Daily Encounter with: ACTS International

Today's Daily Encounter

Parable of the Sparrows  

"Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is
seated at the right hand of God ... not on earthly
things."1

Once upon a time a loaf of bread fell from a bakery
truck and as it hit the ground a crumb broke loose.
Three sparrows all eyed the crumb and swooped down to
grab it, but began fighting over it.

Eventually one of the sparrows succeeded in scooping up
the crumb in its beak and flew away with it--hotly
pursued by the other two sparrows. A frenzied aerial
fracas took place until the crumb was completely
consumed.

The only thing these sparrows saw was the crumb. None
noticed the loaf still on the ground.

How often we consume our energies squabbling over
trivialities while the true riches of life go unnoticed
and escape us. And how often we concentrate our
energies on non-essential issues while the needs of the
hurting are neglected and the lost go to hell!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the wisdom
to see and the good sense to major on the majors and
not get carried away majoring on the minors. Thank You
for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in
Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV).

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Today's Daily Encounter

The Story and Purpose of Father's Day  

Wishing All Fathers a very Happy Father's Day

"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will
become discouraged."1

According to an article on the Holistic Living web
site, "Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the
idea of a 'father's day' in 1909. Dodd was inspired
with the idea of Father's Day while listening to a
Mother's Day sermon at church. She wanted a special day
to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a
Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs.
Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth
child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his
other five children by himself on a rural farm in
eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became
an adult that she realized the strength and
selflessness her father had shown in raising his
children as a single parent.

"The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910
in Spokane, Washington. At about the same time in
various towns and cities across America, other people
were beginning to celebrate a 'father's day.' In 1926
President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a
national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon
Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring
the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day [for the U.S.A].
It has since been adopted by Canada, Europe and several
other countries.

"Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your
father, but all men who act as a father figure.
Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male
friends are all to be honored on Father's Day."2

I wish it were true that every one of us had a father
like Sonora Dodd had because, in spite of what many
women's libbers and same-sex marriage advocates are
claiming to the contrary, the role of a healthy,
emotionally involved father (and mother) is critical
for the emotional healthy development of both boys and
girls.

"According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton [child development
expert], a father's involvement with a child increases
the child's IQ, the child's motivation to learn, and
the child's self-confidence. In addition, children with
involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of
humor as well as an 'inner excitement.'"3

And for all fathers on this Father's Day, let us not
only appreciate the love of our children--and
grandchildren--but let us also realize the importance
and responsibility of the God-given role we have been
entrusted with in the emotional development and health
of our children.

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, as a father please help me
to realize the role of my God-given responsibility and
be the best possible father I can be. And if in any way
I have failed to be the father I should have been,
please forgive me, and help me wherever possible to do
whatever I need to do to restore my relationship with
my children. And thank You for all the love that I do
receive from them. Thank You for hearing and answering
my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Colossians 3:21, (NIV). 
2. Compiled from several sources on the internet by Bob
Proctor. Cited on Holistic Living web site.
http://tinyurl.com/jog24 
3. Source: Victor Parachin, "The Fine Art of Good
Fathering," Herald of Holiness, February 1995, pp.
32-33.

<)))><    
  
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  for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
  Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or
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  When copying or forwarding include the following: 
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Today's Daily Encounter

Togetherness  

"Two are better than one, because they have a good
return for their work: If one falls down, his friend
can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no
one to help him up!"1

Some of the most fascinating trees I have ever seen are
the magnificent California and West Coast redwoods.
They reach their leafy arms heavenward, commonly
growing 200 to 275 feet tall. The tallest one in
Humboldt  County, California, towers 368.6 feet in
height. These trees stand like sentinels of time and
have done so for hundreds of years. Some were living at
the time Christ walked on earth.

They've been through winds, earthquakes, fires and
storms--still they stand. Nothing seems to deter them.

What is so amazing is that these trees, among the
tallest in the world, have a comparably shallow root
system and yet they rarely ever fall. How do they keep
standing even in the wildest of storms? It's because
the redwood's root systems reach out for great
distances and are intertwined with one another. They
literally hold each up other up.

If you and I are going to reach our full potential, we
too need the support of each other, not to be
overdependent but inter-dependent.

None of us can stand alone. As Solomon also said, "If
two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can
one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two
can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not
quickly broken."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be like
a mighty redwood tree giving and receiving support to
and from my fellow Christian friends so that I, too,
can reach the heights of my God-given potential. Thank
You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in
Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV).
2. Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 (NIV).

<)))><    
  
  NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
  for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
  Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or
  if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, 
  please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.
  
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  When copying or forwarding include the following: 
  "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2014
  ACTS International.

Today's Daily Encounter

Lord, Make Me an Instrument  

"Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives
light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."1

One of my favorite prayers set to music is the
beautiful prayer of St. Francis of Assisi who lived in
the 13th century. What a difference we would make in
today's world if every Christian prayed this prayer
from the heart regularly:

     "Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
     where there is hatred, let me sow love;
     where there is injury, pardon;
     where there is doubt, faith;
     where there is despair, hope;
     where there is darkness, light;
     and where there is sadness, joy.

     "O Divine Master,
     grant that I may not so much seek 
     to be consoled as to console;
     to be understood, as to understand;
     to be loved, as to love;
     for it is in giving that we receive,
     it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
     and it is in dying that we are born to eternal 
     life.

"Thank You, God, for hearing and answering my prayer.
Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 5:15-16 (NIV).

<)))><    
  
  NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
  for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
  Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or
  if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, 
  please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.
  
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When copying or forwarding include the following: 
  "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2014
  ACTS International.
  
Today's Daily Encounter

Life's Challenges  

"The testing of your faith develops perseverance."1

For a number of years I lived in the shadow of
10,000-foot-high high Mt. Baldy in California where we
were protected from most of the high winds that roar
down a canyon pass a few miles east of us. At times
when the high winds did reach us, numerous trees were
toppled.

Here, the trees, when planted, are tied tightly to
stakes to hold them firmly when the winds blow.
However, because of being tied too tightly to the
stakes, they don't develop a strong root system. In
South Australia I lived at the top of the Adelaide
hills, about 2,000 feet high, where strong gusty winds
are common. There we planted the trees when they were
very small--with just enough support to stop them from
toppling--so the winds would help them develop a sturdy
root system. When fully grown, rarely were they toppled
by the winds.

That's what makes us strong too. The winds of adversity
that are par for life's course can either motivate us
to grow strong or we can allow them to topple us. This
is the reason James said, "Consider it pure joy, my
brothers [and sisters], whenever you face trials of
many kinds, because you know that the testing of your
faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything."2

Remember, too, "Kites rise against the wind, not with
it."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to grow and become
strong through the 'valleys of despair and winds of
adversity' that You allow to come into my life--and
thereby help me to become the person You want me to be.
Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer.
Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. James 1:2 (NIV).
2. James 1:2-4 (NIV).

<)))><    
  
  NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
  for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
  Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or
  if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, 
  please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.
  
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  Copyright (c) 2014 by ACTS International. 
  When copying or forwarding include the following: 
  "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2014
  ACTS International.

Today's Daily Encounter

The Sense of a Supreme Being  

"For the truth about God is known to them [all mankind]
instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their
hearts. From the time the world was created, people
have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They
can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal
power and divine nature. So they have no excuse
whatsoever for not knowing God."1

Dorothy Bull asks:

    Why does the earthworm always look clean,
    When you consider where it has been?
    How does the butterfly with new-formed wings
    Know how to fly with such cumbersome things?
    Where does the spider keep all its thread?
    Who put the web-pattern into its head?
    How does the ant carry food twice its size,
    And store for the winter? 
    Who made it so wise?2

We can say it was chance or we can say it was God. No
matter what we say, belief in God is instinctive. Every
person is born with an innate sense of a divine,
all-powerful Supreme Being. To act on this belief,
however, is a choice. We basically believe what we want
and choose to believe.

Sometimes doubts are genuine and cause us to think, and
that is good. But sometimes they are a smoke screen to
hide a moral problem ... we fear that if we come to
Christ, believe in him and accept him as our Savior, we
will have to give up some things we know instinctively
are wrong.

Thus it is choice, not chance, that determines our
beliefs and therefore our eternal destiny. As God's
Word says, "Choose today whom you will serve."3

Indeed, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day
they pour forth speech; night after night they display
knowledge. There is no speech or language where their
voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the
earth, their words to the ends of the world."4

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, if You have planted in the
heart of all mankind a sense of Your divine being,
please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will
see and know that You are indeed the God of all
creation. In so doing please give me the courage this
day to truly serve and live for You. Thank You for
hearing and answering my prayer, gratefully in Jesus's
name. Amen."

1. Romans 1:19-20 (NLT).
2. Dorothy Bull, Cited in Encounter magazine,
    Sep/Oct, 2001. 
3. Joshua 24:15 (NLT).
4. Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV).

<)))><    
  
  NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
  for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
  Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or
  if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, 
  please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.
  
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  Copyright (c) 2014 by ACTS International. 
  When copying or forwarding include the following: 
  "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2014
  ACTS International.

Today's Daily Encounter

Does God Send Earthquakes?  

Jesus said, "But everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not put them into practice is like a foolish
man who built his house on sand. The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell with a great crash."1

While visiting a church one Sunday in the town where
there was an earthquake the night before, the pastor
and people testified to the "fact" that God sent the
earthquake as a wake-up call to the people of this
city.

But was this true? Does God also send floods,
tornadoes, forest fires, hurricanes and cyclones as
wake-up calls for people to turn to God? He may, but I
doubt it. We just happen to live in a world where
natural disasters happen. For me, if I don't want to
experience earthquakes, one thing is certain, I need to
move out of Southern California. But if I choose to
stay here and an earthquake destroys my home, will it
be God who does it?

Or will it be because I have knowingly chosen to live
in a place that is prone to earthquakes?

Also, if I choose to live in a low lying area close to
a river that is prone to flooding and my home is washed
away, will it be God who causes me to lose my home?
Hardly.

As Jesus said, if we build our house on the sand and
the rain pours down, and the streams rise, and the
winds blow, we can expect our home to be destroyed.

And if I don't build my life on a solid, godly
foundation and live an upright, moral life, I can't
blame God if I crash. God may use my crash as a wake-up
call to bring me to my senses, but it won't be God who
causes me to crash. I will do it to myself.

And if I fail to accept God's free pardon for all my
sins and his gift of eternal life, it won't be God who
will keep me out of heaven and send me to hell, it will
be me. I will do it myself.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to be wise, not
only regarding the important matters of this life, but
especially so regarding the life to come. Help me to
build my life on the Solid Rock--the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer.
Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Matthew 7:26-27 (NIV).

<)))><    
  
  NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
  for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
  Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or
  if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, 
  please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.
  
  * * * 
  
 Copyright (c) 2014 by ACTS International. 
  When copying or forwarding include the following: 
  "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2014
  ACTS International.