Psalm 73:21-26 (NLT)
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant� I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. 23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

This is a psalm of Asaph that tells us of his battle with a strong temptation to envy people who were prideful and wicked; for they had much prosperity among them. The psalmist explains above how he eventually overcame the temptation that was discouraging him.



John Yates, in "An Attitude of Gratitude," writes -- I read once that the devil was having a yard sale, and all of his tools were marked with different prices. They were a fiendish lot. There was hatred, jealously, deceit, lust, pride�all at expensive prices. But over to the side of the yard on display was a tool more obviously worn than any of the other tools. It was also the most costly. The tool was labeled, DISCOURAGEMENT. When questioned, the devil said, �It�s more useful to me than any other tool. When I can�t bring down my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement because so few people realize that it belongs to me.�

Asaph was fighting discouragement. He looked and saw people who were prosperous. They didn�t seem to face the problems most people faced. They were very prideful in their attitude. Asaph said they wore pride like a jeweled necklace. In their pride they spoke evil and sought to crush others with their superiority. Their pride even led them to boast against God saying, �What does God know?�

Asaph realized what these wicked people had could be taken from them at any moment. He says in verses 18-20, �Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.�

In actuality what did these wicked people have � NOTHING. For everything they had could be taken from them in a blink of an eye. They had forsaken God - so there would be no one to comfort them; there would be no one to counsel them; there would be no one to give them hope.

Asaph knew having God as the strength of his heart was more important than pride, arrogance or wealth. Asaph had God who would hold his hand through any difficulty he faced.

Is God the strength of your heart? I pray you would put all your faith and trust in the Lord that no matter what you face God will be there with you. I pray when you become discouraged you will remember God is there holding your hand, walking with you and encouraging you along the way.

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

This proverb speaks to parents, guardians and instructors of children about the propagation of wisdom that it might not be left only to past generations. The proverb says to train children in the way they should go, not the way they might be tempted to go. With good impressions left upon them hopefully the child as an adult will follow the wisdom given to them that they may discern and choose the correct paths of life.



There was a family in the San Francisco Bay area that grew up with that kind of commitment [stated in Proverbs 22:6]. The son's name was David Kraft. His father was a pastor, a godly pastor in the South Bay. David Kraft grew up with a father who constantly remembered God's faithfulness in the past so that David might trust in God in all of his tomorrows. David grew up in love with Jesus, and he felt the call of God into the pastoral ministry. He went to Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary. David was a big, athletic young man. At the age of 32, he was six feet two inches tall and weighed two hundred pounds. He worked with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. That dear young man was diagnosed as having cancer. It wracked his body, and, over a period of time, he dropped from two hundred pounds in weight to eighty pounds. When he was about ready to pass from this life into eternity, he asked his father to come into his hospital room. Lying there in the bed, he looked up and said, "Dad, do you remember when I was a little boy, how you used to just hold me in your arms close to your chest?" David's father nodded. Then David said, "Do you think, Dad, you could do that one more time? One last time?" Again his father nodded. He bent down to pick up his 32-year-old six-foot two-inch, eighty-pound son, and held him close to his chest so the son's face was right next to the father's face. They were eyeball to eyeball. Tears were streaming down both faces. The son said simply to the father, "Thank you for building the kind of character into my life that can enable me to face even a moment like this." ["Introducing Christ to Your Child," Preaching Today, Tape No. 92.]

We hope we never have to face what David�s father had to face, but at least he had given his son a gift to face life no matter how harsh it might be. David�s father gave him hope of an eternal life. David�s father had taught David that when he needed his father he would be there to hold and comfort him.

It is comforting to know we have a Father in heaven that passes his wisdom to us. Our Father in Heaven is always available to guide us and show us the right way to go. Our Eternal God is always present with us, comforting us and keeping us close to Him.

Share your love of God with your children. Let them see how you depend upon God. Let them see the wisdom God brings into your life. Let God be a part of your family, providing wisdom so you can train up your child in the way they should go.

Psalm 16:11
11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 16 is a psalm of thanksgiving penned to review the many generous times God delivered him from troublesome times. David gives thanks to God for all He has done. In verse 11 above David says God will show him the way of life. It will be God who grants him joy when he is near God. And most important David says the true pleasures of living are found within God for eternity, not just for the moment, not just for today, not for tomorrow � BUT ALWAYS.



Many of you remember Pat Summerall, a well-known sports announcer and spokesman for Timex watches. What you might not know is Pat struggled with alcoholism. In his book, Summerall: On and Off the Air by Pat Summerall (Oct 14, 2008), Summerall gives us some insight into his life. ��The intervention really opened my eyes about what life is all about, who was accountable and who wasn�t.� �Where the advice or the message or wherever the consideration, the choices that I made, who told me what was right and who told me what was wrong; I finally discovered that there was a higher power.�

His real understanding came �When I was at the Betty Ford Clinic there were two books you could read,� remembers Summerall. �One was the Holy Bible and the other was Alcoholic Anonymous Bible � every chapter is about a drunk in the AA Bible. So, I started reading the Holy Bible, started in Genesis. The more I read, the more inquisitive I got, the more I wanted to know about the Bible and what it was all about. It gave my conscious information about making the right choice. And when I got out I never had a craving. I have never had another desire to have another drink.�

Summerall found Christ and requested to be baptized at the age of 64. �It was such a magnificent feeling,� smiles Summerall. �After the baptism I felt so clean I knew what people were talking about when they talk about being born again. I had that feeling. I had a feeling of peace. I felt smarter, lighter, quicker; it was a feeling like I�ve never had before.�

From Psalm 16:11 we understand God is the true source of our joy and our pleasure. When we look for joy and pleasure in other things, such as alcohol, drugs or sex -- all we are going to find is disappointment, misery and painful life experiences. We need to put aside all foolishness and turn to God first to meet all of our needs. Thankfully Pat Summerall found out before it was too late. Alcohol had damaged his liver and he was within 18 hours of dying when they told him they found a donor. �Eighteen hours they told me I had,� says Summerall, shaking his head in disbelief. �But now I have a new life. That�s why I decided to write the book.�

Where are you looking for your joy and pleasure because you may want to reconsider your choice?

1 Samuel 25:40-44 (NLT)
40 When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, �David has sent us to take you back to marry him.� 41 She bowed low to the ground and responded, �I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!� 42 Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David�s messengers. And so she became his wife. 43 David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives. 44 Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David�s wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.

These verses follow a confrontation with Nabal, Abigail�s husband. David�s men need supplies as they were on the run from Saul�s army. Nabal rejected David�s request for aid and insulted David. In his anger David was ready to put Nabal to death, but Abigail interceded by taking supplies to the men. David thankful spared Nabal. When Abigail told Nabal of his near fate he had a stroke and died several days later. In the verses above David decides to take Abigail as his wife, along with one of her servants, Ahinoam as a second wife. In the meantime Saul, David�s father-in-law had given David�s first wife Michal, Saul�s daughter, who loved David, to Palti son of Laish.



Anyone reading the story of King David�s life would think they were following a soup opera. So far we have David on the run. David�s first wife has been given to another man because David abandoned her. David marries not only the woman who helped him, but also her servant. And we haven�t even gotten to the story of Bathsheba or the rape of David�s daughter by one of his sons. You can pretty much say David had lived a very dysfunctional life.

The sad part is the dysfunction carried over into the life of King Solomon, David�s son. King Solomon had over 600 wives and 300 concubines. Solomon followed much of the same pattern as his father taking on new wives and allowing himself to be led away from God. Many today might see this as an addiction, since their uncontrolled behaviors had serious consequences.

In today�s world, the reliable figures for the number of diagnosed sex addicts are difficult to come by, but the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, an education and sex-addiction treatment organization, estimates that between 3 and 5 percent of the U.S. population�or more than 9 million people�could meet the criteria for addiction. Some 1,500 sex therapists treating compulsive behavior are practicing today, up from fewer than 100 a decade ago, say several researchers and clinicians, while dozens of rehabilitation centers now advertise treatment programs, up from just five or six in the same period.

Unfortunately many dysfunctions get passed down from generation to generation until someone decides they need to end the family problems. You may not even realize your family has dysfunctional issues until you talk to someone outside the family. Often people think what they are dealing with is normal. They may think abusive actions are normal. They may think alcoholism is normal. They may think addiction like gambling, sex, and drugs are normal. The problem is they are NOT NORMAL, but they person thinks they are normal because that is how they lived within the family.

Pray God would let you see areas in your family�s life that could be improved and changed. Pray God would show you a route of escape and a hope for the future. Pray God would bestow his love, mercy and grace upon you and your family. Search for what should be normal.

Proverbs 24:12 (NLT)
12 Don�t excuse yourself by saying, �Look, we didn�t know.� For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

In this proverb we are told ignorance is no excuse for not understanding what we should do. It goes on further to say God sees your every action and understands the intent of your heart. God who guards your soul knows you knew. We are told God renders to every man according to his works, not only the commission of evil works, but the omission of good works.


What are the first words you will probably hear if you get caught for speeding and then say, �I didn�t know the speed limit.� We have heard the response many times on TV, �Ignorance of the law is no excuse.� If we are not sure what the speed limit should be there are rules we can apply and even then we should make an attempt to find out the speed limit.

When Christ died on the cross a new covenant was established. Christ paid for all the sins of the world through His death therefore justifying us before God. Still it is our duty to avoid that which is wrong and do that which is good. Hebrews 10:16 says, �This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.� There is no excuse for the ignorance of God�s laws for they have been places on our hearts and minds.

Most of us know when things are right and wrong. There is usually a still quiet voice speaking to us. Listen to God�s voice as He speaks to your heart and follow His ways of goodness.

Proverbs 27:5 (NLT)
5 An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
It is good for us to be told of our faults and what we can do to better ourselves. One may think it is love to keep secret a sin that a friend commits, but it better the sin to be pointed out in love so the wrong might be made right. Love should not be hidden, but should be like a light revealing that which is wrong, while providing comfort and security.


A single man in our congregation was behaving inappropriately toward women. He badgered some women with unwanted phone calls. His conversations were reportedly marked with sexual suggestiveness. The situation required rebuke, and, if that was not effective, discipline. I asked this man to meet with me.

"I have been made aware," I said, that a number of women in our congregation are offended, some quite angered by things you have been doing. Let me be specific. You have raised inappropriate sexual subjects in conversation. There have been women who have reported that you have phoned them in a manner that they consider harassment. I'll be glad to give specific examples if you feel you need them."

The man cautiously admitted that there was substantial truth to the reports. Then I went on.

"I want you to hear me very carefully so there is no misunderstanding between us. I have thought about this for several days. I have asked God to give me wisdom, and I want to speak in Christian love and respect to you.

"But I want you to know that I am one who has a responsibility for the spiritual leadership of this congregation. Your behavior has been unacceptable according to Scripture and according to the covenantal life of this church. People have been hurt, and you have lost your credibility in their eyes.

"Christian men do not, as they say, 'hit' on women. They treat them with respect and honor. And if you do not understand how this is done, I will be happy to team you up with a man who can provide instruction for you.

"If there is one more instance of inappropriate behavior of this kind, I will immediately bring your name before the board of elders and ask them to put you under discipline. Have I made myself clear?"

The man assured me that he understood. I concluded our meeting with prayer, acknowledging God's presence in the conversation.

Later he took me up on my offer to connect him with a mature man who could provide guidance that he clearly had not received from other sources. I never got another adverse report about him again.

[Gordon MacDonald is editor-at-large of Leadership and chair of World Relief.]

The key sentence above was �I have asked God to give me wisdom, and I want to speak in Christian love and respect to you.� When we deal with the issues of others we must do it in wisdom and love. We are not there to hurt or offend, but instead teach and educate the person about their wrong. In love we guide in the right direction that they may no longer sin. If there are any of you struggling with sin ask someone you trust to hold you accountable so that love can reach out to you!

James 1:2-4 (NLT)
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Here the half-brother of Jesus writes to Christians saying we should consider it an opportunity when we face difficulties in life. For when we face those difficulties our endurance is developed, perfected and completed.


Dustin Armstrong writes in �My Faith is My Witness�, Ignite Your Faith (June/July 2006) pg8 - Before I decided to live for Christ, I'd party with friends. As a guy who wanted to be a "cool and popular jock," I thought it was the thing to do. I'd drink, act stupid, and end up making a fool of myself. But I didn't care, because I was popular and one of my school's top athletes. As for God, I thought he was for weak people. If Christians tried to tell me about Jesus, I'd make fun of them. I thought Christians who always talked about God were crazy. Then something happened my sophomore year that changed everything.

My little sister Ashley, who was a freshman at the time, was riding in a car driven by one of her friends. Worried about getting home late, Ashley's friend started speeding. The car hit a rough railroad track and flipped over. Ashley soon lay in a hospital on life support, in a coma, very close to death.

At first, I was angry with God for what happened to my sister. I shouted to heaven, "If you are who you say you are, how could you let this happen?!" As angry as I was at God, I began to think about how much I really loved my family. It wasn't like I hadn't cared about them before, but all the pain�all those trips to the hospital and all those times we cried together�just began to bring us much closer together. My family suddenly seemed more important than anything else in the whole world.

Even though my sister managed to survive, we were told her brain injury was so severe she'd probably never walk or talk again. But in the months that followed the accident, I helped coach her along as she struggled to stand, and then, eventually, take a few tiny steps. I also listened in amazement as she began to put words together and form sentences. Slowly, very slowly, she was getting better. And slowly, very slowly, I was starting to change.

Along with realizing how important my family was to me, I also thought a lot about God and his place in everything that had happened. Instead of blaming him for it all, I began to thank him for my sister's life and for my whole family. I also began to see that all those things I'd lived for�like partying and acceptance by the popular crowd�weren't really important. Even sports no longer seemed as important as they used to.

Instead, I started going to youth group and really enjoying it. I liked having conversations with my friends about God and Christianity. I wanted to know as much as I could about following God. During my junior year, I committed my life to Christ. ------


Justin was pulled to God and Christ through a hardship in his life. He found strength in God. What he thought was important faded and suddenly what had seemed weak and crazy became his desire. God can pull you through the rough moments of life and make you stronger if you will just let Him just like He did for Justin.

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NLT)
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

This verse tells us our primary duty to God. We are to love God with all our heart. In Hebrew the word �leab� is used for heart and it means we are to love from our most inward part, our conscience, our mind, our will and our understanding. In Hebrew the word soul is �nephesh� meaning our life that breathes, contains desires, and is the seat of our appetites, the seat of our emotions and passions. Finally there is our strength or might, which is �m@�od� in Hebrew. We are to love God with all our might in abundance, to a great degree, and exceedingly.



Robert Chesebrough believed in his product. He's the fellow who invented Vaseline, a petroleum jelly refined from rod wax, the ooze that forms on shafts of oil rigs. He so believed in the healing properties of his product that he became his own guinea pig. He burned himself with acid and flame; he cut and scratched himself so often and so deeply that he bore the scars of his tests the rest of his life. But he proved his product worked. People had only to look at his wounds, now healed, to see the value of his work--and the extent of his belief. -- Ralph Walker, Concord, North Carolina. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 1.

Robert Chesebrough had extreme faith in his product and went to great depths to demonstrate his belief and faith. What if we put the same effort in our belief and faith of God and Christ? What if we bore Christ�s scars by our love for Him? We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength. Let us show our love for God by living for Him, demonstrating His love for others and giving our life to Him.

1 John 2:1 (NLT)
My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

The apostle John writes to encourage us against sin, yet if we do sin we have an advocate who pleads for us. Matthew Henry in his commentary writes, �We have an Advocate. The original name is sometimes given to the Holy Ghost, and then it is rendered, the Comforter. He acts within us; he puts pleas and arguments into our hearts and mouths; and so is our advocate, by teaching us to intercede for ourselves. But here is an advocate without us, in heaven and with the Father. The proper office and business of an advocate is with the judge; with him he pleads the client�s cause. The Judge with whom our advocate pleads is the Father, his Father and ours. He who was our Judge in the legal court (the court of the violated law) is our Father in the gospel court, the court of heaven and of grace. His throne or tribunal is the mercy-seat. And he that is our Father is also our Judge, the supreme arbitrator of our state and circumstances, either for life or death, for time or eternity.



Yesterday I sat in traffic court along with many other people to face a traffic ticket I had been issued. Most people were representing themselves, but I was blessed to be represented by an attorney. As the judge called each name every individual had to stand and proclaim their innocence or guilt. If the judge asked questions they had to respond. Some were taken off guard as the judge questioned their innocence and they had a difficult time answering. When my name was called the attorney, my advocate, stood up for me. The attorney explained the circumstances and made the appropriate legal pleas to the judge.

In heaven Jesus Christ is our advocate. When Satan hurls charges against us towards God�Jesus stands up to defend us. Jesus speaks on our behalf to God the Father and pleads our defense. If judgment demands a price to be paid Jesus steps forward and says, �I have already paid the price for their sin.� Case ended, nothing else need be said. Jesus is our savior, our redeemer, our hope, our advocate, and the defender of our soul. Give praise to Jesus for all He has done in your life.

Romans 8:26-27 (NLT)
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don�t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God�s own will.

In these verses the apostle tells us how the Holy Spirit speaks out for us on our behalf. There are times when life is so frustrating or when we are so confused about life -- we don�t even know where to start with our prayers to God. So in our silence the Holy Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot even be expressed. The Holy Spirit pleads on our behalf for those good things that are in accordance with the will of God.



In Max Lucado�s, Cure for the Common Life (Thomas Nelson, 2008), pp. 69-70, he writes --The bank sent me an overdraft notice on the checking account of one of my daughters. I encourage my college-age girls to monitor their accounts. Even so, they sometimes overspend. What should I do? Send her an angry letter? Admonition might help her later, but it won't satisfy the bank. Phone and tell her to make a deposit? Might as well tell a fish to fly. I know her liquidity. Zero. Transfer the money from my account to hers? Seemed to be the best option. After all, I had $25.37. I could replenish her account and pay the overdraft fee as well. Since she calls me Dad, I did what dads do. I covered my daughter's mistake. When I told her she was overdrawn, she said she was sorry. Still, she offered no deposit. She was broke. She had one option, "Dad, could you�" "Honey," I interrupted, "I already have." I met her need before she knew she had one. Long before you knew you needed grace, your Father did the same. He made an ample deposit. Before you knew you needed a Savior, you had one. And when you ask him for mercy, he answers, "Dear child. I've already given it."

God is listening and watching out for his children. God responds to our needs often before we even become aware of what we need. Romans 5:8, "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners". Many of us didn�t realize the sins of our life, but God did and God covered the debt for us through His Son Jesus Christ.

I think that's a poor decision.
The father should allow the daughter to face the natural consequences of her actions.

I recently failed to pay my city income tax. I was summoned to court (same day as my divorce court, tax court at the City courthouse in the am, divorce court at county courthouse a few hours later).....

And I faced the natural consequences for my behavior. I was fined $100 and told by the judge (there were a group of 30 or so people he addressed all at one time) that we need to follow the law or be punished.
I will make sure I never neglect to pay the city tax again.

Allowing people to face natural consequences allows them to mature

The story above was to show God's grace. Imagine showing up at the court for failure to pay your taxes and the judge said "your fine has already been paid." That is what Jesus did for us on the cross, He paid our debt for our sin.

I agree in life we most often need to face the consequences of our action, but when grace steps in it sure is nice.

Thank you for your feedback and God bless you.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NLT)
13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me�a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy to adhere to the doctrine of truth he has learned, which was shaped by his love for Jesus. He is to hold fast and guard what he has been taught allowing the Holy Spirit to work in his life to guide him. Faith and love must go together; it is not enough to believe the sound words, and to give an assent to them, but we must love them, believe their truth and love their goodness.



A certain preacher and an atheistic barber were walking through city slums. The barber said, "This is why I can't believe in your God of love. If he was as kind as you say, he wouldn't permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He wouldn't allow these poor street people to get addicted. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things." The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkempt. His hair was hanging down his neck, and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face. The preacher said to his friend: "You can't be a good barber, or you wouldn't permit a man like this to continue living here without a haircut and a shave." Indignant, the barber answered: "Why blame me for that man's condition? He has never come in my shop. If he had, I could've fixed him up and made him look like a gentleman!" The preacher said, "Then don't blame God for allowing people to continue in their evil ways. He invites them to come and be saved."

We must acknowledge that there are reasons and actions God does that are simply beyond our comprehension. When Job questioned God, God came back and answered basically by saying, �Where were you when I made the world, how is it kept together.� And Job had to sit back and awe and admit that he did not understand all that God does or why He does the things He does.

Continue in learning the truth about God from reading His word and by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life. Sometimes we have to remain silent to allow God to speak to us instead of us insisting to speak over Him. Take time and listen to what God has to say to you and guard the precious trust that is entrusted to you.

Mark 2:5-12 (NLT)
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, �My child, your sins are forgiven.� 6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 �What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!� 8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, �Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man �Your sins are forgiven,� or �Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk�? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.� Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 �Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!� 12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, �We�ve never seen anything like this before!�

This is the account of the paralyzed man brought to Jesus by friends. Desperate to see their friend healed they broke through the ceiling and lowered their friend through the hole in front of Jesus. Jesus saw the man was paralyzed, yet instead of immediately healing the man He said, �My child, your sins are forgiven.� Jesus knew the man�s number one need while others saw his physical need.



Richard Moore of Derry, Northern Ireland, was just ten years old when blinded by a British soldier who fired a rubber bullet at him at point-blank range. He was on his way home from his local school. For as long as he could remember, Richard wanted to meet the soldier who shot him. Thirty years after the incident, he finally did. After discovering who the soldier was and where he lived, Richard wrote to him to get permission to visit, and then he met with him face-to-face, offering his personal, heartfelt forgiveness. Here�s what Richard later said about the experience: �After that, something peculiar and wonderful happened. Something inside me changed, something paradoxical. I began to realize that the gift of forgiveness I thought I was bestowing on the soldier who shot me was actually a gift from God to me. �It didn�t even matter whether the soldier wanted or needed forgiveness; the gift freed me, leaving me with a sense of serenity and blessedness. �All through my boyhood my mother had wanted the impossible for me � that I would be given back my sight. I even woke up one night to find my dear mother on her knees, next to my bed, pleading with God. When I met the soldier and forgave him, I believe my mother�s prayers were answered. I was given a new vision, and my real wound, the one that needed healing more than my eyes, was healed.� (Richard Moore, interview by Pat Coyle)

We often think we see what is needed in our lives. We look from the exterior without understanding the interior. Yet God understands our needs completely and gives us exactly what we need.

And that is why we have to forgive spouses that have affairs.
I struggle with forgiving my wife's affair partner.
But I feel that I have forgiven my ex wife.
The lords prayer, "as we forgive those who sin against us"

God doesn't say to be a doormat and forget. But judgement belongs to God.

When my wife had her affair I was an emotional wreck. Finally I "let go and let God" takeover and when I admitted it was more than I could handle and handed my problems to Him I felt at peace. Not instant peace, but gradual peace over time

I agree with you. Forgiveness is sometimes difficult, but forgiveness is often for ourselves. The other person could have gone on their merry way while we had self pity. Forgiving helps free up those feelings so we can move forward and not be stuck on a past issue. We need healthy boundaries and we need to ensure we are doing our part in a marriage.

I'm glad you have found gradual peace. It's definitely a blessing from the Lord.

Thank you again for your comments and inspiration. May God bless the paths of your life and continue to grant you peace.

Judges 2:2-3 (NLT)
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, �I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? 3 So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.�

Throughout the book of Judges you will find that when Israel turns their attention to God, God was there to protect and watch out for their country. When the Israelites turned away from the desires of God, God allowed the enemies of Israel to invade their land, which allowed them to be turned to the temptation of foreign gods.



We need to be praying to God for this country. As I have listened to politician�s debates on whether God should be a part of our country--it is worrisome. The United States of American once believed the creator, God, gave individuals of this country rights to form a government with leaders who represented them and their beliefs. They did not want a single church belief to control government, nor did they want government to control church beliefs. They wanted to ensure everyone had a right to believe as they desired. Yet they never intended to remove God from our country. Let�s not make the mistakes of those in the Book of Judges when they put God aside, for they suffered the consequences of their decisions. Let�s keep God in our country. Let�s ensure God is acknowledge and called upon to help us in our times of need. For when the Israelites did such as that God was faithful to be with them.

Look at adultery. An act of selfishness against moral law (10 Commandments).
People strive to be self centered and controlling.
The Bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked.
We all live in spiritual darkness until the Light shines in our heart.

Our country is messed up. There are more kids from single parent homes than married homes. That's a serious matter, resulting in increased crime, school dropouts, abortions, drug use. Etc.

But we know from reading the Holy Scriptures that God is soveirgn. He is in control ; every evil that occurs He allows to happen.
We can't understand His ways. The Bible says His thoughts are above us as are His ways. But we can say The Lord gives and the lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

And remain accountable to Him as we live daily.

America doesn't believe in God because the churches are declining. And the churches are declining because the HOME churches, where families pray together, are dying. But God is soveirgn and in control.

Daniel 6:25-27 (NLT)
25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: �May you prosper greatly! 26 �I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. �For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.�

Daniel was favored by many, including the King. King Darius sought to promote Daniel above the other administrators, but the others laid a trap for Daniel. They knew Daniel always prayed to God three times a day. So the administrators made a resolution that anyone who prayed to anyone except the king should be thrown into the lion�s den. They got the King to make the proclamation and then they told the King that Daniel had violated the proclamation. The King word was law and Daniel was punished according to law. The above verses are the result of Daniel�s obedience to God.



In Dennis Rainey's book Stepping Up, he tells the story about the short life of his granddaughter Molly. Born with a brain aneurism, Molly lived only seven days. As difficult as those seven days were, Molly's parents and grandparents held firmly to their trust in God, confident that they will see Molly again in the age to come. Rainey concludes the chapter of Molly's story with this memory: A number of years ago, [my wife] Barbara and I were vacationing in southwest England and stumbled upon the little town of Saint Buryan, a crossroad in the country with a pub, a decaying church, and a graveyard. We stopped and read a few of the gravestones. One that was barely legible commemorated a family that lived in the 1600s. Buried beneath the stone were the mother, who gave birth to a son and died just ten days later at the age of twenty-four; her son, who lived thirteen months; and the father, who died a few days later at age twenty-five. The faded words on that weathered limestone grave marker moved us so deeply that today they are etched on Molly's headstone: We cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see - But all is well that's done by Thee.

I am sure Daniel didn�t fully understand why he was being thrown into the lion�s den, but Daniel did trust God and knew God had a reason. We see the end result the next morning after the lions have not touched Daniel. The King shows fear and reverence for God and proclaims God is the living God. We might not always know what God is doing in our lives. We may lose our jobs. We may lose those precious to us. We may suffer in pain. But know all is well that is done by God for He has a good purpose in mind.

Proverbs 10:12 (NLT)
12 Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.

Hatred works for the devil in that it stirs up strife and creates malice towards one another. The end results are heated sparks fanned into flames of ill will that create quarrels and ill spoken words. Love, however, is the peacemaker. The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:8 tells us that love covers a multitude of sins therefore making up for all offences. Love, instead of proclaiming and aggravating the offence conceals and extenuates it as far as it is capable of being concealed and extenuated. Love brings healing and peace and cools the flames of hatred.


One day I was burning some leaves in my backyard. A neighbor down the street had their windows open and the smoke was drifting their way. Frustrated the neighbor walked over to my yard and started to fuss at me for smoking up their home. Here was a person I hardly knew standing in my yard yelling at me. I didn�t know I had done anything wrong, nor had I intended to. Then I thought about how they felt. I�m sure it was frustrating trying to enjoy the nice outdoor air, but instead smoke was filling their home. So I quickly apologized. I said I would immediately put out the fire and clean up another day. My gentle words changed the attitude of the neighbor. They said they had already closed their windows and not to worry. I told them I would try to look around for open windows next time. They went away peacefully and the issue was resolved.

Often quarrels can be prevented by trying to understand the point of the other person. When we react out of love for the offended person we can calm an argument instead of stirring one up. Our worst tendency is to want to repay strife for strife, quarrels for quarrels and hatred for hatred.