But let’s be honest: how many people do you actually know whose lives have been damaged by too much exactness and accuracy? Very few, I guess. On the other hand, we all know some who have suffered from too much carelessness.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” So if we want to see grandeur, it’s all around us. It’s in the trees, the grass, and the clouds, not to mention the mountains, the oceans, and the stars.
“Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness” (Pascal). Piety is goodness for God’s sake, and it will move us considerably beyond the kind of goodness that stems from personal preference and social respectability.
Perhaps it is the pride that comes from our prosperity. Or maybe it is that our scientific progress has led us to believe there is no problem we can’t solve. Whatever the reason may be, it is not often that we bow humbly before God in prayer.
One of the greatest insights we can have is recognizing that life is a collaborative venture. Our individual roles need to be played in such a way that they help, rather than hinder, the work that our “team” is trying to accomplish.
We would be happier if we were more observant and relished the simple pleasures. “Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day” (Benjamin Franklin).
In this life, we never get to the point where virtue is automatic. Wisdom may tell us what we need to do and our conscience may urge us in that direction, but there is always the matter of courage: will we or won’t we do what is right?
There is only one earthly success that really matters: making the unique contribution to the world that we are individually capable of making. In the end, you and I will have succeeded if we, by God’s grace, have become our very best selves.
Diligence is important in our spiritual lives, family relationships, and community service. The opportunity to be diligent about these avenues of service won’t last always. Bad weather and nightfall are coming. So let’s make hay while the sun shines!
Although we normally think of heroes as those who have accomplished great exploits, it’s not really the size of the accomplishment that makes the hero. It’s the price that was paid and the strength that had to be mustered.
Sin is no ordinary problem, and its cure will not be ordinary either. Only Jesus Christ, the very embodiment of God Himself, has the power to get rid of the ...
If our present position is that we have said no to Christ, we’re on the side of the enemy. But Christ invites us to change our minds and obey the ...
Fervent and faithful, at least to the best of his understanding, Apollos needed to be shown “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). And to his credit, when Priscilla ...
As Paul reminded Timothy, the Scriptures are able to make us “wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). Whatever may seem right to us, we would do well to listen humbly ...
“There are two freedoms: the false, where man is free to do what he likes; the true, where a man is free to do what he ought.” Freedom is not ...
Paul described the Christian’s new life in Colossians 3:1-17. We have new goals, thoughts, and habits. With Christ as our Lord, we live under a new authority. And having been ...
The stability of the promised kingdom would be such that it “shall stand forever.” The ups and downs of history would not faze it, and no enemy could conquer it. ...
God said to David, “Your throne shall be established forever.” The kingdom of which God spoke would not be geographical but spiritual (John 18:36) — and this is the very ...
The path to heaven passes through the territory of repentance, and that is a painful place to be. But the horror of our sins has to become real to us. ...
It is in the gospel that God has revealed His plan. The righteousness He is willing to provide is based on faith in His Son. We might have preferred some ...
Real faith involves more than accepting the facts of the gospel intellectually. As it grows to maturity, faith turns into confidence and trust — a trust that will risk everything ...
Whether in the operation of his intellect, emotions, or will, Abraham’s point of departure was always this: what has God said? And he continues to be the spiritual forefather of ...