There is an old Indian proverb that says no one has the right to criticize another until he has walked a mile in his moccasins. It's the same principle that Jesus articulated so clearly when he said, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Every major religion in our world has a paraphrase of this as a guide for humankind, yet how seldom do we really stop to consider what difficulties, what pain, what stress others are facing. Consumed with our problems, our cares and difficulties, we seldom ask, "If I were in his shoes, would I be doing things any differently?"
April 20, 2020
Have you ever had the experience of having to make a business presentation and you learned that the "big boss" is going to be there? Your knees go weak, and your hands sweat. No matter what the temperature, you start wiping the perspiration from your brow. You just know that you are going to blow it.
April 17, 2020
Have you ever faced a situation when you absolutely felt like quitting? You gave it your best shot. You worked, you prayed, and you determined to make something happen; but just when you were ready to give up, someone came by and said something to you. And what they said gave you the courage to hold on and eventually succeed.
April 16, 2020
When God asked Abraham to give his son as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah, he complied without questioning God as to why he asked this most unusual thing, especially when the boy had been a gift from God when they were childless. As Abraham approached Moriah, he turned to the men accompanying him and said, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you" (Genesis 22:5).
April 15, 2020
"I can worship God much better," say some, "outdoors where I see His handiwork than in a stuffy church." And, I confess, I've thought the same thing on occasion. But the question is, "Do they worship at the beach, on a mountain trail, on the tennis courts, or driving on a freeway?" Or do folks simply use that as an excuse to avoid going to church?
April 14, 2020
Uncertainty has long been part of the human condition. We simply don’t know what the future holds and many of us find ourselves living lives we never dreamed we would. On a global scale, wars, terror, fires, drought and yes, a viral epidemic, can make life seem dark and overwhelming. Perhaps it seems like the only certainty in life is uncertainty.
April 13, 2020
There is a big difference between knowing that Christ was once on a cross for me and knowing that on the same cross on which He was crucified, He asked me to be crucified with Him. What does that mean? For decades, every Good Friday a few well-meaning but misinformed individuals actually allow themselves to be crucified—at least for a few brief moments. It's part of a controversial Easter tradition in the Philippines, where people undergo real-life crucifixions as an expression of their faith. Then they go to a river to wash, thinking that the water that washes away the blood will also wash away sins.
April 10, 2020
Substitutes are never quite like the real thing. They never quite look like the real thing, taste like the real thing, or feel like the real thing. Artificial sweeteners may save you the calories but–face it–Diet Coke or Coke Light just doesn’t quite taste like “the real thing.” The same thing goes for salt or butter substitutes. You can’t quite compare what is churned from pure cream with what comes out of a laboratory in a plastic bottle with a picture of a cow on the label.
April 9, 2020
While fox hunting in Britain has fallen upon hard times, those who have indulged in the practice say the thrill is in the chase, somewhat the same way a young man feels pursuing the girl of his dreams. And while there may be a measure of truth in the fact that the pursuit may be more glamorous than the catch, the fact is you run to win, not just get exercise. Lately I've noticed a growing number of books which focus on searching for God. I've read them, and after I've read them, I've closed the cover slightly dissatisfied because I had the feeling that the focus is on the search for God but falls short of connecting with God.
April 8, 2020
A disclaimer is the fine print you see in a contract, the documentation which protects a manufacturer from law suits, and basically lets the contracting party off the hook when something goes wrong. So here’s the disclaimer today. No, I haven’t had my wife walk out on me, or bury my children on foreign soil. I haven’t been in an airplane that crashed or was hijacked by terrorists, and no, they haven’t pulled me from a wrecked car more dead than alive. Frankly, God has been far better to me than I deserve—a thousand times so; yet I have a strong opinion based on working with people. I’ve seen a trend so gradual and so pervasive in recent years that it seems to leave me standing in a small minority of people who tenaciously cling to some thoughts that are seldom voiced.
April 7, 2020