Why Give if You Gripe?

In his much-loved classic, A Christmas Carol, author Charles Dickens portrayed his leading character, Ebenezer Scrooge, as a miserly and uncompassionate old man who focused exclusively on the prosperity of his own business. Permitting his sole employee to add an additional piece of coal for just an ounce of warmth in his office he considered…

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First God—Then Ourselves

VS. It is so easy to get our priorities mixed up in this life we live these days. Praying, reading the Bible, and going to church are fine and good—but when we have bills to pay, food to put on the table, and clothes to take care of, then surely God can wait for just…

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Do You Ignore the Results of Your Self-Check?

Every time we start a vehicle, either one or a series of tests will run automatically and evaluate its operating condition. We will often see several indicators briefly illuminated on the dashboard, or a central display will give us various information about the status of the engine, electrical system, transmission, etc. Sometimes an indicator will…

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He Went Out of His Way

The man was sitting beside a small, recently fallen, tree near the woods at the edge of town. His hand gripped his chest constantly and a grimace showed on his face. He was obviously in great pain. His other hand rose occasionally, feebly waving in an attempt to motion for help. A woman sat nearby,…

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Take Away the Fuel and Out Goes the Fire

It was a calm autumn afternoon as the sun approached its full vigor. In the far end of George’s backyard, dead undergrowth and loose debris had been piled up pretty high. A short time before, his dad had lit the pile, and it wasn’t long before its flames engulfed the odd collection of twigs, leaves…

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We Need Giants in Our Life – Part Three

We have seen, in our last two articles (We Need Giants in Our Life – Part One – (The Period of Training) and We Need Giants in Our Life – Part Two (The Period of Testing)), the necessity of giants in our lives, and how just one colossal representative of the enemy could plant significant…

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Not Resolutions But Prayer

As each new year begins, most of us choose to follow the same old routine of making resolutions. Many have lofty aspirations that they will very likely not obtain, while others purposefully choose things that they know they will be able to keep, yet they lack any real plan for long term reform or improvement…

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Hopes, Fears and Peace on Earth

Near the end of each and every year, most of the world looks to the ultimate idea of peace on Earth. Centuries have now passed, and we still have yet to experience such a concept. What were the angels speaking about when they proclaimed over two thousand years ago: “Glory to God in the highest,…

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We Need Giants in Our Life – Part Two

In our last article about the necessity for giants, we saw how the children of Israel found themselves at an impasse concerning the Philistine nation. Israel did not even dare to attempt to conquer them, due to a key representative put in place by the Philistine army—one massive giant. He was quite a formidable figure:…

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We Need Giants in Our Life – Part One

A narrative recorded thousands of years ago speaks of one small nation pitted against another even greater one. But what makes this rivalry different from others is that one of the armies had the advantage of an abnormally tall and mighty warrior. The smaller nation constantly felt powerless whenever this giant along with all of…

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