In all my studies I’ve found only one place where Jesus Christ—in His own words—describes his own “inner man.” In doing so, He uses only two words. He doesn’t say: “I am wise and powerful,” or “I am holy and eternal,” or “I am all-knowing and absolute deity.” Do you know what He said? Hold on, it may surprise you.
Read MoreTag Archives: Matthew
The Difference
Satan, our relentless enemy, has a game plan, and it’s on the board. Knowing that his days are numbered, knowing that he has an appointed amount of time before the scoreboard counts him out, he holds the world in his lap and gives it directions, implementing his strategy day after day.
Read MoreHow to Be Salt and Light
God calls us to be salt-and-light Christians in a bland, dark society. We need to remember salt must not lose its taste and light must not be hidden. Let me suggest three statements that declare and describe how to fulfill this role . . .
Read MoreAct Medium
The children worked long and hard on their little cardboard shack. It was to be a special spot—a clubhouse, where they could meet together, play, and have fun. Since a clubhouse has to have rules, they came up with three . . .
Read MoreCost and Worth
“How much does it cost?” “What’s it worth?” These two questions may sound alike, but they are different. Very different. “Cost” is the amount of money it takes to complete a purchase . . . the bill, the tab, the monetary expense required to accomplish a financial transaction. “Worth” is the usefulness of the object . . .
Read MoreForgotten Words
Truth be told, even in our churches we tend to get so caught up in a success-and-size race that we lose sight of our primary calling as followers of Christ. The “celebrity syndrome” so present in our Christian thought and activities just doesn’t square with the attitudes and messages of Jesus.
Read MoreThe Way Up Is Down
Journey back with me for a moment to one of the many scenes that demonstrated just how ordinary Jesus’s disciples were. What makes this account interesting is the presence of a mother of two of the disciples. She’s Mrs. Zebedee, wife of a Galilean fisherman and mother of James and John.
Read MoreEternal Rewards for Those Who Serve God
“Improving our serve” begins with little things. It begins with thoughtful things—an understanding embrace of one who is hurting, a brief note to one who is lonely and feeling unappreciated and forgotten, a cup of cool water for one whose lips are parched from the hot blast of a barren desert when all seems futile and worthless.
Read MoreA Self-Description of Jesus
I’ve been involved in a serious study of Scripture for more than fifty years of my life, and in all that time I have found only one place where Jesus Christ—in His own words—describes His own “inner man.” In doing so, He uses only two words. Unlike most celebrities, those words are not phenomenal and great. Jesus doesn’t even mention that He was sought after as a speaker.
Read MoreA Servant, not a Superstar
I remember my surprise some years back when I received a slick, multicolored brochure in my morning mail announcing a series of lectures to be delivered in Los Angeles by a man who was a well-known Christian “superstar” of the day. He was a popular speaker who traveled all over the country, and his name is still familiar to most folks in the family of God. But I confess, I lifted my eyebrows in astonishment . . .
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