Category: CHRISTIAN LIFE
Identity Theft: Losing Our Christian Self-Consciousness
When whimpering Gideon hid himself from the Midianites in the winepress while threshing his wheat, the angel of the Lord appeared to him with this striking greeting: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Man of valor? In Gideon’s mind, nothing could be...
I Will Rejoice . . . Today!
This is the day which the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24Grumbling and complaining, worrying, and fretting are explicitly forbidden to the Christian (Philippians 2:14; 4:6; Psalm 37) and are inconsistent with the life of faith. Instead the Bible...
How to Become Radio-Active
A newlywed friend of mine confessed surprise concerning her new husband. She had known from the beginning that he supported a particular Christian radio station, but what she hadn’t realized was that he listened to it constantly. The station woke them up in the morning on...
How Do You Recover From This?
When a child leaves the home abruptly and angrily, with a vow not to return, how do you recover? When you receive termination papers from your work with no prospects of another job, how do you keep from losing it all? When bills pile too high...
How to “Go and Do Likewise”
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the...
Holiness or Hell?
The definition of holiness includes the concept of being distinct, set apart from everything (or everyone) else. Christians are holy people in two ways. First, believers are holy in God’s sight in terms of their position. Through faith in Christ, they are uniquely set apart by...
Hit by the Pitch
As an assistant coach for my son’s baseball team, I have watched a particularly formative event take place in the lives of many Little Leaguers. They come out to play with the greatest enthusiasm, but then something happens—something which even the most talented players are not...
Have You Ever Noticed that “Love It” Rhymes with Covet?
How much time do you spend “window shopping”?—trying on clothes or shoes, browsing through catalogs or on the internet, admiring the latest car models, or loitering in the tool section of Sears or the hunting and fishing section of Wal-Mart? Now please don’t get mad or...
GPS for the Soul
Admiral Byrd spent a six month night alone on his first Antarctic Expedition. Each day he shoveled to the surface for exercise. There was just enough light to see a dozen yards or so. In that light he walked a few steps then turned back into...
Giant Despair
“Great thoughts of your sin alone will lead you to despair,” said the beloved 19th Century London pastor, Charles Spurgeon. He ought to know. He had excruciating bouts with depression. “I know the borders of despair and the horrible brink of that gulf of darkness into...
