We have all seen different temperaments in our children. One child must be spanked continually, while another one breaks out in tears with a word or look of disapproval. As parents, we are always trying to get at the heart of our children. We continue to train each child, according to their need, so that when they are teenagers they will heed our words without the use of a rod. With some children, this is a challenging job. 

But how hard is it for God to train us?  Do we have the easily touched heart when we are confronted with…

If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, Im gonna wear you out! Sometimes we dont think before we go out on some limb. Its foolish to be where we dont belong, even if its a bit exciting. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).

If you cant be happy, you can at least smile while youre not. That may seem like an oxymoron, even patently foolish, but its just good advice. Fact is, even when youre upset or discouraged, a smile can bring a measure of relief, both to yourself…

Many preachers keep a notebook of random thoughts on a variety of subjects that they intend to use in a sermon or article sometime.  Many of those tidbits never see the light of day.  Others write articles like this one and present those unrelated reflections.  Here are a few from one preachers notes.

Prayer:  Do you really realize the benefits of prayer?  When you pray to God you never get a busy signal.  He never puts you on hold.  You are never interrupted by call waiting.  You can talk as long as you want.  And the call is toll free.  What…

Mensa is an organization for people with an IQ of 140 or higher that provides a forum for intellectual exchange among members. Its activities include the exchange of ideas by lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national, and international gatherings; the investigations of members opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa. (Mensa Constitution)  <http://www.mensa.org/>

A few years ago, there was a Mensa convention in San Francisco, and several members lunched at a local cafe.While dining, they discovered that…

he fled from the rising waters of the tsunami. Visions of her family, a husband and five children, flashed through her mind. She had to livenot just for her, for them. As she climbed a tree, she was bitten by a snake. Then came the fire ants. They stung her legs, arms, face, even her eyes. Still, she climbed. This woman had one goal, survival; it was her only option. The reunion with her family would be worth it.

Setting goals is a part of life. Achieving them, however, is not quite as common. And many times, the difference between…

How valuable is God’s written Word to me? Before the printing press, copies of the Bible were made by hand. One estimate is that it would take one copyist 3 years to copy the entire Bible. If copied onto vellum (animal hide), it would take 250 sheep to make one Bible. Such would make it extremely expensive to own an entire copy of the Bible.

Do we appreciate the great sacrifices of those who brought the Word of God to us? The English scholar William Tyndale was the first to translate the English Bible directly from the Greek and Hebrew. In 1526,…

When one disregards the sacredness of that which belongs to God he can hardly be expected to be reliable in his word and in dealings with others. He can be depended upon only so far as business policy, public sentiment or some such motive many seem to him best in promoting his own selfish interests.

To some, these statements may seem extreme. But, are they? Can you expect one who does not respect that which belongs to God to respect that which belongs to man? Why should you? A man who will sacrifice his religious principles for profit will also…

Three men rebel against hypocrisy, but they vary greatly in their reactions. The first man turns to total moral abandonment. He throws off all restraint as he gives himself to the fulfillment of every fleshly desire. "Self" becomes his god. He hardens himself to the tears of his family as he goes out to do what he wants to do His "justification" for his shameful conduct: "At least I'm not a hypocrite!"

The second man goes to the opposite extreme. He is fed up with the weakness and hypocrisy that he sees in all the churches, and he is not…

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were called before the king and faced charges of refusing to worship the golden image he had erected, Nebuchadnezzar asked, "Who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?" Things looked pretty dark. 

But they replied, "We have no need to answer thee in this matter". The King James version reads, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter" (Dan 3:15-16). The thought seems to be, we will not choose our words carefully ---- concerned lest we offend; we will not try to "talk our way out of" this situation.…

In the Bible, "diligence" refers to "haste," (being quick to act), "earnest care," being eager and desirous of acheiving a goal or result. Thus, we are to "study" (give diligence) to show ourselves approved unto God (2 Tim 2:15). Giving all diligence, we are to add to our faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love ( 2 Pet 1:5-7). Christians must "give diligence to make (their) calling and election sure" (2 Pet 1:10).

"Cursed be the one who does the Lord's work negligently" ---that is, without diligence (Jer 48:10)! "Thou hast commanded us to keep thy percepts…