#11 Strength, Security and Serenity for YOU in 2002! (09/02/02)

The Message

By Dr. Robert H. Schuller

My father and I are beginning a new series of messages based on the Psalms today, entitled, "Strength, Security and Serenity for YOU in 2002". The Psalms are known to provide the strength, security and serenity we all need for this New Year. So today I begin with some thoughts from the first Psalm. Do you know how the Psalms begin? The very first word in the Book of Psalms is, "Blessed!" Psalm 1:1 reads, "Blessed is the one..."

Who likes to live a life that is blessed? I believe we all do and the Psalms share how we can find God's blessings on our life. And I especially emphasize the blessings of strength, serenity and security for 2002. Read Psalm 1 with me

"Blessed is the one Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he shall do prospers.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous."
This Psalm gives us 3 keys to finding the blessings that God wants to give us.

(1) Blessed are those who know the law of God.
(2) Blessed are those who continue to grow in the law of God.
(3) God's blessings are complete by sowing the law of God.

The Psalmist tells us to "meditate day and night." You know if you meditate on the law of God day and night, you are going to know it very well. Yet it's amazing how many people do not read the Bible. The Bible is one of the most important books in the entire world.

President Ronald Reagan said this about the Bible. "Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today. If only we would read and believe."

Within the Bible are words for us to know. And it is really quite simple for us to read. The problem is that people get bogged down in some of the negativity found in the Bible. They read things that they cannot comprehend nor understand. They can't believe that God would actually do some things. What we must remember is that Jesus Christ is the final interpretation of all Scripture. And when we look upon the life of Jesus Christ, we see what the Bible means. We see what its message really is. We understand it and it begins to unfold.

You know, the Bible is a fabulous book and it's not that difficult to read through the entire book. If you read for 15 minutes a day, that's all, only 15 minutes a day, every day, it will take you exactly one year to read the Bible from cover to cover. Yes, I repeat -- if you read at a normal speed, you can read the Bible from cover to cover in one year by simply making a commitment to read for 15 minutes each day.

That will give you the lift, the hope and the inspiration to know God's laws. "Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and in God's law he meditates day and night."

Sergeant Pitzer, in the April 2, 2001 Vietnam Magazine, shared with us some of his experiences as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He wrote, "When I think about all the guys who died in captivity and the guys who survived, it was a difference of just 2 words, "if" and "when." A prisoner who said, "if I go home," or "if I'm released," is dead. He is buried. But those who said, "when I go home," or "when I escape," or "when the war is over," survived.

Two words that make a huge difference between life and death. "If" and "when."

As we begin a New Year, it's time to make commitments. I want to encourage you to say, "when," "now," "yes," "I am," and "I'm going to." As a result of making those commitments, you'll begin to feel the blessings of God. You'll begin to
realize that God's laws are here to assist you and to help you. God's Laws strengthen you, give you serenity, and peace. (1) Blessed are those who know the laws of God.
(2) Blessed are those who grow in the Laws of God

Psalm 1 continues, "You'll be like a tree that's planted by streams of water." The assumption is that roots grow deep and receive the necessary nourishment and so the tree grows strong and healthy.

For the past 50 years this ministry has been proclaiming possibility thinking. And I want you to know that positive thinking and possibility living are more alive and more real today than ever. It's critical for us to be positive thinkers as individuals and persons so we can realize the fullness and the potential of God's blessings.

In this months issue of the Harvard Mental Health letter, (January 2002) Michael Craig Miller, MD, wrote an article stating:

"Researchers have recently been studying the impact of optimism on health and well being. Some of their work demonstrates what seems intuitively obvious. People with a positive outlook tend to have better morals and greater adaptive capability. Because they are more resilient in the face of stress, adversity, or loss, they actually suffer less even in the worst circumstances. They respond to challenges, creatively and with more flexibility They are likely to be ready for trouble when it comes and they have learned how to confront and overcome it.

Their positive outlook allows them to work through difficulties effectively rather than impulsively. They succeed, because they persevere. Their personal relationships are satisfying and they are confident of receiving help from friends, family members, co-workers and the community when they need it. Although it's slightly less obvious, a positive disposition also seems to be good for physical health and in several studies optimists have been found to live longer."

Positive thinking and possibility living do make a difference! We need to realize that It's time for us to grow in the laws of God. However, growth and change are not necessarily the same! You know there is always change. As a baby-boomer, I look back on the last 30 years at some of the changes that I've seen since 1970.

Note that in 1970, the big thing was long hair. Today the big thing is longing for hair. In 1970, the big thing was Acid rock. In 2000 the big thing is acid reflex. In 1970, moving to California was because it's cool. Today, moving to California is because it's warm. In 1970, It was watching John Glen's historic flight with your parents. In 2000 it's watching John Glen's historic flight with your children. In 1970, it's passing the driver's test. In 2000, it's passing the vision test.

Yes, I have seen many changes in the last 30 years, but change doesn't necessarily mean growth. For us to grow as individuals means that we need to receive the nourishment that God wants to give us through His Bible, His Word. So I encourage you to read your Bible each day. Today. That's all. Make a commitment to read your Bible -- Today -- for 15 minutes. You can even set your watch if you are determined.

Then tomorrow I want you to pick up your Bible and read it again for 15 minutes. That's all. Only 15 minutes. And the next day, again, 15 minutes. Do that each day and in the course of a year you will have read the entire Bible.

(1) Blessed are those who know the laws of God.
(2) Blessed are those who grow in the laws of God.
(3) Blessed are those who sow the laws of God.

The Psalmist tells us that we will yield fruit and be prosperous. (Psalm 1:3) In Luke 8:4 to 8, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, who sowed his seed and the birds came along and ate the seed. Other seed fell among rocky places, and the roots were too shallow. As the sun came out, the plants withered and died.

And then there was other seed that fell among weeds and was choked out. Only the seed that fell on good soil, prospered. Those seeds produced a harvest, five, ten and a hundred times more than that which was sown!

Today I want to encourage you to realize that God has given you a gift. Every single one of us has a gift given to us by God to prosper. And we have the ability to use these gifts in a powerful and wonderful way.

If you buy a five dollar block of steel, there are many different things you can make with it, and depending upon what you do with it will determine the value of that block of steel. One can take that block of steel and make horseshoes. Then the total value from that five-dollar block of steel will be fifty dollars. Someone else will take a five-dollar block of steel and make sewing needles and the total value is $5000! But someone else will make Swiss watch springs from that five-dollar block of steel. Do you know what that worth is? Five hundred thousand dollars. It's the same raw material, but three ways to make it prosperous. In the same way God gives you and me special gifts. So I want to encourage you today to read your Bible so that your gifts may be able to find the nourishment of God and, like the seed that fell in good soil and prospered, you'll prosper.

The French atheist, Voltaire, one hundred years ago said that the Bible will be forgotten and found only in museums. And today Voltaire's home is occupied by the Geneva Bible Society.

The Bible is not dead. Its words are true and give us the strength to be able to soar in our daily living. So today, I close by challenging you again to read your Bible 15 minutes each day. Only 15 minutes will feed your body and soul.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are waiting to bless us through Your words. Your Spirit is alive and we thank You for the positive blessings upon our lives. Open our eyes that we may see them. Open our hearts that we may grow. May our actions be open to the possibilities of sowing seeds of Your love. We love and Praise Your name in all things and all ways. Amen