DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY – A HEART STARTER #37.

There are no victories at discount prices. - General Dwight Eisenhower.

Well folks, the weekends over, and it’s back to work for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, for those who don’t, please continue to enjoy your weekend, but remember, Mondays coming! And as we know by experience, Mondays can be very sluggish, especially after a lovely weekend, where we managed to spend some quality time with our families and friends, and suddenly it’s back to the grind.

I thought by way of encouragement, that we could have a ‘Heart Starter’ from the word of God, rather than the six cups of coffee, or whatever it takes, to get started for the rest of the week!

As you will have realised earlier, our ‘Heart Starter’ today is VICTORY…

Colin Chapman, in The Case for Christianity, quotes Ugandan bishop Festo Kivengere's account of the 1973 execution by firing squad of three men from his diocese: February 10 began as a sad day for us in Kabale. People were commanded to come to the stadium and witness the execution. Death permeated the atmosphere. A silent crowd of about three thousand was there to watch. I had permission from the authorities to speak to the men before they died, and two of my fellow ministers were with me. They brought the men in a truck and unloaded them. They were handcuffed and their feet were chained. The firing squad stood at attention.

As we walked into the center of the stadium, I was wondering what to say. How do you give the gospel to doomed men who are probably seething with rage? We approached them from behind, and as they turned to look at us, what a sight! Their faces were all alight with an unmistakable glow and radiance.

Before we could say anything, one of them burst out: "Bishop, thank you for coming! I wanted to tell you. The day I was arrested, in my prison cell, I asked the Lord Jesus to come into my heart. He came in and forgave me all my sins! Heaven is now open, and there is nothing between me and my God! Please tell my wife and children that I am going to be with Jesus. Ask them to accept him into their lives as I did."

The other two men told similar stories, excitedly raising their hands, which rattled their handcuffs. I felt that what I needed to do was to talk to the soldiers, not to the condemned. So I translated what the men had said into a language the soldiers understood. The military men were standing there with guns cocked and bewilderment on their faces. They were so dumbfounded that they forgot to put the hoods over the men's faces!

The three faced the firing squad standing close together. They looked toward the people and began to wave, handcuffs and all. The people waved back. Then shots were fired, and the three were with Jesus. We stood in front of them, our own hearts throbbing with joy, mingled with tears. It was a day never to be forgotten. Though dead, the men spoke loudly to all of Kigezi District and beyond, so that there was an upsurge of life in Christ, which challenges death and defeats it. The next Sunday, I was preaching to a huge crowd in the home town of one of the executed men. Again, the feel of death was over the congregation. But when I gave them the testimony of their man, and how he died, there erupted a great song of praise to Jesus! Many turned to the Lord there. - Ray Stamps.

Walking through a park, I passed a massive oak tree. A vine had grown up along its trunk. The vine started small--nothing to bother about. But over the years the vine had gotten taller and taller. By the time I passed, the entire lower half of the tree was covered by the vine's creepers. The mass of tiny feelers was so thick that the tree looked as though it had innumerable birds' nests in it.

Now the tree was in danger. This huge, solid oak was quite literally being taken over; the life was being squeezed from it. But the gardeners in that park had seen the danger. They had taken a saw and severed the trunk of the vine--one neat cut across the middle. The tangled mass of the vine's branches still clung to the oak, but the vine was now dead. That would gradually become plain as weeks passed and the creepers began to die and fall away from the tree.

How easy it is for sin, which begins so small and seemingly insignificant, to grow until it has a strangling grip on our lives. And yet, Christ's death has cut the power of sin. Yes, the "creepers" of sin still cling and have some effect. But sin's power is severed by Christ, and gradually, sin's grip dries up and falls away. - J. Alistair Brown.

Wow! Now that our hearts are beating regularly, let’s consider what we have just read over a cup of Java, and ask the Lord to help us by the Holy Spirit, to realise that there is Victory in Christ Jesus!

Loving Heavenly Father, I thank you for the beautiful weekend that I have just had. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to start off this week, by taking on board, some of the advice and inspirations that I have just read. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY – A HEART STARTER #26

After William Carey was well established in his pioneer missionary work in India, his supporters in England sent a printer to assist him. Soon the two men were turning out portions of the Bible for distribution. Carey had spent many years learning the language so that he could produce the scriptures in the local dialect. He had also prepared dictionaries and grammars for the use of his successors.

One day while Carey was away, a fire broke out and completely destroyed the building, the presses, many Bibles, and the precious manuscripts, dictionaries, and grammars. When he returned and was told of the tragic loss, he showed no sign of despair or impatience. Instead, he knelt and thanked God that he still had the strength to do the work over again. He started immediately, not wasting a moment in self-pity. Before his death, he had duplicated and even improved on his earlier achievements. - Source Unknown.

Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. - Jam 1:12.

Well folks, the weekends over, and it’s back to work for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, for those who don’t, please continue to enjoy your weekend, but remember, Mondays coming! And as we know by experience, Mondays can be very sluggish, especially after a lovely weekend, where we managed to spend some quality time with our families and friends, and suddenly it’s back to the grind.

I thought by way of encouragement, that we could have a ‘Heart Starter’ from the word of God, rather than the six cups of coffee, or whatever it takes, to get started for the rest of the week!

Our subject today is Challenge…

During WWI one of my predecessors at Tenth Presbyterian Church, Donald Grey Barnhouse, led the son of a prominent American family to the Lord. He was in the service, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company. The war ended. The day came when he was to return to his pre-war life in the wealthy suburb of a large American city.

He talked to Barnhouse about life with his family and expressed fear that he might soon slip back into his old habits. He was afraid that love for parents, brothers, sisters, and friends might turn him from following after Jesus Christ. Barnhouse told him that if he was careful to make public confession of his faith in Christ, he would not have to worry. He would not have to give improper friends up. They would give him up.

As a result of this conversation the young man agreed to tell the first ten people of his old set whom he encountered that he had become a Christian. The soldier went home. Almost immediately--in fact, while he was still on the platform of the suburban station at the end of his return trip--he met a girl whom he had known socially. She was delighted to see him and asked how he was doing. He told her, "The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened." "You're engaged to be married," she exclaimed. "No," he told her. "It's even better than that. I've taken the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior." The girls' expression froze. She mumbled a few polite words and went on her way.

A short time later the new Christian met a young man whom he had known before going into the service. "It's good to see you back," he declared. "We'll have some great parties now that you've returned." "I've just become a Christian," the soldier said. He was thinking, That's two! Again it was a case of a frozen smile and a quick change of conversation. After this the same circumstances were repeated with a young couple and with two more old friends.

By this time word had got around, and soon some of his friends stopped seeing him. He had become peculiar, religious, and -- who knows! -- they may even have called him crazy! What had he done? Nothing but confess Christ. The same confession that had aligned him with Christ had separated him from those who did not want Jesus Christ as Savior and who, in fact, did not even want to hear about Him. - J.M. Boice, Christ's Call To Discipleship, Moody, 1986, p. 122-23.

THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE...
who cannot be bought;
whose word is their bond;
who put character above wealth;
who possess opinions and a will;
who are larger than their vocations;
who do not hesitate to take chances;
who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
who will make no compromise with wrong;
whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
who will not say they do it" because everybody else does it";
who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success;
who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes." - Charles Swindoll.

Wow! Now that our hearts are beating regularly, let’s consider what we have just read over a cup of Java, and thank the Lord for our strength in Him, and also for the power of the Holy Spirit, that helps us in challenging times.

Loving Father, I thank you for the beautiful weekend that I have just had. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to start off this week, by taking on board some of the advice that I have just read, and to stand fast in challenging times. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY – A HEART STARTER #25.

Worry is fear's extravagance. It extracts interest on trouble before it comes due. It constantly drains the energy God gives us to face daily problems and to fulfill our many responsibilities. It is therefore a sinful waste. A woman who had lived long enough to have learned some important truths about life remarked, "I've had a lot of trouble -- most of which never happened!" She had worried about many things that had never occurred, and had come to see the total futility of her anxieties. - Source Unknown.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6.

Well folks, the weekends over, and it’s back to work for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, for those who don’t, please continue to enjoy your weekend, but remember, Mondays coming! And as we know by experience, Mondays can be very sluggish, especially after a lovely weekend, where we managed to spend some quality time with our families and friends, and suddenly it’s back to the grind.

I thought by way of encouragement, that we could have a ‘Heart Starter’ from the word of God, rather than the six cups of coffee, or whatever it takes, to get started for the rest of the week!

Our subject today is WORRY…

An average person's anxiety is focused on :
40% -- things that will never happen
30% -- things about the past that can't be changed
12% -- things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
10% -- about health, which gets worse with stress
8% -- about real problems that will be faced

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear.
Fear is not my native land; faith is.
I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil.
I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety.
In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air.
A John Hopkins University doctor says, "We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non- worriers, but that is a fact."
But I, who am simple of mind, think I know;
We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear.
God made us that way.
To live by worry is to live against reality.
- Dr. E. Stanley Jones.

For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. "Good evening," said the man of the house. "I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you." - William Marshall.

Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat...worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles. A dense fog that covers a seven-city-block area one hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water divided into sixty thousand million drops. Not much is there but it can cripple an entire city. When I don't have anything to worry about, I begin to worry about that. - Walter Kelly.

Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and founder of what is today known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, gave this excellent advice: "Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God's] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about."
- Hudson Taylor.

Wow! Now that our hearts are beating regularly, let’s consider what we have just read over a cup of Java, and thank the Lord for our strength in Him, and also for the power of the Holy Spirit, that helps us in our times of anxiety.

Loving Father, I thank you for the beautiful weekend that I have just had. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to start off this week, by taking on board some of the advice that I have read, and to avoid the necessity of unrealistic situations in my life. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT – WEDNESDAY WARRIOR! #6.

When we are in hand-to-hand conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil himself, neat little Biblical confectionery is like shooting lions with a pea-shooter; God needs a man who will let go and deliver blows right and left as hard as he can hit, in the power of the Holy Ghost. Nothing but forked-lightning Christians will count. – C.T. Studd.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well; - 1 Timothy 1:18.

There should be no doubt in any Christians mind, that we are at war with Satan, for the souls of men, women, and children. It is a war that must be fought if we are to stand before Jesus, and hear His wonderful words… "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' - Matthew 25:23.

One of the best examples of a good and faithful warrior is… C.T. Studd.

Wealth and luxury surrounded C.T. Studd as he grew up in the 1870's on the family estate in Wiltshire. C.T. received the finest education, attending Cambridge University, where he also enjoyed an illustrious athletic career. As captain of the cricket team and best all around player of the Cambridge Eleven, C.T. Studd was considered by many to be, "England's greatest cricketer." But God had a different plan for the life of C.T. Studd, one that would require him to sacrifice wealth and prestige and to dedicate his life to foreign missions.

One night C.T. Studd went to hear D.L. Moody speak, and following the message C.T. made the decision to devote his life to missionary service. His decision created a sensation, and he with six other students, who were dubbed the "Cambridge Seven", sailed to China together to serve under China Inland Mission. "Never before in the history of missions," wrote a newspaper reporter, "has so unique a band set out to labor in the foreign field." To many people the decision of the "Cambridge Seven" was a rash move and a tremendous waste of intellect and ability. But to Studd and the other six it was using their ability to the fullest.

Studd's tenure in China was less than a decade, but it was filled with activity. He met and married Priscilla Steward; and had four daughters born to him on Chinese soil. "For five years", wrote Studd, "we never went outside our doors without a volley of curses from our neighbors." But their ministry tarried-Priscilla with her evangelistic work with the women and C.T. in his work with the opium addicts.

Illness forced Studd to come back to England in 1894, and for the next six years he spoke throughout the United States and England. His words were spoken in conviction to students, and according to J. Herbert Kane, "… student by the thousands flocked to his meetings, sometimes six a day… and hundreds, caught up in the revival movement, volunteered for missionary service." Studd then moved to India for six years and again back to England where spoke to thousands of students.

But while he was in England, Studd heard that there were hundreds of thousands of tribal people in Central Africa who had never once heard the gospel because, "no Christian had ever gone to tell of Jesus." "The shame," according to Studd sank deep into his soul. So, Studd, against the advice of his doctors left for Africa. He preached the gospel and won many to the Lord and his efforts opened the doors for missionaries to reach those remote peoples.

C.T. Studd sacrificed his life for the work of the Lord and stood for the conviction of his spirit. He was a man who served God and lived to bring hope to the hopeless.

What a powerful man of God C.T was, what a great example to follow into battle!

Here are further quotes from the mighty warrior…

Funds are low again, hallelujah! That means God trusts us and is willing to leave His reputation in our hands.

Christ's call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from the devil's clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

A lost reputation is the best degree for Christ's service.

We Christians too often substitute prayer for playing the game. Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is nothing but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism... To your knees, Christian! And to your Bible! Decide at once! Don't hedge! Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood. Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses. Enlist! – C.T. Studd.

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to be a mighty warrior for you, and for the extension of your Kingdom, help me to follow the example of great warriors like C.T. Studd. I ask this in the wonderful Name of Jesus. Amen .

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY – A HEART STARTER #24.

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures. - Charles Noble.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. -Proverbs 15:22. TNIV

Well folks, the weekends over, and it’s back to work for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, for those who don’t, please continue to enjoy your weekend, but remember, Mondays coming! And as we know by experience, Mondays can be very sluggish, especially after a lovely weekend, where we managed to spend some quality time with our families and friends, and suddenly it’s back to the grind.

I thought by way of encouragement, that we could have a ‘Heart Starter’ from the word of God, rather than the six cups of coffee, or whatever it takes, to get started for the rest of the week!

Our subject today is FAILURE…

The great inventor Charles Kettering, suggested that we must learn to fail intelligently. He said, "Once you've failed analyze the problem and find out why, because each failure is one more step leading up to the cathedral of success. The only time you don't want to fail is the last time you try."

Here are three suggestions for turning failure into success:
1. honestly face defeat; never fake success.
2. Exploit the failure; don't waste it. Learn all you can from it; every bitter experience can teach us something.
3. Never use failure as an excuse for not trying again.

You may not be able to reclaim the loss, undo the damage, or reverse the consequences, but you can make a new start--wiser, more sensitive, renewed by the Holy spirit, and more determined to do right. -Charles Kettering.

Some onlookers thought it was unusual, but few noticed when the pastor wheeled into the church parking lot in a borrowed pickup truck. But everyone's eyes were upon him when he backed the truck across the lawn to his study door.

Refusing comment or assistance, he began to empty his office onto the truck bed. He was impassive and systematic: first the desk drawers, then the files, and last his library of books, which he tossed carelessly into a heap, many of them flopping askew like slain birds.

His task done, the pastor left the church and, as was later learned, drove some miles to the city dump where he committed everything to the waiting garbage. It was his way of putting behind him the overwhelming sense of failure and loss that he had experienced in the ministry. This young, gifted pastor was determined never to return to the ministry.

Indeed, he never did. - K Hughes.

It is said that Thomas Edison performed 50,000 experiments before he succeeded in producing a storage battery. We might assume the famous inventor would have had some serious doubts along the way. But when asked if he ever became discouraged working so long without results, Edison replied, "Results? Why, I know 50,000 things that won't work." - Today in the Word.

Life is a leaf of paper white
Whereon each one of us may write
His word or two, and then comes night.

Greatly begin! though thou have time
But for a line, be that sublime--
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
- James Russell Lowell.

Wow! Now that our hearts are beating regularly, let’s consider what we have just read over a cup of Java, and thank the Lord for our strength in Him, and also for the power of the Holy Spirit, that helps us in difficult times.

Loving Father, I thank you for the beautiful weekend that I have just had. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to start off this week, by taking on board some of the advice that I have read, and to avoid feeling that I have become a failure. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – PRAISE GOD FOR THE LAW!

So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. - Galatians 3:24. TNIV

The book of Galatians reminds us again and again, that law cannot make us righteous or save us, not even the Old Testament Law.

However, the Law does one very important thing, it leads us to Christ. We recognise right and wrong because of the Law. We also recognise our failures, imperfections, sins, transgressions, and weaknesses, because of the Law, but most of all, we recognise our need for a Saviour because of the Law.

Praise God for the Law, and praise God a thousand times more for Jesus!

Loving Father, We thank you that you gave us the law, so that we would recognise that we needed a Saviour. Thank you that you sent your dear son Jesus, so that we could be saved. We praise you Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – GET YOURSELF A TATTOO!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17. TNIV

“New and Better!” That should be tattooed across the forehead of every Christian!

When we come to Christ, He makes us new and He cleanses us of all our sins. Amazinglyly, this grace can be “new every morning,” because of God's faithfulness and transforming power. God's grace and power are given to us through His Holy Spirit.

We are new and better, and will continue to be that way until we are completely transformed to be like Jesus!

Loving Father, have your way with my heart, my will, my life, and my time. I want to yield myself to you so that you can make me new and better. I don't want to be satisfied with where you have brought me. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus today, and each day of my life that follows. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY