Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)

There can be no misunderstanding God’s intent for us—as followers of Christ we are called to live  set-apart lives.

The Bible commands us to be holy as God is holy. It describes the person who, although living in  the world, is not of this world but is a citizen of heaven. We are referred to as “aliens,” traveling  through life as we know it here on this planet but never making our home here. We are continually  searching for a much better home, one that exists throughout eternity in the presence of the Father  in heaven.

Paul tells us that while we are saved through grace (which has nothing to do with our works—it is  the gift of God), we are nonetheless saved for the purpose of accomplishing the good works that  God prepared in advance for us to do.

Peter tells us that we are to add to our faith: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance,  godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Furthermore, he says these qualities must be increasing in  measure; in other words, we must be continually growing in our faith following salvation.

All of this adds up to a life-style that is decidedly different from that of our non-believing neigh- bors (see “We Are a Peculiar People”). How can we do this, how can we attain  this higher standard of character that God sets before the true believer?

We can start by examining our lives in light of how much of it is dedicated to our private and  public lives as opposed to our being immersed in the Word of God. How much time do we spend  daily in conversation with our Lord? To whom do we first turn for comfort and guidance? Who or  what occupies our thoughts most during our waking hours? Does my life look like everyone else’s?

Our answers to questions like these will show us just how close (or how far apart) are we in our  walk with Jesus. It begins with the Word and prayer. It begins with our seeking to be in the presence of God.

For it is written: “Be holy,  because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

For it is by grace you have  been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves,  it is the gift of God—not by  works, so that no one can  boast. For we are God’s  workmanship, created in  Christ Jesus to do good  works, which God prepared  in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

For this very reason, make  every effort to add to your  faith goodness; and to good- ness, knowledge; and to  knowledge, self-control; and  to self-control, perseverance;  and to perseverance, godli- ness; and to godliness, broth- erly kindness; and to broth- erly kindness, love. For if  you possess these qualities in  increasing measure, they will  keep you from being ineffec- tive and unproductive in your  knowledge of our Lord Jesus  Christ. But if anyone does  not have them, he is near- sighted and blind, and has  forgotten that he has been  cleansed from his past sin.

For many, the words that come from our mouths are the most  incriminating part of us. Perhaps we’ve been successful in cleaning  up our act around our Christian friends, but hit our thumb with a  hammer and that’s a different story altogether.

Scripture has much to say about this.

Read Ephesians 4:29. What kind of talk does God not  want coming out of your mouth?

What kind of talk does He want from you?

What is the purpose for the kind of talk that God wants  you to have?

Read Proverbs 12:18. According to this verse, what kind  of impact do your reckless words have on those who hear you?

What impact do the words of the wise person have on others?

Read Proverbs 13:3. What impact does rash talk have on your own life?

Read James 1:19-20. What lesson can you learn from this passage that can be a huge aid in bridling the strong words that try to escape from your mouth at certain times?

Read Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 (NIV). How can these verses be coupled with James 1:19-20 to help you along the road of success when it comes to controlling your tongue?

Choose a quiet place in your house or yard in which to meditate on the scripture you have read in this brief study. Can you think  of any area in which your speech needs to be improved? Can you  honestly say that everything that comes from your mouth is helpful  for building others up according to their needs?

If you need some help (and most of us do), read and meditate  on Hebrews 4:14-16 and Matthew 19:26. After letting your heart  feast on these words, pray this simple prayer from Psalm 19:14  (NLT).

May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my  heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

God has a way of using this information about our loved ones to bring comfort to us in their passing. We find that they touched more  lives than we could ever imagine. While there is really nothing “stellar” they have done, we find out that it was in a kind word they said, a  sweet spirit they displayed or something even as small as a “thank you” each time the person encountered them.

We also hear stories from others that observed their strong faith: how they shared conversations about the Bible and the hope they had  in Christ; how they accepted with joy the prayers of others but also returned the favor with offering prayers for them.

None of these actions may seem important at the time but they add up to a life well lived. They are consistent with the lifestyle that we  see in God’s Word lived out in a true saint’s life. Being kind, having a sweet spirit, being ready to talk about God’s Word and prayer. This is  what constitutes a live well lived. We don’t need to know who we impact while on this earth because we will know when our “faith becomes  sight” and we see Him. But isn’t it wonderful of God to let those left behind see the legacy of their loved one and the be challenged to continue it in their own lives.

March 10, 2011 Lois Carnagey passed from this world and entered into the throne room of God. She was 95 years old.

Lois is survived by her three children, Jimmy, Bob, Susan and their spouses, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She will be missed by all, but there is only joy in her passing. Lois loved the Lord and eagerly anticipated   spending the rest of eternity with him. May she rest in peace.

“…we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

—2 Corinthians 5:8

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

It has been said of God’s people, “If you were on trial today for being a Christian, would there be enough  evidence to convict you?” That’s a tired ole saying, but is it ever loaded with truth!

In the King James Version, God refers to believers as a “peculiar” people (1 Peter 2:9). Somehow or other that word peculiar has a negative connotation for many today, like something strange, weird, and so far  from the norm that it sticks out like a sore thumb. Webster’s Collegiate uses more palatable words to describe peculiar: distinctive, special, varying from the norm, eccentric; characteristic of only one group. That’s  us, through and through.

The NIV Bible puts the term “a peculiar people” in a different light: “a people belonging to God,” it says. And indeed we are! But we want to be careful not to lose the idea that Christians are different, that they  were never intended to blend in with the rest of the crowd. We have been called to obey the commands of  Jesus and that fact alone makes us totally different from those around us.

We are to love our enemies and pray for them; we are to consider it more blessed to give than to re- ceive; we are to put God first in everything we do, say or feel. Humbleness and meekness are required in  our behavior—in all our dealings with others. We are to strive to become more Christ-like every day of  our lives, and that is a very high standard to strive for.

In a world filled with money-hungry, fame-grabbing, materialistic souls, the one who strives to respond as  Jesus would will certainly appear peculiar to others . These believers are the light that shines before men.  And when people witness their good deeds, they, too, will praise the Father in heaven.

“I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10b (KJV)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life…”
John 14:6 (KJV)

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
John 20:31 (NIV)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 (NIV)

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 (NIV)

Yet to all who received  Him, to those who believe  in His name, He gave the  right to become children  of God.

John 1:12 (NIV)

At the time, I didn’t understand at all what she was  trying to get me to see. But the intervening years have  brought a measure of wisdom and with it a whole lot  of clarity.

During my college years and all through my 20’s and  30’s, I was afraid of dying.

I had reason to be. These were BC days (before  Christ)—when I lived life on the very edge. Not only  was I at times in danger of dire physical harm, but my  soul was in danger of perpetual damnation. I lived for  Self and worshipped the big “I” as unfortunately so  many do today.

I was no fool, however—I knew what a life without  Christ would bring at my demise. And although I  wanted no part of Hell, I apparently wasn’t willing to  give up my selfish life-style and live instead for Christ.  So I continued to exist in constant fear of being dis- covered for who I really was. And I continued to live  afraid of dying.

It wasn’t until I turned my life over to Jesus that life  no longer terrified me.

All the bad things that could  happen ceased to dominate my thoughts. I had prom- ised Jesus that I would go wherever He called and I  trusted Him to bring it about according to His own  perfect will.

I am reminded of Judas who lived in close proximity  of Jesus for the three years of the Master’s ministry  here on earth. Yet, though he lived in close quarters  with the Son of God, Judas could not bring himself to  turn his life over to the Him. He adamantly clung to   living life for Self up until the bitter end.

We should not be surprised by what happened to  Judas after his betrayal of the Christ, an act that put  into motion the events leading to the cross. Accord- ing to the Matthew 27 account, Judas tried to return  the thirty pieces of silver, and when the transaction  was refused he hanged himself. We cannot know  whether Judas was afraid of dying, but we certainly see  that he was afraid of living. Sometimes that is the  harder task of the two.

Scripture tells us that after we’ve lived a life of obedience to Christ’s commands, we are greeted with a  “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We know also  that Jesus tells us that we will obey Him if we love  Him. So a life of obedience brings about a life in love  with Jesus. How can we possibly be afraid of living  when we’re walking hand-in-hand with Him every step  of the way!

Then on the other side of the coin, the Bible promises an eternity with the Father if we believe that  Jesus is the Son of God. We do not know exactly  what heaven will be like, but scripture gives a cursory  glance into its secrets: no more tears, no sorrow,  only perpetual praises to the Lord, worshipping in the  throne room of God. Who can be afraid of that?

I have been privileged to be at the bedside of three  loved ones shortly before their passing. All three  embraced the process of leaving this world and enter- ing into the next. They were surrounded with God’s  peace and seemed as if they were taking their last few  steps on earth hand-in-hand with the Father.

These strong Christians were not afraid of living  and certainly they were not afraid of dying.

Photo by: Garry Wilmore

Mark 10:15

Often when we refer to a person as “being simple,” we think of him as having limited education or perhaps being mentally challenged to some degree.

If we consider being simple in terms of a relationship with the Lord, however, the term becomes an excellent description of the person who has a deep and lasting faith in God.

According to Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary, one definition of simple is to be innocent or humble.

The Bible tells us that it is with the innocent, humble faith of a child that we are to accept Christ as Lord. Once saved, our faith begins to grow and obedience to the commands of Jesus becomes a way of life. The more we obey, the more our faith grows. Eventually, we come to accept the will of God with- out any reservation at all.

Having a child-like faith in God—no matter the circumstances—is the best description of a “simple person.”

It’s through the innocent, humble believers of the world that God accomplishes much. All too often, accolades are sung of the things people do for the Lord. The truth is, a simple person doesn’t want this kind of praise. Rather than the applause of man, he or she longs for the praise of God. Wealth, fame and accolades hold no appeal. They desire to live as righteous a life as possible and ask nothing in return.

Jesus tells us that if we are good stewards of the life given to us here on earth, when we stand before Him in heaven He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” <

It’s a simple phrase for a simple people, who have a simple faith in Christ alone.

Photo By Tony Trần

In March 2009, Philip brought a team of students, pastors and evangelists back to Luk Pe to visit Andrew and his village. They were privileged to baptize 30 believers upon profession of faith. Most of these 30 were elderly people who formerly embraced the worship of animism.
After Andrew’s ordination, he was able to take the gospel to a neighboring village (Bu Gwe) with a population of about 35 families, most of whom were animists. With four Christian families, Andrew has now planted a new church in Bu Gwe. Potential leaders within that blossoming church are now being trained. A pastor will be ordained within the next year or two.

Late February and early March of this year, Philip and a team of 10 associates (teachers, students and graduates) returned to Luk Pe to evangelize and offer additional Bible training in that area. Samuel, leader of the evangelist team called the experience “John 4 coming alive.” As they shared the story of Jesus, the woman beckoned other animists to come and listen so more and more heard about Jesus.

Next missionary effort will be to Kaya State to strengthen and encourage the existing church there in their evangelism strategy. Philip will be working closely with Peter who is a former Communist leader and now evangelist and church planter. As earthquakes and wars dominate the news today, both Philip and Peter are aware how urgent are the times and are compelled to reach as many as possible with the good news of Jesus Christ.




If God is calling you to be a part of this exciting outreach, you may mail your gift to Word Within International at PO Box 33178, Tulsa 74153.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabis-cuit: An American Legend) is a must-read for every American—young and old. This is the true story of Louis Zamperini, troubled delinquent who grows up to became an Olympic athlete. Zamperini participated in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and had a personal audi-ence before Adolf Hitler who was taken by the talent of this young runner and had asked to speak with him.

Zamperini’s career as an athlete was abruptly inter-rupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor. He enlisted in the Army Air Force and served in the Pacific theater as a bombardier. In May of 1943, Zamperini and his crew were flying a rattletrap B-24 on a rescue mission when the plane fell apart and they had to ditch into the Pacific.

All the crew perished from the impact except Louie and two of his crew. Only Louie and the plane’s pilot survived until they were rescued by the Japanese after 47 harrowing days adrift in a rubber raft. The third member of their party died at sea of starvation, dehydration, exposure and negativism.

Zamperini’s story of survival at sea is an incredible one but his years as a POW in Japanese camps is gut-wrenching. Subjected to the most inhumane brutality imaginable, Louie’s fanatical physical training as an athlete bode him well. Even though singled out for particularly heinous treatment at the hands of a Japanese official, he remained unbroken until the end.

Upon return to civilian life in the States, Louie did not stand up so well. Prior battles with alcohol plagued him as flashbacks of his POW imprisonment tormented his soul. Enter phase 3 of Zamperini’s life in which he begins a skid downward that seems to have no bottom. The good news is there is also a phase 4 for Zamperini. Though it occupies a small portion of the book, you are not going to want to miss this one. Survival, resilience—and now redemption!

Even though I put Unbroken down for the last time several days ago, I am still reeling from the impact of this powerful, marvelous, awe-inspiring life-story. Hillenbrand does not refer to Zamperini as a hero, but this man is everything a hero should be. His battle with the trials and tribulations are impressive, but his triumph is glorious!

This is the story of the rise and fall, and RISE again of an American hero—in every sense of the word. It could be the story of any one of us. More than any-thing else, this is the kind of bravery every Christian and every American must aspire to.

In Genesis Chapters 1-2, we read God’s account of the creation. And in this account, we are told that we are created in His image. Obviously if this is true—and it is because all scripture is God-breathed and thereby truth since God is Truth—then why do we ever try to change those around us?

Of course, once sin entered into the world, this perfect image in which we were created deteriorated into something far from perfect. We became self-centered and arrogant. We began to do things God never intended us to do. We argued. We lusted after the possessions of others. We put other gods before Him. We even strived to become equal to God Himself.

Fortunately, God loved us so much that He refused to give up on us. He gave us the Law (the Ten Commandments and others) to make us righteous, and in that Law He included the consequences if we failed to keep any of its requirements. Unfortunately, we persisted in sin, thus marring our once in-the-image-of-God likeness almost beyond recognition.

God would certainly have been justified in giving up at that point, but instead He did the most incredible thing. He sent His Son into the world—the Perfect coming to dwell among us, to redeem those who loved Him by giving His life for the sins of all mankind. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin that we might become righteous. He made it possible for us to be perfect once again.

It’s difficult to understand the mystery. If we accept God the Son as Lord of our life, He comes to dwell within us. We are new creations, reflecting the image of God in all His glory, just as we were created in the beginning. We still have limitations, of course. As long as we are living in this sinful world, we cannot be perfect in the absolute meaning of the term. But we are deemed perfect by our heavenly Father be-cause He sees us through the blood of the perfect One living within us.

It should be obvious, then, that it is futile and sheer insanity for any of us to try and change another. The only One who has the authority to do this is the Father. He created us and He alone can change us. There is only one way to bring this about: we must accept His perfect Son as the Lord and Savior of our lives. Only then will we be able to begin the transformation from our sinful humanity to the perfection of His image once again.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we
know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” —1 John 3:2