How Far Would You Go for God?

Here is a devotion from dare2share.org about the events that happened on September 11, 2001. This is part of the story of the 4th plane, the one that didn't make it to the intended target because the passengers rallied against the terrorist.

Christians Of Courage And Compassion

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise-- in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:10-11)

On September 11, a man named Todd Beamer boarded flight 93. The majority of people in America had never heard this name before, but after that day his notoriety has grown considerably. Did he write a hit pop single? Did he produce a groundbreaking video? Did he write an amazing best seller? Actually, Todd Beamer did none of these things, but his actions far surpassed all musician, producer, and author's works combined.

Flight 93 was supposed to be the fourth plane used as a devastating weapon against our nation. The smallest flight to be hijacked with only 45 people aboard out of a possible 289 had 84% of its capacity unused. Yet these people stood up to the attackers and thwarted a fourth attempted destruction of a national landmark, saving untold numbers of lives in the process. One of those people was Todd Beamer- a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. Moments before he and the other passengers rallied against the hijackers, he prayed Psalm 23 with a phone operator, and his last words were: "are you ready? Let's roll!"

Todd Beamer gave his life so that other lives could be saved. His faith in Christ and his assurance that he would be in heaven gave him the tremendous courage it took to accomplish his heroic acts.

In Acts 6 and 7, we read about a man of God named Stephen. He was full of faith, power, and conviction. He was brought before the Jewish ruling council on trumped-up charges and allowed to make a statement. Stephen, however, decided to play a different role. Rather than allowing it to be a setup for him, he turned into a powerful condemnation of the religious leaders. They despised him and his message, so they dragged him out of Jerusalem and stoned him. Stephen fell to his knees and prayed for his killers. The way he died spoke as eloquently as his sermon.

These men should serve as an amazing example to us. We are called to be people of conviction, standing tall for Christ and serving Him fearlessly. Be prepared believer- you never know what day you may be called on to offer yourself for His glory.

Questions:

1. Would you be willing to pay the ultimate price for Christ?
2. What are your biggest fears about serving God everyday?
3. What would you have done if you were Todd Beamer?

Have Courage in God

Here is a devotion from teenmailbiblestudy.org. Hope it brings you courage!

We all experience situations in life that create a bit of nervousness. Perhaps there are times we have wished for a little more courage than was felt to be possessed. However, when we are faced with things WE KNOW MUST BE DONE anyway, hopefully we have the courage to step forward and do them. Paul asked for prayers for such courage.

Writing from prison to the church at Philippi he stated…
“(19) for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, (20) as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but THAT WITH FULL COURAGE NOW AS ALWAYS CHRIST WILL BE HONORED IN MY BODY, whether by life or by death.” ( Philippians 1:19-20 ESV)

There is no question regarding the convicted and courageous life lived by Paul. It seems nothing could possibly stop him from pressing on! What was it that kept him moving on in his faith and work to the glory of the Lord in spite of the challenges he faced?

In 1953, a columnist for the Chicago News -- a writer by the name of Harris who had gained a large following of readers by what were noted as frank and often caustic comments -- wrote what he called “A Prayer For The President.” It went like this: “O Lord … give him the courage, not of his convictions, but of Your commandments.” [original source unknown]

Perhaps that would not be a bad prayer for any of us! When Paul (as Saul) was a persecutor of the church, we might agree that he was very bold and courageous based on his convictions. This was his mission when his confidence was in the flesh. ( Philippians 3:4-6) However, those convictions were wrong! Convictions must be based on the RIGHT FOUNDATION! When Paul’s life became firmly established in the TRUTH OF JESUS, we see His readiness to press on with it mattering not whether he faced life or death. Whatever came, Paul was determined to honor Christ!

May we heed the words of the Hebrew writer as he exhorted…
“(35) Therefore DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE, which has a great reward. (36) For YOU HAVE NEED OF ENDURANCE, so that when you have done the WILL OF GOD you may receive what is promised.” ( Hebrews 10:35-36 ESV)

When our life is based on the WILL OF GOD we can develop the greatest courage for pressing on in that which is right. This is the stand that is of eternal significance. May we, like Paul, have a mindset to honor Christ regardless of what we face. Let us pray for sufficient courage as we press on with each step securely placed on God’s foundation of truth!

Have a great day CONFIDENTLY LIVING ACCORDING TO GOD’S RIGHTEOUS WILL!
Carl

"Forgiveness at the Cross"

Here's a word from the folks over at www.creativeyouthideas.com on Forgiveness.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

"Father"
These are the first recorded words we have from Jesus on the Cross. He begins with a prayer to our intimate heavenly Father. He does not address his beloved disciple John, nor the grieving women who followed him nor the religious leaders, nor the sinners on each side, nor the gawking crowd below. Jesus did not look at the people around him, but up to the Father above. He will only be able to see the people around him in proper perspective when he focuses on the Father first. Are our first thoughts toward God in everything?

"Father, forgive them"
But there's more. While in excruciating pain, Jesus asked God to forgive his tormentors. I don't know about you, but in the midst of the pain, especially when I am on the receiving end, I find it difficult to think about forgiveness. Christ's pain wasn't even over yet, it had just begun! The people on the receiving end of God's forgiveness certainly didn’t deserve it. They didn’t even ask for it. It wasn't even a past event. More was to come. Yet he still asked the Father to forgive them. What amazing grace! What amazing love! This may be the most powerful example of grace and forgiving love in the whole Bible.

"Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing." 
Did the soldiers, the gawkers, the Jewish leaders, the angry spectators, fully comprehend the consequences of their actions? We don't know all the reasons they were there on that day at the cross. All we need to do is to think about ourselves a little -- How often do we actually think through the repercussions of what WE do? We may think we are doing the right things. We have noble ambitions. We may be protecting the truth. Standing up for righteousness. Making sure the wicked don't go unpunished. Our reasons may even be less than honorable or outright rebellious. In the end it doesn't really matter why they were there. They thought they knew what they were doing, but in the eternal scheme of things they had no clue!

But Christ's concern wasn't the "Why?" When faced with persecution, with trials, with pain, our first response is to ask God "why?" Maybe we want to understand to have a reason to grant forgiveness! But Christ's didn't need a reason. True love doesn't need a reason. His first response was reconciliation, forgiveness, grace!

That's the first and final conclusion of the cross - grace - God loved us first, taking the initiative to reconcile with us, even at the greatest possible cost to himself.

May this Easter season be a time of reconciliation for all of us! Don't ask for an explanation. Don't try to understand. Don't wait for someone to ask you for forgiveness. Don't focus on what is happening down here. Focus on your heavenly Father. Look up in prayer on their behalf. When you do, you will find the grace to take the first loving steps toward loving forgiveness for those around you, regardless of what they are doing, or why they are doing it. Simply forgive and leave the rest up to God!