where are you looking?
Saulo was 16 when he drove the getaway car for a robbery that ended in murder. Now 32, Saulo says, “I remember sitting in the county jail, and it really sunk in: ‘Wow, I’m not going home,’ and [I] realized what I did. I didn’t want to live. I couldn’t believe what I did.”
losing ourselves
James Hunter, a sociology professor at a large university, highlights the shift from shared moral foundations to individual choices that shift and vacillate. He says, “Most Americans continue to think of their lives in moral terms; they want to live good lives, but they are more uncertain about what the nature of the good is.”
in God’s presence
During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, military chaplain Cary Cash served with the US military’s 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment as they battled their way to Baghdad. After the regiment secured Saddam Hussein’s Almilyah presidential palace, a young marine—ministered to by Cash—bowed and received Jesus as his Savior. Later, the chaplain baptized the young man in the inner sanctum of the palace. In his book A Table in the Presence, Cash writes: “A place that had been known for the presence of darkness and treachery had become a place of the presence of God—a table in the presence.”
you are owned
It’s devastating to be owned by another human. Slaves suffer unimaginable heartbreak and abuse because their lives are not their own. Another person tells them where they will live, what they will do, even whom they will marry. They have no say. Being owned is so harsh that even today, when we want to express the domination of one person over another, we are apt to say something like “Susan owns Tom,” meaning that he pretty much does whatever she wants.
narrow road, eternal life
One of the most prevalent of modern myths is the idea that boundary-less living leads to freedom. A permissive lifestyle may feel free for a time, but it will soon trap us. In ludicrous manner we shout, “I’m free! I’m free!” as we back into a cage and lock the door.
tempted to control
I’ve never stood in high places or wielded authority over the masses, but in my little corner of the world I’ve felt its pull. Whether I’m trying to keep my heart from pain, make my husband agree with me, or prevent my children from experiencing hardship, the root is the same—control. We all face (and at times succumb to) the…
learn from history
According to federal education officials, US students are less proficient in their nation’s history than in any other subject. The test revealed that most fourth-graders were unable to say why well-known president Abraham Lincoln was an important figure, and few high school seniors were able to identify China as the North Korean ally that fought US troops in the Korean…
pests we tolerate
What kinds of pests would you tolerate in your home? A recent survey revealed some surprising results. Researchers found that people would pay for an exterminator when the following pests were found in their home: Twenty-four percent would pay an exterminator to kill spiders; 27 percent would pay to get rid of ants; 56 percent would pay to banish the…
trading your sorrow for joy
Colossians 3:1-11: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And…
free at last
Romans 8:12-14: Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit…
know when
Exodus 12:40-41: The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land.
Exodus 14:13-14: Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen…
improving your eyesight
Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up. —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Waste not fresh tears over old griefs. Waste not time on matters that are out of your hands. Have faith that we have a loving God who will always take care of us. —Joseph- Anthony Green
How many people waste their lives torturing themselves over…
liberation through transformation
Romans 12 :1-3: Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you…
getting your way
Proverbs 16:25: There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
When children become rebellious, they sincerely believe in their hearts that getting "their own way" will lead to their freedom. Are you currently in a situation where you feel pressed into "getting your own way?" First of all, if you're feeling pressured into making…
