Stop Everything and Listen
A 1970s TV Commercial features a couple of men in a busy restaurant. At the surrounding tables, people are noisily chattering away and two waiters are putting food on the table. The men are talking about finding good stocks and one says, "My broker is E.F. Hutton and Hutton says ..." In that instant, everything stops and everyone leans in to hear what might be said. Silent seconds pass. Then a narrator says, When EF Hutton speaks, people listen."
There is more noise and distractions in the world than ever before; more voices; more options; more to do and to say; and more that demands our attention. Nevertheless, God speaks. We need only to want to heed his voice and do His will.
A good stock tip might swell your bank account but the Word of God will fill your heart and guarantee you treasure in heaven.
"But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habbukuk 2:20)
The Hope Effect
I’ve recently been struggling with what the doctor tells me is Athlete’s Foot. You know, at this point of my life, I am glad to be associated with the word athlete no matter how uncomfortable it may be.
So I’ve been using this over the counter stuff and it works, but when I stop using it, the Athlete's Foot immediately returns. So, I went back to my doctor and told him, “You know, I need something more powerful to kick this thing. I'd like to completely get rid of it.”
He said, "Ok, I’m going to give you the most powerful drug on the market."
After I got the prescription filled, I read the little paper that came with it. It contained a list of all of the weird things this drug might do to those who administer it.
There, I also found the results of a controlled study. Sixty percent of the people found the drug effective. Of course, in a controlled study, there are those who are given a placebo, instead. Forty-four percent of those who took the placebo also found it effective.
I was amazed to read that forty-four percent of the time the placebo did the job. That’s almost as good as the actual medication! As I considered those numbers, I thought to myself, that is an illustration of the power of hope!
When we expect something to help us, it is incredible how helpful that can be all by itself. Hope, even an empty hope, can change our lives for the better.
Perhaps, the next time I see my doctor, I should tell him, “Listen, just give me a prescription for the placebo. It’s cheaper and it’s almost as effective!”
Of course, the problem with this idea is that once we are aware that we are taking a placebo, it doesn't work! Right? The Placebo Effect requires a genuine belief. The medicine doesn't have to be genuine but the hope does. Without a sincere belief, there is no Placebo Effect.
This tells us that the Placebo Effect is really the Hope Effect. And if hope is powerful without anything behind it, think of how much more powerful it will be when the words of God are behind it!
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).
Man may be executed for failing Bible quiz.
A headline in the Christian Post caught my attention this week. It read, “Iranian Christian convert fears execution if deported for giving wrong answers on Bible quiz.” Yes, you read that right. Perhaps you have taken a Bible quiz. You probably did not have to worry about be executed for failing it.
Is this real and how does something like this happen? Reza Karkah, a former Muslim, became a Christian while living in Iran, a criminal offense there which is punishable by death. For that very reason, he fled to the United Kingdom seeking asylum as a refugee. An immigration hearing was scheduled to determine if Mr. Karkah’s claim of conversion is true. At that hearing, a judge gave him a test with 150 Bible questions. The reasoning goes, if he is truly a Christian, he should have a certain knowledge of the Bible and be able to pass the test. If he does not pass, he is faking conversion as a pretext for immigration.
Imagine knowing that you had to take a test to evaluate your knowledge of the Bible. Pass it, and you get to stay in the country. Fail it, and you are deported and executed! Ask yourself this question: How hard would you study the Bible if you knew your life literally depended on it? Now ask yourself another question: Isn’t that exactly how hard you should study the Bible anyway? Philippians 2:16 refers to Scripture as the “word of life.” God’s Word brings life and when heeded, can save your life. So yes, read the Word of God as if you will die if you don’t! Cling to it as you would a life jacket while drifting at sea.
In case you’re wondering how Mr. Karkah did, he failed the test in part because he could not remember that Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus. It has yet to be decided if he will be deported and executed for that mishap. Perhaps we should all stop and pray for Mr. Karkah and his family.