Sometimes even our messed-up world gets it right. In the November 21, 2001, issue of Sports Illustrated, an editorial listed the ten greatest comebacks of all time. These ranged from Elvis Presley’s landmark TV special in 1968, to Muhammad Ali’s defeat of George Foreman in 1974, to Michael Jordan’s return to basketball in 1995. But what was number one on their list? “Jesus Christ. 33 A.D. Defies critics and stuns the Romans with His resurrection.” Yes, that is a verbatim quote. And it’s also the greatest victory, the greatest success, the greatest WIN of all time! Happy Easter!

There were two buddies, one with a Doberman Pinscher and the other with a Chihuahua. The guy with the Doberman Pinscher says to his friend, "Let's go over to that restaurant and get something to eat."

The guy with the Chihuahua says, "We can't go in there. We've got dogs with us."

The buddy with the Doberman Pinscher says, "Just follow my lead."

They walk over to the restaurant, the guy with the Doberman Pinscher puts on a pair of dark glasses and he starts to walk in. The bouncer at the door says, "Sorry, Mac, no pets allowed."

The man with the Doberman Pinscher says, "You don't understand. This is my seeing-eye-dog."

The bouncer says, "A Doberman Pinscher?"

He answers, "Yes, they're using them now; they're very good and protect me from robbers, too."

The man at the door says, "Come on in."

The buddy with the Chihuahua figures, "What the heck," so he puts on a pair of dark glasses and starts to walk in.

Once again the bouncer says, "Sorry, pal, no pets allowed."

The guy with the Chihuahua says, "You don't understand. This is my seeing-eye dog."

The bouncer at the door says, "A Chihuahua?"

The man with the Chihuahua says, "A Chihuahua?????? They gave me a Chihuahua?!"

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 5:11

A brother recently walked up to me at church and said, “Do you see that guy over there?”

“Sure,” I said, “what’s up?”

“Would you give him this envelope and never tell him it’s from me?”

Feeling like a spy, I walked over to the other brother and handed him a fairly thick envelope. He opened the envelope, which was full of cash. Visibly moved by the anonymous gift, he took a moment to compose himself and said, “I don’t know what to say. I really needed this!”

The anonymous gift-giver was an amazing example of Matthew 6:1-4 — “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

We need more undercover agents in our church — believers whose “acts of righteousness” are hidden beneath the surface. Most of the time, it seems like we try to present ourselves as spiritually deep to our friends, but we’re actually much more shallow than we would like anyone to know.

Are your most heartfelt prayers spoken at church or when you’re alone with God? Do you spend more time studying God’s Word at small group or in your personal quiet times? Do you treat your wife like a queen in public but ignore or mistreat her at home? Do you tell all your friends about your great acts of service or will you take those secrets to the grave?

Reread Matthew 6:1 - “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Let’s be a church full of secret agents when it comes to our acts of righteousness.

Josh

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9).

Are you a hospitable Christian? Do you ever have people over for a meal? Do you invite people into your home, talk with them and love them? That is hospitality. Do you practice it? Jesus said people will know we are His disciples by our love for one another, and hospitality can be a huge way we demonstrate that love.

Think about this. If you had two people over each week and did that every week for the next 50 years, you would have over 5,000 people in your home throughout the course of your life!

It’s becoming more and more rare for Americans to invite people into their homes. Harvard professor Robert Putnam wrote a book about the increasing social isolation in the United States. He said Americans go on 60 percent fewer picnics today and families eat dinner together 40 percent less compared to 1965. We need to intentionally fight back against this attack on other-centeredness!

Our culture is pushing toward even greater social isolation. You may have 1,000 friends on Facebook, but do you ever actually interact with them?

My wife and I have tried to open our home weekly ever since we got married. But it’s hard. Oh sure, we have a number of excuses why we don’t — our house is our sanctuary; we’re too busy; it gets expensive; it takes time and planning (and cleaning); it’s easier not to; they’ve never invited us over; etc. — but the Bible says to do it! So we need to offer ourselves, without grumbling.

We should have Christians and non-Christians over regularly, feed them, talk to them, and do it without strings attached. We shouldn’t invite someone over and then think they ate too much, they stayed too late, or they didn’t seem to enjoy themselves. The Bible says to offer hospitality and don’t grumble. How amazing would it be if The Rock had a tremendous reputation for being hospitable? What is something you could do this week to practice hospitality without grumbling?

See you at my house,

Josh

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. Matt. 10:29

Our God is King of kings, and He sits on the throne of the Universe-but to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, God is more than a king: He is a Father. Royal protocol demands that earthly kings remain aloof from their subjects; but to their children they are intimate, loving, and kind. So we who are children of the heavenly King can enjoy loving intimacy with Him.

In spite of the greatness of God and the insignificance of man, He cares for His children in a gracious, tender way and looks after each of us individually. We err in thinking that because of our unworthiness or the or the triviality of our needs, God has not time to pay special attention to us; for this is not what Jesus taught! He spoke of two sparrows-the most common and insignificant of all feathered creatures-but He declared that not "one" should fall to the ground unnoticed by the heavenly Father.

No, fellow Christian, you and I are not anonymous bits of life afloat in the great sea of humanity. We are God's children, and in His eyes we are distinct personalities, of more value than the riches of the whole world (Matt. 16:26).

Humility is one of the Christian graces, and we may well consider ourselves as insignificant as the sparrow and as worthless as a hair of the head; but in our humility we must not forget that HE looks after each of us and He knows His children by name (John 10:3). He gives each of us His personal attention and takes care of our individual needs.

The heart of every individual harbors a yearning for kindness, love, and personal attention. This is a human trait, and those who claim to be self-sufficient with no need for God or anyone else, are not being honest with themselves-nor with their fellowman. Somewhere inside the wall which many people erect against the hurts and disappointments of life, there is a longing for "someone to care." How wonderful is the knowledge that our heavenly Father cares, He condescends to give His personal attention to each of us, and he is concerned with our every need!

Do you know someone who has been cast out from society, or perhaps someone who is alone in the world and has no one to care? If you know such a person, tell him about Jesus; for when all others fail, He cares!

Perhaps you sometimes become discouraged, feeling that God has forgotten you. Read again the words of our text! IF God our heavenly Father is ever mindful of one sparrow, how much greater is His concern for His individual children-those who have been born into His family through faith in Jesus Christ! No matter how "alone" we may feel, we can have the love, intimacy, and holy fellowship for which our heart yearns if we will turn to HIM. He promises that not ONE shall go unrecognized!

By Mrs. Oliver B. Greene, From "A Thought for the Day"

Go Tell it On the Mountain is the name of an old hymn, and those lyrics are exactly what I want to do. God has been SO good to me that I have a burning desire and sense of obligation to shout from the mountain tops, “GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!”

I don’t deserve forgiveness, yet Jesus mercifully stepped onto this earth and substituted His life for mine. I don’t deserve eternal life, yet God so loved the world that He graciously gave His only Son so that I could live forever with Him. I don’t deserve the healthy prognosis I’m getting from my doctors right now (and I have friends and family with very different health reports than mine, and I invite you to pray for them), yet I’ve been pronounced cancer-free. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, and I praise Him for answered prayer! Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and incredible kindness to me and my family throughout this time of need!

My recovery is far from over and there have been plenty of ups and downs. But even if I relapse or die some unforeseen death, GOD WILL STILL BE GOOD ALL THE TIME! No matter what happens to me, my family, or to YOU in the future, we have a Father in Heaven who loves us with such incredible depth that He allows suffering into our lives. And maybe in some small miniscule way, our suffering will give us a glimpse into His majesty and holiness.

I love Romans 5:3 — “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” I have been lovingly escorted through this time in my life by an incredible Savior, and His name is Jesus. Go ahead and say that name out loud — JESUS! In fact, go tell it on a mountain!

Most importantly, tell someone you know. I’m fairly certain that God has placed someone in your life who needs to know Him. And trust me, EVERYONE needs Jesus! So tell them — today!

You cannot sin as much as God can forgive.
If it comes to a pitched battle between sin and grace,
you shall not be as bad as God is Good.
We can only sin as a man,
but God can forgive as a God."
~Charles Spurgeon~

SETTLED A Word From Steele Croswhite

How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You? You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of Your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in Your presence, far from accusing tongues (Psalm 31:19-20).

Did you catch it? I almost missed it. I almost completely passed over the power of God s Word. It's not that my heart was hardened just distracted.

My wife had left for dinner with some friends. I had just put my son to bed and was anxious to settle into a war movie. It had been a busy day, and I had not had the time I usually have with the Lord in the morning. I want to be a man who is faithfully in the Word each day, so I knew the movie had to wait. I grabbed my Bible, but my heart was ... distracted. I sped through the verses, one eye on my Bible and my mind's eye on the movie.

It was then that I almost missed it.

The two verses above ought to rattle the walls. After I finally slowed myself down, they did indeed rattle mine. These words give us a picture of a powerful, intimate, loving God who passionately longs to bless us. They speak of His great lavishing love toward us. They show us that He will bless us before the watching world as if to say to everyone around us: This one is Mine. They are objects of My affection. They are children of My grace.

Think of that: the God of the universe, the God who merely spoke and all the world came into being, the God who stilled the raging seas and parted the Red Sea, the God who rose from the dead and conquered the evil one He is standing over YOU, guarding you with His presence. What comforting reassurance that God Himself shelters and protects us from our enemies! How could we not feel safe?

These verses are amazing, and I almost missed them. Praise God that by His grace He spoke to me despite my distraction. Are we men and women who are ready to be astounded by God's Word, or are we too busy with our distractions to settle down?

I have been convicted by God to not just read His Word and check it off my list for the day, but rather to be one who slows down to listen. This week, let's quiet the distractions and be ready to be amazed.

Settling down,

Steele

Whatever you do,
find the God-centered, Christ-exalting,
Bible-saturated passion of your life,
And find a way to say it
And Live for it,
And Die for it.
And you will make a difference that lasts.
You will not waste your life.
~John Piper~