Christian Living

The principle or practice of separation has never been popular. It was not popular in ancient Israel, and it certainly is not popular for many Christians today, yet it is a crucial factor in living for God.

Abraham was a principal figure in God’s plan to redeem mankind, and his story is central to the record in the book of Genesis. One of the most striking and important events of his story is the offering of Isaac, described in chapter 22.

The existence of God has been the subject of debate for hundreds of years. The fact that the number of non-church goers, skeptics, and atheists is on the rise is not surprising. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The typical American attitude about summer is that it is a great time to kick back and relax. But could there be more to it? As a parent, when our children were young, Terrie and I saw summer as a time to invest in their lives in ways that were not as possible during the school year.

The miraculous history of the United States of America is due in part to the sacred fire of the American pulpit. It has been the preachers who have unashamedly preached the whole counsel of God’s Word.

One of my favorite of the American founding fathers is Patrick Henry. I remember visiting his estate at Red Hill several years ago in Eastern Virginia. In the museum, was a copy of his last will and testament.

The picture above illustrates an important truth about priorities and relationships. It’s a multi-tiered fountain. Imagine, if you would, your life as a fountain, and each of the levels are your priorities.

Summer is almost as good as a new year for the fresh energy it gives us in setting goals and planning times of renewal. Of course, summer means different things to different people. To students, it means “freedom.” To farmers, it means “work”!

Recently, in my personal worship, I came across two great truths that stirred my heart and caused me to contemplate some meditative thoughts. The verses are in Psalm 111 and 112, they are both incredibly rich with significant truths about the kind of experience God wants each of His children to enjoy with Him while they journey through this life here and now.

As we come to the beginning of our 31st Anniversary and Spiritual Leadership Conference at Lancaster Baptist Church, I thought I’d take a quick moment to suggest a few ways that you could more fully benefit from this conference—whether you are with us in person or taking advantage of the live streaming.

Over the course of my life, I have been a reader. I enjoy books and the learning process, and I have found that few things in life have benefited me as much as my time in good books and the truths I have extracted from them.

Whatever the reason, we are so often focused on the next calendar item that we fail to appreciate the company of God or those with us at the present moment.

We love the “if/then” proposition: “If” you do this, “then” I will do that. We love living as though the philosophy of “what goes around comes around” is true.

God uses what we have, not what we don’t have.

I returned from my most recent missions’ trip to the continent of Africa at the beginning of April. On this twelve day trip, I was able to visit three different countries and preach numerous times. While this wasn’t my first trip to this great continent, it was one that profoundly impacted me. Allow me to share some things I observed, as well as some things God showed me.

They call him “the maniac of Gadara,” and the story of his deliverance is one of the accounts given in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Certainly it is recounted this many times in Scripture because it gives a clear picture of the power and authority of the Lord Jesus over the powers of darkness.

Two of the greatest preachers that ever lived pastored in London at the same time. Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had large churches in those days.

If there is anyone in the world who has reason to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is a born again Christian.

Scientists tell us that lightning flashes around the world some 6,000 times per minute. The Bible teaches us that, like a bolt of lightning, our lives appear like a flash and then we are gone forever.

The Bible teaches us that we are to direct our thinking toward those things that honor God and are good for us. Part of the reason for this, is that our thinking takes us somewhere. When we direct and align our thinking with the Bible and wisdom, we find life and peace. However, when we allow our thinking to become negative and worldly, we discover outcomes that diminish us and hurt others.