Creation

Bible Reading:  Genesis 1

Key Verse: Verse 1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Key Words: God created the heaven and the earth

Many today are prone to believe in evolution rather than creation. For me, that would take more faith than believing in God. My heart goes out to those who are blinded by ignorance and cannot see the truth that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” 

Many years ago, Isaac Newton had an exact replica of our solar system made in miniature. At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and revolving around it were smaller spheres attached at the ends of rods of varying lengths. They represented Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the other planets. 

These were all geared together by cogs and belts to make them move around the “sun” in perfect harmony. 

One day as Newton was studying the model, a friend who did not believe in the Biblical account of creation stopped by for a visit. Marveling at the device and watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move in their orbits, the man exclaimed, “Why, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?” 

Without looking up, Sir Isaac said, “Nobody.” 

“Nobody?” 

“That’s right,” replied Newton. “I said nobody. All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits and with perfect timing!” 

I think you get the point.

                                                                                                 Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Thank God daily for His marvelous creation – and the creation of being born again and becoming a new creation in Christ.

Explanation

Bible Reading:  Isaiah 5:18-25

Key Verse: Verse 20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Key Words: Woe to them that call evil good and good evil

Once upon a time altars were filled during the invitation (altar call) because people drew an unmistakable line between right and wrong, true and false, good and evil. 

There was a time when we were guilty, we found ourselves openly confessing with shame our sinfulness and shortcomings; but slowly the fog of confusion began to roll in. All the evils of the world, once black as tar, turned to a shade of gray. Instead of our seeing them clearly as wrong and fleeing, wrong, falsehood, and evil became fuzzy and excusable. Explanations for sin began to abound, such as… 

• Alcoholism is not a sin, it’s a disease.
• Anger isn’t a sin, it’s an emotional disorder.
• Laziness on the job isn’t a sin, it’s called burnout.
• Refusal to obey authority isn’t a sin, it’s called self-expression.
• A lack of promptness isn’t a sin, it’s called poor time management.
• Stubbornness isn’t a sin, it’s called a strong will.
• Drug users are not sinners, they are called addicts.
• Homosexuality isn’t a sin, it’s an inherited trait.

It’s enough to make one want to gag (a “Rouseism” for vomit); and so here we sit with all of our humanistic excuses on why we do what we do, and we feel justified, and we explain away our sin. The result is that the Holy Spirit is quenched, and the church altars remain empty and revival tarries. 

So, beginning today, let’s put away our humanistic explanations and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and lives for God’s glory. Amen! If we will do that, revival will come, and the altars of Bible-preaching churches will be filled again. 

 

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Put away your humanistic reasoning and accept God’s Word and act upon it beginning today.

Flexibility

Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-32

Key Verse: Verse 28 – “And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

Key Words: would not go in

Flexibility is the ability to bend without breaking. When we become so hard and set in our ways, we tend to do two things. First, we hurt others; and secondly, we become hard-hearted which causes a burden for all. 

The story of the prodigal son’s brother is a perfect example of being inflexible. 

Years ago, Frank Lloyd Wright was given the impossible task of building the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. No comparable construction job ever before had been undertaken. With patience he laid plans for the immense building in this land of earthquakes and terrible tremors. After carefully reviewing the situation, he found that eight feet below the surface of the ground lay a sixty-foot bed of soft mud. Why not float the great structure on this and in some way make it absorb the shock of the earthquake? After four years of work amid ridicule and jeers of skeptical onlookers, this most difficult building in the world was completed, and soon arrived the day which tested it completely. The worst earthquake in fifty-two years caused houses and buildings all around to tumble and fall in ruins. But the Imperial Hotel stood, because it was able to adjust itself to the tremors of the earth. 

If you refuse to bend, you will break.

 

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Know when and how to be flexible. 

P. S. There are Biblical doctrines in which we can’t bend; but in areas of personal preference have some flexibility.

Kindness

Bible Reading: Acts 28:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 2 - “And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.”

Key Words: people shewed us no little kindness

These people were not just a little kind, they were filled with kindness…and they were lost people without the Lord. If they, being lost and without God, can be kind, then why can’t we as believers? 

We live in a hurting world...divided families, fathers forsaking their children. Why, even children today are hurting other children with their words and actions; and it’s not a few of them. It is many of them. As parents we are, for one reason or another, failing to teach our children the importance of kindness. It is kindness that can have a positive effect on others. 

Allan Emery, who has not only been successful in business but has devoted much of his time to providing leadership to many Christian organizations, is highly respected as a shrewd, yet kind, man. Credit his father. 

Allan recalls taking an extended train trip as a youngster. One morning in the dining car he heard his father, himself an important businessman, comment that the porter seemed to be in pain and walked with a limp. The poor man, it turned out, was suffering from an infected ingrown toenail. 

Later in the morning, Allan was surprised to see the porter coming from his parent’s sleeping car. There was a distressed look on his face, and as he passed by big tears fell from his eyes and cascaded down his cheeks. Going into the men’s lounge, the man put his hands over his face and cried. Allan sat down on the bench beside him and at length asked, “Are you crying because your toe hurts?” 

“No,” said the man, “it was because of your daddy.” 

With great concern, Allan pressed for the story. His parents had returned from breakfast and immediately approached the porter, asking about his toe. Mr. Emery explained that he wasn’t a doctor, but he might be able to help him. He removed the man’s shoe and sock, and carefully lanced the infected toe, cleaned it, and carefully bandaged it. “It doesn’t hurt at all now,” said the porter through his tears. “It feels fine.” 

“Then why are you crying?” 

“Well, while he was dressing my toe, your daddy asked me if I loved the Lord Jesus. I told him my mother did but that I did not believe as she did. Then he told me that Jesus loved me and had died for me. As I saw your daddy carefully bandaging my foot, I saw a love that was Jesus’ love; and I knew I could believe it. We got down on our knees, and we prayed, and now I know that I am important to Jesus and He loves me.” 

With that, the porter burst into tears again. When his sobs subsided, he looked over at Allan and said, “You know, boy, kindness can make you cry.” 

And it can, you know.

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Show someone kindness today.

Restoration

Bible Reading: II Kings 5:20-27; 8:4

Key Verse: Verse 8:4 – “And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.”

Key Words: And the king talked with Gehazi

 Gehazi is a perfect picture of God’s restoration…healing him and putting him back in His service. We do serve a great God Who does restore. 

A few years ago, an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt’s famous painting “Nightwatch.” Then he took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped. A short time later, a distraught, hostile man slipped into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo’s beautiful sculpture The Pieta. Two cherished works of art were severely damaged. But what did officials do? Throw them out and forget about them? Absolutely not! Using the best experts, who worked with the utmost care and precision, they made every effort to restore the treasures. 

By His grace, God can bring good out of our failures, and even out of our sins. 

J. Stuart Holden tells of an old Scottish mansion close to where he had his little summer home. The walls of one room were filled with sketches made by distinguished artists. The practice began after a pitcher of soda water was accidentally spilled on a freshly decorated wall and left an unsightly stain. At the time, a noted artist, Lord Landseer, was a guest in the house. One day when the family went out to the moors, he stayed behind. With a few masterful strokes of a piece of charcoal, that ugly spot became the outline of a beautiful waterfall, bordered by trees and wildlife. He turned that disfigured wall into one of his most successful depictions of Highland life. 

God can and will do the same for you if you’ll return to Him and ask Him to restore you and make you whole, not for your good but for His glory. 

 

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Be a restorer, not a destroyer.

Consistency

Bible Reading: Nehemiah 4:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 6 – “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.”

Key Words: So built we the wall

Nehemiah was a leader. He was organized. He was a worker. But the thing that stands out the most about Nehemiah was his consistency. Boy, do we need this today! 

Remember when gas was twenty-nine cents a gallon or when you could buy a soft drink for under a dime? Maybe you can remember when you could buy a three-bedroom house for fourteen thousand dollars or a brand-new car for under two thousand dollars. Why, I even remember when doctors used to make house calls and milk was delivered to your door, postage stamps were three cents, and taxes were at a minimum. Some of you may remember when you went to bed at night and the doors were not only not locked, they were left open to let some cool air in the house. (There were no air conditioners, but what do you expect for fourteen thousand dollars?) Do you remember when lawn mowers had no motors and mowers were propelled by manpower? 

We call these the good ‘ol days, but need I remind you that back then, in the good ‘ol days, using God’s name in vain was not allowed in person or on television? 

Movies that promoted violence or rebellion or the rock music culture were not tolerated. Dress was modest and everyone, or just about everyone, went to church on Sunday. It was considered a special “holy” day. 

It’s interesting to me how our times have changed to fit our agenda and lifestyle. 

For example, we call them the good ‘ol days when we talk about the price of houses, cars, stamps, or soft drinks; but when you mention modesty and decency in dress, television, and movies, etc. they are no longer called the good ‘ol days. We are called old-fashioned. Now, you can’t have it both ways. If the price of houses, cars, stamps, and soft drinks were the good ‘ol days, then so it is with dress standards and decency. 

Maybe we just need to go back to the good ‘ol days, for I would rather be called old-fashioned than worldly any day. At least we would be consistent.

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Strive for Godly consistency.

Negativism

Bible Reading: Numbers 13:17-33

Key Verse: Verse 32 – “And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.”

Key Words: And they brought up an evil report

A person’s attitude plays a major role in determining what they accomplish. If a person thinks that something is impossible, they usually don’t bother with it or put very little effort into it. 

One of the best portions of scripture concerning the influence of others is recorded in Numbers 13. Moses sent out twelve spies to determine the lay of the land, the size and strength of the cities, and the type of produce and fruit which was growing. Moses did not ask them to determine if the land could be taken. Their purpose was to discuss what conditions would prevail when the invasion occurred. 

The spies spent 40 days in the land and came back with a glowing report concerning its abundant produce. They began their report by saying, “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” (Numbers 13:27) However, most of the spies (ten of the twelve to be exact) quickly turned their attention toward the negative. They gave a four-fold negative report. 

1. The cities are walled and very great. Numbers 13:28. 

2. The enemy is many in number. Numbers 13:29. 

3. The enemy is strong. Numbers 13:31. 

4. The enemy is big in stature. Numbers 13:32-33. 

Negative thinking always produces negative assumptions and conclusions. The spies’ negative report began to spread like wildfire among the people, which produced a negative report. Numbers 14:2-3: “And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” 

Now, negative attitudes are highly contagious, and it wasn’t long before this negative attitude infected the entire nation. The truth is, there really was no reason for all the negativity... for God had this land prepared for Israel, the victory was a sure thing, and blessing lay ahead. 

But because the people listened to all the negativism, forty years of wilderness wandering resulted. Whom you listen to is extremely important. This reminds me of the following story. 

“Two tired donkeys approached a stream on a hot day. One was carrying a load of salt, and the other a huge pack of sponges. The first donkey, carrying salt, went down into the stream where the salt was dissolved. When he came out on the other side, he called back to his fellow donkey, saying what a marvelous experience he had as he lost his burden in the cooling stream. Whereupon the second donkey plunged into the stream, but the sponges soaked up the water and caused him to drown.” 

Now the moral of the story is this: make sure you know who you are listening to before you follow them.

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Be careful who you listen to – they will be who you will follow, and this will determine your destiny.

Initiative, Part 2

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 13:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 4 – “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”

Key Words: the diligent shall be made fat

Above I’ve given you a “round tuit.” Whatever you do, don’t lose this tuit. It’s of great value. Tuits are not easy to obtain, especially the round ones. As a matter of fact, they are extremely hard to find. I know because I see people looking for them all the time. “Pastor, I’ll be at church Sunday if I can get a round tuit.” “I’ll teach that class if I can get a round tuit.” “I’ll get rid of this sinful habit when I can get a round tuit.” “I’ll get that job done around the church as soon as I can get a round tuit.” 

You see, the importance of putting your own personal round tuit in a safe place. They are especially hard to find and because they are so rare, they are highly valuable. Enough of the silliness! Most of us never get a round tuit because of three things. 

1. We are not “mentally organized.” That is a polite way of saying we are “scatter brained.” 
2. We lack the self-discipline to go out and get the job done. 
3. We attempt things in our own strength rather than asking God to intercede for us. 

But are you aware that the Bible teaches us that God has given us the ability to mentally organize our thoughts (Proverbs 16:1)? And He places in us a desire to carry out that which we have mentally organized (Proverbs 13:4)? All we need to do is commit our work to the Lord and our thoughts shall be established (Proverbs 16:3). So why then do we fail so often in things we set out to accomplish? 

Unwise or unrealistic goals. Make your goals reasonable. It is unrealistic to think you can lose 25 pounds in four days but it is possible to do it in four months. Set realistic goals in every aspect of your life. 

Our goals often oppose God’s will. Are your goals in accordance with God’s Word and God’s will?  

We make excuses by saying, “I’m going to do that as soon as I get around to it.” 

So now you’ve got a round tuit, go on out and accomplish things for God’s glory!

 Quit making excuses!

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Today would be a good day to do things you have put off for a long while. So go ahead and do it while you can get around  

Initiative, Part 1

Bible Reading:  Romans 12:9-21

Key Verse: Verse 11– “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;”

Key Words: Not slothful in business

If you are to accomplish anything in life there must be some self-motivation, some initiative. Lazy people go nowhere and accomplish nothing. 

He was born in Columbus, Ohio, 1890, the third of eight children. At eleven he quit school to help with the family expenses and got his first full-time job at $3.50 per week. At fifteen he got interested in automobiles and went to work in a garage at $4.50 a week. He knew he would never get anywhere without more schooling, so he subscribed to a correspondence home study course on automobiles. Night after night, following long days at the garage, he worked at the kitchen table by the light of the kerosene lamp. His next step was already planned in his mind – a job with Frayer-Miller Automobile Company of Columbus. 

One day when he felt ready, he walked into the plant. Lee Frayer was bent over the hood of a car. The boy waited. Finally, Frayer noticed him. “Well,” he said, “what do you want?” “I just thought I’d tell you I’m coming to work here tomorrow morning. If I’m not worth anything, you can fire me.” 

Early the next morning the young man returned to the garage. Frayer was not yet there. Noticing that the floor was thick with metal shavings and accumulated dirt and grease, the boy got a broom and shovel and set to work cleaning the place.

The rest of the boy’s future was predictable. He went on to a national reputation as a racing car driver and automotive expert. In World War I he was America’s leading flying ace. Later he founded Eastern Airlines. His name – Eddie Rickenbacker. 

So, let me ask you: are you self-motivated? Do you have the initiative to move forward and do things for God without having to be told? Do others have to continuously follow-up on you because of their lack of confidence that you will come through? If this is the case, then your lack of initiative is a detriment to your testimony. Think about it!

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Ask God to give you the initiative to accomplish His work without someone having to continually prompt you.

Influence

Bible Reading: Job 38:25-41

Key Verse: Verse 31 – “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?”

Key Words: influences of the Pleiades

If people are going to follow you, then you must, to some degree, have some influence in this life. The problem is that many times we are so dedicated to man that their influence keeps us from seeing the truth: i.e., the Mormons and Joseph Smith, the Catholics and the Pope, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Charles Tare Russell. 

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier the object, the faster it would fall to the earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely, he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle’s death. In 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound weight and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right. 

All of us influence someone. We must all make sure that our influence is God-ward, not man-ward.

                                                                                         Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Use your influence for God’s glory, not your own. 

P. S. The Pleiades are the mythical sisters of Atlas who saved the people from Orion. The story was a myth but the people were so influenced by it one could never conclude that it was a myth.

Integrity

Bible Reading: Job 2:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 9 – “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”

Key Words: Dost thou still retain thine integrity

Integrity comes from the math word integer meaning “a whole number.” If we are to have integrity, we must be whole – the same in soul and spirit. Our words and actions must match. 

Integrity can get you far in life, but a lack of it can destroy you. 

Dr. Bob Reccord tells of an experience he learned about while in the business world. A major institution that ranked among the Fortune 500 was working to make an unheard-of move. They were going to promote a thirty-eight-year-old vice-president to president. The man was an impressive businessman who wooed and awed the board of directors. Upon completing the final interview process, the board broke for lunch, with plans to offer this man the prestigious position of president after they all returned from lunch. This young man went to lunch alone at a cafeteria but was unintentionally followed by several of the board members, who stood in line behind him. When the young man came to the bread section, he placed two three-cent butters on his tray and covered them up with his napkin. As he checked out he never revealed the hidden six cents’ worth of butter. When everyone returned to the boardroom for what was to be a joyous occasion, the mood had dramatically changed. The promising young man was not only denied the helm of the company but was fired from his position as vice-president – all because of six cents’ worth of butter. 

It wasn’t the six cents’ worth of butter that got the vice-president fired. The six cents’ worth of butter simply revealed why he needed to be fired – because of his lack of integrity.

 

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Ask God daily to give you integrity.

Ingratitude

Bible Reading:  I Chronicles 16:1-13

Key Verse: Verse 8 – “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”

Key Words: Give thanks unto the Lord

The ark had been captured by the Philistines (I Samuel 4:11), but seven months later was sent back to Israel. We read in I Chronicles 16 about the grand ceremony of the ark’s return. In the midst of all this David says in verse 8, “Give thanks.” Now, this raises a question in my mind. Why would David have to say to the people, “Give thanks”? Could it be they were filled with ingratitude? If so, what a shame! 

Many years ago, as the story is told, a devout king was disturbed by the ingratitude of his royal court. He prepared a large banquet for them. When the king and his royal guests were seated, by prearrangement, a beggar shuffled into the hall, sat down at the king’s table, and gorged himself with food. Without saying a word, he then left the room. The guests were furious and asked permission to seize the tramp and tear him limb from limb for his ingratitude. The king replied, “The beggar has done only once to an earthly king what each of you does three times each day to God. You sit there at the table and eat until you are satisfied. Then you walk away without recognizing God or expressing one word of thanks to Him.” 

Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday, but what are you doing for me today. The past is meaningless and so is the future. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future. 

Lose your gratitude and you will lose your effectiveness for God.

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:  

✞ Ask God daily to give you an attitude of gratitude.

Credibility

Bible Reading: Mark 9:14-32

Key Verse: Verse 18 – “And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”

Key Words: and they could not

Every adult has a credit rating. That rating is based upon us doing what we say we will do. If we fail to do what we have promised, our credit rating drops. As a result, others will not extend credit to us because our word is not good. We have no credibility. 

Credibility is invaluable to the believer. If people do not believe our message because of a lack of credibility, we become weak in our witness. 

There is a tale told of that great English actor Macready. An eminent preacher once said to him: “I wish you would explain something to me.” 

“Well, what is it? I don’t know that I can explain anything to a preacher.” 

“What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all.” 

Macready’s answer was this: “This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction.” 

Today, I challenge you to be a credible witness for God.

                                                                                                 Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Be credible.

Clarity

Bible Reading: Psalm 51

Key Verse: Verse 4 – “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

Key Words: be clear when thou judgest

If no one can understand what we say, then why say it? Clarity of speech is extremely important. If not, it leads to miscommunication…which leads to inappropriate actions. 

J. Edgar Hoover ran the FBI, no question about it. As a result, almost all of his subordinates were on the lookout for ways to impress their powerful boss. A young FBI man was put in charge of the FBI’s supply department. In an effort to cut some costs and impress his boss, he reduced the size of the office memo paper. One of the new memo sheets soon ended up on Hoover’s desk. Hoover took one look at it, determined he didn’t like the size of the margins on the paper, and quickly scribbled on the memo, “Watch the borders!” The memo was passed on through the office. 

For the next six weeks, it was extremely difficult to enter the United States by road from either Mexico or Canada. The FBI was watching the borders. Why was the FBI watching the borders? They thought they had received a warning from their chief. 

But they hadn’t. They had transformed an innocuous comment into a solemn warning. Clarity is important.

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ If it’s worth saying…say it with clarity.

Insight

Bible Reading: John 4:1-29

Key Verse: Verse 15 – “The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

Key Words: Sir, give me this water

The word insight means “the ability to see beyond the façade, the ability to see beyond what others want to see, and see the truth.” Insight is something we all need but so very few have. 

Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, Dottie Rambo, her husband Buck, and their daughter Reba, made up The Singing Rambos, one of the most successful southern gospel trios of all time. As the group’s main songwriter, Dottie was prolific. Today, hardly any modern hymnal fails to include one or more of her 2,500 songs. Dottie’s best-known song, by far, is the inspirational “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need.” 

In 1970, Dottie began writing a song about the grace of God but was unable to finish it. When her older brother was hospitalized with cancer and told that he had only weeks to live, Dottie sat by his bedside and ministered to him. Within a few days, she persuaded him to marry the woman who had borne him five children. 

Dottie read the Bible to him and prayed with him. One day, after singing at a concert, she returned to ask: “Have you given your life to Jesus since I’ve been gone?” 

Eddie, 37, stared at her with sad eyes. “After the wicked life I’ve lived, the Lord won’t raise a person like me,” he muttered. He reminded her of his time in jail and his addiction to drugs and alcohol. 

“The Lord left the 99 to bring a lost sheep like you back to the fold,” Dottie told him. She continued to pray for his salvation. Then she went home and finished “He Looked Beyond My Fault.” For years Jimmie Davis, the southern gospel singer and former Louisiana governor, had asked her to write a song to the tune of “Danny Boy.” With this song, she finally discovered the inspiration. Later that day, she returned to the hospital to sing the song to Eddie. 

“Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise,

For it was grace that brought my liberty;

I do not know just why He came to love me so,

He looked beyond my fault and saw my need

Chorus

“I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,

To view the cross where Jesus died for me,

How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul;

He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.”

 Dear God, help me to look beyond the faults of others and see their needs.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse                                                    

What to do: 

✞ Look at others with the eyes of your heart and see their needs, not their faults.