When Bob’s lawnmower quit on him, he called the repair shop. He asked the man at the shop what he recommended. “We always suggest you try to fix the lawnmower yourself first. Only bring it to us if that doesn’t work.” Bob responded, “Wow! Thanks for the tip. But does your boss know you’re turning…
Here’s something you don’t think about when you become a follower of Christ: “As they followed him they were afraid” (Mark 10:32). It’s what Oswald Chambers called “the discipline of dismay.” Charles Stanley wrote, “Those who have never trembled from head to toe will never know God’s perfect love.” I suggest we do two things:…
In his song, Weak Man, Leeland Mooring repeated this line throughout: “I’ll be weak for You are strong.” Dr. Travis Myers, professor of church history at Bethlehem College and Seminary, offers three ways in which God uses our weaknesses. Weakness reminds us that our life depends on God. Weakness reminds us that we deserve wrath,…
On March 8, 1874, former President Millard Fillmore died from a stroke at his home in Buffalo, New York. His last words were spoken to his doctor, who had just fed him his last meal: “The nourishment is palatable.” Fillmore is buried near his home in Buffalo, and his grave can be easily viewed by…
Speaking of substance abuse, Joanne Zuhl wrote, “Even if addiction isn’t what puts people on the streets, it is often what keeps them there.” Let’s apply that to any addiction, including sex. For many of us, regardless of how we found our way into the ditch, we are there, and we struggle mightily to dig…
What you see in the future, God sees in the past. Let me say that again. What you see in the future, God sees in the past. That’s why he promises, “I will guide you with my eye” (Psalm 32:8). God sees what is coming before it comes. What you see in the future, God…
G.K. Chesterton said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” But following Jesus isn’t just hard work. It is daily work. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Catch…
There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. MMA legend Conor McGregor said, “My success isn’t a result of arrogance. It’s the result of belief.” Belief is good. Arrogance is not. Pastor Sam Rainer said it like this: “Arrogance is not a good vehicle for the Gospel.” So what’s the problem with arrogance? From…
A new CEO demanded hard work from his employees. One day, he saw a guy standing by the food table, doing nothing. He yelled, “You’re fired! Get out of here!” Then he turned to one of the other men and said, “Smith, see what happens to slackers? Tell me, in your own words, what just…
Dr. Frances Cohen Praver writes, “Rather than desiring a sexual partner, the sex addict craves a sexual object – his fix.” God commanded man to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). And he created the perfect way to do that. We call it “sex.” And when limited to the marriage bed, sex is a wonderful…