4/30/13

From Jim McGuiggan... The unsung heroes


The unsung heroes

Michael Caine began his climb to movie stardom with his part in the movie Zulu. Perhaps you’ll remember that it centers round a relative handful of soldiers in a "fort" (a clearing with a number of farm buildings in it) fighting a series of pitched battles against a Zulu host that compared with them was too large to calculate. After every attack they had fewer men and the central area grew smaller. When the scene is set for the final Zulu attack that would over-run the garrison, maybe a dozen troops fully purposed to die before tamely surrendering or running away. It was then that what they feared most appeared. Instead of many numerous smaller units attacking various points as before the whole Zulu force silently appeared on the top of the hill that ran round one side of the collection of buildings that was their fort. For the first time the soldiers realized the size of their enemy, now seeing it in one vast gathering. The enemy stood silently looking down on them, letting them sense the full strength of the force against them, the force they had been refusing to give in to. Then the whole multitude of warriors began to chant/sing in that awesome way of theirs; both lovely and spine-tingling, thunderous, rhythmic and musical—but awesome! Shaken to the core the remnant then heard a Zulu chief call to them with words they thought were insult and threats. But one who knew the country and knew the Zulus put them at ease by telling them that he was praising their courage and that this whole exhibition of song and sermon was a hymn to their gallantry. The Zulu host walked away shaking their heads in admiring disbelief and left the handful their lives. That single scene made enduring the whole movie worthwhile. You don’t have to agree with war to applaud courage and you don’t have to think weapons settle anything to rise to your feet to praise gallantry.
Moral and spiritual battles are no less real, no less fierce and certainly no less prolonged than the other wars. There are those of us that make daily war against besetting sins that threaten to entirely unravel us. Sins that would suck the courage right out of us and lead us to abject despair because they seem to overcome us with such contemptuous ease no matter how earnestly we vow to win the next encounter. Time and time and time again they suffer loss but refuse to give up the citadel of the soul. There are people who live under the toughest circumstances and face the temptation to quit the struggle, spit in the eye of God and let their passions and their weariness be their lord. But here they come again, crawling up to the barricade to take their place with others in opposing the enemy. And then there are those--God bless them!--that wrestle with sinister drives that they refuse to allow to become besetting sins. All these are the unsung heroes of the world. George Adam Smith was right on target when he said this.
"What starved garrison, that marched from its inviolate fortress with all the honours of war and to the admiration of its foes, ever deserved half the glory...which thousands of tempted souls deserve...who hold the fortresses of their lonely lives against the devils of dishonesty and greed and lust. And yet you have strong men whining to-day all the world over—and some of them parading their whines in literature—that the temptations of their strength are too great for them; and slipping off into the pleasant mire with the cry, I cannot help it.What forgetfulness! What cowardice!"

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Need For Rest


                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                      The Need For Rest (6:30-31)

INTRODUCTION

1. One might easily conclude that the Bible is all about work and no
   play...
   a. It speaks negatively about sloth and idleness - Pr 6:6-11; 1Ti 5:13
   b. It speaks positively about labor and work - Ep 4:28; 1Th 4:11

2. Yet Jesus spoke of the need to rest...
   a. After His disciples had returned from fulfilling the Limited
      Commission - Mk 6:30
   b. Encouraging them to come aside to a deserted place and rest a
      while - Mk 6:31

[Despite advances in labor-saving technology, it seems we are more
stressed than ever.  We do well to remember and apply what the Bible
says about...]

I. THE NEED FOR REST

   A. ILLUSTRATED BY THE SABBATH...
      1. God rested on the seventh day - Gen 2:1-2
      2. The principle of rest served as the basis for the Sabbath - Gen 2:3
      3. Which later was commanded of the Israelites as a weekly
         observance - Deut 5:12-15
      -- Clearly God approved of taking time to rest on a regular basis

   B. ILLUSTRATED BY OTHER JEWISH HOLIDAYS...
      1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, with two days of rest - Lev 23:5-8
      2. The Feast of Harvest (Pentecost), one day of rest - Lev 23:21
      3. The Feast of Trumpets (1st day of 7th month), one day of rest
         - Lev 23:23-25
      4. The Day of Atonement (10th day of 7th month), one day of rest
         - Lev 23:26-32
      5. The Feast Of Tabernacles (15th day of 7th month), two days of
         rest - Lev 23:33-36
      6. Included with several of the above were:
         b. Required trips to Jerusalem - cf. Lev 23:14-17; Deut 16:16
         b. Seven-day feasts, including one week of living in tents
            - cf. Lev 23:42
      7. These were in addition to the weekly sabbaths
      -- Approximately 70 days each year "no customary work" was to be
         done

[As the Old Testament was written for our learning (Ro 15:4), it is
apparent that God created man with a need for rest.  Here are some
thoughts related to...]

II. TAKING TIME TO REST

   A. TWO DANGERS TO AVOID...
      1. Too much work
         a. No man can work without rest; and no man can live the
            Christian life unless he gives himself times with God
         b. How can we shoulder life's burdens if we have no contact
            with him who is the Lord of all good life?
         c. How can we do God's work unless in God's strength?
         d. How can we receive that strength unless we seek in quietness
            and in loneliness the presence of God?
      2. Too much withdrawal
         a. Devotion that does not issue in action is not real devotion
         b. Prayer that does not issue in work is not real prayer
         c. We must never seek the fellowship of God in order to avoid
            the fellowship of men but in order to fit ourselves better
            for it
         d. The rhythm of the Christian life is the alternate meeting
            with God in the secret place and serving men in the market
            place
      -- These thoughts come from Barclay's Daily Study Bible

   B. TWO TYPES OF REST...
      1. Physical rest, to refresh the body
         a. Such as a good night's sleep, afternoon naps
         b. Vacations involving travel, dining with friends - cf. the OT
            feasts
         c. Benefits:  less stress, weight control, memory performance,
            overall good health
      2. Spiritual rest, to refresh the spirit
         a. Such as a daily devotional period
         b. Special times devoted to prayer, meditation on God's Word
            - cf. Php 4:6-9
         c. Benefits:  a closer walk with God, inner renewal, peace of
            mind
      -- Body and soul both need periods of rest

   C. TWO SUGGESTIONS TO CONSIDER...
      1. Making time
         a. Schedule for periodic rest
         b. Isaac liked the evening - Gen 24:63
         c. David and Daniel liked morning, noon, and evening - 
            Psa 55:17; Dan 6:10
         d. Jesus preferred early morning - Mk 1:35
         e. Remember also the OT weekly and annual rests as an example
            of systematic rest
      2. Choosing location
         a. Find places that allow for privacy (in the case of personal
            devotions)
         b. Isaac liked the field - Gen 24:63
         c. David meditated on his bed - Psa 4:4; 63:6
         d. Daniel prayed in his room - Dan 6:10
         e. Jesus preferred deserted places - Mk 1:35; 6:31
         f. Remember also the OT feasts (as example of celebratory rest
            with others)
      -- These suggestions are simply to stimulate your thinking

CONCLUSION

1. The life of the Christian is more of a marathon than a sprint...
   a. We need to have endurance - He 10:36; 12:1
   b. Lest we fall short of reaching our rest - He 4:1,9-11

2. To reach our "Heavenly Rest", we need both...
   a. Diligence in serving the Lord
   b. Diligence in taking time to rest

3. Some Christians fail to maintain a proper balance...
   a. Suffering physically as a result (e.g., poor health)
   b. Suffering spiritually as well (e.g., emotional and mental burn
      out)

As physical strength requires both exercise and rest, so it is with
spiritual strength.   We can be thankful that in the wisdom of God there
is to be opportunity for both...

   Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and
   rest awhile." - Mk 6:31 (NLT)



Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Gary.... F-E-A-R




Fear; that moment when your life seems at risk and nothing else in the world matters but your survival!!!  Fear blinds reason, accentuates  emotion and causes you to make choices that are sometimes totally irrational!!!  Fear is on my mind today because a little four footed creature (Buddy, my sister-in-law's small poodle) put it there.  I was awakened about 7am, by a gentle scratching on the bedroom door and immediately viewed a scared-out-of-his-mind "Buddy".  He was shaking and running in all sorts of directions, unsure as what he should do next.  Then, it thundered and he just stood there, looking at me, unable to move, just shaking all over.  This from a dog who likes to attack animals four or five times his size. Next thing I noticed was that the lights were all on and from my wife's bedroom, I heard her say that my little friend had woke her up two hours earlier with his crying.  Fear will make you do all sorts of things- like cause you to go down icy steps, even when its the last thing in the world you want to do.  Or perhaps, just look at the problem in a zombie like state like the top dog in the above picture.  The Bible speaks abundantly about this topic and the hardest thing for me to do was to just pick one instance to talk about, but here goes...

Matthew, Chapter 14

  22  Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.  23 After he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone.  24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  25 In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.  26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It’s a ghost!” and they cried out for fear.  27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying “Cheer up! It is I!  Don’t be afraid.” 


  28  Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.” 

  29  He said, “Come!” 



Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus.  30 But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 

  31  Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  32 When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased.  33 Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “You are truly the Son of God!” 


Physical danger is something we all have been exposed to at one time or another. The moment you realize that it is serious is the time you have to make one of the choices that the second of the two pictures discusses.  Peter, reached out to Jesus and was helped, but he lacked faith and almost sank into the depths of the sea. Then, he tried again and was saved from his impending doom by a merciful, understanding Jesus.  THEN Peter understood!!!  OK, this a situation specific example, but sooner or later we all will face death.  Question: will you reach out to Jesus?  Will you finally admit you need him to save YOUR LIFE???  DO NOT WAIT!!!  Tomorrow may be too late; boldly face everything with HIS HELP and accept the eternal life that ONLY HE CAN OFFER!!!  Choice is yours- please make the right one!!!!  Jesus conquers F-E-A-R!!!!