When I was a boy, my family did a lot of fishing. Sometimes we came in from fishing at night, and we were tired. But there was one rule that was never broken: “If you catch ‘em, you clean ‘em!” Don’t complain that you’re tired or think the fish can keep until morning. The fish […]
The Bible warns against eating the food of a stingy man. “He is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. ‘Eat and drink,’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you” (Prov. 23:6–7). Sadly, many people view God as such a stingy man. They doubt that God wants […]
What does it mean to be a Christian? If you asked this question of an average group of people you would get a number of different answers. “It means going to church. It means believing in God. It means belonging to a religious tradition.” Jesus gives a radically different answer. A Christian is a disciple: […]
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” —Acts 2:13 If we would search throughout all of history we would not find anywhere people more sane, more responsible than these disciples. And yet, on the day of Pentecost, these people broke out of their somber state into one of delirious […]
It’s been said that self-esteem is the single greatest need facing the human race today. One prominent pastor, in defending this thesis, has defined self-esteem as “pride in being a human being.”1 A sincere study of Scripture, however, seems to suggest that self-esteem, rather than being our greatest need, might be part of humanity’s problem. […]
The Duty of Discipleship: Edifying the Church Intergenerational Christian discipleship is deceptively simple. When spiritually mature people convey their piety to others, discipleship is taking place. The good news is that discipleship doesn’t require scientific studies, tactical gurus, or expensive materials. But here is the bad news: if either ingredient is lacking—spiritual maturity or the […]