The Dinner That Cost $300,000

A woman from Indonesia kept telling her husband to clean out the aquarium in their house, but he never got around to doing it. She took matters into her own hands.

The creature inside the aquarium was an Asian arowana, commonly called a dragon fish. It’s the most expensive fish on the planet, worth as much as $300,000. The farms where they are raised are compared to high-security prisons, being protected with concrete walls, guard dogs, and barbed wire.

The wife wanted to teach her husband a lesson so he’d never again forget to clean the aquarium. She cooked her husband’s $300,000 pet fish and served it to him for supper! She even made a video of her scaling and deep-frying the fish, and then posted it on social media, which was viewed 7.1 million times in just one week.

Was cleaning out an aquarium really worth sacrificing a $300,000 fish (that they both owned) to teach him a lesson? Her prank made her look like a fool to millions of people. People say, “Revenge is sweet,” but revenge is never sweet when you’re bitter. The revengeful woman didn’t say how the fish tasted, but it’s safe to say it wasn’t sweet.  (MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals Day 5)

We’ve all been tempted to pay someone back when we’ve been hurt. Revenge wants to see the other person suffer for the harm they did. That’s NOT what God wants His children to do. Romans 12:19 says, “NEVER take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Revenge is God’s right alone because He’s the only one who can correctly execute justice.

God promises to deal with the person who hurt you. Paul wrote, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds” (2 Tim. 4:14). Instead of being resentful, God says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). This will not only keep you from taking revenge, but it will also keep you from becoming bitter. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

This week’s VIDEO TEACHING  Evolution teaches that humans and chimps are related because their DNA is so similar. But is that true? This short video explains the facts about Chimp DNA vs Humans (click to watch)

A Dog Named Sic 'em

When Pepper Puryear was a boy, he had a dog named “Sic ‘em.” One evening, a man and his wife were riding horses down his street, along with their daughter who was riding on a pony. Puryear’s dog ran into the street and started barking at the horses. Then the dog became more aggressive and started circling the little girl on the pony. Pepper’s father jumped off the porch and tried to call the dog off by yelling, “Sic ‘em! Sic ‘em!”

The cowboy on the horse was furious that the man was telling the dog to attack his daughter! He grabbed a rope off his saddle, twirled it over his head, and lassoed the dog. Then he jumped off his horse and tied the dog’s legs together, just like he was tying up a calf in a rodeo.

Pepper’s father apologized to the man and explained that the dog’s name was Sic ‘em and he wasn’t trying to unleash his dog on the man’s daughter. The angry cowboy said, “Your dog is named Sic ‘em? You need to change that dog’s name!” (MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals  Day 52)

Sometimes people, like dogs, need a new name. In the Bible, God would often change a person’s name to establish a new identity. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude” (Gen. 17:5). He changed Abraham’s wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah, meaning “mother of nations” (Gen. 17:15). Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, the “rock”, the leader of the disciples. After Saul was converted, he became known as Paul. The new name was God’s stamp of approval for the new destiny He had called them to. 

When you receive Jesus Christ into your life, the old things have passed away and new things have come (2 Cor. 5:17). He gives you a new destiny and will give you a new name in heaven (Rev. 2:17). You are no longer Sic ‘em, or Worthless, or Rejected, or Unloved. Your new name is Forgiven Child of God. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net 

This week’s VIDEO TEACHING  In this video Allen Parr discusses The Dead Sea Scrolls (click to watch) how they were discovered and why we can trust the Bible. 

What Are You Crowing About?

A rooster named Chanticleer was a vain bird who prided himself on his accomplishments. He was most proud of the fact that his crowing each morning caused the sun to rise. Every morning he crowed. And every morning the sun rose. 

One morning Chanticleer overslept. When he awoke, he was surprised to see the sun was already up and it happened without any help from him. He then realized he could not honestly take credit for the rising of the sun each day. However, there was something else he could do. Chanticleer declared, “If by my crowing I cannot bring in the dawn, then by my crowing I can celebrate its coming.” (Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals, Day 319)

What have you been crowing about? When Peter crowed about being more dedicated than the other disciples, the rooster crowed to remind him that he had just denied Jesus three times (Matt. 26:33-34,75). Pride loves to brag about its strength. Humility brags about its weakness. Paul said, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor. 12:9).

 It’s tempting to talk about our achievements, but it’s better to keep silent and let the accomplishments speak for themselves. A chicken lays one egg and cackles about it, while a salmon lays ten thousand eggs and doesn’t say a word. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth. Let the praise come from a stranger and not your own lips.”

Humility recognizes everything we have comes from God and He deserves the credit for everything He does through us. Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). You can’t take credit for what God does, but like Chanticleer, you can praise Him for doing it. That’s humility. Shining the spotlight on God and celebrating all that He has done.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  

This week’s VIDEO TEACHING  In this video Dr. Brian Thomas explains how tissues found inside dinosaur fossils disprove millions of years of evolution The Fossilization of Dinosaur Bones (click to watch) 

The Girl Who Always Ate Alone

Jim Burns, author of the book Radically Committed, said that a girl named Marie had been in his classes ever since elementary school. By the time they were seniors, Jim had never spoken to her. 

 

She was smart, but not very attractive. Kids often made fun of her. Marie lived around the corner from Jim growing up, but they never once walked home together.  

  

After Jim became a Christian, the Lord convicted him about loving others as Jesus would. One day at lunch during his senior year, he walked past Marie, who was eating alone. He stopped to ask her a question. She looked at him as if to ask, Why would a snob like you talk to me after all these years?  

The next day he brought some of his friends together to eat lunch with Marie. Their little group ended up eating with Marie for a week, and they invited her to come to a Christian Campus Life Club meeting. After quietly considering their invitation, she cautiously told them, “Well, …okay.”  

 

One day after a club meeting, Marie asked him, “Why are you doing this? No one has ever eaten lunch with me since the seventh grade until your friends sat with me last month.” She had eaten alone at school every day for over five years. Jim told her that he had recently become a Christian and God had moved his heart to reach out to her.  

  

Eight years later, Jim spoke at a Campus Life camp in California. After his talk, one of the leaders walked up to him and asked, “Do you remember me?” Jim knew she looked familiar, but before he could answer, she said, “I’m Marie. I’m now in charge of the Women’s Ministry for an entire county in Southern California.” Then she added, “Thanks for having lunch with me years ago.” 

  

Jim was at a loss for words. He said that all he could do was cry. (MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals) 

  

Do you know anyone like Marie? Someone who is a loner? Maybe someone who everyone else overlooks? That might be the person the Lord wants you to reach out to by sharing the gospel. You never know what God will do in that person’s life if you’ll just make an attempt to connect. Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). It might begin by talking to someone who is eating alone in the cafeteria. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

 

VIDEO TEACHING OF THE WEEK  Each week I will post a new video teaching. In this week’s video Allen Parr interviews Dr. Jeremiah Johnston about The Top 10 Biblical Archaeological Discoveries.  (click to watch) 

The Fake Football Playbook

 Just before the 1999 football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns, one of Texas’s student assistants saw a playbook laying on the field. 

He picked it up and was excited to see it contained Oklahoma’s offensive plays. He gave it to Longhorns defensive coordinator, Carl Reese. The Longhorns thought they’d caught a huge break.  

What the Texas coach didn’t know was the playbook contained fake plays drawn up by Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, Mike Leach. Leach put Oklahoma’s offensive assistant Cale Gundy’s name at the top of it, as if it were Gundy’s copy of OU’s plays. To make it look official, he had it laminated. Leach made up phony plays the Sooners didn’t even have in their system. Then an OU player “accidentally” dropped the sheet where it could be easily found by the Texas coaches.  

Leach knew if Texas believed the fake plays were real, Oklahoma could trick them by calling other plays. The plan worked. Oklahoma jumped ahead 17-0 before Texas realized they had been duped. Texas defensive back Ahmad Brooks said, “That game might’ve been the most bizarre experience I ever had as a college football player…it was complete confusion.” Texas changed their game plan and eventually won the game.  

Mike Leach’s plan would NOT have worked if he handed the playbook to the Texas assistant coach, saying, “Here are the plays we’re going to call.” Instead, he cleverly made the Texas coach think he discovered it on his own. In that way, the plays appeared to be real when they were actually fake. (MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals) 

 

Satan has “deceived the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) by tricking people into believing his playbook called “evolution”, “gender-affirming care” and “pro-choice.” Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” The devil doesn’t openly reveal his plans, but he cleverly lets people discover his playbook, making them think they’ve found the truth. If he can fool them into believing his lies, they won’t lose a football game—they’ll lose their souls.

 

Don’t let Satan deceive you. Always be discerning about everything you hear and read because “we are not unaware of Satan’s schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  

VIDEO TEACHING OF THE WEEK  Each week I will post a new video teaching. This week’s video disproves evolution. Dr. Stephen Meyer discusses What is Intelligent Design? (Click to watch)  

The Last 2 Animals Boarding Noah's Ark

God told Noah that He would bring the animals to the ark. “You shall bring two of every kind into the ark … they shall be male and female … two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive” (Gen. 6:19-20).

Obviously, the animals would need to arrive at different times. The cheetahs, the world’s fastest animals, were probably the first to reach the ark. And since the snails traveled at a snail’s pace, they were probably the last couple to arrive. Charles Spurgeon said, “By perseverance the snails reached the ark.”

Snails weren’t created with legs to run fast, or with wings to fly over obstacles. They carried a house on their backs and propelled themselves along slowly, a few millimeters at a time. They no doubt arrived later than the turtles, and just after the tree sloughs took their own sweet time to mosey up the ramp.

But there was one advantage the snails had for being the last ones to board the ship—they avoided being stepped on and crushed by an elephant or a rhinoceros. God called them to the ark and by their persistence they reached their destination. (Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals, Day 342)

Perhaps you feel inferior, like a snail. You don’t have the memory of an elephant, the eyes of an eagle, the strength of the gorilla, or the speed of a cheetah. Quit comparing yourself with the other animals who are also called by God. Just as God made snails to be snails and not cheetahs, He created you to be you, and not someone else.  

Everyone can learn a lesson from those little snails. By your persistence you’ll reach the destination where God has called you. Just keep slugging away.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

VIDEO TEACHING OF THE WEEK  Each week I will post a new video teaching that will inspire you. This week’s video is The Latest UPDATE on the Search for Noah’s Ark in Turkey (Click to watch)  

After watching the Noah's Ark video, check out this article:  Ancient Map from 1587 Shows Noah's Ark Location

Believing Things that Are NOT True

We don’t necessarily ACT on what is true, but what we BELIEVE to be true. Joseph’s brothers hated Joseph so much they sold him to some Midianite traders, who took him to Egypt. But how could they explain his disappearance to their father? They took Joseph’s multi-colored coat and dipped it in goat’s blood, then showed it to their father. They deceived their father by trying to give him “proof” that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Jacob said, “Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” (Gen. 37:33-34). He took the bait and ACTED on what he BELIEVED to be true, even though it wasn’t, and mourned for his son for the next 13 years.

Some people believe things that aren’t true about God. They’re angry at Him because they think He’s to blame for all tragedies. They are ACTING on what they BELIEVE to be true—even though it isn’t. If they had believed what was actually true, they wouldn’t blame God.

Some people believe things that aren’t true about themselves. They’re depressed and think there’s no reason to live. Others are confused about their identity and think they need to change their gender.  They are ACTING on what they BELIEVE to be true, but it’s a lie. As long as you’re alive, God has a plan for your life and a purpose to fulfill. God made you to be who you are, and He didn’t make you to be someone else.

Many people believe things that aren’t true about others. King Saul believed that David wanted to overthrow him as king and seize his throne, which was not true. David had no intention of doing that, but Saul ACTED on what he BELIEVED to be true and spent his entire life trying to kill David.

Why do people believe things that aren’t true? Jesus said Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Revelation 12:9 says Satan “deceives the whole world.” The devil has the ability to drop thoughts into our minds, like dropping a baited hook into the water to catch a fish. When a person “takes the bait,” he or she swallows the lie—and starts believing things that aren’t true.

Don't be so quick to believe everything that you’re told. Ask God to show you if you’re believing things that aren’t true. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

VIDEO TEACHING OF THE WEEK  Each week I will post a new video teaching of a Bible teacher that I respect. This week archaeologist Joel Kramer explores The Walls of Jericho and shows how it verifies Judges 6. (Click to watch)