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People often say that opportunity doesn’t knock twice. In fact, however, it’s more accessible than we may think, available regularly to those who are awake and ready to show it hospitality. In Luke 11:9, Jesus spoke these now-famous words – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” We ought to imagine ourselves knocking on opportunity’s door. We do well to seek it rather than wait for it to find us.

A young German immigrant named John Roebling read about the possibility of twisting wires together to make steel rope. He experimented with it in the 1830s by towing barges along the Pennsylvania Canal and proved that the concept had possibilities. He then set out to teach the world how to use wire. The suspension bridges he built in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Brooklyn and across the Niagara Gorge were dramatic steps forward in bridge construction in the mid-nineteenth century. That opportunity, however, had not knocked on Roebling’s door; he went seeking for it. It had been waiting for him.

Electricity waited for centuries for Benjamin Franklin to fly his kite. Apples had been falling since the beginning of time in hopes that an Isaac Newton would pay attention. Steam was lifting lids on kettles long years before James Watt noticed it. Atoms had been bursting with energy since the day of creation, awaiting the moment when someone with the technology – and drive and perseverance – came knocking, saying, “Let’s find a way to release these for the benefit of humankind.” When the seeker came to the door, opportunity was at home.

Opportunities are still there for the person who can fulfill a need and improve people’s lives. The Roeblings, Franklins and Newtons of today continue to knock and find the door answered. Opportunity waits for the arrival of a contemporary Lincoln who believes that it’s time for men and women to be free and for children to be safe. It waits for a new Mother Teresa who insists that it’s time for genocide to end. It waits for a modern Apostle Paul who speaks of the better way – that of service and love – to zealots who vainly imagine that killing themselves and innocent others will somehow bring about the reign of God in this world.

John Roebling invented steel cables with which bridges were built. Opportunities are waiting for new and better bridges – links to the poor, the powerless, the oppressed, the lost – to be constructed in our time. When a creative, determined builder knocks, that door too will be opened.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.38. Live for God, on purpose, stepping out and seeking opportunities where the Lord can use you in new and creative ways!

Give God The Glory!

I can’t speak for anyone else, but there seem to be times when there is just so much taking place in my life, that it can become overwhelming. The daily activity and demands, coupled with unexpected situations and circumstances, and then compounded by emergency issues that demand immediate attention – all creates so much “background noise” that if we aren’t careful, our focus is shifted onto the things that surround us, and away from the things of God!

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:2 that we need to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” We need to train ourselves to do exactly that, no matter what our situation, no matter what our circumstances. At all times, we need to give all the glory to God! (Revelation 14:7)

So, how do we train ourselves to do that? Glad you asked! This Sunday morning, we will be looking at Psalm 65, and learning just how we can be ready and prepared at all times to “Give God The Glory!” Don’t miss it!

Have You Taken Your
Vitamins Today?

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
— Psalms 119:103

Recently, my wife and I have had a renewed sense of the need to take vitamins for our health. As I was pondering vitamins, it dawned on me how taking vitamins is like a mature approach to reading the Word of God. When I first became a believer, I remember reading each passage and it was like a bolt of lightning each time I read it! As I’ve grown in the Lord, I still get an occasional bolt, but now it’s more like taking vitamins. What am I saying here?

Well, why do we take vitamins? We take them for the long term benefit to our physical health. Taking a vitamin will not produce a sudden burst of adrenalin or a bolt of energy, but over time, when taken regularly, vitamins will strengthen our immune system and improve our general health and well being!

Take your daily dose of God’s Word, and you will find that the long term effects of regularly digesting scripture will promote your spiritual health and well-being. Though it may not be like a bolt of lightning every time you sit down – you can be certain it will boost your immunity to the fiery darts of doubt, disbelief, and deception!

As the Bible says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God!” So by all means, take your “vitamins” today. Don’t you know, there’s so much work to be done?

Offering Sympathy Meets Two Human Needs

by Rick Warren

“As holy people... be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient.” — Colossians 3:12 (GWT)

In real fellowship people experience sympathy. Sympathy is not giving advice or offering quick, cosmetic help; sympathy is entering in and sharing the pain of others.

Sympathy says, “I understand what you’re going through, and what you feel is neither strange nor crazy.” Today, some call this “empathy” but the Bible word is “sympathy.” It says, “As holy people... be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient” (Colossians 3:12 GWT).

Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship.

Sympathy meets two fundamental human needs: the need to be understood and the need to have your feelings validated.

Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship. The problem is that we’re often in such a hurry to fix things that we don’t have time to sympathize with people. Or we’re preoccupied with our own hurts. Self-pity dries up sympathy for others.

There are different levels of fellowship, and each is appropriate at different times:

• The simplest levels of fellowship are the fellowship of sharing and the fellowship of studying God’s Word together.

• A deeper level is the fellowship of serving, as when we minister together on mission trips or mercy projects.

• The deepest, most intense level is the fellowship of suffering (Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 10:33-34). This is where we enter into each other’s pain and grief and carry each other’s burdens. The Christians who understand this level best are those around the world who are being persecuted, despised, and often martyred for their faith.

The Bible teaches us to “share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NLT).

It is in the times of deep crisis, grief, and doubt that we need each other most. When circumstances crush us to the point that our faith falters, that’s when we need believing friends the most.

We need a small group of friends to have faith in God for us and to pull us through. In a small group, the body of Christ is real and tangible even when God seems distant.

This is what Job desperately needed during his suffering. He cried out, “A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 NIV).

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.

All That Glitters

by Andrea Chapman

About a hundred years ago, “Gold Fever” hit North America. Thousands of men and several women followed their dream of striking it rich from a stake in the Klondike, only to face a harsh climate, expensive “required” items, treacherous mountain passes, amoral con artists, uncontrollable flooding created by the spring thaw, bacteria-laced drinking water in makeshift tent cities, and digging through granite-like permafrost at the rate of about a foot a day. Very few found even enough gold to pay for their trip home.

About a year ago, the Bre-X company started a new sort of “Gold Fever” in North America. Samples from geologists revealed veins of the precious metal in superbly dense quantities in the hills of Indonesia. Money stampeded into the company as investors dreamed of multiplying their nest eggs. When the samples proved to be falsified, fortunes were lost in the devaluation of Bre-X stock.

Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus warned his followers that the riches of this world would one day perish. He instructed that no one could effectively serve both God and money; we must choose to pursue either one or the other.

If we choose money, any treasures we acquire, any temporary pleasure we may experience, will be lost to us when we die. But the treasures we amass in heaven while we pursue the way of God will never be exhausted. We may or may not experience material success in this life, but those who follow God live with the joy of knowing that we are the much-loved children of the King of all Kings and will be welcomed with celebration and a rewarding eternal life upon our return home. Such a life has meaning and purpose.

Where is your treasure accumulating?

as seen in the September 16, 2008 issue of Daily Wisdom – http://www.dailywisdom.com

Ten Little Christians

Ten little Christians standing in a line,
One disliked the pastor, then there were nine.
Nine little Christians stayed up very late,
One slept in on Sunday, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians on their way to heaven,
One took the low road, then there were seven.
Seven little Christians chirping like chicks,
One disliked the music, then there were six.

Six little Christians seemed very much alive,
But one lost his interest, then there were five.
Five little Christians pulling for Heaven’s shore,
But one stopped to rest, then there were four.

Four little Christians, each busy as a bee,
One got her feelings hurt, then there were three.
Three little Christians knew what to do,
One joined the sports crowd, then there were two.

Two little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,
Differed with each other, then there was one.
One little Christian can’t do much ’tis true;
Brought his friend to Bible study, then there were two.

Two earnest Christians, each won one more,
That doubled their number, then there were four.
Four sincere Christians worked early and late,
Each won another, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians, if they doubled as before,
In just a few short weeks, we’d have 1,024.
In this little jingle, there’s a lesson true,
You belong to the building, or the wrecking crew.

Biblical Headlines

If Biblical Headlines were written by today’s liberal media...

On Red Sea crossing:
WETLANDS TRAMPLED IN LABOR STRIKE
Pursuing Environmentalists Killed

On David vs. Goliath:
HATE CRIME KILLS BELOVED CHAMPION
Psychologist Questions Influence of Rock

On Elijah on Mt. Carmel:
FIRE SENDS RELIGIOUS RIGHT EXTREMIST INTO FRENZY 400 Killed

On the birth of Christ:
HOTELS FULL, ANIMALS LEFT HOMELESS
Animal Rights Activists Enraged by Insensitive Couple

On feeding the 5,000:
PREACHER STEALS CHILD’s LUNCH
Disciples Mystified Over Behavior

On healing the 10 lepers:
LOCAL DOCTOR’s PRACTICE RUINED
“Faith Healer” Causes Bankruptcy

On healing of the Gadarene demoniac:
MADMAN’s FRIEND CAUSES STAMPEDE
Local Farmer’s Investment Lost

On raising Lazarus from the dead:
FUNDAMENTALIST PREACHER RAISES A STINK
Will Reading to be Delayed

The Last Impression

A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him in front of the service station. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump.

“Reverend,” said the young man, “sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.”

The minister chuckled, “I know what you mean. It’s the same in my business.”

We’re ready to have a great experience worshipping the Lord this week here at WFA – and we are looking for you to be a part of it! Join us for our “Courtyard Continental Breakfast” and then attend one of our great Christian Education opportunities. Then, get ready for a dynamic time of worship and the Word! Start your week out the best possible way – worshipping the Lord together here at WFA!