1. Because a little sin leads to more sin.
2. Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
3. Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.

The poet and sage, the older Mr. Brockton: "No, but there are trivial men who die. I will illustrate this, though you will not like my illustration.

Dear Sister in Christ,

I am so sorry that you feel overwhelmed. I’d venture to say that most believing women have experienced days in which we have to use all our will power just to get out of bed.  I know from personal experience how prolonged depression drains all the joy from life, but there is hope.  

For the first few years after “getting saved,” Richard attended church regularly and really got involved. You could not keep him away. When the church met in any fashion or for any reason, he was there.

The sobering fact is, although both Cindys professed faith in Christ, only one of them was truly converted. That's not just my opinion, it's what we must say if we are to be honest with others and faithful to Scripture. Biblically, we have no basis for calling a person a Christian if he or she bears no characteristics of a Christian.

Valentine's Day brings back some strange memories for me. I'm especially haunted by the fact that after signing my batch of Valentines on the night before the classroom exchange I would invariably inscribe some with "Form Jimmy." I hated that.

I once spoke to a woman who thought that she did not need forgiveness from God. Her justification was that she did not do all the bad things other people were always doing. She didn’t use foul language, she didn’t get drunk every weekend, and she didn’t live in sexual immorality.

I pictured all of Ethiopia as a desert, but I observed hills and mountains full of vegetation. I imagined ground that was cracked from sweltering heat, but what my eyes actually witnessed was land ready for the construction of world class golf courses. I had the scenery of Ethiopia all wrong in my mind.

I wonder if you have the same problem when thinking about yourself, except in reverse.

Anxiety is the natural human response to trouble. For some people anxious thoughts are short-lived and mild, even during severe difficulty. But for others, anxiety leads to sleeplessness, depression, and even physical illness.

Jesus was frank in calling anxiety sin.

When our American fathers stormed the Boston docks, threw out the British tea, and cried, "No taxation without representation," they could not possibly have imagined what freedom from our mother country would bring.

It was as if the city was full, not of GPS devices, but god-finder devices, that told people to turn this way and that way to find a god. But all of the god-finder devices in Athens were broken. None of them pointed to the one true God.

I'm sitting up in bed in the early morning wondering why people hate and kill each other. Egypt and Syria come to mind with their fist-shaking mobs, bloody bodies carried from the fray, and mothers wailing as much with their upraised hands as their shrill voices. Why?

Who wants to hear a man talk about what he doesn’t fully understand? 

Nestled in this fascinating text in 1 Samuel 22 are these foreboding words, “Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.”

Here’s the main lesson: Many who believe in Jesus will not be saved, because He does not believe in them.  

This is not a contradiction of passages like John 3:16 and Acts 16:31—passages where we are assured that everyone who believes will be saved.

How can you make the most of your visits to a nursing home?

John the Baptist did, which might be surprising because he had a stellar start as a preacher of the gospel.

As a pastor, I have been asked that question numerous times by well-meaning parents. Essentially, they want to know what ministries the church offers for children. Their desire for the spiritual good of their kids is commendable and some children’s programs are very useful. Sadly, though, too many parents are only looking for a ministry that will substitute for what they should be doing in their home. I eventually will look at the father and, as charitably as possible, ask, “What do you have for your children?”

It is fair to call it "breaking out," as if it were a plague that was destined to take the lives of many cherished family members and friends, and to leave its rotting smell everywhere. It broke out, indeed.

Saul was astonished to find himself sitting in the place of honor at a banquet, receiving from the prophet Samuel the choice portion of meat. Of the least family of the smallest tribe, the idea of being king was inconceivable. In a moment, however—the moment of the "appointed time"—God changed his life forever.

Paul nearly lost his life in Lystra at the hands of people who just hours earlier were foolishly worshipping him. While Paul was in that city preaching the gospel, “Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead” (Acts 14:19).

It might surprise you to know that not everyone loves the holidays.

Yes, really.

But do we obey?

More evangelicals skip church meetings than attend them. That's a fact . . . an embarrassing one. One leader claims even the FBI could not find many of them.

That's how John Bunyan described parting with his family after their brief visits with him in prison. Each time they walked away, John was reminded of the great difficulty his incarceration imposed on them, especially on his blind daughter, Mary. "What sorrow you are likely to have as your portion in this world!" he wrote. "You must be beaten, must beg, suffer hunger, cold, nakedness, and a thousand other calamities, even though I cannot so much as bear the wind blowing upon you."

John G. Paton was a missionary to the New Hebrides, today called Vanuatu, in the South Seas. He was born in Scotland in 1824. I gave my Pastors' Conference message about him because of the courage he showed throughout his 82 years of life. When I dug for the reasons he was so courageous, one reason I found was the deep love he had for his father.

A Brockton Dialogue

The younger, inexperienced, James: Does failure to obey God tell us the truth about a man? Is this so even if he claims to know Christ, and to trust him? 

“Steeeeve, come in here! It’s time to praaayyy!”

I heard those words from Pastor Floyd Baker often during the summer I served as his church’s youth pastor. I couldn’t go to the office without his invitation to the throne of grace.

The churches always seem welcoming enough, and the doctrine and preaching are fine. But when their status as visitors wears off and real church life begins, they are dissatisfied. They just can't seem to find their niche. They long for real fellowship—for mutual encouragement, correction, and for the experience of belonging to a loving family that shares joys and trials—but don't find it. They attend less and less, and finally go off in search of a new church to start the process all over again.

Not everybody has their lives in order, and some have some major problems. You know the kind of people I’m talking about—get too close to them and their issues, and they will wear you out. However, someone has to minister to them, right? But who?

The statement in Matthew 26:36, 37 is significant. Christ has known sorrow before this, but the assertion that in Gethsemane he began to be sorrowful and troubled indicates a sudden steep descent into the billows of distress. Now, as never before, all God's waves and billows began to sweep over him (Psalm 42:7).

The Story of Charlotte Brooks and Octavia Albert

"La, me, child! I never thought anybody would care enough for me to tell of my trials and sorrows in this world!" That was Charlotte Brooks' response when she heard that her friend, Octavia, planned to write the story of Aunt Charlotte's life for publication.

Page one opened at Deal Cemetery in Ladelle, Arkansas.

[I asked Bob Jennings, a devoted pastor and friend, to explain what he most wishes he had done differently in his life now that he is battling life-threatening cancer. Here is his carefully thought-out answer. Jim Elliff]

. . . Looking back now, with terminal cancer for the past two years, here is one thing I would like to have done better—I'd like to have enjoyed my walk with the Lord yet more. 

Not everybody sees it this way.

The older, wiser Mr. Brockton:

The younger disciple, James: How is it possible not to be surprised if 5000 die in an earthquake or 10,000 in a Tsunami or 300 in a sinking boat, or 50 in a terrorist attack?

Several years ago a well-known sports announcer was asked to explain the game of American football. Among other things, he said, "Football is 22 men down on a field desperately in need of rest, while 22,000 people sit in the stands desperately in need of exercise." 

That's an apt description of many churches I know also.

Martin grasped a hammer and a long piece of paper covered with his writing. He walked out into the street and straight over to the castle church door. It was here that community messages were often posted.

• Be at peace with one another. Mk. 9:50
• Wash one another's feet. Jn. 13:14
• Love one another with brotherly affection. Rom. 12:10
• Outdo one another in showing honor. Rom. 12:10
• Live in harmony with one another. Rom. 12:16
• Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you. Rom. 15:7

But why? Perhaps because the trauma of death forced a shift in focus.

Photo courtesy of Paul Artus

After ministering just a few days in Romania in 1985 when the Iron Curtain was still up, I received a call that my mother was dying in a hospital room in Oklahoma City. “We think she is holding on until you get here,” my brother said. 

It took two days to leave.

When faced with unexplained hardship, our theologically informed minds can seem impotent to comfort our hearts full of despair.

And then the questioning of Christ begins. “I don’t understand, what is happening?” If comfort seems distant, the questions become pointed. “Why did you allow this to happen?”

What if a census were taken in your church's youth group?

When Jesus finished giving this simple farming illustration, He did not explain to the crowd what the parable meant in terms of spiritual realities. Instead He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (v. 8). It was as if He were saying that only some had the ability to understand the parable, while others did not. Only some of the people listening had “ears to hear.”

If you had been in this crowd, what would you have done when Jesus finished with this strange comment about “ears to hear”?

10:11 - The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

10:18 - The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

10:19 - When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

However, seminary is also a place where, if the students are not careful, bad things happen.

I remember when I bought that blue vase for mom. I was on a trip with a

There is only one way to solve this difference of opinion—the plumb must be dropped.

Some time ago, I spent a day on a Florida beach with my family. Nestled in my inner tube (not the one I grew by eating too much), I paddled out a little from the land to tune out the world and to rest on the soothing undulations of water beneath me. All was perfect for a while.

Every year the same thing happens to all of us—it's tradition. Is that OK?

If you had tuberculosis, what would you do? 

Doug Nichols is the Founder and International Director Emeritus of Action International Ministries. While serving as a missionary in India in 1967, he contracted tuberculosis.He was treated in a sanatorium in India, and while there he tried passing out copies of the gospel of John to the other patients. It was rejected by everybody.

Not a single godly person could be found. At least, that’s how the psalmist felt.

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. (Ps 12:1)

God is ruthlessly interested in your faith. He will use everything at His disposal to develop you into a person who trusts Him. He knows that your life, the life and salvation of those around you, and His glory are all at stake. He knows that you will miss everything essential if you become a person who will not trust Him—a trust manifested by instant obedience to His leadership.

On October 31st, 1517, Dr. Luther nailed the 95 theses on the Wittenberg castle church door. These points of discussion were immediately distributed across the German countryside and soon over the whole European continent.

Please excuse me for being so direct, but the problem lies with YOU. Consider the following means to a more interesting, eventful, and challenging existence. . .

Never?

Like a man who has to move a water buffalo off the highway, "It ain't all that easy."

It was years later that scientists discovered that 80% of the shrunken heads displayed around the country were not human heads, but those of monkeys or sloths, or the mere handicraft of an enterprising native made from goatskin.

As the self-appointed spokesman for Jesus' handpicked coterie, Peter says the right thing at the right time: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But Peter cannot leave good enough alone. As Jesus goes on to explain for the first time that He will go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and be raised again, Peter rebukes Him for such an outlandish notion. "Never! Not you! God forbid it, Lord!"

Christians who hold each other accountable by regularly asking each other to confess sins they have committed are restraining each other from sinning. The knowledge that someone is going to ask you to tell the truth about your behavior provides a significant deterrent. This kind of "tell the truth" accountability is one important aspect of fellowship, but resisting temptation solely to avoid shame or disapproval from others is not a uniquely Christian motive. No one enjoys confessing their failures, and anyone—Christian or otherwise—can be motivated to avoid certain actions through accountability with other likeminded people.

I was never more grateful in my life.

What if her doctor also said, "She does have the classic flu symptoms, but she cannot have the flu because I gave her a flu shot"? And what if your grandmother herself refused to believe that she could have the flu because she had received the inoculation?

It really happened. In 1919, a wave of molasses, then the country's main sweetener, escaped from the Purity Distilling Company and slid its way down a North End Boston street at 35 miles-per-hour. It was not simply a humorous incident. At least the 21 people who were killed and 150 who were injured did not think so.

I invite you to eavesdrop on a conversation between two Christians, Nick and John. Nick is explaining the basic difference between two categories of people: those who love God, and those who don't. He will also explain that the second category, people who don't love God, may be subdivided into three smaller categories: atheists, believing pagans, and religious moralists (also known as "decent people").

 Obituaries      April 23, 30

Jesus of Nazareth, age 33, lifelong resident of Nazareth died Friday of severe wounds inflicted by the Roman government.

Mr. and Mrs. Shi knew that their daughter would never marry because of her big feet. Friends and neighbors commented on them constantly, and the other children teased little Meiyue whenever she ventured outside. Shi Meiyue was a descendent of one of the most aristocratic families in China, and the first little girl in centuries whose parents rejected the family and cultural custom of foot-binding.

It was because of the Gospel.

Lilias Trotter was a gifted artist. So gifted, in fact, that one of the premier art critics of 19^th century Europe, John Ruskin, said that if she would devote herself to art, “she would be the greatest living painter and do things that would be immortal.”

“I’m not amillennial, postmillennial, or premillennial. I’m pan-millennial.”

“Huh?”

“Yep, I’m pan-millennial—I believe it will all pan out in the end!”

The current rules that determine the date of Easter originated in A.D. 325 at the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine.

It was a beautiful set up. At least it looked beautiful to the two little boys who had made the bike ramp that evening in the autumn of 1972. Sure it was a little rickety, and maybe the length to height ratio was somewhat steep, but hey! If it had been completely safe it wouldn't have been so much fun.

If any house looked like it could be haunted, it was this ramshackle old farmhouse. It wasn’t really haunted, of course—we knew that—but sometimes it seemed like it could be. It seemed especially likely when my cousins dared me to go inside. 

Foolishly taking their dare, I crept slowly onto the porch and tapped the door with my toe. It creaked open and I peered into the gloomy room, too afraid to go forward and too ashamed to admit my fear and go back.  

She grew up in Japan, where her parents served as missionary teachers in a middle school. In 1939 it became clear that the country was unstable and so, for their safety, the family was relocated to the Philippines.

Christians disagree about what falling away means. Some say it is a saved person losing his salvation. Others insist that the person who falls away was never truly saved. I would argue strongly for the latter, but this is not the place to resolve that dispute. The sobering fact is that some who presently think of themselves as Christians will ultimately be condemned to hell as unbelievers.

Your tongue may be the most dangerous weapon you possess. When unleashed (or unsheathed) without restraint, it can cut more deeply than a sword (Ps. 52:2; Ps. 57:4; Ps. 64:3; Prov. 12:18). But the tongue can also be used for encouragement and healing—for blessing rather than cursing.  

The Bible has much to say about restraining and retraining our tongues.

The Bible teaches that you are worse off than my friend.

How do you spend your discretionary time? In other words, what do you choose to do when you are free to do anything you want?

Consider the Apostle Paul’s instructions about the use of time: 

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:15-17)

The business of Christmas, that is, the hard and cold commercial trade of the Thanksgiving to Christmas sales window, is a measure of how well America is doing. It's the thermometer in our corporate mouths.

had 

Paul longed to see these new Christians face to face, but it wasn’t happening.

Doubt is deafening. Like the commotion in a crowded hallway that makes your conversation impossible, or a roaring jet engine near your head, doubt has a way of blocking out everything else.

When seven-year-old Preston Scarbrough woke up early one Sunday morning in July 2009, he just didn't want to go to church. He slipped out of the house while his family slept, got in the car and went for a drive that ended in a police chase reaching speeds of 40 miles an hour.

When you seek counsel from your pastor, or when your pastor seeks you out because he recognizes a counseling need in your life, here are a few things you should expect if he is a godly, biblically minded man:

You might enjoy sharing and discussing the following poem with children. It’s titled, “The Hindu Child’s Hope of Heaven”:

Would you like to write the script for your child’s future? Of course you would.

Let’s face it, parents are concerned about their kids whether they’re 9 or 39. And they should be . . . in a certain way, and up to a certain point.

What should the following sentence mean to you, a tired, overworked person?

     "They shall mount up with wings as eagles."