MEASURING POINTS AND WAY MARKERS VIII

Fear will make you look back.
Worry will make you look around.
Faith will make you look ahead.

MEASURING POINTS AND WAY MARKERS VII

God will take the worst thing that can happen to you and make it the best thing for you--if you let Him.

GOD'S WILL

Think a bit before you answer this question.

Is my ability to do God's will in my life limited by another person's actions?

Can somebody else do something that stops me from doing God's will?

MEASURING POINTS AND WAY MARKERS VI

If we will turn our hurting places into forgiving places God will turn them into healing places.

VALUE ADDED

The value of a person or thing is not intrinsic or built in. Its value arises from how others feel about it. The evaluation, esteem, appreciation by others and their desire to be connected to it determine its worth.

The value of my ragged soul—and every other soul that has ever known or will know life—was determined at Calvary. Maximum-value-Jesus invested His total self into our lives. He added divine value to each of us.

Here in Africa our days are filled with encounters with hurting, dying, hungry, crying children who have little or no hope for things to ever get better. Many youth have told us they are growing up “half-people.” “I am worth nothing,” they have said.

Amazing and wonderful to see the change when the Children’s Cup Team invests value into their little lives.

Every smile,
Every loving pat,
Every kind word,
Every word about Jesus,
Every school lesson,
Every morsel of food,
Every item of clothing,
Every medical treatment,
Every dollar sent to help them adds value to their lives and changes how they think about themselves.

How often we think, “It truly is ‘More blessed to give than to receive.’”

And, in perfect symmetry, the children’s smiles and hugs give us a wonderful sense of value added to our own lives.

Only God could have designed such a beautiful plan.

INTERSECTION

All lines not in perfect parallel eventually must come to an intersection—-a cross.

Likewise, all paths not in perfect parallel with Truth (whose name is Jesus) will and must meet Truth at the cross.

MEASURING POINTS AND WAY MARKERS (V)

“Juanito has hired a hit man to kill you!”

A man sitting behind me in church leaned forward and whispered this in my ear. Juanito was the opposition lawyer in a lawsuit in which our mission was the defendant. I was managing the case.

You can be sure it made me think.

I asked myself if it was worth it to die over a building. No it was not.
“This isn’t just about a building—it’s about ministering in this country. If you don’t hold onto something you’ll let go of everything.”

A line was drawn. I stayed. God’s work was much bigger than this silly lawsuit and threat.

The corrupt attorney fell ill and in a short time he died. I pray he found peace with God in his last days.

* * * * * *

“Lord, if you’ll give us the life and strength to raise it, I’d like to have another child—a girl.”

I was driving alone in the poorest, most dangerous place in Manila called the Tondo dump. I had no thought of having more children. Our two boys were great—they were enough.

When I heard myself pray that out loud it startled me, but right then I knew I meant it even though I didn’t start the thought..

About nine and a half months later Susan Jean was born. As I write this Jean and I have just spent the morning in Susan’s missions house here in Swaziland babysitting her three children—our grandkids—while she and Ben attended a ministry event.
Is that wonderful or what?

“When I found out I was pregnant I started praying for our child’s future spouse.”
Jean was four months pregnant when our friend, a Japanese born missionary to the Philippines, told this to us.

We thought it was a great thing to do and started praying for Susan’s future husband.
Catch the significance of this: Ben is four months younger than Susan.