Our Daily Bread

The 1993 Christmas issue of Newsweek magazine carried an article on angels, a rather surprising topic to find in a secular publication. As might be expected, though, many points were in conflict with Scripture.

A wise Bible teacher once said, “Sooner or later God will bring self-sufficient people to the place where they have no resource but Him: no strength, no answers, nothing but Him. Without God’s help, they’re sunk.”

I visited with Dr. M. R. De Haan often during the last weeks of his life. He talked freely about dying as he looked back on his ministry and ahead to the time when he would stand at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). I recall vividly on one occasion that he pointed his finger at me and said in his gruff voice, “Young man, it will not be long before you face the end as I do now. Keep this in mind as you serve the Lord: We must all give an account!”

By now, most of the Christmas presents have been lovingly purchased and carefully wrapped. Some have been mailed to friends and family who live far away.

American theologian Carl Henry gave a thought-provoking lecture with these three major points:

A popular concept today is the idea that individuals can’t be blamed for what they do or fail to do. Blame heredity or environment or parents or teachers or the government, but don’t blame the individual himself.

The trouble with storing up treasures on earth is that they are so temporary. Some of them, such as buildings or jewelry or certificates of deposit, can be so easily destroyed. A little spark, a theft, an economic downturn, and they are gone.

When my son Ben was 6 years old, he had a playground adversary. According to Ben, this fellow had gone too far, and he thought the only solution was to fight it out. So I talked to him about the Christlike way to handle the situation.

When the legendary Knute Rockne was head coach at Notre Dame, a column appeared in the school paper with no clue as to who wrote it, other than the signature “Old Bearskin.” The column was highly critical of the football players. Its author seemed to have inside information on the strengths and weaknesses of every man on the team. And he spared no words in lambasting each player for his shortcomings and inept performance.

What is repentance? And how do we know when it is genuine?