Never let an experience with God come before God himself. Don’t live for the exceptional moments. These unusual touches of glory are surprises, which God only brings our way when he sees that we are no longer in danger of being led away by them. The extravagant can lead to complacency and self-assurance. Oswald Chambers…
A boy stood on the baseball field and proclaimed, “I am the greatest hitter of all time!” He then tossed a ball into the air and took a huge swing. He missed. Strike one. He repeated, “I am the greatest hitter of all time!” Again, he tossed the ball into the air, swung, and missed. …
I love this simple promise from God: “I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go” (Jeremiah 45:5). It is when we abandon our own plans and dreams for God’s plans and dreams that we find glorious freedom. Abandonment means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any…
The prophet asked, “Do you seek great things for yourself?” (Jeremiah 45:5). I suspect all of us would answer this question with a resounding “yes.” But true happiness does not come from seeking things. It comes from seeking God. Oswald Chambers said, “There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless…
The record for sobriety is 24 hours. Sobriety is attained one day at a time. That means you have the opportunity in front of you to tie the all-time record for sobriety. You can do it today. Is it long term sobriety that you want? Well, let me share a little secret with you. The…
A friend in recovery recently told me, “I thought I hit rock bottom, but it was the Rock of Ages.” For many of us, it was when we hit bottom that we found God. James said it like this: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). No matter how deep…
Two politicians had locked themselves out of their car, with important papers inside. They needed those papers for a meeting, which was to start in a few minutes. One said, “Let’s open the door lock with a coat hanger.” The other replied, “We can’t do that; it will look like we are breaking into someone’s…
One of my favorite singing groups was The Carpenters, whose easy listening style filled the air waves at a time when heavy rock ‘n roll was taking over the world of music. Their signature song sat atop the charts for seven straight weeks in 1970. Karen and Richard Carpenter are still singing it in my…
Charles Fuller was born to a furniture merchant in 1888. Until the age of 35, he was a fruit packer. That all changed in 1917, when he stepped into the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles to hear the preaching of Paul Rader. That night, Fuller committed his life to Christ. He and…
For those living in America, today is Independence Day, which marks the birth of the nation. When I celebrate today, two thoughts come to mind. “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). “What the people want is very simple – they want an America as good as its promise” (Barbara Jordan). We have daily readers…