Yesterday a gentleman phoned to tell me he did not like my sense of humour. “What does laughing have to do with being a Christian?” he asked. “Is that you, Dad?” I replied, joking. He was not amused. So I got his address and stuffed a potato in his exhaust pipe. Not really. But the […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Fruit of the Spirit
Tenderness
When I was just a kid, I got a bellyache that wouldn’t go away. It hurt so bad I couldn’t stand up straight or sit down without increasing the pain. Finally, my folks hauled me over to a big house in Houston, Texas where a surgeon lived. He had turned the back section of his […]
Read MoreSeven Ways to Cultivate Joy
Want more joy in your day? Cultivate it! Joy springs from viewing the day’s events from eternity’s perspective. With this intentional focus, you’re sure to see today differently—with more joy and conviction that God is at work in your life. 1. Rehearse with God the reasons you trust Him. Tell Him which of His attributes […]
Read MoreA Month for Love
It is February. Overcast, chilly, bleak-and-barren February. If you’re not into skiing the slopes, skating on ice, or singin’ in the rain, there’s not a lot outside to excite you. Sure was gracious of God to make it last only twenty-eight days . . . well, sometimes twenty-nine. No wonder bears hibernate at this time […]
Read MoreWhatever Happened to Fidelity?
I have occasionally had the honour to minister to high-ranking military officials in Washington, D.C., and I am a better man because of it. Better way to say this? These leaders are models of strong Christian commitment, frequently putting their faith on the line. It does not win them points with their superiors, but they […]
Read MoreThe Final Priority
Somebody copied the following paraphrase from a well-worn carbon in the billfold of a thirty-year veteran missionary. With her husband, she was on her way to another tour of duty at Khartoum, Sudan. No one seems to know who authored it, but whoever it was captured the essence of the greatest essay on love ever […]
Read MoreSongless Saints
I was on a scriptural safari. Prowling through the Ephesian letter, I was tracking an elusive, totally unrelated verse when God’s sharp sword flashed, suddenly slicing me to the core. . . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians […]
Read MoreA Joyful Heart . . . It’s Good Medicine!
A few things in life are absolutely tragic. Some are mysteriously strange. Many, however, are just plain funny. There isn’t a day that passes in which I fail to see, hear, or read something that makes me smile. And because laughter is such effective therapy, I’m grateful that God dispenses this divine medication so frequently. […]
Read MoreA Reason to Smile
Joy—it makes people wonder at your secret. Yet joy is no secret to the trusting Christian. When we choose to grow closer to God, resting in His character and provision, joy spills over into our lives so that others can’t help but notice. Do you want to be a person of joy? Silly question, isn’t […]
Read MoreThe Three-Second Pause
The exercise of this discipline called self-control prevents desire from becoming a dictator. For the person without Christ, the desires dictate and he or she obeys. Those in Christ, living under the authority of His Spirit and ruled by Him, are able to defy this once-powerful dictator. As a result, we experience a transforming change […]
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