seeing God's glory . . .
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fully embrace Gods glory in your life? !’ve pondered this for many years as a Christian believer and—to be honest—I don't know if I ever truly had an answer until recently.
Not long ago, in a message titled “For the Glory,” I shared with a congregation how changing little things…
looking beyond calvary
The Mount Grace Priory in North Yorkshire is one of England’s best-preserved medieval monasteries. For hundreds of years, Carthusian monks lived there in solitude, devoting themselves to prayer. The priory’s ruins are impressive, but a more modern monument caught my attention on a recent visit to the site.
thief of time
Maneesh Sethi hired a woman to sit at his computer and watch him as he worked. Armed with a list of his tasks, her job was to slap him if he tried to put off working by checking Facebook or scanning other websites. Later, he employed a tall Swedish man to do the same job—that guy hit a bit harder, according to Maneesh. Oddly, this rather extreme measure worked. Maneesh claims that his “slappers” helped him become 98 percent more productive by preventing procrastination during his workday.
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.”
the brilliant face of God
The Incan Empire had practices that make us recoil. One was child sacrifice. Each year, certain families would surrender their child. They would celebrate their child and then give her corn alcohol to dull her fear. Then they would carry her up a mountain and knock her unconscious so that she wouldn’t feel pain. The child was then left to die of exposure. It would be wrong to surmise that these families de-valued children. Quite the opposite, this was a grave decision for the parents. They simply felt that their gods demanded this action.
all the time in the world
Do you remember me?” A pause. Vacant eyes. My mother was speaking to Betty, a fellow churchgoer from years past, who now lived at a local nursing home. My mom tried again. “Do you remember my husband? He’s right here.” Betty responded with an excited “Yes,” followed by a look of confusion. As the two women talked, Betty’s mind faded…
don't give up
Are you feeling weary, discouraged, weak, or disillusioned in serving God? Well, you’re not alone. That’s where Timothy is when we read 2 Timothy:1-4 and that’s where all of us are some of the time and where some of us are most of the time. When one is involved in the noble fight for the souls of men—going up against…
okay to be great?
Is it a sin to be great? Over the years, I’ve heard statements that imply it is. Some have said, “It’s not about me. It’s about God.” Or, “People need to see God, not me.” Yes, we should avoid self-promotion, but I wonder if believers in Jesus can take it too far?
To those who think it’s a sin to…
to God be all glory
Genesis 1:26: God said, “Let us make human beings in Our image, to be like Us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
Did you know that worship, and dominion are interconnected? If we make the…
lead on
Spending much of my childhood in the cool north of the US, I always thought of palm trees as something exotic. So when we traveled down to South Carolina to visit family every few years, I felt as if I was somewhere near Hawaii, even though I knew deep waters and many miles separated the two states. Now that I…
God-given creativity
Steve Saint needed a car that could fly. But with no Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on the market, he prayerfully and creatively began to build one. His labor of love reflects the love he has for the Waodani tribe in Ecuador. Steve’s father, Nate Saint, was a pilot and missionary who died at the hands of the Waodani in 1956.…
no good thing
[caption id="attachment_8245" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="—pic submitted by Ruth Tobing, Indonesia"]
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The Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right (Psalm 84:11).
incomparable glory
1 Peter 4:1-2: So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude He had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will…
