How to Handle Criticism

The Pharisees kept trying to find fault with Jesus even though He was sinless. “And the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely …in order that they might find reason to accuse Him” (Luke 6:7). If Jesus couldn’t escape criticism, neither will you. Do you know any of these critics?

Perfectionist Pete. Quick on the flaw. No one can ever reach his unattainable expectations, including himself.

Sarcastic Sally. Cuts others down by using snide remarks to make herself look better.

Teasing Tom. Makes jabs by joking. Rips others apart under the guise of humor. Excuses himself by saying, “Can’t you take a joke?”

Gossiping Gilda. Talks about people behind their backs but not to their faces. Exaggerates others’ faults and shows no mercy.

Angry Allen. An “in-your-face” guy. His anger boils over and reprimands you face-to-face, not caring how it devastates you.

Preying Pauline. Exposes others’ faults through prayer requests. “We need to pray for Marlene. I think she might be pregnant and doesn’t know who the father is.”

Jealous Jane. Feels threatened by others and points out their imperfections to make her rivals look ugly.

How can we handle being criticized? The same way Jesus did. He only sought to please His Father and ignored His critics. Paul said, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:10). Seek to please God more than people and the sting of criticism won’t bother you. www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY: “Resolving Conflicts”

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Making Life Count Ministries

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www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett

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The Blind Girl Couldn't See the Toys

At Christmastime in 1897, a newspaper reporter in Boston saw three little girls standing in front of a store window full of toys. One of them was blind. He overheard the other two trying to describe the toys to their blind friend. The reporter said he never thought of how difficult it would be to explain what something looks like to someone who is blind. He wrote a story about the three girls for his newspaper.

Two weeks later, the reporter attended a gospel meeting conducted by Dwight L. Moody. He wanted to write a critical article attacking the evangelist. To the reporter’s surprise, Moody quoted from his newspaper article about the three girls at the toy store window.

Moody said, “Just as the blind girl couldn’t visualize the toys, so an unsaved person can’t see Jesus Christ in His glory.” Moody preached that God opens the eyes of anyone who acknowledges his sin and accepts Christ by faith. The newsman was touched by Moody’s words and realized he was a blind man who needed his eyes opened. That day he accepted Jesus as his Lord.

People who are in darkness cannot see. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel” (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness (John 8:12). Everyone is like that reporter and only Jesus can open our spiritual eyes. Have your eyes been opened? If so, you’ll see God and live your life differently. www.makinglifecount.net 

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BIBLE STUDY: “Why Did Jesus Need to be Born of a Virgin?”

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Learning to Swim

When I was a kid I took swimming lessons at the neighborhood pool. The easy part was when I grabbed on to the side of the pool while someone held me up as I learned how to kick. Then came the hard part--learning how to float.

It was hard for me to believe that the water would hold me up without any effort of my own. I would try to float, but then my feet would immediately drop down so I could stand up. I didn’t fool anyone when I did that awkward “half swim” where I walked along the bottom of the pool while moving my arms like I was swimming.

The instructor kept telling me to trust him—that the water really would hold me up if I would just relax. But that was the problem. I couldn’t relax when I thought I was going to drown. Then one day, and I quit trying to float and just went limp. To my surprise I didn’t sink. For the first time in my life I floated—without any effort on my part. When I totally surrendered to the water and quit struggling, the water held me up.

That’s how we learn to trust God. Inwardly we go limp. We quit trying to trust Him and submit to His complete control. In absolute surrender, we say, “Lord, I’m totally depending on you to come through for me.” David continually put his trust in God and relaxed:

“I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever” (Ps. 52:8).

“In God I have put my trust” (Ps.56:4)

“In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid” (Ps. 56:11).

“My soul trusts in You” (Ps. 57:1)

“Trust in Him at all times, you people” (Ps. 62:8)

David learned how to float by relaxing and placing his complete trust in God rather than himself. And we must do the same. www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY  “What does it mean to be born of water?”

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Everyone is Placing a Bet

The lottery just reached $1 billion and millions of people are betting they’ll win. And everyone on the planet is placing a bet as to whether or not the Bible is true. You’re not betting with money but with your eternal soul. Jesus said, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36). You will either be right or wrong. Before you place your bet, you’d be wise to carefully examine some evidence you weren’t taught in school.

The evidence the Bible is true is found in the many predictions about the future that it makes, which have come to pass. Hundreds of Bible prophecies that have been fulfilled is irrefutable proof the Bible is true. Jesus fulfilled more than 300 prophecies. The probability of one man fulfilling just 48 prophecies is one in 10 to the 157th power. That’s enough proof to place your bet.

But what about evolution? You’re betting that life arose from non-life and that all life on earth arose from a molecule from a “primordial soup.” You’re betting that every elephant and every ant, every fish and every bird, every person and every gnat, every tree and every blade of grass in the entire world came from this one molecule. Scientists have purposely tried to create life in a laboratory to prove that life arose accidentally with no intelligence involved! They’ve never done it.

Consider the complexity of the human body. For example, how can evolution produce an eye? The body has 206 bones, 600 muscles, respiratory system, and circulatory system, which are all coordinated to work together. Each part is useless without being coordinated with the other parts. Take away the brain and it doesn’t work. Take away the heart or the lungs and it doesn’t work. All the parts of the human body had to come together at the same time. Evolution can’t explain this.

The complex design of the human body had to come from an Intelligent Designer. Your computer has many complex parts that work together as a unit, and you know an intelligent person designed and coordinated each part so that it can function. The same can be said for the human body.

This isn’t hard to figure out. Which makes more sense? I’m betting my soul that the Bible and everything Jesus taught about the afterlife is true. I hope you’ll make the right choice. www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY  “Was Judas a believer?

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Getting Out of the Rut

The picture on your left show ruts formed by wagons in the 1800s on the Oregon Trail. When the rut first started it was shallow. But the more it was traveled on, the deeper the ruts became—and the harder it was to get out of it. It has been said that years ago a sign on the road said, “Avoid this rut or you will be in it for the next 25 miles.” Even so, it was possible to get out of the rut if they were determined to do it.

When we keep doing the same things over and over, we start developing a rut. There’s nothing wrong with doing the same daily routine if we’re faithfully doing God’s will. But the problem comes when God calls us to make a major change and do something entirely different. It might be changing your career, getting married, moving to another city or making a life-changing decision.

Sometimes God places His blessing outside of your comfort zone and then asks you to come get it. To get something that you’ve never had before, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done before. You’ll probably make a number of major changes in your life, but don’t do it without considering these things:

1. Make sure God is leading you. Don’t make a major change unless you’ve prayed about it and have God’s peace in your heart. God promises to lead you on the right path. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

2. Count the cost before you do it. Jesus said, “For which of you, when he wants to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has enough to finish it?” (Luke 14:28) Every decision is an exchange—you’re giving up one thing to get something else. When you get married, you give up single life for married life. If you don’t count the cost before making the decision, you won’t stick with it.

3. Trust God to give you the power to make the change.  A wagon can only get out of the rut by being jolted out of it. You can’t do it in your own power, but you can get out of any rut through the power of the Holy Spirit. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). 

Once you've done these things, then move forward and don't look back. Looking back will only make you doubt your decision. www.makinglifecount.net   

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BIBLE STUDY  “Does everything happen for a reason?”

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Little Things Are Actually Big Things

Jesus told us little things are actually big things. He said, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). Sometimes God will give us something small as a test to see how trustworthy we’ll be in handling it.

Martha Berry founded a school for needy children in 1902. She once asked Henry Ford (owner of the Ford Motor Company) for a million dollars to help her school. He didn’t donate the huge amount she requested, but gave her a dime. Instead of being insulted, she accepted the dime and bought peanuts for her school children to plant.

They harvested the peanuts and used it to plant a larger field. Eventually they harvested enough peanuts to buy a piano for their music students. Martha wrote a letter to Mr. Ford telling him how they had used his dime to grow enough peanuts to buy a piano. Ford was so impressed by her faithfulness with the dime that he gave her school a million dollars! (Making Today Count for Eternity, p.149).

Don’t gripe about your insignificant job or the small amount of money you handle. God's watching to see what you’ll do with it. “For who has despised the day of small things…they are the eyes of the Lord which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth” (Zech. 4:10).

Martha died in 1942 and never saw the future of her little school, which is now Berry College in Georgia. You may never see on earth what your faithfulness will produce in the future. But if you’ll faithfully manage your little things on earth, the Lord promises to give you something really big in heaven. www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY  “Little Things God will Reward in Heaven”

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God Always Has Perfect Timing

Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, was a newly licensed pilot and was flying from Vero Beach, Florida to Longview, Texas. He met with bad weather over Mobile, Alabama and air traffic controllers told him to fly north toward Jackson, Mississippi in order to avoid the approaching storm.

As he rose above the clouds, the instrument panel lights flickered. A minute later the radio and instruments went dead; then all the lights went out. Franklin realized he was in a desperate situation so he prayed for God to intervene.

He dropped below the clouds hoping to see the ground. When he spotted the distant lights of Jackson, he headed for the airport's rotating beacon. He circled the control tower and since he didn't have any electrical power, lowered the landing gear manually. At that moment, the runway's emergency landing lights came on and he landed.

As soon as he was on the ground, the lights went off. “That's odd,” he thought, “at least they could have waited until I taxied to the ramp.” After he got out of the plane, a man from the tower asked, "Who gave you permission to land?" No one in the tower had seen the small plane circling overhead. 

Why would the lights be turned on if they hadn't seen him? They “just happened” to be turned on by an air traffic controller who was explaining to his visiting pastor what he would do in case a plane ever attempted to land without radio communications! At the exact moment when Franklin needed the lights, the controller turned them on without knowing the plane was there. (Franklin Graham, "When the Lights Went On,” Dimensions for Living, 1992).

God’s timing is always perfect. The ram was caught in the thicket at the exact moment Abraham was about to offer up Isaac (Gen. 22). The fish with a coin in its mouth bit on Peter’s hook at the right time so he could pay the temple tax (Matt. 17). Mary arrived in Bethlehem at the right time to give birth to Jesus and fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2.

Maybe you’ve been praying for something for a long time and nothing has happened—yet. God knows the exact time when He will answer. Since His timing probably isn’t the same as yours, remove the deadline you’ve placed on Him. Be patient and keep trusting God even though you don’t know when it will happen. www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY  “How Did We Get the Bible?”

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Going the Second Mile

Jesus said, "Whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two" (Matt. 5:41). He was referring to the law where a Roman soldier could compel any Jew to carry his backpack for one mile. The pack weighed 66 pounds and if you refused to carry it you would be flogged.

Imagine being on your way to your destination when a Roman soldier orders you to carry his 66-pound pack. It would be hard to carry it for one mile but now Jesus tells you to carry it an extra mile. So now you must carry it two miles and then walk two miles back to your original starting point, which now makes four miles. (Remember, you're not driving a car.)

After carrying it for a mile the soldier says, "You can put it down now." You reply, "I’d like to carry it for another mile." The soldier says, "Why would you want to do that?" You answer, "Jesus told me to do this for you." Now you have an opportunity to share your faith with this Roman soldier as you walk that extra mile. By going above and beyond your expected duty, his heart opens to what you have to say. There's no telling how many Roman soldiers became Christians during that second mile.

We don't carry packs for soldiers anymore, so what does the second mile look like today? It’s doing more than what’s expected at your job, at home, and everything you do. When husbands and wives argue and fight, their hearts can become closed toward each other. But when they go out of their way to bless their spouse, their hearts open up to each other. Going the extra mile at your job might get you a promotion, but your motivation for doing extra is not to get credit. It's to please God.

Remember, it’s not the first mile where miracles occur. It’s the second mile.

CLICK HERE to read more: “What does going the second mile mean?”

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Faith That Moves God

God is looking for a certain kind of faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6). Here are three components in faith that please God.

#1 PERSISTENCE  Four men carried a paralyzed man on a pallet for Jesus to heal. Jesus was teaching in a home but the men couldn’t get near to door because of the crowd. Most people would have turned around and said, “I guess it wasn’t God’s will to heal him.” Instead, they climbed on the house, tore a hole in the roof and lowered the man down in front of Jesus. 

Luke 5:20 says, “Jesus saw their faith…” Their faith was manifested by their persistence. Jesus forgave the man’s sins and healed him.

#2 INSIGHT  A Roman centurion had a servant who was sick to the point of death. Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” The soldier said, “Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” He knew that Jesus could simply say “be healed” and it would happen. Jesus replied, “I have not found such great faith in all of Israel” (Luke 7:9). He had insight into God’s ability and power that others in Israel didn’t have. His servant was healed at the same time Jesus spoke.

#3 EXPECTANCY  Peter and John went to the temple to pray. A man who had been lame from birth was begging by the temple gate and was “expecting to receive something from them” (Acts 3:5). The man was healed because of his expectancy.

So let’s put these things together.

God wants us to keep persisting in spite of obstacles. “Pray at all times and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1)

God wants us to understand His power to do the impossible. “With God nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37)

God wants us to expect Him to answer our prayers.  “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive and you shall have them.” (Mark 11:24)

And then you’ll have faith that pleases God and moves Him to respond.

READ THE SERMON HERE “Jesus Heals the Paralyzed Man”

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Finding Significance in a Chair?

It's interesting what Jesus notices. He noticed how people gave their offerings in the Temple treasury (Mark 12:41-44). Jesus noticed how the invited guests at a wedding feast were picking out the places of honor for themselves (Luke 14:7-11). They were scrambling to get to the most prestigious seats.

At these feasts, the guests sat on a couch that had 3 seats around a table called a triclinium. Nine people could be seated at a time. The most important seat was in the middle and the 2^nd and 3^rd most important seats were to his right and left. Seats 4-6 were to the right side and seats 7-9 were on the left. If you looked at the triclinium you could instantly see who was the most important and who was the least.

People rushed to the seats of honor because they wanted to look more important than the other people there. Their self-esteem and significance was determined by their chairs!

We don't find significance in chairs today. Or do we? Yes, people still pick out their chairs today, although they look different from the ones in Jesus’ day. When we’re young, popularity is the chair that brings significance. As we grow older, the chairs change to our job title, financial success, or a nice home in a gated community. Although these things aren't wrong in themselves, God doesn’t want any of these things to determine our significance.

Then Jesus said, "But when you are invited, go and sit in the last seat" (Luke 14:10). Why did He say to take the least important seat? Because He doesn't want our significance determined by a chair. If we will humble ourselves in this life, we will be promoted in eternity. “For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11). So humble yourself and take the least important seat. Yes, Jesus will notice it. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT “Who were the Sadducees?”

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Don't Quit!

Persistence means refusing to quit. You’re determined to overcome the obstacle that stands in your way. But after you’ve battled a while without a breakthrough, it’s easy to get tired and discouraged. Persistence means to keep going until you cross the finish line. The turtle beat the hare because it kept plodding along. Here are four things that will keep you from giving up:

1. Don’t let discouragement enter your heart. Discouragement will kill your motivation. Once you quit in your heart, you’ll then quit in your actions. God says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9).

2. Keep moving forward a little bit at a time. I read about a woman who planted over 50,000 daffodil bulbs in her backyard, one at a time—for over 50 years. If you’ll keep doing a little bit over a long time, you’ll accomplish a lot. When Israel entered the Promised Land, they had to cut down an entire forest with axes—one tree at a time (Joshua 17:15-18).

3. Don’t let rejections deter you. Andy Andrews wrote The Traveler’s Gift, which was rejected by 53 publishers. The 54^th publisher accepted it and the book made The New York Times bestseller list. Obviously, 53 publishers were wrong in their evaluation. What if Andy had quit submitting his manuscript after the 53^rd rejection? He would not be a bestselling author.

4. Keep praying until the answer comes. “Jesus was telling them…at all times they should pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Jesus is the one who answers prayers and He specifically told us to not stop praying. Sometimes it takes a long time before the answer comes, so keep being persistent. According to Jesus, the answer is on its way. Don't quit until you cross the finish line. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY “Are There Degrees of Sin?”

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Moses' Big Mistake

When Israel was in the wilderness they had no water to drink. They came to a mountain and the Lord told Moses, “Assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes that it might yield its water” (Numbers 20:8). Moses was probably thinking, “What? You want me to talk to this rock? That’s not going to work. I have a better idea, I’ll hit it a couple of times with my rod.” (Jesus said with faith it’s possible to speak to a mountain and cast it into the sea). Moses struck the rock twice with his rod. Because he disobeyed, he wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land.

It seemed like an innocent mistake. At an earlier time Moses used his rod to hit a rock to bring forth water (Ex. 17:6) but this time God changed the method. Now instead of hitting it, God wanted him to simply speak to the rock to get water. He wanted Moses to obey Him and not depend on the method he used the last time. Just because it worked that way before doesn’t mean God wants us to keep doing it that way.

The amazing thing is—even though he disobeyed God and hit the rock, the water still gushed out. What’s the lesson here? People can produce impressive results without having God’s blessing. Filthy movies can be blockbusters, but it’s not because God is in it. Drug dealers make lots of money even though God opposes what they’re doing. Obeying God is more important than looking successful in other people’s eyes. 

Moses died in the wilderness because he didn’t obey what God told him to do. Don’t make the same mistake. Do what the Lord says, even if it’s something as silly as talking to a rock. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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CLICK HERE FOR “How to Answer Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons”

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

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Life After Death

In 2013, a 37-year-old man went to sleep in his Florida home. He didn’t realize it would be the last day of his life. Sometime during the night, a sinkhole opened up under his house which literally took him to his grave. His body was never recovered.

You probably won’t die in a sinkhole but your last day on earth is coming. After you spend a few brief moments in this world, you’ll then spend the rest of your eternal existence in the afterlife. Life on earth is just a temporary world but it will determine what happens to you in eternity. There is a world beyond this world, which will last forever. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).

To enter heaven when you die, you must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord during this life (John 1:12, Rom 10:13). Salvation is a free gift and is offered to all, but it must be received by faith. Those who reject Jesus will spend eternity separated from Him and His kingdom.

The apostle Paul saw heaven and said it is “far better” than this world (Phil 1:23). Heaven is filled with eternal joy and ecstasy—and without any pain. (Psalm 16:11, Rev. 21:4). “Those who believe in Him will NOT be disappointed!” (1 Peter 2:6).

What will we do in heaven forever? Those who follow Jesus will have assignments, which will be privileges like eternal hobbies. “And there shall be no more curse…and His servants shall serve Him” (Rev. 22:3). Serving Him means He will have assignments for us in the next life. Heaven would be boring if we had nothing to do forever! After you’ve been saved—your faithfulness at your earthly job, your offerings to Him, and how you treated others—will determine the rewards you’ll receive and the privileges you’ll have in the next world (Matt. 25:21, 23, 1 Cor. 3:13-15).

You only get one shot at living on planet earth, so make it count! “Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net

CLICK HERE TO WATCH AN AMAZING VIDEO of a man who died and went to heaven. Ian McCormack was an atheist who called out to Jesus just before dying. His testimony is in 10 short video clips. Parts 1-4 explain how he was killed. Parts 5-10 explain what happened after he died and how he came back to life.

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Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett