Truth for Life

How is it with your soul today? For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Psalm 32:7 NLT If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 NLT Peace like a river H.G. Spafford was a businessman in Chicago. He was a dedicated Christian. He had some serious financial reversals, and during the time of readjustment, he lost his home. He realized his family needed to get away for a vacation. Spafford decided to take the entire family to England. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead on the SS Ville du Havre . In midocean the French steamer carrying his loves ones collided with another and sank within twelve minutes; 230 people lost their lives. The four daughters drowned, but Mrs. Spafford was rescued. She wrote her husband, "Saved alone." Mr. Spafford was almost overcom...

Crowds gathered at a lake to hear Jesus teach. He sat in a boat pulled up to the shore so that they could hear him without pressing in on him. He said to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45). Let this story spring to life in your imagination. The pearl merchant has spent years, perhaps a lifetime, buying pearls. When he finds the pearl of great price, he knows that the only way he can own it is to sell all that he has. This does not mean simply his house or his animals or his clothes. This includes the precious stones that he has acquired through careful collection. He loves these pearls, but he must choose between them or the one perfect pearl. This pearl is so worthy that he is willing to sacrifice everything else that he prizes to possess it. We are a society that values quantity, in which more is better. Few are willing to sacrifice ...

In Matthew 25, Jesus shares parables on how to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God. One parable concerns ten maidens who are waiting for the arrival of a bridegroom: At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: "Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!" Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out." "No," they replied, "there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves." But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the...

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day, decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.  Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle.  The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn't shaved in a while.  His shirt was kinda shabby and his coat was worn and frayed, the man knelt, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away.  In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap, each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.  Well, the minister's suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear, he decided to stop the man and ask him, "What are you doing here?" The old man said, he worked down the road.  Lunch was half an hour.  Lunchtime was his prayer time, for finding strength and power.  "I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away; as I kneel here talking to the Lord, This is kinda what I say: "I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LOR...

Samuel Thompson wrote: I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution. Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game. "But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles.  And we are in the Bible belt. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I we...

Are you successful? Take a moment and reflect on the question. What is your answer? Now, answer the question from several different angles: Would your spouse (if applicable) say you are successful? Would your children (if applicable) say you are successful? What would your closest friends say? Your associates at work? Your body? Your conscience? What would God say? Your perspective can dramatically change your answer, can't it? Maybe you're wondering whether or not you should be interested in success. After all, Christians ought not pursue success, ought they? We need to focus on being faithful, not successful. Right? Well, yes and no. We definitely are to be faithful to all that God asks. But, success is God's idea. He wants you to be fruitful, productive, effective, blessed, and successful. Look at Joshua 1:8 (NASB): " 'This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to ...

There was a church that had problems With outsiders parking in its parking lots, So they put up a sign: CHURCH CAR PARK - FOR MEMBERS ONLY Trespassers will be baptized! "No God - No Peace. Know God - Know Peace." "Free Trip to heaven: Details Inside!" "Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin Robbins." "Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!" An ad for one Church has a picture of Two hands holding stone tablets on which The Ten Commandments are inscribed, And a headline that reads, "For fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets." When the restaurant next to another Church put out A big sign with red letters that said, "Open Sundays," The church reciprocated With its own message: "We are open on Sundays, too." "People are like tea bags -- You have to put them in hot water Before you know how strong they are." "Fight truth decay-- Study the Bible daily." "How will you spend ...

He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End! He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all! He is the Architect of the universe and The Manager of all times. He always was, He always is, and He always will be... Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone! He was bruised and brought healing! He was pierced and eased pain! He was persecuted and brought freedom! He was dead and brought life! He is risen and brings power! He reigns and brings Peace! The world can't understand him, The armies can't defeat Him, The schools can't explain Him, and The leaders can't ignore Him. Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, and The people couldn't hold Him! Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him, The New Age can't replace Him, and Donahue can't explain Him away! He is light, love, longevity, and Lord. He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God. He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure. His wa...

Most of us have now learned to live with voice mail as a necessary part of our lives. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if God decided to install voice mail?  Imagine praying and hearing the following: Thank you for calling heaven. For English press 1 For Spanish press 2 For all other languages, press 3 Please select one of the following options: Press 1 for request Press 2 for thanksgiving Press 3 for complaints Press 4 for all others I am sorry, all our Angels and Saints are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayer is important to us and we will answer it in the order it was received. Please stay on the line.  If you would like to speak to: God, press 1 Jesus, press 2 Holy Spirit, press 3 To find a loved one that has been assigned to heaven press 5, then enter his social security # followed by the pound sign. (If you receive a negative response, please hang up and dial area code 666.)                      For reservations to heaven, please enter ...

I have in my hands two boxes Which God gave me to hold. He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box And all your joys in the gold." I heeded His words, and in the two boxes Both my joys and sorrows I stored. But though the gold became heavier each day The black was as light as before. With curiosity, I opened the black, I wanted to find out why, And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole Which my sorrows had fallen out by. I showed the hole to God, and mused, "I wonder where my sorrows could be." He smiled a gentle smile and said, "My child, they're all here with me." I asked God, why He gave me the boxes, Why the gold and the black with the hole? "My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings. The black is for you to let go."

A lthough things are not perfect B ecause of trial or pain C ontinue in thanksgiving D o not begin to blame E ven when the times are hard F ierce winds are bound to blow G od is forever able H old on to what you know I magine life without His love J oy would cease to be K eep thanking Him for all the things L ove imparts to thee M ove out of "Camp Complaining" N o weapon that is known O n earth can yield the power P raise can do alone Q uit looking at the future R edeem the time at hand S tart every day with worship T o "thank" is a command U ntil we see Him coming V ictorious in the sky W e'll run the race with gratitude X -alting God most high Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but... Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation. God won't ask the square footage of your house, but He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home. God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He'll ask how many you helped to clothe. God won't ask about your social status; He will ask what kind of class you displayed. God won't ask how many material possession you had, but He'll ask if they dictated your life. God won't ask what your highest salary was, but He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it. God won't ask how much overtime you worked, but He'll ask if your overtime work was for yourself or for your family. God won't ask how many promotions you received, but He'll ask how you promoted others. God won't ask what your job title was, but He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability. God won...

An atheist professor was teaching a college class and he told the class that he was going to prove that there was not a God. He said, "God if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!" Ten minutes went by. He kept taunting God, saying, "Here I am God, I'm still waiting!" He got down to the last couple of minutes and a BIG 240 pound football player happened to walk by the door and heard what the professor said. The football player walked in the class room and in the last minute, he walked up, hit the professor full force, and sent him flying off the platform. The professor got up, obviously shaken and said, "Where did you come from, and why did you do that?" The football player replied, "God was busy; He sent me."

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together.  For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change.  The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints they have become one.This goes on for a long time, but sudde...

This was written by an 8-year-old, Danny Dutton of Chula Vista, CA, for his third-grade homework assignment. The assignment was to explain God. I wonder if any of us could do as well. One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make.  That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers. God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for somethi...

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The pressures, the deadlines, the boredom, the difficult people, and the impossible boss: sometimes all of this swirls around us all at once. It’s a common story. I hear it on a regular basis. One or all of these or something else entirely can join forces and suck the life out of us at work. Let’s take a look at how we might be able to avoid the work place discouragement malady that all of us confront on a fairly regular basis. At the core, when we really think about discouragement and discover what really happens, we find that discouragement really is an “interpretation” problem. Yes, there are some circumstances and events that can trigger discouragement. But often the situation doesn’t change or at least doesn’t change significantly and yet our discouragement factor can rise or fall without much provocation. In fighting discouragement, our primary weapon is the truthful interpretation of our situation. You see, when we face painful events, hurtful people, setbacks, or anything negat...

One day Sa ta n and Jesus were having a conversation. Sa ta n had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. " Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap and used bait. I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all !" " What are you going to do with them ?" Jesus asked. Sa ta n replied, " Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun !" " And what will you do when you get done with them ?" Jesus asked. " Oh, I'll kill 'em ," Sa ta n glared proudly. " How much do you want for them ?" Jesus asked. " Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't any good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, cu...

A young lady named Sally , relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith . She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture. Sally's friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend . Another friend drew a picture of his little brother . Sally drew a picture of a former friend , putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved. The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart . Sally looked forward to her turn, and...

One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn out bible. The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories. As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it. The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God's work. As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have ...

If a crowd of people were asked to comment on the words of Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God," countless images of God would be reported. Some would see sovereignty, others tyranny. Some would find his words comforting, others challenging, still others harrowing. Yet God is God, we seem to be reminded in Psalm 46, no matter how we think or speak of Him. We do not affect his sovereignty. This can seem quite tyrannical—if not terrifying—if God is not a God of love. And sadly, this is the oppressive view many hold before them. But on the other side of the argument, that God is God, that He is who He is, is the holiest of all comforts if God's goodness is thoroughly known, as it was by the psalmist. And as G.K. Chesterton noted long after him: we don't want a religion that is right where we are right, but a religion that is right where we are wrong. Sovereignty is comforting when the throne is trustworthy. In this, Scripture is clear. Great men and rich men and w...