Why do people become followers of Christ? It is an interesting question. I'm sure that there are as many answers as there are Christians to ask; but I suspect that a predominant answer would have something to do with Salvation. We accept Jesus as our Saviour because...
"...He is first in everything..." (Col 1:18 TLB) Speaking about the pre-eminence of worship in a Christian's life, a Biblical scholar put it wisely: "If prayer and praise are a preoccupation about our needs and blessings respectively, then worship is a preoccupation...
"Come near to God, and he will come near to you." (James 4:8 NIV) Out of the mouths of babes! At the park, while watching Bubble Man move his apparatus so that the wind would blow hundreds of iridescent bubbles at a time, my great-granddaughter patted the grass, and...
"Your freedom ends where your brother's begins..." I don't know how many times I heard my mother say it. I never fully comprehended what it meant, however, until much later in life; and even then, its fully meaning wasn't perhaps permanently drilled into my mind until...
"I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." (Song of Solomon 2:1 NIV) I had to do a double take when I read this the other day. I mean, we are told to be humble, right? To not flaunt ourselves? But this woman, whoever it is that Solomon is writing about in the...
"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." (1 Tim. 4:6 NLT) Almost every morning for the last 25 years I have exercised my body. It is nothing too strenuous. It is just a light...
"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11 ESV) When I was a young man I had a lot of ego and very little empathy. I thought I knew everything. I looked forward to fame and success. I can even remember...
"Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation." (Ps. 95:1 NLT) It was the day after Thanksgiving. I wanted to take it easy and nap off the extra turkey I had eaten the day before, but my son wanted to put up the Christmas tree. To...
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." (Isaiah 40:8, KJV) My nephew has a green thumb. Flowers and plants just seem to bloom and flourish under his skillful care. His home is adorned with healthy, luscious, leaves and...
Over the past couple of devotionals, we've learned some powerful lessons in church unity from the interesting bell miner, also known as the "bellbird". I must say, however, that the first fact I learned about bellbirds didn't come from the internet. It came directly...