A man named Naaman was a high-ranking Syrian soldier. He was influential, wealthy, proud—a man of dignity, courage, patriotism, and military clout. There was only one problem: the man had leprosy.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Pastors
To Serve and to Give
God’s true servant is like the Lord Jesus, who came not “to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). To serve and to give. Pride wants strokes—lots of them. It loves to get the credit.
Read MoreJesus’ Portrait of a Servant
Shortly before her death in February 1971, my mother did an oil painting for me. It has become a silent “friend” of mine, a mute yet eloquent expression of my calling. It is a picture of a shepherd with his sheep.
Read MoreThe Pure in Heart
When Jesus spoke of being “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), He emphasized the inner person . . . the motive . . . the “heart.” The phrase does not refer simply to doing the right things but doing the right things for the right reason.
Read MoreSupernatural Ability of the ”Renewed Mind,” Part 2
As we allow God’s truth to pierce the tough, hardened barriers we have erected in our minds, we receive surprising benefits. We saw yesterday that God gives us His divine power (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Read MoreHonest to the Core
What is God looking for? He is looking for men and women whose hearts are completely His—completely . . . . God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity. He’s looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest-to-the-core servants.
Read MoreSegments of Solitude
Solitude doesn’t refer to mere personal privacy for a twelve-second pit stop where we get a quick fix to reenter the race. It’s more than that.
Read MoreThe Tailor’s Name Is Change, Part One
When you boil life down to the nubbies, the name of the game is change. Those who flex with the times, refuse to be rigid, resist the mold, and reject the rut—ah, those are the souls distinctively used by God. To them, change is a challenge, a fresh breeze that flows through the room of routine and blows away the stale air of sameness. Stimulating and invigorating as change may be—it is never easy.
Read MoreSunday Listening, Part One
Most of us were born hearing well, but all of us must learn to listen well. Listening is a skill, an art that is in need of being cultivated. Dr. Ralph Nichols, considered by many to be an authority on the subject, believes that we think four, perhaps five, times faster than we talk. This means that if a speaker utters one hundred twenty words a minute, the audience thinks at about five hundred words a minute.
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