Slothfulness casts one into a deep sleep, and the idle person shall suffer hunger. – Proverbs 19:15, Amplified Bible (AMP) It is not terribly hard to spot people who are habitually slothful. Habitually lazy people are virtually allergic to work, and like all good allergy sufferers, they try to avoid that which causes them pain.… Continue reading Slothfulness is selfishness, plain and simple.
Category: Character
When God needs you to, please be ready to act like Titus.
But God, Who comforts and encourages and refreshes and cheers the depressed and the sinking, comforted and encouraged and refreshed and cheered us by the arrival of Titus. – 2 Corinthians 7:6, AMP When we are down and depressed, God often comforts us one-on-one while we are engaged in scripture reading or prayer. But, just as often, God sends His comfort through encouraging people He points… Continue reading When God needs you to, please be ready to act like Titus.
The more you say, the less intelligent you appear.
Even a fool when he holds his peace is considered wise… – Proverbs 17:28 (AMP) There is a humorous cultural proverb that goes like this: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. Although often attributed to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain, evidence suggests that the true… Continue reading The more you say, the less intelligent you appear.
Let God tell you the difference between shame and success.
When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful and godly Wisdom and soundness. – Proverbs 11:2, Amplified Bible (AMP) When born-again believers are consistently proud and arrogant, their behavior betrays the fact that Christ, although their Savior, is by… Continue reading Let God tell you the difference between shame and success.
You’re not alone. Even Paul despaired.
…we were so utterly and unbearably weighed down and crushed that we despaired even of life [itself]. – 2 Corinthians 1:8, AMP It is very easy to look at pastors, missionaries, and others who have given themselves to a career in ministry as some sort of superheroes. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,… Continue reading You’re not alone. Even Paul despaired.
This is one of the hardest prayers you’ll ever pray.
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me… – Psalm 139:23-24, AMP One sign of a dedicated Christian is that the Christian will not hesitate to pray Psalm 139:23-24. To pray Psalm 139:23-24, and to mean it, is… Continue reading This is one of the hardest prayers you’ll ever pray.
To be extraordinary, you have to first make up your mind.
Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, – Matthew 28:19, AMP Although God must give us the ability to do anything worthwhile for Him, He leaves the choice of whether or not to go do what we’ve been… Continue reading To be extraordinary, you have to first make up your mind.
The key to having Christ’s character is found in this one word.
…the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13, AMP If you were in Solomon’s place, and God gave you the opportunity to ask for anything in the universe, what would you ask for? Wisdom, as Solomon requested? Peace? Happiness? Freedom from financial stress or personal strain or anxiety of any kind? Our answers… Continue reading The key to having Christ’s character is found in this one word.
When running the race, be intense, aggressive, and don’t hold back.
So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours. – 1 Corinthians 9:24, AMP As I watched my daughter’s soccer game today, I noticed a trend among many of the 8-year olds scattered around the field. All of them were aggressive in defending their goal from the attack… Continue reading When running the race, be intense, aggressive, and don’t hold back.
Count your many blessings, name them one by one.
His compassions fail not…They are new every morning… – Lamentations 3:22-23, KJV I serve as an usher at our church. During a recent Sunday evening service, I had an errand to run that took me into the building on our campus that houses our gym, our cafeteria, and several classrooms for our Christian school. As… Continue reading Count your many blessings, name them one by one.