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