The Word For Today

How many times must the apostle Paul, who was once known as Saul the persecutor of Christians, have had flashbacks to Stephen's stoning? Or the countless other Christians he hunted down like animals? Paul was an eyewitness, which means those snapshots were sealed into his visual cortex. When he closed his eyes, those images could have haunted him for the rest of his life. By today's standards, Saul was a terrorist - but he had an encounter with Jesus that blinded him. He regained his physical sight after three days, but the grace of God enabled him to turn a blind eye to his forgiven sin forever.

If God turns a blind eye to confessed sin, shouldn't we? This doesn't mean we deny our sin or ignore it. If we underestimate our sinfulness, we depreciate the grace of God. Paul called himself the chief of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:15). Perhaps that's why he appreciated the grace of God so much. The reason many of us label others by their sin is because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We think: 'I may not be perfect, but at least I haven't done that!'

But Paul was explicit: 'For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard' (Romans 3:23 NLT). God doesn't grade our sins like the legal system, as indictable or summary offences. No, we are either in sin or in Christ. We're either guilty or fully forgiven. Not only have our sins - past, present and future - been atoned for. At the point of believing faith, God forgives us and credits our accounts with the righteousness of Christ.

Country and gospel music star Randy Travis and his manager, Lib, remember the lean days of his career - all 3,650 of them. For ten years, Lib did whatever it took to keep her club open long enough for somebody to discover Travis' talent. For his part, Randy sang his heart out. And when he wasn't singing, he was frying catfish and washing dishes in the kitchen. Then it happened. His break came, and everything seemed to click for him. He had a hit called 'On the Other Hand', an album contract, a tour offer and a movie deal. He was hot! Suddenly, everyone seemed to be calling him an overnight success.

But Randy recalls it differently: 'We were turned down more than once by every record label in Nashville. But I'm the kind of one to believe that if you work at something long enough, and keep believing, sooner or later it will happen.' Randy Travis went on to become an American music legend, winning three Grammys and seven Dove Awards and being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But it didn't come easily or happen overnight. It happened because he worked hard, remained faithful through the tough times, and trusted God to come through for him.

Jesus said: 'Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them' (Mark 11:24 NKJV). And here's something you need to keep in mind: it will happen in God's time, and on his schedule. Your part is to keep walking by faith and trusting him to bring it to pass.

Why would fishermen wash nets that hadn't been used? The answer is they were quitting because of an overnight problem. 'We have fished all night and caught nothing' (see Luke 5:5). Their expectations had been destroyed. They believed that the way things were was the way they'd be. They were beaten! That's when Jesus showed up. He came to where they were; he walked right into the middle of their disappointment with a solution. First, he asked them for their boat and used it to preach to the crowd and heal the multitudes. Child of God, turn everything over to him - all you have, all you are and all you'll ever be - and let him use you for his highest purposes.

Next, Jesus gave the fishermen a word that only faith could receive: 'Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch' (Luke 5:4 NKJV). Can you see now why he has to wait until you've done everything you know to do? Only then are you ready to listen; even though his word doesn't seem to make sense, you're ready to obey without question.

Are you discouraged today? Is it your ministry, your marriage, your job or your health? You may be washing your nets, but it's not over. Who told you God wasn't going to bless you again? Who told you he wasn't going to bring victory out of your ashes? It's not over until he says it's over. If he can fill empty nets for those discouraged disciples, then you don't have a problem he can't take care of.

It's impossible to live successfully without taking risks. Leo Buscaglia wrote: 'To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out to another is to risk involvement...To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk being called nave. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing...Only the person who risks is truly free.'

Franklin Roosevelt spent much of his life battling illness and was confined to a wheelchair. Yet he became one of America's greatest presidents. He said: 'It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.'

In The Pursuit of Excellence, Christian author Ted W. Engstrom gives this advice about the importance of trying: 'Starting today, you can begin to enjoy using and developing your gifts...If you've always wanted to write, then write something, a short article, a poem, an account of your vacation. Write it as if you were going to be published; then submit it somewhere. If you're a photographer, gather your best pictures together and submit them as entries in a contest. If you think you're a fair tennis player or golfer, enter some tournaments and see how you do. You may not win the top prize but think how much you'll learn and experience just by trying. The worst failure...is failure to try!'

God will not tolerate pride from anyone. If self-exalted people refuse to humble themselves, they leave God no other choice than to do it for them.

One day, pride got the better of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon: 'As he looked out across the city, he said, "Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendour' (Daniel 4:30 NLT). That was raw, arrogant pride. A year earlier, Daniel had told the king through the interpretation of his dream that he should change his ways. But he had ignored Daniel's warning. Now God said enough was enough and interrupted his proud moment: 'While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from Heaven, "O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer the ruler of this kingdom"' (Daniel 4:31 NLT). During the next seven years, Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and lived unkempt in the forest. That's how low pride brought him!

Someone once said, 'A man wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package.' Only when Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself did God have mercy on him and give him back his sanity and his reign. That's when he declared God's sovereignty over all kings and kingdoms: 'Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honour the King of Heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud' (Daniel 4:37 NLT). So be humble!

The Archbishop of Canterbury was acquainted with an actor named Mr Butterton. One day he asked Butterton, 'What is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with the speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?' Butterton replied, 'We actors on stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.' The world needs Christians who speak like they believe what God said in his word is true, and who live accordingly.

When Abraham was eighty, God promised him he would father a son. Twenty years later, it hadn't happened, but Abraham was standing firmly on God's word: 'He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to perform' (Romans 4:20-21 NKJV). William James, the first educator to offer a course in psychology, said, 'If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.' He also said, 'Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.'

Saint Augustine said, 'God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.' If you fully grasp the truth of this, it'll set you free from fear because that's what God's perfect love does (see 1 John 4:18). God can't love you any more or any less because he already loves you unconditionally, eternally. You just need to live like his beloved.