THE GIVER AND THE RECEIVER

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”  (John 3:16 NRSV)

Gifts require two parties, a giver and a receiver. The right motivation of a giver is love -- no strings attached. The right attitude of the receiver is to accept the gift with gratitude -- no hoops to jump through.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9 NSRV) 

-- Adapted from Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians”

#5319

PUT RIGHT WITH GOD

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”  (Romans 5:1-2 NIV)

“Justify” or “put right” alludes to a courtroom where a person is acquitted, pronounced free to go, no charges. It suggests alignment, being in right relationship. That is, the relation to God is made right. Justification is rectification. God in Christ gives us access to undeserved favor and therefore to peace with God. Christ’s work, through faith, moves us from wrath to peace and to our hope of one day sharing the glory of God (Romans 5:2).

What Paul is saying is astounding. Christ’s death is literally God’s love. Not God loving us because of who we are; rather, God loving us in spite of who we are -- sinners, powerless to do what is right, enemies of God. Nothing about us merits God’s love. Yet, “God proves His love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Now we can boast. We can boast of Jesus (Romans 5:11). 

-- Richard and Julia Wilke in “DISCIPLE: Remember Who You Are”

#5318

OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE

SPECIAL NOTE: Today, March 29, marks the 23^rd anniversary of this SOUND BITES Ministry in memory of our son, Dustin, who had died on this date the previous year (1998). Over 5300 quotes have been sent out since SOUND BITES began. This past year the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to impact our world, affecting us all in so many varying ways. Over six million have died from it globally. And now the war in Ukraine is taking more lives, and displacing millions. These are tough times, but because Jesus lives, we can have hope -- not just a trickle of hope, but “OVERFLOWING HOPE”; not just for this life, but for our life to come. As we continue through Lent, let today’s SOUND BITES quote speak to you, and then share it with others.  -- DW

 

OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE

A friend recently sent me a card that read, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  (Romans 15:3)

When I think about that single statement, I am reminded that:

          -- God is the source of all hope;

          -- He is even now seeking to fill my body with not just joy and peace, but all joy and peace;

          -- Joy and peace go hand in hand with trusting in God;

          -- His desire is that I should not just contain hope, but overflow with hope to others;

          -- This process is dependent not on my power, but the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me.

There are a lot of distracting thoughts that can occupy my mind these days. Meditating on Scripture is an important part of keeping my mind focused on Christ.  

-- Adapted from John Ortberg in “If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat”

#5317

GOODNESS AND MERCY

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  (Psalm 23:6 NKJV)

If the Lord is the shepherd who leads the flock, goodness and mercy are the two sheepdogs that guard the rear of the flock. Goodness and mercy. Not goodness alone, for we are sinners in need of mercy. Not mercy alone, for we are fragile, in need of goodness. We need them both. As F. B. Meyer wrote in “The Shepherd Psalm,”  “Goodness to supply every need. Mercy to forgive every sin. Goodness to provide. Mercy to pardon.”

Goodness and mercy -- the central escort of God’s flock. If that duo doesn’t reinforce your faith, try this phrase: “All the days of my life.”

What a huge statement. Look at the size of it! Goodness and mercy follow the child of God each and every day! Think of the days that lie ahead. What do you see? Days at home with only toddlers? God will be at your side. Days in a dead-end job? He will walk you through. Days of loneliness? He will take your hand. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me -- not some, not most, not nearly all -- but all the days of my life. 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23”

#5316

THE ONENESS OF THE BODY

The apostle makes a bold affirmation of the unity of the church by calling us to bear with one another in love by making every effort “to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Paul declares this common mission of the body of Christ by lifting a piece of liturgy out of the worship life of the early church. It may be an affirmation of faith or a part of the baptismal liturgy: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

It would be impossible to miss his use of the word “one.” It appears seven times in that single sentence, and it is reinforced by his repetition of the word “all” in the final phrase.

Paul wants there to be no doubt that there are no solo performers in the orchestra of God’s grace, no starring actors in the drama of God’s love. We are bound together in the oneness of the body of Christ. 

-- James A. Harnish in “A Disciple’s Path: Deepening Your Relationship with Christ and the Church” 

#5315

COME TO ME

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)

Jesus speaks to those like me (and you?) who are weary and burdened by the stresses of life, whether self-imposed or unavoidable. Come. One simple action is all that is needed. An entreaty. An invitation. Come. Sit in a nest of rest -- near My altar. It’s what I want for you. 

-- Elisa Morgan

A PECULIAR BOOK

“Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven.”  (Psalm 119:89 NLT)

The Bible is a peculiar book. Words crafted in another language. Deeds done in a distant era. Events recorded in a far-off land. Counsel offered to a foreign people.

It’s surprising than anyone still reads it. It’s too old. Some of its writings date back five thousand years. It’s too bizarre. The book speaks of incredible floods, fires, earthquakes, and people with supernatural abilities. It’s too radical. The Bible calls for undying devotion to a carpenter who called Himself God’s Son.

Logic says this book shouldn’t survive. Too old, too bizarre, too radical.

The Bible has been banned, burned, scoffed, and ridiculed. Scholars have mocked it as foolish. Kings have branded it as illegal. A thousand times over, the grave has been dug and the dirge has begun, but somehow the Bible never stays in the grave. Not only has it survived; it has thrived. It is the single most popular book in all of history. It has been the best-selling book in the world for years!

There is no way on earth to explain it. Which perhaps is the only explanation. The Answer? The Bible’s durability is not found on earth; it is found in heaven. For the millions who have tested its claims and claimed its promises, there is but one answer: the Bible is God’s book and God’s voice. 

-- Max Lucado in “Life Lessons: Galatians”

#5313

THE FIVE P’S OF PEACE

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  (John 14:27 NIV)

There are at least five aspects to the peace of Christ. They all start with ‘P’ so it’s easy to remember. Peace comes from the PRESENCE of Christ. Peace is what He gives because it is what He is. Second, peace is the result of Christ’s PARDON. Peace is knowing that we are forgiven. Third, peace is the assurance of Christ’s PROVISION. His strength in our needs, given to us on time and in time in life’s problems. There is no peace as long as we are constantly worrying about whether or not we’re going to make it through difficulties. Fourth, peace is having a clear PURPOSE, knowing that we have surrendered our lives to Christ and that He will guide us hour by hour. And fifth, peace is the experience of Christ’s PLEASURE. It is knowing that He loves us, that not even our mistakes can cause Him to stop loving us. Knowing that motivates us to live our lives to His glory. A part of that aspect of peace is knowing that He has defeated death, that through Him we are alive forever and can live now without fear. 

-- Adapted from Lloyd J. Ogilvie in “If God Cares, Why Do I Still Have Problems?”

#5312

OVERFLOWING BLESSINGS

“My cup overflows with blessings.”  (Psalm 23:5 NLT)

Is an overflowing cup full? Absolutely. The wine reaches the rim and then tumbles over the edge. The goblet is not large enough to contain the quantity. According to David, our hearts are not big enough to contain the blessings that God wants to give. He pours and pours until they literally flow over the edge and down the table. You’ll like the paragraph penned a century ago by F. B. Meyer [in “The Shepherd Psalm”]:

“Whatever the blessing is in our cup, it is sure to run over. With Him the calf is always the fatted calf; the robe is always the best robe; the joy is unspeakable; the peace passes understanding… There is no grudging in God’s benevolence; He does not measure out His goodness as an apothecary counts his drops…, slowly and exactly, drop by drop. God’s way is always characterized by multitudinous and overflowing bounty.”

The last thing we need to worry about is not having enough. Our cup overflows with blessings. 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23” 

#5311

JOYFUL WORSHIPERS

“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, LORD.”  (Psalm 89:15 NLT)

Happy are they who have reached the end of the road we seek to tread, who are astonished to discover the by-no-means self-evident truth that grace is costly just because it is the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Happy are the simple followers of Jesus Christ who have been overcome by His grace and are able to sing the praises of the all-sufficient grace of Christ with humbleness of heart.

Happy are they who, knowing that grace, can live in the world without being of it, who, by following Jesus Christ, are so assured of their heavenly citizenship that they are truly free to live their lives in this world.

Happy are they who know that discipleship simply means the life which springs from grace, and that grace simply means discipleship.

Happy are they who have become Christians in this sense of the word. For them the word of grace has proved a fount of mercy. 

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as quoted in “His Passion: Christ’s Journey to the Resurrection”

#5310

COMMITMENT TO WORSHIP

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.”  (Psalm 95:6-7 NIV)

In his book “Treasures of the Transformed Life”, John Ed Mathison tells the story of a Sunday morning when an ice storm shut down Montgomery, Alabama. Church leaders wondered whether anyone would be present for worship at Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church. Mathison was amazed when he saw one of the older women of the congregation making her way across the ice to the church. He told her he was surprised that she decided to come to worship on that icy morning. Quick to teach him a lesson, she told him that if she had waited until Sunday morning to decide whether she would be in worship, she might not have come. But she made the decision the previous fall when she made a commitment to be in worship forty-eight Sundays that year. She knew the four Sundays she planned to be out of town, and this wasn’t one of them. She had made a commitment to be in worship, and she intended to keep it. While acknowledging his concern for her safety, Mathison shared her story as an example of a personal commitment to corporate worship. 

-- James A. Harnish in “A Disciple’s Path: Deeping Your Relationship with Christ and the Church”

#5309

GRACE AND PEACE IN CHRIST

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 1:2 NIV)

Grace (charis) was hard for ancients and is hard for moderns to believe. We want to earn our respectability. Or we feel we have rights entitlement. Because we do not understand the depth of our self-centeredness, the brokenness of our relationship with God, we cannot comprehend the impossibility of our saving ourselves by our own actions. Grace is God’s work in Christ Jesus to give to us the undeserved favor of God. Grace puts things right; grace is love’s unmerited initiative that frees us to love God in return.

We do not phantom peace until we shudder before wrath. When things are not in line with what God wants, nothing is right. By the act of God in Christ Jesus, wrath is replaced by a healthy, right relationship. Peace is rightness with God, in which inner tranquility is matched by outer harmony. To live “in Christ” is to live in undeserved favor, in harmony and accord with God’s plan of rightness and compassion. 

-- Richard and Julia Wilke in “DISCIPLE: Remember Who You Are”

#5308

SHEEP AND SHEPHERD - Part 2

“The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)

Couldn’t David have thought of a better metaphor? Surely he could have. After all, he outran Saul and outgunned Goliath. Why didn’t he choose something other than sheep? How about…

“The Lord is my commander in chief, and I am His warrior.” There. We like that better. A warrior gets a uniform and a weapon, maybe even a metal.

Or, “The Lord is my inspiration, and I am His singer.” We are in God’s choir; what a flattering assignment.

Or, “The Lord is my king, and I am His ambassador.” Who wouldn’t like to be a spokesperson for God?

Everyone stops when the ambassador speaks. Everyone listens when God’s minstrel sings. Everyone applauds when God’s warrior passes.

But who notices when God’s sheep show up? Who notices when the sheep sing or speak or act? Only one person notices. The shepherd. And that is precisely David’s point.

When David, who was a warrior, minstrel, and ambassador for God, searched for an illustration of God, he remembered his days as a shepherd. He remembered how he lavished attention on the sheep day and night. How he slept with them and watched over them.

And the way he cared for the sheep reminded him of the way God cares for us. David rejoiced to say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and in so doing he proudly implied, “I am His sheep.” 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23”

#5307

SHEEP AND SHEPHERD - Part 1

“The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)

We humans want to do things our way. Forget the easy way. Forget the common way. Forget the best way. Forget God’s way. We want to do things our way.

And, according to the Bible, that’s precisely our problem. “We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

You wouldn’t think sheep would be obstinate. Of all God’s animals, the sheep is the least able to take care of himself.

Sheep are dumb! Have you ever met a sheep trainer? Ever seen sheep tricks? Know anyone who has taught his sheep to roll over?... No, sheep are just too dumb.

And defenseless. They have no fangs or claws. They can’t bite you or outrun you. That’s why you never see sheep as team mascots. We’ve heard of the L.A. Rams and the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Seahawks, but the New York Lambs? Who wants to be a lamb?...

What’s more, sheep are dirty. A cat can clean itself. So can a dog. We see a bird in a birdbath or a bear in a river. But sheep? They get dirty and stay that way.

Couldn’t David have thought of a better metaphor? 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23”

#5306

DEALING WITH ANXIETY

Anxiety is an expensive habit. Of course, it might be worth the cost if it worked. But it doesn’t. Our frets are futile. Jesus said, “You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it” (Matthew 6:27). Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem, or cured a disease.

How can a person deal with anxiety? You might try what one fellow did. He worried so much that he decided to hire someone to do his worrying for him. He found a man who agreed to be his hired worrier for a salary of $200,000 per year. After the man accepted the job, his first question to his boss was, “Where are you going to get $200,000 per year?” To which the man responded, “That’s your worry.”

Sadly, worrying is one job you can’t farm out, but you can overcome it. There is no better place to begin than in verse two of the Shepherd’s Psalm (23), “He leads me beside the still waters.” 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Meant to Bear”

#5305

 

GOD’S RESTORATION WORK

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God -- truly righteous and holy.”  (Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT)

One metaphor I’ve found useful for describing God’s work in the life of Christians is that of restoring old cars… I remember interviewing the guys who ran the Mustang junkyard in Kansas City. I asked one of them, “What do you see when you look at these dilapidated Mustangs in the salvage yard?” He said, “I don’t see them as they are. I see what they could be.”

What a powerful picture of how God views us. The church is God’s salvage yard, and He sees what we could be. Our task is to invite Him to restore us. As we do, little by little He strips us down to the bare metal and then begins perfectly restoring us.

If we’re willing to pursue the Christian life, if we’re willing to say, “Take me, Lord -- my heart, my life, my all -- and make me what You want me to be,” then God, through the Spirit, will restore us. 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It”

#5304

RESISTING TEMPTATION

Foundational to gaining strength to resist temptation is a life lived in God. I can remember times in my life when I felt spiritually flat and emotionally exhausted. I know how vulnerable I was. I thank God daily for the many times He has protected me when I have not had the good sense to take care of myself.

Be regular in fellowship with Christians. Be regular in worship. Be regular in your devotional life. I have found my men’s Bible study to be an essential part of the spiritual foundation for my life. Men need a place where they can discuss openly and honestly with other men the tensions and problems they encounter in life. If you are not in a study like this, seek one. Make certain it has the element of personal sharing in it. Also, find your place of ministry through your local church. Where can you serve God with your gifts?  Being in a place of service for God helps us to be accountable in our lives. 

-- Tom L. Eisenman in “Temptations Men Face”

#5303

INTERIOR SILENCE

“Be still, and know that I am God!”  (Psalm 46:10a)

God is our true Friend, who always gives us the counsel and comfort we need. Our danger lies in resisting Him; so it is essential that we acquire the habit of hearkening to His voice, or keeping silence within, and listening so as to lose nothing of what He says to us.  We know well enough how to keep outward silence, and to hush our spoken words, but we know little of interior silence.  It consists in hushing our idle, restless, wandering imagination, in quieting the promptings of our worldly minds, and in suppressing the crowd of unprofitable thoughts which excite and disturb the soul. 

-- François Fénelon (1651-1715) 

#5302

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it… I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.” (John 10:11-14)

Jesus spoke of Himself not only as the Good Shepherd who knew His sheep by name but also as the door of the sheepfold. "By Me if any man enter in," Jesus said, "he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9) Middle Eastern shepherds… protected their flocks from such wild animals as wolves and lions, by using slingshots or staff. The sheepfold was usually a small stone-wall corral with a single break in the wall that served as the gate. The shepherd made the flock enter the sheepfold by walking under his staff, which he held across the opening. In this way he examined the condition of each animal and made sure he accounted for the entire flock. At night, after the fire had died down, the shepherd usually slept across the opening, thus, himself becoming the gate. 

-- from “Jesus, His Life and Times” (The Genesis Project) 

#5301

YOU-TURNS ARE PERMITTED

Our home is on a cul-de-sac off of a dead end -- the dead end of a dead end. My wife and I can sit on our deck and watch cars come into our cul-de-sac thinking it is the way out. They quickly turn right around and go back down the street. 

Lent is a time of repentance. When one repents one turns around, changes direction. A dead end street is a good place to turn around.

Have you reached a point in life where you have realized that you have been going in the wrong direction? Have you reached a dead end? Do you need to turn around?

God is in the you-turn business. "I am sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between light and dark, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I'm sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in Me."  (Acts 26:17-18 MSG)

Real living in Christ begins with a you-turn. It begins with repentance. And you don't need to wait until you've reached a dead end.  

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson 

#5300

THE 40 DAYS OF LENT

“At once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him.”  (Mark 1:12-13)

Lent is the season in the Christian year that comes just before Easter. Lent is basically a time for recentering our lives. Lent is the time in the church year where we take stock of our lives, and where we choose to live in a new way. And, just like Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, Lent is a forty-day period [excluding Sundays]. It's a time to recommit ourselves to a new way of living...or, perhaps just to an old way of living that we've forgotten about.

-- Copyright Eric Folkerth 2000. All Rights Reserved. (Used with Permission)

#5299

THE TEMPTATION OF POWER

“But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible?  Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love.  It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life… The long painful history of the church is the history of people ever and again tempted to choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader over being led.  Those who resisted this temptation to the end and thereby give us hope are the true saints. 

-- Henri J. M. Nouwen in “In the Name of Jesus” 

#5298

THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

There is a story of a man who looked up at the heavens and said, “Dear God, there is so much pain and anguish in Your world; why don’t You send help?” And God answered, “I did send help -- I sent My Son and they crucified Him. Now I am sending you in the power of My Spirit to make a difference and to ease the pain and anguish you encounter.”  

-- Unknown 

#5297