Everyone is Playing "Deal or No Deal"

This devotional comes from Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals  

The popular TV show “Deal or No Deal” is a game played with 26 numbered briefcases containing different amounts of money from one cent to $1 million. The contestant doesn’t know which case has the million dollars. The player chooses to eliminate cases one at a time. Each case is opened to reveal the amount inside.

The banker then offers the player a guaranteed amount of money to quit playing. If the offer is refused, the player keeps choosing briefcases to possibly win more money or lose it all.  

On one episode, a woman had eliminated all but two briefcases. One case contained $1 million while the other only had $5,000. The banker offered her a guaranteed deal of $530,000 if she would quit playing. She could take home over a half million dollars if she would accept his deal, or she could turn down the deal and take a 50/50 chance at winning $1 million. No one in their right mind would turn down the guaranteed $530,000 deal to keep gambling.

The audience yelled for her to go for the $1 million. A family member begged her to take the guaranteed $530,000. Instead, she listened to the audience and yelled, "No deal! I KNOW that I'm going to win the million dollars!" They opened the case she had picked, which only contained $5,000. She made the wrong choice and forfeited $530,000!

Everyone is playing Deal or No Deal with their souls. Jesus said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36-37). We’re betting our eternal souls that what Jesus taught about the afterlife is either true or not true. Like the woman choosing between the two suitcases, we are choosing between two eternal destinies—heaven or the place of torment.

Jesus died for your sins and is offering you a guaranteed deal of eternal life (John 3:15-17). If you will give your life to Him, He will rescue your soul for all eternity. If you ignore His offer, you’re gambling your soul. Deal or No Deal? www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Click here to find out how to make the right deal for your soul.  

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

The following Devotional comes from my book Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals  

This is a true story. A pastor in Ohio asked a member of his church, who was a surgeon, if he could be in the operating room to watch an open-heart surgery. The doctor permitted him to observe. 

The physician began the surgery, removed the woman’s heart, repaired what was wrong, and placed it back into her chest. As he massaged her heart to get it going, it wouldn’t beat. He tried to start it using other procedures, but nothing worked.

In an act of desperation, the surgeon knelt down beside his patient and whispered, “Mrs. Johnson, this is your surgeon. The operation went perfectly and your heart has been repaired, but you need to tell your heart to beat again.” When he finished saying those words, immediately her heart began beating!

Even though the surgeon did everything necessary to repair her heart, the patient needed to cooperate with him. By an act of her will, she had to start her own heart beating. This story inspired singer Randy Phillips to write the song, Tell Your Heart to Beat Again.

Maybe you’ve been rejected or you’ve lost a loved one—and your heart has stopped beating. Perhaps your spouse betrayed you and your heart has been devastated. You’ve lost hope and your will to live. Remember, God is the great physician who can repair your heart—but you have to tell your heart to beat again.

Tell your heart to love again. Command your heart to hope again. No matter what tragedy you’ve been through, God still has plans for the rest of your life. He will “restore your soul” (Ps. 23:3) so you can move forward with your life. The rest of your life can be the best of your life. Just tell your heart to beat again. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

To listen to the video of Randy’s song with lyrics click here “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again”

He Found WHAT in the Sewer?

The following Devotional comes from Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Roy Parrino has a job most people wouldn’t want. He works in a sewer in Orange County, California. Roy spends his days cleaning out miles of sewer lines in the Los Angeles area—braving toxic fumes, avoiding discarded syringes, and wading through filthy muck that’s been flushed down toilets. “You really have to psych your mind up for it,” Parrino says. “Remember, you’re going into the filthiest environment there is. It’s like being in a big toilet.”

 

Maybe you’re in a “sewer” right now. You’re stuck in a stressful workplace, surrounded by hateful people with toxic attitudes. How can we keep a positive attitude in the middle of an intolerable situation like that? Doesn’t the Bible say to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4) and “consider it all joy when we encounter trials” (James 1:2)? How is that possible?

 

You may not choose your circumstances, but you can choose how you view them. Every situation contains both good and bad, but you can choose what you'll focus on. It’s easy to see what’s wrong, but it takes determination to look past the filth and search for something good that God wants you to find.

The first day on the job, Roy climbed out of the sewer holding a 2-carat topaz ring that he had found. Parrino has found gold necklaces, bracelets, and even diamond rings while working in sewers. If Roy can find jewels in a sewer, then you can find something good in your messy situation.

You can find something positive in every situation if you’ll search for it. Jesus said, “Seek and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). No matter where you work and what you’re going through, you’ll never be happy unless you develop a positive attitude. The next time you’re up to your neck in sewage, just remember that you can find diamonds in your sewer—if you’ll search for them.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

When God Does Not Heal

The following Devotional comes from Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Randy Frieouf was a member of our church who suffered with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. As the months passed, his health continued to worsen. He was confined to a wheel chair, and finally to a bed. Many people were praying for him during this time.

One day my 13-year-old daughter Hannah said, “Dad, I had a dream last night that Mr. Frieouf was walking.” I told her, “Let’s keep praying for him. I believe that all things are possible with God.” The next week Hannah told me, “Dad, last night I had another dream that Mr. Frieouf was walking!” Again, I encouraged her to keep praying for him. 

Not long after this, we received the phone call that Randy had passed away. When Hannah heard the news, she got upset and hurried into the bedroom. A few minutes later, she came out of the room and said, “Dad, I asked God why Mr. Frieouf died after I had those dreams. God just spoke to me.”

“He did? What did He say?” Hannah said, “He told me to read Psalm 1:1, but just the first part. Dad, I didn’t know what that verse said, so I looked it up. God told me to read just the first part of the verse.”

She held out an open Bible and read from it. “The first part of Psalm 1:1 says, ‘How blessed is the man who does not walk.’ Dad, the man who does not walk is Mr. Frieouf! Do you think He told me this to let me know he is happy in heaven?” “Yes, that’s exactly why He told you that,” I said. “He wants you to know that he’s blessed in his eternal home in heaven.”

I believe we should pray for healing no matter how dire the situation my appear. In fact, I’ve seen God do miracles when people were seemingly beyond hope. Jesus said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). 

However, when our prayers aren’t answered, we can find comfort in the fact that believers who aren’t healed will receive complete wholeness in heaven. That’s why God sent the message to Hannah, “How blessed is the man who does not walk!” www.makinglifecount.net  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

The Tinted Lenses We Look Through

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Pastor Ed Manning said a woman in his church approached him to ask a question. As she drew closer to him, he tipped his head back to look through the bottom lenses of his bifocal glasses to focus on her more clearly.

“There you go again!” the woman snapped. “You stick your nose up in the air every time I talk to you! Who do you think you are? I’m sick of your arrogant attitude!”

Pastor Manning was stunned by her outburst of anger. “You don’t understand,” he explained. “I’m not sticking my nose up in the air at you. I just can’t see you when you get near me. I’m tilting my head back so I can see you through the bottom half of my bifocals.”

The woman had been harboring resentment toward him, thinking he had been looking down on her. It wasn’t true, but that’s how she viewed their relationship. Pastor Manning looked at her through bifocals, but Kathy looked at him through rejection glasses.

The world is filled with people who misinterpret what they see. It has been a problem since biblical times, when Saul viewed David through jealousy glasses (1 Sam. 18:6-9). Ten spies sneaked into the land of Canaan, looked through inferiority glasses and said, “We became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Num. 13:33). The vineyard workers looked through envy glasses, compared wages per hour, and griped about their pay (Matt. 20:10-16). The Pharisees viewed Jesus through judgmental glasses, trying to find fault with the perfect Son of God (Luke 6:7).

The sinfully-tinted glasses are as many as the corrupt attitudes that contaminate our hearts. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). When we’re pure in heart, it not only clears up our vision to properly see God, but it also helps us see others correctly. www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

June is Humility Month

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

June is Humility Month because “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5). God doesn’t take kindly to those who flaunt themselves and what they do. But don’t take my word for it. On three different occasions Jesus said everyone who thinks of himself as great will be brought down (Matt. 23:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14). When King Nebuchadnezzar lifted himself up, he went insane. When King Belshazzar mocked God by drinking wine from the gold and silver vessels taken from the temple, he died that night. (Dan. 4:30-33, 5:1-30).

And then there’s King Herod Agrippa who died in an unusual way. Acts 12:21-23 tell us: “And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. And the people kept crying out, ‘The voice of a god and not of a man!’ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.”  

The Jewish historian Josephus, who lived 37-100 AD, confirmed this event. “[Herod] put on his garment made wholly of silver … his garment being illuminated by the reflection of the sun’s rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner,” giving him a brilliant appearance. “A severe pain also arose in his bowels in a most violent manner … and [he] said, ‘I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life.’” (Antiquities of the Jews 19.8.2)

Imagine watching this. Herod enters the theatre in a robe of silver. The sun reflects off the silver coat, making him look as if he’s glowing. The crowd cries out that he’s a god, and he receives their worship. Then, at that moment, he falls over dead “because he did not give God the glory.” 

How do we humble ourselves? Simply by yielding completely to God and asking Him take control of our lives. We live according to what He wants and not how we want. Pride always dies when we shine the spotlight on God instead of ourselves. www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

It Would Take a Miracle to Save Their Marrage

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

After 16 years of marriage, Suzanne and Jim Shemwell were ready to call it quits. She confided with friends that it would take a miracle to save her marriage. They constantly argued and divorce seemed like the only option.

But then, on March 5, 2003, they were stranded in a blizzard on a snowmobile trip in Boise National Forest 7,000 feet above sea level. For the next 5 days and nights, they had to rely on each other for their very survival. Trapped on a freezing mountaintop, fighting frostbite and hunger, Jim and Suzanne stopped arguing and began cooperating. They had previously communicated with insults and hateful words, but their desperate situation in the woods made them focus on encouraging and comforting each other. They were finally rescued on March 10, 2003.

Ironically, their experience of being stranded together in the icy forest caused them to appreciate each other like never before. Instead of getting divorced, they decided to renew their wedding vows on March 10, 2004 in Boise National Forest.. Not only were their lives saved on March 10, 2003, but their marriage was also saved. They are still happily married in 2025.

Jim and Suzanne had lost something in their marriage, but then found it again. It reminds me of the parable Jesus told about a woman who lost something valuable in her home. She searched carefully until she found it, and then called friends to share the good news and rejoice (Luke 15:8-9). 

That parable can also apply to homes today. Many couples have lost something valuable and desperately need to find it. First, they must realize they’ve lost something precious. Then they must diligently search together until they find it, and then they will rejoice together. And if they can’t find it in the house, they might need to get lost together in a blizzard on a freezing mountaintop.  www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Where Do You Want the Piano?

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

A new pastor had been hired at a church. He decided to visit the church’s former members in their homes and find out why they had left the church. After the minister knocked on the door and introduced himself, the man invited him into his living room. “Mr. Smith, I’m the church’s new pastor and I’m just curious why you and your wife left the church.”

“Well pastor, there was a big fight at the church concerning where to put the piano. One group wanted the piano on the left side of the church, while another group wanted it on the right side of the church. We didn’t agree with the final decision, so we left the church.”

 

“That’s why you left?” asked the pastor. “Which side of the church did you want it on?” The man thought for a moment, and then yelled to his wife in the kitchen. “Honey, which side of the church did we want the piano on?”

 

An argument can start as a minor disagreement and escalate into a heated brawl, and later we forget what the fight was over. The damage can be avoided by refusing to argue about issues that don’t really matter, such as where to put the piano. Paul writes, “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged” (2 Tim. 2:23-24).

Sometimes it’s better to lose the argument to keep a valuable relationship from being destroyed. “You have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?” (1 Cor. 6:7). If you want to be a peacemaker—why not let the other person have his or her way, knowing that pleasing God is more important than winning an argument?  

 

William Barclay said, “If the Christian has even the remotest tinge of the love of Christ within his heart, he will rather suffer insult and injury than try to inflict them on someone else.” Since Jesus suffered unjustly for you, why can’t you suffer unjustly for Him?  www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

The Passenger Had to Fly The Plane

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

David Gibbs and his friend were in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska flying in a small plane to Anchorage when the pilot passed out. Neither one of the passengers knew how to fly the plane. David sat in the pilot’s seat, but he couldn’t see anything because they were flying in a storm. His friend called on the radio and was connected to Anchorage Emergency. 

The man in the tower said, “I’ve found you on the radar. If you want me to get you home safe, you’ve got to promise me you’ll obey my voice. You can’t see me, but I can see you. If you don’t do what I say, you won’t make it.  

“You’re four minutes away from a mountain. You’re going to crash into that mountain unless you follow my instructions.” David followed his orders and got the plane turned away from the mountain.

The voice continued, “You’re an hour and a half away from Anchorage and there’s a lot of bad weather ahead of you. You’re in for a rough ride. I want you to listen to me and not look outside. I don’t want you to pay attention to the storm, just my voice. If you start watching the storm, you will die. But if you listen to me, I’ll take you through it.”

Later the voice said, “I’m going bring you in down the runway. At the foot of the runway are some lights shaped like a cross. The cross is the way home.” As the plane was coming down to land, David could see the cross. He bounced the plane on the runway and landed safely. When the plane stopped, the pilot woke up! The voice in the tower said, “Thanks for listening. I watch them crash and burn all the time because they won’t follow my voice.” 

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Trust His voice to guide you through life. You can’t see Him, but He can see you.    www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS AMAZING STORY on YouTube 

God Always Has One More Move

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

When former world chess champion Bobby Fischer was a boy, his mother took him to an art museum. Bobby stared at a painting that depicted an older man slumped over a chessboard, and on the other side of the board was his opponent, Satan. Only a few of his pieces were left on the board and Satan appeared to have won. The painting was entitled Checkmate.

His mother had moved on to the next piece of art. She looked back and Bobby was still looking at the painting. “Come now, Bobby, we have to go.” Bobby told her, “But, Mom, the man has one more move.”

 

Genesis 37-50 gives us an example of how the chess game between God and Satan played out in Joseph’s life. God’s move: He gives Joseph two dreams about his future, revealing he would be a ruler. Satan’s move: Joseph’s jealous brothers throw him into a pit in the wilderness. God: He leads Midianite traders along the precise route at the right time. Satan: His brothers sell Joseph to the traders.

 

God: The Lord makes sure they lead Joseph to Pharaoh’s officer, Potiphar. Satan: Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph and he is thrown in jail. God: The Lord gives Joseph favor in jail and makes him prosper. Satan: Pharaoh throws his chief cupbearer into jail with Joseph. God: Joseph interprets the cupbearer’s dream and asks him to tell Pharaoh about his gift of interpreting dreams. Satan: The cupbearer forgets his request, which results in Joseph being locked up for two more years. God: He gives Pharaoh two dreams and the cupbearer remembers Joseph, who interprets the dreams. Pharaoh promotes Joseph to prime minister. Checkmate!

 

Life is full of ups and downs. When things are going well, it looks like God’s winning. When things are going bad, it seems like the devil is winning. But don’t get discouraged. Keep trusting the Lord and remember, God is on your side and always has one more move. Checkmate!  www.makinglifecount.net  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Life Isn't Always Fair

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

In a NCAA Division II cross-country championship in California, Mike Delcavo and 127 runners came to a fork in the road. Mike and four others took the correct route and veered left. But the majority of runners missed the turn and took the shorter path, which shaved about 1,000 meters off the 10,000-meter race.

Mike and the four runners who followed him soon reunited with the larger pack. Since most of the runners took the shorter route, they were now in the lead. At the end of the race, Delcavo, who was the fastest runner, should have been declared the winner and the other runners should have been disqualified for leaving the correct course.

Because 122 runners took the wrong route, it presented a problem for the officials. How did they resolve it? Even though the race was over, they decided to change the official course route to legitimatize the runners who took the shortcut! Instead of Delcavo finishing first, the official results show he finished 123 out of 128.

The officials solved their problem by changing the rules and turning the wrong course into the right one. The decision wasn’t fair, but it sure made the runners who took the shortcut happy.

We live in an upside-down world that tells us the wrong path is the right one. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12). What was believed to be wrong a few decades ago is considered to be right by some people today, and what was considered right is now called wrong. Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isa. 5:20).  

It’s easy to follow the large group that’s running the wrong way, but it takes courage to stay on the right path and live for the Lord. Paul writes, “If someone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules (2 Tim. 2:5). And we all should play by God’s rules. www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Even Caesar Confirmed the Resurrection

After Christ’s Resurrection, a Roman Emperor issued a decree for people to stop stealing bodies from Judah’s sepulchers. Without realizing it, he was confirming Christ’s Resurrection! The Nazareth Inscription is a powerful piece of extrabiblical evidence that Christ’s Resurrection was already being proclaimed shortly after He was raised.

The inscription is on a marble tablet written in Greek. Since the discovery was published in 1930, no scholar has produced evidence to disprove its authenticity. It’s an abridged decree by either Tiberius (14-37 AD) or Claudius (41–54 AD), pronouncing the death penalty in Israel for anyone caught robbing bodies from tombs. (Normally, grave robbers stole valuables, not bodies!) It refers specifically to “sepulcher sealing tombs,” a special type used in Israel.

This “Decree of Caesar” is known as an imperial rescript, having the force of law. Rescripts frequently dealt with unusual legal, religious, or political issues arising in a specific region. The text fits both the style and structure of other rescripts of Claudius. Matthew records one of the first responses to reports of Jesus’ Resurrection. The Jewish authorities invented a lie that the disciples had stolen the body (Matt. 28:13). Their goal was to spread an alternative story explaining why the body was missing and the tomb was empty. The Nazareth Inscription is very likely the Roman response to that very same problem.

In his dialogue with a nonbelieving Jew, Justin Martyr (AD 100–165) also refers to these early attempts to explain away the empty tomb of Jesus: “Yet you not only have not repented, after you learned that He rose from the dead, but, as I said before you have sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb, where he was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.”

The Nazareth Inscription forces skeptics to deal more deeply with the two major competing views of events: believing in the Resurrection of Christ or believing that His disciples stole His body from the tomb to perpetrate a great religious fraud. The account of Christ’s Resurrection was first circulated by the Apostles themselves, according to Scripture, and it was not a later invention by Christians of the post-apostolic period. The inscription is excellent evidence confirming this truth, and it brings to mind Paul’s statement, “If Christ is not risen … your faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). (Henry B. Smith, Answers in Genesis, April 1, 2015)  www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  

Betrayal is the Most Painful Kind of Rejection

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Before cell phones, my Christian friend Carl received an anonymous phone call. The caller said, “You don’t know me, but I have proof that your wife has been cheating on you. You’ll find an envelope taped to the dumpster behind the movie theater. Inside it you’ll find a cassette tape of phone conversations between your wife and her lover.”

Carl thought it had to be a prank call. He loved his wife and shuddered at the idea that she would be unfaithful. But just to be sure, Carl drove to the theater and walked around to the back of the dumpster. Sure enough, an envelope was hanging on it with a cassette tape inside.

He listened to the tape and the conversations verified the informant was indeed correct. Carl was devastated to find out his wife really was having a secret affair. She later divorced him and married the other man. To this day, Carl has no idea as to the identity of the man who called him, or how he got the taped phone conversations.

Betrayal is the most painful kind of rejection because it involves both hypocrisy and a violation of trust. At the Last Supper, Jesus held up bread and told His disciples, “This is my body.” As they were eating, Jesus handed Judas a piece of bread, which signified that Jesus was handing over His body to His betrayer. At that moment, Satan entered Judas (John 13:26-27).

The chief priests and elders had paid Judas 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Later, Judas felt remorse and tried to return the money coins to the chief priests by throwing the coins into the sanctuary (Matt. 27:3). In the most extreme hypocrisy, the elders said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood” (27:6). They ignored the fact that they were the ones who paid Judas the money in the first place! In their minds, it was a crime to put blood money in the temple treasury, but it wasn’t a crime to pay Judas to shed Jesus’ innocent blood.

So what did they do with the money? They came up with an idea to make them look like they were doing a good deed for the community. They used the money to buy a potter’s field to bury strangers (27:7). How nice of them.

Judas’s betrayal didn’t stop God’s plan for Jesus from being fulfilled. And if you’ve been betrayed, God still has a good plan for you. What about Carl? He married a Christian woman and has been happily married for years. If you’ve been betrayed, don’t become bitter. Ask God to make your situation even better than it was before.  www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  

Do You See What Actually Happened There?

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

The Archbishop of Paris was preaching to a large congregation in Notre Dame cathedral. He told the story of three rebellious young men who wandered into the cathedral one day. Two of the men made a bet with the third man that he would not make a fake confession to the priest. He accepted the bet and went to the priest for confession, making up a story about a sin he had committed.

When he finished, the priest said, “Go to the crucifix over there, kneel down before it, and repeat three times, ‘All this you did for me and I don’t really care.’” The young man knelt before the crucifix, looked up at the face of Jesus on the cross and said, “All this you did for me, and I …”

He choked up and tried again. “All this you did ...” He couldn’t go any further. His heart broke and he started sobbing. For the first time in his life, he understood what Jesus had done for him by sacrificing His life. The archbishop finished his sermon by saying, “You might think I made up this story, but it’s true. I was that young man!”

What should we see when we look at the cross? We see Jesus taking our sins upon Himself. “He Himself bore our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:14). We see Him opening the door into heaven “so that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus didn’t have to die for us, but He did, so that we could spend eternity with Him. 

People who look at the cross and walk away unchanged do not see what happened there. Do you see it? Do you see what actually happened at the cross? Most people don’t see it. I hope you do. www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  

Why Did David Choose 5 Stones to Fight Goliath?

Then he (David) took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine (Goliath). So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. (1 Sam. 17:40-41).

Before David fought Goliath, he went to the brook and chose 5 smooth stones and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. Some people ask, “If David had faith that he would win, why did he pick up 5 stones when one would do?”

David wasn’t afraid to fight Goliath, even though Saul and all the men of Israel were afraid of him (1 Sam. 17:11, 24). David had already killed a bear and even grabbed a lion by its beard and killed it. He told Saul, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (17:34-37).

Why did David choose 5 stones? Most people seem to forget that two people approached David—Goliath and his shield-bearer. David would have to fight Goliath, but he also might have to deal with his shield-bearer (who apparently ran away after Goliath fell). David didn’t know if other soldiers or Goliath’s relatives would try to attack him. David and his men later killed four other giants who were related to Goliath (2 Sam. 21:15-22).

The best explanation for taking 5 stones is that David prepared for the possibility of missing him, or that Goliath’s shield might block the stone being hurled at him. He knew God would deliver him from Goliath, but it might require multiple throws to make it happen. God promised Joshua that Israel would conquer their enemies (Josh. 3:10), but the Lord never told the soldiers to only take one arrow per person.

David’s action shows us the importance of both faith and preparedness. We can trust God to bring success, while at the same time use wisdom to prepare for all possibilities.  www.makinglifecount.net

How to conquer 20 Modern-Day Giants

Read Slaying Your Giants

He Survived Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Kevin Hines was depressed and decided to end his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Miraculously, he survived. Hines said, “The millisecond my hands left the rail and my legs cleared it, I had instantaneous regret for my actions.”

“I fell nearly 250 feet, 25 stories, closing in on 80 mph nearing the speed of terminal velocity in 4 seconds. In those 4 seconds, I said to myself, What have I just done? I don’t want to die! God, please save me! I realized I made the greatest mistake of my life. And then I hit the water.”

He crushed three vertebrae on impact, and then started drowning. He prayed, “I don’t want to die, God, I made a mistake.” A sea lion kept pushing him to the surface until the Coast Guard rescued him. He’s one of 35 people who’ve survived that jump while 1,800 others have died in the San Francisco Bay since the bridge was opened in 1937. Hines’s story is chronicled in a documentary, The Ripple Effect.

In Acts 16:25-31, we find another man who wanted to end his life. Paul and Silas had been arrested and were singing praises to God in jail. The Lord sent an earthquake, which opened all the prison doors. The jailer thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to fall on it. Paul cried out, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” The jailer, realizing something supernatural just happened, asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

If you’ve thought about ending your life, God says to you, “Do yourself no harm! I have a plan and a purpose for your life.” Psalm 42:5 (NLT) says, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him.” That’s the answer. Put your hope in the Lord and praise Him. He’s the one who can give you a reason to live.

BIBLE STUDY: End Times & Bible Prophecy

RECEIVE THESE DEVOTIONALS FREE by EMAIL: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  NOTE: The subscription box will NOT usually appear on your smart phone, but it can be seen on your computer (or by opening the “desktop site” feature on your phone.) www.makinglifecount.net  

When Failure Was Actually a Success

Dale Bourke was attending a publishing conference when her friend, Bruce, offered to give her a ride to the airport. As they were about to leave, the hotel doorman told them the hotel shuttle bus had broken down and if they could take another passenger to the airport. They said they would and the man jumped in the back seat.

Bruce asked the man where he worked. The back-seat passenger mentioned the name of a Christian publishing house, which was affiliated with a campus organization. Bruce said, “I have fond memories of that campus ministry because I attended a retreat by them in 1972 in New Hampshire. I became a Christian at that retreat.”

Bruce went on to explain that a year later, when he gave his testimony, his entire family came to the Lord. His sister eventually became a Wycliffe missionary and translated Scripture for a people group in Africa.

But he wasn’t finished explaining the domino effect of the retreat. Bruce’s parents became publishers of Christian books and published some of the most popular Christian books over several decades. Bruce later became a publisher of a major Christian publishing house that has printed and distributed books in numerous countries. The impact of that one retreat had reverberated throughout the world!

The man in the back seat was stunned. Then, he timidly admitted, “I led that retreat. It was my first time as a conference leader and I felt like a total failure. Until this moment, I’ve always believed it was one of the biggest failures in my life.”  (Dale Hanson Bourke, Second Calling, Integrity Publishers 2006, 208-209).

The conference leader felt like a total failure because he was looking at his own inadequacy instead of God’s ability to cause the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). One apple seed can produce an apple tree, which can produce an apple orchard.

We can learn a valuable lesson through this. We usually can’t see how God will use our obedience to reach people we don’t even know. If you’ll serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2) and leave the results to Him, you’ll never feel like a failure.  

RECEIVE THESE DEVOTIONALS FREE by EMAIL: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  NOTE: The subscription box will NOT usually appear on your smart phone, but it can be seen on your computer (or by opening the “desktop site” feature on your phone.) www.makinglifecount.net  

Which is the Greatest Commandment?

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

A Pharisee asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matt. 22:36). The Pharisees counted 613 commandments in the Law. They also added another 1,500 man-made laws for the Jewish people keep. Out of all those commandments, it was only natural to wonder which was the most important.

Some Jews believed the greatest was the 3rd commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Ex. 20:7). That’s why they wouldn’t even mention His name. Others thought the greatest was the 4th commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). That’s why the Pharisees created 39 categories of work that were prohibited on the Sabbath, and they always accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath.

One rabbi even taught the man-made laws of the Pharisees were more important than God’s commandments in the Scriptures. They believed that eating with unwashed hands was as great of a crime as murder, and that rubbing ears of corn together on the Sabbath day was the same sin as committing adultery.

These differences in opinions created a lot of confusion about which law was the greatest of all the commandments. You’d think Jesus would have answered him by quoting the 1st commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). He didn’t. Instead, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).

So what is most important to God? He wants you to love Him with all your heart; that’s passion. All your soul; that’s commitment. All your mind; that’s what you think about.

It’s impossible to love God until you first believe He loves you, and you’ve received His love into your heart. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NKJV). Live to please God. It’s that simple.

RECEIVE THESE DEVOTIONALS FREE by EMAIL: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  NOTE: The subscription box will NOT usually appear on your smart phone, but it can be seen on your computer (or by opening the “desktop site” feature on your phone.) www.makinglifecount.net