UNUSED 24 [279 words] During my first public job as a teenager, I demonstrated more immaturity than I care to talk about. I was trying to be funny in front of a customer. I wanted to be an “attention getter” with my comments, she stopped writing her check looked at me and said, “Allen, you...
UNUSED 15 [229 words] It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters Tournament, and golf legend Arnold Palmer had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. He felt he was in pretty good shape. As he approached his ball, he saw an old friend standing at the edge of...
UNUSED 10 [249 words] When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to commemorate the great exodus by observing the Passover, He found that the temple complex more resembled a marketplace and banking center than it did a place to offer worship to His Father (John 2:13-22). The place was filled with corrals full of livestock and kiosks...
UNUSED 6 [242 words] The greater host of humanity lives solely for the present. Perhaps half as many give occasional, fleeting thought to what may come tomorrow. Each generation rears its thinkers, its planners, who think in terms of a lifetime, and at times may even look philosophically at the hem of history’s garment. But...
UNUSED 5 [266 words] Over the Counter “I would like vitamins for my son,” a mother said. “Vitamin A, B or C?” the pharmacist asked. “It doesn’t matter,” the mother replied. “He can’t read yet.” Not on the Same Page A little girl had just started kindergarten. After a few days, she came home and said,...
UNUSED 13 [292 words] He’s the last known survivor. It is believed that the rest of his Amazonian tribe was murdered two decades ago by land-hungry ranchers, and ever since, he has been living a solitary life in the remote state of Rondonia, Brazil. Authorities say he spends his days hunting pigs, monkeys, and birds...
UNUSED 15 [273 words] I wish the church… • Was more evangelistic • Had dynamic worship • Ministered to every age group • Encouraged people to become leaders • Was more visible in the community • Invested in the home • Provided more fellowship opportunities • Had a thriving education program • Had a passion...
UNUSED 15 [201 words] Who is going to stand with me when my life falls apart? I AM. Who is going to make sure that one day good will prevail over evil? I AM. Who is going to help me when I need it? I AM. Who is smart enough to figure everything out in...
UNUSED 10 [222 words] If the Lord Jesus is the only Savior and Judge of all mankind, we should listen to Him. I am amazed at how people claim to love Him but are unwilling to hear what He says about the most basic things of life. When the Lord Jesus, who bore the cross,...
UNUSED 10 [263 words] Any runner, cyclist, or truck driver will have experienced this phenomenon. When you are going into a headwind, you notice it. The wind buffets your efforts, you feel every moment of discomfort and pushback. However, when you go back in the other direction when the wind is at your back, you...
UNUSED 1 [204 words] Christians should be known as people of joy—filled with the type of joy that is derived from a certain eternal destiny, not from temporary circumstances (Phil. 4:4). The Ethiopian eunuch helps us to understand how and why this can be the case (Acts 8:39). As a eunuch, he knew what it...
UNUSED 1 [247 words] In 2 Chronicles 20 we are given an interesting story about three nations on their way to destroy Israel and drive them out of the land. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was scared for his people when he caught wind of this massive army coming after them. The way it reads, they...
UNUSED 1 [231 words] And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5, NKJV). Blood is typically something we wash off, not something we wash with. As...
UNUSED 1 [210 words] “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). This verse from James is very closely related to what he said in 1:12, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” Temptations come against us fast and hard. And the devil has an army of assistants who pressure...
UNUSED 0 [237 words] Just down the street from where I grew up was a drug store that sold “Hot Wheels” cars. That was great news to a little boy who loved to play with and collect “Hot Wheels.” One day I saw a car that I just had to have. It was on a...
UNUSED 1 [257 words] The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us more than 6,000 gospel songs. Although blinded by an illness at the age of six weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, “I think it is great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so...
UNUSED 0 [278 words] After reading about Jeremiah, I have no right to complain about my lot in life as a preacher. The fact is, I never had the right to complain (Philippians 2:14). God did not give Jeremiah a choice to be a prophet, and times were very bad for good people (Jer. 1:1-10)....
UNUSED 0 [296 words] “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5: 23). Suppose I should want to preach on some subject pertaining to Christ but not talk about the church, what could I preach?...
UNUSED 0 [245 words] A long time ago in Persia, a benevolent ruler named Shah Abbis reigned. To get to know his people better, he wore disguises to mingle among them. One day, he went as a poor man to the public baths, and sat by the fireman tending the furnace. At mealtime, he shared...
UNUSED 1 [258 words] Following are four important facts about the Bible that we should all know. The Bible is the ONLY Book that came to us from the mind of God. All other books were produced merely by human beings. The Bible comes from God’s mind and was revealed through human agents (apostles and...
UNUSED 0 [251 words] “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”’ (James 4:6) Life is filled with humbling circumstances. Some of these are instances that we bring upon ourselves, while others are out of our control. They are moments when the right thing to...
UNUSED 2 [231 words] There is an old story of a census taker who was making his rounds in the lower East side of New York, who interviewed an Irish woman bending over her washtub. “Lady, I am taking the census. What’s your name? How many children do you have?” She replied, “Well, let me...
UNUSED 0 [229 words] The Book of Proverbs has so many wonderful lessons for us today. One of my favorite passages is Proverbs 6:6-11 wherein King Solomon said: “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers...
UNUSED 0 [233 words] “Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!” (Psalm 66:5). We’ve just been talking about the righteousness that Jesus gained for us while we were enemies of God and dead in our sins. Because He loved us so much, He sent His only and beloved...
UNUSED 0 [278 words] (1) I try never to say anything behind a man’s back that would give me the least embarrassment to say to his face. (2) I try never to speak back to personal critics. Friends do not need to hear the defense and enemies would not believe it. (3) Every day I...
UNUSED 0 [217 words] A certain sea captain and his chief engineer argued as to which of them was more important to the ship. Failing to agree, they resorted to a unique plan of swapping places. The chief engineer ascended to the bridge and the captain went to the engine room. After a couple of...
UNUSED 11 [228 words] The question of “why” is noble when we truly desire to understand the reasoning behind some statement, imperative, or suggestion. However, the question of “why” is often asked simply because we want to avoid something and is an indicator of a bad attitude and contentious spirit. Nothing may be more crucial...
UNUSED 10 [240 words] Most people do everything they can to get out of suffering. Untold amounts of money is spent to make us feel more comfortable and rid ourselves of pain and anguish. We have been indoctrinated that life should always be fun, easy, and pleasant. We are told that all suffering is bad...
UNUSED 3 [205 words] “How much are you willing to pay for peace of mind?” This is the question posed by a company that makes what they are calling a “Smart Water Bottle.” It will test and then purify your water if such is deemed necessary. Sounds amazing, right? They are charging more then $200...
UNUSED 7 [268 words] The Lord’s disciples had walked into the city of Samaria to find something to eat while Jesus conversed with a woman about eternal things (John 4:7-10). When they returned with lunch and encouraged Jesus to eat, he replied, “I have food to eat that you do not know about…My food is...
UNUSED 6 [215 words] Human beings are naturally curious, but sometimes our curiosity progresses to stubbornness. For instance, curiosity causes toddlers to always have the question “why?” on their lips, but it’s stubbornness that drives the teenager to ask the same question when they are receiving orders from their parents. Whether it’s curiosity or stubbornness...
UNUSED 6 [294 words] He had decided to attempt suicide by jumping from a bridge onto a busy Michigan freeway. The Michigan State Police weren’t going to let that happen if they could help it. In an effort to break the man’s fall, were he to go ahead and jump, troopers directed 13 semis to...
UNUSED 18 [258 words] I read a story recently about an amazing dog. He’s been trained to sniff out the unique chemical compounds found in electronic items like memory cards, flash drives, and other storage media that might have criminal evidence on them. He’s only 18 months old, but this was the second time he’d...
UNUSED 12 [278 words] John 17 records one of the prayers of Jesus. In John 17:15, Jesus says, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world but to keep them from the evil one.” He goes on to say in John 17:16, “They are not of the world, even as l...
UNUSED 6 [288 words] William James, psychologist and author, believed in “moral muscles.” He encouraged his patients to do at least one good deed every day, just to stay “morally fit.” He believed that a person becomes strong psychologically by resisting life’s small temptations and by doing deeds that an average person might otherwise find...
UNUSED 1 [259 words] “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ”You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, ” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You...
UNUSED 2 [278 words] “Look!” I can remember hearing that so many times when our kids were small. Sometimes they had discovered something new. Sometimes they had done something they thought was amazing. Sometimes they just needed to know I was interested and paying attention. They might have been diving into the pool for the...
UNUSED 2 [279 words] They’re called “baby hatches.” They were designed as a way for parents to anonymously drop off unwanted babies which might otherwise have been abandoned in the street. An infant is placed in a box that is built into a wall of a safe haven. When the box is closed, an alarm...
UNUSED 6 [216 words] An old Indian chief constantly spoke of the Lord Jesus and what He meant to him. “Why do you talk so much about Jesus?” asked a friend. The chief did not reply, but slowly, gathered some sticks and bits of grass. He made a circle of them and in the circle...
UNUSED 0 [219 words] Where did Mother’s Day come from? While naysayers have tried to identify this holiday with past pagan rituals, the truth is Mother’s Day began as a day to honor good Christian moms. Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) is credited with bringing in the celebration of Mother’s day with the first observance at...
