Category: Life Issues
Deserted by All My Friends: How Should I Respond?
Perhaps you’ve had this experience: Something was troubling you. It was consuming your life, weighing you down, distracting your attention. You decided to share this with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You needed their help. You longed for their prayers. Then the moment came—perhaps in...
Render to God the Things That Are God’s
The religious leaders in Jerusalem sent certain men to Jesus “to trap him in his talk” (Mark 12:13). They began by flattering him, falsely implying that they admired him as a man of integrity who always said what was right and true. Then they asked him...
The Dangers of Dishonesty
When you tell a lie, it is usually to hide something about yourself. Perhaps you did something immoral or unethical and were too ashamed to confess it when questioned. Maybe you just made a mistake, or failed to fulfill a responsibility, but were too proud or...
Surrender Where You’re Planted
Early in the summer as I was leaving my Dad’s farm I noticed a grouping of small plants near the edge of the cornfield close by the house. In an area about the size of a tennis court, the plants were all about half the size...
From Achan to Zacchaeus
This is the story of a boy who could have been named Achan. You remember Achan, probably the most infamous example of coveting in the history of Israel. He was the man who, during the conquest of Jericho, coveted and took forbidden items from that city....
The Future of Crying
It’s okay to cry. Perhaps the most obvious verse to prove this is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” And not only did Jesus cry, so did the the apostle Paul. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish...
Four Insights from the “One Another” Commands
This whole page could be filled with the “one another” commands in the New Testament. Here are just a few: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in...
Jesus’ Counter-Cultural Love
How do you define love? In our age of indulgence, many define love this way: giving another person what he wants, regardless of what may be best for him. For example, if a 30-year old pregnant woman wants to murder her unborn child because she doesn’t...
Three Keys to Achieving Christian Harmony
Imagine a group of young children playing together without selfishness or unkindness, without one child pouting and complaining if things don’t go her way, without another feeling bullied or excluded, and all without constant parental intervention. You’re probably thinking, “I’ve never seen that kind of natural...
A Valentine Form Jimmy
Valentine’s Day brings back some strange memories for me. I’m especially haunted by the fact that after signing my batch of Valentines on the night before the classroom exchange I would invariably inscribe some with “Form Jimmy.” I hated that. I knew the difference between “Form”...
