Where the Good News 
is Forgiveness!

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand.

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you, depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:

1. God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? "Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways." Proverbs 20:30 (GN)

2. God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags. . . if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience." James 1:2-3 (NCV)

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something ... health, money, a relationship... by losing it. ". . . It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your

laws." Psalm 119:71-72 (LB)

4. God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed y something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. . ."

Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

5. God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity. "We can rejoice when we run into problems. . . they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady." Romans 5:3-4 (LB)

Here's the point: God is at work in your life - even when you do not recognize it or understand it. But it's much easier and profitable when you cooperate with Him!

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May God bless you richly this and every week!

Consider the themes of the sixty-six books of the Bible:

• In Genesis, He is the Creator God.

• In Exodus, He is the Redeemer.

• In Leviticus, He is your sanctification.

• In Numbers, He is your guide.

• In Deuteronomy, He is your teacher.

• In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror.

• In Judges, He gives victory over enemies.

• In Ruth, He is your kinsman, your lover, your redeemer.

• In 1 Samuel, he is the root of Jesse;

• In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David.

• In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

• In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your intercessor and High Priest.

• In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship.

• In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies.

• In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies.

• In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them.

• In Psalms, He is your song and your reason to sing.

• In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense out of life and live it successfully.

• In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity.

• In the Song of Solomon, He is your lover, your Rose of Sharon.

• In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more. In short, He's everything you need.

• In Jeremiah, He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul.

• In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend.

• In Ezekiel, He is your wheel in the middle of a wheel the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again.

• In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the everlasting God who never runs out of time.

• In Hosea, He is your faithful lover, always beckoning you to come back even when you have abandoned Him.

• In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble.

• In Amos, He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side.

• In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom.

• In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will.

• In Micah, He is judge of the nation.

• In Nahum, He is the jealous God.

• In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One.

• In Zephaniah, He is the witness.

• In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies

• In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts.

• In Matthew, He is king of the Jews.

• In Mark, He is the servant.

• In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.

• In John, He is the Son of God.

• In Acts, He is Savior of the world.

• In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.

• In 1 Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel.

• In 2 Corinthians, He the triumphant one, giving victory.

• In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.

• In Ephesians, He is head of the Church.

• In Philippians, He is your joy.

• In Colossians, He is your completeness.

• In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, He is your hope.

• In 1 Timothy, He is your faith.

• In 2 Timothy, He is your stability.

• In Philemon, He is your benefactor.

• In Hebrews, He is your perfection.

• In James, He is the power behind your faith.

• In 1 Peter, He is your example.

• In 2 Peter, He is your purity.

• In 1 John, He is your life.

• In 2 John, He is your pattern.

• In 3 John, He is your motivation.

• In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.

• In the Revelation, He is your coming King.

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.''
(Colossians 1:17)

H * A * L * L * O * W * E * E * N

Dedicated to Bob Carr, Lisa Barnes & Katrina Watkins
by Haile Nkrumah Gault

written October 31, 1995

It has been seven years to the day

That I last went under the knife.

What a cold and somber day that was;

The most pain I have felt in my life!

I was an immature man of 26 back then;

My freshman year in collegiate studies.

The doctors, the nurses, the medics, the patients -

For this I had not been ready.

My life was to change during this incarceration

In many more ways than one.

For Bob and Lisa and (Frenchie) Katrina

Introduced me to God's only Son.

I had taken for granted the beauty of autumn;

The changing of the color guard through fall.

Left only to watch from a lonely window

In a hectic medical center hall.

Today I am free to deeply breathe in

The crisp, fresh air of October.

And to live for Jesus Christ my love -

And to tell everyone how I got over!

It would be another five long years

Before I'd actually be submerged.

But I'll never forget how sweetly they loved me,

Yet how strongly His message they urged!

This day may well be Halloween for many,

But it's Thanksgiving Day for me.

A day to remember the pain I suffered,

And how from it Christ set me free!

A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age.

The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?"

One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie."

There was dead silence for about a minute.  Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."