Happy New Year To All my Readers

Happy New Year to all of you...and God Bless You All Always

Forgiveness

Testimony of a former Soviet prisoner: One time I was put in prison in Siberia. I was taken to a cell in the middle of the night. There were about 20 prisoners already there. None of them were sleeping, even though it was after midnight. They were all upset about something.

When the door was locked behind me, immediately they surrounded me and their first question was, "How many men did you kill?"

I said, "Well, I didn't kill anyone. I am a Christian."

They said, "You are lying. In this cell there are only murderers. Everyone here has killed at least three men. Some of us have killed four or five. So prove you are a Christian. Let us see your Bible."

You can't have a Bible in a Soviet prison. It would be confiscated. But hidden away in my things I had a miniature Gospel of Mark that I used to read secretly. I showed it to the prisoners and immediately they said, "Let us read it." So I did.

The next morning I awoke late, and I found that none of the other prisoners had been sleeping. They were all sitting in a circle, and one was reading the Gospel of Mark aloud. They had gotten to the last chapter. They were having a kind of Bible study-trying to discuss what it all meant. Those men had never heard the gospel before, had never read a portion of God's Word. But when I awoke, their first questions showed me that they understood what the gospel meant.

Their first question was this, "Can God forgive us?" That meant that they understood the meaning of the gospel, what salvation is. I explained that yes, God can forgive you. Jesus Christ forgave the thief on the cross next to Him.

I spent a week in that cell, and we talked a lot about God, but then I was to be transported to another prison. They wanted me to give them my Gospel of Mark. I remember one of them said, "Your God will send you many more Bibles, many more New Testaments. We'll never have another portion of God's Word in this prison." That Gospel was very precious to me, but I gave it to those men. And it is still there with them.

God's Laser

Scientists have discovered a variety of uses for the laser beam. We once thought it a design of science fiction. Now lasers are used for many industrial, medical, navigational and communicative purposes.

The difference between lasers and a light from an ordinary bulb is direction. A regular bulb diffuses light in all directions. A laser sends powerful parallel beams.

God's Word is like a laser. It can pierce into the very heart and soul of everyone on earth. It can separate the soul from the spirit. It can discern the highest and lowest thoughts. It can speak to our attitudes and intentions.

Are you allowing God's laser, His Word, to work in you?

Palm Oil

Fred W. Cropp, president of American Bible Society, received a letter asking a question: "What do you recommend for keeping the leather on the back of Bibles from getting stiff, cracking and peeling?

The reply was, "There is one oil that is especially good for treatment of leather on Bibles. In fact it will insure your Bible will stay in good condition. It is not sold, but may be found in the palm of the human hand."

Five attitudes that will help you not to worry …

By Pastor Larry Stockstill
Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like springtime flowers, they soon wither.
-Psalm 37:1-2

In looking back on his long life, David could highlight five attitudes that helped him not to worry, or “fret not,” as the King James Version reads (Psalm 37:1). In common language, we might say “sweat not” because the original word used means “to be under heat or pressure.” When you are walking through a fiery trial, it is imperative that you learn how to “fret” or “sweat” not!

The first thing you’ve got to do is “trust in the Lord” (v. 3), or have an inward confidence that God is going to bring you through to the other side. With a conviction in your heart that God is on your side and wants to do you good, you can face anything.

Second, you must “delight in the Lord” (v. 4), or make the Lord “delicious” to you. Just as a son enjoys his father’s company, so you must enjoy your heavenly Father’s company. Are you truly delighted to spend time with Him, “tasting” of His goodness?

Third, you must “commit everything you do to the Lord” (v. 5), or roll your problem onto Him, acknowledging Him as the only One who can carry your heavy burden. If you commit your problem to Him, you don’t have the option of taking it back! It is too heavy for you; you cannot carry it in your own strength.
Fourth, you must “be still in the presence of the Lord” (v. 7). This implies rest, not continually magnifying Satan’s attack through your speech.

Finally, you must “wait patiently for Him to act” (v. 7), keeping a constant sense of expectation that your miracle is right around the corner. It’s never easy or pleasant to simply wait, but it is the key to seeing God move on your behalf.
Trust, delight, commit, be still, and wait. Your fretting will disappear, and God will bring the victory!
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Daily Readings : Esther 8:1-10:3 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13
Psalm 37:1-11 Proverbs 21:23-24

The Wonder of the Bible

The wonder of its formation-the way in which it grew-one of the mysteries of time.

The wonder of its unification-a library of 66 books, yet one Book.

The wonder of its age-the most ancient of all books.

The wonder of its sales-the best-seller of all time, far ahead of any other book.

The wonder of its interest-the only book in the world read by all classes of people.

The wonder of its language-written largely by uneducated men, yet the best book from a literary standpoint.

The wonder of its preservation-the most hated of all books, yet it continues to exist!

Healing

Some years ago a woman went to consult a famous New York physician about her health. She was a woman of nervous temperament. She gave the doctor a list of her symptoms and answered his questions, only to be astonished at his brief prescription at the end: "Go home, and read your Bible an hour every day; then come back to me a month from today." And he bowed her out before she could protest. At first she was inclined to be angry; then she reflected that the prescription was not an expensive one. She went home determined to read conscientiously her neglected Bible. In a month she went back to the doctor's office a different person, and asked him how he knew that was just what she needed. For answer the physician turned to his desk. There, worn and marked, lay an open Bible. "Madam," he said, "If I were to omit my daily reading of this Book I would lose my greatest source of strength and skill."