Serving the Lord with Humility and Integrity
To every thing there is a season…” (Ecclesiates 3: 1)
Pastors remind their congregations to take time for personal prayer and Bible study. But our faith journey doesn’t end with those sweet moments of fellowship. Sooner or later, life will place us in the thick of action. The challenge, then, is how to remain centered in God’s will even when there’s barely time to think. [Read more…]
“Please don’t write another superficial, feel-good, ‘boy-meets-girl’ story. Women need to know how to really love their men.”
The speaker was reacting to my statement that I planned to write a romance novel. She went on to explain her point of view. “I married ‘Mr. Right,’” she said. “He seemed to be everything I was looking for. But after a while, he started criticizing me. The more I defended myself, the more he nit-picked. He blamed me for things that weren’t my fault. I retaliated with snide comments. Things went from bad to worse until we were barely speaking. I thought about divorce, but knew that couldn’t be God’s will for us. I prayed about it and decided I should try to love and honor my husband as if he were Jesus. At first it was hard. My husband rejected my attempts to be friendly. When I felt like crying, I would lock myself in the bathroom, read my Bible and pray; then I’d come out and try again. Sometimes God would show me where I needed an attitude adjustment. I focused on changing myself and left the rest up to God. After a long time, my husband began to realize I was for real. Little by little he opened up and we started talking things over. The more I listened to him, the better he listened to me. We both found areas where we needed to change. We have a completely different marriage now. My husband is my best friend.” [Read more…]
“Daniel in the Lions’ Den” is a time-honored children’s story, but we adults can also learn from this Biblical hero. Long before he met the lions, Daniel demonstrated remarkable grace, common sense and integrity.
The book of Daniel is set in the 6th century B.C. The first chapter describes how King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and carried some of the Jews into exile in Babylon. Daniel was among the captives. As an educated young man of noble birth, he was chosen to serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace and was groomed for a career in the Babylonian government. Along with the other young trainees, Daniel was expected to eat the hearty food assigned by the king to keep them strong and healthy. [Read more…]
One of the women who shaped my adolescence was a former fashion model named Vangie. She dressed with bold pizzazz, her stylish clothing and jewelry accenting the colors of her perfect face and hair. Then one day she came to church looking more casual and down-to-earth. “I’ve given up wearing makeup,” she explained. “The Holy Spirit showed me that I’ve been getting my self-worth from my appearance, instead of depending on God.” [Read more…]
We humans enjoy putting our talents to good use. I like to feed my creative side by inventing fun activities for the children at my school. It’s exciting to see my original ideas blossom into meaningful experiences for the kids. But, it’s not all sweetness and light. I hate to admit how many times I’ve snapped at a child who happened to interrupt me while I was self-importantly rushing around setting up my latest project. I doubt that God is pleased when I care more about showcasing my cleverness than about the welfare of the children I’m supposedly serving.
Our imaginations and ambitions, like all of God’s gifts, can be used either for good or for evil. Self-fulfillment cannot be, must not be, our ultimate purpose. [Read more…]