by Warren Baldwin

I met a young girl in counseling one time who had given up on life. She came from a home where there was constant drug and alcohol abuse. She was teased because she studied hard in school so she could get ahead and make something of her life. But she, too, became caught up in the negative cycles of her family. She went to the counseling center to get some help and get her life back on track.

Questions would go through my mind when meeting someone like this teenager. How can I help her? How can I reach her? How can I show her that God loves her and wants her? How do I show that to people?

I believe God wants to bless all people. I believe he wants to bless that teenage girl. I believe he wants to bless the children who go to bed at night hungry. I believe he wants to bless you and me.

And one important thing to remember is that God blesses people through people. He is not limited to this approach. God can reach out and enrich our lives in any way he wants to. But over and over, especially in the Bible, we see that God blesses the lives of people through the lives of other people.

Abraham's Calling

In Genesis 12:1-3 God called Abraham to come be his follower. God told him, "I will make your name great. I will give you many descendants, and the land you are standing on will be yours and your families'."

Yes, God would bless Abraham. Abraham would become a wealthy and powerful man. But there is more to this story, more to the relationship of God and Abraham.

God told Abraham that he would use him to bless all people. After God shared great wealth and blessing with him, it then became Abraham's responsibility to bless the lives of others. The blessings he received from God were not just for him to enjoy. They were for Abraham to pass on to others.

A Tough Lesson

That's a tough lesson. What God has given me is not really all for me. It is for me to share with others who are in need.

Maybe you've heard the story of two friends who were walking along. One guy asked, "Bob, if you had two million dollars, would you share one million with me." Bob answered, "What kind of a friend do you think I am? Of course if I had two million dollars I would share a million with you." "The friend said, "Bob, thanks, you are such a great friend. And you know I don't have a house. But if you had two houses, would you give me one?" Bob, "Man, what would I need with two houses? You know that if I had two houses I'd give you one of them." Hey, thanks Bob, you are a good friend. Just one more question ... if you had two cars ..." Right then Bob cut him off and said, "Hey, hold it right there now ... you know I have two cars."

Bob was willing to imagine what it would be like to be a blessing to the lives of others. But he wasn't willing to really be a blessing.

To be blessing to the lives of others means we give of ourselves. We give up some of our stuff. We think about the needs of others. Isn't that what Jesus did on the cross? Isn't that what a mother does at 2 a.m. when she gets up with a sick child? God is blessing someone through someone else. That has always been God's way, and it still is.

Think how our world could be changed if people went to school or went to work every morning with the thought in their hearts and minds, "How can God use me to bless the lives of those around me today?"

by Warren Baldwin

A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet dog along for company. One day the dog starts chasing butterflies, and before long he discovers he is lost. So wandering about he notices a leopard rushing in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch.

The dog thinks, "Boy, I'm in deep trouble now." Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settled down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.

Just as the leopard is about to leap, the dog exclaims loudly, "Man, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here?" Hearing this the leopard halts his attack in mid stride, as a look of terror comes over him, and slinks away into the trees.

"Whew," says the leopard, "That was close. That dog nearly had me."

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard.

So off he goes. But the dog saw him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figured that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine."

Now the dog sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back, and thinks, "What am I going to do now?" But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers pretending he hasn't seen them yet.

Just when they get close enough to hear, the dog says, "Where's that monkey. I can never trust him. I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard, and he's still not back!!"

I hope you recognize in this story something more than just a dumb joke. This parable, or fable, points to a number of human attitudes and behaviors that tend to get us in trouble.

Notice the monkey. He is quiet. He sits on the sidelines and watches the other players. He mulls over in his mind how he can control these other players.

Lies? Deceptions? Or, tell the truth, but do it in such a way that you can gain advantage over another?

Such behavior is more than dishonorable or reprehensible. It is downright ungodly. Paul gives warning in the Bible against those who go about from house to house, spreading gossip and mischief. He calls them busybodies. He isn't complimentary of their behavior. In fact, he says that such people are following the devil (1 Tim. 5:13-15).

Be careful how you go monkeying around in someone else's life. You can very easily undermine trust, hurt people, and permanently damage relationships. Jesus counsels SERVING others rather than CONTROLLING them.

Serving is hard work, but it sure keeps the monkey off your back. And may keep you from being the monkey on someone else's.

by Vance Huston

What kind of promises have you made for the future? Promises and intentions are profitable ONLY if they are good ones and ONLY if they are kept.

These from the Psalms will be profitable if we keep them faithfully.

1. I will take heed to my ways. Psalm 39:1 contains this precious resolution. Timothy was admonished to take heed to himself (1 Tim. 4:16), and Paul challenged the elders of Ephesus to take heed unto themselves (Acts 20:28). All are called upon to take heed lest we fall (1 Cor. 10:12), to our thoughts, words, deeds, attitudes, priorities, and affections.

2. I will put my trust in God (Psalm 56:3, 11). "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from when cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord" (Psalm 121:1-2).

3. I will praise God (Psalm 119:7). A trait that hopefully will always describe us is that we are a people that worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). Let us never turn our backs on the assembly (Heb. 10:25). God is truly worthy to be praised.

4. I will be obedient to God: "I will keep thy statutes" (Psalm 119:8). "I will delight in thy commands" (Psalm 119:47). I will meditate on thy precepts (Psalm 119:93). Nothing can replace the desire to know and obey the will of God.

5. I will be thankful: "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee" (Psalm 119.62). It is vital that we remember what He has done for us, with a heart filled with thanksgiving.

What are your "I wills"? Make good ones. Keep them!

Condensed from The Voice of Truth International, vol. 38, p. 65-66. Used with permission of the editor.

by Warren Baldwin

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

That verse in one of the mainstays of our faith. Ask someone to quote a verse from the Bible, and John 3:16 is sure to be one that gets quoted. It is transferable to any situation, quotable in nearly any context.

We live in a world of selfishness -- people making decisions to please themselves. People choosing a course of action that makes them feel good, whether in financial profits or sensual pleasures.

John 3:16 says, "Not so with God. Not so with Jesus. When God saw it was necessary to do something drastic to save his children, he wasn't thinking about his own pleasure. He was thinking about the needs of the people he loved. So he gave his son. And Jesus was thinking, 'The cross is not an exciting way to exit this world. It is harsh, it is painful. But if that is what my Father says is necessary to save these people, I'll do it. Not my will, but thine be done.'"

Romans 8 says that the cross clearly demonstrates Jesus' love for us. "While we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly." He didn't wait until we somehow "got better," and then died for us when we were good ole folks. No, Jesus died for us when we were still rascals.

The cross is God's sign, the cross is Jesus action. That love for others and sacrifice for the needs of others is still greater than self-satisfaction achieved in profits or pleasures.

Does anybody today ever hear that message? Does anyone ever sacrifice themselves for others anymore? Does anyone ever risk their security and their lives for the sake of someone else?

And the answer is ... yes.

Adam Cohen, 19, Jonah Richman, 18, and Jordan Satin, 19, sacrificed themselves for the sake of someone they loved.

On August 12, 2003, their friend, David Altschuler, 18, slipped off a ledge in the Adirondack State Park of upstate New York and fell into a swirling fury of water. The water at this spot was particularly furious because it was at the bottom of a waterfall. The water would churn and froth. It was very aerated, meaning the water did not provide the buoyancy it normally would, making it was harder to swim or stay afloat.

Into this turbulence fell David. He didn't have a chance. But his friends, Adam, Jonah, and Jordan couldn't stand idly by and watch their friend drown. So they jumped. That's right, they jumped. They didn't fall in. They didn't slip. Risking their own lives, all three teenagers jumped right into the fury of the water to try to rescue their friend. They didn't. And they didn't even save their own lives. All four young men drowned.

The county sheriff said, ""They didn't stand a chance. No one, no matter how strong a swimmer. They were doomed from the moment they hit the water."

Why do it? Why risk their lives for someone else who was dying? Well, the boys aren't here for us to interview and ask. But I'll bet there are a couple of reasons.

One, love. These three guys simply loved their friend. Family and friends later said that any of these four guys would have died for the others.

Two, selfishness does not have to reign in our hearts. It didn't with these guys. The spirit of sacrifice for others is still around.

I can't help but think of a verse in first John that parallels John 3:16: "This is how we know what love is: Christ Jesus laid down his live for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Incidentally, that is 1 John 3:16. A good verse to memorize. A good verse to live out in our lives.

by Ron Harper

"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man, And He laid His right hand upon me saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last.'"

Rev. 1:17

John was given a vision of one "like a son of man." With eyes like fire and "like white wool, white as snow," this man had a voice that was like the sound of many waters. His face was "like the sun shining in its strength." What was John's reaction? He fell at this man's feet as a dead man. He realized that he was standing in the presence of the Son of God.

This reaction is typical of those who stood in the presence of God. Isaiah could only think of his own sinfulness. Daniel completely lost all strength. Standing in the presence of God is an awesome experience. It is one that invokes the deepest sense of reverence.

We need to remember that God is God. Reverence for Him must always characterize our worship. We do not come before some supernatural buddy. We bow humbly before the God of the universe.