Do You Need to Make Restitution?

A Manhattan, Kansas cable company received $300 in cash in the mail, along with an unsigned letter from a man apologizing for his actions and asking forgiveness. The letter-writer said when he was a sophomore at Kansas State University, he had pirated cable TV from an upstairs apartment.
 
He wrote, “I didn’t fully consider at the time how we were cheating your cable company out of revenues” and that he wanted to commit himself to the teachings of the Bible. The $300 was restitution for the cable TV signals he had taken without paying.
 
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Israel and became rich by swindling people out of their money (Luke 19:1-10). One day he heard Jesus was coming to Jericho, so he climbed a tree to see over the crowd. Jesus looked up, called him by name and said He wanted to stay at his house. Zacchaeus told Jesus, “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much” (Luke 19:8). Notice that Jesus did not tell him to do this. Zacchaeus decided on his own to make things right.
 
Restitution is God’s way of paying back to the rightful owner what was lost, stolen, or damaged. The restitution amount wasn’t equal to the crime, but often much more than the amount taken. The book of Exodus speaks about making restitution for a variety of situations. If a thief stole an ox and killed it, he had to pay back five times as much. If he stole a sheep, he had to pay back four times as much (Exodus 22:1).
 
If you’ve stolen something or damaged someone’s property, God will show you how much to pay. It will relieve your guilt, heal a relationship, and will be pleasing to the Lord.
www.makinglifecount.net  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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BIBLE STUDY:  Answers to Theological Questions
 
PREVIEW Kent’s new book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

"He Died the Same Way He Lived"

Dawson Trotman founded the Navigators discipleship ministry in 1933. His ministry focused on following up on new believers and mentoring them through one-on-one relationships to help them grow in their faith. One day, Dawson told his understudy, Loren Sanny, “What if I died and the Lord took me to heaven. Would you be ready to take over this ministry?” Two weeks later, Dawson was dead at age 50. Here’s how it happened:
 
On June 18, 1956, Dawson was the main speaker at the Word of Life Christian camp at Schroon Lake, New York. That afternoon, his friend Jack Wyrtzen invited Dawson and two girl campers to join him for a boat ride around the lake. One of the girls, Allene Beck, didn’t know how to swim, but accepted the invitation anyway.
 
As they sped around the lake, the boat hit a wave, throwing Dawson and Allene out of the boat. Allene panicked because she couldn’t swim. Dawson tried to save her, but she frantically fought with him. He then swam underneath her and lifted her up so that her head was above the water. When the boat returned, they pulled her out to the water, but Dawson never came back up. He had drowned while saving the girl’s life.
 
Billy Graham spoke at Dawson’s funeral saying, “Dawson died the same way he lived, by holding others up.” I’m sure Dawson must have thought about leaving behind his wife and five children when he made the decision to sacrifice his own life so the girl could live. Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 HCSB).
 
Loren Sanny took over as leader of the Navigators. Today the Navigators ministry serves in 50 countries and on many college campuses. When I was in college, a member of the Navigators came to our dormitory to teach a Bible study. God touched my heart during that Bible study, which was part of the reason I entered into ministry. I am another life held up by Dawson Trotman.  www.makinglifecount.net  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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BIBLE STUDY:  If God loves everyone, why did He hate Esau?
 
PREVIEW Kent’s new book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
CLICK HERE to read 28 devotionals (January 1-28)
 
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Can You Recognize Wisdom?

A gem dealer was strolling down the aisles at the Tucson, Arizona Gem and Mineral Show when he noticed a blue-violet stone the size and shape of a potato. He looked it over, and then as calmly as possible, asked the vendor, “You want $15 for this?”
     The seller, realizing the rock wasn’t a pretty as the others in his bin, lowered the price to $10.
 
The stone has since been certified as a 1,905-carat natural stone sapphire, about 800 carats larger than the largest stone of its kind. 

It was appraised at $2,280,000. To one guy it was a potato worth $10, but to another it was priceless.

If you don’t understand the value of wisdom, why would you want it? Job said, “Where can wisdom be found? Man does not know its value…Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed for its price” (Job 28:12-15).

 
Wisdom is worth more than silver and gold, but to a foolish person it just looks like a potato. Many people don’t ask the Lord for wisdom because they don’t have a clue how much it would help them in life. Wisdom is the ability to see your situation as God sees it, which is beyond common sense. Wisdom is divine aid from heaven to help you make correct decisions.
 
Think how much heartache you could avoid if every decision you made was correct. That’s worth far more than silver and gold, and the amazing thing is that God will give it to you for free. James 1:5-6 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom (that's you), let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
BUT, if you don’t ask…well, you’re not going to get it.  

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10).  

www.makinglifecount.net  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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BIBLE STUDY:  How do we know the Bible is true?
 
PREVIEW Kent’s new book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals
CLICK HERE to read 28 devotionals (January 1-28)
 
Receive these devotionals (free) by email: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com (Your email will not be given out. You’ll receive an email when the new devotional is posted)
 
Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com