Christian Living

I am glad there is still a Sunday in May on our calendars designated as Mother’s Day. The Bible sadly announces in Proverbs 30:11, “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.” While no mother is sinless or perfect, everyone ought to be thankful for the one who went through the travail of death to give us life!

Pastors carry many burdens. That is why Paul said, “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Paul had many difficulties. He had physical handicaps, he had been persecuted severely for the faith, he had been marooned on an island with criminals in the middle of a storm.

If I asked you to define Job’s life, what would you say? Probably most would define it as suffering or sorrow, but God defines Job’s life as filled. We come to the end of the book (Job 42:17) and we read this phrase, “So Job died, being old and full of days.”

An important aspect of life is influence. Each one of us has influence over someone in this world. It is obvious that the more you lead, the more opportunities for influence you will have.

Our first President, George Washington, had a motto for his life that he endeavored to live by: “Deeds, not words.” Reading this, I thought about how simplistic and yet how important it is that our lives as Christians be characterized by that motto.

If you were to ask the average Christian which book means the most to him out of every book he has ever read or owned, I believe most would say the Bible. But I wonder how many Christians are actually benefiting from it in a real and practical way on a regular basis. We don’t get the benefits of God’s Word by setting a Bible on the coffee table or carrying a Bible to church.

We live in a culture that openly rejects and rebels against proper authority. The latest manifestation of this trend was the “occupy” demonstrations. Some of the protesters did not like the fact that they are expected to pay back money loaned to them for their college education, so they rebelled against taxpayers who funded the program that loaned them the money.

It was Memorial Day and my schedule had taken me to the beautiful Colorado Rockies for a week of camp with teenagers. I had arrived on Friday and spoken several times over the weekend to the staff and counselors and was ready for a great week.

A legacy of faithfulness is the accumulation of an entire life, and I know that I’m still a work in progress. But I am thankful for faithful men who have invested in me, and I would like to share what they have handed to me.

We often speak of waiting on God to do certain things in our lives. Yet, there are times when God is waiting on us to do certain things. He wants us to:

As a child, I remember people saying there are two things you should not discuss: religion and politics. I suppose people thought these were private matters and only led to arguing and disagreement when discussed. But if you truly believe something, shouldn’t you express it to others? Wouldn’t you want everyone to embrace what you believe is the truth?

I have been encouraged recently by some signs of spiritual maturity in a few of our church members. I have seen people who a few years ago were like fragile, young plants needing lots of spiritual attention and investment, now exhibiting the strength and stability of a mighty tree.

If there was ever a man who knew the hand of God’s power on his life and ministry, it was Elijah. And if there was ever a time in which he saw God’s power mightily displayed, it was when he called down fire from Heaven on Mount Carmel.

We cannot give approval to everyone we meet. We meet people who wear clothing of which we cannot in good conscience approve, use language of which we cannot approve, and live lifestyles of which we cannot approve if we wish to be consistent with Scripture. Unfortunately, a desire to disapprove that of which God disapproves has caused us to be perceived as rejecting the individual whose behavior we cannot condone.

Before transferring a caller to her boss, a secretary will often say, “May I ask, who’s calling?” The importance of a message is often determined not only by the content of the message, but the communicator of that message. In Acts chapter nine and verse four, Saul, the persecutor of Christians, hears a voice as he travels to Damascus.

The Bible declares that God made the world out of nothing—He created! He did not make something out of something—He created something out of nothing. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Let him know if his preaching is a help to you. Point out something specific God spoke to you about.

Most of us are not interested in spending money on something that is broken. We are reluctant to buy a used car until we have done a thorough check with Carfax to ensure ourselves that we are not getting stuck with someone else’s junk.

A few summers ago my family and I visited Destin, Florida for vacation. We rented a house right on the beach and had an amazing time. As I recall that trip, we did a little bit of everything.

Most of you can remember what life was like in America before what has simply come to be called 9/11. And while we have become accustomed to living under a constant threat of terrorism, our lives are different since that infamous day. Nowhere is this more evident than at an airport.