100 Sermon Illustrations on Dedication

CAIRO, Egypt -- Osama bin Laden's spokesman on Tuesday called for a holy war against U.S. interests everywhere and praised the hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon for their "good deed."

"America must know that the storm of airplanes will not stop and there are thousands of young people who look forward to death like the Americans look forward to life," said Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said.

c Copyright 2001 The Associated Press

It sounded like strange justice. I heard about a judge who sentenced a juvenile offender to, among other things, go watch a movie. The movie was called, "Saving Private Ryan" - a movie that critics say portrayed with savage realism the D-Day Invasion and the awful brutality of war. The judge wanted that juvenile offender to see what his freedom cost the people who fought for it.

The movie also introduced a new generation to that amazing invasion that was the turning point of World War II. The mission: retake Europe from the grip of Adolf Hitler. Now, how did they capture something as big as Europe? By just dropping paratroopers in the middle and saying, "We are taking Europe!"? No. That's what D-Day was all about - tens of thousands of Allied soldiers putting everything they had into capturing one little beach on the coast of France. That's a long way from Berlin, but it's what the military calls a beachhead ... a small piece of ground that you get under control. Then you move from that to another small victory and another beachhead. So the heroes of D-Day moved from that beach to take a farm, and then a bridge, and then a village and then another village. Until one day they marched into Berlin. They had conquered all that ground - not in one blazing victory - but one beachhead at a time.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "The Beachhead Victory Plan."

God's ancient people had a similar challenge when God sent them to take the land of Canaan - a big piece of ground. God's strategy for taking a lot of territory is laid out in our word for today from the Word of God in Deuteronomy 7. In verse 17, God says to His people, "You may say to yourselves, 'These nations are stronger than we. How can we drive them out?'"

Then He says in verses 21 and 22, "Do not be terrified ... for the Lord your God who is among you is a great and awesome God. The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little." How do you conquer a massive piece of ground? Little by little.

Over and over, we've heard the challenge to "dedicate your life to Jesus Christ." And you may have even responded, and dedicated your life and rededicated your life. But if you're like many of us, you've struggled with how to dedicate your life. After all, your "life" is a huge piece of ground. But God's plan for you giving control of your life to Him is a lot like taking Europe or Canaan ... one beachhead at a time.

In other words, while you're trying to give Jesus everything, be sure you surrender a specific something to Him each new day. That's why Jesus said to take up His cross daily. There's no grand and glorious dedication decision that you can make that settles this once and for all. But here's a commitment that will work: "Jesus, each new day I will consciously surrender a specific part of me for You to control that day." As you spend time in His Word, He'll show you the area He'd like to focus on in that 24 hours.

See, it's all about taking daily beachheads ... letting Jesus take control of one little piece of your life each new day - one part of your life under His control. And you go from there to take another beachhead the next day. And some day you'll lay at His feet a whole life you gave to Him, one thing at a time, one day at a time.

Yes, you crown Jesus Lord of your whole life. But you act out that commitment with daily surrenders of real, specific parts of you, expanding His Lordship a little more each day. Living the Jesus-life isn't about some once-and-for-all super dedication commitment. It's a life of a thousand little victories ... taking ground from the enemy and raising the flag of Jesus over it one beachhead at a time.

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Okay, let's use our imagination - I'm going to buy a new car, and I'm going to pay for it with cash in full. We're talking lots of imagination here. Now, I pay Mr. Dealer $20,000 for the new car, and he tells me it will be there in two weeks. Those two weeks crawl by like a turtle, but finally the day comes when I can show up for my hot new wheels. I shake hands with the dealer, and he says, "Hey, I'll be right back!" A few moments later he comes out, carrying a big box. He sees my bewildered expression, and he says, "Here it is. Go ahead. Open the box." I do - and inside I find inside two new hubcaps, a new carburetor, and a new steering wheel. Uh, this dealer and I have a problem!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Spare Parts."

I'm going to tell that dealer in no uncertain terms, "I paid the whole price! I should get the whole product - not just your spare parts!" Well, Jesus knows that feeling. A lot of us have tried to fulfill our commitment to Him by giving Him the spare parts of our life that we don't really care that much about. But He paid the whole price for us when He poured out His life for us. He should get what He paid for.

And Jesus isn't any more impressed with getting spare parts than we are. You can tell from our word for today from the Word of God in Malachi 1, beginning with verse 6. Now, God's people in that day worshiped Him by bringing spotless livestock as atonement for their sin. And God says, "'It is you, O priests, who show contempt for My name.' But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for Your name?' ... When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong?'" Well, God goes on to tell them that they might as well shut the temple doors and that all their religious exercises are, in God's words, "useless."

It's very clear that God is not impressed with sacrifices that cost us nothing ... with the spare parts of our life that don't matter that much to us anyway. But far too many of us try to get by with what I call "Selective Lordship." We may sing, "I surrender all," but we live, "I surrender some." And while the Christians around us may be impressed with our spirituality, God says, "You're giving me your spare parts and you're holding on to the important things for yourself."

And honestly, that is an insult to Jesus ... the one who held back nothing as He paid your eternal death penalty. He paid for all of you. Are you hanging onto your business, your finances, your love life, your entertainment, that wrong relationship, or that sinful attitude or way of doing things? What part or parts of your life can't Jesus have? Why? Because you love that more than you love Jesus? Because you don't think you can trust Him with the stuff that really matters - you can't trust the Man who gave His life for you?

When David had a chance to get for free the land that God commanded him to acquire, he said to the owner: "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." (2 Samuel 24:24) David knew you don't try to get off cheap with God - because cheap is basically worthless when it comes to giving to the Lord our God.

So, what's it going to be in your relationship with Jesus Christ - your spare parts, or your whole life? Jesus paid the whole, awful price for you. Shouldn't He get all of you?

________________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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In the early centuries of the Church, a Christian man who faced terrible pressure to compromise with his business came to Tertullian and explained, "Whatever shall I do - I must live."

To which Tertullian simply replied, "Must you?"

_________

[another version is found in William Barclay's commentary on 2 Corinthians]

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #12613]

At the age of 67, Thomas Edison watched as fire destroyed much of his work and equipment. Time to retire? Time to hang up the lab coat?

No way.

“All our mistakes are burned up,” the inventor said. “Now we can start anew.”

There is a time to retire, but Edison knew his time hadn't come. The fire that consumed his work didn't destroy the fire that burned within him to continue his work. Edison's commitment remained.

People tend to associate commitment with emotions. If they feel the right way, then they can follow through on their commitments. But true commitment doesn't work that way. Commitment is not an emotion; it's a character quality that enables us to reach our goals.

Emotions go up and down all the time, but commitment must remain rock solid. A solid team - whether it's in business, sports, marriage or a volunteer organization - must have team players who are solidly committed to the team.

Let's look at four things every team player needs to know about being committed:

1. Commitment is usually discovered in the midst of adversity.

You never know the level of your commitment or that of a team player until things get tough. Every one of us could stay committed to a marriage if everything was always good. Every one of us could stay committed to good health as long as we were healthy. The trick is to stay committed to the commitment when the economy takes a turn for the worse or when you lose your biggest account or when your plant burns to the ground.

Commitment, because it is a character trait, is revealed, not built, by adversity.

2. Commitment does not depend on gifts and abilities.

Commitment and talent, I have found, are unconnected. Many very talented people lack commitment. Many people who lack skills and talent are tremendously committed. So if you find somebody who's extremely talented, there is no guarantee that there is a high level of commitment.

For this reason, it becomes a great day when we connect talent with commitment - for ourselves and for those on the teams we lead. The moment that happens, the team goes to a whole new level.

3. Commitment results from choices, not conditions.

In writing about choices, Frederic Flach notes that most people look back on their lives and point to a specific time and place that marks a significant life change. “Whether by accident or design,” Flach writes, “there are the moments when, because of a readiness within us and a collaboration with events occurring around us, we are forced to seriously reappraise ourselves and the conditions under which we live and to make certain choices that will affect the rest of our lives.”

Our commitment springs from those choices.

4. Commitment lasts when it is based on values.

Establishing commitment from a team is a critical piece of leadership, but leaders I work with are equally concerned about sustaining that commitment.

I've found the only way to sustain commitment is to link it with the personal values of an individual. Once your commitment is based on your values, you have no problem sustaining it. Values are what drive your choices; they transcend your talents and skills and they stand up under the tests of adversity.

Commitment based on something other than solid values usually is a house of cards; when the wind kicks up, the house comes down.

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1. I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

I’d rather be His than have riches untold;

I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land,

I’d rather be led, by His nail-pierced hand:

Chorus:

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin’s dread sway!

I’d rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.

2. I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause,

I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame,

I’d rather be true to His holy name:

3. He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom,

He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;

He’s all that my hungering spirit needs–

I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead:

I am reminded of a story my pastor once told about a newlywed couple.

When they rode together in the car, the wife would sit so close to her husband that it looked like there was a two-headed driver in the seat.

Now, twenty-five years later, when they go out in the car, the wife sits way over on the other side.

One day she looked over longingly at her husband and said with a sigh, “Remember the days when we used to sit so close to each other we looked like a two-headed driver?”

The husband looked over at her and quietly said, “Well, Honey, I wasn’t the one who moved.”

That’s how it is with God. If you’re feeling far away from Him, remember — He isn’t the one who has moved!

Look at what he Bible declares in James 4:8, Psalm 17:5-8, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Be encouraged in the Lord and remember that He is always there for us when we call. He never moves or changes His address, but rather is always available to calm our hearts and give us our hearts desires. The Bible says that God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Renew your relationship with Him today if you feel far away from God. He will draw nigh to you when you draw nigh to Him. He will renew the vitality in your spirit and give you Strength, Peace and Contentment that cannot ever be found in the world. (Ephesians 6:10, Psalm 37:4-6, Proverbs 18:24)

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

• Psalm 34:3-8

• Psalm 18:30-33

• Psalm 91:2-4

• Psalm 116:1-9

This declaration was publicly read by members of Saddleback Community Church at Angel Stadium on the church's 25th anniversary.

THE ANGEL STADIUM DECLARATION

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Today I am stepping across the line. I'm tired of waffling, and I'm finished with wavering. I've made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I'm going God's way. There's no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God's purposes with God's people on God's planet for God's glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me,” character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most and I'll give it all I've got. I'll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won't be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I'll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough and I get tired, I won't back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I'll just keep moving forward by God's grace. I'm Spirit-led, purpose-driven, and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I'm a trophy of God's amazing grace so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I'm ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Any way. Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way that on that final day I'll hear you say, “Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!”

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This article is printed from the website www.PurposeDriven.com. Copyright 2005 by Rick Warren. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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For many years, J. R. R. Tolkien's trilogy, Lord of The Rings, has fascinated thoughtful readers. Like C. S. Lewis (who was helped to Christ by Tolkien actually), Tolkien communicated spiritual truths through allegorical myths in a world called “Middle Earth.” His works have now captured the imagination of people who had never even heard of his books through three epic motion pictures based on them. At the heart of Lord of The Rings and its epic battles is the ring. It's a gold ring that is the key to enormous power, but a power that inevitably addicts the possessor to its power. That power ultimately corrupts and destroys the one who holds it so tenaciously. It is, in fact, called by one main character, not the ring, but “The Precious.”

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Battle Over 'The Precious.'“

The ring in Lord of the Rings is fantasy. The battle over “The Precious” is not. Because we all have something or someone in our life that is, for us, “The Precious.” We can't let go of it. And like the ring in Tolkien's stories, the longer and more tightly we hold onto it, the more it slowly destroys us.

Nowhere in Scripture is the battle over “The Precious” more graphically portrayed than in Abraham's march up the mountain to obey God's command: “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, who you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there.” This was the son God had promised Abraham and Sarah. The one that they would have miraculously in their later years. The son Abraham had longed and waited for. The son through whom God had promised to make of Abraham a great nation. Surely, for Abraham, Isaac was, of all the things in his life, “The Precious.”

Yet, Abraham takes his “Precious” up that mountain and prepares to sacrifice him - until, at the last moment, God intervenes by supplying a ram in a thicket to be the sacrifice. And in Genesis 22, beginning with verse 15, (our word for today from the Word of God), the Bible says: “The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven, and said, 'Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me.”

The blessing of God is for those who release their “Precious” to Him. Recently, after a meeting where I spoke, a lady came to me and said, “You may not remember speaking here about ten years ago, but I've never forgotten. You talked about relinquishing control to Jesus of the thing we held dearest. Well, for me, that was my daughter and I thought I had to keep my hands on her. But that night I ended up kneeling at the altar, tearfully releasing my daughter to the Lord.” Then she told me what happened next. “The next day - the next day - my nine-year-old daughter came to me and said, 'Mom, I think God wants me to spend my life serving Him.’ The lady said, “I broke down in tears. Today, she's in a Christian college, preparing to serve God with her life. But it didn't happen, it couldn't happen, until I let go of what I cherished most.”

So what is that for you? What - or who - is your “Isaac” ... your “Precious”? You've been afraid what might happen to it if you released it to Jesus. The real issue is, “Can Jesus be trusted?” Answer: Someone who loved you enough to die for you will never do you wrong. And your surrender of your “Precious” will do what your control of it could never do.

You've held onto your “Precious” too long. It's not yours to hold. Whatever or whoever it is that you've thought you had to control, let it go. And see what can happen when you surrender your “Precious” to the Most Precious, Jesus - who loved you and gave Himself for you.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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The CHRISTIAN CENTURY carried a story several years ago about a young man named Lou Marshall who at one time was a student at Yale Divinity School and worked in one of New York City’s worst slum neighborhoods. His ministry was to a few of the city’s teenaged gang members. In fact, he was instrumental in heading off a potentially bloody rumble between two of the gangs, the Young Untouchables and The Playboys. It was while he was walking home from mediating this dispute that he was attacked by four gang members who resented his interference in gang affairs. Lou Marshall was beaten senseless on the streets of New York City and left in a pool of his own blood by four young men he was trying to help. Two days later, he died.

At the memorial service attended by members of both gangs whose battle he had headed off the Reverend Howard Moody, pastor of the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village said, “Lou’s death is a testimony of our [struggle] as human beings and a city of people to build a place where people can dwell together in peace. Some people will say that the crumbling pavement on which he died wasn’t worth his life so full of promise and hope others might say that he was foolish to become involved in a way that was so dangerous. Still I believe that street has been made more holy because a man’s blood was shed - a man who had the courage to stand there for what he believed was right. Early Christians believed that because of the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, the world would be a different and better place. Peter wrote, ‘You were ransomed from your futile ways not with perishable things such as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ.’”

He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. — 2 Corinthians 5:15.

Frances Willard, when a student in Northwestern College for women, wrote in her journal: “Dr. Foster closed the Bible after his discourse at the University Chapel yesterday with these words: ‘With most men life is a failure.’ These words impressed me deeply; there is sorrow in the thought, and tears and agony are wrapped up in it. Oh, Thou who rulest above, help me that my life may be valuable that some human being shall yet thank Thee that I have lived and toiled.” If I had a dozen lives to live I might afford to waste one of them, but I have only one life to invest or lose. — E. T. Fry.

Only one life for service, one talent to lay at His feet;

And efforts and prayers are needed, and workers in every street.

For eyes are grim and heavy, which a smile of love would light,

And some are far from the Master, and perishing in the night.

If I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. — Philippians 2:17.

Some years ago a brilliant Oxford student went to Africa. There he died after a year’s work. When he dedicated himself utterly to God, he said, “I think it is with African missions as with the building of a great bridge. You know how many unseen stones have to be buried in the earth for a foundation. If Christ wants me to be one of the unseen stones, lying in an African grave, I am content — for the final result will be many souls for Christ!”

0 Cross, that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground, there blossoms red,

Life that shall endless be. — George Matheson.

Chuck Colson tells about one prisoner he met who had been on death row for fifteen years. His name was John Irving.

John was allowed out of his cell for only one hour a day. The rest of the time he was studying to become a minister -- preparing to serve God.

Noticing that John had nothing in his cell but a few books, Colson offered to give him a TV.

“Thanks,” John said, “but no thanks. You can waste an awful lot of time with those things.”

Can you imagine wasting time on death row? Colson goes on to say, “The real evils of the entertainment industry are not the violence and profanity -- offensive though they are. No, it’s the banality: the sheer waste of time. When we turn the TV on, we turn our minds off; studies have shown that the analytical areas of the brain nearly shut down during extended TV viewing.”

Brad Gaines will do it again early Wednesday morning. He’ll grab some Clorox and glass cleaner, toss them in the trunk of his Buick and head to a little cemetery 175 miles away.

His long, strange trip actually began 20 years ago today.

“I’ll be doing it until I die,” Gaines said.

He goes to visit a friend he never really knew. Then one crazy football play bound them forever. On a Homecoming afternoon, he collided with Chucky Mullins.

Gaines, a tailback for Vanderbilt, got up and headed back to the huddle. Mullins, a safety for Mississippi, never moved again.

His neck was shattered. He died less than two years later.

We read about such things, wince and move on. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just football.

Gaines knew that on October 28, 1989. He knows it on October 28, 2009.

It doesn’t matter.

“I know it was part of the game,” he said, “but it doesn’t change the fact, you know ...”

He’s tried to explain it a million times why he drives from Nashville to Russellville, Ala. three times a year. If it’s the date of the accident or the date Mullins died or Christmas, Gaines has to make it to the grave that’s marked simply: “Chucky, Man of Courage.”

So what force drives Gaines? Why has he has skipped out early every Christmas or left home at midnight to get back for a morning meeting or barely beat the clock and found himself cleaning Mullins’ grave by the light of the moon?

“There have been times I have had to hitchhike because I ran out of gas, had blown out tires, my car’s broken down,” Gaines said. “But I always make it.”

Everybody from his wife to total strangers has worried and wondered. Perhaps the only person who could truly understand is Mullins.

“It’s almost like it was fate,” Gaines said.

He was a white kid from hoity-toity Vandy. His brothers had played in the NFL. He was a stud running back, the leading receiver in the SEC, a kid whose idea of hardship was getting turned down for a date.

Brad Gaines Mullins was a skinny black kid from a nowhere town. His mother died when he was in sixth grade. He wasn’t particularly fast or strong or talented, but Ole Miss coaches loved his attitude. Mullins would do anything to win.

So it wasn’t surprising that he lowered his helmet and buried it in No. 44’s back. Gaines had gone up to catch a pass. The force from behind knocked the ball loose before he hit the ground.

Gaines scrambled to recover it, but the refs called it an incomplete pass. He didn’t even notice No. 38 wasn’t moving. Before long, the number would literally mean everything to him.

Gaines couldn’t sleep after the accident. He no longer cared about the sport he was raised to love. He didn’t even play his senior season.

He did try to get to know the source of his pain. The first time they formally met, Gaines walked into the hospital room and tried not to visibly shake. Mullins was in a halo contraption with all sorts of tubes attached to his body.

A ventilator was rhythmically hissing at his bedside. Gaines shuffled near the bed, bent over and strained to make out what Mullins said.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

That was Chucky. His spirit never inspired people far beyond the South. Walter Payton visited him. So did Janet Jackson and George H. W. Bush.

More than $1 million was raised for his trust fund. Ole Miss built him a specially equipped house, and he was back in class the next year. Then a blood clot formed in his lung.

Gaines read about it and drove to the hospital in Memphis . Mullins was in a coma, but his friend got there in time to say goodbye. Then doctors removed the life-support system. Gaines went to the hospital roof and wept.

Ole Miss started the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, given each year to a senior defensive player. The winner used to wear No. 38 until the school retired it in 2006.

“You say ‘Chucky,’ and everybody knows what you mean,” Gaines said.

You say Brad, and everybody wonders what that means.

“As I get older I’ve gotten even more emotional about it,” he said. “I don’t know, maybe raising my own kids and how fragile life can be.”

He has four of them now, three girls ages one to 11, and a five-year-old boy. Gaines is a successful businessman but he still drives a 20-year-old Buick his kids hate.

“I wish your car would die,” they tell him all the time.

If it does today, he’ll just start hitchhiking. Gaines has lost count of the trips he’s made to Russellville, but it’s at least 60. None of his kids have ever gone with him. They just know their father has something he has to do.

“When I leave to go to the cemetery, they know why I’m going,” Gaines said. “They see the importance of that, the importance of having love for your fellow man.”

Mullins is buried next to his mother, who died when she was only 32. Gaines will pluck the weeds then clean the dirt and grime off the brown granite headstone.

Then he’ll just sit and talk and pray.

It may seem odd that Gaines carries a picture of Mullins in his wallet. That his phone number still ends with the number 3800. That he just can’t let go.

Why?

“He’s a person I love,” Gaines said, “and I miss.”

It’s as simple as that.

So what will Gaines’ headstone read one day? Is he a Man of Guilt or Craziness or Courage or Compassion?

Whatever it is, Mullins would be proud to clean it.

I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me — my banner will be clear!!!

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“The Fellowship of the Unashamed” is a prayer that has inspired many to stand strong in their faith and to live unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This prayer, originally titled “A Zimbabwean Martyr’s Prayer,” was found among the papers of a young African pastor who was martyred in Zimbabwe some 100+ years ago.

According to Southern Nazarene University, the prayer was passed on by missionary Louise Robinson Chapman who served in Africa from 1920-1940. Years later the prayer became known as “The Fellowship of the Unashamed.” It is unclear if the pastor was killed by Islamic or other forces in that part of the world, but it is known that he was martyred for his refusal to renounce his faith in Christ.

[Holwick: the alliterative phrasing sounds much more like an American than an African who presumably spoke English as a second language. I suspect the original has been greatly adapted before having the current form.]

1. Open my eyes, that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, They will to see;

Open my eyes — illumine me,

Spirit divine!

2. Open my ears, that I may hear

Voices of truth Thou sendest clear

And while the wave-notes fall on my ear,

Ev’rything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, They will to see;

Open my ears — illumine me,

Spirit divine!

3. Open my mouth, and let me bear

Gladly the warm truth ev’rywhere;

Open my heart and let me prepare

Love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, They will to see;

Open my heart — illumine me,

Spirit divine!

*

Paul praised Timothy as a "good soldier of Christ Jesus," and through the centuries, Christians have drawn on the military image of subservient, sacrificial duty to help explain the disciple’s calling. But now the image seems to be shifting. Consider the new Army ad-campaign slogan, "An Army of one."

From a military standpoint, I’m not sure it’s going to thrill junior officers and NCO’s. After all, they’ll have to lead these little individual armies.

Sure, every soldier should see himself as a broadly-competent, count-on-me guy. Cooks need to be marksmen. Isolated riflemen need to be able to scrounge for food in survival, escape, and evasion. All personnel need to serve as though big things depended upon them. And we certainly prize initiative.

But, imagine the poor lieutenant faced with picking guys for some stay-behind detail while the rest of the platoon heads out for some cool exercise with helicopters and all. "But Sir, you don’t understand. I’m more than a rifle range custodian. I’m an Army of one." And what of the truck driver who pulls out of convoy and passes the others so he can get his stuff there first? "What did you think you were doing, Hampton?!" "Sir. Army of one, Sir."

In the face of some disappointing recruiting numbers, the Army has turned to a new ad agency, Leo Burnett of Chicago, who brought us the Marlboro Man. Burnett and outgoing Army Secretary Louis Caldera reason that today’s young are so individualistic and wary of being lost in the crowd that you need to make your pitch beyond their desire for personal maturity ("Be all that you can be") to their "me-now" orientation.

You just hope you don’t get this from the new recruits: "Sorry, Sergeant, I’m not an autumn. That olive drab just doesn’t work with my colors. Anything in a charcoal? That would be best for my Army, namely for me, the Army of one."

The Marines are doing fine with recruitment, and yes, they focus on the quality of the individual; you will be a Marine. But Marines are not Lone Rangers. They’re a part of "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." They’re committed to "The Corps." And "Semper Fi" doesn’t mean, "Always Faithful to Me-Now."

In one of my Army courses, they taught us that each service had its paradigm - the Air Force fighter pilot; the Navy’s carrier captain. But for the Army, it was the citizen soldier, motivated by devotion to duty, honor, and country - John Q. Public joining ranks with millions of farm boys, street toughs, bookworms, and jocks, torn from their mothers’ arms to be sheared, rudely awakened, armed, and barked into formations of another’s choosing.

Somewhere along the line, they came to realize that the universe did not revolve around their self-esteem. But now we seem to be going in the other direction. Instead of "I’m in the Corps," we’re getting, "I’m the core."

Don’t misunderstand me. Army service generates a great deal of pride and self-assurance, but it’s essentially team pride - your squad scored best on the M-16; your platoon aced the compass course; your company led the battalion movement to contact; you wear the Screaming Eagle patch.

In the 1980’s, I reread the Army field manual on leadership. I was surprised to see how it had changed since my ROTC days in the late 1960’s. For one thing, it gave prominent play to psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, with food at the bottom and self-actualization at the top. The book said that leaders needed to address needs at all levels.

Well, okay, but we need to be careful. How does this work when a commander has to ask a small unit to hold key terrain and essentially die in place to buy time so that the larger body can maneuver to safety or to tactical advantage elsewhere? "But Captain, what about my self-actualization?" Can Maslow trump service unto death?

It was 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., July 1968, and we’d just stumbled off the trucks in the company street of our tent city, Camp Eagle, Ft. Sill. We were exhausted from a night patrol exercise tacked onto a full day of training in the West Oklahoma wind and sun. Now for a little rack time.

Not so fast. A rifle was missing.

"So what? I have mine."

Our commander explained that nobody went to bed until the weapon was found, never mind that it wasn’t your weapon. You weren’t an island. You were responsible for checking on your buddy, making sure he was squared away.

Just as we were about to remount the trucks, they found the rifle under the seat in one of the cabs, so we were off the hook. But you can bet we lived at an entirely different level of teamship after that.

Secretary Caldera says that soldiers can learn all that stuff about selflessness once they enlist. I hope so. But I wish the Army would play against rather than to the cultural trend. Let me propose, "Tired of being an army of one? Join the real Army. Duty. Honor. Country."

And, pastors, let’s not even think of trying to "enlist" folks with the slogan, "A Church of One." (See 1 Corinthians 12)

(This piece first appeared in Baptist Press.)

Survey of religious attendance percentages around the world:

Malta 91%, Ireland 72, Mexico 54, United States 43, Germany 21, Korea 19, Britain 14, Norway 7, Japan and Finland 4, Denmark and Iceland 3.

#891

*

As long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord. —1 Samuel 1:28 — Read: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:11

It’s often difficult for parents to “let go” of their children, allowing them to be independent. Because of the strong emotional bond, this is especially true of mothers. They like to keep their children close as long as possible.

My wife and I have experienced this firsthand as our two older girls have moved on to life on their own (one is away at college; one is married). I know how difficult it is for my wife to see her little girls leave home. Of course, it’s not easy for dad either! Imagine letting go when your child is very small, as Hannah did with Samuel. For us today, that kind of sacrifice is inconceivable. Yet that’s what Hannah and her husband Elkanah did.

This mother’s sacrifice was remarkable as an example of complete trust in God. Notice what Hannah said after she dedicated her son to God’s work: “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:1). She didn’t express bitterness or anger—just total release of her only child, knowing that God’s work and will for him were best. Releasing our children to the Lord and His will for their lives demands great faith. As our children grow up, we need to prayerfully entrust them to God’s care. If we do, we’ll experience the peace and joy of knowing that God loves them even more than we do. — JDB

Our children belong to the Lord

From the time they are very small;

So let’s dedicate them to Him,

And release them to His call. — Fitzhugh

Children are in good hands when parents give them to the Lord.

When Major-General O. O. Howard [of the Civil War and Nez Pierce war] was on the Pacific Coast, some of his friends wanted to honor him by having a reception, and they decided to have it on Wednesday night. It was to be a great affair, and the President had given it his sanction. Then someone said, “We had better let him know so he will he ready on Wednesday evening.” Finally they went and told him, “General, Wednesday night we want to see you on a matter of business.”

“Well, gentlemen. you cannot see me on that night because I have a previous engagement.” Finally they said, “It is a celebration, and the President of the United States has given it his approval.” And the old veteran, his eyes flashing, stood up and said, “You know I am a church-member, and I promised the Lord, when I united with his church, that from time to time on Wednesday night I would meet him in prayer-meeting, and there is nothing in this world can make me break that engagement.”

They had the reception, but they had it on Thursday night. When I was out there I asked, “Where is the man who has the greatest influence?” And they said, “It is not a minister of the gospel; it is Major-General Howard.”

________

J. Wilbur Chapan, “Present Day Parables.”

When Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends wrote him: "We would like to send other men to you. Have you found a good road into your area yet?" According to a member of his family, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

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Another version from SermonCentral.com:

THE CHRISTIAN PATH

David Livingstone went to darkest Africa as a lone missionary. After some time his missions committee wrote to him saying, “Some people would like to join you. What’s the easiest road to get where you are?” He replied, “If they’re looking for the easiest road, tell them to stay in England. I want people who will come, even if there’s no road at all!”

Sometimes the pathway of the Christian life appears to change from a smooth-surfaced road to a stony track or peter out altogether.

________

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize

*

When England's Queen Mother died, the British people poured out their affection and respect by lining up for hours to honor her. Her crown was displayed, including the massive, 105-carat diamond - what is known as the Kohinoor Diamond. Actually, Kohinoor means "mountain of light". The story, as I was told it, is that years ago that diamond was given to Queen Victoria by an Indian maharajah when he was a boy. Later, as a grown man, he visited the queen and requested that the diamond be brought from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace. Kneeling before the queen, he gave it back to her saying, "Your Majesty, I gave you this jewel when I was a child, too young to know what I was doing. I want to give it to you again in the fullness of my strength, with all of my heart and gratitude, now and forever, fully realizing all that I do."

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Updated Love."

A childhood commitment, updated and confirmed as an adult. That's important when it comes to your relationship with the King - the King of all kings, that is. It may be that many years ago you made a childhood commitment to Jesus Christ. And a child's commitment to Jesus can be very real. In fact, Jesus didn't say children had to believe with adult-like faith - He said adults need to come to Him with faith like that of a little child.

But there can be two problems with a childhood Christian experience. One is that your life has grown, but your commitment has not. Maybe you're trying to run your grownup life on the strength of something you did with Jesus as a child. But what have you done with Jesus lately? He told us to "take up your cross daily." (Luke 9:23)

Once you begin your relationship with Christ, it's important that you give Him each new day, that you enlarge the sphere of His control daily by giving Him today's temptations - today's struggles, today's challenges - giving Him today's you, not just settling for a one-time experience you had with Him many years ago as a child. If you're wondering why your relationship with Jesus doesn't seem more real, maybe it's because you've never given Him the grownup you!

The other problem with a childhood Christian experience can be that maybe you never really had your own personal saving transaction with Jesus. You agreed with what you heard ... maybe somebody prayed for you ... maybe you went through a ritual that you thought gave you Jesus. But listen to Romans 10, beginning with verse 10, our word for today from the Word of God. "It is with your heart (not just your head) that you believe and are justified ... everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Now, it could be that somehow in your childhood Christianity, you missed Christ. Maybe today you need to backtrack, step up to the cross where Jesus died for your sins, and really give yourself to Him. And if you have any doubt if you've ever done that, do it for sure today - so you'll know from today on.

It's time to give all that you know about you now to all that you know about Jesus.

________________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

[see also HolwickID #12330]

1. We Praise Thee, O God,

for the Son of Thy love,

For Jesus who died and

is now gone above.

Chorus:

Hallelujah, Thine the glory!

Hallelujah, Amen!

Hallelujah, Thine the glory!

Revive us again.

2. We praise Thee, O God,

for Thy Spirit of light,

Who has shown us our Saviour

and scattered our night.

3. All glory and praise

to the Lamb that was slain,

Who has borne all our sins and

has cleansed ev’ry stain.

4. Revive us again –

fill each heart with Thy love;

May each soul be rekindled

with fire from above.

American Baptist missionaries David and Joyce Reed recently attended a special service to organize a mission, or outreach from an established Mexican Baptist church, called "La Casa de Oración" (The House of Prayer). The service is one of the steps the mission must take before it can organize as an official church of the convention.

David says, "The entire membership studies church doctrine and ecclesiology, and then submits to an oral exam by a clergy council." Mission members were called upon to answer the questions. If that person had a problem, others could help. However, the pastor of the mission could not step in.

Here are some of the questions the Reeds heard that night:

• Name 10 attributes of God.

• How will you interpret the will of God for this church?

• How are we adopted as children of God?

• Can you name the Biblical principles for church discipline?

• What is the church?

David asked, "I wonder how many of these questions the members of our local American Baptist churches in the United States could answer?" The examination took about 90 minutes, followed by a two-and-a-half hour worship service. The end result? A unanimous vote to accept this mission as a new church in the Baptist Convention of La Paz, Baja California Sur!

Perfect attendance in Sunday school for any length of time is unusual these days, but for Irene Box Anderson of Sulligent, Alabama, it is quite normal.

Anderson has taught the first- and second-grade department at First Baptist Church for more than 43 years without missing a Sunday, and she shows no sign of slowing down.

She recently celebrated her 73rd birthday, and her commitment to children remains as strong as ever. She refers to her students as her "adopted children." After so many years of teaching, she has become a mother figure to many church members. Her affection for the children is so strong that she gets sad when they promote to the third grade.

Working in Sunday school is "just such a blessing to me," Anderson said. "It seems like I miss a meal if I don't attend. I just have to get to church on time."

Her dedication hasn't wavered despite the loss of loved ones, sickness or even surgery. In February 1977, Anderson convinced her doctors to reschedule an operation and recovery so she could make it to church to teach.

"I don't do it to show off, and it's not a duty," Anderson said. "I just love the Lord, and I do it with the love of my heart."

Former student Natalie Carruth remembers Anderson's teaching and faithfulness. "She would end each lesson with the chorus, 'Into My Heart,' and she would give her students a silver dollar each Christmas." These traditions continued with two of Carruth's children.

Anderson's commitment has continued to inspire Carruth as an adult. "She sets a very steadfast example of what a Sunday school teacher and church member should be," Carruth said. "She is a special lady to many people."

Jeff Chaffin, minister of music and youth, said other church members feel the same way. "People see she is committed to be here," he said. "She doesn't just show up -- she teaches. She proves that the small things that get in our way, don't have to."

Anderson extends her affection beyond her students to include the whole church. "I appreciate my church family. They have been by me through thick and thin," she said. "I've never had a church family like them. They are my family."