54 Sermon Illustrations on Direction

Some years ago, I read about a speedboat driver who had recently survived a racing accident. He said that he had been at near-top speeds when his boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning crazily into the air. He was thrown from his seat and propelled deeply into the water – so deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to remain calm and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface.

Sometimes we find ourselves surrounded by confusing options, too deeply immersed in our problems to know “which way is up.” When this happens, we too can remain calm, waiting for God’s gentle tug to pull us in the proper direction. Our “life vest” may be other Christians, Scripture, or some other leading from the Holy Spirit, but the key is recognizing our dependency upon God and trusting him.

A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers' word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.

What a vivid picture of the Christian life! In this world, we are in reality blind about what course to take. We must rely solely on the Word of the only One who is truly sighted - God himself. His Word gives us the direction we need to finish the course.

#2109

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Exerpts from Henry David Thoreau's book WALDEN, written in 1845:

Be not simply good; be good for something.

In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore ... they had better aim at something high.

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he had imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

In a recent NCAA cross-country championship held in Riverside, California, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the course and began waving for fellow runners to follow him. Delcavo was able to convince only four other runners to go with him.

Asked what his competitors thought of his mid-race decision not to follow the crowd, Delcavo responded, “They thought it was funny that I went the right way.”

Delcavo was one who ran correctly. In the same way, our goal is to run correctly — to finish the race marked out for us by Christ. We can rejoice over those who have courage to follow, ignoring the laughter of the crowd.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness… “ (2 Tim 4:7-8)

#3155

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Another version from Wit&Wisdom:

The runners in an NCAA cross-country track championship held in Riverside, California, came to a turn that was not well-marked…

Mike Delcavo knew the way and waved frantically for the other runners to follow him. Only four did. One hundred twenty-three out of the 128 runners took the wrong turn and lost their opportunity to win the race. Delcavo later said his competitors were laughing as he chose to take what he knew was the right way.

________

Source: KneEmail

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Is God speaking to you? How to tell.

What does God's voice sound like?

A. Heart and Mind.

B. Discerning His Voice.

God speaks with clarity John 10:4

God's voice is specific Isa 30:21

God is not in a hurry 2 Pet 3:8

God confirms His message Rom 15:8

God never contradicts His Word Ps 111:7-8

God's voice corrects instead of accuses Rom 8:1, Rev 12:10

God doesn't change His mind Mal 3:6

C. Keeping a Tender Heart.

(excerpt from His Gentle Voice @1998 Multnomah Publishers Inc.)

Progress has less to do with speed and more to do with direction.

Cited in BITS & PIECES

______________________________

Our company has, indeed, stumbled onto some of its new products. But never forget that you can only stumble if you're moving.

Richard P. Carlton

Former CEO, 3M Corporation

Cited in More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES

*

Not long ago my two brothers and I were visiting in a chat room. Our discussion was the typical light-hearted banter that has caused some people to affectionately describe us “clowns,” or perhaps more appropriately: the Three Stooges. Suddenly the tone changed with a serious question about handling life's decisions, life's disappointments, and remaining faithful and confident in spite of life's sometimes confusing events. After the question, there was another period of joking and a few not-so-serious suggestions. Until my oldest brother shared a concept from Elizabeth Elliot on dealing with grief. She described a lady who after the death of her husband, came into the house got the broom and started to sweep the floor. When asked how she survived the sudden, pre-mature, and tragic death of her husband Elliot said, “I just began to do the next thing there was to do.”

Do the next thing. Needless to say, this bit of counsel launched us into a whole new realm which has spilled over into other conversations. My initial reaction to the suggestion was, “How do you know what the next thing is?” Then, I added, “Sometimes my struggle is... once I know what the next thing is, I don't want to do that next thing. I want a different next thing.” After a few more comments the Norvell trio pretty much agreed that whether we like it or not, and whether we want to do it or not, doing the next thing is good advice, and explains how we have been able to survive of our own set-backs and wilderness wanderings. We just do the next thing.

When you think about it, it makes sense. When tragedy occurs (a death, a serious accident, a great disappointment, a dream dies) the best thing you can do is to do the next thing. You don't have to think a lot about it. You usually don't have to sit and ponder it very long. You simple do the next thing.

The New Testament has several examples of doing the next thing.

In John 11, when Jesus received word that his dear friend Lazarus was deathly sick, he did the next thing. “He stayed where he was two more days” (11:6) ... teaching and ministering to the needs of the people (10:40-42). Then, when He arrived in Bethany and learned that Lazarus had died, he brought him back to life. He was filled with grief, but He did the next thing.

When Jesus learned that the way of the cross was the only way to please the Father, he did the next thing... he went to the cross.

After Jesus had died on the cross, his disciples were scattered, broken, disappointed, and confused. But, they did the next thing. Joseph took the body to the tomb. The two women later went to the tomb. Discovering the empty tomb, they ran to tell the others.

When Jesus confronted guilt-ridden and embarrassed Peter after the resurrection, He instructed him to do the next thing... feed my sheep (John 21). Peter did the next thing. He fed the sheep.

When the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, began spreading the message of Good News throughout the world they were met with opposition, but they did the next thing. They continued to speak. When told they must stop speaking about Jesus, they spoke to one more person.

When Paul's dreams of going to Rome to preach to the masses turned into being confined to his prison-home, he did the next thing. He wrote letters. Letters that remind us to do the next thing.

When those who followed God were met with opposition, difficulty, suffering, loss, or disappointment, they did the next thing.

Now, it is your turn.

Your life has not turned out anything at all like you planned. You feel like a failure in some ways. You are disheartened You are discouraged. You are frustrated. You would like to quit. Instead, may I suggest you do the next thing.

You were almost there. You were so close to the promotion you could see your name going up on the door. But, your boss changed his mind. You are not going anywhere. You are staying right where you are. What should you do? Do the next thing.

Without warning your husband has announced that he is “tired of this life” and wants out. You try, but his decision is final. He leaves. What are you supposed to do? Do the next thing.

The call in the middle of the night informs you that your mother has had a stroke. Within a few days you realize that someone has to take care of her. You are filled with questions that have no easy answers. What are you going to do? Do the next thing.

Your have been healthy for all your life, suddenly you find yourself sitting next to your husband in the doctor's office when you think you heard him say something about cancer. Is it true? Is this really happening to me? Is it really cancer? What are you going to do? Do the next thing.

Your daughter wakes you in the middle of the night with the words, “I need to talk to you.” Within minutes your entire world has changed with the news: “I'm pregnant.” She is only sixteen. What in the world are you going to do? What can you do to help her? Do the next thing.

You hugged your son and told him you loved him. The next thing you know you are listening to a stranger's voice on the other end of a telephone conversation telling you your son was killed in a car accident. No one's fault. No one to blame. It was a freak accident. How will you go on? What can you do? How will you survive this? Do the next thing.

You have worked for the same company for thirty years. You have done a good job. You felt secure. You came to work as usual. There on your desk was the memo informing you that the company had been sold. You see the word: downsizing. Your position has been eliminated. You feel as though you have been eliminated. You are out of a job. What will you do? You will do the next thing.

It is easy to sit at my computer and tell you to do the next thing. Obviously, doing it is not always easy, nor is it always crystal clear what the next thing to be done actually is. The next thing for one person is not that same thing as the next this for someone else. First, pray (that may be the next thing) for strength and wisdom to discover the next thing. Then, once you figure it out, do the next thing. Don't try to do the next ten things, or the next five things, or the next three things, or even the next two things, just do the next thing. Then, after that, do the next thing. Then, do the next thing. Doing the next thing will not only help you survive whatever you are going through, doing the next thing will help you live again. Doing the next may be the one thing that will help you get through the days ahead. So, even if the next thing is not be the thing you had in mind to do, go ahead ... do the next thing.

We are told that in the prairies of South America there grows a flower that always inclines in the same direction. The traveler may lose his way while crossing one of these prairies, and he may have neither compass nor chart by which to steer his course, but turning to this lowly flower he will find a guide on which he can implicitly rely. No matter how heavily the rains may fall, or how violently the winds may blow, its leaves and petals invariably droop toward the north. If whilst we live, we serve a purpose analogous to that of this humble flower, we shall not have lived in vain. If we live to God, if we turn to him in faith and love and prayer and service, as the prairie flower turns toward the north, then some, seeing our good works and our comely life, will be led to glorify our Father who is in heaven.

--F. E. Marsh

Step by Step

He does not lead me year by year

Not even day by day But step by step my path unfolds;

My Lord directs my way. Tomorrows plans I do not know,

I only know this minute; But He will say, "This is the way;

By faith now walk ye in it." And I am glad that it is so,

Todays enough to bear; And when tomorrow comes,

His grace shall far exceed its care. What need to worry then or fret?

The God who gave His Son Holds all my moments in His Hand

And gives them one by one.

.... Trust in the Lord Proverbs 3:5-7

"I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself."

-- Aldous Huxley

"The time is always right to do what is right."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"You can't change what you don't acknowledge."

-- Phil McGraw

"Be prepared to reinvent yourself every year. Imagine starting over with no limitations or encumbrances."

-- Brian Tracy

"Whatever your present situation, I assure you that you are not your habits. You can replace old patterns of self-defeating behavior with new patterns, new habits of the effectiveness, happiness, and trust-based relationships."

-- Stephen Covey

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction."

-- Winston Churchill

"Today changes must come fast; and we must adjust our mental habits, so that we can accept comfortably the idea of stopping one thing and beginning another overnight... We must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost everything. We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before probably cannot be done at all."

-- Donald M. Nelson

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

-- Mohandas Gandhi

"What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly."

-- Lao Tsu

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

-- Count Leo Tolstoy

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

-- Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), writer and clergyman, cited in B&P

"Things do not change; we do."

-- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), philosopher and writer, cited in B&P

"Never doubt the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. That's about the only way it has ever happened in the past."

-- Margaret Mead (1901-1978), anthropologist, The Best of B&P

"In spite of warnings, nothing much happens until the status quo becomes more painful than change."

-- Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990), Writer, BITS & PIECES

"Everything that is full of life loves change, for the characteristic of life is movement toward a new goal, and urges toward new pleasures."

-- Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979), Catholic priest

"Here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often."

-- J. H. Newman, Essay on Development (quoted in Christianity Today [CT])

"Dislocation, with all its risks, is surely preferable to stagnation, which is the temptation when we cling too powerfully to what we have. When we do that, growth ceases. This is living death."

-- Ralph McAfee Brown, Creative Dislocation-The Movement of Grace [CT]

"The status quo can never be totally accepted by one who has an eschatological vision."

-- Charles Curran, Theology Today [CT]

"We have to feel the universe at once as an ogre's castle, to be stormed, and yet as our own cottage, to which we can return at evening."

-- G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy [CT]

"Getting things done [institutionally] is like elephants mating: It is done at a high level, accomplished with a great deal of roaring and screaming, and takes two years to produce results, which usually fall to the ground with a thud."

-- EMC Weather Vane [CT]

"Be not afraid to go slowly; Be only afraid of standing still."

-- Japanese proverb [CT]

"If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere. The key is to make mistakes faster than the competition, so you have more chances to learn and win."

-- John W. Holt Jr., Celebrate Your Mistakes [CT]

"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people."

-- George Bernard Shaw, quoted in Sojo Mail (Sojourners Online) [CT]

"Be not the first by whom the new is tried. Nor yet the last to lay the old aside."

-- Alexander Pope, from "The Essay on Man" [CT]

"A generation is the primary agent of social change... Reform is thus brought organically into a society. People don't change, generations do."

-- Landon Y. Jones, Great Expectations [CT]

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little."

-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Second Inaugural Address (January 20, 1937)

"The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self."

-- Whitney Young (1921-1971), civil rights leader, B&P 06/14/02

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."

-- Thomas Kempis, theologian, QFTM 8/20/02

"There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place."

-- Washington Irving

"When it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change."

-- Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland

"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."

-- Harold Wilson

"Change is an easy panacea. It takes character to stay in one place and be happy there."

-- Elizabeth Clarke Dunn

"Never swap horses crossing a stream."

-- American Proverb

"I've never met a person, I don't care what his condition, in whom I could not see possibilities. I don't care how much a man may consider himself a failure, I believe in him, for he can change the thing that is wrong in his life any time he is ready and prepared to do it. Whenever he develops the desire, he can take away from his life the thing that is defeating it. The capacity for reformation and change lies within."

-- Preston Bradley

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

-- Leo Tolstoi

"Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal."

-- Arthur Schopenhauer

"The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will survive at all in the face of social change."

-- Laurence Joseph McGinley

"We emphasize that we believe in change because we were born of it, we have lived by it, we prospered and grew great by it. So the status quo has never been our god, and we ask no one else to bow down before it."

-- Carl T. Rowan

"We are restless because of incessant change, but we would be frightened if change were stopped."

-- Lyman Lloyd Bryson

"Things do not change, we do."

-- Henry David Thoreau

"The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress."

-- Charles F. Kettering

"He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils."

-- Francis Bacon

"Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes."

-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation."

-- Robert F. Kennedy

"There is nothing permanent except change."

-- Heraclitus

"All change is not growth; all movement is not forward."

-- Ellen Glasgow

"In a progressive country change is constant; ... change ... is inevitable."

-- Benjamin Disraeli

"Weep not that the world changes--did it keep a stable, changeless state, it were a cause indeed to weep."

-- William Cullen Bryant

"Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it."

-- Harry Emerson Fosdick

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security."

-- Gail Sheehy, writer, B&P 4/16/03

"Though no one can go back and make a new beginning - anyone can start from now and make a brand new end."

-- Carl Brand

"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation."

-- Jim Rohn

*

One of our team members is quite the woodsman; quite the hiker. And one foggy Saturday morning, he volunteered to lead a group of men who wanted to go hike to a distinctive rock formation called Hawksbill Crag. After all, he had the book on the trails in that area, a book written by the man considered the expert. My friend kept consulting the book as they went along, confident that they would soon end up at Hawksbill Crag. They ended up lost in a poison ivy patch. And the fog wasn't helping much. As they tried to retrace their steps, they passed a house set back in the woods - and they happened to see its owner outside. My friend called to him and asked him if he could help them get "unlost." The man went above and beyond. He actually came to where they were, helped them make sense of the map they had, and pointed them right to the trail that got them to their goal. Of course, he was the man who wrote the book.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You Can't Find The Trail."

Those men finally found the trail they needed to be on from the person who knew the trail best. There's not one of us who doesn't need that same kind of direction - for our life! Most of us have lived long enough to have already tried several trails that looked good to us, that we were sure would lead us to the meaning we were looking for, to the love we were looking for, to the inner freedom and peace we've always wanted. So far, no trail has led us there. We're lost. In fact, some of us have found ourselves standing in poison ivy rather than looking at the beautiful view we had hoped for.

But all the dead-end trails you've tried, all the fog, all the disappointments have been preparing you to meet the person who knows the trail better than anyone else. And He has our word for today from the Word of God. It's Jesus, of course, and we're reading His words in John 8:12. "Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" Now, Jesus offers a relationship with Him that opens up the awesome possibility of being led by the very person who designed us in the first place.

So you don't have to "walk in darkness" any more. The problem is that we've all, as the Bible says, "gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6) We're lost. We're wondering which way is the right way because we've consistently chosen to go our own way instead of doing it God's way. That's what the Bible calls sin. And we were never meant to blaze our own trail. There's a trail you were made for. But following our own trail instead has left behind us a trail of brokenness, guilt, restlessness, and scars. And ultimately our trail leads right over a cliff into an eternity without God and without hope.

But Jesus left His home in heaven to come where we are - to actually give His life to pay for every wrong thing we've ever done. And today He is saying to you, "Will you follow Me from this point on? I'll forgive your sin, come into your life, and lead you on the trail you were created for." You'll have to resign from being your own guide ... from depending on your religion to get you to heaven, and tell Jesus, "I'm Yours, Lord. You died for me. You've got me."

If you're ready to begin this life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, tell Him that right now. Don't walk any further down a trail that ultimately goes nowhere. You don't have to be lost one more day. With Jesus out in front from now on, you'll finally be able to find what you've been looking for so long.

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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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I was recently with a group of young people who had the enlightening experience of going on a "Trust Walk." They got into pairs, one was blindfolded, and the other got to lead them wherever they wanted and however they wanted for five minutes. Then they reversed roles and the one who had been led got to be the leader, while their former leader got to be the blindfolded follower. I'm glad we videoed it. It was really something to watch. Some led their partner by the arm, others with the follower's hands on the leader's shoulders, and some just lead with their voice. And some led very carefully and considerately - they told them exactly when to step down or up, maybe there was a curb or some stairs. But then there were those who couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation - like Matt - he led his partner into a picnic table, over the picnic table, right into a tree, right into a toy truck on the ground. You should have heard our discussion afterwards as people talked about how they felt about being led ... and how they felt about the person who led them!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Your Personal Trust Walk."

Those who had a "good leader" said their leader kept them from tripping over anything and running into anything. Then I told them what I'm about to tell you - that the invitation of Jesus Christ is expressed in two words - "Follow Me." And He's asking you to go with Him on a Trust Walk with Him for the rest of your life.

Listen to His promise in Isaiah 48:17, our word for today from the Word of God. "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." That's a great promise - in fact, it's even worth memorizing! The fact is, we don't know what is best for us - we really need the leadership of a Lord who can see the whole picture. We may know the way we'd like to go, but we don't know the way we should go. We need God's guiding hand.

And the exciting thing about following Jesus is that he will never lead you where you're going to trip or you're going to run into anything that will be bad for you. His ways are, according to Romans 12:2, "good, pleasing, and perfect." The problem is that you may be following someone else's leading right now - and they're blindfolded, too! Or you may be thinking that the only safe way to go is for you to lead yourself - but you're blindfolded, too! The only One who can see everything ahead of you is Jesus.

One of our "Trust Walkers" said she felt like she had no control when she was following her partner. See, it's that control thing that may be keeping you from experiencing all Jesus wants to lead you into. You refuse to relinquish control, even to God Himself. As a result, you're going to keep tripping and running into things and doing it the hard way. And since when are we in control anyway? So much of our life is totally out of our control! What we're trying to protect is actually the illusion of us being in control.

You may have been battling God over some places He's trying to lead you. That's a battle you cannot win. And it's a blueprint for unnecessary scars and even wasted years. It's time to take His hand and let Him lead you into the very best places you can possibly go. You will have to trust Him - He'll usually only let you know the next step, not the entire road ahead. But that's all you need to know. And there's really nothing to fear in this Trust Walk with Jesus. Anyone who loves you enough to die for you is never going to do you wrong.

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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"

*

It was an amusing billboard - a cartoon drawing of a wide-eyed, bewildered-looking squirrel, holding a broken cable in his paws. The sign just said, "Call before you dig" - and gave a toll-free phone number. Now, the utility folks have this problem - people start digging and they cut right into their lines and their cables - you know, gas lines, phone lines, and phone cables. And in the process, the happy diggers make a big mess for the utility company and their customers. A mess that easily could have been avoided.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Mess Prevention."

Now, it really is a good idea to check with the people in the know before you just start plowing ahead. It's our failure to check with the person who's really in the know that explains many of our most costly mistakes, that causes some of the biggest messes in our life.

Consider the example in Joshua 9:14-15, our word for today from the Word of God. The Jews have been winning one victory after another over the Canaanites as they took possession of the Promised Land that God was giving them. And they are about to come upon Gibeon, one of the royal cities of Canaan. The Gibeonites have heard about the fall of the other cities the Jews have gone against, and they know they're going down next - unless they can trick God's people somehow into making a peace treaty with them. Which seems unlikely in light of the fact that God's orders are to remove every tribe from the land, and not to co-exist with them.

Oh, but the Gibeonites are shrewd. They sent a delegation to see Joshua, with donkeys loaded with cracked wineskins and worn-out sacks. They wore patched sandals and old clothes, and they carried dry and moldy bread with them. The whole scam was to make it look like they were from far away and that they'd come on a long journey. Here's how Joshua and his men decided what to do with these Gibeonites: "The men of Israel sampled their provisions (so they made sure the bread was really dry and moldy) but they did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live." Within days, the Jews learned that the Gibeonites weren't too far away. They were from close by. But because they had been tricked into this treaty, they could not, by honor, remove them as God had commanded.

As a result, the hands of the Jews were tied for years to come, and the treaty actually sparked a major battle with other armies. Now, how did this mess happen? They didn't call before they dug. They decided on the basis of what seemed right to them - but they made the fatal mistake so many of us have made so many times - they didn't check with heaven! And they blew it. So do we.

So much unnecessary pain ... so many unnecessary complications and difficulties and conflicts - all because of our failure to seek God's direction. We neglect to check with God for many reasons - we're in too big of a hurry, we're feeling pressured by other people, we compromise for the sake of convenience, or we just plain know how we want it to be and we stubbornly blaze ahead with our own will. Sometimes, we may even be doing God's thing - but it's not God's time or it's not God's way. We "lean on our own understanding," which only can see part of the picture. When you consult with the Lord, you're getting direction from the only One who can see the whole picture.

In 2 Chronicles 18:4, King Jehoshaphat gave King Ahab this advise before he went running off into battle: "First, seek the counsel of the Lord." King Ahab didn't, and he died in that battle. You can avoid a lot of problems and a lot of pain if you will instinctively check with heaven first. Call before you dig.

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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'

*

I hate to make extra trips back and forth from the car. So I have a tendency to load up with a little more than I should probably carry. At the grocery store, I would rather not be hassled with taking a cart out into the parking lot. So, if at all possible, I'll just load up all those grocery bags in my arms and start walking. It's then that I especially appreciate a particular convenience that many stores have - those doors that open automatically, without you even having to touch them. Well, you do have to do something - you have to walk toward those doors. That's when they open.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “How to Open a Closed Door.”

Interestingly enough, the way you get that automatic door to open is often the way to get God to open a door for you. You have to start moving in that direction. You have to start walking toward it before it will open.

One classic illustration of that is in the Jews' crossing of the Jordan River in our word for today from the Word of God in Joshua 3. It's time to finally enter the land that God has promised to them. But in between them and where God has told them to go is this river, at flood stage yet. The priests are supposed to lead the way, and there's no bridge. Beginning in verse 8, God says, “Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: 'When you reach the edge of Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.’ ... The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.”

If I'm one of those priests, I'm saying, “How about this idea, Lord? You part the waters, and then I'll step in.” God says, “No, you step in, and I'll part the waters.” He's been saying that to His followers ever since. Jesus was ready to change water into wine at a wedding, if the servants would collect the waterpots and fill them with water. Jesus was ready to miraculously feed 5,000 people, if the disciples would have enough faith to at least find a lunch and get everyone organized for a picnic that did not yet exist. Jesus planned to raise Lazarus from the dead, but he first expected the men to roll the stone away from the tomb. God responds to our faith and our obedience.

God has been talking to you about something He wants to do in your family, in your finances, in a life He wants to touch through you, with a change He's been leading you to make. Somewhere in your life there seems to be a closed door standing between you and something God wants you to do. You've been waiting for God to do something. But He's waiting for you to do something - to start walking in the direction of where you believe He wants you to go ... even if there's a closed door or a flooded river in front of you. That's His problem. Your problem is to get moving in the direction He's leading!

Now, if you've been looking for more leading from God, remember the way to discover what you need to know about God's will is to do what you already know is His will. You can't get anywhere as long you're staying in neutral. You've got to shift into forward gear. All the “yeah, buts” - “Yeah, Lord, but what if...?” - all those “yeah, buts” are God's problem. Start walking toward that door - that's when it's going to open!

________________

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

A moment ago, you were sailing along the Interstate. Now, as you inch along with hundreds of other cars, there's bumper-to-bumper traffic as far as the eye can see. You didn't have any plans, did you? Maybe you should have paid attention to those semis getting off a couple of exits ago. Did they know something you didn't know? Oooo, quite possibly. See, they've got those CB radios, and they know how to use them. They radio ahead to drivers that are either farther down the road or coming from the other direction - folks who can tell you what you're headed for. Then you know where you should be going.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Inside Information on What's Ahead.”

You know, it's good to have inside information of what's ahead - especially if it's inside information on what's ahead forever! If we only had some solid intelligence on what's on the other side of the day we die, we'd know what road to take and to avoid. Thankfully, God has not left us in the dark about what's ahead.

In fact, Jesus gave us a dramatic, sobering report from someone who ended up on the wrong road, and it's our word for today from the Word of God. It's a story about a beggar named Lazarus, who actually goes to heaven when he dies - and a rich man who ends up in hell. Now Jesus never used a person's name in His parables, so we have reason to believe this is a true story. By the way, when someone says, “You mean you believe in hell?”, all I can say is, “Well, Jesus did - and He knows a whole lot more about what's out there than you or I do.” In fact, Jesus talked about hell more than He talked about heaven. Maybe because He knew we wouldn't want to believe it, and because He came to give His life so we don't ever have to go there.

In this amazing eyewitness account from the other side in Luke 16, beginning with verse 23, the Bible says, “In hell, where the rich man was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'“ Abraham answers from heaven: “Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” Finally, the man in hell asks if Lazarus could be sent to tell his brothers what's ahead. And He says, “Warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

I guess we could all just try to guess about hell, or we can listen to Jesus and the one man who reported back from there. It's a destination that's final - where there's no company - as if each person is alone there ... no second chance, no relief. But God never meant for any of us to go there. Hell was prepared for Satan and his demons. But hell is the eternal death penalty for you and me defying God and running our own lives. He had every right to just leave us condemned. But instead, because of His awesome love for you, He sent His one and only Son to take that death penalty for you when He died on the cross. Jesus experienced your hell so you don't ever have to.

God won't send you to hell. The only way you'll end up there is if you send yourself - by refusing to put your total trust in the rescuer who died for you - Jesus, or because you decided to trust your goodness or your religion to save you. It makes no sense to delay even a day to make things right with God. One day will be your last day, and it will be too late then. Please, tell Jesus, “I'm putting all my trust in You and Your death in my place. I'm Yours.” When you do that, the Bible says, you “cross over from death to life” (John 5:24).

If every living soul knew what every departing soul discovers, I believe they would run to Jesus. Don't risk another day without Him.

__________

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

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate in KeruxID 25837-26027]

What do you use for your life’s compass? No matter how insightful, wise, experienced, or knowledgeable we may be, only God can guide our steps properly. God asks us to trust him and his wisdom even when we can’t immediately see the rationale behind it. He wants us to recognize his presence, guidance, and grace in all we do. As we trust and as we acknowledge his presence, we suddenly realize that our paths are a lot straighter and our destinations are a lot a closer.

Prayer: Abba Father, please give me courage to not lean on my own understanding. I know my thinking can be flawed and what I intend for good can blow up in my face. Please bless me with wisdom and insight as I seek to live for you in today’s confusing and immoral world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daniel Boone and David Crockett remain legendary figures in American history because of their explorations and discoveries along the western frontier of the United States. These two men, both famous in western folklore, have been called the greatest hunter heroes of our nation. People often confuse the two men with each other; they lived similar yet very distinct lives. Their distinction lies in the impact they each had on the development of American civilization.

Daniel Boone, older than Crockett by 50 years, was born in a Quaker settlement in Pennsylvania and always felt drawn to the frontier wilderness. He was raised in the quiet formality of the Quakers but was enchanted by the unknowns of the frontier. Paul Andrew Hutton, a historian from the University of New Mexico, stated that Boone “was the Enlightenment hero on the frontier. He in fact brought civilization to the wilderness.”

David Crockett was born into poverty in 1786 in the wilderness of southeastern Tennessee. Crockett’s family lived in various frontier outposts and Indian villages before eventually settling in more civilized areas. Crockett’s legend remains well-known to Texans because of his heroic attempts to help defend the Alamo in 1836.

David Crockett strongly represented the interests of western people while serving three terms in Congress as a representative from Tennessee. Professor Hutton described Crockett as one who “took the values of the west, the values of self-reliance, the values of perseverance, the strength of the character that marked the frontiersman, and he took them back east.”

While these men both thrived on the alluring mystery of the frontier, their impacts were almost opposite in effect. Boone was the easterner who went west, taking the mindset and lifestyle of the civilized world into the wilderness. Crockett, on the other hand, was the westerner who went east, taking the independent and rugged spirit of the wilderness into the more stoic culture of the eastern states.

During this Christmas season, Christians think back to the Savior who came 2,000 years ago and simultaneously think about their responsibilities to serve Him. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Creator God, was born to a teenage mother on that first Christmas and, thus, brought heaven to earth. In one sense, he brought spiritual salvation and the peacefulness of eternity to this sinful wilderness called humanity.

Like Daniel Boone, Jesus came from a more civilized place and moved to a less civilized place, from perfect sinlessness in heaven to the world of sinful humanity on earth.

As followers of Christ, the Christian’s calling is to be like Jesus, which may also mean being a little like David Crockett. While people have been born in the spiritual wilderness of the world, they are to learn the spiritually civilized ways of God and His Word and teach them to their fellow citizens. Christians are called to take their “heaven-ness” back to their homes and neighborhoods.

When a Christ-follower experiences a changed life and receives a new spirit, he or she is asked to share the joy of that experience with others. Like David Crockett, Christians are to take their spirit, no longer independent but now God-dependent, and share it with those who have yet to see what they have seen, who have yet to experience this new life, who have yet to travel to the frontier outpost called new life in Christ.

What can we learn from American history? We can learn that our past is important and almost always impacts our future. We can learn that both Boone and Crockett loved the frontier spirit and wanted to share that with others. We can learn that where we have been matters greatly, but where we are going matters most of all.

Merry Christmas.

*

Edith Schaeffer's life gives lie to the myth that one must be either a “Mary” or a “Martha.” Together with her husband, Francis Schaeffer, she opened her home to found L'Abri, which in fifty years has grown into a network of study centers all over the world. The word L'Abri means shelter, and the Schaeffers wanted their home in the mountains of Switzerland to be a safe place for people to ask intellectual questions and explore the solid answers provided by the Christian faith.

Part of what makes the L'Abri atmosphere so inviting to this day is that most of the discussions take place informally over meals or during afternoon tea. This tradition arose out of Edith Schaeffer's culinary skills and servant-heartedness. In the early stages of L'Abri, she did all of the cooking and cleaning to make the backpackers, hippies, and university students feel like welcome houseguests. The answers Francis Schaeffer gave to their questions as well as the peacefulness of the Swiss mountain chalet drew visitors in greater and greater numbers.

The growing number of guests made a lot of work for Edith Schaeffer who also had to care for four children, two of whom had major health problems. She writes, “Sometimes when difficult times are being lived through it seems as though the difficulties are simply too mundane to be the least bit worthwhile. Martyrs being tortured or persecuted for their faith at least sounds dramatic. Having to cook, serve meals to two sittings at times without ever sitting down to eat in between yourself, having constantly to clean up spilled and broken things, to empty mounds of garbage, and to scrub a stove that things have boiled over on, or an oven in which things have spilled over and baked to a black crust is neither dramatic nor glamorous!”(1)

But Edith's mind was not idle as she scrubbed the stove and made the beds. She too engaged in conversation with the guests, helping them probe their existential questions and come to know the one the Schaeffers called “the God who is there.” She did not see the material realm as unrelated to the spiritual realm, and she did not describe housework as drudgery. No one can tell how many lives have been changed or how many sons and daughters of God have been born at her table.

Running L'Abri required great sacrifices for the Schaeffer family, but they made the sacrifices willingly, and saw the work not as their own, but God's. Edith Schaeffer writes,

“As I look around at all the people gathered at a high tea on a

Sunday — often as many as fifty — and look from face to face

thinking of how many of them became Christians at L'Abri;

remember how many atheists are now Christians; become bewildered

at trying to sort out the happenings of the succession of years,

or trying to remember the varieties of people, let alone all the

individuals, who have come, and been affected in their coming: as

I look around I feel a little shudder of another kind.

“What if...we had decided to plan the work ourselves? What

if...we had not thrown ourselves upon the reality of prayer, and

God's promises to answer...and His ability to carry out His

promises of guiding His children? What would have been

missed?”(2)

At the end of my own life, these are the sort of questions that I want to haunt me.

________

1. L'Abri (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1969) p. 155.

2. Ibid. p. 194.

________

Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

*

There's nothing more pathetic than a lost earthworm. Trust me. I know. My daughter Annie and I were walking down the long dirt road from our house to the street to pick up the paper Saturday morning when we spotted it.

The unlucky earthworm had crawled from the lush green grass at the edge onto the sandy surface of the road. You could trace his progress in the sand. He seemed headed across the road when he swerved. Maybe it was the slight rise and fall of the surface that threw him off, I don't know. But all at once he began to crawl in irregular circles. When we found him, the poor thing was thin and dry, covered with tiny grains of sand, in utter despair. Round and round he wriggled as the sun rose higher hastening the hour when his arch enemy -- car tires -- would find him naked and exposed. Swish, grind, and that would be all.

“Let's rescue him,” I said to Annie. She gently lifted his grainy form from the road and deposited it gingerly in the safety of the tall grass at the side. What a way to begin a day. It makes you feel good deep inside to rescue a worm.

But there were others. Scores of others. Worm after hapless worm had made his way from the safety of the grass to the trackless desert of the road. Occasionally we'd find a fat, juicy worm just beginning his brave journey, blissfully unaware of the dangers ahead. Little did he know....

But we were there for them. I would look for the tell-tale circling track in the sand. “There's another,” I would shout, and Annie would rush to the rescue site to lift yet another victim to safety. What would explain this great worm exodus? As we worked together as a finely-tuned mercy team, a theory began to unfold. There must have been some worm of a disk jockey on a late night station who had offered a prize for the worm who made it to the other side. That must be it!

But who would receive the prize? We began to look for that one worm winner who possessed that stamina, courage, and unerring sense of direction required for this daring expedition. Did this one make it, I would wonder as I traced his trail in the sand. No, here he starts to curve around. Invariably, one after another, the worms would lapse into circles, aimlessly crawling, going nowhere -- rapidly at first, then slower and slower as their precious resources drained away.

We were almost back to the house when we found him, the worm who had bet against the odds and won. We traced his trail from one side of the road to the other. But no, he was within inches of the grass on the far side when he veered and began heading the wrong direction, back to where he came from, the “Wrong Way Carrigan” of the worm world.

I tell you no lie. It actually happened, though I can't vouch for the disk jockey part. But enough of grainy, bedraggled worms.

As Annie and I joked and rescued our way back to the house I thought of people I know. Where are we on our journey? Where are we going, anyway? Do we have a life goal, a destination, or are we just wandering?

A verse came to mind as I acted as chief worm-spotter: “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8). If only those worms had air support -- someone with perspective to radio down their position -- they could make it.

And I thought of how desperately we need a Guide to show us the way across, a Rescuer who will pick us up, hopeless and lost though we may be, and gently deposit us on the other side. “Rescuer,” you know means about the same as “Savior.” Jesus is that Rescuer. He knows the way.

Are you tired of going round in circles, fighting fatigue and the fear of being squashed flat? Lift your weary head one more time and utter a faint worm-prayer. And then watch for your Rescuer. Look up! Look up!

________

Illustration by Rex Bohn, for the article as it originally appeared in Sunday Digest, April 25, 1993.

*

I remember trying to use a compass before I understood how they work. I knew that the letters stood for “North, South, East, and West.” What I did not understand was that the most important feature of the compass was the needle, which always points north. I foolishly assumed that since “N” stood for north, if I turned the compass around, north somehow moved (keep in mind that I was very young). It was only after someone explained to me the proper use for the compass and helped me practice lining up the needle that the compass became useful to me.

Many, many people in our world approach truth the way a child uses a compass. The idea of personal truth — that a thing may be true for you, but not for me — makes no more sense than the idea of having personal, conflicting compasses. If two hikers have two compasses and the needles are not pointing in the same direction, one or both of the compasses are broken. The compasses are not meant to reflect the user's opinion; they are meant to reflect a fixed reality. It is precisely because we humans get disoriented that we need an instrument of reorientation. If one has a desire to go north and one orients oneself toward the direction that one supposes is north, this does not make it north. In the same way, it is neither the desire for truth nor the pursuit of truth that determines whether truth is in fact reached.

Let's suppose that I want to go east. The only way that I can use my compass to find the east is to align the compass's needle (pointing to true north) with the N on the compass's face. Then I can confidently assume that the E is in fact pointing east. In the same way, we must have some idea of fixed, unchanging truth if we are ever to get our philosophical or spiritual bearings.

As I talk with people who are trying to evaluate the Christian worldview, I often feel as if they are spinning a compass aimlessly. They may have some positive feelings about Christianity, but have no idea whether or not it is sufficiently coherent to make sense of the world. They may have respect for the Christian tradition, but balk at the idea that it somehow negates other worldviews.

In an attempt to figuratively align the needle to true north, I try to bring these conversations back to the person of Jesus Christ. The most important step towards understanding the Christian faith is investigating whether or not Jesus was who he claimed to be; the worldview stands or falls on this question. Once the question of Jesus has been settled, then a seeker can decide in which direction he or she should go. When the needle is pointing to Jesus, one recognizes that the Christian faith must be accepted or rejected (it cannot be merely admired).

If you feel like your compass is spinning, try to focus your search on the question of Jesus. You may or may not be convinced by his claims. If you are, you must orient the rest of your life around the fact that he is the Truth.

It is only when we learn to navigate by him that we find our way home.

________

Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

*

Acts 19:21–19:41 — Leaving Ephesus: the plan and the riot — (outline by F. F. Bruce, NICNT) « Leader information shown in this fashion »

{A.} The Birth of the Church (1:1–5:42)

{B.} Persecution and Expansion (6:1–9:31)

{C.} The Acts of Peter & Beginnings of Gentile Christianity (9:32-12:25)

{D.} Church Extension from Antioch & Apostolic Decree at Jerusalem

(12:25–15:35)

{E.} Paul Leaves Antioch & Moves to the Aegean World (15:36–19:20)

{1} Recently Planted Churches Revisited (15:36–16:5)

{2} Philippi (16:6–40)

{3} Thessalonica to Athens (17:1-34)

{4} Corinth (18:1–17)

{5} Ephesus (18:18–19:20) « Review this section »

A. Hasty Visit to Ephesus (18:18–21)

B. Brief Visit to Judaea and Syria (18:22–23)

C. Apollos (18:18–24)

D. Paul & the 12 Disciples of Ephesus (19:1–7)

E. The Lecture Hall of Tyrannus (19:8–10) « in siesta hours »

F. Conflict with the Magicians (19:11–19) « drachma=day’s work »

G. Further (the Fifth) Progress Report (19:20)

{F.} Paul Plans to Visit Rome and Gets there by an Unforseen Route

(Acts 19:21–28:31)

{1.} He Prepares to Leave Ephesus for Macedonia and Achaian (Acts 19:21–20:6)

A. Paul Makes Plans for the Future (19:21–22; NKJV): 21 When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.

1. What were the major cities (where Paul had preached)

a. In Macedonia? « – Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea »

b. In Achaia? « – Athens, Corinth »

2. What was the guiding governance in Paul’s life (consider Philippians 2:13)? « – the Holy Spirit »

3. Does this mean Paul knew fully what was going to happen to him in every circumstance (consider Acts 20:23) « – only what the Spirit chose to reveal to him directly or indirectly »

4. Do we need such guidance today? … of what character? « – discuss promises such as Psalm 32:8, John 16:13; give personal examples of leading (in call to ministry, in sermon subject) by the burden or need; discuss claim of “a voice from heaven” »

5. How did Paul prepare for his return to Macedonia? « – sending two fellow-workers there; might be same Erastus as in Romans 16:23 (written from Corinth) and 2 Timothy 4:20 »

6. Pauls afflictions here: 1 Corinthians 15:32, 2 Corinthians 1:8–9

B. The Riot at Ephesus Acts 19:23–41

1. Indignation of the Silversmiths (19:23–28; NKJV): 23 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess « * » Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” « * Greek: Artemis; she was Asiatic in form and name »

a. What concerns did Demetrius, the silversmith, voice?

i. The loss « of personal trade, income and prestige »

ii. The effect « on the worship of Diana; this temple was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world (425’ x 220’ x 60”, 127 marble pillars); foundation uncovered 1869 »

b. How sincere was his statement in your opinion? « – Pro: he was speaking to like-minded craftsmen so he didn’t need a religious motive; Con: the religious motif gave a rallying cry that could inflame the whole populace »

c. What was it about The Way that caused this commotion? « – there is no other way; Christ as God is exclusively Saviour »

d. What does The Way likewise threaten today? « – discuss anti-Christian industries and activities; things in our lives »

2. Demonstration in the Theatre (19:29–34; NKJV): 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. 31 Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. 32 Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 And they drew « * » Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. 34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” « * who is this? … Jewish interest? »

a. Paul’s travelling companions

i. Gaius – see Romans 16:23, 1 Corinthians 1:14 « – probably different from 3 John 1:1, 4-5 (John’s convert?) and Gaius of Derbe (Acts 20:4) »

ii. Aristarchus – see Colossians 4:10, Philemon 1:24 « – a prisoner with Paul in Rome; from Thessalonica (20:4) »

b. What good qualities does Paul show, verses 30-31? « – listens to the counsel of other believers; constancy in willingness to face the mob to defend his companions »

c. What marked this assembly? « – total confusion or chaos »

3. The Town Clerk Calms the Agitation (19:35–41; NKJV): 35 And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? 36 Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

a. The city clerk would act as secretary of any civic assembly and liaise with Roman authorities; what particular concern would he have in this situation? « – Rome would hold him responsible for any disorderly (unlawful) gathering »

b. Historic replicas of this image are grotesque and unlike the Roman, Diana; what caused its reverence? « – its supposed heavenly source (some say made of vine-wood or ebony) »

c. How did the city clerk assess Gaius and Aristarchus (and thus, indirectly, their leader, Paul)? « – as innocent of any crime – note that The Way was still considered a Jewish sect and thus free to preach monotheism though hated for this reason (which explains the Jewish interest in this event) »

d. What recourse did he say was open to the craftsmen? « – to come to the regular assizes and there sue a complaint »

e. Was the city clerk right in his assessment of the danger to the worship of Artemis? « – no; the worship disappeared and the temple fell to ruins, disappearing for centuries; compare younger Pliny (Epistles 10.96.10) that the spread of Christianity had reduced sale of fodder for sacrificial animals in Bithynia, ca. AD 112 »

f. What argument probably decided the mob? « – the Roman army would step in to restore law and order »

Sermon on spiritual and moral choices. Ezekiel 21:21

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

====================

I. Forks in the road.

A. Yogi Berra's advice.

B. New Years focuses our minds on changing direction.

II. The forks of life decisions.

A. These are the decisions we worry about the most.

B. Important decisions should be carefully considered.

C. Jesus relates these to "What shall I eat, drink, drink?"

III. The forks of moral decisions.

A. They have different sizes.

B. They have different weights.

C. Moral forks come at us daily.

IV. The fork of your spiritual decision.

A. As in every area of life, there are options here.

B. Jesus and the narrow way. Matthew 7:13-14

C. One way is the right way.

D. How can we know which road we are on?

78-year-old Salomon Gasca and his wife, 73-year-old Lorenza Gasca, were at brunch with their family in Houston, Texas. Then they got in the car to drive to another relative’s house about a mile away.

But they never showed up.

Finally, after several hours, their family members called the police and reported them missing.

After THREE DAYS of being missing, police finally got a hit on their license plate ... 524 miles east, in Pensacola, Florida.

Apparently, Salomon and Lorenza made one wrong turn during their one-mile drive to their relative’s house and just kept driving. And driving. And driving.

The police in Pensacola checked them into a motel. Both are on blood pressure medication but seemed to be all right.

Their daughter got in her car and drove to Florida to get them.

________

Houston Chronicle

A Swedish couple in search of the isle of Capri drove to Carpi, an industrial town in northern Italy, because they misspelt the name in their car’s GPS. Italian officials say the couple asked at Carpi’s tourist office where they could find Capri’s famous Blue Grotto. The car’s satellite navigation system had sent them 650km (400 miles) off course to Carpi.

“Capri is an island. They did not even wonder why they didn’t cross any bridge or take any boat,” said a bemused tourism official in Carpi.

Once they realised their mistake, the couple got back in their car and headed south, the official added.

I was recently with a group of young people who had the enlightening experience of going on a "Trust Walk." They got into pairs, one was blindfolded, and the other got to lead them wherever they wanted and however they wanted for five minutes. Then they reversed roles and the one who had been led got to be the leader, while their former leader got to be the blindfolded follower. I'm glad we videoed it. It was really something to watch. Some led their partner by the arm, others with the follower's hands on the leader's shoulders, and some just lead with their voice. And some led very carefully and considerately - they told them exactly when to step down or up, maybe there was a curb or some stairs. But then there were those who couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation - like Matt - he led his partner into a picnic table, over the picnic table, right into a tree, right into a toy truck on the ground. You should have heard our discussion afterwards as people talked about how they felt about being led ... and how they felt about the person who led them!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Your Personal Trust Walk."

Those who had a "good leader" said their leader kept them from tripping over anything and running into anything. Then I told them what I'm about to tell you - that the invitation of Jesus Christ is expressed in two words - "Follow Me." And He's asking you to go with Him on a Trust Walk with Him for the rest of your life.

Listen to His promise in Isaiah 48:17, our word for today from the Word of God. "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." That's a great promise - in fact, it's even worth memorizing! The fact is, we don't know what is best for us - we really need the leadership of a Lord who can see the whole picture. We may know the way we'd like to go, but we don't know the way we should go. We need God's guiding hand.

And the exciting thing about following Jesus is that he will never lead you where you're going to trip or you're going to run into anything that will be bad for you. His ways are, according to Romans 12:2, "good, pleasing, and perfect." The problem is that you may be following someone else's leading right now - and they're blindfolded, too! Or you may be thinking that the only safe way to go is for you to lead yourself - but you're blindfolded, too! The only One who can see everything ahead of you is Jesus.

One of our "Trust Walkers" said she felt like she had no control when she was following her partner. See, it's that control thing that may be keeping you from experiencing all Jesus wants to lead you into. You refuse to relinquish control, even to God Himself. As a result, you're going to keep tripping and running into things and doing it the hard way. And since when are we in control anyway? So much of our life is totally out of our control! What we're trying to protect is actually the illusion of us being in control.

You may have been battling God over some places He's trying to lead you. That's a battle you cannot win. And it's a blueprint for unnecessary scars and even wasted years. It's time to take His hand and let Him lead you into the very best places you can possibly go. You will have to trust Him - He'll usually only let you know the next step, not the entire road ahead. But that's all you need to know. And there's really nothing to fear in this Trust Walk with Jesus. Anyone who loves you enough to die for you is never going to do you wrong.

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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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