The gospel’s value does not lie in its power to remove the difficulties of this life; its power is the promise of resurrection to eternal life (1 Peter 1). May God help us, against the spirit of our age, to put the emphasis where the apostles put it.

As you consider obeying the gospel, many of the “what ifs” will be frightful. I won’t insult you by saying that your path will be easy. But this much I know: if God commands it, it can be done. Our prayer is not for ease but for boldness.

Heaven is the reason why people become Christians. At least, that’s what life in Christ was about in the apostolic age. Its “end” or intended goal was not a better world right now — it was, as Peter saw clearly, “the salvation of your souls.”

Yes, by all means investigate the “churches of Christ.” But when you visit, you’ll need to look deeper than the name and ask lots of questions. That designation expresses a noble idea, but a congregation is not “of Christ” just because it says it is.

As you look for a faithful congregation, don’t be misled by the attractions of entertainment masquerading as religion. You’re searching for the Lord’s people, so “examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

You can’t read what happened in Antioch in Acts 11:19-26 and imagine those people downplaying their duties to the Lord’s church in their locality. The entire New Testament assumes that Christians will be members of local groups of saints.

In God there is this great hope: all that now seems difficult and contradictory is going to be cleared up. Had any detail of our experience been different, we’d have become something less than the unique creatures that God turned us into in the end.

From our vantage point in the here and now, the life of radical faith may seem to involve more sacrifice than serenity. But in the end, the hearts that will have found peace will be those that have come to rest in the purposes of God.

Thomas Cranmer wrote, “Love God with your whole heart. Do everything for his sake. And above all, obey God. For if we merely revere, love, and trust — but do not obey — God, we are making God into what we want; we are making him into a false god.”

Good judgment is more than a quick technique. It comes from good character. And where does good character come from? It comes from godliness and spiritual maturity, which in turn come from seeking God and knowing Him more fully.

Knowing God is the greatest adventure, the ultimate undertaking in this otherwise disappointing world. How bracing to climb a little way up the slope and feel the air freshen, to climb even further and catch a thrilling glimpse of the distant summit!

Coming to a greater knowledge of God is a thing we would have no right to do if it weren’t for God’s grace. But because of grace, knowing God is a goal that deserves the very best of our courage, our diligence, and above all, our love.

Whatever we do in the Lord, we know it will accomplish something worthwhile. That’s true because it is the Lord, not we ourselves, who will take it and turn it into something good. It doesn’t depend on us or the “importance” of what we’ve done.

Our destiny is usually determined by what we do on the days when there was nothing very positive or negative to deal with, just a lot of work to be done. Being “dedicated” enough to go to heaven comes down to rolling up our sleeves and working.

What are we doing WITH our happiness? Happiness makes a wonderful foundation for a life of service to those around us. But if the foundation exists and nothing is built upon it, people may rightly ask, “What good is the foundation by itself?”

We long to see our Father’s face. But might it not be true that our Father is preparing us for that joy by sending us through a time of anticipation in this world, a time when our joy comes from relishing the thought of what will one day be ours?

Almost without exception, the encourager is encouraged in the very act of trying to encourage someone else. And the reverse is also true. By neglecting to encourage others, we deprive ourselves of much-needed encouragement we might otherwise receive.

We can embrace whatever comes our way with a new confidence. Believing it is God’s will for us to deal with it, whether easy or hard, we can dive into it and give it all we’ve got. There need be no holding back for those who live within His will.