053 Dying Words Of Believers • Matthew Henry—”Sin is bitter. I bless God I have inward supports.” • Martin Luther—”Our God is the God from whom cometh salvation: God is the Lord by whom we escape death.” • John Knox—Live in Christ, Live in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death. • John Calvin—”Thou,…

GRATITUDE/THANKSGIVING Gratitude springs out of our faith. We can only be grateful when we know that we do not deserve our blessings and we did not create them. And to some degree, gratitude is a suspension of cynicism—a faith in the person doing the good deed. As gratitude relates to our relationship…

DISCIPLESHIP What does it cost to follow Christ? For actor Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in the 2004 movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” the role has cost a lot. The actor says since he starred in the epic movie, good roles have been hard to come by. In 2004, he expressed interest in playing the…

GLORIFYING GOD In his book, "Don't Waste Your Life", John Piper says one of the primary differences between humans and animals is that human beings are given the opportunity to make choices about their work based on motives that can either honor God or dishonor Him. Piper writes, "No beaver or bee or…

A touchdown during an NFL playoff game turned out to be an earthshaking moment. When the Seattle Seahawks faced the New Orleans Saints in the a 2010 NFC wildcard game at Qwest Field in Seattle, running back Marshawn Lynch dodged multiple tackles and scored on a 67 yard run. Afterwards Lynch’s run was…

When I was 15 my family went on a cross-Canada vacation. We drove west to Alberta for my cousin’s wedding. We did a lot of sight-seeing along the way and we also spent time visiting my Aunt in British Columbia. It was an unforgettable trip. I got to see the Prairies and the Mountains and the Ocean for…

Pride During the 2000-01 Football Season, Tampa Bay wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson made headlines before a game with his former team, the New York Jets. When Keyshawn was traded, his starting place in the New York lineup was given to the smaller and slower Wayne Chrebet. Johnson contrasted himself with…

PERSEVERANCE The Energizer Bunny first appeared in commercials in October 1989. Two decades later, the pink bunny pounding on a drum, wearing sunglasses and flip-flops has kept “going and going and going.” The symbol of battery maker, Energizer Holdings has become so famous that “The Energizer Bunny”…

AMBITION Have you ever had your dreams shattered? Have you wondered where God was when life became too much to bear? Have you ever thought that if you had more in life you would get more out of life? In his book, Shattered Dreams, Larry Crabb wrote: "Satan's masterpiece is not the prostitute or the skid-row…

He wrote in advance the epitaph to be on his gravestone: “The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here … Yet the Work itself shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and…

Through the years there have been many ideas to explain why starts twinkle. Aristotle said twinkling was caused by wavering vision of people stretching the limits of their eyesight. Later, scientists thought stars rotated and displayed facets like diamonds as they turned. Today, the accepted explanation…

Light pollution caused by city lights is now so prevalent that 80 percent of Americans cannot see the Milky Way in the night sky. That is in contrast to only 33% worldwide who cannot see the constellation that we live in. When our technology begins to dim our ability to see the glory of God, “The heavens…

Gary Carter is in the baseball hall of fame. He was an all-star catcher 11 times. He died at age 57 from a malignant brain tumor. You can find these words on his Gary Carter Foundation website. “The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God’s Hall of Fame…

STEWARDSHIP We often hear it said, “You can’t take it with you.” Some folks, while they cannot take their wealth with them, continue to produce them for those left behind. This year the top earners among the already departed were fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent, songwriters, Rodgers and Hammerstein,…

An amateur photographer was invited to dinner with friends and took along a few pictures to show the hostess. She looked at the photos and ommented "These are very good! You must have a good camera." He didn't make any comment, but, as he was leaving to go home he said "That was a really delicious meal!…

He who stands in the thickest part of the battle shall have the highest glory at last. The old warriors would not stand and skirmish a little on the outside of the army, but would say, “To the center, men! To the center!” And they cut through thick and thin until they reached the place where the standard…

D. M. Stearns was preaching in Philadelphia. At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said, "I don't like the way you spoke about the cross. I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example." Stearns replied, "If…

Filipino designer Herbert Chavez loves Superman. When he was a young man, he saw Superman lift a stack of cars on the movie screen. As he grew older, he began collecting Superman memorabilia. His house is filled with cups, bedspreads, actions figures, and life-size Superman statues. Now the 35-year-old…

Many athletes show gratitude to God when they do something good, hit a home run, score a touchdown, or win a race. Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Stover has learned to give God the glory even in defeat. During the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIV Stover made a 38-yard field goal and promptly pointed…

Each April, general managers and coaches of the National Football League go to the yearly draft in hopes of finding the NFL’s next superstar player. Teams dream of finding the player to turn their fortune around. However, many of these “can’t miss” players will become part of a long list of multi-million…

ART I recently ran across an interview that Calvin Miller gave to the Wittenburg Door that was published in August-September 1985 that has caused me to think about the usefulness of art to communicate the gospel. Miller said, “I’ve always agreed with James that ‘every perfect gift comes down from the…