Have you noticed how many day-planners are available these days? And then there are the time-management self-help books: how to increase your efficiency, how to make every moment count, how to invest your time wisely and productively.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Christian Living
Marks of Maturity
To be mature is to be fully developed, complete, and “grown up.” Becoming mature is a process of consistently moving toward emotional and spiritual adulthood. In that process we leave childish and adolescent habits and adopt a lifestyle where we are fully responsible for our own decisions, motives, actions, and consequences.
Read MoreFinishing Well
One of the great doctrines of Christianity is our belief in a heavenly home. Ultimately, we shall spend eternity with God in the place He has prepared for us. And part of that exciting anticipation is His promise to reward His servants for a job well done.
Read MoreA Better Way
Yourself. Yourself. Yourself. We’re up to here with self! How very different from Jesus’ model and message! Instead of a “philosophy” to turn our eyes inward, He offers a fresh and much-needed invitation to our “me first” generation. There is a better way, Jesus says. “Be a servant. Give to others!”
Read MoreOthers and Us
“Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:2). That single sentence is perhaps the most famous statement Jesus ever made. It is the “Everest of Ethics,” as one man put it. In some ways it is the cornerstone of true Christianity, certainly the capstone of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Read MoreWords
Like Jell-O, concepts assume the mold of the words into which they are poured. Who has not been stabbed awake by the use of a particular word . . . or combination of words? Who has not found relief from a well-timed word spoken at the precise moment of need? Who has not been crushed beneath the weight of an ill-chosen word?
Read MoreGenuine Joy
In my words, the apostle Paul would tell us that joy isn’t fickle; it doesn’t need a lot of things to keep it smiling. Joy is deep and consistent—the oil that reduces the friction of life.
Read MoreSalt and Light
Ours is a tough, rugged, wicked world. Aggression, rebellion, violence, cutthroat competition, and retaliation abound. Not just internationally, but personally. What is true in the secret council chambers of nations is also true behind closed doors of homes. We are stubborn, warring people. Outside of riots and war, studies have concluded, the most dangerous place to be is in the American home! With domestic violence and child abuse on the rise in our hard, hostile society, one might wonder what possible influence the servants of Christ can have.
Read MoreHelping Each Other Up
Several years ago my family and I were invited to spend Thanksgiving weekend at a picturesque ski resort in Colorado with about five hundred single young adults, most of whom were staff personnel with Campus Crusade. I spoke all week on the subject of servanthood, emphasizing the importance of believers being those who help, encourage, affirm, and care for others.
Read MoreThe Real Thing
I didn’t know what it was exactly that first drew me to Bob. More than anything else, I guess, there was something refreshingly unpretentious about him. He was devoted to the things of the Lord, no question, but it was never on parade, never for the purpose of public display. And I loved that.
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