Keep The Goal In View
Bible scholar William Barclay tells of his walks through the meadow with his bull terrier Rusty. Whenever his dog came to a shallow creek, he jumped in and started removing stones, one by one, dropping them haphazardly on the shore. This pointless activity would go on for hours.
The Prospect Of Heaven
As I approached my 90th birthday, two emotions surged through my heart. One was certainty, the positive assurance of life to come. And why not? Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also" (John 14:19).
Don't Forget
How can people who experienced the same event have radically different recollections of what happened? An Associated Press article summarized the results of dozens of studies on human memory: "Far from being an indelible recording, human memory is fragile, incomplete, malleable and highly subject to suggestion."
Rock Bottom
I was in my early thirties, a dedicated wife and mother, a Christian worker at my husband's side. Yet inwardly I found myself on a trip nobody wants to take—the trip downward. I was heading for that certain sort of breakdown that most of us resist, the breakdown of my stubborn self-sufficiency.
Why Love Begets Hate
If there is one thing believers in Jesus should be known for, it is love. The word love appears in Scripture more than 500 times. The essence of the gospel is love, as we see in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world . . . ." The epistle of 1 John 3:16 elaborates: "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us."
Facing Your Enemies
During the US Civil War, fierce fighting was taking place near Moorefield, West Virginia. Because the town was close to enemy lines, it would be controlled one day by Union troops, and the next by Confederates.
It's Beautiful!
After being away on business, Terry wanted to pick up some small gifts for his children. The clerk at the airport gift shop recommended a number of costly items. "I don't have that much money with me," he said. "I need something less expensive." The clerk tried to make him feel that he was being cheap. But Terry knew his children would be happy with whatever he gave them, because it came from a heart of love. And he was right—they loved the gifts he bought.
Bellyaching And Its Cure
A mentally impaired man always shook hands with his pastor after each service. But he often made critical comments like these: "You preach too long." "Your sermons are boring." "You talk about yourself too much." Distressed, the pastor mentioned this to a deacon, who replied, "Oh, don't worry about him. All he does is parrot what he hears others say."
