To Abram, called from the luxury of city life to be a sojourner in a strange land, God said: “I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding great Reward” (Gen. 15:1). Was Abraham a loser? Whatever he left, he had God as his present Reward. But in connection with a man who lived centuries before Abram, […]
Faithfulness produces both blessing and suffering. We all like blessing but tend to avoid suffering. Yet we cannot have one without the other. Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings.” A good example of this is Abraham who was blessed by God and was in turn made a blessing to the world. […]
There were some groups conspicuous by their absence from the list of creditors, and others embarrassingly included. When the “double your money in six months” Foundation for New Era Philanthropy filed for bankruptcy on May 15, they listed $551 million in liabilities and $80 million in assets. Much of the money came from well-meaning donors […]
On September 18, 1981, I was well on my way to a night of drunken revelry in a Windsor, Ontario, tavern. Suddenly and for no apparent reason I was overwhelmed by fear. Rushing into the washroom, I tried to get a grip on myself. It was to no avail. As though pursued by an unknown […]
It lies there, docile in its dark, moist chamber, doing neither good nor ill. But don’t be fooled. It can suddenly spring to action, responding like a wild, bucking bronco, a storm-driven ship, a raging forest fire, a poisonous viper, or a bitter fountain (Jas. 3:3-12). Composed of muscles covered with a membrane, the “little […]
No book reveals so drastically, and yet so truly, the perils of speech as the Scriptures. The Tongue–a Fire “The tongue is a fire” (Jas. 3:6)–sometimes slanderous, sometimes profane, sometimes idle, sometimes vindictive, sometimes angry–in each case it burns. The moment we have spoken what is wrong our moral system is consciously lowered. Our words […]
In our county, there is a scold’s bridle (an iron frame around the head with a sharp bit entering the mouth) which was used in years gone by to keep women’s tongues from troubling their husbands and their neighbors. They did strange things in those good old times. Was this a proof of the wisdom […]
Should we attach warning signs to our mailboxes: “Great Caution is Required” to prepare us for what we may find in it? The other day I received a newsletter written to inform me, in red ink, of “the Bloodstained Hands of Big Brother Government” and “Fascist Terror Stalking America.” This so-called Christian newsletter was filled, […]
Thirty-six years ago I was born into a Catholic, alcoholic family. Because of the verbal and emotional abuse I experienced, I never felt loved. If I was to be loved, I thought I had to earn it. And, no matter how hard I tried, I never seemed to be quite good enough. During the time […]