December 16, 2021 – Click here to listen
I began writing Words for the Day five times per week in 1998. At first, I did not have a program that would keep up with subscribes and unsubscribes but convinced one of my programmers to write one for me in his spare time. This was quite the feat because he was an atheist and despite a relentless effort on my part to lead him to Christ he still is.
Several years passed and then programs such as Word Press and mailing programs like Constant Contact became available and the blog hit the scene. I eventually switched to these tools to handle the mechanics of getting WFTD distributed.
The content was a different matter. I was inspired to write it one morning during my daily devotional. Being an insomniac meant I generally arrived at work by 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. and the first part of my day was devoted to spending time with the Lord. It was quiet in my office at that time of the morning, and no one was there to disturb me for several hours. Like every other human being on the planet at times I faced intense pressure, anger, stress, sorrow, and grief but I enjoyed happiness, peace, love and joy at other times. Studying the Bible daily was how I coped with both my problems and successes in life. It gave me hope and peace and helped to tame the wild spirit that so often ruled my life. Studying the Bible always meant that I started the day in a good mood. While it is true that sometimes it did not last too long especially when some knucklehead did something stupid that hurt our company, but at least I started off well.
So, I was thinking about this one morning and I thought of all the people who worked at our company that didn’t ever open a Bible and I wondered how they dealt with life. I shuddered to think of going through life without God’s steady loving hand guiding them. So, I decided to write about my life and what was going on in it each day and relate it to the lesson I gleaned from my Bible study that morning. I researched the Bible to find answers to solve my problems and graciously handle my successes and devoured the Word of God to see what He advised about my situation. I told all my employees what I was doing and that it was there for the taking but it was irrelevant to their job, and I set a policy of not ever personally looking at the subscription list because I didn’t want to reward subscribers or punish non-subscribers. My life has been interesting and WFTD was well-received and without any advertising began to spread to people outside of work and today is read by folks around the world. I still do not look at the subscriber list.
Recently a lady responded to a WFTD that I wrote and reposted it on Facebook. She wrote:
“I think my life is like a speeding meteor shooting through the sky that will appear for a glorious moment or two and then disappear into obscurity. Before my life is extinguished, I want to experience as much of this life as the Lord will allow. At this point in my life, I simply cannot make time to do them all because there isn’t enough time. So, I must decide which is more important and make haste. Some projects may seem silly but in the words of Martin Luther: Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. I “borrowed” the above from Bob Williamson (bob@wordsfortheday.com) but it is exactly what I would have liked to have written myself if I were a writer like him! There are so many things to do and places to go and people to see and time is so short.”
She then followed up with:
“I know the saying is that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission, and that really hadn’t entered my mind when I posted the below on Facebook. Then I got to thinking about it and realized I really should have asked your permission before I copied and pasted some of your words into Facebook. So, I hope I am forgiven. But your words were 100% the way I am thinking these days, at 80 yrs. old. I want to still see and do so very, very much and I know I don’t have much time left, but I am trying to be a witness for God and live life while I can.”
I responded and assured her she could repost anything I write, and she does not need my permission or to credit me with writing it, (and that goes for all readers as well). I thought what she wrote was beautiful and came from deep within her heart. This was on my mind this morning as I studied a passage in Jeremiah concerning prophets that had led people astray by mischaracterizing God’s words and I wrote my Bible study partner and said: “The Bible states in several places that those who teach the Word of God are under more intense scrutiny. I worry about that sometimes when I write Words for the Day. I pray that it is inspired by the Holy Spirit and not the flesh but have failed more than once. Gulp . . . I don’t write it for my ego or financial gain but to serve the Lord and I wonder sometimes if I should take the risk, but I know God desires for me to continue and will not allow me to stop. I pray that I will be led by Him to say the right words . . . “
Those who aspire to leadership within the church are held to a higher standard than other believers because of the great influence teachers wield. Their works and their words carry a greater weight than those who are not teaching. If teachers fall, they can take many people with them; therefore, God will judge teachers of the Word according to the kind of impact they had on those they aspired to lead. “We must all stand before Christ to be judged”, and our rewards will be based upon how faithfully we persevered in this life to the glory of God. Teachers will face a stricter judgment on that day of reckoning. Those who abused their position or distorted the gospel message will be judged accordingly. Those teachers who persevered in truth and love and served where God placed them will receive His blessing, reward, and the joy of hearing from Jesus Himself, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!”
I want each of you to know that I try my utmost to listen to the Holy Spirit each morning and like a scribe write down exactly what He would have me say on His behalf. Unfortunately, I am fallible and mere flesh. The writers of the Bible however wrote exactly what the Lord inspired them to write every time without fail and thus the Bible is infallible. Cherish it and listen to the Spirit through its words and hope will spring eternal as will love. As for me I don’t care for rewards and do not feel qualified to receive any. My desire is for others to enjoy the hope, peace, love, and happiness that I enjoy knowing that it all comes from my relationship with Jesus. Praise His name!
James 3:1
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”