Friend or Enemy?
I like people and want people to like me. So to tell them that their conduct is dishonest or immoral isn’t easy for me. On several occasions men have told me how they got out of a speeding ticket by making up a touching story, or how they got even with some rascal in a shady business deal. I’ve responded by asking, “That was clever, but was it honest?”
“Isn’t There Anything Else?”
A prominent Christian leader was known for his willingness to help needy individuals with their social and financial problems. When asked why he took time out of his busy schedule to do this, he replied, “When I was a boy, I worked in our family grocery store. I was taught that I should never ask a customer, ‘Is that all?’ Instead, I was told to say, ‘Isn’t there anything else?’
Dad’s Hat
Amid the celebration there was tragedy. It was the opening ceremonies of the 1992 summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. One by one the teams entered the stadium and paraded around the track to the cheers of 65,000 people. But in one section of Olympic Stadium, shock and sadness fell as Peter Karnaugh, father of United States swimmer Ron Karnaugh, was stricken with a fatal heart attack.
Burying the Hatchet
Old Joe was dying. For years he had been at odds with Bill, formerly one of his best friends. Wanting to straighten things out, he sent word for Bill to come and see him.
The Best Is Yet To Be
Before Jesus left this earth, He promised to prepare a special place for those who love Him (John 14:2-3). Years later He spoke to His disciple John in a vision, giving him as much detail as man’s finite mind could grasp. Since then, God’s people have pondered with eager anticipation “a new heaven and a new earth,” where there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain (Rev. 21:1,4).
“Did You Read My Book?”
Books! Books! Books! Hardcovers and paperbacks. Reference works and joke books. Romantic novels and mysteries. Self-help books and religious publications. They just keep appearing—and we keep buying them.
The Cynical Psalmist
Theodore Roosevelt understood the dangers of cynicism when he observed, “The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer.”
Are You Searching for Wisdom?
Often we hear people question the wisdom of those in authority over us. It’s easy to point an accusing finger at government officials, bosses, pastors, teachers, or board members and say they are unfit to lead.
Those Dirty Jobs
Before he became an outspoken critic of Communist oppression, Milovan Djilas was one of Yugoslavia’s top Marxists. Jailed in his early twenties for his anti-government activities, he took on the repugnant task of smuggling party literature through the prison sewer system. He was willing to perform such duty, he says, because “no job is dirty, low, or inconsequential.”
