Want more joy in your day? Cultivate it! Joy springs from viewing the day’s events from eternity’s perspective. With this intentional focus, you’re sure to see today differently—with more joy and conviction that God is at work in your life. 1. Rehearse with God the reasons you trust Him. Tell Him which of His attributes […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Fruit of the Spirit
Peace on Earth…We Need It Now
In the latter half of the twentieth century and continuing through today, a rather significant push for peace has been made from many different corners of our world. People sickened by war, fed up with oppression, and weary of abuse have joined together in a fight against fighting. Ironically, many Christians—followers of the Prince of […]
Read MoreA Month for Love
It is February. Overcast, chilly, bleak-and-barren February. If you’re not into skiing the slopes, skating on ice, or singin’ in the rain, there’s not a lot outside to excite you. Sure was gracious of God to make it last only twenty-eight days . . . well, sometimes twenty-nine. No wonder bears hibernate at this time […]
Read MoreWhatever Happened to Fidelity?
I have occasionally had the honour to minister to high-ranking military officials in Washington, D.C., and I am a better man because of it. Better way to say this? These leaders are models of strong Christian commitment, frequently putting their faith on the line. It does not win them points with their superiors, but they […]
Read MoreThe Joy of Painful Growth
In our backyard in California, Cynthia and I had a couple of fruit trees that supplied our table with luscious, homegrown grapefruits and oranges. Some years, the trees bore more fruit than others. And every year, the growth of those trees reminded me about what it means to become more like Christ. The secret to […]
Read MoreThe Final Priority
Somebody copied the following paraphrase from a well-worn carbon in the billfold of a thirty-year veteran missionary. With her husband, she was on her way to another tour of duty at Khartoum, Sudan. No one seems to know who authored it, but whoever it was captured the essence of the greatest essay on love ever […]
Read MoreSongless Saints
I was on a scriptural safari. Prowling through the Ephesian letter, I was tracking an elusive, totally unrelated verse when God’s sharp sword flashed, suddenly slicing me to the core. . . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians […]
Read MoreSancti-fried
We’ve all been there. Slowly climbing the narrow road of the Christian life, we suddenly take a bad step and end up blowing it . . . again. The progress we had made along that precarious path becomes pointless as we slide down that craggy ledge and find ourselves once again brushing the dirt off […]
Read MoreA Joyful Heart . . . It’s Good Medicine!
A few things in life are absolutely tragic. Some are mysteriously strange. Many, however, are just plain funny. There isn’t a day that passes in which I fail to see, hear, or read something that makes me smile. And because laughter is such effective therapy, I’m grateful that God dispenses this divine medication so frequently. […]
Read MoreA Reason to Smile
Joy—it makes people wonder at your secret. Yet joy is no secret to the trusting Christian. When we choose to grow closer to God, resting in His character and provision, joy spills over into our lives so that others can’t help but notice. Do you want to be a person of joy? Silly question, isn’t […]
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