Awakening Grace

Want a boost of encouragement? Our God is working toward that end in all of His children. It is His constant pursuit, His daily agenda, as He points us toward our final destination, ”the Celestial City,” as Bunyan calls it.

Crowns God Sets Aside for His Servants, Part 1

As those who serve the living God, we occasionally need to consider the eternal “crowns” being set aside for God’s servants. What an intriguing study! There are at least five crowns promised in the Bible.

What’s Your Motive?

During my days in seminary, I formed a habit that helped me immensely throughout life. I had my artistic sister, Luci, print a simple, three-word question on a small rectangular card I placed on the wall.

Determination

I love the apostle Paul’s attitude revealed in his words: “I press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14). Those men and women who refuse to get bogged down in and anchored to the past are those who pursue the objectives of the future.

Humility

“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.

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.

Forgetting Your Own Good Deeds

Yesterday, we talked about what it means to “forget” when other people do bad deeds to us. Today, I want to address forgetting when we do good deeds to others. In other words, once our own good deeds are done, they’re done.

The Servant as a Giver

I like the tongue-in-cheek definition of philosophers one of my seminary professors would occasionally use. It’s classic: Philosophers are people who talk about something they don’t understand and make you think it’s your fault!

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.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

There once lived a farmer who became jaded about Christmas and all things “Christian.” Late one raw winter night, he sat alone in the house, reading. In the quiet he heard an irregular thumping against the back porch door.

Tag Archives: Philippians