promises promises
Genesis 3:2-5: “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied…
deception
Hebrews 3:12-13: Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
Jesus warned us that in this world, offenses…
pseudo praise
When Hitler sought to placate Austrian minister Kurt von Schuschnigg by complimenting and praising him publicly, a disgusted Winston Churchill muttered, “When a snake wants to eat his victims, he first covers them in saliva.”
The Bible calls Hitler’s use of insincere praise flattery—words said and actions done to gain favor with others and advantage over them. Though some write…
failure
According to columnist Perry Buffington, a licensed psychologist, failure takes on a life of its own because the brain remembers incomplete tasks or failures longer than successes or completed activities. It’s called the “Zeigarnik effect.” Buffington states, “When a project or a thought is completed, the brain . . . no longer gives the project priority or active working status.…
receiving and deceiving
My husband and I were leaving a restaurant one evening when a distraught couple approached us. Their story? Car problems. From out of town. Waiting for their ride. We responded with compassion, desiring to help them and possibly introduce them to Jesus. We even went to buy two meals and brought them to the hotel where they said they were…
telling the truth
Professional integrity and a commitment to excellence are the working philosophies which guide us on a daily basis.” This is one of the introductory sentences from a Web site designed to provide fictional explanations, fake employment references, and verification for unexcused absences. A more accurate sentence would be “professional lying and commitment to providing false testimony are what guide us…
handle with care
Various vacations have taught me that jet skis and boulders don’t go together. Neither do 3-wheelers and thin ice.
My motorized mishaps began when, as a kid, my family spent the afternoon visiting friends. Willing to accommodate my need for speed, their son let me use his go-cart. He showed me the gas pedal but assumed I would find the…
disappointed
Few joys surpass that of a soldier and a family reunited after an extended deployment. And few things exceed the disappointment of such a hope deferred. Imagine the scathing disappointment of a battalion that received orders to another spot in the war zone for an additional 3 months—less than 48 hours before they were to return home!
The story of…
deception
Jérôme Kerviel, a 31-year-old options trader at France's second-largest bank, Société Générale, used the bank's system to make unauthorized stock trades. When he was discovered, the high roller's bets totaled $55b. To put it in perspective, the entire bank was worth only $35b. Talk about deception!
Ananias and his wife Sapphira, the famous deceivers of the New Testament, made a…
