Treasure Digest

• "You Can Do It!"
• The Impact of Our Actions
• The Basics
• Remembering Answered Prayers
• Swim Upstream! Don't Shrink Back!
• Turning the Hearts . . .Teach Me to Pray
• Children's Corner - God Uses Angels to Protect People [See PDF version]
• Share Your Treasures!

"You Can Do It!"

"You can do it!" I still remember those loud words yelled out to me years ago, and I have never forgotten the effect they had on me. We were at a church picnic, and one of the activities was a ladies' softball game. I hated sports and was never good at them. But my motto in life that I have tried to live by is "take part and be supportive"—even of a picnic softball game.

I was not bad at batting. It was catching and throwing the ball that were my downfall. If I threw the ball, it seemed to just drop in front of me. So I hated the outfield!

Well, it was time for our team to go to the outfield. I grabbed the glove and took a position as far out into the field as I could get. Glove in hand, I was praying fervently, asking God, "Please don't let that ball come in my direction!"

I thought I was safe, because I had gone out into the field as far as I could go. No one will hit the ball out here, I told myself.

Well, the unthinkable happened! I could hear the bat crack and to my surprise the ball was headed in my direction, whizzing past the other outfielders. All I could do was open up my glove and hope for the best. Then, all of a sudden, I heard this loud voice from the crowd saying, "You can do it!" Those words gave me the courage to reach out and catch that ball. I've never forgotten that experience.

The power of encouragement should never be underestimated. We all need it, and we all need to give it in order to make it in this life. While it is easy to find fault with one another, encouragement is often more needed.

Jesus Christ said: "For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me... Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:35-40).

One of the greatest services you can give in the Church is to be an encourager. Encourage a fellow worker, a spouse, a child or another Church member. God commands us to do it! Hebrews 10:24 says, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." And 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says to "encourage one another and build each other up" (New International Version).

It doesn't take much time, but the results can be amazing! Consider what it did for me in that outfield!

—Janet Treadway
Cincinnati East, Ohio, congregation

[ back to top ]

The Impact of Our Actions

On the radio I heard a medical doctor express his opinion that the growing tendency of people to focus on the acquisition of material goods and give an inordinate amount of attention to satisfying one's self often leads to frustration and heightened levels of stress.

His suggestion for coping with stress involved asking yourself some simple questions: "What did I do yesterday? And how did my actions make me feel? Did some of my actions cause me to feel more stressed or anxious?"

Those are good questions. As Christians with the goal of becoming like Christ, however, we can raise the level of scrutiny of the impact of our actions by asking additional questions, such as; "How did my actions make someone else feel? What was the impact of those actions on someone else?" In other words, what we do almost always has repercussions beyond the immediate sphere of our own lives.

In one of the apostle Paul's letters to the church at Corinth, he instructed the members to examine themselves as a means of insuring their conformity to the will of God (2 Corinthians 13:5).

We often think about self-examination as an element of the Passover, and Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 11:28 clearly establishes it in that context. But evaluating the patterns of our lives is something we are to do on an ongoing basis.

Along with asking about our impact on others, we might ask further: "Have my actions strengthened and solidified my relationship with God?"

Most of us have, no doubt, said at one time or another something to the effect that "I intended to do (such and such) but it slipped my mind." We had good intentions but we failed to follow through.

In the book of James we are reminded that our good intentions have to be transformed into positive actions in order for anyone to derive benefit from them. "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only" (James 1:21-22).

James reminds us that we are not only to seek instruction from God through His Word but also that once that word is implanted in us, it must be nurtured into production. We must act upon the instructions we receive and we must periodically assess our progress by asking of ourselves, "What was the impact of my actions on other people's lives?"

Learning to ask the questions and then making corrections in our lives as we learn to answer them honestly and objectively will help us to accomplish the ongoing task of self-examination, which Jesus Christ expects of each of us as we grow in grace and knowledge.

—Joe Horton
Elder in the Mansfield, Ohio, congregation

[ back to top ]

The Basics

When I am out washing windows, I am often asked what the "secret" to cleaning windows is. Everyone expects some "special solution" in the water when, in fact, the answer is soap and water and a good squeegee.

Our society is one that likes "quick fixes" for everything...the latest fad diet that is guaranteed to be quick and easy. In reality, there is no "quick fix" or "magic pill." Losing weight takes the basic ingredients of exercising more and eating less.

When it comes to our spiritual life and prayer, it comes down to the basics too. We will not find those basics in most of the books on the shelves at Barnes & Noble, but in God's Word, the Bible. When we read the Psalms, we learn what David, a man after God's heart, prayed about. His prayers were full of praise and thanksgiving to God for His Word, mercy and law, as well as asking for forgiveness, guidance and deliverance.

In an Ambassador Bible Center class, Dr. Don Ward suggests praying with the Psalms. Take the Bible and read a psalm every day in your prayers. It is amazing how this guides you to more fervent prayers. Psalm 119 is especially good when you take eight verses at a time. Another book that can be used in prayer is Proverbs.

When it comes to praying for brethren, a prayer list is helpful. A good relationship with the brethren in our congregation also helps us know how to pray specifically for one another. And of course, loving one another (John 15:12) leads to praying for one another.

I have found that if I feel my prayers aren't going past the ceiling, I need to be studying more. Bible study brings me closer to God and helps me keep focus and substance in my prayers.

What is the key to a good prayer life? There isn't a magic quick fix; it is simply the basics: Bible study, fasting, meditation and obedience to God's law.

—Janet Keisel
Bloomington/Normal, Illinois, congregation

[ back to top ]

Remembering Answered Prayers

When we were serving in the ministry in the Bay Area in 1963, my husband bought me a lovely coat, but there were no extra buttons. One evening during the Spring Feast I noticed that one of the buttons was lost! We searched the car thoroughly that evening and failed to find it.

That night I prayed and mentioned to God that it was the only button of its kind and asked if He would please help us find it. The next morning we got in the car to go to services, and the button was sitting on the dashboard!

I've found that we should break our prayers up fine and give God details of what blessings we want. For example, if you are looking for a home and you want one with a fireplace, ask God to find you one with a fireplace. We were transferred many times in our ministry and God always gave us what we asked for in housing—and more!

When our children were little, we had a kitten that was mauled by one of our dogs, and the children were upset and thought it would die. I told them to ask God to heal him. They did, and the next morning they all ran out to the barn and looked for the kitten. They found him playing with the other kittens. They knew that God had answered their prayers!

Another time when I was almost full term with our fourth child, the other three children ran to tell me they had accidently locked the closet door and couldn't retrieve something they had put in there. I tried and couldn't open it either, so I encouraged them to pray and ask God to help them open the door. They did, and the door opened for them.

These situations build faith in our children and teach them to ask God for help and blessings. As they grow up and have children of their own, they in turn build faith in their children to ask God for help and blessings!

—Judy Swanson
London, Kentucky

[ back to top ]

Swim Upstream! Don't Shrink Back!

When I was a little girl, I remember reading about one of the most interesting fish—the salmon!

What amazing creatures! God created them to swim out to sea as youngsters to live most of their lives until they are ready to reproduce. Then they make another great journey; they swim back to freshwater, back against the current of the stream to spawn and, soon after, die.

I've thought about this journey many times, relating it to our own fight against the current of this world. For we are to "come out from among them and be separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Salmon fight against some of the toughest rapids and some of the strongest currents to accomplish their objective. They fight so much that they even change color and their muscles weaken! The life and times of today are becoming ever more full of distractions and wastes of time, which, if we're not careful, can take our minds off of God. What's more, they can become idols if we put them ahead of Him!

Satan is a master deceiver, using even the most gradual and cunning methods to throw God's children off course! So what are we to do?

We are to fight, to do whatever we can to stand firm with the abilities given to us by God and His precious armor (Ephesians 6:13-17). God also warns us against the dangers of weakness. "And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved" (Hebrews 10:38-39, New International Version).

We are essentially to swim upstream. With God's help, we are to swim against the forces pulling against us, never forgetting that it is He who strengthens us and we can do all things with Him (John 15:5; Philippians 4:13).

Salmon would never make it back to their spawning areas to produce offspring if they gave up or if they were weak. They would never achieve their goal.

What about our goal? How much more important is the reward God is promising us if we press on toward the vision and endure to the end? Swim upstream, fellow family members, swim!

—Rebekah Leyden
Charlotte, North Carolina, congregation

[ back to top ]

Turning the Hearts . . .Teach Me to Pray

"Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples'" (Luke 11:1). Jesus' disciples needed to learn how to pray! Then Jesus proceeded to give them the outline known as the "Lord's Prayer."

Our children do not naturally know how to pray. They need their parents to teach them not only how but also the importance of prayer. Here are some tips on how to teach your children to pray.

• Remember that they are children. Don't expect too much from them at first.

• Help them understand God. It is difficult praying to someone you do not see. Perhaps explain it's like talking on the phone to someone. You can't see the person, but you know he is there even when he does not speak. Explain how great God is so your children may know He can do anything they ask.

• Help them with words initially, but later give them concepts to pray about in their own words.

• Show them the usual position in prayer (on our knees) and explain why we bow on our knees—He's the God of the whole universe and our Creator!

• Set the example for them in your prayers at mealtime and in family prayer before bedtime. In other words, pray with them.

• Give them opportunities to pray at mealtime and bedtime. Coach them if they need help and explain that to conclude they should say, "in Jesus Christ's name, amen."

• Put confidence in your children by asking them to pray about upcoming trips, whether for a church picnic or in a bad storm. Ask them to pray for you in your work or personal travel. Those requests make the children realize that their prayers are valued by their parents.

• Explain some of the scriptures relevant to prayer (Matthew 6:1-15; Luke 11:5-10; Luke 18:1-8; various Psalms; Jeremiah 29:13; etc.).

• Finally, encourage them to pray on their own over various matters of importance to them, the family, the Church and the world.

Please remember to set the right example for your children. I remember older children who remarked that they knew their parents were godly folks because their parents were people of prayer and faith.

May these tips be reminders to help you teach your children to pray!

—Gary E. Antion

[ back to top ]

Share Your Treasures!

Do you have any short items of biblical wisdom, humor or practical information that you would like to share in this section? Or if you have any suggestions, please contact United News, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027 or mike_bennett@ucg.org.

[ back to top ]