The Blessings of Others in Our Lives
Never underestimate the power of friendship. Friendships give us comfort. They strengthen, nourish, and encourage us. They take the grind out of life.
Email. Internet. Video. Texting. Tablets. Smartphones. The list never ends, does it? As technology advances, real human connection becomes harder and harder. If we’re not careful, each new gadget can draw us further away from the family of believers God designed us to be.
If you want to experience a close community with other Christians, you must first escape the trap of superficiality and to develop tight bonds that will feed your soul and mature your spiritual family.
Never underestimate the power of friendship. Friendships give us comfort. They strengthen, nourish, and encourage us. They take the grind out of life.
There is something extra special about February. Valentine’s Day. Hearts and flowers. A fresh and needed reminder that there is still a heart-shaped vacuum in the human breast that only the three most wonderful words in the English language can fill.
Far from being harmless, grumbling poisons not only our minds but influences those around us. And being a joy-stealer is something that none of us have a right to be.
James encouraged us to prevent verbal fires from burning the forest around us. And yet, he gave no checklist, no tear-out sheet, and no three-step solution. Thankfully, the Bible isn’t silent about what we should and should not say.
In our image-conscious society, there is an enormous emphasis placed on appearing to be someone you’re not. Playing such a role is not just inauthentic; it also encourages us to keep others at a distance.
Give further thought to this. Ask God to open your lips and honour your words...but be careful! Once your missile hits the target, you’ll become totally dissatisfied with your former life as an earthbound, secret-service saint.
Sometimes it's easy for Christians to feel a little smug—to look down our pious noses and sigh in pharisaical tones, "I'm a Christian. I would never do that." Not so fast, my friend. You don't want to hear this, but there's not all that much difference between "us" and "them."
The Christmas story is all about redemption. Just like the life-saving gift in this story, God’s gift of salvation saves us from death and gives us a fresh start.
The whole idea of Christmas revolves around the idea of a gift, appropriately enough. Giving and receiving gifts at Christmas is often a touching and sometimes surprising experience.
For many of us, our busy schedules filled with appointments and obligations keep us occupied to the brink of breakdown. We don’t have time for self-reflection or to take note of triggers and internal alarm bells telling us we’re not OK.