Category: CHRISTIAN LIFE
So Far as It Depends on You
The words in my title are from the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:18. They are found in between the words “If possible” and “live peaceably with all.” Here’s the full sentence: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” This instruction...
Acceptance of Sin Isn’t Love
Many people who reject Christianity do so because of a perceived lack of love in churches. This rejection has caused a reactionary trend that seeks to soften God’s disapproval of sin and magnify a kind of love which isn’t really love at all. In order to...
Caleb: Encouragement for Senior Citizens
Now therefore give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day. And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance (Joshua 14:12-13). Does God love his children when they become old? Must Christians who have served...
Shine as Lights in the World
At one point in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi, he reminds them that they are to show themselves to be “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in...
What Kind of Older Man Will I Be?
I first heard pastor and author Alistair Begg talk about T.S. Mooney when I was in college. He gives some details about Mooney’s life in his book Made For His Pleasure: Ten Benchmarks of a Vital Faith (Moody Press, 1996, pp. 55-57). Begg first met Mooney...
When Your Pastor Thinks He’s Brother Molehill
It might surprise you to know that many pastors who have generous smiles on their faces each Sunday are, deep down, very disheartened. Pastoring a church is difficult work. For one thing, it is usually thankless. I know there are some churches that seem to remember...
Biblical Resolves for Every Christian, Every Year
If you’re like most people, January 1 brings to your mind the thought of New Year resolutions—using the changing of the calendar as an opportunity to review, and hopefully improve your life in various ways. Perhaps you will decide this year to improve your diet, or...
Jesus on Obedience
Did you know that your motive for obeying someone is just as important as the obedience itself? For example, if a child obeys a parent just to avoid punishment, or just to get a reward, it is not as meaningful as if the child were to...
Our Blessed Hope
I was visiting a wonderful, godly lady yesterday who has faced tremendous, continual suffering in this life. She nearly died recently, unconscious and failing for many days, and then she woke up, right on the brink of death. She told me that when she awakened, she...
The Stories in the Gospels: Why You Need Them, and How to Read Them
Ever seen a book about some event in history and thought to yourself, “That looks like a must read!”? And then, several dollars later, the book is yours. Was it a must read? Probably not. However, there are true stories about real people and events in...