Don't Worry, Be Prayerful!

Twenty-six years ago (1988) Bobby McFerrin grabbed people by the ears
and put a smile on many faces with a catchy and light-hearted tune
titled, "Don't Worry, Be Happy." The first verse said, "Here's a little
song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.

In every life we have some trouble. When you worry you make it double.
Don't worry, be happy." The simple song spoke a message our anxious,
worried-sick world desperately needs. We need to learn not to worry so
much. No, let me re-phrase that: I need to learn not to worry so much!
Dale Carnegie said, "Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about
yesterday." Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the U. S. advised, "If
you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will
run into the ditch before they reach you." A story reminds us how badly
worry warps our attitude. On a dark rainy night a salesman had a flat
tire on a lonely road. To his dismay he had no lug wrench. Seeing a nearby
farmhouse, he set out on foot. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench,
he thought. But then he began to worry - would he come to the door if he
heard a knock? If he did, he'd probably be furious at being bothered. He'd
say, "What's the big idea of getting me out of bed in the middle of the
night?" The thought that the farmer wouldn't help him worried the
salesman. As he neared the house, that thought turned from worry to
anger. Frustrated and drenched, he banged on the door. "Who's there?" a
voice called out from a window overhead. "You know good and well who it
is," yelled the salesman, his face red with his anger. "It's me! And you
can keep your lousy, stinking lug wrench! I wouldn't borrow it if it as the
last one in the county!"

Worry is not only not a good thing, it is not a new thing. Two millennia ago Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" That's Matthew 6:25, and two more times in the next few verses the Lord urges His listeners, "Do not worry" (vs 31, 34). The English Standard Version in the three verses noted says, "Do not be anxious." Jesus' listeners probably never heard about "anxiety attacks," but Jesus' words imply some were having them! In Philippians 4:6-7 the apostle Paul, from a prison cell,
instructs Christians at Philippi - "Be anxious for nothing, but in  prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." One modern translation renders verse 6a, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." I don't know what you are worried about. But I have lived long enough and done enough worrying to know that worrying never helps us and may actually hurt us mentally, physically, and spiritually. Somebody has observed - "If it's worth worrying about, it's worth praying about. And if it's not worth praying about, it's not worth worrying about."

Bobby McFerrin said something good when he said, "Don't worry be
happy." But the Bible says something much better. It says, "Don't worry,
be prayerful." Pray about it.
-- by Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Singing with spirit and understanding

Ephesians 5:18-19 “And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

As I think about this passage, the words of one of our great songs come to mind, “Sing and Be Happy”. The chorus rings out such a beautiful message: Sing and be happy, Press on to the goal, Trust Him who leads you, He will keep your soul, Let all be faithful, Look to Him and pray, Lift up your voice and praise Him in song, Sing and be happy today”.

Using our ability to sing is an avenue through which we express vocally our thankfulness for the many blessings God bestows upon us, both temporal and spiritual. We should praise God and through singing our hearts rejoice and declare praise to him for all of his marvelous blessings, temporal as well as spiritual (Ps. 9:1-2). God is our source of strength, our shield and defender, our comforter, our refuge and salvation (Ps. 28:7; Ps 46:1; Isa. 12:2; Heb. 6:18). Our hearts should be overflowing with joy, joy that will result  in singing praises to him (Ps. 57:7). With our affections fixed firmly and steadfastly on God we will count it a great privilege to engage in singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.

 Singing with spirit and understanding (1 Cor. 14:15) will impart to us strength and courage that will lift us up to greater heights of love and devotion to God. When we sing with grace in our hearts we are employing one of the great ways to teach and admonish each other (Col. 3:16). “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go—I rest my soul in thee” (Rom. 8:35-39). “My Jesus Knows Just What I Need—My Jesus knows when I am burdened, He knows just how much my heart can bear” (1 Cor. 10:13; Ps. 94:17; Heb. 4:13-16; 1 Pet 5:7; Ps. 121:1-8). “Each Step I Take—Each step I take my Saviour goes before me, And with His loving hand He leads the way” (Ps.23:1-3; John 10:27; 1 Pet. 21; Heb; 13:5).

Psalms 104:33—“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” I love this passage because it expresses exactly how I feel as it regards singing. As I sing, the words that come forth are not always on key, they may not have that perfect pitch and I am sure that sometimes those around me will shake their heads and wonder but I don’t sing to please man.  I sing to please and praise my God and when I do so with a heart of understanding and sincerity, I know that I am making a joyful noise unto God (Ps. 95:1). I only pray that it is the same with each of you.

Charles Hicks

Harry Rimmer, The Crucible of Calvary

Be Strong And Of Good Courage by Tom Wacaster When the children of Israel stood on the eastern banks of the Jordan River, they were facing a task that their forefathers had refused to take advantage of forty years before. God told Joshua, "Be strong and of good courage." God says the same thing to us today. As we face the task of fighting denominationalism, anti-ism, modernism, relativism, pluralism, indifference, and immorality, the battle calls for courage. Too many times we have cried, "We are not able," and as a result we have become like "grasshoppers" in the sight of the enemy and in our own minds. Courage is not to be confused with daring, which is courage for special occasions. It does not consist of the absence of fear, but the conquering of it. Someone has defined courage as "fighting with the handle after the sword has been broken." Indeed, "the true hero is the man who rises above the base cowardice of his own nature to do a noble and courageous deed when shaken by dread of its consequences" (Harry Rimmer, The Crucible of Calvary, page 95). I can imagine that Joshua had his fears when he was given the responsibility of leading God's people into the promised land, but he overcame those fears with courage and faith in God. Courage is the moral strength to stand for the right at all times, even if you are standing alone. History gives us fine examples of courage. When Napoleon had lost the battle of Marengo, he came to his drummer boy and said, "Beat a retreat." The boy replied, "Sir, I can beat a charge. My master taught me to beat a charge, but not a retreat. I do not know how to beat a retreat." Napoleon was so impressed that he said, "Beat a charge." The boy beat a charge that rallied a defeated army to renew the battle with such courage and determination that Marengo is numbered among the outstanding victories of Napoleon. Brethren, Christ has taught us how to beat a "charge," but He never taught us how to beat a retreat. Time and space here would fail us were we to attempt a lengthy list of notable characters in history who demonstrated great courage. Fast forward now to the time of Christ. When Jesus met with His disciples in the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked them, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" "Some say John the Baptist; some Elijah; and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets" came the reply. Peter's confession that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" set the tone for what would follow. "Peter..upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." It is that promise that has sustained untold thousands, yea millions of Christians over the ages to maintain courage in the face of insurmountable odds. From the persecution that Nero unleased against the church until this day, the devil has never slackened in his attempt to destroy the church as he goes forth to "make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 12:17). God's people did not give in to threats, physical punishment, or verbal abuse. They stood their ground with great courage. How easy it would be to follow in the steps of the ten spies who cowered before the giants that occupied the land of Canaan. Capitulation is the path of ease, and compromise an easy way to avoid persecution. But these are not an option for the faithful child of God. The New Testament is filled with admonitions to the contrary, not the least of which is Paul's call for standing our ground in the face of the enemy as recorded in Ephesians 6:10 thru 20. That enemy is described with words that might otherwise frighten and intimidate. "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). I am convinced that not all has been revealed as to the might of these principalities and powers herein described by the apostle. We are fighting with an enemy that we cannot see with the human eye; an enemy that cannot be defeated with human instruments of war. This enemy consists of mighty hosts of wickedness. Elsewhere Paul tells us this enemy will appear as minister's of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:15). Their leader, Satan, will "fashion himself into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). We are to be watchful for "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). No wonder God calls upon us to take up the whole armor of God, and then having done that to "stand"! Such calls for courage Too few demonstrate such courage today. The absence of courage in the face of wickedness is manifest in a culture of self indulgence, and the absence of leadership from the local level to the national level. Had you told me forty years ago that our country would be on the very verge of complete implosion in the not too distant future, I would likely have denied any such possibility. Had you told me forty years ago that the Lord's church would likewise experience an apostasy the likes of which we are witnessing today, I would have denied it. How desperately we need men who will lead! Written more than 35 years ago, the words of Babcock still ring true: God give us men. The time demands strong minds, great hearts, true faith and willing hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; men who possess opinions and a will; men who have honor; men who will not lie; tall men, sun-drowned, who live above the fog in public duty and in private thinking! For while the rabble with their thumbworn creeds, their large professions and their little deeds mingle in selfish pride; lo, Freedom weeps! Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps! The message in our century is the same as in the days of Joshua, Moses, Noah, or any number of great heroes of the past. When Napoleon's army was defeated at Waterloo it is reported that the old guard, the loyal and faithful soldiers to the Emperor, were called upon to retreat and surrender. They replied, "We know how to die, but not to surrender." The faithful saints over the centuries, when buffeted by Satan, and threatened by the enemies of the cross, cried out with one voice: "We know how to die, but not to surrender!" What courage!

Review of POMPEII movie

                                                          “I used to believe nothing of what I heard and only half of what I saw - then television ruined that.”        (Anonymous)

I’m going to borrow a phrase which the Preacher Solomon used several times in his sermon Ecclesiastes.  He would start a verse by saying “I returned and saw” which simply meant that he was again going to speak on a subject that he’d spoken on earlier.  That’s what I’m going to do today in “returning” to a great source of inspiration for our editorial lesson - things seen on television.  (Will Rogers did great with just the newspaper, think how good he would have been with television.)

The first thing I’ll mention is something that you may have also seen on your TV.  It’s an advertisement announcing the soon-to-be released movie “POMPEII” which is Hollywood’s idea of what occurred in the destruction of a city on the coast of Southern Italy.  This destruction was as a result of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD79.  What caught my attention in this promotion was a statement made by the narrator of this ad.  He stated, “For all their strength, they lived in the shadow of a greater power.”

The first thing that crossed my mind was that sometimes, even if by accident, television  gets something right.  It’s my opinion that, on most occasions, when TV actually airs something that coincides with the Bible, it’s by accident.   But, let’s consider that statement about the occupants of that doomed city for a moment.

Can we look in the Bible and verify the narrator’s statement about a “greater power?”  I believe that we can and I’ll start by recommending that you take a few moments and read chapters 38-40 in the book of Job.  Then I’ll direct your attention to something written by the Prophet Jeremiah in Jer. 51:15-16 “It is He who made the earth by His power; who established the world by His wisdom and by His understanding stretched out the heavens.  When He utters His voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens and He makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.  He makes lightning for the rain and He brings forth the wind from His storehouses.”  (ESV)

We know that “greater power” to be Jehovah God.  Yeah, the Romans might have been the mightiest power on earth at that time, but they were still “on the earth” that God created and exercises total control over.  They had only the power that God allowed them to have then and that same principle applies to the world today.  (Rom. 13:1)

But, the most important thing for us to remember about the power of God is this: His power goes beyond this earth.  He has the power to save our souls from sin and to take them to heaven where they will live eternally with Him.  It is He “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption throught His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14)

In the consideration of God’s power of all the natural earth we come to my second TV induced topic.  A couple of weeks or so back, while distressing over there not being anything worth watching on television and channel-surfing during this period of distress, I ran across a program that looked interesting.  This program was entitled “Bible Mysteries Explained.”

I thought, “What mysteries could they be talking about?” so I hit the “Select” button on the remote and found that their “mysteries” were the “Plagues of Egypt.”  Personally, I never considered them to be a mystery.  All of my studies regarding them caused me to believe that they were put on Egypt by God for the purpose of freeing His people from bondage there. 

And, I was aware that they escalated in severity until that freedom was accomplished.  Plus, I was aware that they were miraculous and wondrous and consisted of God using His power over the natural things of earth.  Yep, the reason I never considered them to be mysterious is because I’m a believer in the supreme omnipotence of God therefore I know how and why they occurred.

By the time I got to the program I had missed the first part but, what I did see shocked me almost beyond words.  (Obviously it was only “almost”)   Basically, their opinion was that all of the “mystery” of the plagues was “explained” as their being nothing more than “natural phenomenons.”  Of course they were “natural things” but, Who controls nature?

They couldn’t explain why these “natural events” just happened to occur on command of Moses and immediately after he told Pharaoh that a particular plague would happen.  But, it was the 10th and final plague “explained” by the program that is so representative of how people use “guesses, surmises” and “what-if’s” to say: this could be the reason something happened.  Of course, the underlying purpose of showing it to be a purely natural event is like saying “nothing to see here, folks.  Nothing supernatural, no mystery.” 

Well, here’s how they tried to “explain” the 10th plague, the death of the “first-born” of the Egyptians.  They said the 10th plague was caused by the 9th plague, “darkness” which lasted for a period of 3 days and also only affected the Egyptians. (Ex. 10:21-23)   They said that because of the 9th plague the soil of Egypt was contaminated and thus the grain was poisoned (in some unexplained manner).   I was totally confused by their tying the last two plagues together in the manner they did.

They surmised that, because the grain was poisoned, the alcoholic drink that was made from it was in turn poisoned.  There ya go, the poisoned liquor, which apparently every Egyptian drank, is what killed them.  OK, I know what you’re thinking here - Why only the “first-born?”  Here is the most “far-out” effort I’ve ever seen by someone doing their absolute best to “unexplain God.”

They said that the poisoned drink wasn’t “deadly enough” to kill someone who only drank a “normal” amount (whatever that was).  BUT, it was a custom at that time in Egypt to give the “first-born,” the oldest, a “double portion.”  ERGO, the “first-born” drank twice as much of the poisoned potion as everyone else and that was sufficient to have killed them.  I guess that they must have given the liquor to all their animals too, in the same proportions which would “explain” why the “first-born” of the Egyptians’ “beasts” also died.  (Ex. 11:5)

It’s beyond my ability to answer something as foolish as The Discovery Channel’s explanation of “mystery” of the plagues of Egypt.  I say again, it’s only a “mystery” to the unbelievers.  But, I also know something else.  No matter how much “they” try and “explain” away God and His power, there will come a time when He won’t be a “mystery” to anyone. 

                               “For as it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS TO GOD.”  Rom. 14:11

Ron Covey

Base-ish - Baseball Spanish

Learning the Language

Billy Horton is entering his third year as a minor league hitting coach for the major league baseball team, the San Francisco Giants.  Tim Elmore and Billy Boughey of Growing Leaders recently asked Horton to write a blog about connecting with his younger players.  Here is an excerpt from his blog:

In my year of coaching with the Giants, we had a good ballclub and a lot of the players got better.  However, there was a big disconnect between myself and the Latin [American] players.  The biggest chasm between us was verbal communication.  I had taken Spanish class in high school and college, but over the past twenty years I have not used it on a regular basis.  I was at a crossroad.  I knew I had to lead the way if we were to connect.  It became clear I needed to re-learn the language to better coach them.

I started by learning what I call "Base-ish" - Baseball Spanish.  I learned how to communicate our batting practice routine in Spanish and then moved on to body parts that are used in the hitter's swing mechanics.  I asked the players a lot of questions and they were more than happy to help me...  If I want to be able to communicate with my whole team, learning their language is very important.  I could tell every player noticed the simple effort I put in to learn, not just lead...

The funny thing is that when I first started down this road, it was for job security.  I wanted to make myself more valuable to the organization.  What it turned into was a bridge between me and the players.  I showed them effort in learning their language, and they appreciated that. They saw I cared about them, and our relationships grew. *

From the beginning, God has communicated His love toward us:

He has communicated His love through CREATION.  He formed the world to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18), and it is just the right environment to sustain human life!  He has shown kindness and love by giving us "rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides us with plenty of food and fills our hearts with joy (Acts 14:17).

He has communicated His love through His written REVELATION.  "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways" (Hebrew 1:1 NIV).  We have the words of the inspired prophets and apostles in Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:11-13).  We can know something of God's divine nature and His power through His creation (Romans 1:20), but we know of His will for us through His written revelation (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

He has communicated His love through the INCARNATION.  God "put on" human flesh in the person of His Son Jesus and came to live among men.  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14; see also Hebrews 2:14-17).

He has communicated His love through the CRUCIFIXION.  Our sin separates us from God and condemns us eternally (Romans 3:23).  "But God demonstrates [or "communicates"] His own love toward us,
 in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  Because of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, we can be saved from our sins through Him (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

God will save those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into

Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38).  His atoning blood will continue to cleanse those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Because of the wonderful ways that God has "communicated" with us, we can know that He loves us and desires to save us so that we can spend an eternity with Him.

Won't YOU respond to His love through your trusting obedience to His will?

David A. Sargent

Ozone Falls in Cumberland County, Tennessee

"Always Flowing"

Through the years I've accumulated a number of favorite spots to visit. Some require a full day or more to get there. Others need only a few minutes. I visited one of the latter earlier this week as I made my way down Interstate 40.

Ozone Falls is located in Cumberland County, Tennessee, not far from Crossville. Getting there is a short detour from the Interstate. To fully appreciate the waterfall, you need to make a short (but steep) hike down to the base of the falls. There you can marvel at the water falling from 110 feet above. This visit found the flow of water full and impressive.

I've been to this spot at other times when very little water was falling, due to a scarcity of rain over previous days. If you're like me, you hope for an abundance of water. That's when waterfalls are most impressive.

My trip was purely recreational, a time to try out a new camera I had just purchased. But what about those who depend on spots like this for life-giving water? What if they find the stream dry? Then it's more than a disappointment; it becomes tragic.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that He could provide for her "living water" (John 4:10). The two were at a well in Sychar, a place where people came not for recreation but for a vital need. Jesus had no bucket to let down into the well. But no matter - He was referring to spiritual water that every soul needs to survive.

Before we get our hopes up, let's remember: That was a long time ago. Streams have been known to dry up or to change their course. Even if we go to the Lord to ask for this living water, who's to say it is still available?

Actually, Jesus says that. In John 7:38 He elaborated on this special water He offers: "Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Three words in that one verse catch my attention: "living" means fresh water, not stagnant. "Flow" means a continual source of water. "Rivers" teaches that there will be no shortage; God has an abundant supply.

Let's add one more impressive term to the description of living water: "eternal". John recorded this beautiful fact: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1). That vision came not from earth, a place of decay and corruption, but from heaven, a home of everlasting freshness. And we're invited to come drink (Revelation 22:17)!

I want that living water! And according to my Savior, it's available now and forever.
Timothy D. Hall

Wake up and start living

Ephesians 5:14 “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

Wake up and start living is a great message that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. We should be excited and stirred up because we are children of God. It is a privilege and honor to be a member of the body of Christ. I love the words of 1 John 3:1, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” God has made a tremendous commitment to you and I in that he gave his son to die for us (John 3:16). Jesus made the ultimate commitment in that while we were sinners, he died for us (Rom. 5:8). We need to be serious about the commitment we have made to him. Away with lukewarmness and indifference (1 Cor. 16:13, Rev. 3:15-16). Oh, that we all would live for Jesus giving him all that we have, after all, he gave himself that we might have life and have it more abundantly (2 Cor. 8:1-5, Mk. 12:30, John 10:10).

 Hear Paul as he says, “And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed”—Rom. 13:11. We need to ever be aware of and keep in mind every waking moment that with each step we take we draw a little closer to that time in which we will be ushered out into eternity to face our God and give an account of how we have lived (2 Cor. 5:10).

Those who are choked with the cares of this world are merely existing and need to wake up (Luke 8:14). The Prodigal Son of Luke 15 went into the far country and thought he was really living but he wound up in a pig pen. The word of God  often falls on deaf ears because the cares of this world take precedence in the lives of individuals. Often times there is little or no concern for spiritual things as individuals pursue material possessions or seek to satisfy fleshly appetites for pleasure or approval of their friends (1 Tim. 6:7-11, 1 John 2:15-17, Matt. 6:19-21, 1 Peter 4:2-7).

 All who are outside Christ are dead and need to come alive. I love Isaiah 55:3. “Incline your ear and come unto me: hear me and your soul shall live.” If you really want to live, hear him, believe him, confess him, repent of sin, be baptized for remission of sin, live faithfully for and with him. Throw away all the old crutches, the feeble excuses and start living. Let his word live in your heart, direct your mind and mold your thoughts (Col. 3:16, Phil. 4:8).

Stop worrying, fretting and being anxious (Phil. 4:6, John 14:1), put away fear (Heb. 13:5-6), do away with bitterness, murmuring and complaining (Eph. 4:31-32), count your many blessings; thank God for what he has done for you. Stop looking at the thorns of life, look at the roses, believe that you can do all things through Christ and really, really start living.

Charles Hicks