Help for Today: Lessons From The Road

One of my relatives observed that middle Tennessee could be the most beautiful place on earth. I can really understand the sentiment. Highways have been carved into a glorious view of nature. While man, created by God, injected the buildings and roads, it was God who provided the view. Mountains, trees, waterfalls, cliffs, valleys and amazing colors all reflect the power and majesty of our God. How could anyone ever doubt His existence? Traveling can also remind you of the wonder of God’s ultimate creating, mankind. We were the only part of creation “made in His image.” We are that part of creation who will live eternally. He gave us a living, lasting soul. The tie that binds Christian people together is strong. It is a bond that goes beyond the boundary of this life. It is a joy to meet new people with whom you share something so special. All the way around, God knew what He was doing, didn’t He? He knew what is best for us. He knows what is best for us. Even today!

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Team

Text: 1 Corinthians 12

I came across this powerful story. “Every year in Alaska, a 1000-mile dogsled race, a run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original "race" run to save lives. Back in January of 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome. When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-dipheheria serum. But it wasn't long before Dr. Welch's supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska--1000 miles of frozen wilderness away. Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams! Operating in relays from trading post to trapping station and beyond, one sled started out from Nome while another, carrying the serum, started from Nenana. Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome. As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic. Their sacrifice had given an entire town the gift of life.” A group can do amazing things when they work together as a team. What is in store for us? We know God will richly bless us as we work together and submit to His will. May all of us, working as a team, see the challenges and opportunities in front of us. May we do what we can. Today.                                                                                                               

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Are You Doing Right?

2 Samuel 11

What did David do in 2 Samuel 11? He sent and inquired about the woman. He took her. He lay with her. He sent for Uriah the Hittite after he knew Bathsheba was pregnant. He sent Uriah to his house to be with his wife. He took Uriah, fed him and made him drunk. He sent Uriah back to the battlefield carrying his own death sentence in his hands in the form of a letter from the king. What did Uriah do? He was faithful, literally until the end. He would not even go into his wife while his fellow soldiers were in battle. He headed back to battle and, ultimately, lost his life faithfully serving his king. In fact, 2 Samuel 23 identified Uriah as being one of David’s “mighty men.” Did David do right? Did Uriah do right? There lives are recorded for us in scripture for our learning. And so, the question daily comes to us. Are we doing right? In view of the fact we know what to do (and what not to do), are we doing right? He that knows to “do good” and does not “do it” to him it is sin. Not everyone that says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he that “does” the will of the Father. With many opportunities in front of you today, are you doing right? Having the opportunity with someone today to make a first impression, are you doing right? Carrying the name of a Christian, are you doing right? Do right…today!

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: 

Are You Positioning Yourself Right?

Text: 2 Samuel 11

 “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle…But David remained at Jerusalem.” Please don’t get ahead of me. I know you are already thinking about the trouble that King David is about to face. But, today, I want you to focus on where his trouble started. He was not where he was supposed to be. He stayed behind. He remained in Jerusalem. While his men were on the battlefield, he was back in Jerusalem. The temptation he is about to face was in Jerusalem, where David should not have been. Bathsheba’s husband was on the battlefield, where David should have been. Think with me for a moment. Think of the greatest temptations you have faced. Think of the times you have given in to the allure of the enemy. How many of those temptations would have “gone away” if you had put yourself in the right place? You know the “buttons” the enemy pushes with you. You know the areas where he is most effective, and where you are most vulnerable. Watch where you are. Watch the environments you are in. Be careful where you position yourself. To your own self be true! No one knows you like you do. Be where you are supposed to be! Today.

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Nevertheless

“O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Nevertheless. It is perhaps the single most important word in the passage. It is the word that indicated the heart of the Teacher. It is the word that shows submission. It is the word that reveals His priority. The Teacher knew the line that could not be crossed. He was very comfortable emptying His heart before the Father. Humility. It’s not My will. It is Yours that must be done. The Teacher was flat on His face. From the ground He was begging for a way out, but before the prayer was completed He was clearly revealing His commitment to the Father’s will. Respect at its highest level is when you submit to an authority, even when their will is different than yours. Judges 21 speaks of a time, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” It is not about me. The Teacher taught me. See the value today of submission to the Father. How does one so sorrowful, so distressed and so hopeful for another way find this strength of conviction? Nevertheless!

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: From Now On       

Text: Genesis 2:24

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” I know when I stood with Tracie on the steps of the old Northport church building in August, 1990, brother Williams referred to this verse. However, it was Sunday morning in the auditorium of the Riverchase building that reality seemed to set in for my bride. I’ll never forget looking at her and seeing the tears on her face. I’ve jokingly said for years she started crying that day and has been crying ever since. But, I’ve backed off using that event as a joke. I look at it differently now. I look at it much more seriously now. That moment was a reminder to me of just how serious the step we had taken was. We stood on a stage together surrounded by men in tuxes and ladies in pretty dresses. We had cake, had birdseed thrown and drove away in a well-decorated vehicle. But we woke up that Sunday morning to a “from now on” relationship. It’s not trivial. It’s not take it or leave it. It’s a life commitment “from now on.” That’s what the Father meant in the second chapter of the Bible. I am hers and she is mine, “from now on.” By the way, Christian, do not miss the parallel of your Savior, the Bridegroom, and His relationship with His bride, the church. When you came up from that water “rising to walk in newness of life,” you made a “from now on” commitment to Him. It’s not trivial. It’s not take it or leave it. It’s a life commitment “from now on.” Thank God and give it some thought. Today.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: The Other Guy

Text: Jonah 3 & 4

How did Jonah not see it? God was willing to forgive Nineveh in just the same way He forgave Jonah. Did they deserve forgiveness? No! Neither did he. But, God is still “longsuffering,” not wanting any to perish but wanting all to come to repentance. As He forgave a repentant Jonah, He determined to forgive Nineveh, too. They turned from their evil way, God saw it and He forgave. (By the way, I benefit from that forgiveness, too!) But, Jonah did not see it. While he valued his “personal forgiveness,” he just could not come to grips with God’s forgiveness of the “other guy.” That is different! They are not like me. I knew God would do something like this. They deserved to be destroyed. God knew it. Jonah knew it. Actually, I know it, too. Jonah, listen to me. Take a step back and breath. Then thank God that we, as we are faithful, committed and obedient to a loving, forgiving God, do not get what we deserve…We get what we need!!! Our great need is forgiveness. As accountable, responsible people we are all lumped in to the same basket. Our great need is forgiveness. Thank you God for forgiveness. The other guy is no worse than I am. Our need is the same. Forgiveness! I encourage you to give that a thought or two today. We are so blessed!

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Sacrificial

Text: Ephesians 5

Think with me men. What price would you pay to insure the safety of your wives? I would hope you would willingly sacrifice your very life to preserve that special one. But, how likely are you to remember to carry out the garbage in the morning? Clark, now you are meddling! “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.” Some translations render this passage He “gave Himself up.” I really lean toward the phrase, “gave Himself for her.” I know the truth. I know He bore our sins in His body on the tree as He purchased the church with His blood at a place called Calvary. I know the “giving” of our Savior was at its most dramatic at that place. But, I also know the “sacrifice” of Jesus was demonstrated not at a singular moment, but in a life well lived. His sacrifice was daily. His giving of Himself took in a lot of “Mondays.” If He gives up along the way, if He becomes selfish and self-centered, the blessing of Calvary becomes impossible. He had to be that “Lamb” without blemish and without spot. His day-to-day living was a “living sacrifice.” He “showed” us how to look out, not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. We are called to step out of our comfort zones. We are called to be willing to make sacrifices. Sacrifice. Today…

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help For Today: A Time To Stand

Text: Daniel 3

        

The king let his power go to his head. After all, his word was the law and he did not mind pushing his weight around. It was his golden image, his law and when he said he wanted all of his subjects to bow down to it, he meant it. When the music sounded, he expected the world to come to a stop and everyone bow down to his created image. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego faced a dilemma. What were these Hebrew boys going to do. They knew God was a jealous God, and would accept no other gods before Him. But, they also knew there was a corner or two they could cut. The “spirit of compromise” was present. Could they not make some kind of movement to give the appearance of “bowing” while appeasing their conscience with, “I really did not bow.” One of the enemies’ great weapons then, and now, is compromise. Compromise your convictions for the sake of “getting along.” Every body wins, right? Wrong! And these men knew it. When the music sounded, there was no mistaking their choice. No one could question, “Did they bow, or not?” It did not take long for the king to get word of their action, or “inaction.” They did not bow. They did not bend. They did not try to “play both sides.” While the earthly king was furious, at least he knew the truth. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego had made it clear where they stood! Don’t try to straddle a fence. Stand up and be clear.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Inside and Out

                 

I am pretty sure you will not be shocked to learn that I am a big fan of potato chips. The good people at Lays had someone like me in mind when they said, “no one can eat just one.” While I like Lays, I must admit I feel a level of disappointment when I open that beautiful bag and discover that most of it is empty, Contrast that with your Pringles and you’ll discover that can is stacked all the way to the top. The outside promotes what the inside backs up. I am not writing this today to force you to make a decision of your chip of choice, but I am asking you to consider a very important principle. The inside matters! We sing, “Is thy heart right with God?’” “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” The inside matters. Our world puts a great deal of emphasis on that outer shell that the world sees with their eyes. Satan plays that game, too. God revealed it to Samuel, as He does to us. Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart. The inside matters. No matter how good that outside looks, there comes a time when the bag is opened and the inside is known. God sees it right now. If you question that, ask Jonah or Ananias and Sapphira or a poor widow that gave all she had. The inside matters. Take a good look in the mirror. Lays or Pringles? What do you see?

         

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Bread

Text: John 6:33-35

“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” What disappears from the stores first when the threat of snow is in the area? Bread! What appears in baskets and is placed by our plates at many restaurants? Bread! Bread sustains us. Bread helps maintain life. It seems, when we can have nothing else, at least, please, give me bread. And Jesus says, “Come to Me.” Jesus is the bread of life. He sustains us and gives us life when nothing else will.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Anticipation

Text: John 14

You are standing on the edge of the ocean…What will it feel like? You smell that steak cooking on the grill…What will it taste like? You drive your car to that first day on a new job…What will it be like? Anticipation! What is in front of me? Anticipation is a step into the unknown with somewhat of a perception of how you think it should be. You want it to be better than you imagine. You hope you will not be disappointed. Let us do what we can to positively anticipate how things can be when we do our part, and trust God that He will bless our efforts. In thinking of anticipation, this passage comes to mind. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Anticipation…Today! 

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Truth

Text: Proverbs 12

“The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment…Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” Pinocchio’s nose grew longer with each lie he told. And we laugh. What if truth were clearly revealed in our words? Would it still be funny? Those words are revealed to God. There was a day when a man’s word was, “his bond.” Many business deals have been completely sealed with a handshake. The “truth” is, that kind of honesty and commitment has not, “gone out of style.” To the Father, a lie, from the drastic to the “situational” to the “little white lie” is an abomination. Integrity is still a badge of honor. Let your word be your bond today.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Race Well

Text: Hebrews 12:1-2

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” What are the chances of seeing your favorite basketball team wearing ice skates on the court? Not very good! Do you think Olympic swimmers will wear combat boots in the pool? I doubt it! Those involved in athletic competition understand you clothe and prepare yourself to compete at your highest level. You are not looking for hindrances. Your life is compared to a race. Remove those things that will hinder your efforts. Run your best. Race well!

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Keeping Your Kids Safe on the Internet

By: Charles Steiner

When it comes to protecting your kids on the Internet, the advise a family minister used to be able to give was much more simple. “Put the computer in an open room where everyone can see it” we’d say. Now, portable “computers” are very popular. We are living in a world where even many preteens have their own personal smart phones, tablets, and laptops. Now that our “computers” often fit in our pockets, the task of protecting your children on the Internet has become that much more difficult. The reality is, your child could be sitting just feet away from you and be getting in to much trouble on these devises.

Is there any solution to protect your children from pornography, sexual predators, cyber bullying, identify theft, and the many other dangers awaiting them on the internet? I suggest that if you as a parent are really serious about keeping your kids safe on the Internet, that you look into a tool that will let you know as a parent what your kids are doing on the Internet. One tool that appears to be very useful is called McGruff Safeguard.

McGruff Safeguard is a service that intelligently monitors kids' Internet activity, including: websites visited, chat, instant messaging, search engine phrases, and social network profiles on Facebook and many others. The Service alerts parents to problems such as cyber bullying, Internet predators, dangerous behavior, underage/illicit sexual activity, suicide, drug use, credit card abuse and crime.

The service notifies you via email or text message when your child's online behavior is worrisome. For example, if “little Jimmy” did a Google search for “playboy”, mom and dad would either be emailed or texted that it happened. You could even take it a step further and have every single thing they do on the Internet (good or bad) sent to you in a daily email. This service can be used on all devices with Internet capability. If you use some of the same devices as your kids, you can change the settings where you do not have to be under the same type of restrictions as your children. McGruff Safeguard can be used for $7.50 a month. If you like it and decide you want to keep using it, you can pay $119 and be able to use it for the rest of your life with no monthly payments.

I could tell you much more about this tool that helps your kids stay safe on the Internet. However, the best thing you can do to learn more is to visit gomcgruff.com. There you will find all the information and videos to help you decide if you want to use this product or not. You can also learn more by searching “McGruff Safeguard” in the Apple app store. For those of you that do decide to do this, I would be interested in your feedback about what you are learning and how things are going. Please come to me with any question or concerns you have about this or any other issue relating to you, your kids, and your family. I am always happy to be of service. 

Help for Today: Standing Still

Text: Mark 10

It is pretty common for preachers to make reference to the statement of Jesus in Mark 10. The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve. You understand He was showing the disciples what true greatness really was. He was calling His disciples, including us, to service. But, then the gathering ended. Jesus and His disciples were back on the road. As they moved forward, they encountered a blind man named Bartimaeus, who was crying out to Jesus. Some tried to “hush him up.” Just know this. While Bartimaeus cried out, Jesus faced a great test. Would His life actions match His words? As you know, He passed the test with flying colors. The heart of Jesus is revealed in the fact He “stood still.” The man in need received His full attention. While we observe the wonder of a blind man being given his sight, perhaps the great lesson from this story for us is the value of our actions matching our words. He absolutely meant what He said. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. His purpose is my purpose. Today…

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Push Forward

Text: Philippians 3:13-14

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope God will bless you richly in this New Year. “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Yesterday is a thing of the past. What can I do about yesterday? And, well, tomorrow will never come. All I have is today! Live to the best of your ability today. Reach forward. Press on. Never quit. The goal is within our reach. Keep your eyes on the prize.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims