Police found it hard to believe, but an unarmed housewife captured three burglars singlehandedly. The woman had come home and found three men loading household items into their car parked in her driveway. She pulled her van behind their car and then ordered the men to carry her belongings back into the house and sit on the couch until the police arrived. Later, when asked why they didn't escape, she replied, "The LORD was with me. . . . I wasn't going to move my van so they could get away. What was I to do? Run away?"
 
The apostle Paul also showed unusual courage. His friends probably thought he was being reckless when he insisted on going to Jerusalem after he had been warned of the danger that awaited him (Acts 21:11-13). A strong argument could be made for him to delay his trip. After all, on another occasion he had escaped from danger (9:23-25). Yet Paul knew what he had to do. With unwavering determination he courageously headed for Jerusalem.
 
It's not easy to know when such boldness is wise or foolish. Only the Spirit can show us. But one thing is sure, Christians have reason to be courageous. GOD is our helper. And when we rely on Him, He'll enable us to stand firm no matter what danger we may face. —MRDII
 

A group of distinguished scientists and theologians gathered in Washington, DC, to participate in the Cosmic Questions Conference. They discussed issues such as these: "Is there a GOD?" and "Can we believe that there is purpose and design in the universe?"
 
Some of the participants answered those questions emphatically, "No!" No GOD, no design, no purpose. But others, like John Polkinghorne, a British scholar and former president of Queens College at Cambridge, held staunchly to the opposite opinion. A noted physicist, Polkinghorne argued that the answers lie "beyond physics."
 
Without the Bible, scientists are baffled. They can guess and they can speak dogmatically, but they have no authoritative answers to the cosmic questions. The Bible alone tells us where everything came from, why everything exists, and what lies ahead. As Job learned, it was GOD who "laid the foundations of the earth" (Job 38:4).
 
We don't need to listen to the speculations of world-famous thinkers to find answers to the big questions of life. We just need to humbly and reverently study the word of GOD. There we will find rest for our mind and peace for our soul. —VCG
 

Some things just don't seem to fit in our modern 21st century. A tribe of headhunters is one of them.
 
Yet there is one such group of people whose story is worth telling. A tribe living high in the Philippine mountains, a 3-day's walk from the nearest city, has only within the past 10 years given up their tradition of displaying heads of captured enemies.
 
The leader of this tribe, a man who got that position because of his head-hunting success, was instrumental in the change. It came about because two women risked everything to travel to the village to live among the people and tell them about Jesus' love. In 1999, 5 years after the women first visited the village, at least 50 people, including the chief, had trusted Christ to save them. As a result, the people's lives were transformed, and they gave up their killing ways.
 
Headhunting may seem primitive, but its source is no different from the most modern sin. The same inborn evil that led Cain to murder Abel thousands of years ago (Genesis 4:8) still exists in human hearts today. All sin, new and old, has just one solution—Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). Even in a modern world, He alone is the answer to the ancient problem of the sinful heart. Has He changed yours? —JDB
 

Shortly before Margaret Koster died in 1997, I wrote an article about her, telling of her diligence in prayer. Despite her age, she set an example of faithfulness in prayer—continuing to spend hours each day speaking with the LORD she loved. Now she's reaping the rewards of that faithfulness.
 
But there's another story about Margaret that needs to be told—a story of how seriously she took her prayer-life. When she was younger, Margaret would pray each day for missionaries she knew about. She also kept a journal of her prayers—complete with answers.
 
One time when one of "her" missionaries was home from his overseas ministry, Margaret approached him, showed him her journal, and said, "I have recorded every prayer request you made as a missionary. And I have put down every answer that I know of. But I also have some prayers for which I don't know the answers. You need to sit down with me and tell me how GOD answered those prayers so I can write them down."
 
Now that's taking prayer seriously! We learn from Margaret not only the importance of prayer but also the reality of GOD's answers. Remember, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). —JDB
 

A man was assigned a middle seat on an airplane. Tired and wanting to sleep, he was irritated when the young girl next to him with Down syndrome asked, "Mister, do you brush your teeth?" "Yes," he replied. "That's good. People who don't, lose their teeth."
 
A little later she asked, "Mister, do you smoke?" "No," he answered. "That's good. People who do, die."
 
After a long silence, she turned to him again, "Mister, do you love Jesus?" "Yes, I do," he responded. "That's good," she added. "People who do, go to heaven."
 
Though deeply touched, he settled back, hoping there would be no more questions. Just then the girl said, "Mister, ask the man next to you if he brushes his teeth."
 
Well, you can guess what followed. When she came to the question about Jesus, the second man became thoughtful. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said. For the next hour the two men talked about eternal issues.
 
Sometimes opportunities for sharing GOD's love may come in unusual ways, as was the case in Acts 8 when Philip pointed a total stranger to Christ. But if we are willing, He will bless even our feeblest efforts to tell others that Jesus loved them so much that He died for them. —DJD
 

My wife and I were driving to church one Sunday when we came to a red traffic light, so we stopped. There was only one car in front of us. While I waited, my mind began to wander. When the car ahead started to move, I was far away in thought and absentmindedly followed right along without even glancing up at the light. Only after I had driven through the intersection did I realize that I had blindly followed the leader. If the other driver had moved ahead before the light had turned green, my following along might have caused a serious accident.
 
As I reflected on my carelessness, I thought about people who blindly follow their religious leaders. Many are attracted to speakers who have dynamic personalities, the ability to communicate effectively, and an air of authority. They accept and do everything these preachers say without ever thinking for themselves. In sharp contrast, the Christians in Berea "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
 
Blindly following the leader can be dangerous. That's why we must test everything by what the Bible says. Then we will know if the leader is following the truth. —RWD
 

When suffering invades our lives, we often wonder what we've done to deserve it. Yet even Jesus, our perfect Savior, suffered during His earthly life. Hebrews 5:8 says that "He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."
 
Author James Stalker writes: "Suffering does not always sanctify. It sours some tempers and makes them selfish. But many triumph nobly over their temptation. There are sick-rooms [where] it is a privilege to visit."
 
J. Oswald Sanders told about visiting such a place in Australia, where Miss Higgens lived. Constantly in pain, she hadn't left her room for more than 40 years. Her arms and legs had been amputated to arrest a progressive disease. Determined to live creatively, she named her cottage "Gladwish," where she gave herself to prayer and spiritual ministry. Using a pen attached to the stump of her arm, she maintained a worldwide correspondence for years and led hundreds to Christ. Her suffering stimulated creativity in her life and service.
 
If you're longing to live more creatively, "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2). Dare to give your hassles and heartaches a more challenging name, such as "growing pains," with the emphasis on growing! —JEY
 

Years ago, Walter A. Maier, an eloquent radio preacher, told about an African tribal chief who was presented with a mirror by a visitor. He peered curiously into the glass and commented on the ugliness of the person he saw. When he realized he was looking at himself, he became enraged and smashed the mirror on a rock.
 
The apostle James described GOD's word as a mirror in which we can see ourselves reflected (1:23-24). It shows us that although we were created to reflect GOD's character, in our fallen condition we are spiritually ugly and marred by sin.
 
But when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are spiritually reborn (John 3:3-8). Then, as we look into GOD's word, we see ourselves as GOD sees us—our ugliness has been transformed into the beauty of Christ's likeness. And we grow in His likeness from that point on.
 
What do you see as you look into the mirror of Scripture? Do you hesitate to read the Bible because it shows you the ugly appearance of your unbelief? Or do you read it gratefully, seeing yourself as GOD the Father sees you—as His spiritually reborn child, who is becoming more and more like His beloved Son? (2 Corinthians 3:18).
 
Having Jesus in your life makes the difference. —VCG
 

A letter from a friend described the adjustments that his son and daughter-in-law were facing as young missionaries in a country long resistant to the gospel of Christ. "After some rough early going," he wrote, "they are getting used to not having modern conveniences and are falling in love with the people."
 
A photo showed the couple's 2-year-old-son Wesley and a waiter in a restaurant, both grinning widely as they shared a moment of friendship. My friend commented, "Ever smiling, Wesley makes friends wherever he goes." That got me to thinking. Making friends and loving people is the key to sharing the gospel wherever we are, because that's what Jesus did.
 
Some religious leaders were surprised when Jesus openly associated with people they considered undesirable. They said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" (Mark 2:16). Yet Jesus was known as the friend of sinners. He said, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (v.17).
 
A loving heart and a friendly smile go a long way to communicate the love of Christ to the people we meet each day. May they say of us, as they did of little Wesley, "Ever smiling, he makes friends wherever he goes." —DCM
 

The story is told about an elderly man who retired after many years in the British Army. One day a man who knew about his long and distinguished military career decided to play a prank on him. As the old soldier walked down the street with his arms full of packages, the jokester sneaked up behind him and shouted, "Attention!" Without hesitation, the military man dropped his arms to his side, and every package went tumbling to the sidewalk. Without a conscious thought, the veteran was doing what comes naturally for a soldier.
 
Similarly, as believers in Christ, we should respond in a manner that corresponds with our new life. Our behavior is to be more and more in line with the example of Jesus' life. We still must deal with sinful desires, so we need to discipline ourselves to be the kind of person GOD wants us to be. Like a soldier or athlete in training (2 Timothy 2:3-5), we need to practice repeatedly until doing what's right comes naturally.
 
Through faith in Christ we are children of the heavenly Father. By the power of the indwelling Spirit, therefore, let us develop the habit of submitting to GOD's word. Then, in every situation of life we will increasingly find that obeying Him is "doing what comes naturally." —RWD