Gospel Power
One reason many Christians are so hesitant to witness for Christ is that they fear failure. They forget the life-changing power of the gospel.
Finishing Well
I read a humorous story about a bloodhound. He started chasing a deer but a fox crossed his path, so he started chasing the fox instead. After a while, a rabbit crossed his path, so the hound chased the rabbit. Yet later, a mouse crossed his path and the hound chased the mouse into a hole. The hound, which had begun his hunt on the trail of a magnificent deer, ended up watching a mouse hole!
Upward Escape
The bighorn sheep in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park will often allow visitors to approach them from below and take close-up photos. But don't try to get above them or the entire herd will run away. The bighorns' escape route from predators is always upward. On level ground a bobcat or cougar can easily overtake the wild sheep, but scrambling up a boulder-strewn slope, the bighorns will get away every time.
The Only Way To Be Happy
There is no lasting earthly satisfaction. Marriage, family, money, fame, enlightenment, travel, athletics, academic achievement—nothing completes our joy. Any satisfaction we gain in our quest fades quickly and becomes a vague memory, if it can be remembered at all.
Above The Crowd
When the steeple of a local church caught fire after being struck by lightning, firefighters had a difficult time putting out the blaze. The crew had to haul heavy hoses up three flights of stairs to save the structure, which was described as tall, windowless, and empty.
Thanks For Thorns
To give thanks in every situation is sometimes very difficult. When your body is wracked with pain, or you have just learned that you have a physical problem for which there is no cure, or you have lost your job, or a cherished relationship has been broken, it's hard to feel grateful. But we can learn to thank God because He gives us strength when we feel weak.
Life's Greatest Moment
What a night for the Minnesota Twins baseball team in 1987! They had just defeated the Detroit Tigers and won the American League pennant for the first time in 22 years. More than 50,000 people, young and old, crowded into the Metrodome to welcome their victors home from Detroit. Banners were waving, horns were blaring, the crowd was cheering. There were even tears of joy.
Even Animals Come Home
A homeowner in Wisconsin said he heard a cat meowing on the front porch. When he opened the door, a big long-haired, gray male cat walked in, checked things out, began purring, and then jumped up on a chair as if he belonged there. Family members couldn't believe their eyes. But when they compared the cat to pictures taken years earlier, they could only conclude that it was their long-lost pet. Clem the cat had come home after 8 years of being who knows where.
Keep Pressing On
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the challenges of living for Christ? You're not alone. Even Paul felt that way. In 2 Corinthians 1:8, he honestly admitted that the troubles he and Timothy endured in Asia had taxed them beyond measure, and they feared for their lives. But Paul said they learned this lesson: "We should not trust in ourselves but in God" (v.9).
