The Power of a Burdened Heart

CURRENT RADIO SERIES All In   CURRENT TV SERIES The Gospel of God

The grass withers, the flower fades,             but the word of our God will stand forever. --Isaiah 40:8 In 1939 at the World’s Fair in New York, a time capsule was buried, which is to be opened 5,000 years from now. And, of course, in that time capsule they included many items of the culture and society of that day – memorabilia to give a slice of life if the world is still in existence in 5,000 years.  In that time capsule, they included one book: The Bible! And when one of the officials was asked, “Why did you put the Bible in that time capsule?” he answered, “The Holy Bible, of all books familiar to us today, will most likely survive through the ages. The Bible we placed in the capsule will be a link between the past, the present, and the future.” I don’t know what the world will be like in 5,000 years. In fact, I’d venture to say that no one really knows what the world will be like in 100 years. But one thing is clear: God’s Word will endure. The Word of God stands forever. People have tried to disprove it and destroy it, but it has endured. I can’t think of a better book on which to build a philosophy of life than a book that’s worked so well for so long. So live your life by God’s Word because it’s the only book that will endure forever! WHILE OTHER PHILOSOPHIES AND PSYCHOLOGIES COME AND GO, GOD’S WORD ENDURES FOREVER. SO MAKE IT THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR LIFE! The Power of a Burdened Heart Friday, January 24, 2020 by Dr. Paul Chappell “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” Acts 20:29–31 When Paul met with the elders of the church at Ephesus for the last time, he recapped his ministry in their town as part of his final charge to them. He was able to tell them that his work in Ephesus had been characterized by a passionate intensity. Paul was not casual in trying to reach people—he went around the clock, weeping from his burden as he went. There is no substitute for a deep, passionate, intense burden for others as we do the work of God. D. L. Moody was one of the most used and effective evangelists in history. Though he had little formal education, people responded to his preaching in a great way, and tens of thousands were saved in his meetings. One thing that was obvious when Moody preached was his passion for reaching the lost. The English pastor Robert Dale said of Moody, “I have never heard him refer to Hell without tears in his voice.” If we are going to make an impact on those around us and be effective witnesses of the gospel, we must truly care about the people to whom we speak. If we are going through the motions or checking an item off our to-do list, we should not be surprised if there is little result. The Lord we are commanded to follow cared deeply about the needs of the people around Him. “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Today's Growth Principle: We should never let our hearts grow cold to the eternity awaiting everyone around us.