And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2.

Martin Loechmeyer (36 years old) of Graz, Austria had a little problem on his way to the highway. His car ran over him. Of course the car had a little help. Martin started his car but then remembered he had forgotten his cell phone and went back into the house for it. When he came back outside he was shocked to see his car rolling down the driveway toward the busy highway. Martin thinking quickly ran in front of the rolling car and threw himself onto the hood. But he slid under the car and the car broke three of his ribs and caused some leg injuries. The car? It eventually crashed into a tree a few hundred feet from the driveway.

There probably was some humor after reflection on the thought of trying to actually stop a rolling car weighing some two thousand pounds or so. Maybe Martin will be able to laugh about this in a year or so after he gets well (or maybe not!). When we ignore God�s warnings it is just like throwing ourselves in front of a moving car to be run over. It will hurt! It will cause damage! It is completely avoidable!

God makes it clear over and over that to live in a way that the �world� would have us to live is just asking for trouble. As the apostle Paul writes we should �not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world.� Instead we should allow our lives to be transformed by the Word of God and the resources of God. Then we will see the good and perfect will of God be fulfilled in our lives.

It really is a clear choice, not an easy choice but a clear choice that we have. We can do what the world and the flesh wants and get run over or we can do what God wants and see His amazing, wondrous, marvelous will be brought about in our lives. Before you throw yourself in front of any more cars it just might be the time to think about the choice that you have and the consequences of what you choose.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. - John 15:15.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' - Matthew 25:34-36.

For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. - Mark 9:41.

In 1998 we visited Capitola, California where I preached one Sunday at a church there. While there we were encouraged to visit Santa Cruz just north of Capitola and to visit the campus of the University of California at Santa Cruz. From the campus of UC at Santa Cruz there is beautiful view and we did enjoy it. However, getting there was another story. The traffic is horrendous for someone not used to much traffic and having never driven in that area before. I am not sure how I managed to do it even now but I broke three or four traffic laws in the space of about five seconds. Even though the traffic had been terrible there was not a car around in any direction when I managed to become mass traffic law violator. However there was a California Highway Patrol Motorcycle Officer present and watching.

The Officer did immediately stop us and his first statement after looking at my license was �you must be either confused or lost.� I immediately confessed that I was lost and was trying to find the University. He paused for a moment and said, �My very best friend in the whole world is from Oklahoma.� He warned me about being more cautious driving and about what the fines for my violations would have cost and then sent us on our way without even a warning ticket. Because he said �My very best friend in the whole world is from Oklahoma.� I wish I knew the officer�s name so I could thank him again but maybe he will read this devotional sometime. I have been thinking about this incident for several years and knew that there was a message from God in it somewhere (In addition to being more careful driving which it has surely caused me to be.). It finally came to me yesterday.

If we know Jesus as our Savior we are His friends and He in reality is our very best friend of all. Every good and positive thing that we do here on Earth should be done in the Name of our very best friend, Jesus. So, the next time you do that good deed you might mention that your very best friend in the whole world is the reason for your actions. And be sure to tell them the Name of your friend.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:9-21.

We�ve all heard the old saying �like a bull in a china shop.� It actually happened in Lancaster, England! The bull escaped from a livestock auction next door to an antique shop. It injured a woman on its rampage from the auction to the shop (She was not seriously injured.). In the shop the bull was eventually trapped among some large furnishings and he was shot. A police spokesman said, �After speaking with the bull�s owner it was decided the bull posed a risk to public safety and it was unwise for attempts to be made to capture the animal. A decision was made that the bull should be destroyed.� Unfortunately the bull destroyed much antique china before it was put to death.

I may be wrong but I think the origin of the word �bully� must have come from observing the characteristics of a bull. Having grown up on a farm I can tell you that it is unwise to antagonize a bull. It is also unwise to try to �bully� a bull. Usually when you harass, antagonize, or try to force a bull to do something (unless it has been pampered and hand fed since it was a calf) it only makes the behavior of the bull worse. That�s what the people in the Lancaster antique shop observed at the very end of the bull�s rampage. Obviously the bull was upset about being taken out of its pastoral environment being pushed and prodded and this bull was not used to being pushed around. The more they chased the bull the more he ran until cornered in the shop.

People who are �bullies� sometimes (but not always) act in a similar fashion. In fact I think that some bullies enjoy it when someone antagonizes them so that they have an excuse to go on a rampage. Of course some bullies don�t need an excuse they are just always looking for someone to pick on. Some bulls are like that too and that�s why unless you know the nature of the bull you don�t enter the pasture or lot where one is located because he may have just been looking for some fun.

How do you handle the ugly downright mean bullies? You can�t handle them, you can�t change them by fighting back because that�s what they live and breathe - that�s what they are hoping to find around every corner. No, you need a different approach and in fact it is a Biblical approach. Try some love, kindness, tenderness, and goodness. That bull might have come peacefully if everyone had backed off a little and someone had fed him his favorite tasty treat. It works the same way with some of the mean ole� human bullies.

The apostle Paul has the formula for taming the meanest and most ornery bully. He sums it all up by saying, �overcome evil with good.� The next time that mean ole� bully goes on a rampage - try it!

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. - I Peter 5:7.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30.

I do love books but maybe not as much as a teacher in Croatia. DK is a 60-year-old math teacher living in Zagreb. DK�s wife had been in the hospital and she became concerned that he had not been to visit her in three days. She called their neighbors who then heard �muffled groans� coming from the apartment. The police found DK trapped under a pile of books in his bedroom. Which makes one wonder how many books it took to trap him?

Most likely you are not trapped under a pile of books and never will be but it may be that something else has you trapped. Are you trapped under a pile of problems? Worries? Concerns? Anxieties? Pain? Heartache? Have your burdens slowed your life to a standstill? Are you having more and more difficulty just taking care of the normal daily routines of life? It may be that you have been trapped under a pile of life�s burdens.

Notice when Jesus says for those who are heavy ladened to come to Him that he does not condemn them. He also does not offer a lecture about how foolish it was for them to become so burdened. What Jesus does is offer relief. He offers to lighten your load and it is free! There are no strings except that of having Jesus as a traveling companion along life�s road. Without Jesus there can be no relief but with Him the burden is transferred to Him. Why would Jesus be willing to do this? Because as the apostle Peter notes �He cares for you.� You may have never cared for God but He still �cares for you.�

Is the pile of worries and problems growing larger and larger and more and more likely to fall? Has the pile of worries and problems fallen on you and the weight is pressing you further and further down? Call to Jesus and ask Him to lighten your load. Cast your cares and burdens upon Him and He will give you rest.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. - I Corinthians 11:23-26.

Today in the United States is Memorial Day. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day when the nation�s war dead were remembered and graves were decorated with flowers. Even before the end of the Civil War the graves of those who died in the south were being decorated and remembered. Memorial Day was first officially observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The day is celebrated in almost every state now on the last Monday in May. Instead of flowers there are now flags being placed on the graves of those who served the U.S. Military. However, even with a national Memorial Day many believe that there are a vast number in the United States who do not know and understand about the traditions of this day or even why it is observed. On Memorial Day we mourn the loss of loved ones, remember their lives, and are thankful for their sacrifice.

As Christians we have a most important event to remember - the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus on the cross almost 2,000 years ago. Our Lord prior to His crucifixion instituted one of the ordinances of the church in order that we might not forget. The Lord�s Supper or Communion is observed in all Christian denominations as commanded by Jesus. It is a vivid picture and reminder of the cost of the sacrifice of Jesus. As we observe the Lord�s Supper we should morn the loss, the great cost of God�s Son dying in our place, we should remember how Jesus lived His life, and rejoice in the salvation given to all those who believe in Jesus as their personal Savior.

Why did Jesus have to die? Because as Romans 3:23 says, �for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,� and the wages for those sins is death (Romans 6:23a). What should have happened to us because of our sins is death, eternal death. But Jesus came to give us life providing a way for us to escape this eternal death sentence as Paul writes in Romans 5:8, �But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.�

As we observe the Lord�s Supper we should remember that the crucifixion of Jesus was undeserved in that Jesus lived a perfect life. The writer of Hebrews says, �For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).�

Finally as we observe the Lord�s Supper we should rejoice in this great salvation given to us at such great cost. �But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57).�

The Lord�s Supper/Communion is observed at varying frequencies by different denominations and churches. However, as ransomed saints of God we should always have upon our hearts and minds the great sacrifice and salvation given freely to us by our God through Jesus. We should never let a day go by without remembering and thanking Him for what He has done. For the Christian every day should be a Memorial Day.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. - John 15:12-16.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8.

Jennette Smith has a friend to thank for saving her life. Jennette was hiking with three other friends about 15 miles southeast of Salt Lake City in Big Cottonwood Canyon where Seth Buhr, 22, heroically saved her life. The group was taking a break beside a waterfall when two of Jennette and Buhr�s friends noticed a shift in the rocks. They yelled to warn them and in response Seth pushed Smith out of the way and into a pool saving her life. But Seth gave his own life as the boulder crashed into him crushing him. His friends were unable to move the boulder and a rescue crew had to use ropes and pulleys to lift the boulder before Buhr�s body could be removed. One of the hiker�s Peggy Faulkner said, �She�d have been killed. He saved her life. Just a freaky accident. Nobody was above the rock. It�s scary stuff, nature.�

How would you react if you were Jennette Smith? A friend has died, taking your place and there is no doubt that you would have died if not for his heroic actions. Most likely you would have undying gratitude and love for the friend who has given you life at the expense of his own. There would be no way to ever repay this act of love except perhaps to live your life in such a way as to bring honor to your friend. Surely you would not want to waste your life, which you are now living at the cost of another�s. Now, you would know how valuable your life is and you would want your life to mean something and to bring good into this world. How could you ever forget the price that has been paid for you to have life? You would never forget and would always remember being grateful and thankful forever.

The substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross is incomprehensible to the mind of man because He did not give His life for a friend but for His enemies. As the Bible says in Romans 5:8 Jesus gave His life while �we were still sinners.� If sinners, then we were opposed to the holiness of God and if opposed to the absolute holiness of God we were His enemies. Who would die for their enemy? Even though incomprehensible to our minds it is still true and we accept it by faith.

Knowing at what great cost we have been given eternal life how much more should we want to honor the memory of the One who has given His life for us. We can never repay this act of heroism, this act of sacrifice but certainly we should want to live our lives in such a way as to bring honor to His Name. Is this how you have been living your life?

These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. - I Corinthians 2:13-14.

Caroll Spinney is Big Bird or at least he is the man inside Big Bird. Caroll says, �I�ll have people meet me on the street with their 3-year-old and they�ll say, �Do you know who this is? There�s a man inside Big Bird and this is the man.� This is bad news to a child.� Spinney has been the man inside Big Bird for 30 years.

I�m sure it is shocking to a little child to suddenly realize there is not actually a �Big Bird� i.e. a species of big bird; but it is only a man made thing. When I was four years old I saw a talking tree on TV and I was convinced for months that some trees could talk even though my mother and sister tried to change my mind.

There is an amazing spiritual fact that at first I found hard to believe. Every person has another person inside of them. There is the �natural man� and there is the Holy Spirit. Now the �natural man� is not an actual spiritual person as is the Holy Spirit but represents the fleshly worldly nature that controls us before we have salvation through Jesus. As the apostle says in I Corinthians, �the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.�

Compare the �natural man� to the person of the Holy Spirit which indwells/abides within all true believers. Paul says of the Holy Spirit, �But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (I Corinthians 2:10-12).�

If you find it hard to understand the truths of the Kingdom of God it may be that you are still groping in darkness and that the �natural man� is still in charge. Even after salvation we have a choice to make as to whether we will allow our natural nature to control us or whether we will seek the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6). Is the �natural man� making your life miserable? If so kick him out! Invite the Holy Spirit in through Jesus and live in �accordance with the Spirit� and you will have �life and peace.� Then you will be able to see and understand clearly the �things that have been freely given to us by God.�

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. - Luke 15:13-16.

A German medical worker while assisting patients on an ambulance was found to be robbing helpless patients on their way to the hospital. Several patients did report items being stolen and all of the thefts occurred on one 21-year-old man�s shift. A trap was set for the man and he was caught and arrested. The man did confess to stealing from six patients and according to a Munich Police spokesperson, �He said that he was short of money.�

How did the ambulance robber and the prodigal son arrive at their pathetic situations? It was a gradual process. It may have been one key event that triggered the downward spiral but once triggered the spiral was more and more down into the morass of rebellion against God.

Several words are used to describe the word �pathetic� in the dictionary: affecting, distressing, emotional, emotive, heartbreaking, heart-rending, lamentable, moving, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, plaintive, poignant, sad, stirring, touching, tragic. The words that best describe for me the ambulance robber and the prodigal son are �pitiful, sad, and tragic.� Their situation is pitiful, sad, and tragic because it didn�t have to be that way. Instead of being in a downward spiral they could have been in an upward spiral. We know the prodigal son eventually came to his senses and returned home to his father with an humble spirit. I pray the ambulance robber may someday come to his senses as well.

Are you in a pathetic condition or situation? God is the answer to whatever that condition or situation may be. Will you come to your senses and realize that you need God? Will you come to your senses and take advantage of the resources of God? So many people whine that God did this or did that to them or that God won�t do this or that. However, so many times those people are the ones who hardly ever go to church, or open up the Bible to read and study it, or spend more than a very few moments in prayer. If we will return to our Father, spend time with Him, and serve Him we will find that instead of a downward spiral we are in an upward spiral.

For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. - Isaiah 25:4.

Here in Sweetwater, Oklahoma some of us feel like we have under attack with two tornadoes in a month�s time. One tornado did the most damage at the school and the second tornado destroyed houses and barns in a large swath sweeping west to east and then north. When hearing a weatherman warning of an approaching storm we all pay much closer attention then we would have only a few weeks ago. Our memories of past storms seem to dim with time and our response to the storm warnings slow along with our memories. But we in tornado alley are not the only ones needing an occasional reminder of the power of the storm.

We are thankful for advanced technology and the diligence and bravery of many storm spotters who provide us with an earlier warning than was possible in the past. Most likely there would have been deaths and serious injuries in Sweetwater if not for the warning system now available to us.

The most deadly tornado (F5 on the Fujita Scale) to hit Oklahoma came on April 9, 1947 in Woodward. The tornado began near Canadian, Texas and while moving toward the northeast stayed on the ground for about 100 miles ending up west of Alva, Oklahoma. It was a huge tornado 1.8 miles in width moving at about 50 miles per hour. Glazier and Higgins, Texas were first devastated by the storm with 69 deaths in Texas before reaching Oklahoma. While missing many towns on the way to Woodward the tornado did strike and destroy buildings on 60 ranches and farms with 8 people being killed and 42 injured. In Woodward over 1000 homes and businesses were destroyed and 107 people died and there were about 1000 other injuries.

In part because of the Woodward tornado and also because of other storms the Weather Bureau in 1953 instituted a tornado watch and warning program. In five decades we have gone from having very little storm detection and warning to having weathermen on TV with some of the most advanced radar available. We can also look at different radar sites on the Internet when information is not available on TV or radio.

With advance warning and advanced knowledge of the dangers of tornadoes most people do try to find shelter in storm shelter, basement, safe room or an inner room or hallway. But strangely enough some even when warned still ignore the storm believing they are somehow invincible or that the odds are that they will not be hit. In the past I have heard people speak contemptuously of those who go to a storm shelter as going to their �fraidy hole.� Personally, when I know a storm possibly containing a tornado is headed for me I�m going to the cellar if there is one for me to go to! God may very well protect me but why tempt God (Matthew 4:7)?

There is another storm, which is sweeping across this world. It is a spiritual storm of sin and destruction. We have advance warning and we have advanced knowledge about the devastating effects of sin. We can ignore those warnings and see how close we can get to the storm of sin. If we do there may very well come a time when the storm we are admiring will destroy us just like the Woodward tornado destroyed so many. It does not have to be that way. There is a place of refuge from the storm. God, through Jesus Christ is that refuge. He is the only refuge. Please don�t ignore the storm warnings!!

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ - He is Lord of all. - Acts 10:34-36.

�but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. - Romans 2:10-11.

But from those who seemed to be something - whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man - for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. - Galatians 2:6.

A study has been released which was conducted at the University of Oslo indicating there is partiality with sentencing of criminals. The apparent partiality is based on a person�s appearance but in this study those surveyed did not actually see a photo but read the words �handsome� and �pretty� describing the person to be sentenced. The five hundred university students surveyed were harsher in their sentences for individuals when the words �handsome� and �pretty� were not used in descriptions of those to be sentenced. Criminals with an appearance that was described as �handsome� or �pretty� would have received sentences 20% lighter if they were actually sentenced by the students. In more severe crimes like murder the more attractive had a 10% advantage. Per Schioldborg who is a psychology professor at the University said, �We put in a simple word and found that the attractiveness stereotype was activated.�

It is a fact of life in most societies that the attractive individual has many advantages including advantages in regard to employment, educational placement, social life, and more. We as human beings have a natural inclination to be partial in our relationships and interactions with others over a broad spectrum. Most of us have been on the receiving end of one form or another of partiality by others. Usually such partiality when experienced in the negative is not very pleasant and sometimes affects people for life.

The good news is that God is not a respecter of persons or that has partiality based on certain qualities that a person may or not have. Luke records this in the Book of Acts and Paul observes that this is true of God in his letters to the Romans and Ephesians. But there is even more good news in that God can supernaturally remove our prejudice or discriminatory partiality from us. We see this happening with Peter who Luke records has his heart changed about the Gospel being for Gentiles (those not Jewish) as well as for the Jew. The Scriptures record only one relapse for Peter (Galatians 2:12) but he was confronted about this by Paul and it appears God once again convicted Peter about this issue.

Do you have partiality toward some individuals over others? Do you harbor prejudice in your heart toward those who may be different from you? Allow God to change your heart!

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28.

Before I was old enough to have a driver�s license my parents had bought by grandfather�s car for me to have when I turned sixteen years old. On my first trip by myself after receiving my driver�s license I had a shocking experience. While driving at 40 to 50 miles per hour on a two lane unmarked country road with no shoulders I decided I would light a cigarette. I pushed in the cigarette lighter and while reaching for a pack of cigarettes swerved off the road into the ditch nearly turning over and then swerved back on to the roadway. No damage was done to my car but a message had been communicated to me which I believe now came from God. As a result of that incident I never again tried to light up a cigarette in a car and it was the beginning of the end of my smoking.

Almost having a severe accident is a frightening thing but out of the almost accident that I had God has brought much good. Some of those things are obvious and some are not so obvious. The most obvious was that I never again tried to smoke a cigarette in a car. Also, as a result of the connection of cigarettes to the almost accident in my mind I rarely smoked after that time and stopped completely after I graduated from high school. Some not so obvious good things that resulted are that I moved from being risk taker to being a more cautious person. Also the crowd of individuals that I associated with began to change from those who were risk takers to those who were more cautious. Most likely my life has been extended by many years as a result of my almost accident which God allowed me to have those many years ago.

Before we become depressed or angry with God about things or circumstances, which occur in our lives there are some things as Christians, we should consider. We should consider the spiritual ramifications of those incidents and circumstances. Is it possible that in the long term there will be personal spiritual benefits as a result of the incident or circumstance? Is it possible that in the long term there will be spiritual benefits for others as a result of the incident or circumstance? If those benefits are not immediately discernable ask God to reveal how He may bring good from the incident or circumstance.

Once we have identified the possible spiritual benefits from the bad things or circumstances that occur in our lives we will then be much better prepared to walk with God through those things. Always remember that God loves you and wants the very best for your life and that no matter how bad something may be God can bring good from it. The key to His bringing about the good is our loving Him and seeking His will and purpose to be brought about in our lives.

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." - Matthew 19:4-6.

Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced. - 2 Corinthians 12:19-21.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

In Britain, a very upset man made what he thought was an emergency call to the police. He dialed �999� furiously and demanded urgent help, because his wife was too busy decorating to cook dinner! The man actually told the emergency operator, �My wife's left me with two salmon sandwiches which was left over from last night, and I'm sat in the chair here, and she's out there decorating. She won't put any food on or anything for anybody.� The man was told that it really wasn�t an emergency because his wife wouldn�t cook dinner.

It may be, that this was not the first time that the man in Britain had demanded his dinner. We have to wonder if he is always demanding something from his wife, and the point has finally been reached where she no longer responds to his demands. It is difficult enough for marriages to survive, even when both the husband and the wife are working to make it succeed. But when one spouse, the husband or the wife, is not making any effort, it spells disaster for the relationship. Of course, some marriages continue on in name only like the one in Britain appears to be, while others are officially dissolved in divorce court.

The apostle Paul is talking to Christians in general in the church at Cornith, but he could have been talking to married couples. What he says is just as necessary in the marriage relationship. For a marriage to survive and thrive, the "contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults� must be overcome and put aside. The husband and the wife are to become one. When a spouse is contentious, jealous, wrathful, selfish, backbiting etc. toward the other, it is simply hurting themselves. It is like stabbing yourself in the back to be hateful and hurtful toward your spouse.

For the marriage to thrive, there must be this ability to overlook little slights and hurts. Instead of repaying pain for pain, hurt for hurt, we must instead give love (1 Corinthians 13). Love has a way of overcoming the problems, the difficulties, and the frustrations that arise in a relationship. Without that kind of love, an overcoming love that loves no matter what, the relationship is doomed to failure.

If your marriage has devolved, into something similar to the one in Britain or worse, it is time for a time out. Ask your pastor or a marriage counselor to referee while the issues that have accumulated over the years can be addressed. Remember your spouse is not the enemy. He or she is you, because you both, are one in the eyes of God. It is in the best interests of both the husband and the wife to sort things out, renew their love, and move forward with life.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. - Matthew 5:27-30.

Aron Ralston is a mountain climber who has faced adversity in the past. Just a few months before his latest test from nature he survived an avalanche that buried him and two friends on a Colorado mountain. Aron on a Saturday went hiking into Blue John Canyon in Shadowlands National Park in Utah. As Aron was descending into the canyon an 800 to 1000 pound boulder fell crushing his arm and pinning him. By Tuesday he had run out of water and on Thursday he decided the only way to escape was to amputate his own arm. Aron cut off his arm below the elbow with a pocketknife. He than rappelled down a cliff and walked a few miles before flagging down a vacationing Dutch couple who called for help. Aron is expected to recover from his ordeal. Sgt Mitch Vetere of the Emery County Sheriff�s Office in Green River, Utah said, �He�s pretty darn tough. He wanted to live. He saved himself.�

Jesus talks of cutting off your hand or plucking out your eye if they cause you to succumb to temptation. Most commentators do not believe Jesus was speaking in literal terms. Most Christians and churches have not interpreted this as being literal either because we do not have eye plucking services or right hand removal services. But Jesus in these vivid statements relates very powerfully the need to protect ourselves from the ravages of sin even when there is great personal cost involved.

Aron Ralston did save his life but it was at a great cost. However, it was the only choice Aron could see that he had if he wanted to continue living. If you are addicted to the use of illegal substances it may be that to save your life you will have to make a radical choice. You may need to ask someone to help you and then enter a treatment program for a substantial length of time. To do such a thing may be like cutting off your arm but if you want to have life it must be done. If you have other addictions the only way to be free of them will be through a radical change in your life. It just depends on whether or not you want to really have life or just go through the motions of living.

If you decide that you are going to make that radical change in your life you will not be alone. Jesus will be with you and will empower you to make the right choices that are needed. As the apostle Paul said, �I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).� Through the power of God you will be able to make the radical decisions and changes necessary to be free of your addiction. Aron Ralston wanted to live - do you?

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. - I John 5:14-15.

In recognition of today being the National Day of Prayer in the United States I want to share with you a story about prayer from the beginnings of this country. My wife�s three great grandfather Samuel Robinson Evans wrote a nine-page narrative of his father�s (James Evans) service during the Revolutionary War. One particular story speaks powerfully of the value of prayer and God�s ability in accordance with His will to protect His children. Here is the story as it was written:

�In the biography of General Lincoln you will find an account of the attempt to hang a soldier by the name of Ficklin and his miraculous escape. Father was one of the guards on duty that occasion�.�

�On the morning that Ficklin was to be hung he told the guards that his savior came to him in the night and told him he should not be hung. They took him out to a stooping tree and the rope was tied to the limb or tree. Then two men raised up Ficklin, and the officer put the rope around his neck. At a signal the men let loose and Ficklin fell on his feet unhurt. He says the rope untwisted. The cry for mercy was very great but the adjutant who had control ordered him to be a second time haltered. Ficklin was a second time haltered and again the rope broke without hurting him in the least.�

�Here Father says he never saw such a sudden flash of mutiny with any preconsent. The thing as he expressed it was terrible. Muskets and bayonets rattled, the guard gathered the adjutant with their guns presented at him and swore that if Ficklin was not pardoned instantly there should not be a commanding officer in one hour. The Adjutant begged time to gallop to headquarters as he had it not in his power to pardon him. He was permitted to do so by promising to bring his pardon which he did.�

�After I moved to Georgia, I became acquainted with John Neilly�He stated he was present and likewise corroborated Father�s tale most minutely and gave me further particulars respecting the affair�. Mr. Neilly says Ficklin was a very religious young man and had been several days on the sick list and had retired some little distance from the camp to pray when he found some wild greens�. He would retire every day to the same place to pray and to gather some greens. A soldier who had been watching him accused him of attempting to desert to the British camp then only two miles apart on the opposite side of the river. The order was struck.�

�Mr. Neilly also states that two weeks after the transaction (the attempted hanging) the same man who had sworn against Ficklin was accused and found to be guilty of being a British spy and he says he saw him hung and heard him confess he had sworn Ficklins life away wrongfully. Ficklins was again suffered to join the army and continued in it till the end of the war; and in the year 1840 was still living in the state of Georgia.�

�I have lengthened the record on this case you may think to an unreasonably long one, but you will excuse me when I inform you it was done with a view to call to your mind the great miraculous power of divine providence, and that you may rank this as one of the most striking interpositions of providence perhaps you will ever become acquainted with. You see the substance of what I write as I said before in the biography of General Lincoln which I request you all to read and meditate on the infinite goodness of God for although he seldom shows such miracles, he is always able to protect us.�

Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. - I Corinthians 10:8-13.

In West Virginia a 19-year-old young woman tried to be safe by parking on the side of the road to make a cell-phone call. However, where she parked was on a railroad track and as a result a train struck her car. Her car was shoved off of that track and onto another track where she was hit by another train. Thankfully, she did survive this ordeal.

Life has a way of giving us some twists and turns along the way. We may believe we are perfectly safe when suddenly disaster strikes just as suddenly as it did for the young woman in West Virginia. Spiritually we must always be on guard because temptations abound and take many forms. We must not believe that we have ever arrived at a point where we are above the reach of every type and form of temptation. Paul tells us to remember those who have fallen in the past so that we will not make the same mistakes.

Whatever the temptation that comes our way there has always been some form of it around in the past. What we are facing with the technology of the 21st century are different forms of the same temptations. The temptations of today can be overcome in the same way they were overcome in the past. To overcome these temptations we must find the way of escape. God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and with the temptation there will be a way out. It is unlikely that we will ever be spiritual enough to withstand some temptations but we can escape. If there is a way of escape be sure that God would have you escape and not to sin. There is no dishonor in running from sin. There is no dishonor in fleeing temptation. If you are being tempted and there is a way of escape take it before it is too late. Don�t sit on the side of the road and wait for the train to hit you. Run for your life!

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. - I Timothy 4:8.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. - I Corinthians 3:16-17.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God�s. I Corinthians 6:19-20.

After her husband died Maggie Smith and her two children (both adults) filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Franklin Price. Mrs. Smith and her children did not believe that Dr. Price had done enough to try to help Lawrence Smith to avoid serious health problems. Mr. Smith was only 54 years old when he died from a heart attack. Mr. Smith was a long-time smoker, overweight, had a poor diet, did very little to exercise, had diabetes, high cholesterol and was under substantial stress at his place of employment. The Smith family won a $1.2 million judgment against Dr. Price. This was in spite of the poor health condition of Mr. Smith and his bad habits and in spite of the fact that Dr. Price had repeatedly admonished Mr. Smith about his need for better health habits.

As Christians we tend to concentrate on the spiritual and our responsibilities in that realm. However, if we are to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to our care we must also be concerned with our physical bodies. The condition of our physical body impacts every other aspect of our life including the spiritual.

There are several reasons why as Christians we should take care of our physical bodies. We should properly care for our physical bodies because without that care our physical lives will end prematurely before our time. If our lives end prematurely we will not be able to do all that we should do here on earth before going to be with our Lord. A good example is Lawrence Smith who died at the age of 54 well below the average life span. Of course the number of days of your life may be more or less depending upon God�s will and plan for you personally.

We should properly care for our bodies so that we will have the mental capacity to do all that God would have us to do with our lives. According to �American Health� after working out three times a week for six months a research group was able to perform 70% better on a test of complex decision making. Knowing we can make better decisions if we are in good physical condition requires us to take care of our physical bodies if we are to be good stewards.

We should properly care for our bodies so that we will have the energy to do all that God would have us to do with our lives. Research has shown that exercise increases energy and reduces fatigue. At the same time exercise reduces the stress level enabling us to do more.

We should properly care for our bodies because of the financial impact our health has on our lives. The better our health the less money we will spend on doctors, medicines, and all forms of health care. With better health we will be able to have more of the financial resources necessary to further the Kingdom of God.

Did you know that 87% of Americans own running shoes but don�t run? Maybe it�s time to get those running shoes out of the closet and do some running or at least some walking. Because unless you exercise you will not be able to be the good steward God wants you to be. If you have bad habits, and a bad diet that are ruining your health God would have you to change your habits and your diet. God does want what is best for you and there is some profit in taking care of your body as the apostle Paul points out to Timothy. If you don�t believe me why don�t you ask God because I think He will tell you the same thing.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. - Galatians 6:7-10.

Investigators in Athens, Alabama raided a mobile home and found two small bags of marijuana in the home of Jesus Santana. Among pot smokers, there has developed a custom for some to use the pages of a Bible to roll their joints. This apparently was why Santana said when arrested, "I guess God got y�all to get me." At least Santana was convinced that was the reason he was caught. Sheriff Mike Blakely said, "When we found his marijuana, he admitted he�d been smoking marijuana, and that he�d been tearing pages out of the Bible, rolling it."

You would think that if your first name was Jesus, that you would occasionally think about God, and what He desires in your life. Apparently, Santana had been doing some thinking along those lines, and arrived at the conclusion that God was not going to let him get by with what he had been doing. We have a longsuffering God, and that is how God is often portrayed in the Bible. We are told in Lamentations; it is only because of the mercies of God that we are not destroyed and that His mercies are new every morning. Jesus said that the Father sends rain upon the just and unjust. Why is God so merciful and longsuffering? God tells us why along with a warning in the book of Romans, "�do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance (Romans 2:4)?" "It is not God�s will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)."

God reached a point with the church at Cornith, where he had the apostle Paul confront them with the truth of their sins. Through that confrontation, with the truth came repentance. Paul writes, "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death (2 Corinthians 7:2-10)." Many like Jesus Santana may not have someone like the apostle Paul to confront them with the truth. However, God will use whatever is available to bring a person to repentance. In the case of Santana, God used some undercover officers conducting an investigation into illegal drug possession and use, which resulted in the arrest and interruption of the normal routine of life of this man. It allowed Santana to have an opportunity to reflect upon what was going on in his life, and whether or not God was pleased with his life.

Don�t be deceived, just because you have gotten by with doing certain things, or not doing certain things for a length of time; does not mean that God approves of what you are doing. God is longsuffering. But He is not mocked, and there will come a day of reckoning whether in this life or the next.

And in this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees. And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. - Isaiah 25:6-8.

There is a strange thing that I�ve noticed that ESPN now has on its channels. It had been several years since I had watched ESPN (sports channels) and I was surprised that they now show reruns. They rebroadcast reruns of football and basketball games. I actually watched a game for almost a half before I realized that I was watching a game played several years before.

Just like some people like to listen to good music like the golden oldies over and over again - some people like to watch great football and basketball games over and over again. Why? Of course for players and coaches there are many lessons, which they can learn from those games but why do the thousands of other people watch them? I think it is because the games turn out the way they want them to. They know how the game ends and even though there may be some difficult moments for their team they know it all works out in the end. As they watch the game over and over every play is a celebration and they enjoy the thrill of victory over and over again.

The way some watch reruns of favorite games because they know how it turns out in the end we can enjoy life in the same way. We don�t have to worry about whether God will take care of us and whether He will make everything turn out for our good. We don�t have to worry about how life will turn out because we know what will happen in the end. Since we know the ultimate end we can enjoy the trip. Since Jesus overcame death we can overcome life. Just as Isaiah speaks of a great feast of celebration every day can be a feast of celebration for us even on those difficult days. Because as the apostle Paul puts it, ��in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).�

Jesus came to give us life and to give us life abundantly (John 10:10). He came to throw off the covering, the veil (or the shroud as it is sometimes translated) of death. He can throw off the shroud of death that covers all areas of your life whether it is your marriage, or your finances, or your habits, or your career, or your relationship with your family, or your spiritual life. Jesus can give you life because He has overcome death and won the victory for eternity. As Isaiah says He has �swallow(ed) up death forever.�

Stop allowing the enemy to rule over you! You know the victory has been won and you know how life will turn out in the end. Allow Jesus to remove the shroud of death from off your life and give you life, abundant life, life pressed down and overflowing. This Easter I hope you will grab hold of the wondrous truth and life that Jesus through such great cost has provided for you. And that life begins the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior. You see it really does turn out well for us in the end and right now too.

May you all have a wonderful and meaningful Easter!!