The Last Thought At Night

The Last Thought At Night
Selwyn Hughes
For reading & meditation: Psalm 4:1-8

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone,O Lord, make me dwell in safety." -Psalm 4:8

Let your last thought at night be a thought about your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The last thoughts that lie on our minds at night are powerful and determinative, for the door into the subconscious is opening and they drop in to work good or evil. It's bad enough struggling with evil thoughts while you are awake; don't let them take control while you are asleep.

Your conscious mind may be inactive while you are asleep, not so the subconscious. The last thoughts lying in your mind as you go to sleep usually become the "playthings" of the subconscious, and it works on these during the hours you are asleep. If it is true that your mind is active while you are asleep - and there certainly seems to be plenty of evidence to support this theory, then make your mind work in a positive and not a negative way.

Satan delights in dropping an evil thought into your mind during the moments immediately prior to sleep, because he knows that it will work destructively all through the night, influencing your attitudes and most likely preventing you from enjoying a peaceful night's sleep. Then when you wake, you find that not only do you have to face the problems of another day, but you also have to face them without having drawn fully on the resources available to you through sleep. Thus begins a recurring pattern which cannot help but drag you down.

So learn to elbow out any evil thought that enters your mind just before sleep, and let your last thought be a thought of Christ.

Prayer:Father, if it is true that my mind works when I am asleep, then help me to make it work for good and not for evil. Teach me the art of holding a thought about You on my mind immediately prior to going to sleep. I shall begin tonight, Lord. Amen.

God's Five Investment Funds

Teach Your Congregation God’s 5 Investment Funds
Rick Warren

Your congregation can invest in eternity by using their money for God’s purposes. It is secure. It is risk free. It comes with guaranteed interest. It yields dividends forever.

The Bible says, “Tell people to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share whatever God has given them. By doing this they’ll be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven. It is the only safe investment for eternity and they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19, TLB)

1. Invest in God’s treasury fund (worship).

This is the investment fund most of your congregation will know about – tithing. We invest in the treasury fund by using some of our money to express worship. There’s nothing we can give God that he needs. And God certainly doesn’t need our money. But when we give an offering to God – an undesignated, planned, and proportional offering where and when we worship – we’re saying, “God I love you.” The Bible says, “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income.” (Proverbs 3:9 TLB) We honor God when we tithe. It’s an act of worship. God wants us to give to this fund before we invest in any other fund. He doesn’t want our money; he wants what it represents.

2. Invest in God’s mutual fund (fellowship).

God also wants us to use some of our money to encourage fellowship, to show love to other believers, to build relationships. Anytime I give my money to God, it draws me closer to God. Anytime I give my money to another person, it draws me closer to that person. When I give money to people in my small group or I invest in my small group, I grow closer to those in the group. Anytime I buy a nice card and write a note of encouragement, I’ve just invested in the mutual fund. When another believer is discouraged, and I take him or her out for lunch, I’ve just invested in the mutual fund. Investing in this fund brings in dividends from elsewhere as well. The Bible says, “When you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible” (3 John 1:5 MSG). When we invest our money in developing relationships within the church, it points others to God. Investing in the fellowship of your church helps bring people to Christ.

3. Invest in God’s growth fund (discipleship).

God wants us to take some of our money and invest it in ourselves – in personal and spiritual improvement. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (TLB) There are many ways to waste your money instead of using it to grow. But God wants us to use some of our money to grow spiritually, to develop skills, and to educate ourselves – so that we can become the kind of person God has shaped us to be. The Bible says, “Buy truth and don’t sell it for love or money. Buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight” (Proverbs 23:23 MSG). Anytime we use our money to buy a Christian book or a CD that helps us grow, we’ve invested in this fund. Or whenever we use our money to take a class or to learn something that makes us more of what God wants us to be, we’re investing in our growth fund.

4. Invest in God’s equity service fund (ministry).

God wants us to use some of our money to help people in need. God didn’t put us on this earth to live for ourselves. This is all part of God making us more like himself. God is generous. Everything we have in life is because of God’s generosity. We wouldn’t have anything – we wouldn’t even be alive – if it weren’t for God’s generosity. And God wants us to be generous like he is. God particularly wants us to be generous with the poor. All throughout the Bible, God tells us he is watching how we help the poor. For example: “Give to the poor, and you will never be in need. But if you close your eyes to the poor, many will curse you.” (Proverbs 28:27 TEV) “When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord, and the Lord will pay you back.” (Proverbs 19:17 TEV)

5. God wants the people of your church to invest in his global fund (missions).

God wants us to use some of our money to take the Good News to the whole world. Luke 16:9 is one of the most misunderstood verses in the entire Bible. Jesus says, “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone you will be welcomed in eternal dwellings.”

What in the world does he mean by that? I believe Jesus is telling us that he wants us to take some of our money and use it to help other people get into heaven. So when you die and get to heaven, those same people will welcome you there and say, “Thank you for investing in me. I’m in heaven because of you. I’m not your friend for life; I’m your friend for eternity. I’m in heaven because you cared enough. You bought me a Bible. You bought me a ticket for an event. You did something with your money to help spread the Good News to my village. Because you gave, I’m now a follower of Christ, and I’m in heaven because of you.”

That’s the greatest possible use of our money! We can use the money from this fund locally or we can use it globally. Are there people in your church who want to participate in short-term missions, but they don’t think they can afford it? Encourage them to invest (or save) a little money each month for their global fund, so they can take the Good News of Jesus Christ to another country. Investing in these five funds is eternally important. If your church members invest their treasure on earth, all they’re doing is piling up treasure here. But if we invest in eternity – in God’s eternal purposes – we’ll enjoy our investment forever and ever and ever.

This article is adapted from Rick Warren’s message, Enabling the Vision – Purpose Driven Giving.

The Spirit of Competition

The Spirit of Competition
Os Hillman

"I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." -John 17:23

A story is told about F.B. Meyer, the great Bible teacher and pastor who lived a century ago. He was pastoring a church and began to notice that attendance was suffering. This continued until he finally asked some members of his congregation one Sunday morning why they thought attendance was down. A member volunteered, "It is because of this new church down the road. The young preacher has everyone talking and many are going to hear him speak." His name was Charles Spurgeon.

Meyer, rather than seeking to discourage this, exhorted the entire congregation to join him and go participate in seeing this "move of God" as he described it to his congregation. "If this be happening, then God must be at work."

Meyer, even though he was an accomplished preacher and teacher, recognized where God was at work and joined Him in it. [The author heard this on a radio show from Key Life Ministries with Steve Brown, based in Orlando, Florida.] Can you imagine this story taking place in our competitive world today?

Competition has penetrated the Church so much that many churches and Christian organizations approach ministry like a sports event. They view their mission as a business that seeks to gain market share among Christians - donors, members, influence - all under the name of God. I am sure God looks down at us and asks, "Whatever happened to John 17:23?"

Sometimes we must remind our fellow servants that we are all on the same team! We should be seeking to impact the Kingdom of God, not increase our own market share. When Jesus made this statement about unity in John 17:23, it represented the key to bringing salvation to many. He was saying that when His Body is unified, the non-Christian would be able to see who Jesus really is - the Son of God. Are you contributing to unity in the Body of Christ? Or are you contributing to a spirit of competition? Ask God where you can be an instrument of unity in His Body.

Getting Tired Of Each Other?

Getting Tired Of Each Other?
Dr Harold J. Sala

"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." -Colossians 3:19

In his book Making Life Rich Without Any Money, Phil Callaway tells of an elderly couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. When the cake was cut, it seemed only fitting that the husband comment on those wonderful years together. He looked tenderly at his wife and tried to express himself. Lifting his glass in a toast to his wife, he began, "My dear wife, after 50 years I've found you tried and true."

Everyone smiled except the wife who struggled with her hearing. Cupping her hand behind her better ear she said, "Eh?" This time her husband repeated himself quite loudly, "After 50 years I've found you tried and true!" With a gleam in her eye which was less than angelic she shot back, "Well, let me tell you something--after 50 years I'm tired of you, too!"

A lot of couples--if they were honest with each other--would have to admit that it didn't take a half-century to grow tired of each other. Interested in keeping your marriage from wearing thin? Then put into practice the following ten guidelines:

Guideline #1: Put the other first. Knowing that each of you belongs to the other and you both belong to the Lord takes away the selfish, "Me first!" mentality out of a marriage, which causes it to wear out about as fast as anything.

Guideline #2: Don't insist on winning every round. You married to complete each other, choosing someone much different from you. Don't insist on making the other into a mirror image of yourself. You don't have to fight to the finish every time you disagree.

Guideline #3: Keep some excitement in your marriage. Periodically break the routine by doing something different. Go somewhere you haven't been before. Eat at a different restaurant. Bring home a surprise. It's OK to be unpredictable when your broken routine brings joy or surprise to the one you love.

Guideline #4: Give each other some space. Snuggling is great but sometimes a person needs space to breathe. If you don't like sports, let him take in a ball game while you shop.

Guideline #5: Never look back. This also means you turn loose of the past, including your mistakes and failures along with those of your husband or wife. You can't drive looking in the rear-view mirror of your car. Neither can your marriage succeed when you think much about the past.

Guideline #6: Enjoy the present while you plan for the future. Take advantage of the moment to pause for a cup of coffee, a walk in the early morning, a few moments of uninterrupted leisure; but keep something on your calendar which you can both look forward to doing.

Guideline #7: Verbalize your love every day. Yes, she knows you love her. You told her that when you got married, but reaffirm that, expressing affection and care every day. It fills up that love tank within her heart. Yours, too!

Guideline #8: Forgive quickly. Don't expect the perfection in your mate you don't have, yourself. Gunny sacking, or remembering the faults and failures of your mate, is dangerous business. Life is too short, too precious to hold on to bitterness.

Guideline #9: Compliment quickly. Tell her she is the most beautiful woman in the world, that if you could do it all over again, you would only marry more quickly. You can do more to encourage your mate than anyone else in the world.

Guideline #10: Communicate freely and completely. Charles Dickens, the English author whose own marriage was far from ideal, wrote, "Never close your lips to the one to whom you have opened your heart."

Question: Have you grown tired of the person you married? Then go to work on your relationship, putting into practice these 10 guidelines which will make a big, big difference. I know. I've tried them.

Resource reading: Colossians 3.

The Language of Love and Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs

Living Forward, Understanding Backward

Living Forward, Understanding Backward
Os Hillman

"The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it." -1 Thessalonians 5:24

When I was in my 20's, I participated in a wilderness-training course in a desert and mountain area. For our "final exam," we were blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote area.

We were dropped off and told to meet back at the camp in three days. We did not know where we were. We had to determine our location with our compasses. It was a frightening experience for four young people who had learned to navigate through the use of a compass only a few days earlier.

With our food and water on our backs, we began our trek. It had just snowed that morning, so the way was difficult. We walked through valleys, canyons, snow-covered hills, and forests. In all, we walked more than 60 miles in three days. There were times when we did not think we could go another foot. Exhaustion and frostbitten feet were taking their toll. However, we finally made it to our base camp successfully, and to our surprise, we were the first ones among the other patrols to make it back.

At the conclusion of our journey, we were able to stand on top of a ridge, look behind us and see the beautiful terrain that we had just scaled. The pain of what we had just endured seemed to subside. We could not believe we had actually walked through those valleys and snowcapped hills. There was a sense of accomplishment.

Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life as a result. When you begin to realize some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.

Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, "Wow, look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley." Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.

Obedience-Based Decisions

Obedience-Based Decisions
Os Hillman

"We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." -Acts 5:32

So often we as a society equate numbers with success. The larger the conference, the more successful we deem it. The larger a church, the more we believe that God is blessing. And so on. I recall planning a conference one time. Registrations were not where I felt they needed to be a few weeks before the date of the event. It wasn't long before I began to get "under the pile" about the level of attendance. My friend, who was organizing this conference with me, called and asked how I was doing. I had to confess where I was. He immediately reminded me of my own teaching in this area. We are all called to be led by the Spirit, not by outcomes. "If God called us to put on this conference, then the outcome is up to Him if we have done our part."

He went on to explain how he learned this lesson in a similar way a few years earlier. He and a friend were led to host a Bible study group. His friend was to speak. It was nine o'clock and they were the only two people there. His friend was discouraged and was ready to leave. "No," said my friend. "We have done what the Holy Spirit directed." He then stood up and began to welcome people as though there were many in the room. (No one was in the room.)

He introduced his friend and they began the meeting. A few minutes later, people began to straggle in. By the time the meeting was over, ten had shown up, and one man in particular was impacted by the meeting. Being led by the Spirit often means we must not use the world's standard for success as our measuring stick. You never know what an act of obedience will yield at the time. We must leave results to God. Our role is to obey. His role is to bring results from our obedience.

Do you make decisions based on the potential outcome or by the direction of the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you overly evaluate the pros and cons without consideration to what the Holy Spirit might be saying deep inside? We are all prone to make decisions based on reasoning alone. Ask God to give you a willingness and ability to hear the Holy Spirit and to obey His promptings.

God's Vessels

God's Vessels
A DEVOTIONAL BY LEROY EIMS
Today's Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:20-26

"Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning;for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame. " -1 Corinthians 15:34

Some time ago I heard of a young man who took a job working in a post office over the Christmas holidays. He was grateful for the work and really gave it his best. During slack times, he would get the broom and clean up around his work area. Did his coworkers commend him for his efforts to give the government an honest day's labor? No, they said, "What are you looking for, a gold star on your paycheck?"

This same sort of thing happened to me when I was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. Some of my friends got wind of the fact that I didn't cheat on exams. They thought that was silly, because everybody did it. When I told them I knew it would displease the Lord, they laughed. But I'd made a commitment to live in such a way that the Lord would be honored. That's a decision every Christian should make.

The person who wants to be used of God will soon discover that a life of holiness is an imperative: "If a man cleanses himself...he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2 Timothy 2:21). Christian, do you want to be used of God? Then remember that a pure man is a powerful man.

The apostle John wrote, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God." The boldness we need to serve God is intertwined with a holy life. Remember the Old Testament warning: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1, KJV). Holiness and usability are inseparable.

Prayer: Lord, by Your Spirit, make my life holy so that I may be used by You. Amen.
To Ponder: A holy life is a powerful weapon in the hands of a holy God.

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Yes Father God, the world may move but we'll stay unmovable in Your great love. Help me today I pray. In Jesus mighty name. Amen!