The Other Side

Colin Richards

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies f God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 

And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse the, and offer them for an offering. For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel. Numbers 8:15-16


There is no sound on earth that can compare for pathos to the desperate cry of a mother to God. As fathers, we love. But there is a divinely imparted connection between mother and child that transcends the male sensibility. There is a possession. For a mother to relinquish a child to the scythe o death means tearing, and ripping, and rending. So it was on one occasion when a mother rolled around in her mind the brooding possibility that her child would succumb. It seemed that God was bent on separating them, so the choice to give away was perhaps easier than for others, but not really. The transaction she entered upon was as binding as any sworn oath before men, and more so for having been made to God. "Lord, if you'll save him, I'll give him to you." It was done, at least on her side, and the rending gave way to healing. The tearing gave way to mending, and God ultimately brought health to a sick little boy, and salvation to a lost little family.

It is one thing to be given and another thing to give yourself. I never knew my mother's arrangement with God until years later, after I made my own transaction. I think that was good, since God was free to do the prodding without interference When I at last gave way, I thought that "surrendering " to serve the Lord with my whole life was the end. The rest would be light on the hills and walks through the woods, and the joys of ministry. But I have come to appreciate, in some small measure, that a living sacrifice is, nonetheless, still a sacrifice. Sacrifices are consumed, and then the only things worth keeping, "the fragrance," ascends to god. There is a giving away, and then a dying, and then the altar, and then there is the fire. all are absolutely necessary for an acceptable presentation to God, and all are completely reasonable. We know the fire is most difficult, but only if the sacrifice has not died first. But the fire, a symbol of the Spirit's consuming presence, is also glorious.

The "living" sacrifice stays on the altar for a lifetime so that its fragrance never stops ascending. The giving away never stops and neither does the dying. The consecrated believer is always consecrating, always presenting, always yielding, and always burning. I think one envisions himself as a "choice servant of God" when he first steps into the sacrificial depths of consecrated living, only to discover that he has now just become "acceptable." But "acceptable" is perfect, because it lets Christ be the only one who is Wonderful. In this daily life of surrender, there is light on the hills, and walking through the woods with the Savior, and the joy of His presence alone.

Did You Practice Today?

by Melissa Stockard

As I was growing up, those words, usually coming from my dad, were frequently heard in our house. We especially dreaded the question if we had neglected our practicing for a more favorable pastime like playing outside with friends. It was not pleasant when Dad found us and sent us inside to finish our practicing. We'd plunk ourselves down at the piano, and the ensuing music would be anything but joyous.

Since both of our parents quit piano lessons when they were children, they vowed that their children would not quite Consequently, my brother, sister, and I were enrolled in piano lessons at a young age, and through the determination of my parents, we stuck with it. I'm very thankful for their determination now. We did not always enjoy the piano, but we had no choice. As we progressed and broadened our musical studies, my parents stressed to us that we were always to use our music to glorify the Lord. I remember going forward in a service when I was a teenager to dedicate my musical abilities to the Lord, Since that time, the Lord has given me many opportunities to minister through music that I would never have had otherwise.

Currently, my siblings and I attend a wonderful Christian university where we are preparing for a lifetime of music ministry. My parents now laugh when they think about how little they expected the children they were forcing to sit at the piano and practice their scales would someday be college music majors. Praise the Lord for parents who persevered and taught us to yield our lives and talents to the Lord!

Ruth Stewart Fajfr was a woman of tremendous strength and vitality. She labored tirelessly in evangelism throughout Eastern Europe alongside her husband, James Stewart. Ruth edited numerous works by her husband about his might ministry of seeing thousands saved and about the wonderful truths of the Holy Spirit yet her biography records her quiet struggle with truths her husband seemed to grasp more easily. In this excerpt, she shares some of her thoughts during a time of spiritual crisis.

I was not long married to James Stewart before I began to manifest a bad reaction to things that upset me and threw me into either a temper or a sulky mood. And to pour oil on the fire, my dear husband would quietly say to me, "Claim the victory, Dear!" That was not the response I had desired from him, and besides, I did not know what he meant by those words. I had never heard them before, but somehow I felt he was saying I should straighten up--without his doing anything about comforting me. (And actually, he was, but it was for my own good and the only answer to my need.) I was not even sure I wanted "the victory." What was there in life if one surrendered his right to himself--his right to feel sorry for himself and to claim all kinds of consideration from others? What was the fun of going about getting victory over hurts and slights and the like without some pampering of the flesh?

I used to sit and listen to James preach about the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, and my heart would long for that freedom in the Spirit which he was enjoying. But another part of me argued, "Yes! And if I were the head of this marriage, I would be carefree too. Just give me the reins for awhile and I would soon be telling him to 'get the victory'--whatever that means."

A couple of months after we were married, we attended a convention where I began to hear messages of personal and practical victory in life by the power of the Holy Spirit. I heard much about the need of being controlled by the Spirit each moment of the day just to "keep sweet." I began to hunger for this life of liberty in the Spirit...But I believe that the very first time I uttered a secret cry to the Lord for the Holy Spirit to work in my life, He began to work. He began to overturn and overturn, and pull the heavy furniture from the walls of my heart and turn up the rugs and open all the doors to my secret closets until I began to see and to be shocked at what I saw. Then I began to abhor what I recognized as the evil intents of my own heart. Really, it was a nest of snakes He turned out of my "inner man."  began to understand why Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they would be "strengthened"--or infused or permeated through and through--by His Spirit in the inner man, in order that Christ might settle down and be at home in their hearts. (Ephesians 3:16-17) It is the Holy Spirit Who prepares the heart for the Lord Jesus to move in and take full control and then, the Spirit does not spare us in the process of preparation. How faithful He is in His work of cleansing and of renewing as He applies to our hearts the death which our Lord wrought for us on Calvary.

*Reprinted from Sheila Stewart Doom, Ready for Anything (Asheville, NC:  Revival Literature, 2003), 93-94.This title and others of help in discovering the joy of the Spirit-filled life are available through the online store of Preach the Word ministries at www.ptwm.org or by calling 800-656-7896.

Eternal Rewards

 A few years ago, I invited two teenage girls over weekly to learn how to cook. The first girl was eager to learn and was a joy to teach. After a few weeks, she presented me with a thank-you note and a twenty-dollar gift card to a restaurant. The second girl didn't like cooking very much and was always trying to weasel me into doing all the work I asked her to do. While the girls mixed and measured, we talked about their struggles at home and at school. Although I wasn't sure my second student was learning very much about cooking, I knew that the time I was spending with her was making a difference in her life.

One day when I left the room for a moment, my second student reached into an upper cabinet to get a beautiful, expensive dish I had received as a wedding gift. It slipped out of her hands and crashed to the floor, pieces scattering everywhere. When I saw the destruction, I handed her a broom and told her I'd be back in minute. With tears flooding my eyes, I found refuge in the bathroom and allowed myself to have a good cry. A battle began to rage in my spirit. On one hand, I kept telling myself, "It's just a dish. It's only a thing." And on the other hand, I kept reminding myself of how much money the dish had cost and how it had been a special wedding gift. So the tears kept rolling. My self-pity continued as I thought bitterly, "I spend all this time teaching her, and I get no thanks--only a broken dish. My first student was so nice--she got me a gift card."

And at that moment the Holy Spirit began to convict me through the Word:

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and they Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:1-4

And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children o the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Luke 6:33-35

I told myself, "Well, Elaine Johnson, if the reward you want is a twenty-dollar gift card, you're aiming for a small reward. Wouldn't it be better to count that dish as a small loss in your service to Christ?" Suddenly, I had the right perspective on my situation. After kneeling over the air conditioning vent for a few minutes to dry my eyes and to whisper a prayer of repentance, I was ready to face my student with a Christ-like response.

Our motivations in ministry can easily become focused on the praise of man. We look for those earthly rewards like little gifts of appreciation or acknowledgement from the pulpit. Or, perhaps, we may be serving so that others will think we're "spiritual." When we work for such temporal rewards, we forfeit the eternal rewards we could have received if our hearts had been focused on serving for Christ's sake.

Misplaced motivations are a subtle sin. We can look like wonderful, servant-minded Christians on the outside, but be filled with pride on the inside. In Matthew 6 we are told to "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." Sometimes we're guilty of impressing ourselves with our own generosity. Maybe no one knows about the good work we're doing, yet we pat ourselves on the back, reminding ourselves what good Christians we are. If so, we've received our reward.

I wonder how many times I've forfeited an eternal reward because I have been working for temporal, earthly ones. That's probably happened more often than not. And I would have to say that I still struggle to have the right motivations. Those silly, earthly rewards still lure me. Looking back, I can't even remember what I ate when I used that gift card. The meal must not have been that significant. But a heavenly reward presented by my Savior--now that will be something!

Sunday Meals

For those of us who don't have the fancy ovens that turn on and off at the appropriate times, here are a few Sunday meals that can be coking while we are at church.

BB's Chicken and Rice

1 whole cut-up chicken or 6 chicken breasts
3 cups rice
3 cups chicken broth
3 cans chopped chilies (they are very mild; they just add a little zip to the dish.)
1 1/2 cups sour cream 1 family-sized can cream of chicken soup

Pour the rice into an 11x14 dish; set aside. In a bowl, put chicken broth, chilies, sour cream, and soup. Mix well. Pour 3/4 of mixture over rice. Place chicken on top of rice. Pour remaining mixture over chicken. Cover with foil. Place in 325 degree oven for 3 to 3 1/2 shours Serves 6-7.

On-the-Go Roast

3 lbs. beef or pork roast
5-6 medium potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups baby carrots (pre-peeled)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 family-sized cans cream of mushroom soup

Extras:
Fresh mushrooms
Fresh cabbage, cubed
Parsnips
Rutabagas

In a large (11x14) roasting pan, place roast, potatoes, carrots and onion. Sprinkle onion soup all over and spread mushroom soup all over. Cover with foil, place in a 350 degree oven and cook for at least 4-5 hours. With this recipe, there is no need to make gravy; it is already done for you. Serves 6.

Sunday Meatloaf
(Even if you don't like meatloaf, you will love this one.)

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
1 small can mushrooms (drained)
2 eggs
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 barbeque sauce
1/4 cup mustard
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup mustard

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix with a spoon or by hand. Place in greased casserole dish. Form a tight, oblong loaf; make crevice in top to hold the sauce. Bake at 325 degree oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Kansas City Barbeque Briset

1 beef brisket (3-5 lbs)
1 onion cut into rings
16 oz. barbeque sauce, divided

Place the brisket in a glass dish. Distribute onion rings evenly. Pour 8 oz. of barbeque sauce over the beef and cover the dish with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 3-4 hours. Slice the beef across the grain or shred for sandwiches. Pour remaining BBQ sauce over the beef and serve.