Biblical Articles
Biblical Articles:
Chosen | The Prayer | The Star Has Been Repolished
Who Gives You Victory? | Memo From God
Chosen
I was inspired recently by an e-mail I received from Kitty Rudometkin. We met at a workshop I conducted for her sales team. Kitty detailed several of the ideas she had learned and how she was successfully using them. The most important, inspiring part of her entire e-mail came just as she was signing off, she wrote, “Thanks for all the ‘good stuff’ you have provided me. I’ve chosen to make good use of it and it’s working!”
Did you catch it? Reread Kitty’s quote. There it is again. Chosen. That’s right-the most important word in her quote is chosen. How are you doing with what you’ve chosen to do recently? Your choices-your daily decisions about how you will use your time, energy and resources-are the only difference between a successful day and a wasted day.
A successful career and a wasted career. A successful life and a wasted life. Robert James Challenger once wrote of choices: “Remember, when the eagle looks down on the still water, his reflection is that of a noble bird. If you chose right over wrong, the reflection you will see will be that of a noble person. Our lives mirror the path each of us chooses to follow.”
The Prayer
Commentator Paul Harvey recently shared the following on his radio program, “The Rest of the Story.” Many thanks to good friend Janie Paul for bringing it to our attention.
When minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
The Prayer “Heavenly Father, we have come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, ‘Woe on those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will. I ask it in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.”
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Reverend Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of the prayer from India, Africa and Korea.
When Paul Harvey aired the prayer on “The Rest of the Story,” he received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord’s help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called one nation under God.
The Star Has Been Repolished!
One of our most popular topics, “Becoming A Star” (also called “Polishing Your Star”) has recently undergone a re-polishing – a face-lift, if you will – of fresh information blended with the familiar favorite tips and ideas it has always been known for. Following is a sneak preview of the new look:
* Discover the five “Be’s” of customer service.
* Learn how to sell through FABLE.
* Create a “script” for customer calls.
* Discover the top ten lessons for sponsoring.
* Learn time-saver tips for higher productivity.
* Learn the three most important steps to staying motivated.
As you can see, the new, re-polished “Becoming a Star” is perfect for your next sales meeting.
Who Gives You Victory?
Recently, I was at an airport checking in for a flight. As the agent printed out my boarding passes and seat assignments, she said, “Wow, look at those numbers! (of my seat assignments)
They all match the gate assignments of each of your flights for this trip! What a sign – you should play the lottery today! You do play the lottery, don’t you?” “No,” I replied with a smile. “I don’t depend on the lottery for victory, I depend on God.”
The Bible says in Psalm 60:11-12, “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.” We all face daily enemies – stress, negative attitudes, an unbalanced schedule, worry, an uncooperative co-worker, family demands, perfectionism, an unsympathetic boss, financial struggles, rebellious teenagers, an emotionally-distant spouse, illness – the list could go on.
As in any battle, identifying the enemy is only half the fight. The other half – the most important half – is knowing where to go for victory. Some people turn to the lottery, while others turn to over-eating, complaining, alcohol, anger, over-spending, denial, pornography, road-rage, arguments, withdrawl, gossiping, flirting, quitting, gambling, fighting – and the list goes on. We all recently witnessed the complete desperation of people searching for victory in all the wrong places when women from across the nation lined up to marry a millionaire. It took less than 24 hours for that house of cards to come tumbling down as the bride and groom dissolved the “marriage” almost immediately. Now he has turned this incredibly stupid stunt into a rude stand-up comedy act and she is contemplating posing nude for Playboy magazine. Some victory.
The Bible is clear – the help of man is worthless if it’s not from God. People will spend their entire lives and fortunes looking for victory in this world – many, sadly, will die still looking. Who gives you victory? The only victory you’ll ever need is Christ Jesus. There is no lottery, no millionaire, no relationship, no job that can ever take the place of knowing you put Christ Jesus first in your life. He will give you victory, He will be the one to walk you through the trials and storms you face every day, and never fail you. The help of man is worthless, but with Christ Jesus we will gain the victory. Have you decided, once and for all, who gives you victory?
With God we will gain the victory!
Memo From God
To: You
Date: Today
From: The Boss
Subject: Yourself
Reference: Life
I am God.
Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box.
It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them.
Anonymous