Empty Explanations
No element in the Easter story is more troubling to unbelievers than the report that the followers of Jesus found the tomb empty that Sunday morning.
Two Roses At Easter
Two roses were on the Communion table in our church on Easter Sunday morning. As I looked at them, my heart was filled with joy.
Taking The Cross
The cross. We see it today as the rough, wooden instrument of death for Jesus Christ.
House Of Symbols
Our neighbor was startled when two young men walked into her home uninvited. She screamed. Fortunately, they ran. Yet no one would accuse her of failing to be hospitable. When you enter someone's house, you come in on that person's terms.
Tale Of A Towel
As a memento of a retreat I attended, I was given a small towel with a hand-stitched design symbolizing Jesus washing His disciples' feet. That towel served mostly as a decoration for a few years until one of my daughters accidentally used it to clean the car. The commemorative towel has been scrubbed with stain remover and sent through the washer, but it's indelibly marked by grease and grime.
The Law Of The Cross
The couplet "If the laws of the kingdom you faithfully keep, health, riches, and honor you surely will reap" sums up what many today are teaching. But it's not true! Multitudes of faithful believers are sick or poor or persecuted. Yet they gratefully worship the Lord, serve Him the best they can, and remain joyful. They can do this because they believe the law of the cross—that by dying to self we produce a spiritual harvest that will last forever.
Countless Wonders
When devotional writer Aletha Lindstrom needs a lift for her spirits, she thinks of her favorite poetry book title, Who Tells The Crocuses It's Spring? That prompts her to ask other questions like, "Who makes the trees turn all those beautiful colors in the autumn? Who splashes rain in shining puddles? Who makes the stars shimmer in the night?"
Perfect Praise
During a Sunday evening church service, the children's minister brought two boys and two girls, ages 6 through 8, to the platform. First he asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up. They said athlete, policeman, farmer, and missionary.
A Parade Of One
Parades have long been used as celebrations of great achievements. In American history, the greatest parades focused on people such as pilot Charles Lindbergh, the Apollo 11 astronauts, and war heroes. These celebrations were marked by ticker-tape showers and adoring crowds lining the streets of a major city as bands and celebrities passed in review.
Charity
Purim is one of the most unusual of the Jewish feast days. It was instituted to celebrate the death of Haman and the escape of the Jews. Today it is marked by reading the book of Esther (interrupted by raucous noisemakers whenever Haman's name is read) amid a party atmosphere.
Finding Gain In Loss
Evil men, not God, threw the apostle Paul into prison, hoping to put an end to his ministry. But their plan backfired, and the gospel spread (Phil. 1:12-13). Paul didn't know why God allowed his imprisonment, but he saw how God used it for good.
Thanks
A small boy visited his friend's home for dinner. When the youngster sat down at the table, he bowed his head and waited for someone to give thanks for the meal. The others at the table, however, began passing the food. The boy looked up and said, "You guys are just like my dog. You start right in!"
Pupil Or Teacher?
A college student was having difficulty with his studies, so he finally decided to talk to his professor. He complained, "I'm studying hard. I'm doing my best, but I just can't retain what I read or try to memorize. Do you think it would help if I hired a tutor?"
The Unseen Keel
The president of Gordon College, R. Judson Carlberg, was driving along the ocean near his home in Massachusetts when he saw two stately 17th-century sailing ships. They were replicas that were built for a movie being filmed nearby.
News Bulletin
The news bulletin commanded attention. Several inmates had escaped from a penitentiary. They were armed and considered extremely dangerous. A police spokesman stressed to the community the importance of caution. He said, "These men are desperate. They have nothing to lose. They have killed and could kill again."
Tuned In
God speaks to us primarily through His Word, the Bible. Sometimes, however, He directs in ways we do not expect.
Finding Forgiveness
Today's Bible reading is from Paul's second letter to the Christians in Corinth. He begins the chapter by calling them "beloved" and finishes by rejoicing over his confidence in them.
Glory In The Grind
The life of slaves in the Roman Empire was not easy. They were regarded as "things," and they had no rights. Some had good masters and challenging work, but most were given menial tasks to perform. They worked long hours with little rest.
The Beautiful Years
The changing seasons here in Michigan can be absolutely stunning. The vivid hues of autumn that adorn the landscape are a glorious sight. During spring and summer, the color in the leaves is not visible because of the presence of chlorophyll. But in those last weeks before winter, the green fades and the hidden color is revealed.
More Good News
When I first became a Christian, I thought my zeal would last a lifetime. But a few years later, as a missionary, wife, and mother, I had become a nerve-wracked, resentful, and doubting person. Having received Christ's good news for lost sinners at my conversion, I felt ashamed to long for more good news.
A Lifelong Journey
The trip from Magadan, Siberia, to Grand Rapids, Michigan, seemed to take forever. In actuality it took 30 hours, four stops, three different airplanes, and one border entry.
A $5 Trillion Debt
Every year, some US citizens make donations to help reduce the nearly $5 trillion national debt. Since the government began accepting gifts for that purpose in 1961, more than $52 million has been given. That's a lot of money, but it hardly scratches the surface of the debt.
The Rocks Of Unbelief
Rocks. That's all that's left of the city of Chorazin. Just the rubble of a few buildings made of volcanic rock—yet this was once a thriving city on the Sea of Galilee.
No Fair!
Suppose a non-Christian murders another unbeliever. The victim would go to hell (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:11-15). If the killer later receives Christ as his Savior, he would go to heaven. Is that fair?
Prepared For Loss?
I asked a respected Christian leader if it's possible to prepare oneself to face personal loss. I knew his answer would come from experience because his 31-year-old son had been brutally murdered just 5 years earlier.
Real Comfort
As I write this article, I am ministering to the friends and loved ones of two young men who died unexpectedly. A 39-year-old had suffered a heart attack and a 19-year-old was killed in an industrial accident. Both were Christians and members of warm, loving families.
From Rags To Riches
During the Great Depression, a man named Mr. Yates owned a huge piece of land in Texas where he raised sheep. Financial problems had brought him to the brink of bankruptcy. Then an oil company, believing there might be oil on his land, asked for permission to drill.
My Way
For more than five decades, Frank Sinatra has been one of America's most popular entertainers. Perhaps he is best known for the song "My Way." Apparently it has struck a responsive chord among his fans.
No Disappointment
The first time I got on the international computer network called the information superhighway, I took a very short drive. I was so disappointed with the trip that I soon exited. Instead of finding all kinds of exciting new information, I kept running into dead ends. Since that first excursion, I've learned a few tricks to make the Internet more helpful, but it's still not as thrilling as the hype makes it sound.
God's Building Program
Some architects and builders have contributed magnificent beauty to the world. Others have created wretched ugliness. The noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright commented, "The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his clients to plant vines. So architects should go as far as possible from home to build their first buildings."
Rumblings
How would you feel if today's newspaper reported that the military had executed 15,000 people? Suppose the victims were not criminals, foreign agitators, or political radicals, but ordinary citizens who were protesting the way their country was being run.
