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“Show me a person who is thankful and I’ll show you a person who is faithful.” I heard this sentiment offered by a speaker at a lectureship several years ago, and it really struck home. Americans on the whole are the most materially blessed people in the world. This can certainly be a good thing for God’s people if we use the things God has provided in a responsible, godly way (cf. Luke 16:1-13). However, far too often our material…

Today the average American lives 78.8 years. That averages out to approximately 945 months, 4,111 weeks, 28,781 days, or 690,746 hours. On the surface that certainly seems to be a long, long time. But, really it is not. Ask someone who has lived for 80 years how quickly their life has progressed and it is almost guaranteed they will say that is has absolutely flown by! The Bible says the same. “Man that is born of a woman is of…

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you’re stuck in a rut that you just cannot dig out of? We all feel that way at some point in our lives. In those times it seems no matter how hard we fight and scratch and claw, getting back on our feet feels hopeless. But “let not your heart be troubled.” Our God is a compassionate God “who comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 1:4). He has given us a…

Malcom Gladwell popularized “The 10,000 hour rule” in his book, Outliers. The idea is that anyone can become an expert in any given field provided they dedicate 10,000 hours of practice to it. Though science has shown the rule to be more like a guideline, it still points to an objectively true principle. That is, that a person who dedicates vast amounts of time and energy to pursuing proficiency in a given area, very likely will find it. He may…

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). How should we deal with those who hate and fight against us? Two passages from the Sermon on the Mount are worthy of our consideration. First, consider Matthew…

Throughout history, the Lord has chosen to accomplish His will in some very unorthodox ways. The occasion of Judges 7:1-8 is a prime example. As Jehovah prepared Gideon to wage war against the Midianites, He commanded a strange way of mustering his troops. Israel’s army of 32,000 was scaled to a mere 300 men. Twenty-two thousand left for fear (Judges 7:3) and the rest were removed because of how they drank. As they arrived at the water the Lord commanded,…

The 19th Psalm is one of the most memorable in the Psalter. The first 6 verses magnificently describe the general revelation of God in nature. It calls us to behold and stand in awe of the creative genius of Jehovah as we see His fingerprints all around us. But the God who created has also commanded, and this theme is taken up in the next portion of the Psalm (vss. 7-11). Note how God’s Word is described (vss. 7-9). The…

A young man walked into the preacher’s study. “I’ve found her!” he said. “I’m in love and I’ve found the girl I’m going to marry!” “That’s wonderful!” the preacher replied. “Tell me about her.” For the next several minutes the wise old minister sat, carefully listening, as the smitten youngster explained how wonderful and beautiful his love was, and how he couldn’t imagine a love more potent that what he felt for her in that moment. Then it was his…

That life is precious seems like a fairly obvious truth, and for many it is. Childbirth, the death of a loved one, frightening medical diagnosis’, and other things provoke reflection on the fragile and wonderful nature of human life, regularly. But for too many, the precious nature of life is of little or no concern. Typically, figures like serial killers and malevolent genocidal rulers come to mind when considering those who think little of life, and for good reason. Illustrations…

People have an interesting tendency to adopt their surroundings. A native North Easterner who moves to the south will find themselves saying “ya’ll” and enjoying chicken fried steak if they stay there long enough. Like a sponge we absorb bits and pieces of language and culture until they become a part of who we are. This principle applies spiritually as well. Jeremiah 2:5 asks, “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have…

You have heard it said, “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish!” George Mallory learned that lesson tragically. He is thought to have been the first to ever climb to the top of Mt. Everest. The problem is that he never made it down. Thus the honor of being the first person to ever successfully scale Everest officially belongs to Edmund Hillary, because he finished the trek and made it down safely. The principle applies spiritually as well.…

To be sure, each of us understands the importance of practicing what we preach (cf. Rom. 2:21). But, we must also believe what we preach. You may remind someone struggling with loneliness that the Lord is always with them (Heb. 13:5), but do you believe that to be true when you struggle with loneliness? You may comfort a brother working through financial stress by reminding him of Matthew 6:33, but do you find comfort in that passage when you endure…