In the classic 1942 movie, Casablanca, Rick said, “Remember, the gun is pointed at your heart.” Captain Renault replied, “That is my least vulnerable spot.” The Bible has a lot to say about our hearts. And it’s not all good. Jeremiah declared, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know…
During a difficult battle, we read this: “King Saul had declared, ‘Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening, before I have full revenge on my enemies.’ But Jonathan had not heard his father’s command, and he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. After…
Let’s talk about the thief on the cross. Was he a bad guy? Apparently. But on the cross he met Jesus, who promised him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Think about it. If the man had not been a thief, he may have never found paradise. What God allows, he…
The trigger that no one talks about is being tired. We are at greater risk when we are tired. God declared, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:9). Rest is essential to the maintenance…
There is a great promise for those who follow Jesus. He told the repentant thief, “Today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). What is “paradise”? Is it the same thing as heaven? Sort of. John Wesley called paradise “only the porch of heaven.” He saw it as the gathering place of the…
There are five basic triggers to acting out: boredom, loneliness, anger, stress, and tiredness. Let’s talk about the first one – boredom. Soren Kierkegaard said, “Boredom is the root of all evil.” Scripture weighs in: “The backslider gets bored with himself; the godly man’s life is exciting.” Boredom comes at a price. A study of…
God has created each of us with the capacity to make bad choices. The Bible says, “In the past, he let all nations go their own way” (Acts 14:16). C.S. Lewis explained, “If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil…
In May of 2024, a bird photographer named Phoo Chan captured a once-in-a-lifetime photo of a crow landing on an eagle in mid-air. The amazing thing is that the eagle seemed unfazed. As some of the largest birds of prey, eagles are harassed and heckled by small birds all the time. How do they deal…
Almost anything you can do, some type of animal can do better. Owls hear better. Eagles see better. Kangaroos jump better. Cheetahs run better. Cats fall better. Dogs smell better. God deserves all the credit. He said, “I commanded the earth to give life to all kinds of animals” (Genesis 1:24). So here’s my suggestion,…
We are walking on Someone else’s planet. We would do well to understand this is God’s world, and every opportunity that is before us should be seen as an undeserved blessing. The Talmud says, “A man embezzles from God when he makes use of this world without uttering thanks.” Robert Brault added, “Enjoy the little…