The Christian life is a fight, a struggle, a warfare. And our opponent is Satan. He is the adversary of God’s people. While he has succeeded in making some people question his existence, he is definitely alive and well on planet Earth today.
As Christians we are not to be ignorant of his techniques lest he should get the advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan has used four tactics...
When God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, Moses tried to excuse himself by saying that he didn’t know enough to do the job adequately (Exodus 3:13). He pled ignorance in the first degree.
Moses was afraid to undertake the challenge God gave to him because he was afraid someone would ask him a question that he couldn’t answer. Isn’t it amazing how we w...
Every day we read about another step in the gradual disintegration of the religious and moral foundation of our nation. My concern is not for God. He can stand it. But I’m not sure our nation can stand it. There are two basic truths about morals and our nation that we seem to have forgotten. The first is that an immoral nation cannot long stand. Former President Eisenhower once said that “The p...
A little boy wrote a four-sentence essay on Socrates. “Socrates was a Greek. Socrates was a great man. Socrates told people how to live their lives. They poisoned Socrates.” Telling other people how to live is hazardous work. Yet this is precisely the task of every minister.
The true pastor is a God-appointed man to proclaim a God-given message to the world. He is not supposed to tell p...
George E. Jones, former deputy editor of U.S. News, once raised the question, “Whatever became of belief in America?” He went on to point out that belief in America is being replaced by pessimism, distrust of leaders, and laxity in standards. The old certainties are passing away and skepticism and cynicism abound everywhere. Then he called belief “the energizer of progress” and the “ce...
Headlines in newspapers repeatedly tell of student revolts that are rocking college campuses. It would be serious if these occurrences were only in the United States. But they are not. They are a worldwide phenomenon. In light of these vocal, aggressive, visionary, and impatient youth who are creating so much chaos, one wonders why must evil have a corner on boldness, commitment, and dedication...
One of the towering questions of our day is “Are the gospels true?” Without them we would know little more than that Christ existed. Their validity is imperative in the Christian life. How can we be sure they are true?
1. They have the ring of truth. A careful study of the four gospels reveals their amazing nature. Strictly speaking, the gospels are not biographies at a...
When I read about yet another official in a place of public trust being found guilty of wrongdoing, my first inclination is to despair. I think, “People are worse than ever before.” Then I get it all back in perspective. It’s not that people are worse—the news coverage is just better.
One writer said about youth, “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authori...
Religion, the wrong kind of religion, is at the root of many of the problems in our world today. It has always been true that the wrong kind of religion does more harm than good. Even Jesus warned us about this. In fact, Jesus gave us three marks of the wrong kind of religion in Mark 12:38-40.
First, it is wrong for people to use the church to promote themselves. It wa...
Knute Rockne was one of the greatest football coaches ever. In his 13 years at Notre Dame, his teams won 105 games, lost 12, and tied 5. He never had a secret practice. In fact, he sometimes put up a sign for visitors that said, “Secret practice. Come and bring your notebooks.”
On one occasion when an Army scout missed a train connection and didn’t get to the Notre Dame game he was to cover, Rockne obligingly sent him the plays he planned to use against the West Point men. He explained his actions by saying, “It isn’t the play that wins; it’s the execution.”
All great coaches agree: champions are made by majoring on the fundamentals – blocking and tackling. They execute well. Teams seldom win by trick plays or gimmicks.
The same is true of life. Tricks and gimmicks will seldom get you to the top in any endeavor and can never keep you there. Major on the basics in all of life – work hard, honor God, be honest, kind and helpful to others, and go to church regularly.