What do people need for life in the twenty-first century? Abby Watkins lists the necessities. They include an adequate food supply, water free from pollutants and diseases; facilities to dispose of human waste, adequate healthcare, shelter, education, and access to information. 1  As you will soon see, these things are clearly insufficient to provide complete satisfaction and contentment. Forty-four percent of Americans say they are “very satisfied” with the way things are go

How will we spend eternity? It depends. Have you noticed that when we are having fun, time passes quickly? It hitches a ride on a snail’s back when we are in pain. Perhaps that is an eternal principle for the blessed and cursed.   How we spend eternity is connected to our choice to worship and serve God or resist and rebel against Him. God “set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV), and we will spend it somewhere. But where?   All people have one of two eternal

Bill Nye, the Science Guy, believes the finish line is the end. At death, he believes, you cease to exist. It is over. You are finished. There is no afterlife. There is nothing beyond the finish line.   He says, "You had your kids; your genes are passed on, and you expire.” “You lose your faculties as you run out of steam, and that is just how it is." 1 He does not expect to give an account of his life to God or anyone else. Surprises will abound in the afterlife!   Adam Silv

I treat suffering like a poisonous snake. I would guess you do too.   But following Jesus inevitably brings suffering. That brings repeated faith crises to us who avoid discomfort. Our commitment to God’s will and ways arm wrestles with our desire to flee from pain. Which will prevail? Willingly enduring suffering demonstrates what we value.   Do we love our family enough to suffer for their sake? Do we love our Lord enough to suffer for His?   The Christian life includes bot

People without hope quit. Darkness swallows them alive. 1 Peter provides hope when our faith is severely tested .   Some first-century Christians were beaten (Acts 16:16 -40). Some were stoned to death (Acts 8:54-60). Some were jailed and executed (Acts 12:1-5). Many became lion chow.     Despite their afflictions, living hope sustained them, and they did not deny their faith. Like them, we will inevitably experience persecution if we seek to live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Ti

Years ago, off the coast of Massachusetts, a submarine rapidly sank after another ship rammed it. The entire crew was aboard. Other ships rushed to the scene.   A diver placed his helmeted ear on the vessel’s side and listened. Someone was tapping Morse code: “Is there any hope?” Are you filled with hope?   Hope rests on a sturdier foundation than a clear conscience. Your conscience is not trustworthy. Continued involvement in sin desensitizes it. Paul had a clear conscience

“For the French, and for most other people on this planet, U.S. elections are actually more decisive than our own in shaping our lives…. If there were any fairness in the world, we should all be able to vote in American elections.” 1     What U.S. elections are on the world stage is true in our relationships with others. Most of us relate to one or more people in such a way that our decisions are more important to their long-term well-being than their own decisions.   The par

A pastor’s church board criticized him in front of the congregation. They read a list of his inadequacies and shortcomings. They fired him.   Shooting him would have been more humane. He left the full-time ministry for more than a year, trying to reassemble the broken pieces of his life.   Leaders, like lightning rods, attract bolts of criticism. That is as sure as sunrise and sunset. That is also true of anyone who tries to do something significant for God. Jesus faced it re

Some jobs intimidate us. We are afraid of failure. Nehemiah’s approach to difficult jobs teaches us how to face daunting challenges.   Principle 1 – Do your homework   Nehemiah was not a plumber who knew how to fix a leak. He was the king’s food and drink tester. For the challenge he faced, he needed a different set of skills.   His assignment was to lead people he did not know in rebuilding a wall they might think unnecessary. Surprisingly, he volunteered for the job because

Almost everyone has a boss. Even bosses have bosses. Bosses greatly influence us. Sometimes, they greatly irritate us.   An employee wrote his justification for buying a new computer to his boss. The boss re-wrote it to show him how it should be done. Then he turned it down!   Most of us think other people should change. But we have learned we cannot make it happen. Nehemiah faced a similar situation. His response provides crisis management training for the rest of us.   The

Some people support us. Some resist us. Most ignore us. Have you noticed? That is also how people relate to God. His kingdom expands when supporters are empowered, and those who formerly resisted and ignored Him become supporters.   God does not want to destroy us. He patiently waits for us to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Some, but not all, people do. We who are Christians did.   Our purpose is to glorify Him. But that raises a question. How can we seek God's kingdom most effectivel

Wells Fargo employees opened thousands of accounts for customers without their knowledge to meet sales goals. Larry Nassar remained in his position at Michigan State University and the USA Olympic team for years despite abusing more than 150 females in his care.   A youth pastor who counseled young people about drugs was arrested for selling drugs. What is happening to leadership?   Leadership is influence. We lead those we influence. Christian leaders do not always occupy of

God tasks Christian leaders with making more and better disciples (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Timothy 2:2). They are to develop people to become increasingly like Jesus. Jesus commanded Peter to feed His lambs (John 21:15). His lambs are young children and new believers. How do we do that in a way that glorifies God?   About 30 years ago, someone entrusted me with a small key to a padlock. I lost it. I should have been more careful with the key. How trustworthy are we with the lambs

Many Christians feel like the cow who saw a milk carton and wondered why her milk had to be pasteurized, homogenized, vitaminized, and fat removed. Her best was not good enough.   Do you ever feel like that? Is your Christian life going anywhere? Do you get more excited about twenty other things than about your relationship with Christ?   Jesus’ early followers considered Pentecost the anniversary of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. The Spirit’s coming at Pentecost conne

Americans face about 15 minutes of sales pitches every hour they watch television. Endlessly, they hear how manufacturers' products will improve their lives.   Last summer, a young man knocked on my door and tried to convince me to buy his company’s insect extermination service.   Another company from whom we bought our chest freezer continues to offer us an extended warranty years after our purchase. We expect unending sales pressure.   There is no live-and-let-live attitude

You do not want to irritate the One who spoke creation into existence. But the truth is that superficial Christianity that does not govern how professing Christians live angers, irritates, and disgusts God.   We want to remain in control of our lives and ask Jesus to solve our problems. Jesus is the Emergency Room physician, but usually, we handle life ourselves.   That is a symptom that we have the Sin-25 virus in 2025 or its mutation in any given year. We also have Long Sin

True worship is declaring God’s worth and giving Him glory through words, attitudes, and actions as a way of life . Many call singing during the service worship, but if worshipping God does not continue outside the church sanctuary, it is very suspect inside it. The highest form of worship is striving to be like Jesus .   We build the superstructures of worship on the foundation stones of Scripture. Only those who by grace through faith have become God’s children can truly wo

Broken Heart Syndrome Broken heart syndrome is a medical condition caused by extreme emotions or stress. It interferes with the heart’s...

Arrogant people resist correction. How dare the driver in the car behind them beep for them to turn right on a red light while they are...

Am I a Christian? Is Jesus in my life? Will I go to heaven when I die? Doubts plagued my teen years. I had no assurance that I was right...