Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

The Thrill of Temptation

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men [and women] of courage; be strong."1

Years ago Kent Edwards wrote how the tuna fish "were running for the first time in forty-seven years only thirty miles off Cape Cod."2 They were apparently biting furiously so many would-be tuna fishermen in their excitement to catch a large tuna ignored Coast Guard warnings. What they didn't realize was that the problem didn't lie in hooking a tuna but landing it in the boat.

One boat, the Christi Anne, capsized while battling with a large tuna. The same day another boat, Basic Instinct, met with the same fate. And Official Business was swamped when trying to land its catch. The tuna pulled the boat below the surface of the water.

What these fishermen didn't realize was the power of large tuna fish. That's pretty much like what temptation does to us. At first it can seem very exciting and enticing but once we take the bait, we're the ones that get hooked and it can quickly overpower us and pull us under.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be always on guard so that I will avoid the lure of temptation and not get hooked or entrapped by it. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV).
2. Kent Edwards. Cited in Encounter magazine (ACTS Australia), January 2007.

 

[beensetfree]

Life Has an Expiration Date

"It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."1

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."2

"Life Has an Expiration Date" was a statement that I read on somebody else's email but I don't know whom to credit it to. However, it is an excellent reminder that life is short and we only have one life to live and invest.

I would like to again quote one of my many favorite one-liners from William Penn, the 18/19th-century French/American religious leader who said, "I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again."

Penn's words bring to mind one of my good friends who died at age 44 from cancer. I was with Graham shortly before he passed away and asked him how he felt being only 44 and given only a matter of a few months at best to live. One of the unforgettable things he spoke about was how difficult it was for him when some friends who visited him in the hospital rattled on with empty words, or said "the right thing" but without feeling or heart. He was dying and to him their words were empty, meaningless clichés. He wanted to talk about life, death, and being ready to meet God face to face—and issues that mattered.

He also said how angry he was because there were so many things he didn't get done and still wanted to do—but his time was up and he would never get them done. This was one of his big regrets. But his main regret was that he felt he hadn't spent enough time with his kids and family.

Graham's words remind me how temporal life is. None of us has any guarantee of tomorrow, so (not being fanatical about it) we do need to live every day with eternal values in mind.

So, do you have any unfinished business? Any impaired relationships that you can and need to resolve? Anyone you need to let know how much you love them? May I kindly suggest that you do it today! And, above all, do you need to get right with God? This I urge upon you to do today—now.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to remember the words of the poet who said, 'Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last,' and, with Your help, live life to the fullest—with eternal values uppermost in my mind. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

NOTE: To be sure your life is right with God read, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://tinyurI.com/8glq9

1. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).
2. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV).