Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character. — 2 Timothy 3:16 My home church in Poplar Bluff was putting on a Christmas pageant. I was asked to narrate it. As a teenager deeply involved in church, and planning on entering the ministry, I was …
All will sit underneath their own grapevines, under their own fig trees. There will be no one to terrify them; for the mouth of the Lord of heavenly forces has spoken. — Micah 4:4 I was reading Micah 4 one day and read about beating swords into plows and spears into pruning hooks. Where had I heard that …
“The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how terrible that darkness will be!” — Matthew 6:22-23 One of the …
“Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’” — Matthew …
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. — Galatians 5:22-23 There’s something eerie in the grocery store I shop at. I’m turning a corner at the end of an aisle, usually looking for something that’s hidden several rows over, …
Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her. — Luke 1:38 Here’s a story I found somewhere that gets to the heart of what believing in God really means. A Bible translator in India was working to translate the New Testament into one of …
I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. — John 10:10 During college years I was part of a strongly evangelical group on campus. We studied strategies on how to help save other students from all their sinning. One strategy suggested that we build rapport with …
“You have heard it said…but I say to you…” — Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32 There were 613 religious laws in Jesus’ day. The legal experts (“lawyers”), rabbis, priests, and groups like the Pharisees and Sadduccees really enjoyed debating them. What constituted work on the sabbath? What made you clean or unclean? Along with such debating …
He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” — John 21:17 I think the true test of our discipleship is …
It’s a blessing that this country has ordained a holiday centered on giving thanks. In an era when we are too easily drawn to fear and anxiety, taking stock of what has been given us is soul medicine. Here’s a three-part guide for this holiday. First: Be mindful of the gifts you have. Psalm 95:1-2 …