OCTOBER 10

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

My friend David Robinson. called me after he had spent the day fasting and praying. He said, “I told my Father that if I cannot walk in the power of the Spirit and see the results He promised in His Word, then I don’t want to hang around. He can just take me home.” Does that sound extreme? Paul cried, I could

wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). Jacob cried, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26). Listen to the

results: Paul changed history, and Jacob became known as “Israel,”  prince with God. Something happens when we get desperate. God hates apathy and indifference, Listen: “So then because thou art

lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

God responds to passion. He told Jeremiah, “Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29: 13). Maybe this sounds fanatical to some, but God can do more with a fool on fire than He can with a scholar on ice! John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, prayed, “God give me Scotland, or I die.” That cry was heard, and the fires of revival swept through the land.

GOD HAS NOT CHANGED. HE STILL RESPONDS TO THOSE WHO SEEK FOR HIM WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS.

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

Southern Baptist at the Race Track

Did you hear about the about the Southern Baptist who was in the habit of sneaking to the race track to bet on the horses?

One day he was losing badly when he saw a priest step onto the track, walk up to line-up and bless one of the horses on the forehead. The horse was a long shot, but the Southern Baptist thought, “With the priest’s blessing, surely this horse will win.” He placed a small bet and, sure enough, the horse came in first.

At the next race, the priest stepped onto the track and blessed another horse’s forehead. Even though this horse was also a long shot, the Southern Baptist was a little bolder this time and placed a larger bet on that horse. Again, it won.

A third time, the priest stepped onto the track and blessed a horse on the forehead. Like the others, this horse was also a long shot. The Southern Baptist placed an even larger bet this time and, sure enough the horse won.

This pattern continued throughout the day with the priest blessing the forehead of a long shot horse, the Southern Baptist placing larger and larger bets and the horse always winning.

At the last race of the day, the Southern Baptist thought, “I have got to go for broke here.” With great anticipation, he watched as the priest stepped onto the field one more time, walked up to the line-up and blessed the forehead, eyes, ears and hooves of one of the horses. The Southern Baptist ran to the ticket counter and bet all he had on that horse.

The horse came in dead last!

As he was walking out, he saw the priest. Walking up to him, he demanded, “What happened? All day long you blessed horses and they won, even though they were long shots. Then at the last race you blessed a horse, I bet everything and the horse lost.”

“That’s the problem with you Protestants,” said the priest. “You can’t tell the difference between a simple blessing and the Last Rites.”

OCTOBER 9

And he did that which was evil in the Sight of the Lord. (2 Kings 21:2)

Hezekiah was one of the most righteous kings in Israel’s history. Yet his son, Manasseh, seduced God’s people into doing, ” . .. more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed” (2 Kings 21:9). Why? Here are three reasons worth considering:

1) Good parents sometimes have prodigal children. (See Luke 15:11.) Don’t let anybody “guilt-trip” you about your children. Your example can still influence them, your prayers can still mold them, and your

love can still keep the door open for God to work on them.

2) Bad company can destroy good character! Manasseh was evidently weak-willed and easily influenced by the wrong people. Teach your children that their company will shape their conduct, their character, and, ultimately, their destiny. (See Proverbs 1 :10.)

3) This father may have been too busy. While you still have your children under your roof, make time to pray, play, and talk together. “Talk about what?” you ask. Personal responsibility. In an era where “passing the buck” has become an art form, teach them to accept responsibility for their choices. And emphasize “the erosion principle.” Explain to them that evil is getting increasingly worse; more cleverly disguised; easier to get into; and harder to get out of.

AND WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER GIVE UP ON THEM!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

More Children’s Versions of Great Bible Characters

The New Testament

When the Old Testament was done, they started the New Testament. Jesus was the Star. He was born in a barn in the town of Bethlehem. I wish I had been born in a barn, too, because then, when my mother says to me, “Close the door. Were you born in a barn?” I could say, “As a matter of fact, I was.”

Jesus argued a lot with the Chief Priests and Democrats. He had twelve opossums. Most of them were good, but Judas Asparagus was not. He was so bad, they named a really yucky vegetable after him.

Jesus healed some people and leopards. Then He preached to the Germans on the Mount. But the Chief Priests and Democrats were mad at him and put Him on trial. Pilot was too chicken to stick up for Him, so he just washed his hands.

Jesus died for our sins and came back to life again. He went to heaven, but will come back at the end of the aluminum. We can read about this in the Book of the Revolution.

OCTOBER 8

I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance. (Psalm 42:11)

Lighten up! Get a spiritual face lift! Don’t just give your children orders; smile while you’re doing it. If your husband or wife works in a difficult environment, make sure they don’t come home to more of the same. Smiles are like thermostats; they set the temperature and determine the climate around you. Who wants to be around somebody who looks like they’ll bite your head off at any moment? Learn to smile. It opens doors and hearts! It causes others to relax and lower their guard. It says, “I’m happy to be with you.”

A well-known Bible teacher recently wrote, “One morning in the shower God said to me, I wish you’d smile when you’re talking to Me. At 6:00 a.m. I didn’t feel much like smiling, but I tried it anyway. I thought, I’m glad nobody sees me doing this. But when I did it, I suddenly felt better. Then God reminded me of the words, ” … joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). In that moment I realized

that when my eyes open each morning-joy is right there with me. All I have to do is activate it, and I can operate in it all day long.

THE DECISION COMES FIRST-THE FEELING FOLLOWS. THAT’S HOW IT WORKS.

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

More Children’s Versions of Great Bible Characters

Joshua

Moses’ best helper was Joshua. He was the first person to use spies. He fought the battle of Geritol. That’s when the fence fell down on the town.

David

David came after Joshua. They made him king after he killed a giant with a slingshot.

Solomon

One of David’s sons was called Solomon. He had, like, 300 wives and 500 porcupines. They told us in Sunday School that he was a really wise man, but that doesn’t sound too wise to me.

Jonah and Other Prophets

After Solomon came a whole lot of major league prophets. Jonah was one of them. He was swallowed by a whale, then barfed up on the beach.

There were some other minor league prophets, but they weren’t too important.

OCTOBER 7

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. (1 john 2:20)

How many times have you said to yourself: I knew I should have done that, but instead you allowed your head to override that little inner voice? That voice is called “spiritual intuition.” Listen: “Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it'” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV). Listen again: “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (John 2:20).

Trusting your spiritual intuition means trusting what you hear, because it’ll tell you: (1) what you need to do, (2) which direction you need to take, and (3) what needs to be changed in your life.

What a gift, yet we seldom use it. Why? Because we’re afraid we couldn’t possibly know anything without thinking it through, or because it just seems “too obvious.” We think to ourselves , That can’t be right. Or, I couldn’t possibly do that. We argue for our limitations, and behold-they become our limitations.’

You’ve got to learn to recognize and trust your spiritual intuition. It’s your connection to the greatest source of wisdom-God’s wisdom! Don’t be surprised if some of what you discern in your spirit sounds like what you’ve thought a hundred times before and then disregarded. Listen again: “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).

THE NEXT TIME YOUR SPIRITUAL INTUITION TELLS YOU SOMETHING-TRUST IT!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

Children’s Versions of Great Bible Characters

Noah

He was a really good guy, but one of his kids was a Ham. Noah built a big boat in his back yard and put his family and a lot of animals in it. He asked his neighbors to join them, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph

Next were Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Esau was Jacob’s brother, but Jacob was more famous because Esau sold him his birthmark for some pot roast. Jacob had a son, Joseph. Joseph wore a really loud sports coat.

Moses

Moses was the next important man. His real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel lights out of Egypt because of the bad Pharaoh. God sent ten plagues on the Egyptians. Some of the plagues were mice, frogs, bugs, lice and no cable.

Every day in the desert, God fed the Israel lights some manicotti. He gave them His “Top Ten” commandments. They were things like: don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t dance, don’t smoke, don’t covet your neighbor’s stuff (whatever that means). He also told them to humor their fathers and mothers.

OCTOBER 4

He orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. (Psalm 91:11 TLB)

Late one evening a missionary asked God to help him stay alert as he drove through the night to speak at a church. Just then he saw a hitchhiker in the rain and picked him up. As they talked, he discovered that the stranger was a believer, and they had many of the same friends. They laughed, shared stories, and before they knew it dawn was breaking, and the hitchhiker was saying, “Here’s where I get out.” Before they parted, they had a cup of coffee at a roadside cafe, and they each promised to pray for each other.

By now the rain had stopped and it was morning. Just down the road, the missionary realized that he hadn’t gotten the man’s phone number, so he returned to the cafe hoping to catch him. But there was no sign of him. When he asked the cook which way the man had gone, he looked surprised and said, “Who? You came in alone! I wondered why you ordered two cups of coffee.” The missionary glanced at the table where they’d sat, and sure enough, the hitchhiker’s cup was still full to the brim – and cold! Then suddenly he remembered that when he’d picked the man up the night before in the pouring rain-he wasn’t even wet!

JUST WHEN YOU NEED THEM MOST. “HE ORDERS HIS ANGELS TO PROTECT YOU WHEREVER YOU GO”

(PSALM 91:11 TLB)_

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

A very new soldier was on sentry duty at the main gate of a military outpost. His orders were clear: No car was to enter unless it had a special sticker on the windshield. A big Army car drove up with a general seated in the back.

The sentry said, “Halt, who goes there?”

The chauffeur, a corporal, said, “General Wheeler.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you through. You’ve got to have a sticker on the windshield.”

The general said, “Drive on.”

The sentry said, “Hold it. You really can’t come through. I have orders to shoot if you try driving in without a sticker.”

The general repeated, “I’m telling you, son, drive on.”

The sentry walked up to the rear window and said, “General, I’m new at this. Do I shoot you or the driver?”

OCTOBER 3

For God’s gifts … can never be withdrawn. (Romans 11:29TLB)

Some people live and die without ever discovering their gifts, while others spend a lifetime trying to change theirs. Today, you need to get into God’s presence and ask Him to clearly show you your gifts and strengths, and then start building on them. Even if you’ve never done anything with them before, or if you’ve failed time and time again, God’s gifts are still resident within you. His call can never be withdrawn.

If you choose not to use the talents He has given you, you’ll probably spend your life helping others reach their goals, because most people let others control their destiny. Don’t do it! Don’t allow anyone to take over the driver’s scat in your life. Fulfill your own dreams, and determine your own life’s course.

Remember, there are people whose lives are waiting to be touched by what God has placed within you.

 ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU THE GIFTS HE HAS PLACED WITHIN YOU. THEN START USING THEM!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

An airliner flew into a violent thunderstorm and was soon swaying and bumping in the sky. One very nervous lady happened to be sitting next to a clergyman and turned to him for comfort.

“Can’t you do something?” she demanded.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said the reverend gently.

“I’m in sales, not management.”

OCTOBER 2

 Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)

Author John Mason tells of a tree called the Chinese Bamboo. During the first four years they water and fertilize the plant with seemingly little or no results. Then in the fifth year as they continue to apply water and fertilize , in five weeks time the tree grows ninety feet tall. The question is: Did the tree grown ninety feet in five weeks, or did it grow ninety feet in five years? The answer is, it grew ninety feet in five years. Because if at any time during those five years people had stopped watering and fertilizing the tree, it would have died.

Perhaps your dreams and plans don’t seem to be succeeding, and you’re tempted to give up. Don’t do it! Continue to water and fertilize them. Charles Spurgeon said, “By perseverance the snail reach the ark.” Perhaps you’ve failed and feel discouraged. Remember, failure isn’t final! Paul said, “We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going” (2 Corinthians 4:9 TLB). Get back up! Josh Billings said, “Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consist in its ability to stick to something until it gets there!”

STICK WITH IT, AND BY GOD’S GRACE YOU’LL MAKE IT!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

Teacher: Why was Adam a famous runner?

Student: Because he was first in the human race.

Adam was created first . . . to give him a chance to say something.

What a good thing Adam had—when he said something he knew nobody had said it before.

OCTOBER 1

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)

After a historic victory at Jericho, Israel was defeated by a handful of villagers at the town of Ai. Joshua was so distressed that he fell weeping before God. But God said, “Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned … therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies .. ,” (Joshua 7:10-12). There’s a time to pray, and a time to stop praying and go deal with the problem. If you’re hoping God will give you an easier option-forget it!

After David sinned with Bathsheba, he wrote, “There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable … until I finally admitted all my sins to you … [now] all my guilt is gone” (Psalm 32:3··5 TLB). Nothing will change for you until you decide to deal with the situation and make things right.

Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, said, “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or removes your desire for spiritual things-that is sin to you. ” Let others argue over what sin is and isn’t. You know in your heart of hearts if there’s something standing between you and the Lord.

DEAL WITH IT TODAY, AND GET BACK INTO A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

Catholic Heart Attack

After suffering a heart attach and having quadruple bypass surgery, a man woke up to find himself in a Catholic hospital with nuns taking care of him. As they nursed him back to health, one of the nuns asked him if he had health insurance.

“No,” he replied, “No health insurance.”

“Do you have any money in the bank?” asked the nun.

“No. No money in the bank.”

The nun asked, “Do you have any relatives you could ask for help?”

The man replied, “I only have a spinster sister, who is a nun.”

At this the nun because irritated. “Nuns are not spinsters. Nuns are married to God!”

“OK, then,” said the man. “Send the bill to my brother-in-law.”

SEPTEMBER 30

I must be about my Father’s business. (Luke 2:49)

Somehow we’ve picked up the false notion that we can have Jesus as Savior without having Him as Lord. Sometimes when we need others to help with God’s work, we’re almost afraid to ask. We say, “If you have the time.” Or, “Would you please consider?” But Jesus said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” Paul cried, “The love of Christ constraineth [me]” (2 Corinthians 5:14). One translation reads, “The love of God leaves me no choice.”

Service is not an option; it’s an obligation. You’re not just a son or daughter; you’re a servant. If God has given you a voice to sing, you shouldn’t have to be coaxed; you should volunteer. If God has blessed you with money, remember that you’re not its owner; you’re simply the administrator of God’s estate in your life. Listen to these words: “Everything comes from YOU, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NIV).

Are you getting the message? Listen again to the words of Jesus in Matthew 21:28: “Son, go and work today in the vineyard.”

IT’S NOT JUST A SUGGESTION; IT’S AN ORDER – AND IT’S YOUR CALL TO SERVICE TODAY.

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

The Bible, Through the Eyes of a Child

Here’s our version of the stories of the Bible if they were to be told by a child.

Creation

In the beginning, which was close to the start, there wasn’t anything except God, darkness and some gas. The Bible says, “The Lord, thy God, is one,” but I think He has to be much older than that.

Anyway, God made the world and then He said, “Give me some light,” and somebody gave it to Him. He split an atom and made Eve. Adam and Eve didn’t wear any clothes, but they weren’t embarrassed because God hadn’t invented mirrors, yet.

Adam and Eve sinned by eating one bad apple and they were driven out of the Garden of Eden. I’m not sure what God drove them in because He hadn’t invented cars, either.

Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, hated his brother as long as he was Abel. After a while, all of the first people died, except Methuselah, who lived to be, like, a million years old.