Today's Good News

May 2002

5/1/02 Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him.

I have been married more than thirty years. I can truthfully say that my wife has been a real helpmate. At times she has led and at times she has followed my lead. We have worked together to profit from our mistakes and to enjoy good fortune. My wife has seriously enriched my life. This journey would be difficult without her.

5/2/02 Genesis 24:12
“O LORD, God of my master,” he prayed. “Give me success and show kindness to my master, Abraham. Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey.

I have tried to consider my employers goals as my goals. I have never worked for someone that I didn’t respect and trust. God has called me to be diligent, resourceful and fair.

5/3/02 Matthew 15:25
But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, “Lord, help me!”

There have been some days that I wouldn’t have made it without Jesus. The challenges of life are sometimes overwhelming. He has been faithful to me.

5/4/02 Daniel 9:18
“O my God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins – for everyone knows that it is yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.

Sin is real. I am a sinner. Forgiveness also is real. Forgiveness erases my sin and equips me to fellowship with the Father. Thank you Lord for forgiving me.

5/5/02 Matthew 25:44-45
“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

God loves people most of all. He created every single person in His image. I will either serve those that God loves or I will slave for the demon Satan.

5/6/02 Mark 9:24
The father instantly replied, “I do believe, but help me not to doubt!”

I am a doubting Thomas. Oh I want to believe and I purpose to believe. The truth is only the power of God will equip and enable me to believe. Come Lord Jesus.

5/7/02 Exodus 23:5
If you see the donkey of someone who hates you struggling beneath a heavy load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and offer to help.

What I do counts. People need help. I may be the only help that those I come into contact with will get.

5/8/02 Matthew 7:4
How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?

I always know how to fix other peoples problems. Lord help me to fix mine and keep my mouth shut.

5/9/02 Matthew 9:36
He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

Problems come. Jesus solves problems. When I get up each day I commit that day to the Lord. I ask for wisdom, mercy and grace. Before the day is over I am claiming that help from the Lord. He has never failed me.

5/10/02 John 5:5-7
One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me.”

Life seeks to make me miss the point. The point is I must go to Jesus for all my needs. If I mess up I need help. I don’t need to worry about fixing the situation. I need to fix me. In real life the problem that I must learn to deal with is me.

5/11/02 Acts 20:35
And I have been a constant example of how you can help the poor by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”

I can cry about what I don’t have or give what I can. I don’t advocate a give to get philosophy but my experience is that I have always reaped bountifully when I gave. Giving equips me for life and spiritual growth.

5/12/02 Romans 1:11
For I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord.

I need Christian friends. I need to express what God is doing inside of me and in my life. The miracles He shapes are important. The lives He touches through me are a blessing. It is amazing how much the Lord is doing in and through me and you.

5/13/02 Deuteronomy 8:5
So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you to help you.

I am self centered and blind. Some days everything I do is wrong. When I get this way I need correcting. The Lord is faithful to correct me, forgive me, and put be back on the right path. Often He does this quickly. If I will go to Him everyday I will seldom go more than a day in the wrong direction.

5/14/02 Ro 5:3
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to endure.

I really don’t like learning experiences while I am going through them. But it is these very same learning experiences that equip me to serve the Lord Jesus. Father, as difficult as they are I am grateful to you. Help me to stand in the hour of learning and to always turn to you.

5/15/02 Deuteronomy 32:38
Where now are those gods, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their offerings? Let those gods arise and help you! Let them provide you with shelter!

The Lord is the only true God. Test Him. Call upon Him. See if He will be true to you. My own personal experience is that every promise of the Living God is true and He is always faithful.

5/16/02 Romans 12:13
When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.

I am charged with helping the people that I come into contact with. It involves my physical involvement. Proxy charity doesn’t relieve me of a call to care for those in need.

5/17/02 Hosea 5:15
Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and look to me for help. For as soon as trouble comes, they will search for me.”

I must make sure that my time with the Lord is daily. I cannot build my relationship with the Lord only when the fireworks of life go off. Foxhole religion is alive and well but that kind of faith will not sustain me over the long haul. I need the Lord.

5/18/02 Romans 14:4
Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should.

Jesus is my model for the Christian lifestyle. I am charged with the responsibility of organizing and ordering my life. Christ is my Lord. If I keep my eyes on Jesus I will be able to love and serve others.

5/19/02 Romans 15:5
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other – each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.

I need to take my personal problems to Jesus. He will listen, encourage and correct me. I have discovered that when my life is in order I don’t get out of sorts as quickly with others.

5/20/021Corinthians 14:12
Since you are so eager to have spiritual gifts, ask God for those that will be of real help to the whole church.

God gave my spiritual gifts to me. He has a plan for my life. I am not called to pick and choose the gifts that I want. I am called to exercise the gifts I have. The Lord evaluates me not the person I would like to be.

5/21/02 Deuteronomy 33:26
“There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor.

My God loves me. He loves me because He created me. He loves the way I do things. He rejoices when I smile and He hurts when I fail. The Lord is God and there is no other.

5/22/02 Judges 6:6
So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.

I love the Lord. I love Him because He first loved me. I love Him because He cares for me. I love Him because He helps me. I love Him because He never leaves me alone. I love Him because He makes my life worthwhile. I love Him because I will be with Him from this moment forever and ever and ever.

5/23/02 2Samuel 22:7
But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I called to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.

I serve a God who cares. He cares for me. He cares for me at my worst. When all else fails Jesus never fails.

5/24/02 2 Corinthians 6:2
For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.

I live in the now. Everything I do and say and am is now. I will never be what I can be tomorrow. I can only be what I am now. The world has a way of fooling me. It says tomorrow. Life is never tomorrow it is always today.

5/25/02 2 Corinthians 7:10
For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death.

I want to change. I want to be like Jesus. I can change if I will spend time with the Lord. I need to read His Word, I need to talk with Him and I need to listen for what He says.

5/26/02 Galatians 2:10
The only thing they suggested was that we remember to help the poor, and I have certainly been eager to do that.

I am among the 20% of the wealthiest people in the world. Chances are very good that you are too. Jesus said that I should care for the poor.

5/27/02 1Samuel 12:21
Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you – they really are useless!

Addictions are the curse of our day. I get caught up in self and overwhelmed by the moment and lose sight of the Lord. It is imperative that I spend time with the Lord. I need to spend time in prayer and in reading His Word. If I do not organize my life to spend time with the Lord I will waste time being overwhelmed by the world.

5/28/02 Galatians 6:1
Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

It is hard is to be humble and gentle with someone caught up in sin. Since I am not naturally humble it takes thoughtful preparation for me to be able to respond with humility. I think that Jesus wants me to care for them as if He were there caring for them himself.

5/29/02 Philippians 4:13
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

I have significant problems with insecurity. My lack of confidence causes me to overcompensate in my dealings with others. This generally ends up with me responding inappropriately. Christ wants me to love others and be loved. If I will faithfully seek His guidance in daily interactions with others He will help me to respond to them properly.

5/30/02 I Thessalonians 5:14
And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are lazy, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Life is a community event. If I choose to live like a hermit meeting only my needs and doing only my thing then I am living in total opposition to the teachings of God’s Word. God loves people and He uses me to minister to His children.

5/31/02 Hebrews 2:18
For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.

The human experience is difficult and short and the Lord Jesus has walked the same troubled paths that I walk. The Lord knows everything about me. Jesus knows my name and feels my pain.

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Clay Corvin

Clay Corvin is currently a Bible Teacher and occasional preacher at Bethel Community Baptist Church in New Orleans. He is the retired VP Business and Professor of Admin at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary after completing 38 years as their Business Administrator. He was the pastor at the Brantley Baptist Center for twenty-five years. He is married to Carol Corvin and the father of three children and has three grandchildren. He ministers today as Co-pastor of the Bethel Community Baptist Church and seeks to share the Gospel with everyone. Jesus is Lord!