Let’s think about an essential mark of servanthood: integrity . . . or absolute honesty. Remember these words? “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart . . .”
Read MoreTag Archives: First Thessalonians
Tenderness
BACK WHEN I WAS A KID I got a bellyache that wouldn’t go away. It hurt so bad I couldn’t stand up straight. Or sit down without increasing the pain. Finally, my folks hauled me over to a big house in West Houston where a doctor lived. He had turned the back section into his office and clinic. It was a hot, muggy afternoon. I was scared.
Read MoreAffirming Leaders
Good leaders are enthusiastically affirming. Again, Paul writes, “You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers . . .”
Read MoreAffectionate Leaders
Good leaders have affection for people. Paul writes, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God . . . ” (1 Thess. 2:8). Is that great, or what?
Read MoreSensitive Leaders
Good leaders are sensitive to the needs of others. Paul compared his ministry to a mother who tenderly cares for the needs of her children. I love that word picture. I watched my wife nursing our children when they were tiny.
Read MoreHis Only Priority
Paul’s style of leadership was neither aloof nor secretive. He lived among them. They knew his address. He talked to them. He didn’t preach a sermon and then conveniently slip out the back door during the benediction.
Read MoreModeling Grace Through Disagreeable Times
Let me offer several comments that may help you handle future disagreeable times in a gracious manner. First, always leave room for an opposing viewpoint. If you don’t have room for an opposing viewpoint, you’re not going to do well when you get teenagers.
Read MoreCrowns God Sets Aside for His Servants, Part 1
As those who serve the living God, we occasionally need to consider the eternal “crowns” being set aside for God’s servants. What an intriguing study! There are at least five crowns promised in the Bible.
Read MoreMy Dad
I’ll never forget the night my dad died. He left like he had lived. Quietly. Graciously. With dignity. Without demands or harsh words or even a frown, he surrendered himself—a tired, frail, humble gentleman—into the waiting arms of his Savior. Death, selfish and cursed enemy of man, won another battle. As I stroked the hair from his forehead and kissed him goodbye, a hundred boyhood memories played around in my head.
Read MoreAn ”Affair,” Part One
The sad fact is no longer surprising—infidelity has invaded the ranks of professing Christians. The church body bears more ugly scars than ever in its history, and instead of hiding those scars from the public eye, we now speak of them without much embarrassment. The tone is sophisticated. The head is unbowed . . . the heart is unbroken . . . the terms are mellow.
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