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15 Reasons to Read the Bible Daily

To be rid of anxiety and have peace (Psalm 119:165). To set things right when life is out of control (Psalm 19:7-8). To have direction and know God’s will (Psalm 119:105). To experience healing and deliverance (Psalm 107:20). To grow in the Lord (1 Peter 2:2). To have strength, comfort, and hope (Psalm 119:28.50,114). To…

The Hottest Spice

The hottest spice is believed to be the Red Savina Habanero pepper developed by GNS Spices of Walnut, California. A single grain will produce detectable heat in 1,272 pounds of bland sauce. Is your good inﬂuence detectable in a crowd? Jesus spoke of inﬂuence in the Sermon on the Mount: “Ye are the salt of…

Written in Sand and Stone

Two friends were walking through the desert and got into an argument. One friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.” They kept walking until they found an oasis. Thirsty, they…

When You Fail

Failure! What a haunting word. No one deliberately sets out to experience it. As Bulwer-Lytton has said, “In the lexicon of youth, which Fate reserves for a bright manhood, There is no such word As—fail!” But somewhere between youth and old age we discover not only the word, but its full meaning. “How are the…

Your Bible: On Top of TV Guide, or Under It?

A young child watched her mother reading from the Bible for a few minutes each morning. Finally one day she asked, “Aren’t you ever going to get ﬁnished reading that book?” The mother replied, “No honey, we never get ﬁnished with this Book. It always has something that helps encourage, challenge, and make me into…

What is the Difference?

Between the atheist who would not dream of ﬁnancially supporting the church and the Christian who will not ﬁnancially support the Lord’s Church? Between the skeptic who does not believe the Bible and the negligent Christian who never reads it? Between those who do not believe in Bible classes and those who choose never to…

The Conductor

My wife and I recently attended a concert by the Morehead University Symphony Orchestra of which our grandson is a member. Before the concert got underway, the players began “warming up,” each individually testing his/her horn or instrument. No two were on the same key and the “noise” was almost deafening. When the conductor came…

Does Jesus Live At Your House?

The continued knock brought the mother to the door. A child stood there with a Bible in his hand. Without a word of introduction he asked, “Does Jesus live here?” The woman, although a member of the church, was so taken aback by the unexpected question that she did not answer. She didn’t even remember…

Is God Showing Through Your Life?

A little girl, on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preacher’s sermon this morning confused me.” The mother said, “Oh! Why is that?” The girl replied, “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?” “Yes, that’s true,” the mother replied. “He also said…

The Vase

There was once a rather rough, uncultured man who for some reason fell in love with a beautiful vase he found in an antique shop. He purchased the vase and put it on the mantel in his living room. The piece became a kind of judgment on his surroundings. The curtains looked dingy beside it.…

16 Things That Cannot be Done

It is helpful to know our boundaries, so that we do not spend our efforts in attempting things that cannot be accomplished. 1. God’s eternal purpose cannot be overthrown (Acts 5:39). 2. One cannot bear good fruit without Christ (John 15:5). 3. No person can keep his sins hidden forever (1 Timothy 5:24). 4. No…

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hand trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing eyesight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the ﬂoor. When…

Compromise: Some Things Aren’t Negotiable

A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When the man was about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soothing voice, “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let’s negotiate the matter.” Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, “I want a fur…

Can We Really Live For Jesus?

There are those who teach that it is not possible for human beings to live up to the standard of godliness that Christianity demands. The devil would like for us to accept that heresy so as to discourage us from even trying to live for God. Do we have certain propensities within us that prohibit…

Your Choice

In the Canadian Rockies is a stream called Divide Creek. At a point in its course the creek divides around a large boulder. Waters which ﬂow to the left of the boulder rush on into Kicking Horse River and ﬁnally into the Pacific Ocean. Waters which travel to the right ﬂow into the Bow River…

The Tree

[Jesus] bore our sins in His own body on the tree… (1 Peter 2:24). The corkscrew willow tree stood vigil over our backyard for more than 20 years. It shaded all four of our children as they played in the yard, and it provided shelter for the neighborhood squirrels. But when springtime came and the…

There’s a Purpose. Have You Looked for It?

Jesus said we’d have problems (John 16:33). Nobody gets a free pass. Solve one problem and another’s waiting to take its place. They’re not all big, but they’re all necessary to your spiritual growth. How do you measure the strength of anything? By testing it! Listen: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful…

10 Rules for Happy Living

1. Give something away (no strings attached). 2. Do a kindness (and forget it). 3. Spend a few minutes with the aged (their experience is priceless guidance). 4. Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel). 5. Laugh often (it’s life’s lubricant). 6. Give thanks (a thousand time a day is not enough).…

Satan’s Plan

A story is told of how Satan asked his demons to design a plan to keep people from becoming Christians. One demon said, “I’ll tell people that there is no God!” Satan replied, “No! Only fools deny God’s existence.” Another demon spoke up, saying, “I’ll go and tell the world that religion is a farce!”…

Needs of a Newcomer

What Are the Needs of a Newcomer? In the early church, we see that Christians were concerned with supplying each other’s needs (Acts 2:44-45, 4:34-35). Paul reminded the church at Rome of their obligation to care for “the needs of the saints” (Rom. 12:13). Elsewhere, we are reminded of specific needs like monetary support (2…

Sight or Vision?

There’s a church in our area that enjoys putting thought-provoking sayings on their sign, and they have some pretty good ones, too. They are located on a busy comer where lots of people will notice what they say. Not long ago, as I drove by, I read on their sign: To some God gives sight;…

What About Your Faith?

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7). No one had ever seen such a ﬂood as the one that would come–one that would…

Softer Stances on Doctrine

Recently, I was contacted by a retiring minister. He said he had become an elder with the congregation and was given the job of seeking his replacement. We spoke for nearly an hour and things seemed ﬁne until he asked me about certain doctrines. He was specific about a few and I quoted the scripture…

God Is With You

Joshua was taking over the leadership of the people of God, and knew that Moses “left some big shoes to fill.” But, God gave him the assurance he needed to lead the people into the promised land. He told him to “be strong…do not be afraid…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you…

Right in the Middle of Forgiveness

What is right in the middle of the word “forgiveness?” You have “for” and you have “ness,” but right in the middle of“forgiveness” is the word “give.” To “give” is to provide someone with something. To “forgive” is to provide someone with pardon. “Forgiving” is one of the greatest ways of “giving.” The New Testament…

10 Reasons Not To Take A Bath

If the same excuses that people use for not going to church are applied to other important areas of life, it’s easy to see how inconsistent our logic can be. For example, 10 reasons not to take a bath: 1. I was forced to bathe as a child. 2. People who make soap are only…

Just Suppose

Just suppose the Lord should begin tomorrow to make people as sick as they say they are on Sunday. Just suppose the Lord should take away the children whom parents use as an excuse for staying away from church. Just suppose the Lord should make some people as poor as they say they are when…

When the Church Works Together

When the church works together… – There will be less bickering and more forgiveness (Philippians 4:2). – There will be less criticism and more encouragement (Hebrews 10:24). – There will be less excuses and more evangelism (Acts 2:46, 47). – There will be less selfishness and more selflessness (Philippians 2:3,4). – There will be less…

A Good Word

Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on one good compliment.” We all know what he meant by that. It lifts your spirits to have someone say something genuinely nice to you or about you. Solomon noted this human truth: “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good…

Running Out of Time

[345 words] The clock is ticking. The calendar is winding down. I’m running out of time. I made myself some promises about some important things in my life that I would accomplish by the end of this year. It’s going to require me to buckle down, be incredibly disciplined, and live like every day…

Doing Good

The New Testament tells us that Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Jesus spent His life in service to others and helping others. Have you ever heard of a “complainer” doing good for others with his complaining? Have you ever heard of a “gossip” who helped others with his/her gossip? How much good has…

The Flyer and the Catcher

Both the Old and New Testaments are ﬁlled with the admonition to “be still, be patient, and wait on the Lord. ” We are given a beautiful picture of patient trust in our Lord during our seasons of trials and searching for direction. There is a very special relationship between the trapeze artists known as…

You Finish The Story…

Once there was a congregation in which every member was just like you. Each one cooperated and supported every program just like you have been doing. Everyone worked as hard and attended the same services and gospel meetings that you did. The elders, deacons, and preacher were all interested in the church to the same…

How Are You?

“I’m better than I was yesterday because I am one day closer to being with my Lord. ” Too often, the pain, grief, loss and disappointments of this world ﬁll our heart with the wrong things. To prevent this we need to follow the biblical examples of Godly responses to worldly afflictions. David was devastated…

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Was 21

1. That being a Christian is really, really important. 2. That my life’s career would be what it is now. 3. That my health in my later years will depend to a great degree on what I ate before I was 21. 4. That I am really a manager of my money and my possessions.…

The Day The Sun Didn’t Rise

There is an old story told of the day when the sun did not rise. Six o’clock came and there was no sign of dawn. Seven o’clock there was still no ray of light. At noon it was black as midnight. No birds sang, and only the hoot of the owl broke the silence. Then…

The Devil’s Favorite Tool

It was advertised that the Devil was going to put some of his tools up for sale. After all, he had a huge assortment, with various models of each, and he ﬁgured others might get some use out of them. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection, each being…

Never Give Up!

Sometimes in this old world, we may begin to sense that we are being overwhelmed and that we are helpless in our attempt to call men back to God and to his etemal will. Let me encourage all of us to remember some basic truths that should motivate us: God is still God! He has…

Twenty-Five Years Later

One day as a wife and her husband quarreled, harsh words were spoken. Each was too proud to ask the other’s forgiveness and the bitter feelings ﬁnally led to divorce. Neither found a new mate during the intervening years. And now 25 years later, with one son already dead and the whereabouts of the other…

Out of Sight

A rich ﬁsherman with tons of expensive ﬁshing gear was not catching any trout. A little boy nearby with primitive equipment ﬁlled a stringer. In desperation the rich fellow asked the little boy, “How do you do it?” The boy answered, “I just stay out of sight better than you do.” “Staying out of sight”…

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