How Much Are You Eating?

  [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 to…

Good Reasons for Being a Christian

  [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 that…

Breaking the Fall

[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 park close…

Worthless No More

[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 been adopted…

In the World, But Not of It!

[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 am not…

Daily Plodding

[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 tedious, inconsequential,…

Fulfilling the Law

[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 shall love…

Come and See

[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 first time…

Abandoned Children

[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 goes off,…

Why Do You Talk So Much About Jesus?

[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 he placed…

Mother’s Day 

[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 a church…

Learning from a Mother’s Love

[291 words] The Bible gives many comparisons of God’s constant care for His children. In the 103rd Psalm and in Proverbs 3, God is depicted as a concerned and disciplining father. Isaiah 27 mentions God as a gardener tending His garden. And in the 23rd Psalm, we read of God as a shepherd. But when…

Satan’s Lie

[276 words] Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but…

Let’s Do It!

[200 words] One of the great things about the Lord’s church is that it is made up of such a diverse group of individuals. Each member brings unique personalities, gifts, and talents into the fold. Some have abilities to do one thing well, and others have different abilities to do other things well. Now, each…

Guiding the Blind

[298 words] He hasn’t done it all, but he’s done a lot. Erik Weihenmayer has summited Mount Everest as well as becoming one of the 150 climbers in the world who had, at the time, climbed the other 6 highest peaks in the world. He has kayaked the 277 miles through the treacherous white waters…

A Winning Church

[210 words] If you ask the average person why Jesus came to this earth you will get a variety of answers. “He came to do good.” “He came to tell people about God’s love.” “He came to heal people.” These are some of the many responses you will hear. Interestingly, Jesus, himself, told us why…

What I Owe My Home Congregation

[245 words] My Loyalty: As long as the program is scriptural, I must help carry it on. My home congregation is depending on me and if I am not loyal, they will not be able to carry out their proposed programs. My Dependability: I am depending on my home congregation for spiritual food and fellowship…

The Church of Me

[278 words] Sometimes people will ask me about my church. They assume since I am a minister that somehow I have some ownership or say over it. We do that too. We remark ‘at my church’ or ‘come to my church.’ It might just be a slip of the tongue but we need to work…

Dead and Alive

[287 words] Romanian Constantin Reliu strongly disputes the fact that he’s officially dead. In 1982, Reliu left Romania for Turkey in search of work, and after many years of hearing no news from her husband, his wife got an official death certificate for him. Earlier this year, Turkish authorities found Constantin and deported him. After…

A Lesson on Morals from a Corn Field

[293 words] An ambitious farmer, unhappy about the yield of his crops, heard of a highly recommended new seed corn. He bought some and produced a crop that was so abundant his astonished neighbors asked him to sell them a portion of the new seed. But the farmer, afraid that he would lose a profitable…

Did You Know?

[227 words] He was quite famous, a celebrity in Israel. The people flocked to see him, and because of him, many people believed. But the chief priests wanted him dead. Surely you know who we’re talking about, right?  Well, let me give you one last clue: a week before the cross, even Jesus came to…

It’s Hard to Convince Your Children

[271 words] It’s hard to convince your children that the church is the most important thing in the world when you are negligent about attending its services and supporting its work. It’s hard to convince your children that the church is the greatest institution in the world when you permit them to miss services to…

Are You Prepared–or Confused?

[201 words] Some years ago I knew a man who was always critical of preachers, the church and Christians. He was a man who had been what was once called a “rounder.” He had delved in the pleasures of the world most, if not all, of his life. But, alas, in his old age he…

Church Names

[224 words] Have you ever paid much attention to the names on church signs that you drive past? Church names can be very interesting. Here are a few that I’ve heard about: First Church of the Last Chance World on Fire Revival and Military Academy (in Florida), Hell Hole Swamp Baptist Church (in South Carolina),…

All Things Work Together For Good

[265 words] We’ve heard it said or maybe even said it ourselves, “Nothing good ever happens to me.” We get some bad news, things don’t go as planned, etc., and we immediately respond negatively. I recognize that some folks experience more misfortune than others, and maybe you’re one who has dealt with an overwhelming amount…

Teaching Kids Sexual Purity

[254 words] Our culture is in a sexual free fall. The average age for first-time sexual intercourse for boys is 15.9 (girls 16.2). The vast majority of students are sexual by the time they are high school seniors. By the way, the percentage of “Christian” kids is no different. Parents don’t know what to do.…

Paul or Peale?

[220 words] The name of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale is not the household name it once was. However, he was one of the most widely read preachers and authors of the 20th century. The great problem is that there are so many today who would rather follow preachers like Norman Vincent Peale than listen to…

Confidence!

[234 words] “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” Psalm 16:11. Looking back on it, I realize, of course, that the compost pile was really just at the end of a long backyard on the edge…

Where Were You When God Wanted to Bless You?

[244 words] “Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 1:3). When a storm devastates a neighborhood, a drunk driver destroys an entire family, or a gunman kills unsuspecting children, someone…

Hesitation Will Keep Many Out of Heaven

[220 words] “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). Far too many find themselves in the position of Agrippa. They know what they should do, but they hesitate. Hesitation will keep many out of heaven. Paul’s response to the king was reasonable and passionate, “I would to…

Lack of Knowledge

[250 words] Benjamin Franklin once said “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” There is no question that God places a high value on knowledge and particularly knowledge of His word. Hosea recorded the words of God when He wrote “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.…

Keep On Playing

[288 words] Many of you have seen the picture of Roxanne Chalifoux, the crying piccolo player from Villanova. Just after her team had lost a three point game to underdog North Carolina State in the NCAA basketball tourney, the cameras captured her sadness on the jumbo-tron and later on national TV. I was impressed with…

People Like To Be Asked

[298 words] Some time ago I read a story in which Tip O’Neill, former Speaker of the House, was once told by his neighbor, Mrs. Elizabeth O’Brien, “Tom, I’m going to vote for you tomorrow even though you didn’t ask me to.” This shocked Tip. He said, “I’ve lived across the street from you for…

We Can Thank God for His Great Plan

[203 words] If Joseph’s brothers never sell him to the Midianites, then Joseph never goes to Egypt. If Joseph never goes to Egypt, he never is sold to Potiphar. If he is never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape. If Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape, then he…

Rally to Us There

[273 words] “And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there…'” (Neh. 4:19-20). Nehemiah,…

Planting Time

[246 words] It has been a difficult winter with much snow and sub-freezing temperatures, but the warm windy days of spring are just a short time away. It will be “planting time” for farmers and those who have gardens. Some have already planted peas and lettuce seed. Onions and other vegetables will soon be going…

School Shootings: Junk In, Junk Out

[219 words] You can’t listen to the radio without hearing pornographic lyrics talking about things that should not even be named among Christians (Eph 5:3). Our kids are enthralled by singers who normalize wickedness. Look at the video games that hold the top selling and most players. Most all of them feature mass killing, violence,…

What Kind of Heart Do You Have?

[217 words] We get shots (flu, encephalitis, etc), which sometimes makes us sick. We get a little bit of the flu so it can help us to not get the real thing. That’s good in the physical sense, but disastrous in the spiritual sense. Some people get a little bit of religion, just enough !o…

Vessels of Honor

[222 words] “I’ll never attend that church again,” some people say. “There are too many hypocrites in it.” If we think about this for a moment, we may come to understand that since the church is composed of human beings, there will always be imperfection. Should we, then, condemn the church and refuse to attend…

Appreciating Grace

[237 words] “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:4, NKJV). When we take an honest look at ourselves, it is not difficult to identify with the Psalmist’s question. Weakness is a discouraging reality of our human nature. We are all abundantly aware…