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Are you an heir? ARE YOU AN HEIR? In his great mercy he has given us new birth . . . into an inheritance . . . kept in heaven for you . . . (1 Pet. 1:3-4 NIV). I would never have believed that brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and other close relatives could be so greedy about getting a share of someone else's wealth. But one day I was called upon to mediate a family quarrel over the distribution of .. 2006. 4. 20.
No "IF" about it NO "IF" ABOUT IT If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:17 NIV). Some time ago, a society of atheists in London commissioned two lawyers to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ never took place, that it was a hoax or a scheme concocted by His followers. After a period of investigation, the lawyers gave their report, saying, "We have pro.. 2006. 4. 19.
How strong is your desire? HOW STRONG IS YOUR DESIRE? ‘ . . . Give me this water . . .’ (John 4:15 NIV) Jesus uses our strongest cravings — hunger and thirst — to characterize the passion for goodness which is found in the man or woman determined to find God. It is like the person who has gone without food or water for an extended period of time. Sir Ernest Shackleton said that when he and his men.. 2006. 4. 18.
The peace jesus gives THE PEACE JESUS GIVES These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace (John 16:33 KJV). Some years ago, a machine was invented to promote sleep, relaxation and concentration. Screening out noises and controlling tones from bass to treble, it simulates "white sound." It is capable of filtering out unwanted noises, producing single breaking wave patterns, random surf effects, .. 2006. 4. 17.
Christianity rose again! CHRISTIANITY ROSE AGAIN! Mary stood outside the tomb crying (John 20:11 NIV). In 1948 a Romanian Christian pastor was taken prisoner by the Communists. For sixteen years, he was moved from one camp to another, brutally beaten, drugged and tortured. He underwent brainwashing of the most diabolical kind. After years of imprisonment, he almost reached the breaking point. One day, the prisoners wer.. 2006. 4. 12.
Like a little child LIKE A LITTLE CHILD ‘ Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’ (Luke 18:17 NKJV) As a child, I would say my evening prayers, jump into bed, and drop immediately and blissfully into restful sleep. I didn't listen for leaky water pipes or dripping faucets. I didn't hear malfunctioning appliances or worry about leaking roofs. Whether or not the .. 2006. 4. 11.
Complete in christ COMPLETE IN CHRIST Stand firm in all the will of God . . . (Col. 4:12 NIV) When I was a boy, one of our favorite family pastimes was piecing together beautiful jigsaw puzzles. But before we would begin, we would always check to be sure all of the pieces were present. Even a thousand-piece puzzle was counted to be sure it was complete. There were five children in a rather small house. Since ever.. 2006. 4. 8.
Judge now, Judged then JUDGE NOW, JUDGED THEN Who do you say I am? (Matt. 16:15 NIV). I met a family by the name of Smart when I was in South Africa,. They had listened to "The Wesleyan Hour" for about a year and a half and had all the printed sermons stapled together. They happened upon the program quite by accident on TransWorld Radio from Swaziland. The husband and wife had experienced a particularly strong convic.. 2006. 4. 7.
Christ died for sinners CHRIST DIED FOR SINNERS He died for us so that . . .we may live together with Him (1 Thess. 5:9 NIV) A large apartment building was burning and people were trapped on the top floor. The firefighters put up ladders and began rescuing some of the tenants. But the longest ladder on their fire truck was several feet short of the top-floor window where people were calling for help. Suddenly, one of .. 2006. 4. 6.
The Eye of the Storm THE EYE OF THE STORM Fear not . . . When you pass through the waters, I will be with you (Isa. 43:1b-2a NIV). I remember seeing a satellite picture of a hurricane on the evening news. Weather tracking stations use such pictures to determine the intensity of a storm and to chart its course. I was particularly interested in the center of the storm, the eye of the hurricane. At the outer edges of .. 2006. 4. 5.
Hiding, Still Caring Hiding, Still Caring “Oh that I knew where I might find him!” (Job 23:3). This despairing cry was uttered fifteen centuries before Christ. That it should ever be uttered now, by any person who possesses the Bible and has even the slightest faith in Christ, would seem impossible if we did not know that it is only too often the cry of even Christian hearts. In fact, in the lives of many Chris.. 2006. 4. 3.
Knowing, Not Wavering Knowing, Not Wavering “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17 KJV). In our moments of spiritual exaltation we may sometimes seem to ourselves to have great wisdom, strength, or spiritual riches of one kind or another in which to glory; but when we come down from the.. 2006. 4. 1.
Having, But Not Having Having, But Not Having “Having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10) The apostle Paul gives us this paradox as one of the foundation principles of the Christian life: “Having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10). It is a saying of the deepest significance, for it strikes a blow at the whole fabric of the ordinary Christian life. The ambition of most Chri.. 2006. 3. 31.
God is Enough God Is Enough “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Ps. 62:5-7). The greatest lesson a soul has to learn is that God, and God alone, is enough for all its needs. This is the lesson that all God’s .. 2006. 3. 30.
Disciplining for Rejoicing Disciplining for Rejoicing “There I will go to the altar of God, to God–the source of all my joy” (Psalm 43:4 NLT). Our souls are of such a divine origin that no other joy but God can ever satisfy them. God made the soul for this high destiny, and His object, therefore, in all the discipline and training of life, is to bring us to the place where we will find our joy in Him alone... 2006. 3. 29.
Delighting, Not Grudging Delighting, Not Grudging “I delight to do thy will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8) If our affections are set on the will of God, we must love His will. It is impossible that God’s will should seem hard to a person whose affections are set on it. It may be accompanied with hard things, but in itself it must be a delight. Our Lord could say with the psalmist David, “I delight to do thy will, O my.. 2006. 3. 28.
Chastening But Loving Chastening But Loving “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children" (Hebrews 12:6 NLT). We think of punishment as retribution or vengeance. But God’s idea of punishment is the parental idea of chastening. To chasten means, according to Webster, “to inflict pain upon anyone in order to purify from errors or faults.” God’s chastening, theref.. 2006. 3. 27.
Keep at it You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Hebrews 10:36). KEEP AT IT IT’S NOT ALWAYS EASY to carry out the will of God. Helen and her husband, both college graduates, believed God wanted them to become missionaries. They did all the necessary paperwork and then waited. Two children were born during that time, and the United States.. 2006. 3. 24.
Simple and direct Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels (2 Timothy 2:23). SIMPLE AND DIRECT THE ROOM WAS DARK except for the flickering light from the emergency candle. My husband and I were sitting in our friend’s living room, waiting for the electricity to be turned back on by the power company. A thunderstorm still roared outside. But we were i.. 2006. 3. 23.
Example But we see Jesus . . . crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. —Hebrews 2:9 Example Point of Hope Jesus shows us what to do when life isn’t fun anymore. The Gospels record seven things Jesus said while he hung on the Cross, often referred to as the seven last words. Can we learn anything from the way in w.. 2006. 3. 22.
Compassion Compassion Point of Hope Lord of lords and King of kings, Christ will reign forever. I watched day after day as Bert trudged endlessly through our house between his office and the kitchen. Once so energetic and efficient, now he was fragile, ceaselessly occupied with the demands of an inflexible medical schedule. Besides the pain of injections, his fingertips stayed sore from constant blood tes.. 2006. 3. 21.
In due time …That he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6b). IN DUE TIME IT WAS A LOW time in my life. I couldn’t seem to connect with God—even though I continued to go through the motions of reading the Bible and praying. Then one day it “popped out” at me—“that he may lift you up in due time.” It was as if I had never read the words before! I kept reading. I may even h.. 2006. 3. 17.
Helmet, or not? Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). HELMET, OR NOT? CONTROVERSY SURROUNDED the issue. Advocates for both sides lined up at our state capitol. In the end, personal rights won out and the law requiring motorcycle riders to wear a helmet was rescinded. The matter became an individual choice. Ephesians 1:1 tells us that Paul is writin.. 2006. 3. 16.
Listening Open my ears, Lord. Teach me to listen. —Bob Cull LISTENING Poet Edward H. Richards wrote: “A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?” God’s Holy Bible gives similar advice in the book of James. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry . . ... 2006. 3. 15.
Procrastination PROCRASTINATION Procrastination is my sin. It brings me naught but sorrow. I know that I should stop it. In fact, I will—tomorrow! —Author Unknown I have learned from previous experience that the best way to make something seem hard, is to keep putting it off. Sometimes the things we procrastinate are small, insignificant things, such as washing the car or mowing the lawn. B.. 2006. 3. 14.
Generosity A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. —Proverbs 11:25 GENEROSITY Our world seems to be full of takers, people who never sacrifice themselves or are generous with others. Being a giver, on the other hand, is a very rewarding lifestyle. It is contagious also. When we are generous, we not only feel the wind at our backs, those around us do as wel.. 2006. 3. 10.
KINDNESS A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. —Proverbs 11:12 KINDNESS Have you ever been around a sarcastic person? Do you tend to be one? Someone once said that sarcasm is jealousy in bold disguise. I believe it. The times that I have allowed myself to be sarcastic have been the times that, deep in my heart, I was jealous of something ab.. 2006. 3. 9.
Lord of all …telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (Acts 10:36) Lord of All The term most commonly used to refer to Jesus in the book of Acts is Lord. It may be that Dr. Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, felt that using the name Jesus to refer to our Lord was too familiar. Perhaps He thought Christ seemed too formal. At any rate, Jesus is Lord of all, whether we acknowl.. 2006. 3. 5.
Righteous Judge Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me… (2 Timothy 4:8) Righteous Judge From time to time, we hear about someone being sentenced to prison for a crime he or she did not commit. Of course, as someone has observed, if you talk to the people in prison, you’ll find that nearly all of them claim to be innocent! Nevertheless,.. 2006. 3. 3.
Eternal Life Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies…” (John11:25) Eternal Life A pastor was concerned that there would be parking problems during his church’s Easter services, so he asked a funeral director for help. “I’d be delighted to make sure people park in the right places,” the undertaker said. Sure enough, on Easter .. 2006. 2. 24.