Make It Count - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Make It Count

 Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

“But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you'll ever get. And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long. And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games. There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.” (Luke 6:24-25, The Message)


High above the city streets, comfortably living in the multi-millionaire condo, the pro NFL quarterback rests on his laurels. After achieving his early notoriety by leading his football team to the playoffs, he has it made. Now his $20 million a year contract, good for the next five years, has put him in a category few will ever know outside his bubble. The fans rave him. The advertisers laud him. The rest of the world lives on, scrapping by with what little they have. They live on the street below, with nowhere to go.

I will spend nine hours on the job today, among the same towering office buildings. I see it for what it is worth, breaking my heart in the process. Bustling with overachievers, the good life is just waiting to be had. Chasing after the gold, the glory and the girls motivates the majority. In America, wealth is. Get it. Spend it. Get some more of it.

But myself, having left a Christian ministry top administration job in 2010 (after a total of 24 years with three ministries) in order to start a new humanitarian ministry that same year (Love For His People, Inc.), I had to go back to a full time accounting job. I still had to pay the home mortgage and car payment, while keeping the water running and lights on. Typical American.

My good wife at that time had completed 10 full years on her daycare job. Now she is on her 16^th year as of this writing. She continues to buy the food and other necessities.

During my office day, on occasion as I sit at my desk, I observe those around me. Several are earning the big bucks (easily $100,000 and much further up the scale each year) and spending company money like there is no limit. Makes no difference if it is today or tomorrow (with our USA government printing it freely, there isn’t.)

In my heart I cry out to the Lord. “Help us raise $150 to buy a sewing machine for a woman in a foreign land, so she can feed her family in the coming days.”

There has always been within me a sense of what Francis of Assisi must have felt like, when his soul became disgusted with the luxury life, and threw it off. These days that reality has become more prominent in our culture. Live like there is no end in sight.

While He walked the earth, coming to save mankind from their lost way, Jesus told the true story of a man named Lazarus. It is, as is true for all of Scripture, still very relevant to us today.

“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.  "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,  and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 

"Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.  "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.  "And he cried out and said, ' Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' 

"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.  'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'  "And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house —   for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'  "But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" Luke 16:19-17:31 (NASU)

I have decided to quit watching pro football and NASCAR. (Never did like pro basketball or hockey. NASCAR occupied too much time in the past 20 years of my life.) Yes, I have been among those who got into it when young, cheering for the home team to beat the arch rivals. But knowing the vast amounts of money that those very few now make, while others go without, convicts and prevents me from adding to their rich coffers, to play the games people play.

When I stand before my Lord and He asks me, “What did I do with the time and money entrusted to me?” I want to be able to respond as Jesus did and say, “I was about my Father’s business.”

Each of us, having been given allotted time and resources entrusted to us, must choose how we will use them. What we do with what we have, during our remaining life here on earth, will be made known when we each will give an account, standing before the throne of the Almighty God. All things will be revealed when the books are opened.

What are you doing with your time and energy? I encourage you to make it count for eternity.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

P.S. We sure could use your help to bless the families we do in Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the hurting ones here in the USA. Please give out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

  

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

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Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

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Now Think On This #192 “Make It Count” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (10.19.15) Monday at 7:25 am in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

When You Think God is Wrong by Ann Graham Lotz

When You Think God is Wrong 

by Ann Graham Lotz

Identity Network

Even when there is no explanation for what you're going through, God's love is more than enough for your need.

Mary and Martha, whose story is told in the Gospel of John, must have asked the same question as they struggled to understand why Jesus hadn't intervened to heal their brother, Lazarus. They had sent for Jesus to come, and when He didn't come quickly, they probably assumed He didn't care.

And now, even though Jesus had finally come, it was too late. Lazarus had died.

Mary crumbled, sobbing, at the feet of Jesus. As she lay with her shoulders shaking and her chest heaving, wracked with pain that was too great to bear, the friends who had followed her voiced their own despair over her grief, and they wept too.

At the sight and sound of the poignant scene, Jesus "was deeply moved in spirit and troubled" (John 11:33, NIV). The text indicates He felt more than just grief; He felt anger.

The One We Love is Sick

Several years ago, I received an urgent call from a person who was at the local hospital, telling me that one of my dearest friends was dying. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I had spoken with the friend only the day before, and she had been healthy and happy. What could have gone so terribly wrong? As I rushed to the hospital, I kept praying, "Lord, help! The one whom we love is sick - dying!"

When I made my way into the hospital waiting room, I found her extended family huddled in tears and shock. I was told my precious friend had somehow breathed in a virus that had acted like a hand grenade in her body, exploding and destroying her internal organs.

In grief and shock myself, I was urged to go into the chapel, where her husband and children had gathered to pray. As I slipped into the darkened sanctuary and virtually collapsed onto a pew, I heard the whispered prayers and sobs of her loved ones. Then the stifled grief erupted in a chilling, heart-wrenching cry as her son yelled out: "God, it's not right. It's not right! It's just not right!"

Later, when her family made the decision to disconnect her from life support and my beloved friend went to her heavenly home, her son's agonized, angry grief echoed in my ears, and I thought: He was right. This is wrong. Terribly wrong! This was never meant to be.

We were Created to Live

Death was not a part of God's original plan. He created you and me for Himself. He intended for us to live with Him and enjoy Him forever in an uninterrupted, permanent, personal, love relationship.

But sin came into our lives and broke the very relationship with God for which we were created. All of us are affected by this broken relationship because all of us are infected with sin.

When your loved one dies and your grief is tinged with anger, don't direct it toward God. He's angry too. Direct it toward sin and its devastating consequences.

That day in Bethany, as Mary wept and her friends wept with her, a tumult of grief and anger and compassion and empathy welled up in the heart of Jesus. In a voice that must have been choking with emotion, He inquired, "Where have you laid him?"

Those around Him replied gently, "Come and see, Lord" (John 11:34). And when Jesus was invited by the mourners in Bethany to "come and see," He wept! (See vv. 34­-35.)

Jesus, the Creator of the universe, the eternal I Am, the Lord of life, knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Yet One so strong, so powerful, so wise, so human, stood there with tears running down His cheeks! Why? Because He loved those gathered at the tomb so much their grief was His.

Jesus Weeps With You

When my youngest daughter, Rachel-Ruth, was small, she wore long braids as a means of controlling her naturally curly hair, which she hated. I will never forget an incident that followed the visit to our home of a beautiful young woman who had long, sleek, glossy brown hair. As soon as the door closed behind the young woman, Rachel-Ruth ran into the living room, jerking at her braids, tearing at her bangs, covering her face with her hands, and hysterically sobbing, "I hate my hair! My face is so ugly! I'm not pretty at all!"

Not knowing what had triggered this outburst, I just held her and wept with her. I looked up to see my other daughter, Morrow, standing in the doorway, weeping too. We wept because Rachel-Ruth was so distraught, and we loved her. Her torment was our own.

When was the last time you wept into your pillow at night, thinking no one cared? Is the pain so deep and your hurt so great that you cry night after night?

In your misery and loneliness, do you think Jesus is emotionally detached? That He just doesn't care? Or that He's simply too busy to notice? Or that He is callous because He sees a lot of pain that's worse than yours? Or that He couldn't possibly understand how you feel?

Do you know that Jesus weeps with you? Do you know He puts all your tears in a bottle because they are precious to Him? He has said in all of your afflictions, He Himself is afflicted. Why? Because Jesus does understand! And He loves you!

Those who had gathered to support and comfort and help the family of Lazarus observed the famous young Rabbi weeping and concluded, "See how he loved him!" (v. 36). Even though Jesus knew the glory to come and the demonstration of God's power that was about to be displayed, He wept!

He wept because He loved this precious family and they were weeping. Jesus was entering into their suffering, just as many of us entered into His when we repented of our sin, died to ourselves and received Him by faith.

Martha's Faith

The story of Lazarus is the account of perhaps the most magnificent miracle Jesus performed while on Earth. But it is really the story of Martha's faith - and the necessity of placing our faith in Jesus alone if we are to live life triumphantly and experience the greatest miracle of all, that of passing from spiritual death to eternal life as we are born again into the family of God.

Surrounded by a crowd of friends, family and just curious onlookers, Jesus gazed at the scene before Him. I expect Mary and Martha followed His focus, which was fixed on the cave carved out of the hillside that served as Lazarus' burial place. A large stone sealed off the entrance to the tomb.

Martha was jolted out of any grief-filled reverie that preoccupied her thoughts when she heard His familiar voice command quietly but with absolute authority, "Take away the stone" (v. 39). Nothing could have been more appalling to her!

It seemed as if reopening Lazarus' tomb would serve no purpose except to reopen the fresh wound of her heart. How could Jesus say such a thing? How could He even think such a thing?

Martha, with what surely was a look of horrified indignation on her face, blurted out, "But Lord ... by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days" (v. 39).

Jesus turned His full gaze onto Martha with a look that melted her resistance and silenced her argument. With patient firmness, He challenged her not only to obedience but also to expectant faith: "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (v. 40).

Something in Martha must have quickened as she saw the intensity in the Lord's eyes. She knew this was no longer the time to talk about it or pray about it or think about it.

The spark of faith was suddenly fanned into flame, and without further question or word, she just did it! She ordered the stone to be rolled away. Simply because He said so. Her obedience, her dependence and her expectance were in Him alone. He was all she had.

With every eye fastened on Him, Jesus boldly, loudly lifted His voice as He prayed: "Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I knew that You always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me" (vv. 41-­42).Jesus was letting everyone know that if Lazarus was raised, the power to make it happen came from God.

The Voice of the Creator

Then...the same voice that had brought the world into being, the same voice that had called Abraham from Ur, the same voice that had reverberated from Mount Sinai, that same voice thundered, "Lazarus, come out!" (v. 43). The voice of the Creator was commanding into existence that which had no existence!

Every eye must have strained toward the cave, peering into the black hole where the stone had been. And then, out of the deep, shadowy recesses within, there appeared a mummy-like figure"wrapped with strips of linen, and [with] a cloth around his face" (v. 44).

Was there a collective gasp? Or was everyone frozen into place, temporarily paralyzed by the shock of seeing something that just couldn't be?

Dead men don't come back to life! But Lazarus did! At the command of the One who is the Resurrection and the Life, he appeared at the entrance of the tomb.

After all the pain and suffering and anguish and doubt and resentment and misunderstanding and tears, God had answered the sisters' unspoken prayer. Although Jesus had not come when they thought He would, He had restored Lazarus to health.

In His own time and in His own way, God answered abundantly beyond what they could have thought to ask for - beyond their wildest dreams. Their brother was raised from the dead!

At long last, Martha understood. God's purpose was made clear. God's power and glory and love were revealed, and her grief-stricken plea wrenched from their broken hearts was abundantly answered. Jesus was all they needed! Jesus was enough!

And if He could raise Lazarus from the dead after he was in the tomb for four days, is there anything He cannot do for you or me? What miracle do you think is beyond His power to accomplish?

When you don't understand why, just trust Him!

Don't wallow in your "whys." Don't throw a pity party or remain in your misery. Understand that you may not understand this side of heaven.

Respect God's silences. Claim through your own experience ... the blessing that follows brokenness, the life that follows death and the glory that follows suffering!

Trust God to sort it all out in the end. He can break the bonds of your suffering - now! Trust Him! He will bring you through.

Anne Graham Lotz

www.annegrahamlotz.com

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