After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Timothy 6:7–8) Contentment is something we must learn. It isn’t a trait we’re born with. But the question […]
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Money
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. (Philippians 4:11–12) Even […]
Read MoreKnow Your Body
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when […]
Read MoreStrengthen Your Grip on Purity
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord […]
Read MoreEncouragement in Action
If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? (1 John 3:17) Going to the statement found in Hebrews 10:24, we are to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” In other words, […]
Read MoreLove with Authentic Affection
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. (Romans 12:9–10) As I search God’s Word for reasons to break with the isolationism of this age, I find two inescapable facts: God […]
Read MoreFour Areas of Involvement
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34–35) Our aimless, lonely generation has great difficulty understanding such concepts as the interrelatedness of humankind. […]
Read MoreA Style That’s Authentic
We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. (2 Corinthians 4:2) Listen to the way Paul talks about himself in 1 Thessalonians. For a moment he shifts the emphasis from […]
Read MoreThe Shores of Lake Contentment, Part One
A number of years ago I read that, believe it or not, the average American is exposed to about three hundred advertisements a day. Today that number has very likely increased! The magazine in which I read that fact had more pages dedicated to advertisements than articles of interest to the reader. Shiny, slick, appealing print and pictures designed to hijack your concentration and kidnap your attention.
Read MoreReading, Part Two
Due to the tragic problem of ignorance and passivity in our world today, I’ve been extolling the benefits of reading. Yesterday, we talked about number one: reading sweeps the cobwebs away; it expands us. Today, I’ll note three additional benefits. 2. Reading increases our power of concentration. Through this discipline, the mind is programmed to observe and absorb. It replaces the “Entertain Me” mentality with “Challenge Me.”
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