“I forget what is behind” is a statement that assures us Paul was not the type to live in the past. He says, in effect, “I disregard my own accomplishments as well as others’ offenses against me.
Read MoreTag Archives: Isaiah
Dangerous Disillusionment
Disillusionment is a dangerous, slippery slope. First we become disillusioned about our fellow man. Then we move on to cynicism. Before long, we trust no one, not even God. We’ve been burned. We’ve been taken advantage of; we’ve been mistreated.
Read MoreAlone with God
Some of the most profound ministries of the Spirit of God are not public or loud or large. Sometimes His most meaningful touch on our lives comes when we are all alone. I urge you to include in your schedule time to be alone with God.
Read MorePeace . . . in Spite of Panic
I invite you to focus your full attention on one of the rarest of all virtues. It is a virtue that everybody pursues, but very few possess on a regular basis. I’m referring to the often-longed-for but seldom-found virtue of peace. Peace—something that is needed between nations just as badly as it is needed between neighbors. We are a warring people. Deep down underneath our placid plastic cover we are fighters.
Read MoreGoing . . . Not Knowing, Part Two
Yesterday we read about two great men of the faith, Abraham and the apostle Paul, who set out into the great unknown out of obedience to God. It is no easy thing to leave a sure thing, walk away from an ace in the hole, and start down a long, dark tunnel with no end in sight. Absolutely frightening . . . yet filled with unimaginable excitement. Going . . . yet not knowing.
Read MoreActing Decisively, Part Two
Making one’s own decisions develops healthy mental muscles. But there will always be a few who crave to be told what to do. A major reason some prefer to be indecisive is laziness. Decision making is hard work. Peter Drucker was correct when he said: A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right and wrong.
Read MoreRadical Adjustments, Part Two
On October 12, 1972, a Fairchild F-227 of the Uruguayan Air Force was chartered by an amateur rugby team. The plan? To fly from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile . . . a flight pattern which required flying over the rugged Andes. There were forty-five on board, including the crew. Bad weather brought the plane down in Mendoza, a small Argentinian town.
Read MoreThe Real Reason for the Season
YOU’VE SEEN IT. SO HAVE I. The phrase is on bumper stickers, it appears on coffee mugs, it often finds its way onto greeting cards, billboards, and church signs. It has become almost synonymous with Christ. What is that expression? Jesus is the reason for the season. Catchy, isn’t it? Sure makes sense on the surface. In fact, an entire retail industry has been practically erected around this singular notion.
Read MoreA Prayer for Mothers
“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13) We do worship You, our Father, and in our worship we give You our thanks. We thank You, not only for our own mothers and grandmothers but for all women who have filled that role. We remember those who are now deceased, who helped shape our lives, who taught us faithfully, and who enduringly loved us.
Read MoreCompassion in Suffering
He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:3–4)
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