When my daughter was five years old, she came to me crying. “Daddy, I’ve got a sticker in my finger and I want you to pull it out.” I grabbed some tweezers and held her finger as I attempted minor surgery. She pulled her hand back and said, “I’ve changed my mind. Leave it in!” The apostle Paul was tormented by a “thorn in the flesh,” which produced a great deal of suffering. He had received so many incredible divine revelations and insights that he could have thought he had “Most Favored by God” status. The thorn in his flesh was a “messenger of Satan” to torment him (2 Cor. 12:7). It was a ..read more

A hillbilly went to a store and bought a chainsaw. A few days later he returned to the store where he had bought it and told the manager, “Gimme my money back. This thang don’t work! It took me three days to cut down jest one tree.” The store manager said, “Let me take a look at it.” He pulled the cord and instantly the chainsaw started up and roared loudly.   The frightened hillbilly jumped back and yelled, “What’s that noise!” The hillbilly used his human strength to saw down the tree because he didn’t know about a much greater power inside the chainsaw.   Maybe you’re like that ..read more

Have you ever heard the unusual story about how the news of the battle of Waterloo reached England? In 1815, the Duke of Wellington faced the French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte in a climactic battle that would decide the future of Europe. The English townspeople nervously waited to hear news of the outcome. The word was first carried by a sailing vessel to the southern coast of England, and signaled to a man who stood in the tower of Winchester Cathedral. From there it was to be relayed by signal flags from one place to another all the way to London and across the whole land. The ship arrive ..read more

Jesus lived one day at a time, and managed His stress on an hourly basis. He stated many times that His hour had not come (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20).  The stress didn’t seem to affect Him until the time had arrived for Him to be betrayed. In the Garden of Gethsemane, His stress level hit its peak because His hour had come. “And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood” (Luke 22:4). Luke describes a condition called hematidrosis, where sweat and blood are mingled in extreme cases of stress. Jesus always knew He would die for the sins of the ..read more

Have you ever thought about how many sins were placed in Jesus’ body when He died on the cross? First, we must establish that Jesus died for EVERY PERSON.  “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Jesus died for everyone and make forgiveness available to all. “We have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”  (1 Tim. 4:10). He is the savior of all men in the sense that He died for everyone, but He is especially the savior of believers because they have received H ..read more

 A young salesman was discouraged because he had been rejected by so many customers he approached. He asked a more experienced salesman for some advice. “Why is it, every time I make a call on someone, I get rejected?”  “I just don't understand it,” the older salesman answered. “I’ve been hit on the head, called dirty names, and thrown out the door, but I’ve never been rejected.” Rejection isn’t what happens to you, but how you interpret what happens to you. Instead of being upset, choose to view your rejections in a new way. God may remove a person from your life to protect you fr ..read more

Some Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus and asked if she should be stoned to death. The Law stated both the woman and the man caught in adultery were to be stoned to death (Lev. 20:10, Dt. 22:22-24), but they only brought the woman.  Two or three witnesses were required, and they would be the first to cast stones (Dt. 17:5-7). The rocks used in stoning were very large, and usually the first stone killed the person. Jesus said, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone” (John 8:7). Jesus was the only one without sin qualified to cast the first stone, but ..read more

Hundreds of people have died in recent years while taking selfies, usually when they're doing something risky. In case you don’t know, a selfie is when people take a picture of themselves with their smartphone. A 38-year-old man living in India, died last week after he jumped the fence at the zoo and tried to take a selfie with a lion. Apparently, he didn’t know lions don’t like their pictures taken. A couple on vacation in Portugal fell over the edge of a cliff while taking a selfie. A man in Washington taking a selfie on a railroad track was struck by a passing Amtrak train. Two young ..read more

A fight broke out at a salad bar in The Spring Haven Retirement Community in Florida. Mealtime turned ugly when an 86-year-old man got mad at another gentleman who had been picking through the lettuce. When name-calling escalated into punching, the police were summoned. No one was seriously injured, but one of the men was expelled from the home. Jesus expelled the moneychangers from the temple, not for touching the lettuce, but for turning the temple into a corrupt business. No one likes to talk about God’s anger, but there are some things that He won’t tolerate. The Lord is slow to anger (P ..read more

One afternoon I took my children to the movies. My son Scott, who was a young child at the time, was anxious for the movie to begin. As the different advertisements appeared on the screen, Scott leaned over and whispered, “Dad, it’s not fun in here without the movie playing. When is the movie going to start?” “In a few minutes,” I said. A minute later he asked again, “Dad, when is it going to start?” I reminded him, “In just a little bit.” After he asked the third time, I said, “Scott, don’t ask me that question again. Just sit there and wait.”  My son, who was a quiet and obedient chi ..read more