In recent posts, I have written about God’s servants feeling used and unappreciated, experiencing undeserved disrespect and resentment, and having hidden greed—a desire to be rewarded. From these very real and common perils, there emerge at least three timely lessons for all of us to remember.
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Seven Impossibilities Jesus Made Possible
Impossible! Has this word crossed your lips lately as you peer at an unsolvable problem? The dictionary defines impossible as “incapable of being done, attained, or fulfilled: insuperably difficult.”1Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Ed., ed. Frederick C. Mish, (Springfield, Mass: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2008), s.v. “Impossible.” So, what’s your “insuperably difficult” circumstance? Perhaps an adult child […]
Read MoreBeing a Giver—Is Worth It?
Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside, the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamed-up window, he could see the mouth-watering morsels being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully.
Read MoreGrace: God’s Masterplan for You . . . God’s Masterplan for All
There’s one Sunday from the 1970s that I’ll never forget. I had just finished preaching in Fullerton, California, when my friend and radio expert, Al Sanders, came to me and said, “Chuck, this ought to be on the radio.” I responded, “What ought to be on the radio?” Being heard anywhere other than the pulpit […]
Read MoreDoes God Hate?
Hate is a powerful word. We are taught from childhood to avoid hatred at all costs and to obey the command of Christ to love everyone, including our enemies. So it’s shocking to read the words that Paul quoted from Malachi, who declared that God loved Jacob but hated Esau (Malachi 1:2–3). How can a […]
Read MoreWhy Forgiving Someone Is Hard and How to Do It
Would you like to hold a grudge with God’s blessing? I mean, wouldn’t it be great to know exactly how much of the same guff you had to take from someone until you no longer had to forgive? The problem with forgiving is that the debt is real. Your parents neglected or even abused you. […]
Read MoreEncouragement Takes the Sting Out of Life
All of us need encouragement. We need somebody to believe in us. To reassure and reinforce us. To help us pick up the pieces and go on. To fuel our flame of determination as we face the odds against us. I don’t care how influential, secure, or mature a person may appear to be, an […]
Read MoreStill Living: Grieving after Suicide
Disclaimer: If you are thinking about hurting yourself or believe someone you know may be, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 now. When I was a teenager, one of my youth group peers committed suicide. He was about 18 years old. Later, I served in a church where two youths killed themselves. In […]
Read MoreStrangely Wrapped, Silently Delivered
Ever since the first Christmas celebration, I think one word has fallen from everyone’s lips more than any other. It isn’t the word joy or carol or tree or food. It’s the word gift. Gifts are so inseparably linked and interwoven with Christmas that we can hardly think of one without the other. However, we […]
Read MoreMy Lord and My God!
This season of the year is not joyful for everyone. Put bluntly, some dread it. They are filled with such melancholy memories of painful days gone by, they find it hard to sing the carols. “Joy to the World!”—not really. “How Great Our Joy!”—well, maybe for you but not for everyone. Now, before you call […]
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