Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Sin is deadly and should not be treated lightly. The Bible warns, “Fools make a mock at sin” (Proverbs 14:9). How do people mock sin? 1. Some people mock sin by changing its name. W. E. Sangster, the late Methodist preacher, said, “Years ago I attended a joint meeting of doctors, psychiatrists, and ministers to discover ways in which we could w...

There are times when, in the face of a temptation or an invitation to do evil, there is no substitute for an absolute, resounding “no.” The word no is one of the smallest yet hardest of all words to say. Youth especially have trouble saying it. We have trouble with it because we all want popularity, success, and happiness. To say no increases the poss...

When trouble of any sort comes to us, our first response is to ask, “Why?” Death, disease, deformity, and accidents perplex all of us. There is no one easy answer as to why people suffer, but several possible explanations are given in the Bible. 1. Judgment for sin. Some suffering comes as punishment for sin. This is the oldest and most common explanatio...

“If Christianity today is losing its influence, the reason may be that the church consists of soft pews, soft music, and soft soap.” So said Pastor John C. Jeske one time in the Presbyterian Journal.  We must never so water down our message as Christians that it loses its cleansing power. We must fight the temptation to be apologetic and even as...

Everyone needs to know how to deal with other people’s sins. Daily we are affected by them and they cause us many a crisis and much misery. We are never free from the wrongs caused by others, and they are never free from the wrongs caused by us. Sometimes the sins of others touch us directly. A business partner turns out to be dishonest; your husband is unfaith...

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 tra...

Once a lady came by my study to ask me about heaven. She wanted to know if there would be degrees of rewards there. I told her that the scriptures teach us that there will be (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). The Bible teaches that our destiny depends on faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but our rewards depend on works (Revelation 22:12). It is by the grace of God that we are saved; i...

You may know couples who are loveable, likable, normal people who can get along with everyone except each other. Obviously they know how to relate well with other people because they do so. But they will not apply the same effort to their own marriage. Through the years bitterness and resentment have grown until they no longer care or try to make their marriage work....

How can your life be better? How can you live life at its best? The answer is simple: Live by God’s rules. Life at its best is a life lived in obedience to God’s laws. The Bible says, “He that keepeth the commandment [of the Lord] keepeth his own soul [life]; but he who despiseth his way shall die” (Proverbs 19:16). God wants us to enjoy life...