Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘future’
Dealing With Fear
What is ahead? As I write these words the news is filled with stories related to the Coronavirus that is sweeping the globe and the downturn of financial markets. Mix in the political climate and uncertainty about the future and you have a recipe for anxiety! Perhaps your fears are more connected to personal issues, but we all deal with fear at times. Remember this: God is not the author of fear and never puts unnecessary anxious care in the hearts of His children. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Fears may be rooted in circumstances, others, the devil, or your own…
Read MoreWhen God Changes Your Direction
Sometimes the straightest line between A and B is not the route God chooses for us. His ways and thoughts truly are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). At times we chart the course and set off toward the destination, only to see God unexpectedly change our direction. If you have been there you know what I am talking about. At these times life can be more than a little disorienting. Here are some things to remember when God changes your direction: God has not changed. Thousands of years ago the prophet Malachi recorded God’s words, “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:8). A.B. Simpson had it right when he wrote, “All may change, but Jesus never – glory…
Read MoreNow That You Are Called
Several weeks ago I published a short post on how to know when you have been called. (You may read the original post here.) It was encouraging to hear from so many who are sincerely praying about the Lord’s will for their life. We need more people laboring for souls, not fewer! I had the privilege of having lunch with a couple of young men recently who surrendered to be preachers in a youth meeting last year. Our conversation was a reminder that those who have been called must begin immediately to both prepare and act on the call of God upon their lives. The night that I yielded my life to God’s will a wise old preacher said to…
Read MoreThe Danger of Erasing History
In 1948 Winston Churchill said to the House of Commons, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Our own nation is in the midst of a revolution. An outright revolt against history. While not everything in our history is good, it is true. And only truth can guide us forward. The attack is not new. It is one of Satan’s greatest strategies: cause people to forget their past and you can affect their future. We have for many years seen a wave of “revisionist history” at work in our educational system. Rewrite what you don’t like. Now, it is even more pronounced. Erase it all. What is true on a national scale is also true on a…
Read More“How Do You Know When You Have Been Called?”
When the Lord first began dealing with me about being a preacher I asked my dad, “How do you know when you are called to preach?” He gave what I thought was a vague answer at the time. “You’ll just know.” Now, I find myself giving the same answer to others! He was right. You will know. A divine call is inescapable. You can disobey it but you will know it. For the record, I believe in a divine call to the ministry. It is my conviction that the ministry of a preacher or some other form of vocational Christian service is not something that we choose for ourselves – it is something that God chooses for us. If I…
Read MoreA Word of Encouragement for Single Adults
For a time in our ministry Tammy and I had the privilege of working in the single adult department of our church. We had watched many of these young adults come through our youth ministry and it was a joy to see them continuing to grow in Christ. One Sunday a fine young lady was giving a very personal testimony of the Lord’s work in her life. As she spoke I saw more clearly than ever that all of the counsel we have given to single adults comes down to one thing. Life is not about marrying the right person, admission into a certain college, or choosing a career path. No, thank God, it is much simpler than that! Yes,…
Read MoreLiving in the Present
Two of life’s greatest enemies are the past and the future. I cannot change yesterday. I do not yet have tomorrow. And if I am not careful, I will allow the regrets of my past and plans for the future to rob me of God’s precious gift called “today.” We all have a past. The apostle Paul wrote that we must forget those things that are behind and reach for those things that are before us (Philippians 3:13). Perhaps you think the man who wrote these words had no terrible thing to haunt his memory, no past recollection to discourage him. But you would be wrong. Paul had a past. He simply chose not to live in it. Paul had…
Read MoreDealing with “Down Time”
Down times can often be down times. Activity, or lack of it, has a great deal of effect on our emotions. The closing days of a year are a very reflective time for most people. Holidays mark the end of yet another year. Life is passing quickly. The danger in all of this, of course, is that it is easy to get our eyes on our circumstances, on ourselves, and off of the Lord. Remember that it is an all-wise God who designed the seasons, every season with its purpose. This season is an interval to rest and be renewed for the days ahead. As I grow older I appreciate more the “down times.” They are necessary before the next…
Read MoreThe Luggage of Life
It is my privilege to do a great deal of travel. Through the years I have learned it is best to travel light. Luggage slows you down and weighs you down. Especially on airplanes! The journey is much more enjoyable with as little baggage as possible. This principle is true in all of life. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). Perhaps you think the man who wrote these words had no terrible thing to…
Read More
