AS ABRAHAM and Isaac headed up the mountain, before Abraham knew how God would intervene, he assured his son that God would provide the sacrifice.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Worry
Unanswered Prayers
LONG AFTER Abraham and Sarah had given up hope of experiencing this joy, they held their very own son in their arms. It would have been easy for them to lose hope.
Read MoreMake Leisure Part of Your Day
How do you get good at getting the rest God said was good for you? How do you get good at leisure? We can, of course, nod in agreement to all we’ve discussed in the past couple days about how important it is to rest.
Read MorePeace Amidst an Uncertain Future
If you live intimidated by people, then you need to come to terms with your lack of peace. God is bigger than any person. You don’t need to dread tomorrow. You don’t need to dread your uncontrollable circumstances. It’s a decision that’s called “a frame of mind,” otherwise known as leaning on the everlasting Rock. That’s what we’ve been learning from the life of Paul as we’ve considered Acts 19:21–31 in Parts One through Three.
Read MorePeace Amidst Unpleasant Circumstances
After Paul had been willing to stay at the task in Ephesus even with the dream of going to Rome on his heart (Acts 19:23), “about that time . . . ” That’s the way it happens. Just about the time you get out of your prayer closet and you’ve got it all worked out, everything breaks loose. Look at the rest of verse 23: There occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way [which was a first-century label for Christianity].
Read MoreShifting the Stress by Prayer and Rest
If you tend to get caught up in the hurry-worry sindrome, there is a better way to live. In Parts One through Three we talked about some strategies for alleviating stress. Prayer is another relief—an essential therapy during stressful times. I’m reminded of David on one occasion. He and a group of his men returned home after a weary three-day journey.
Read MoreOvercoming Worry
In Part One, we looked at a couple of New Testament examples (one negative—Martha, the other positive—Jesus) of people under stress. Let’s now go back to the Old Testament and lift out some familiar words of hope to those clenched in the vise-grip of worry. The following passage is so well known to most Christians that we have perhaps missed its significant message. Read slowly the words of Solomon:
Read MoreTwo Perspectives on Stress
There is an old Greek motto that says: YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT. Wise words, but how do we loosen the strings? Even when we make every effort to slow down and relax, others place high demands on us. Their “shoulds” and “oughts” and “musts” hit us like strong gusts of wind, driving our lives onto shallow reefs of frustration—and even despair.
Read MoreTension in the Tank, Part Two
In the northeastern United States, codfish are not only delectable, they are a big commercial business. There’s a market for eastern cod all over, especially in sections farthest removed from the northeast coastline. But the public demand posed a problem to the shippers. At first they froze the cod, then shipped them elsewhere, but the freeze took away much of the flavor.
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