CIAM Radio

Deep in the heart of Elisha’s helper, Gehazi, were smoldering embers of greed. Silently, secretively, they remained hidden. No one could tell by looking. Words never passed from Gehazi’s mouth, admitting such sin, but it was there nevertheless. Through a series of events those embers burst into full flame. As we recount the story, we want to take sufficient time to examine our own hearts and determine if we suffer from a similar malady.

From the Series: Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives: Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters

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Okay, try to picture it. Maybe you don't have to picture it. Maybe you've been there. It's the Friday morning after Thanksgiving, just before doors open at, let's say, Walmart. It's still dark, but a lot of people are lined up, anxiously waiting to enter. It's the day of those fabulous sales that stores like this have to encourage your early Christmas shopping. And for a short time after the doors open, there are some absolutely amazing prices on many popular items. But you have to move quickly and scoop them up. One year recently, I remember the crush of people was so great, at one store a lady was nearly trampled to death when the doors opened. And at another store, another year, a man actually was trampled to death. Once you're in the store, you know what to do. No browsing. No chatting. You're on a mission! Just look for those sales opportunities and grab them while you can!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing Opportunities to Save a Life."

Aggressively seizing opportunities because time is short - that's not just a picture of a sale day shopper. That's supposed to be the picture of every follower of Jesus Christ. Not just browsing and cruising through our days, but really making them count...really making a difference with your life.

If you read our word for today from the Word of God in the original language of the New Testament, you can see just that kind of urgency and intensity. It's Ephesians 5:15-16 - "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise" - now what follows is God's definition of what it means to "live smart." "...making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." The original Greek conveys the idea of aggressively buying up every opportunity you have to do something about the darkness around you.

Near the end of this letter that Paul wrote from a prison cell, probably chained to a Roman guard, he gives us a living example of this "make a difference" mindset in action. He says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel...pray that I will declare it fearlessly, as I should."

In another letter, we learn that there were believers ultimately in Caesar's household; likely some of those soldiers Paul spent so much time with. He saw his imprisonment, not so much as an ordeal, but as an opportunity to tell people there about his Jesus and to rescue them from evil.

Life is full of life-saving opportunities for those with eyes to see them; for those who understand that we're supposed to be looking for them wherever we are. I know when one member of our family was in the hospital, the reason seemed clear. There was a patient who left a trail of Jesus all through that hospital. There just to get well? No. They were there positioned by God to help spiritually rescue some of the people in that hospital.

If you want to make the greatest possible difference with the rest of your life, and I hope you do. If you want to help some people be in heaven with you, and I hope you do. Then each morning pray for natural opportunities to bring up your Jesus. "Lord, open a door." Then look for those opportunities to open up. Buy them up like an alert shopper.

When someone shares a burden or a concern with you, don't just promise to pray for them. Ask if you can pray with them right then. Chances are they have never heard their name in a prayer all their life! I've never had anyone turn down that offer by the way. And if God opens the door, tell them after you pray that you weren't always able to talk to God like that because there used to be a wall between you and Him that Jesus took down.

Look for opportunities to share your personal hope story, which is the story of the difference Jesus has made

Read: Psalm 119:33-40; Matthew 4:4

“Hi, Grandpa,” called Caleb as he and Abigail ran up the porch steps to their grandpa’s house.

“Hi, yourself,” answered Grandpa with a grin. “What are you up to today?”

“We got behind in learning our verses for Bible club,” said Abigail, “so we have to learn a whole bunch of them today. Mom said we could take a break and come over here for a while.”

“Yeah,” said Caleb. “I just don’t see how I’m going to remember all those verses.”

Grandpa smiled. “Do you know your locker combination? And what about your address? Aren’t they hard to remember?”

Caleb shook his head. “They’re easy to remember because I use them all the time.”

“I see,” said Grandpa. “In other words, we remember what we use in everyday life.” He sniffed the air.

“Mmmm…I smell fresh bread!”

Abigail opened the sack she was carrying. “Mom sent this loaf for you.”

“How nice!” Grandpa took the bread and set it on the table next to the lamp. “It looks good there, don’t you think?” He sat down on the sofa and looked at the bread.

Caleb stared at him. “You’re not going to leave it there, are you?”

Grandpa smiled and shrugged. “What else should I do with it?”

Abigail threw up her hands. “Eat it, of course! Just letting it sit there isn’t going to do you any good.”

Grandpa nodded. “I agree. Bread doesn’t do us any good if it’s left on the table—and the Bible doesn’t do us any good if it’s left on the bookshelf! I’ll eat this bread and get energy from it, and if you regularly ‘eat’ God’s Word—if you read it and let it nourish your soul—it will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. So keep learning those verses! The more you think about them and apply them to your everyday life, the easier they’ll be to remember.”

“Okay, Grandpa,” said Caleb. “We’ll keep ‘eating’ God’s Word and ask Him to use it to help us grow.”

“Good.” Grandpa picked up the loaf. “And now I’m going to eat some of your mother’s bread, and it will help me grow—around my middle!” He patted his stomach, and they all laughed.

–Jan. L Hansen

How about you? Where is your spiritual “bread”? Are you “eating” it—or is it just lying on a shelf? If you haven’t been reading the Bible, why not start now? You can begin with the suggested verses at the top of this page. Ask God to give you encouragement and direction as you think about what you read in His Word. Then trust Him to use it to help you grow in your faith.

Today's Key Verse: Direct my steps by Your word. Psalm 119:133 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Read God’s Word

Learn why it's crucial to make wise, godly choices while here on earth.

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The vintage photograph from the World War II era, taken outside a town’s Nazi headquarters, carries a warning for all of us. In the photo, a comfortably dressed woman is crossing the street. A man in a suit walks down the sidewalk, while another has stopped to read a bulletin board on the corner of the building. All seem oblivious to the large banner hanging above the headquarters’ front door, half as long as the building. It read, “By resisting the Jew, I fight for the work of the Lord.”

This kind of treachery is what God had in mind when He commanded, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7). This command covers misusing His name when we curse or when we carelessly shout God’s name when we stub a toe or smash a finger. It also includes perversion—using God’s name as cover for evil.

We shouldn’t assume we’re doing God’s work simply because others say we are. We must prayerfully check our work with what God reveals as wise and good in the Bible. How can we know we’re serving Him? “By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9). The God who commands us to “always give [ourselves] fully to the work of the Lord” has told us what that is in His holy book (1 Corinthians 15:58). Let’s listen to Him.

Segment 1

• Are we re-labeling Genesis because we’re embarrassed in front of “the smart people”?

• If miracles after Genesis 11 are literal, then creation and the flood can be too.

• Is “mytho-history” careful scholarship—or circular reasoning dressed up as philosophy?

Segment 2

• Some professing Christians think they can be solid believers while still supporting abortion.

• Disagreement isn’t a sign of hatred or even dislike – but simple, biblical conviction.

• Some progressive “faith-leaders” are utilizing radical subjectivity to approve of things that God hates. Segment 3

• If you’ve truly seen the cross, how can you flirt with sin?

• Evangelism can either be fueled by gospel-shaped gratitude… or a begrudging sense of duty.

• Gospel knowledge must be moved from head to heart.

Segment 4

• What transformed Joseph of Arimathea from fearful to fearless?

• Have you actually considered what it meant to remove Christ’s body from the cross?

• If the crucifixion doesn’t move you to gratitude and obedience, nothing will.

___

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Trusting God for His provision rarely happens in comfort; it’s forged in seasons when resources feel thin, and the future looks uncertain. Long ago, one man stood on a mountain believing that God could provide even in impossible circumstances. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West explores the story in Scripture when God received the name, “The Lord Will Provide.” Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live—biblical wisdom for your financial decisions, weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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We make decisions every day with incomplete information — and sometimes we find out later things could have gone differently. In Acts 25, Paul appeals to Caesar to escape a rigged system, only to learn he may have just missed his shot at freedom. Dr. John uses this moment to explore one of life's most relatable struggles: how do we stop second-guessing ourselves and trust that God was in our corner even when things don't go the way we planned?

Jesus Goes Global: A Prisoner of Christ: When we read the book of Acts, we tend to give primary attention to the formation and growth of the Church in the early chapters. We then highlight the three mission trips of Paul. But some of the most profound lessons lie in the final chapters of Acts 25-28. Dr. John will show God extending His Kingdom through the personal struggle and imprisonment of Paul. The world’s worst cannot impede God’s best.