Watch Out for Fakes

A friend of mine ate dog food one evening. No, he wasn’t at a fraternity initiation or a hobo party . . . he was actually at an elegant student reception in a physician’s home near Miami. The dog food was served on delicate little crackers with a wedge of imported cheese, bacon chips, an olive, and a sliver of pimiento on top. That’s right, friends and neighbors, it was hors d’oeuvres a la Alpo.

What You Gain in Losing

FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN kept a plaque on his desk in the oval office which read: There’s no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit. Little wonder President Reagan achieved so much in his eight years as leader of the free world. Yet that principle was not original with him. It comes from the heart of God. Here’s how the apostle Paul stated it:

Vulnerability

Remember these words from yesterday? “I have not arrived . . . I forget what is behind . . . I move on to what is ahead.” Over the next few days, I want to examine each part of this statement from the pen of the apostle Paul.

An Attitude of Strong Determination

Paul commands believers to possess the attitude of strong determination. He confesses, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind . . .” (Philippians 3:13–14).

Playing Second Fiddle

I REMEMBER READING OF Leonard Bernstein, the late, legendary conductor of the New York Philharmonic, giving an insightful answer in an informal interview. Following a televised performance, one admirer asked: “Mr. Bernstein, what is the most difficult instrument to play?” With quick wit and without even a thought he replied:

I, Me, Mine, Myself

Let’s admit it; ours is an age of gross selfishness. The “me” era. And we get mighty uncomfortable even when God begins to make demands on us. Of course, our inner “self” doesn’t want to dump God entirely.

How’s Your Attitude?

I LOVE THE STORY OF a sea captain who, while navigating his ship through a storm, found himself on a collision course with what he thought was a large vessel in the distance. He ordered the approaching vessel to alter its course ten degrees south. The reply came back: “Alter your course ten degrees north.” […]

Be Joyful!

I KNOW, I KNOW . . . THIS IS A ROTTEN WORLD. And some people just can’t be trusted. And con men (and women) and phonies and charlatans are out there, ready to rip us off. Even Jesus counseled His men before their solo flights into ministry to be “shrewd as snakes” (Matthew 10:16). Good, sound advice, since there are a lot of hungry wolves out there. I’ve learned over the years, however, that cynicism can quickly set in, bringing only heartache and bitterness.

Sincerity

“ANGELA ATWOOD WAS a dear, honest, sincere girl, who—like Christ—died for her beliefs.” These words actually fell from the lips of the Reverend Citro, a Roman Catholic priest, as he delivered Angela’s eulogy to those who had gathered in St. Paul’s Church of Prospect Park, New Jersey. Sadly, this young woman was one of the six hard-core Symbionese Liberation Army members killed in Los Angeles in 1974.

Providence

WHOEVER READS THE WRITINGS OF Christians from earlier centuries is struck with the frequent references to God’s providence. Why don’t we hear more about it today? What imp sneaked in and stole this good word from our twenty-first century vocabulary? The spirit of naturalism that views all events in nature as ruled by independent natural forces has left its mark on our generation. Too bad. We would do well to reintroduce this grand word to our tongues as well as to our young.

Tag Archives: Philippians