March / April Issue 2005
"O, The Deep Deep Love of Jesus!"

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Our Full-Time Staff:

Laura Beth Wagenschutz, Editor & columnist ~ Wisconsin
Chaille Jacobson, Editor's Assistant & columnist ~ Illinois
Hannah Brown, columnist ~ Wisconsin
Amanda Sedler, columnist ~ Minnesota
Rebekah Wark, columnist ~ Minnesota
Gina Allison, columnist ~ Czech Republic
Ruby Wagenschutz, columnist ~ Michigan
Benjamin Jossund, columnist ~ Wisconsin
Deborah Brauer, columnist ~ Manitoba

Our Full-Time Staff:

Dawn Wagenschutz, columnist ~ Wisconsin
Johanna Wilhite, columnist ~ South Africa

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The Treasure Box

NEW!!! ~ By: Miss Deborah Brauer

I Corinthians 12:12-27 "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour: and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked : That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another." (emphasis added)

I was at a friend's house some time ago, and we were having a wonderful time talking about what the Lord had been doing with us and so forth, when something came out of my friend's mouth that completely astonished me. "Sometimes I feel so inferior to other people in the church, I feel like I don't really do anything to serve the Lord, and everyone else does so much..."

I couldn't believe what she had just said. This friend had been such a blessing to me in the years before; she was (and still is) very spiritually minded. She had such an encouraging way about her, she was one of the first people who I would go to for counsel when I needed Biblically sound advice. There were several difficult times in my life where her encouragement helped me to get through some hard trials. Yet, here she was, believing that she was "not as good" as someone else.

As I began to think on this, I realized that many people struggle with these thoughts. I know I do, and I had more than one friend who would confide to me that they thought "so-and-so" was better at serving God than they were. In fact, I think most believers struggle with those types of thoughts at one time or another. We start looking around us and comparing ourselves to other people, and we forget that the direction we should be looking is up. Whenever a born-again believer starts looking around and comparing him/herself to others, two things can happen.

1) We may look at another person and think, "Oh, I'm way better than they are; they are really messed up". And we start to let pride take
over...

2) Or we can look at them and think,"Wow, they're way above my level, I'll never be as spiritual as they are." Then we get discouraged and
allow our discouragement to hinder our service for God.

I think Satan really loves it when we start comparing ourselves to other servants of God. God also says in His Word in 2 Corinthians 10:12
"but they...comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" Not only does it hinder our service to God, it also hurts our relationships with
fellow-believers. Either we look down on them because we think we're better, or we start to resent them, because we think that they think they're better than we are. The fact is, we are all sinners who deserve hell. God loves each one of us, though, and desires a close relationship with us. In this area, we're on equal ground. By God's grace we are saved. God has placed us each in our church as He has seen fit, and God does not make mistakes. God has a plan for you wherever you are, don't waste precious time comparing yourself to others.

I believe that many times we get so caught up in the appearances of things that we forget what's really important. One of the most important things we have to do on this earth is to tell people about Jesus Christ and his sacrifice and plan for us. God has established churches so that believers can encourage each other, and strive together for a common goal, the goal of reaching people with the Gospel.

What we need to do is to keep our eyes on our Lord and Saviour, obey His Word and strive to come closer to Him, and as we keep our eyes on the Lord and draw closer to him, we will also draw closer to our church family, and we will be more effective in bringing others to Christ.

God has put you in your church for a purpose; He has given you special abilities that He knows your church will need. It may be the ability to listen, it may be the ability to discern, it may be the ability to teach children or it may be the gift of friendliness; the possibilities are endless!

I am so amazed at the goodness of our Lord. The blessings that come to them that serve Him are endless, and He's just waiting for a chance to give some of those blessings to you. When you keep your eyes on Him you will not only begin to serve him to your full potential, but He will be
able to bless you fully as well.

In His Name,
Deborah Brauer

Deborah Brauer lives in The Pas, Manitoba. Her family is a missionary family that was sent out of Bible Baptist Church, Grand Forks, North
Dakota. She is sixteen years old, was saved on July 5th, 2002, and has a brother (Joseph) who is 12 and a sister (Ruthie) who is 9. She and her
family is really enjoying serving the Lord together in The Pas, even though it's really cold up there!)

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The God of the First, Second and Last Chance

The man to whom this happened is a dedicated soul winner in our church. This took place in the mountains of East Tennessee in January, 2005. With his permission, I retell this true story.

It was Sunday afternoon, and as usual, he had planned to go out visiting to witness to the lost. Most Sundays, he partnered with our pastor, but this time the pastor couldn't go with him. This brother didn't let that stop him, for he had a certain man on his heart and mind; a customer at his corner store. The two of them had spoken about the Lord and salvation in the past. He knew that the customer, now in his forties, had been on drugs since he was twelve and was thinking about trying to get off them. Burdened by the Holy Spirit, this afternoon the soul winner went all alone, no doubt hopeful of seeing his customer saved, but the Lord had other plans. He arrived at the home and the man wasn’t there. Instead, he talked to the homeowner about salvation. The man listened, but decided not to receive Christ. After about a half hour, the soul winner left, both of them unaware that he was the last Christian witness this man would ever hear. We can only hope he decided to pray later.

Within a few hours, the homeowner was in eternity, the victim of a murder in the very house where he may have turned down his last chance to be saved.

This is a chilling story, for the unsaved and the saved alike. If you are unsaved, how do you know when your last chance will come? Whether we are forty or seventy, none of us knows when we will draw our last breath. Why put off salvation if the Lord is working in your heart and mind about it? I believe this story illustrates the truth that the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9) He sent the soul winner to a man about to go out into eternity, just as he was, in his lost condition. It was not necessary for him to clean up his life before the Lord would save him. Loving the sinner and knowing what was about to happen, God reached out to save him and forgive him. There are no coincidences with God and nothing takes Him by surprise. He loved him enough to send a last-minute messenger to give him one last chance.

As for the other man, the man he originally went to see and who wasn’t home at the time, he is the murderer. Today he sits in a jail cell where the soul winner continues to plead with him about his soul. He has confided that, had he gone to church that night, this crime wouldn’t have happened.

For the Christian, none of us knows when the Holy Spirit will want to use us to give someone their last chance to be saved. As bad as he feels, how much worse would that soul winner feel today if he had not gone when the Lord told him to? This brother is glad he went and also praising God for protecting him that day. How many times have we heard it said that the safest place to be is in the center of God's will? And make no mistake, it is God's will to share the Gospel with others (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19, 20). Sometimes it takes repeated visits and even years of
caring, but when one thinks of hell, isn’t one soul worth it?

Saved or unsaved, please hear what the Holy Spirit of God is trying to tell you with this true story! Saved or unsaved, please do not fault me for sharing it with you!

(Sent in by a subscriber)

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An Encouraging Word. . .

By: Miss Chaille Jacobson

"Run Like a Deer and Fly Like a Bird"

Have you ever seen a deer in a field? They look so peaceful and majestic standing out there. Their movements are slow and graceful. What about a bird? Pick any kind of bird you'd like. A robin, a cardinal, a hummingbird, an eagle...they are all fun to watch. The only thing is you have to watch these animals without them knowing they are being watched. As soon as you, the threat, are detected the deer will stop its peaceful grazing and turn tail and run. And, it will run quickly. When threatened it doesn't stick around to analyze the threat or how serious or trivial the
threat may be. The birds sit and sing or peck the ground or find material for building their nests, but only until they feel threatened in some way. Then, they will drop what they are doing and fly as quickly as they can away from the trouble.

There is a verse in Proverbs 6:5 that says, "Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler." During devotions a few weeks ago I was convicted by this verse and wrote the following phrase in the margin of my Bible: flee quickly when temptation comes.

Have you ever wondered if the deer in the woods thought he might want to wait around and look for the threat he felt? What would happen if he did? Well, if the hunter was a good shot the deer would probably be dead shortly. The same thing with the bird. How did I apply this to myself? Well, when temptation comes how do I deal with it? If I shouldn't have chocolate, but I really want some, would it be wise for me walk through the candy aisle at the store? We all know the answer is no. If I walked through that aisle I would more than likely leave the store with the biggest Snickers bar I could find! And I'd enjoy every bite of it, until it was gone, then I'd feel guilty for giving in to the temptation. Now, chocolate may seem like a trivial thing, but apply the principle to your own life. What would you consider to be a temptation in your life? Stay away from it!

Flee quickly. The longer you look at the temptation, the harder it will be to say no.

~ Chaille

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The Hope Chest of Proverbs 31

Mature Mind, Muscles, and Moods

“She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” Proverbs 31:17, 25

Henry Ward Beecher said, “Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.” The word of God teaches us how to wisely use the strength He has given us. This strength lies not simply in the muscles of the body, but also in the mind, the emotions, the will, and the spirit. Each day we need to exercise every part of our being, maturing so we can be all God wants us to be. Because God has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” we know he will give us the power to mature in Him.

The next items to add to your “hope chest” are a mature mind, mature muscles, and mature moods

My definition of maturity is the ability to control my emotions, desires, and responses giving myself enough time to review all the facts and to run my feelings through the word of God to ensure they line up. This is a high goal, but Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” It takes faith and trust in the wisdom of God to mature even when life is difficult and uncertain.

1. Mustard Seed Faith Motivates Maturity.

Mature people portray two specific character qualities, Self- Control and Endurance.

Self-control is exercising restraint over my impulses, emotions, and desires, so that my thoughts, words, and actions are under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Endurance is maintaining commitment to a goal during times of pressure and keeping my focus on the objectives God has given me.

Self- control is short-term strength. It is the ability to maintain control over myself in

an immediate situation. Self- control is exercised when you don’t yell at your younger sibling for pouring grape juice on your bedroom carpet. Or not purchasing a new dress, even though it’s absolutely perfect, but you already have too many clothes.

Endurance on the other hand is the ability to exercise self-control for a long- period of time. You exercise endurance when a kid in school calls you names every day, but you continue to ignore it and keep on going without stopping to give them a piece of your mind. You need both endurance and self- control to develop a mature spirit, soul and body. It is a process and takes time.

Listen to this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” It takes endurance to follow through. It takes self-control to deny your feelings and put them in their place. If you don’t, your emotions will take over and they will control everything you say or do. Emotions like depression, fear, bitterness, anger, hate, discontentment, pride, and lust. These are all bad emotions, and if not held in check they are more powerful than anything, but God’s love.

It’s interesting to note though that sometimes we can have wrong goals and wrong motives. You may endure for all the wrong reasons and for all the wrong things. Which is why it is important to study and meditate on God’s word. II Tim. 2:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” By spending time with God in his word you will be strengthening you spirit and your relationship with him. It is 100% easier to endure life situations when God’s spirit is in control of your life then when you are.

Prayer is another way to strengthen your relationship with God. You can ask him to give you the endurance to serve him each day. “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul,” Psalms 138:3. When you see God answer your prayers, your faith and trust in God will be strengthened.

Because as one person put it, “Faith is not just an emotion. It is objective trust placed in a very real God.”

Let’s look at the life of a woman who through her faith in God and her maturity delivered an entire nation from bondage.

The Mature Madam

In the book of Judges 4: 1- 5: 31, we find the short story of a woman named Deborah.

Deborah was a judge of Israel. In fact, she was the only female judge Israel ever had. Sometimes I wonder why God chose a woman for this job. Every other judge was a man, but at this one particular time God chose to use Deborah. One person suggested maybe her husband, Lapidoth was the one called, but he was too lazy to do it. But there is no mention in the Bible that this was ever the case, and we shouldn’t assume that Deborah was taking his place. We could assume however that there is a chance Deborah was chosen as the judge at this time because God could find no man willing to do the job.

The name Deborah means “Bee.” We can picture her like a busy bee moving from problem to problem wisely judging matters for the children of Israel in this area of the nation. I’d like to point out several things about this woman. First of all, Deborah was very close to God. Her spiritual relationship with Him was strengthened. We see this because God spoke to her. God only spoke to those with which he had a good relationship. The next thing we see is her wisdom. Deborah was a judge, she had to be wise, not just knowing right from wrong, but also the best manner for any situation to be resolved. To be a judge she would also have had to be in control of her emotions. She could not base any of her judgments on how she felt about it. Her personal feelings could not get in the way of her duties. Each day she was dealing with problems and sob stories, yet, she did not allow her emotions to dictate the verdict for each of these decisions. Deborah was also physically fit. She went up into the battle with Barak. This would have been a very difficult journey, but her body was prepared. In verse eight of chapter four, Barak says to Deborah, “If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.” Deborah did not ask to go with Barak, Barak plead with her to go with him. This is one of the reasons we know Deborah was a woman of maturity and strength. Barak would not have asked a weak, wishy-washy, emotional basket case to go with him into battle. He wanted her because she was a pillar of strength and he was encouraged by her strength. We can definitely say that Deborah was a woman of mature moral fiber.

2. Maturity manufactures moral fiber.

Listen to what Elizabeth George wrote in her book, Beautiful in God’s eyes. “ As

we have looked at Proverbs 31 verse by verse. You and I have marveled at the two sides of God’s beautiful woman. She is both mentally tough and physically strong, as her attitudes and her work reveal. We see these two sides again in verse 17, looking first at her mental strength, her attitude. You see without mental toughness, we’ll never get around to doing the actual physical works.” The woman in Proverbs 31 girds her loins with strength. In other words she prepares herself for her work. This is building on much of what we have already learned throughout this series. Let’s look at how we can exercise maturity in three main areas.

Mind - This includes the will. A mature will is not stubborn, rebellious, or self-centered independent. Every time you make a wise choice, you will build more confidence in your decision-making abilities, but you need to be careful. A mature mind always does several things before it makes a final decision about a matter.

- Base your decisions on the word of God.

- Get a second opinion from your parents and pastor.

- Be sure to pray about it and wait for God’s answer.

- Never go with the flow, or just because everyone else is doing it.

- Remember that “love” doesn’t usually happen at first sight.

- Get all the facts before making a decision.

- Be careful trusting someone who has not earned your trust first.

- Honor your parent’s rules and advice.

Elbert Hubbard said, “It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.” Every decision you make determines what you next decision will have to be. So be careful and exercise a mature mind.

Moods -It’s a sad fact of life. We ladies are known for our moods. We often
allow emotions to control us. Instead a mature lady controls her moods. She does not allow them to express themselves however they want. She holds them in check. A lady or girl who does not control her emotions is often referred to as a drama queen. Ask yourself these questions to determine if you have a habit of being a drama queen.

Are you a Drama Queen?

· Do you throw a temper if things don’t go your way?

· Are you easily offended?

· Are you always right and everyone else is wrong?

· Do you enjoy making a point about something?

· Do you always have to be the center of attention?

· Do you beg for new things?

· Do you blow every situation into a catastrophe?

· Do you slam your door when angry at your parents or someone else?

· Do you assume your friend doesn’t like you anymore if she talks to someone else?

· Do you often find yourself jumping to the wrong conclusion?

· Do you put your needs before anyone else’s?

As you can see, being a drama queen is not a good thing, neither is it a cool thing. Being a drama queen is ungodly and it goes against Scripture. If you have this attitude, ask God to forgive you and give you the strength to do better.

Muscles – I am not talking necessarily about your physical muscles, but for your
physical body as a whole. You know, that part of you that everyone sees. We need to take care of our bodies. We will look at this deeper in another article, but I do want to point out some things you can do to take care of your body.

- Drink Water. Drink lots and lots of water. Your body needs to constantly have its water supply replenished. Juices and sodas are not good enough, you need to drink the liquid without all the sugar.

- Walk for a little while every day. You can walk to the store or to school instead of riding in the car. For some people that might not be possible, but if it is then do it. The walk doesn’t have to be long, but it will strengthen your body and help keep your heart healthy.

- Be sure to have a good diet. Eat a well- balanced meal. Don’t skip meals and never eat because you are worried or depressed. Do something else instead.

- Avoid sugars and fats. We all love sweet things, and most love fried foods as well, but stay away from them as much as possible. They are not good for you. Save them for a special day or when you want to have fun. Don’t eat them on a regular bases.

- Get plenty of rest. This is very important for you to stay in good condition. You need proper rest, but to get it you have to be up moving around during the day. If you sit all day long, your body is in a continual state of relaxation and it makes it difficult to fall asleep at night. Don’t stay up so late at night that you don’t have enough time to get the sleep you need.

-You also need sunshine. It’s the best source of vitamin C, orange juice or a pill just doesn’t do as well as a day in the sun. Protect yourself with sunscreen so you won’t burn. Not only is sunshine good for your body, but it also helps lift your spirits and puts you in a better mood. I have also found that when I feel kind of sick, if I go sit in the sun it often makes me feel better without having to take any medicine.

- Exercise. This doesn’t just mean calisthenics, but also includes riding your bike, roller-skating, jump roping, sports including soccer, tennis, baseball… Exercising can be a lot of fun, especially when you do it with friends.

All of this is well and good, but I want to remind you of what Paul says in 1 Tim. 4:7-8, “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” The most important thing for you to do is to exercise yourself unto godliness. Nothing else is as important as becoming more and more like Christ everyday. He asks us to endure until he calls us home, so I think this quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt sums it up, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

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There Is Reason to be Joyful

By: Miss Rebekah Wark

Hi, Guys! School is almost out, are you excited? I am. But then, we lose some friends from school, so that won't be fun. Anyway... I have a joke for you:

Q: How do you get a one-armed Polock out of tree?
A: You wave at him!

Well, anyways, Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ." Do you ever stop and thank God for all He has given you? He may not give you every thing you want, but He definitely gives you everything you need. He has given
you parents, a home, food, etc. You know, God really is very merciful! He could have sent down a bolt of lightning and killed us all, but He didn't.

We have so much to be thankful for. Some times we are so selfish! Let's just take a minute to thank God for His wonderful blessings...

With a Grin,
Bekah Wark

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NANA'S NOTEBOOK

By: Mrs. Ruby Wagenschutz ~ AKA "Nana" :0)

WAKE UP!
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11

Many Christians today, both young and old, are asleep spiritually. When we are asleep, we are:
* Ignorant (uninformed about God's Word and His purpose for our lives)
* Insensible (having no knowledge or feeling of the leading of the Holy Spirit)
* Defenseless (against the dangers we face and the attacks of our enemy, the devil)
We are most likely to fall asleep when we get comfortable in our status quo, happy enough in our lives as they are, not desiring to be stirred to serve God more than we already are. Amos 6:1 warns: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion."

How can we stay awake or keep from falling asleep?
1. Maintain an active conversation with God (through prayer and reading God's Word).
2. Look for things around us for which we should be thankful.
3. Converse regularly with other Christians about the things of the Lord.
4. Work to keep ourselves in self-denial. (Satisfying our own desires leaves little room for God.)
5. Think good thoughts about godly things which the world looks upon with distain.
6. Let the Holy Spirit blow upon our daily thoughts and actions. (Drivers often roll down their windows so that the cold wind can blow in their face to keep them awake.)
7. Cut back our lives to the quick. (Get rid of trivial things which monopolize our energy so that we can concentrate upon godly pursuits.)
8. Remember where we came from and where we are going.
9. Think about what is waiting for us in the presence of the Lord.

These ideas did not originate in my mind, but are, rather, a compilation of things I've heard over the years from people who probably heard them from someone else. The important thing for us to remember is to keep awake to God - never forgetting that we must reach the lost of our generation with the Gospel if they are to have an opportunity to be saved.

"But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw His glory ..." Luke 9:32

"Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame." I Cor. 15:34