John 15:16 talks about us bearing fruit that endures. In various translations it uses the words: abides, lasts and remains. In a sense, this is an oxymoron as fruit by its very nature decays and has a sell by date. Fruit has to be eaten fresh. Yet here Jesus is talking about fruit that endures […]
Nabeel Qureshi, a converted Muslim before coming to Christ, said that one of the reasons he struggled to accept Christianity was because, if Christians truly believed in heaven and hell, they must really hate him to not tell him the way of salvation. It may sound like an extreme statement, but if we do believe […]
I was recently in Vietnam and went to visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Min. It is a large building set in a very large park area in central Hanoi. The thing that struck me was how many Vietnamese people came to pay homage to their former leader. I had noticed the same thing previously […]
Isaiah 53:3 says: ‘He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.’ As I contemplate this verse, I wonder: what was there about Jesus to despise? He went about doing good, He healed people, He told them to love their enemies, to do unto others as you would have […]
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the Sons of God. (Romans 8:14) I always try to view things from different perspectives. For instance, Galatians 6:9 says, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good.’ Question: Why does it say that? Answer: Because they must have been growing […]
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ Deuteronomy 6:5 This is the first commandment, but how many of us practice it? The commandment is challenging us in three areas: heart, soul, and strength, which incorporate every aspect of our being. Heart speaks of […]
The 1914-18 World War was declared to be the war to end all wars; yet, a few months ago, I watched ceremonies on TV that presented veterans of many other wars that were fought after 1918. Even as I write this, there is a war raging in Syria and across other parts of the globe. […]
My wife, Tracie, recently said she felt really happy. Why? We were doing nothing special, just relaxing at home watching the TV by ourselves. Can you remember the last time when you were really happy? You may have experienced momentary happiness when you received a gift or something good happened but, for us, experiencing lasting […]
How easy it is to praise God when everything is going well – when our problems are all resolved, the sun is shining, and we have no worries. But should our praise be confined to these moments when we are well? I was struck recently reading through some of the Psalms by the amount of […]
We hear much about reciprocity these days, particularly regarding the imbalance of trade. So, what does it mean? Reciprocity is defined as: “Exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, and responding to a positive action with another positive action.” The problem is, if there is no reciprocity it always leads to a problem, as we […]
