PLAYING FAVORITES

The religious experts in Christ’s day judged Him by their human standards—and rejected Him. He came from the wrong city, Nazareth of Galilee. He was not a graduate of their accepted schools. He did not have the official approval of the people in power. He had no wealth. His followers...

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IN IT TOGETHER

Thoreau once described a city as a place where many people are “lonely together.” Residents of a high-rise apartment can be suffering greatly while the people in the next apartment know nothing about it. Our world can promote spiritual and emotional isolation and insulation, even to the point that we...

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THE GOODNESS OF GOD

Greatness without goodness would make God a selfish tyrant; goodness without greatness would make Him willing to help us but incapable of acting. Whatever God thinks, says, does, plans, and accomplishes is good. He can never will anything evil for us because He is the giver of everything good. In...

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LIVING THE TRUTH

The next time you sing “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” recall the following story. The hymn’s composer, Robert Robinson, was converted under the mighty preaching of George Whitefield, but later drifted from the Lord. Greatly used as a pastor, Robinson nevertheless neglected spiritual things. In an attempt to find...

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WHO IS Number one IN YOUR LIFE?

Jesus made it clear that the Son is to be worshiped as well as the Father, “that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him” (John 5:23-24, NIV). The late Dr. M.R. DeHaan,...

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BEHOLD HIS GLORY

You and I are not going to heaven until we die or until our Lord returns. In the meantime, we have a marvelous encouragement because today we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places in a position of authority and victory. While we have not seen God’s glory as...

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LIFT UP YOUR EYES!

Nutritionists tell us that diet can certainly affect vision. This is especially true in the spiritual realm. The unsaved person is in the dark because Satan has blinded his mind. A person has to be born again before his eyes are opened and he can see the kingdom of God....

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GROWING IN FAITH

An elderly woman fell and broke her leg while attending a summer Bible conference. She said to the pastor who visited her, “I know the Lord led me to the conference. But I don’t see why this had to happen! And I don’t see any good coming from it.” Wisely,...

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WHY BOTHER?

Read 2 Corinthians 11:16–33 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 2 Corinthians 11:27 In my limited itinerant ministry, I have had the convenience of automobiles and planes,...

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MISUSING A GOOD GIFT

Read Isaiah 28 Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. Isaiah 28:7 Isaiah saw storm clouds gathering over the city and announced that trouble was coming. He began his message announcing God’s...

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