“You are a very peculiar person,” said one to a Christian. “I thank you for that testimony,” answered the Christian, “for that is what I desire to be, as Peter says, ‘You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession” (1 Pet 2:9). “Ah!” said the other, “but there…

When John Philpot, the martyr, was addressing a young man about to die for Christ, he said to him, “Brother, you are a vessel in the great house of your Master, and this day he will scour you, scour you hard, but remember you will soon stand upon the shelf, shining bright and glorious.” Sometimes pains,…

Neighborly Prayer Some of you may be familiar with a story by journalist Tom Junod. It is a true story of a young man afflicted with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy did not affect this young man’s mind, but it affected his motor skills and his ability to speak. The boy could only communicate through typing…

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee . . . You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up; she was tired of fighting and struggling.…

In the movie “Coming to America” An African Prince by the name of Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) and his sidekick-Seemi (Played by Arsenio Hall) came to America to find Akeem a Queen, and decided to live in Queens, NY. Akeem wanted to find an ordinary woman who loved him for more than his wealth…

When a young man comes to college he usually has much to unlearn. If his education has been neglected, a sort of instinctive ignorance covers his mind with briars and brambles. If he has gone to some faulty school where the teaching is flimsy, his tutor has first of all to fetch out of him what he has…

Suppose you go to a surgeon because you have some deadly cancer growing upon you. You want to have it removed, and you know there are a great many physicians who will profess to cure such things, but in reality only give temporary ease. You keep clear from all these. You are well aware that if only a…

The swallow dips his wing into the brook, and then he is up again into the skies, soaring toward the sun. The duck can swim in the pool or dive under the water—it is in its element. So the Christian just sometimes touches with his wing the streams of earth, but then he is up again where he should be.…

I have heard it said that the good sculptor, whenever he sees a suitable block of marble, firmly believes that there is a statue concealed within it. His business is but to take away the superfluous material, and so unveil the “thing of beauty” which shall be “a joy forever.” Believer, you are that block…

A man who is in the sea, deep down under the water, taking a plunge, does not feel the weight of the water. But bring him out on the shore, put a great tub of water on his head, and see what a weight that is to him. So, while a man is in sin as his element, it is no burden to him. But when he is out…

Merv Griffin once interviewed Charlton Heston about Heston’s experience playing Moses in the movie, The Ten Commandments. Griffin asked, “Charlton, has making a religious movie impacted your spiritual outlook?” Heston looked at Griffin and replied, “You can’t walk barefoot down Mount Sinai and be the…

The youthful artist, as he grasps his early pencil, can hardly hope to equal Raphael or Michelangelo, but still, if he did not have a noble ideal before his mind, he would only attain to something very mean and ordinary. Heavenly fingers point us to the Lord Jesus as the great exemplar of His people,…

Perfection in the scriptural use of it is not at all what those make of it who boast of perfection in the flesh. A child is perfect when it is newly born: there is every toe on the tiny foot, and its eyes, and ears, and nose, and other organs are all there. But if you tell me that a child is a perfect…

In the sanctuary there were persons who did nothing else but wait upon the Lord. These were consecrated to their offices, for God chose the tribe of Levi, and out of the tribe of Levi he chose the house of Aaron. These persons were chosen, and then they were prepared. They underwent certain ceremonies,…

Illustration – For want of a nail, the shoe was lost, shoe – horse, horse – canon, canon – battle, battle – war. Illustration – The Auction ..old violin..all we have left ..what is my bid? $1,2,3..Old gray haired man .. resin up the bow .. tightened up the strings .. played a melody as sweet as the angels…

My observation of personal character has been somewhat wide, and I cannot help bearing my testimony that I am greatly afraid of men who make loud professions of superior sanctity. I have had the misfortune to have known, on one or two occasions, superfine brethren, who were, in their own ideas, far above…

Premier Health Plans has a new salesperson presenting their insurance plans to the public for purchase. Samantha West is a charming, jovial, and very knowledgeable about insurance plans. The only thing is she is a robot. She is controlled by people operating a call center who use her to cover up their…

GOSPEL Philippe Martinez thought his mountain climbing days were over. He had been a mountain guide since 1981, but had since followed God's call to become a pastor. At the age of 52, a friend asked Martinez to lead a French Expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Though he resisted the idea at first,…

Leader: Give me a pure heart - People: that I may see Thee, Leader: A humble heart - People: that I may hear Thee, Leader: A heart of love - People: that I may serve Thee, Leader: A heart of faith - People: that I may abide in Thee. (adapted from Dag Hammarskjold)

In The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani writes, “In Consumer Christianity, our concern is not primarily whether people are transformed to reflect the countercultural values of God’s kingdom, but whether they are satisfied — often measured by attendance…

TRANSFORMATION “We [churches] are in the business to do ministry to facilitate transformation …that is the only reason we exist.” —George Barna, 11-6-2000, Barna 2000-2001 Seminars, San Jose, California Illustration by Jim L. Wilson For more information on Barna’s seminars and other resources, go to…

Familiarity with Christ soon begets congeniality of disposition and spirit, for those who are much with Christ become much like Christ. He who lies on a bed of spices will naturally find his garments smell of the same. A mirror upon which the sun is shining is bright itself and flashes its reflected…

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Brotherly forgiveness makes room for the forgiveness of Jesus to enter into their common life. Instead of seeing their neighbours as men who have injured them, they see them as men for whom Christ has won forgiveness on the cross. They meet on…

HOLINESS In his book Out of the Whirlwind, Mark Tabb writes, “Yet the bottom line is this: God’s promises have more to do with getting us ready for heaven than alleviating our suffering today. He does not care nearly as much about our comfort as he does our holiness and dependence upon him. Yes, God…

"We don't claim to be a Christian business," say Dan Cathy President and COO of Chick-fil-a. Many years ago, he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, "There is no such thing as a Christian business. But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We…