The One-armed Judo Fighter

Excerpt from Planting Seeds of Greatness
By Robert A. Schuller

With God as our Instructor, even our weakness becomes an advantage.

You probably know the rest of this sentence: Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness, right? Well let's take it the other way around. If that's the case, your greatest weakness is also your greatest strength. If you look at where you are weak, you can know from that position you have incredible opportunities.

There is a story of a young man who didn't have a left arm. This young man wanted to do something athletic so he decided he was going to learn judo. He went to a judo studio and he met the Sensei and he started training. The instructor said, "I want you to learn this particular move. So he taught him the move. The young man practiced that one judo move every single day. That's all he would practice. He did that week after week. Finally after several months of coming in every day, practicing this one judo move he asked the Sensei, "Why do you have me practice this one move over and over again? How can I ever learn judo and be good in judo if I only know this one move? Sensei replied, "You need only one move. You can do anything with this one move." The next month his Sensei took him to a tournament and in this tournament he fought for awhile and he did quite well and he actually pinned his opponent and won his first match. The second one was a little more difficult but as it went along he finally did his one move again and he pinned his next opponent. In the finals he had his opportunity to use his one move and he won the tournament. On the way home he talked to his instructor and he said, "How is it that I was able to win this tournament with only one move?" Sensei replied, "Two reasons: the move I taught you is the hardest move to learn in judo and secondly, the only counter to that move is to grab the left arm."

Your greatest weakness is an opportunity for God to come in and give you the greatest strength you ever could imagine.

The Bible tells us that whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. And then the greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

So the biblical perception of greatness is to be able to serve, to be able to give something back, to be able to do something for others, to be able to express love.

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Yesterday, while I was watching the much awaited deciding rematch of our very own Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao against the very formidable Mexican technical fighter Juan Manuel Marquez, I remembered this story of the one-armed judo fighter.

At some point in the fight, Manny's one eye was unable to see clearly because of the blood that got into it as a result of an accidental head butt. This gave the opponent an additional big advantage, yet Manny was able to adjust to the condition and managed to win the fight.

The Spiritual Test

By Dr. Michael Youssef
Leading The Way
Crosswalk.com

We can all remember our school days when we were faced with exams. We spent all day in school-and still we panicked when it came to test time. Why? Perhaps it's because our time in the classroom was only one part of the learning process. The other part was time at home engaging with the material through homework, worksheets, and flashcards-all designed to prepare us for exams and to make sure we had a grasp of the material and were headed in the right direction. The exam brought panic because it was the culmination of all of our hard work and the measure of our direction and mastery of the material.

These exams and tests were for our benefit. They measured our growth, highlighted our strengths and weaknesses, and guided us to the paths we should take. The same is true of our spiritual lives. We face tests and exams on a spiritual level, but they count for greater consequences because the results of these tests are indicators of our eternal future.

We must examine ourselves with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and always be ready to be tested. Always being ready for exams is foundational to a positive life in Christ. Throughout 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote about all that God taught him and what gave him power to live positively in Christ in the midst of fear, trepidation, imprisonment, and flogging. In his conclusion to this letter he says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, NASB).

The Corinthians of old fell into the trap that some of our modern educators have fallen into today. If students are not keeping up and succeeding in school, some believe that the standards must be too high-so they lower the standards. The problem is that lowering the standards and changing the curriculum doesn't insist on accountability.

Worse than the education system is evidence that this is happening in the churches of Jesus Christ, too. People don't want to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven and eternal life. Some churches are saying, Let's lower the standards. Let's stop talking about this particular truth. We'll water down the truth and not talk about the central truth of Christianity. Instead, we'll talk about relationships and good communication. We don't want to offend people because they are the most important part of the church.

However, the Apostle Paul would tell us that this type of compromise will only lead us in the wrong direction. This type of thinking causes frustration and disappointment. Paul is telling us that to have the peace and assurance of our salvation, believe the Word of God. Examine yourself and find out if you are in the faith and living in the truth-or if you are not.

God is not going to change His Gospel to make it palatable for people who don't like it. He is sovereign, and we need to accommodate Him; He doesn't have to accommodate us.

King David-a man after God's heart-cried out to God saying, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).

When we refuse to examine ourselves on a regular basis we are taking God's grace and salvation for granted. But don't miss the fabulous news: In this test that the Bible talks about, we can be always a success. Even those who fail the test can succeed. If you examine yourself on a daily basis and find that you are in the faith, then you will be overjoyed by His grace and mercy and will give God the glory. But if you examine yourself and find that you have moved away from the truth, then God has given you an engraved invitation to repent and to return to the truth.

God promised in His Word to receive anyone who turns to Him. The moment you come face to face with the reality that you have departed from the faith by sinning gravely and you repent, God in His grace and mercy receives you. He embraces you. He forgives you. He restores you. You are, again, overjoyed by His grace and mercy and give God the glory. Either way, God is glorified. Examine yourself.

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Excerpted from My Journal, a monthly devotional magazine from Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.

Steering Clear of Compromise

By Charles F. Stanley
Intouch Ministries

As he took a sip of his first beer, the young man thought, “I hope I end up an alcoholic.”

Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn’t it? No one starts out intending to be an alcoholic or a drug addict, unable to cope with life unless he or she is intoxicated. It just happens—one little step at a time.

Accommodating Sin

Now, you might not be struggling with alcoholism. But maybe there’s another area of your life in which you’ve been less obedient lately. Maybe not a big sin, because we seldom start with serious sins. Instead, compromise happens little by little. The slope to sinful patterns is gradual and smooth.

Consider a woman who purchased a dress to wear one time to a formal dinner. She reasoned that God would want her to look her best. But her finances were tight, so she returned the dress the next day. No problem. No complications. Instead, a lot of compliments. The next time she needed a dress for a special occasion, she didn’t struggle over what to do. Each time got easier. Eventually, it didn’t bother her at all.

Then there was the college student who needed an original idea for his term paper. He realized that if he plagiarizes a little on it, he would sound more intelligent. Writing the paper would take less time too. He was sure God wouldn't want him to hand his paper in late. So he cheated—just a little at first. No hassles. Good grade. The next time it wasn’t such a big deal. Eventually, he even purchased entire papers online to turn in as his own.

None of these people wanted to fall away from God’s best for their lives. In fact, they were trying to seize the things they thought would bring His best. But good people fall hard when they give up what they know is right.

I’m sure if you had asked Solomon at the beginning of his reign if he would ever consider worshipping an idol, he would have passionately replied, “Never!” But his temptation didn’t come at him head on. He never expected his wives to lead him astray. What started as admiring the beauty of foreign women ended up as the worship of false gods (1 Kings 11:5 & 8). We are no more immune to the consequences of compromise than Solomon.

Accountability

What’s the best way to protect yourself against the temptation to compromise? Develop an accountability relationship with someone you respect and trust. As long as Satan can keep you isolated, he has a better chance of getting to your thoughts. Lonely, isolated people are prime targets for his schemes. Busy workaholics are equally vulnerable.

The last thing Satan wants is for us to spend time together, revealing our weak points and praying for each other. That’s why it’s so important for me and you to find someone (of the same gender) we can get real with, drop our pretenses with, and allow God to work through.

Renewing Our Minds

Since compromise can be born in a single thought, we cannot take lightly the command to “renew our minds.” We must make a special effort to protect ourselves from Satan’s attacks. Personal Bible study, corporate worship, or any opportunity you have to fill your mind with the truth is something you must be engaged in regularly. The mind will be either fertile ground for the truth or vulnerable territory for the lies of Satan.

Opening God’s Word once on Sunday morning isn’t enough to equip you to fight Satan’s attacks the rest of the week. But that’s what he wants you to believe. Don’t fall for his lies. Study and equip yourself for the battle of a lifetime.

Journaling

Finally, I suggest you journal about the areas of your life in which you are tempted to compromise. I have a friend who began writing things down on paper many years ago. He found great insight and comfort as he looked back over the years of written pages that chronicled his life’s story. You don’t have to worry about someone thinking you’re weird or you don’t have the right answers. You can write from your heart, turn over your written thoughts to the One who loves you and gave Himself for you, and then profit from what He can teach you.

No formula can guarantee you’ll never fall prey to compromise. But take these simple steps towards safeguarding yourself, and you’ll be one step ahead of Satan’s plan to sabotage your intimate walk with God.

Adapted from Charles Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living, 1996. pp. 66-68.