concept, there is no absolute standard of morality, no objective basis for conduct. Thus, one may lie, cheat, commit immorality, etc., if the situation "calls for it." However, God has always abhorred the practice of dishonesty (Deu_25:13-16), no matter who was involved. Christians are to "provide things honest in the sight of all men" (Rom_12:17).

Are you giving way to IMPURITY as did David when he walked upon the housetop (2 Sam. 11, 12)? David yielded to his lower and baser instincts when he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing. The immorality led to further sin-murder! It all began when David was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Christian, whose mind should be on things above (Col_3:2), would do well to avoid people, places and literature which tempt him to yield to unholy passions.

Are you sitting under the juniper tree of DISCOURAGEMENT as did Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18)? Elijah's great victory at Mt. Carmel was followed by despondency when he learned that Jezebel was out to kill him. He sat down under a juniper tree and prayed that God would let him die. Despondency frequently comes after a mountain-top experience, doesn't it? When it happens we want to crawl under our "juniper tree" and let the rest of the world pass us by. Remember, God is still on His throne and rules the world (cf. Psa_42:5).

Are you sailing on the ship of DISOBEDIENCE as did Jonah when he fled to Tarshish (Jonah 1:1-17)? Jonah's prejudice prompted him to disobey God when he was told to preach in Nineveh. Is it possible that you are "on the way to Tarshish" when you should be "on the way to Nineveh?" Did you obey the Lord in becoming a Christian, but you have now boarded the ship of disobedience and are fleeing away from your Redeemer?

Saints in the wrong places! Maybe we can learn something from them and avoid their mistakes.

Abraham Lincoln spoke about the legacy the people of his time were leaving, and he clearly is speaking to us today as well.

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.

"But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these things were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

"Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

Charles Dickens once wrote: "Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." It only takes a minute to begin reflecting on our present blessings: the gift of life itself, the warmth of friendships, the riches of good health, the power of love, the glory of a sunrise, the privilege of prayer, the joys of music, the satisfactions of work, the treasures of books, the beauty of art, the miracle of spring, and the grace of God. Be more grateful and you will become more joyful!

The footnote in the New International Version at 2Ki_18:4 is most interesting. When Hezekiah found the children of Israel worshiping the brazen serpent made by Moses in the wilderness, he destroyed it. Hezekiah called the serpent "Nehushtan." The footnote explains the meaning of the word as "a serpent made of brass."

We wonder how such an idol could have existed for so long. It would seem that it would have been destroyed in one of the reformation movements of one of the judges or kings. In my opinion, it lasted so long because it apparently was not recognized as an idol. Perhaps the children of Israel justified the worship by not calling it an idol. Hezekiah, however, came and called it what it really was-a brass image of a snake.

How often we justify sin by either ignoring it or calling it a different name! Some call adultery "a meaningful relationship." We excuse covetousness by calling it "prudence" or "economy." A life of sensual pleasure is "living with gusto."

In answer to a critic, Abraham Lincoln asked, "How many legs does a cow have?" "Four," was the reply. "If you call her tail a leg, how many does she have?" "Five," was the answer. "No," Lincoln said, "just calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg."

Have we made a similar mistake? Do we think that sin is not sin just because we do not call it by the right name?

A blind man was discovered sitting at the corner of a city street with a lantern beside him. When he was asked why the lantern was there since light and darkness were the same to him, he replied, "I have it so that no one may stumble over me."

What a message for Christians who have the light!

During the Revolutionary War in America, a few British officers, the bearers of a flag of truce, were invited by the general of the Insurgents to stop and dine with him. As a result of this courtesy, they were ushered into a tent where an officer was roasting some potatoes on a camp stove. Expecting an elaborate table, the British officers were astonished when the officer preparing the meal wiped away the ashes from the potatoes, and placed them on the table as the dinner for the general and his company.

When the British officers returned to their own camp, they contrasted the American soldiers' fare with their own expensive fare. They justifiably reflected on the difficulty of their self-indulgent habits and their need of contentment under all circumstances.

Nearly one-third of the four Gospels is devoted to accounts of the death of Christ, the incidents leading up to it and following it. A writer has reminded us that the other two-thirds of the four Gospels are given up to a preparation for the account of Christ's death.

If the men who gave us the record of Jesus' life thought His death was an event of such importance as to justify giving it so large a portion of their attention, is it not possible that we have erred in understanding the comparative importance of the cross?

A preacher and an atheist barber were once walking through the city slums. Said the atheist barber to the preacher: "This is why I cannot believe in a God of love. If God was as kind as you say, He would not permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He would not allow these poor bums to be addicted to dope and other character-destroying habits. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things."

The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkempt and filthy. His hair was hanging down his neck and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face. Said the minister, "You cannot be a very good barber or you would not permit a man like that to continue living in this neighborhood without a haircut or a shave."

Indignantly the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man's condition. I cannot help it that he is like that. He has never come in my shop; I could fix him up and make him look like a gentleman!"

Giving the barber a penetrating look, the minister said: "Then do not blame God for allowing these people to continue in their evil ways, when He is constantly inviting them to come and be saved. The reason these people are slaves to sin and evil habits is that they refuse the One who died to save and deliver them."

Some church members are as stubborn as a Missouri mule about doing church work, but as sly as a fox in their own business deals; as busy as a bee in spreading the latest gossip, but as quiet as a mouse in spreading the gospel of Christ. Many are as blind as a bat to see the needs of others, but have eyes of a hawk to see the faults of a few. Some are as eager as a beaver about a barbecue, but as lazy as a dog about the prayer meetings. Some will roar like a lion when things do not go just to suit them, but they are as gentle as a lamb when they need the preacher of the church. Some are as noisy as a blue jay when calling on the church for advice, but as timid as a kitten about talking to the lost and as slow as a snail about visiting absentees and shut-ins. Many are night owls on Saturday nights, but "bed bugs" Sunday mornings and as scarce as hen's teeth on Wednesday nights.

During the early days of the ministry of [[Dwight L. Moody]], the great evangelist launched a series of meetings in Chicago with promise of the largest crowds that he had ever addressed up to that time. He was speaking of the life of [[Christ]], and on the first Sunday night, October 8, 1871, he took as his topic the trial before [[Pilate]]. As he came to the end of his message, he turned to Mat_27:22, "What shall I do then with [[Jesus]], who is called Christ?" He concluded, "I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next [[Sabbath]] we will come to [[Calvary]] and the cross, and we will decide what to do with Jesus of [[Nazareth]]."

It may have been an artistic device. But speaking of it in later years, Moody called that conclusion to his morning's address the greatest mistake of his life. Even while [[Ira D. Sankey]] was singing the final hymn:

Today the Savior calls

For refuge fly;

The storm of justice falls,

And death is nigh-

the fire engines began to sound on the street on their way to their first contact with the great Chicago fire in which Moody's hall was laid in ashes, and in which it is estimated that over a thousand persons lost their lives. Moody never saw that congregation again, and some of those to whom he spoke on that night doubtlessly died.

A young military officer was traveling by train from Newark to New York City. He constantly introduced profane language into his conversation as he conversed with another passenger beside him. His profanity greatly annoyed a young lady who sat not far away.

At last, unable to tolerate his language further, the offended passenger leaned over and inquired politely, "Sir, can you converse in a foreign language?" "Yes," was his reply in a slightly surprised manner, "Then," she continued, "if you wish to swear anymore, you would greatly oblige me-and, no doubt, the rest of the passengers-if you would swear in another tongue."

Astonished at her suggestion as well at her audacity, the young officer was speechless momentarily. However, he finally resumed his conversation; he did not swear again-neither in a "foreign language" nor in English.

Have you ever wondered why you do what you do?
One former Navy pilot tells how he was living a wilder life than he knew he should live. He decided his problem was that he was being led astray by his friends in flight training. So he arranged to finish his work in the program early and be transferred to another field nearby. Yet, it wasn't long, he said, before he was back in the same old bars, with the same girls, just with different friends. One night out-on-the-town he wondered, "Why do I do this?" And he realized, "Because I like to."
Before a person becomes a Christian-I mean a real Christian, not just someone who says he is-his "want-to" is broken. He is not interested in God. He is bored by church and by reading his Bible. He cannot "make" himself "want to" do right and he cannot "make" himself "want not" to do wrong. When a person is born again, God repairs his "want-to." Even though he still feels the pull of temptation, he will have a new set of desires. He will love God and want to talk to God in prayer and see what God has to say to him in His Word, the Bible. He wants to be around other people who love God; church attendance becomes meaningful. There is a new desire to obey God.
Why do we do what we do? The answer is simple: we do what we do because of what we are. It's like fruit trees. Apple trees bear apples, pear trees produce pears, peach trees grow peaches. The fruit is the natural result of the nature of the tree. I suppose you could tie apples to a peach tree, but that would not make it an apple tree. In the same way, adding religious activities to one's schedule doesn't make one a Christian. Just as the fruit of the tree naturally flows from the nature of the tree, even so the attitudes, words, and actions of our lives reveal the true nature of ourselves.
Jesus said, "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit....Therefore, by their fruits you will know them" (Mat 7:17},  (Mat 7:20).

Alexander the Great was regent of Macedonia at the age of 16, a victorious general at 18, king at 20-and then he died a drunkard before he was 33, having conquered the then-known world. His father was Philip of Macedon, also a military genius, who invented the famous "Greek phalanx."
While Alexander was still in his early teens, Philonicus the Thessalonian offered to sell Alexander's father, Philip, his horse, Bucephalus, a trained, but vicious horse. Philip took his son along to see the horse go through his paces, but the stallion proved so unmanageable that none of the men could even mount him. Alexander noticed that he seemed to be afraid of his own shadow, so he quieted the horse by turning his head toward the sun! Then Alexander mounted the horse, and let him run freely for a while. Soon, by keeping him headed toward the sun, he got him under control.
Millions today are "afraid of their own shadow," the "shadow" of their evil deeds, the haunting "shadow" of their own guilty conscience and the "shadow" of hundreds of fears and failures. But let some faithful Christian point them to Christ, and their shadows immediately fall behind them, for Christ is "the Light of the world" Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.” {bible 51}John 8:12{/bible}, and all who follow HIM "shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." The closer one walks to Him the more light he has; and the farther one gets from Christ, the deeper are the shadows. And he who is so foolish as to walk away from Christ, in unbelief, walks ever deeper into the shadows that will eventually plunge him into the eternal darkness.

Christian Clippings (Sept. 1993, pp. 14f) had this poignant example of a common human response:
"Sometime ago, newspapers carried the story of a young fellow named William, who was a fugitive from the police. The teenager had run away with his girlfriend because the parents had been trying to break them up. What William didn't know was that an ailment he had been seeing the doctor about was diagnosed, just after his disappearance, as cancer.
"Now, here was William, doing his best to elude the police, lest he lose his love, while they were doing their best to find him, lest he lose his life. He thought they were after him to punish him; they were really after him to save him. William is representative of every man, whose guilt tells him God is after him to straightjacket him in this life and torture him forever."

Several generations ago, during one of the most turbulent of the desert wars in the Middle East, a spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general, a man of intelligence and compassion, had adopted a strange and unusual custom in such cases. He permitted the condemned person to make a choice. The prisoner could either face a firing squad or pass through the Black Door.
As the moment of the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview, the primary purpose of which was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the query: "What shall it be-the firing squad or the Black Door?"
This was not an easy decision, and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known that he much preferred the firing squad to the unknown horrors that might await him behind the ominous and mysterious door. Not long thereafter, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled.
The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with men; they will always prefer the known to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet I gave him his choice."
"What lies beyond the Black Door?" asked the aide.
"Freedom," replied the general, "and I've known only a few brave enough to take it."
The story illustrates the situation many people face each day-a choice between the known and the unknown. Few have the courage to come alive, to stop being engulfed in a sea of mediocrity-humbled and dulled by failure to recognize their own potential. They lack the fortitude to stop living their lives in a mentally-chloroformed condition in that ignoble mass of humanity... the uncommitted. The choice is yours {mostip title=Phi-4:13} Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
(Philippians 4:13 MSG) {/mostip}

"By grace ye are saved through faith" {mostip title=Eph-4:28}Did you used to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work. (Ephesians 4:28 MSG){/mostip}. "It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going." (2 Corinthians 5:7 MSG)

Henry Fairlie of the Washington Post, writing in the Tulsa World, states that the "fear of risk is killing the American Spirit." He points out our over-reaction to Three Mile Island and the engine on one DC-10. He believes that the nation that won't build a dam because of a small snail darter, or that will delay a carriage to the stars because it might fall like Skylab is in deep trouble. He asked, "Was the Mayflower seaworthy?" He contends that a group of Americans today would not have the heart to cross the Rockies as our forefathers did years ago. It would be too risky!
There is a lesson here for the church of our Lord. Many good works go wanting for fear of the risk involved. Some Christians will not become soul winners because of the risk of being hurt. Others have never given liberally to God because of fear of poverty. Elders refuse to become involved in domestic and world evangelism because they might not succeed. Another won't defend truth for the same reason. No doubt but what the "fear of risk" has killed many good programs in the church.
There is no "fear of risk" for Christ. He knew that He came into the world to die for all. He asked his followers to deny themselves daily and take up their crosses and walk! There will always be some perils, but think of the risk if we don't!

As a child it was fun to watch the movies about the swamp monster that ate an entire city, or the space alien that tried to conquer New York or Tokyo. These movies were fun because you could be afraid for an hour or so, and then it was all over. The monster was killed; the aliens were fought off. 

It is not fun to be afraid in the "real" sense. Fear is that emotion that is so well known. It is produced by a sense of danger, impending calamity or some dire emergency, or even by walking into a dentist's office. It is a powerful emotion that can damage both the physical body and the personality. Fear can even block the thought processes.John Madden, of CBS Sports crisscrosses the country many times each fall in a customized bus because he is afraid of flying. A few years ago, one first-round draft choice in the NBA quickly ended his career with an unconditional release by his team because of his paralyzing fear of flying.
Several years ago, a televised circus act with Bengal tigers was broadcast live. The tiger trainer went into the cage with several tigers to do a routine performance. The door was locked behind him. The spotlights highlighted the cage, the television cameras moved in close, and the audience watched in suspense as the trainer put the tigers through their act. However, in the middle of the performance, the lights went out! For 20 or 30 seconds the trainer was locked in a dark cage with Bengal tigers, a whip and a chair. The tigers could see the trainer, but he could not see them!
After the event was over, in an interview, the trainer was asked how he felt about his situation in the cage. He first admitted to the chilling fear of the situation, but he pointed out that the tigers did not know that he could not see them. He said, "I just kept cracking my whip and talking to them until the lights came on. They never knew I could not see them as well as they could see me."
This story says something about many fears. Face them and go on doing the best you can. As a child you may have had a fear of the dark. As an adult you may fear failure or rejection, the future, some potential health crisis, or of your death or the death of a loved one. The Bible has the answer for our fears.
John wrote: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear...." {mostip title=1Jo-4:18}1Jo 4:18  There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life--fear of death, fear of judgment--is one not yet fully formed in love.{/mostip}. Christ's love is the perfect defense against the physical and mental effects of fear. Paul said it this way; "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" {mostip title=Phi-4:13}Phi 4:13  Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.{/mostip} The phrase "fear not" is found at least 365 times in various forms throughout the Bible. The Hebrews writer says, "that we may confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid....'"One writer said it this way: "The greatness of our fears shows us the littleness of our faith." We need to pray about our fears and our faith, and turn to the Lord for help to face our fears.

A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft soothing voice, "Isn't it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let's negotiate the matter." Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, "I want a fur coat.", "Good," said the bear, "that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise."

They sat down to negotiate and after a time the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat!

Satan says to you, "Let us negotiate." But there are some things that cannot be negotiable. We cannot compromise the church with the world. Christ and His church deserve our very best and utmost loyalty.

Paul Harvey tells the story of the uncertain soldier in our Civil War who, figuring to play it safe, dressed himself in a blue coat and gray pants and tiptoed out onto the field of battle. He got shot from both directions!

The Bible is full of examples of individuals who compromised in one form or another and their ensuing losses. Lot who separated from Abram and moved as far as Sodom {mostip title=Gen-13:12-13}Abram settled in Canaan; Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent near Sodom. The people of Sodom were evil--flagrant sinners against GOD.
(Genesis 13:12-13 MSG){/mostip} 

Samson who compromised with Delilah {mostip title=Jdg-16:1-2}Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute. He went to her. The news got around: “Samson’s here.” They gathered around in hiding, waiting all night for him at the city gate, quiet as mice, thinking, “At sunrise we’ll kill him.” (Judges 16:1-2 MSG){/mostip}; and Solomon who loved many foreign women {mostip title=1Ki-11:1-4} King Solomon was obsessed with women. Pharaoh’s daughter was only the first of the many foreign women he loved--Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite. He took them from the surrounding pagan nations of which GOD had clearly warned Israel, “You must not marry them; they’ll seduce you into infatuations with their gods.” Solomon fell in love with them anyway, refusing to give them up. He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines--a thousand women in all! And they did seduce him away from God. As Solomon grew older, his wives beguiled him with their alien gods and he became unfaithful--he didn’t stay true to his GOD as his father David had done. (1 Kings 11:1-4 MSG) {/mostip} are but a few examples.

What about times when we are tempted to compromise our faith or beliefs? Will we stay strong or try and wear the blue and gray? Think about it!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might" {mostip title=Eph-6:10}And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong.
(Ephesians 6:10 MSG){/mostip}
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"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" {mostip title=Romans-12:2}

Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:2 MSG {/mostip}.

When an individual or a congregation has the attitude of compromise in regard to spiritual values and truths, dark days are ahead. All who strive to be Christians feel a certain amount of pressure from the world. Through the strength that Christ gives, we can overcome the world and its temptations.

A man starting a fish business put out his sign that read, "Fresh Fish For Sale Today" and invited all to visit his place of business on opening day. Many came and congratulated him on his new business, but one suggested that he change his sign. "Why the 'Today'? It is today." So he removed the "Today".

Someone else said, "Why, 'For Sale'? Everybody knows you have fish for sale-or else why the store?" The words "For Sale" came off the sign.Another said, "Why the word 'Fresh'? You are a man of integrity, that guarantees your fish to be fresh." "Fresh" came off the sign.Only one word was left, "Fish" and one complained about it. "I smelled your fish two blocks away.

"The individual or congregation that tries to satisfy everybody ends up by pleasing nobody. If we start compromising, we will end up serving the devil. The man should have put up his sign and then stood by it. This is what we are to do in life. Accept God's will for our lives and stand on His promises.

Twelve convincing reasons for having family devotions:

• It unifies the family and sweetens home life.
• It cultivates the Christian graces and relieves tension and misunderstanding that sometimes threaten the fellowship of the home.
• It aids our boys and girls in becoming Christians, and helps them to develop ideals that guide them in vital Christian living.
• It yields spiritual resources for daily tasks and assists us in cultivating dependence upon God.
• It strengthens us in the face of adversities and disappointments and enables us to trust Christ implicitly in all of life's circumstances.
• It makes us conscious during the day of the abiding presence of our Savior and Frie nd.
• It bears a Christian witness to the guests in our home.
• It undergirds the Christian teaching of the Sunday School and the ministry of the church.
• It affords opportunity for the Christian family to pray for and to sharpen its concern for non-Christian families.
• It helps us to give a right place to spiritual values and saves us from an undue concern for the temporal things of life.
• It encourages us to put Christianity into practice in our homes.
• It honors God and provides an excellent outlet for the expression of our gratitude for the abundance of daily mercies and blessings which come from Him.

A cute little girl was sitting on top of a pile of luggage in a hotel lobby. Her parents were at the desk registering for their room. A sympathetic lady asked the little girl if they were visiting relatives in the city. "Oh, no," the girl replied. "We're going to live at this hotel until we find a house. My Daddy has a new job and we had to sell our house and move." The lady said, "Oh, it's too bad you don't have a home." To which the girl replied, "Oh we have a home-it's just that we don't have a house to put it in."

We are so good at doing things our own way. Then, when they do not work out, we turn to God and say, "Help! Now what do I do?" We are so foolish, for if we had read His instructions in the first place, we wouldn't have had the problem in the second place.

"I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won't sin myself bankrupt."  (Psalms 119:11 MSG) That's a powerful thought!

Booker T. Washington said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."

By taking two steps forward and one step back, we still continually move closer to the goal. A man who makes no mistakes is one who does nothing. Failure, disappointments, and setbacks are a part of life. We must learn not to identify with our failures.There are many, many examples of people who overcame backward steps.

Abraham Lincoln ran for political office seven times and was defeated each time. Bobby Kennedy failed third grade and could not even take care of his own paper route. Babe Ruth struck out more times than any other baseball player. Ed Gibson, one of the astronauts on the Skylab III mission, failed first and fourth grades.

Learn from your mistakes, but identify with your success. Press on, confident in your own ability to succeed, backed by the power of God. Never forget that people who accomplish great things believe they can do it.

The Apostle Paul failed; Peter failed; every one of the twelve apostles failed.
David, Israel's greatest king, "a man after God's own heart," failed.
Moses, giant among the Israelites, giver of the law, deliverer of his people, failed.
Jacob, father of Israel, failed; Isaac, son of promise, failed.
Abraham, progenitor of Israel, father of the faithful, prototype of those who are righteous through faith, failed.
Even our first parents, in their human perfection, failed.
Who has not failed?
It is not failing that is the problem; it is what one does after he has failed.
To take failure as final is to be a failure. To see in failure the school of the Spirit is to let failure contribute to one's growth in Christ.

When the great Polish pianist, Ignace Paderewski, first chose to study the piano, his music teacher told him his hands were much too small to master the keyboard.
When the great Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, first applied for instruction, the teacher told him his voice sounded like the wind whistling through the window.
When the great statesman of Victorian England, Benjamin Disraeli, attempted to speak in Parliament for the first time, members hissed him into silence and laughed when he said, "Though I sit down now, the time will come when you will hear of me."
Henry Ford forgot to put a reverse gear in his first car.
Albert Einstein failed his university entrance exams at his first attempt.
Thomas Edison spent $2,000,000 on an invention which proved to be of little value.
Very little comes out right the first time. Failures, repeated failures, are fingerprints on the road to achievement. Abraham Lincoln's life could demonstrate that the only time you do not fail is the last time you try something and it works. We can "fail forward" toward success.

Paul-Successful Failure
Sometimes we are overwhelmed with failures because we are so aware of our own, but we fail to notice those of others. The athlete is not celebrated for the games he has lost; the photographer throws away his poor pictures; the potter reshapes his marred jars; and the painter displays only his best portraits.
Perhaps then, God has different measurements for failure and success than we do. Paul the Apostle was not acclaimed during his lifetime. He was rejected by Jews and held in suspicion by Gentiles. He was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, mocked by some, and ignored by others. He spent his life starting little churches that were soon overtaken with problems so big that the members needed revisiting and letters written to them to straighten out their difficulties. Paul taught the truth only to discover that some who received it on one day were turning the next day to some false doctrine. No glory crowned his life, nor was any success evident when, during his last days, his friends deserted him as he was held prisoner. In the end, he was shamefully executed.
Yet, looking back on the ministry of Paul, we see that he was indeed a successful failure. One-half of the books of the New Testament are from his pen, and he is now hailed as the greatest Christian missionary of all time!

Abraham Lincoln was considered by many Americans as a most successful president. It was strange that he was a man marked for failure, a man suffering from melancholia, who endured long periods of depression throughout his life. He could barely see out of one eye. He had frequent nervous attacks, severe headaches, indigestion and nausea. He had a couch placed near his desk in the White House so he could quickly lie down when one of his spells came over him. When Lincoln was 10 years old he was kicked in the head by a horse and experts now believe that the skull was severely fractured, leaving him with lifelong problems. When he came to deliver the now famous address at Gettysburg, he was coming down with smallpox.
Lincoln failed in business in 1831, was defeated for the legislature in 1832. The next year he suffered another business defeat and in 1836 had a nervous breakdown. He failed to be elected speaker in 1838, was defeated for elector in 1840, and for Congress in 1843, as well as in 1848. Lincoln failed to be elected to the Senate in 1855, and was defeated for the Vice Presidency in 1856 and for the Senate in 1858. However, being elected President in 1860, he could afford all those failures. Abraham Lincoln was truly a successful failure.
Some people are slow starters and may discover God's purpose late in life. Moses was 80 years old when he began his life's work. All that time God was preparing him to do one thing-lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. It could be that you are living to accomplish only one great task for God, and that all the rest of your life is merely preparation for that great heroic responsibility.

Thomas A. Edison recorded 1,093 patents. Most of these inventions were impractical or unmarketable. They were failures. But a man who invented the phonograph, the mimeograph, and the electric light bulb could afford a lot of failures. He was so inept in business matters that he lost control of the profitable companies that he founded, and yet in the depths of the depression, he died with an estate of $2,000,000. Edison was a successful failure.
It is obvious that you learn as you fail. You also grow as you fail, but you must dare to fail. If you can fail enough, you will learn a lot; but if you are too proud to fail, then you will not enjoy success.

A talented, young black girl made her debut at New York's Town Hall, but she was not ready for it. Consequently, the critics flailed her. She returned to Philadelphia in disgrace. Part of her early support had come from a special fund provided by members of her church. This "Fund for Marian Anderson's Future" had launched her career. Now she returned in failure.
Marian's embarrassment and depression lasted for more than a year. Through that time, her mother continued to encourage her. Finally, one of the motherly pep talks sank in. She told her daughter, "Marian, grace must come before greatness." Motivated by those words, Marian Anderson went on to a distinguished career during which she also helped many others discouraged by their first failures.

Frank Laubach learned to live above his failure. At 45, missionary Frank Laubach was a theological seminary professor in the Philippines. He was next in line for president of the seminary. However, the board selected someone else. Laubach took off for the hills to sulk. He was angry about the unfairness of life and God's seeming lack of justice. He was a failure in his own eyes.
Was that the end of his story? Not on your life. Frank developed in his solitude a technique for teaching hundreds of millions of people throughout the world to read for the first time. He became the father of the modern literacy movement. A failure, Frank Laubach learned to live above that failure, and on that new level, he found how to achieve excellence.

Phillips Brooks became a teacher in Boston Latin School, a position for which he seemed preeminently qualified. He lasted only a few months. His headmaster commented that Phillips "had in him no single element of a successful school teacher" and set Phillips packing with the conclusion that he had never known a man who failed as a schoolmaster to succeed in any other occupation. He had failed at the age of 20. Phillips Brooks overcame that failure, however, to become one of the finest pulpiteers in all of American history. No failure need be final.

When Rear Admiral Du Pont explained to his superior officer, Farragut, why he had failed to take his ships into Charleston Harbor, Farragut heard him through to the end and then said, "Admiral, there is one explanation which you haven't given."
"What is that?" asked Du Pont.
"This: you didn't believe that you could do it."
That lack of confidence has been the secret of failures not only in the field of war but also in this greater warfare of the soul.

An elderly lady was once asked by a young man who had grown weary in the fight, whether he ought to give up the struggle. "I am beaten every time," he said dolefully. "I feel I must give up." "Did you ever notice," she replied, smiling into the troubled face before her, "that when the Lord told the discouraged fishermen to cast their nets again, it was right in the same old spot where they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing?"

Christopher Columbus was obsessed with the idea that he could get to the East by traveling west, but by sailing west he never did reach India. He failed, but changed the course of history by discovering America, a great achievement. If you set out to do something great enough, what you do incidentally may be of more significance than that which is accomplished on purpose by someone else.