Charles J. Brown II was a multimillionaire oilman who retired at the age of 38. About a year later he made a commitment of his life to Christ to be ready, willing, and able to serve kingdom causes when needed.
I heard a story about a request that once went to Charlie for some personal information to be used in publicizing some Christian meetings. Back came the request form with only tw...
Some startling claims have been made for Jesus Christ. He is acclaimed as the Son of God and the universal Savior of all men. But how do we know that these claims are true and not fairytales or nursery rhymes? How can we be sure Jesus is trustworthy? There are at least three reasons:
1. His universal appeal and magnetism. Jesus is the most fascinating person who ever li...
Donald Phlegar, missionary to Thailand, shared a story that was circulating among the Thai people about a man who had a lion. The lion had a habit of eating people. His owner told him it would be all right for him to eat one or two people a day, but the lion must not eat any Christians. One day the lion ate a man except for a small area around his lips. When the lion’s owner saw what the lion h...
Someone said, “God made the country, man made the city, and the devil made the small town.” He could have had your town in mind. Most people at one time or another contribute to the spread of idle gossip and groundless rumors. Rare indeed is the person who will let such information end with his hearing.
While most people participate in rumors about others, few people appreciate being th...
A newspaper article once told how the 83-member crew of the USS Pueblo, who had previously discarded faith as excess baggage, turned to prayer and the Bible to sustain them in their 11-month imprisonment by the North Korean government in 1968. The article said, “A symbol of both their faith and their unity was the ‘Pueblo Bible,’ scraps written out from memory and jotted down on toilet...
A news article told of an Oklahoma church that had scheduled its Sunday school on Wednesday because, in the pastor’s words, “We’ve become a city of boat owners: with every new lake more people are spending the weekends out of town.”
This article pointed out the fact that more people are disregarding the third commandment, which says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” They are...
Discipline is both positive and negative. Another devotional listed the five do’s of discipline. This week presents the five don’ts of discipline.
1. Don’t compare. Every child needs acceptance for who he is. Comparing children often crushes the spirit. Encourage each child to be his best self.
2. Don’t...
I visited with a young lady to invite her to church. We had talked for only a few moments when tears welled up in her eyes and she became very emotional. It was clear that she was deeply distressed.
I shared with her what Christ meant to me and how through faith in him I had found peace and happiness in life.
She replied, “I really could use some of that.”
There are many...
Man needs some authority in his life. Without duly recognized authority, chaos would soon result in every realm of life. For example, there is in Washington, D.C., a Bureau of Standards to uphold the perfect measurement for every weight and measurement that we use in the United States. There is a perfect inch, a perfect pound, a perfect ounce, etc. They are the authority for all weights and mea...