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opening Let’s take a look at Jairus. In Luke 8:41, we read that “a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus‘ feet, pleading with him to come to his house.” Jairus was a well-known, powerful, wealthy individual who was the head of the local synagogue. When his 12-year-old daughter, his only child, was in great need, he sought out Jesus to heal her.

We don’t know whether Jairus was a believer in Jesus. As the head of the synagogue, he would have been a religious man. He probably had heard about Jesus. Maybe he had already put his faith in Him.

But Jairus believed that Jesus could save his daughter’s life. So he went and found the Lord and begged Him to heal his daughter. He placed his complete trust in Jesus.

But as they were on the way to his house, the news came that his daughter had died. The reason they did not get to his daughter more quickly was because a woman in need of healing came along and touched Jesus, and He stopped and demanded to know who it was that touched Him.

Yet, Jairus did not complain. Rather, he committed himself to Jesus, believing that God knew what He was doing.

Jairus‘ faith was dramatic, especially because at this particular time in Jesus‘ ministry, He had not raised anyone from the dead. Granted, He had healed people, but there had been no resurrections.

Jairus had to wait. And we have to wait! A lot of us grow impatient with God. In our impatience, we can foolishly take things into our own hands and make them far worse.

Know this – God’s delays are not necessarily His denials. We need to wait on the Lord. God’s timing is just as important as His will.

He doesn’t ask for us to understand. He just asks us to trust!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.33. Live for God, on purpose, waiting patiently on the Lord, trusting that He will supply all our need according to His riches in glory.

puddle Get Out Of That Puddle!

In his book, Pastoral Renewal, Charles Simpson wrote, “I met a young man not long ago who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. He said one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet.

“That also happens to some Christians. I’ve seen the cutest little six-inch Christians who swim around in a little puddle. But if you put them into a larger arena – into the whole creation – only then can they become great.”

Jesus commanded all believers to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything [he has] commanded” (Matthew 28:19-20).

There is no room to grow inside the walls of a Sunday School classroom, church building, or your own home. We have been called to go outside of those walls and reach out to the lost world that needs to know Jesus.

Get involved in doing missions and evangelism in your neighborhood, city, or state through your church, local seniors group, or Bible study class. If you are physically unable to get involved, become a prayer warrior for the cause of Christ. Your prayers are needed both on and off the mission field.

Get out of the puddle you’ve been swimming in, and take your faith to a larger arena – the world.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Pray that God would open the doors for you to reach out to those who are lost in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

10-rules 10 Rules For A Blessed Day

1. Today I will not strike back...
If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind, I will not respond in a like manner.

2. Today I will ask god to bless my ‘enemy’
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand “enemy” could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

3. Today I will be careful about what I say...
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.

4. Today I will go the extra mile...
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.

5. Today I will forgive...
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.

6. Today I will do something kind for someone, (but I will do it in secret...)
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

7. Today I will treat others the way I wish to be treated...
I will practice the golden rule. “Do Unto others as I would have them do unto me”- with EVERYONE I encounter.

8. Today I will raise the spirits of someone who is discouraged...
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with life.

9. Today I will nurture my body...
I will eat less... I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank God for my body.

10. Today I will grow spiritually...
I will spend a little more time in prayer today. I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to God’s voice.

Luke 10:27 – He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’“

We learn three principles about loving our neighbor: (1) lack of love is often easy to justify, even though it is never right; (2) our neighbor is anyone of any race, creed, or social background who is in need; and (3) love means acting to meet the person’s needs. Wherever you live, there are needy people close by. There is no good reason for refusing to help.

Remember, today is a gift from God so treat it preciously.

chasing What Are You Chasing After?

by Jim Liebelt

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? – Matthew 6:25

The story has been told of a banker who was vacationing in a small coastal village. While walking near a pier he observed a small boat with just one fisherman. Inside the boat with the fisherman were several yellow-fin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his catch and asked how long it took to catch them. “Only a little while,” he replied.

The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish. The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” the banker asked. The fisherman responded, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a nap in the afternoon, and stroll into the village each evening with my wife where we relax and sing and I play guitar with our friends. I have a full and busy life.”

The businessman scoffed, “You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat and with the proceeds buy a fleet of boats. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you could sell directly to a processor. You could eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this small village and move to a big city where you could run your expanding enterprise.”

The fisherman asked, “But how long will this take?” The businessman replied, “15 to 20 years!” “But then what?” asked the puzzled fisherman. The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. You can sell your business and retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take afternoon naps, stroll to the village in the evenings with your wife where you could relax, sing and play guitar with your friends. You would have a full and busy life.”

The fisherman smiled at the businessman, quietly gathered his catch and walked away.

What are you chasing after in life? How (and with whom) you spend the bulk of your time may reveal much about your priorities. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

What kind of treasures are you building? Are they temporary or will they last forever?

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

only-bible The Only Bible Some May Read

by Steve Ackermann

The Bible is God’s given Word.
It’s often read. It’s often heard.
It’s there, for us. Lord knows we need it.
Yet many people just won’t read it.

The only Bible many see
Is what it’s done to you and me.
How our lives have been affected.
Proof of us, and God, connected.

How quickly we wander towards distractions.
Our Words mean nothing without our actions.
People watch us very closely.
For any sin! The smallest dose!

That’s why we have to have firm roots.
Take off our weathered, sinful boots.
Start walking down the paths we choose.
In Holy, Saintly, Christian shoes.

We can’t say one thing, do another.
We have to focus on our brother.
But even more, the Christ that died.
God’s hand was present! Not Jesus‘ pride!

With that, I think you must agree.
The only Bible some will see.
Is the one that’s written on our face.
Proof of the Savior’s promised grace.

The world’s a stage. We have our mission.
To walk, talk and act like a Christian.
There shouldn’t be a lot of bending.
Unless, of course, you’re just pretending.

This role should be our heart’s delight.
To serve our Lord, with all of our might.
As heirs to his kingdom, let’s act that way.
So He can be proud, and proclaimed each day.

There’re many who won’t read God’s book.
Yet, we can make them take a look.
Keep in mind this dire need.
You’re the only Bible that they may read.

disapoint Disappointment Into Joy

The year was 1920. The scene was the examining board for selecting missionaries. Standing before the board was a young man named Oswald Smith.

One dream dominated his heart. He wanted to be a missionary. Over and over again, he prayed, “Lord, I want to go as a missionary for you. Open a door of service for me.” Now, at last, his prayer would be answered.

When the examination was over, the board turned Oswald Smith down. He did not meet their qualifications. He failed the test. Oswald Smith had set his direction, but now life gave him a detour. What would he do?

As Oswald Smith prayed, God planted another idea in his heart. If he could not go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries. And that is what he did. Oswald Smith pastored The People’s Church in Toronto, Canada, which sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time.

Oswald Smith brought God into the situation, and God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.

dead-horse Riding A Dead Horse

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from one generation to the next, says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, in contemporary organizations other strategies have often been tried with dead horses, including the following:

1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Threatening the horse with termination.

4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

5. Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.

6. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

7. Appointing an intervention team to reanimate the dead horse.

8. Creating a training session to increase the riders load share.

9. Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.

10. Change the form so that it reads: “This horse is not dead.”

11. Hire outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

12. Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.

13. Donate the dead horse to a recognized charity, thereby deducting its full original cost.

14. Providing additional funding to increase the horse’s performance.

15. Do a time management study to see if the lighter riders would improve productivity.

16. Purchase an after-market product to make dead horses run faster.

17. Declare that a dead horse has lower overhead and therefore performs better.

18. Form a quality focus group to find profitable uses for dead horses.

19. Rewrite the expected performance requirements for horses.

20. Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

last The Last Impression

A preacher was making his rounds to his parishioners on a bicycle, when he came upon a little boy trying to sell a lawnmower.

“How much do you want for the mower?” asked the preacher.

“I’m just trying to make enough money to buy a bicycle,” said the little boy.

After a moment of consideration, the preacher asked, “Will you take my bike in trade for it?”

The boy said, “You got a deal.”

The preacher took the mower and tried to crank it. He pulled on the string a few times with no response from the mower.

The preacher called the little boy over and said, “I can’t get this mower to start.”

The little boy said, “That’s ‘cause you have to cuss at it to get it started.”

The preacher said, “I’m a minister, and I can’t cuss. It’s been so long since I’ve been saved that I don’t know if I even remember how to cuss.”

The little boy looked at him happily and said, “Just keep pulling on that string. It’ll come back to ya!”

Just for the record, I don’t own a lawn mower... and I still have my bicycle.

I’m back from our time in Florida, and excited to worship together with everyone at WFA this Sunday! It’s going to be a blessed time this Lord’s Day! If you’re in the north Delaware area, come join us! You can mow the lawn, or ride your bike, later!