Posts Tagged ‘Christian Growth’
No Roads to Yesterday
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before Philippians 3:13 I read an article by Evangelist Tim Green with this title and, of course, my mind started reminiscing. It is nice to be able…
Read MoreWhat Are We Missing in Our Bibles?
In a Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) article,1 Ben Witherington III says, “First, we know that Pharisees — including Paul, as a former Pharisee — did indeed believe in a bodily resurrection as the form of future afterlife. This was based in part on a certain understanding of Daniel 12.1-3 and the development of thought that…
Read MoreNew Year’s Reading on the Book of Psalms
The new year is here, with a golden opportunity to read more and better in the months ahead. Maybe you were given money for books for Christmas. Wonderful! There’s little that I enjoy more than helping other people spend money on good books! I want to recommend the possibility of your working through three books…
Read MorePutting Yourself in Your Place
People sometimes wonder how we can relate to characters and stories in the Bible since we’re separated from them by time and culture. However, although the circumstances are different, the people involved are not. And although God dealt with them in situations different from ours, He is the same God now as then. So every…
Read MoreGod’s Grace in the Past, Present, and Future
At some point in life, many people pause to evaluate their physical health and fitness. This personal checkpoint occurs sooner for some and later for others. If we’re wise, we look for a diet, medicine, supplement, or routine that offers more than a momentary, temporary solution. We want an approach that will heal ailments from…
Read MoreSpiritual Dryness: Am I Hungry for the Wrong Food?
“Oh Lord, what is wrong with me?” future missionary Isobel Kuhn prayed. “Why can’t I sense Your Presence now as I have lately? Why has the Bible become dry?” Have you been there? You dutifully read your Bible nearly every day. You pray like you’ve been taught. It feels like a chore or, even worse,…
Read More4 Lessons I’ve Learned Through Sickness.
Last week on social media author Carey Nieuwhof asked a simple question: “What’s your biggest leadership challenge right now?” Lying in my hospital bed I laughed and said to myself, “Funny you should ask.” At that very moment, our church team was planning a large 4th of July outdoor picnic and service while I was…
Read MoreCome and Dine
Recently I read a blog post that drew me to an old song we sang in the youth group many years ago. I can almost hear Youth Pastor Don Nelson fingerpicking the melody as the group would sing…”’Come and dine,’ the Master calleth, ‘Come and dine’, You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time.…
Read MoreWhy Am I in the Wilderness?
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the…
Read MoreGod’s Pressure Cooker
Practical Help from 2 Corinthians 4:7–18 As a child, I well remember the sound of a whistle blowing to indicate that dinner was almost ready. It was the release valve on one of my mom’s favorite cooking utensils, her pressure cooker. Pressure under controlled circumstances produces greater effectiveness and productivity, making water do what it…
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