Of all the words that Luke wrote none have captured the hearts and minds of people quite like verse 7, chapter 2, when he said, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.”
There are few things in all this world more important than the religious training of children. We are given some insight as to the importance of that in the life and the ministry of our Lord. In the New Testament we are given great detail concerning the birth of Jesus. Then, for the remainder of his life until he enters his p...
There is a story about a painter by the name of Stenberg who was struck with the beauty of a Romani girl. He took her to his studio and frequently had her sit for him. At the time he was also working on his masterpiece, “Christ on the Cross,” and the girl used to watch him paint. One day she said to him, “He...
For many years when you wanted to say that a preacher had gone to be alone with God, to pray, to study, and to renew himself, you would use the biblical phrase, “He has gone to the desert.” Since the scandals of recent days have revealed the opulence and the luxury of many television evangelists, if today you say...
There were three ministers—a Roman Catholic priest, a Presbyterian, and a Baptist—arguing about which church Jesus would join if he were to come back to earth again. The Roman Catholic priest said, “Jesus would join the Roman Catholic Church and he would serve his holiness, the pope.”
Somebody asked Mother Teresa if she thought she would ever go to the moon. She said, “If there were people there, I’m sure that I and my sisters would go.” That is the spirit that ought to characterize the people of God, for that is the Spirit of God himself.
In Luke chapter four we find the account of the temptation of Jesus, and today we are going to think about Jesus’ temptation and our own. In considering the experience of Jesus’ temptation we come to understand some things about our own temptation that will help us as we deal with life and as we seek to live victo...
I once read an article in Reader’s Digest that I wasn’t able to forget. It emphasized in a new and fresh way something I had known for a long, long time, and that is that every new idea has to fight for its existence and for its acceptance. The article’s title was “They Created the Jet Ag...
I have been thinking about a little story I read sometime ago about this man who went to the doctor for a checkup. “I have bad news for you,” the doctor said. “You are going to have to change the way you are living or you will be dead in three months. You need more rest. You need more nutritious meals. Your...
Once we buried a young lady who was only 21 years old. She was killed in a head-on collision while on her way to church. The night before the funeral, my daughter asked why God allows things like this to happen.
I wish I knew. Things like this have puzzled saints, wise men, and philosophers since the world began.
There is simply no one easy answer as to why tragedies like this happen. The answer may lie in the fact that God made us free. He created us with the ability to make our own choices, and choices always involve consequences. If we are careless or foolish in our choices, or if others are, we may suffer because of them. If God did not allow us freedom, we’d be less than people. We’d be robots.
This may be the only explanation we will ever have for some suffering. However, we do not have to know why things happen in order to be victorious over them. On the cross Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) But the heavens were as brass. God was silent. He didn’t even answer his own Son. Jesus might have despaired and become bitter against God. But instead he said, “Father, into thy hands I commend [entrust, hand over] my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
This kind of faith is far more important than any answer we might receive. In our lives, as in the life of Jesus, it is faith that makes the difference between victory and defeat.
So keep believing in God no matter what. Commit your life to him and regardless of what happens, God will help you.