The Christian form of unceasing prayer may have been preceded by the Psalmist David who wrote, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Ps. 16:8). The Apostle Paul encouraged believers in Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Never has this method of prayer been more appropriate than in our fast-lane lifestyles. Need…
The word “lifestyle” was originally coined in 1929 by a Psychologist named Alfred Adler but the modern usage of the word seems to come from around 1961. Lifestyle refers to the manner in which a person lives, which may include habits, conduct, language, dress, responses to others, interpersonal relationships and a host of other factors….
What does it mean to live a Christian lifestyle? For the Christian, lifestyle is a way of living life with Jesus Christ at the very center. This is easier said than done. One cannot put Christ at the very center without denying self, family and close relations. Jesus issued strong warnings about putting self, family…
“Ad” means “to.” “Ora” means “mouth.” Thus the literal meaning of adoration is “to one’s mouth.” Romans performed the act of adoration by raising the hand to the mouth, kissing it and then waving it in the direction of the adored object. The word adoration came to mean, homage paid to one held in high…
What is released by your faith? Do you remember the story of the woman who had been ill for twelve years and in faith reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe (Mark 5:25-34)? In the midst of the crowd, Jesus asked, “Who touched My clothes?” The disciples chided Him. “You see the multitude…
The subject of labor brings some interesting news: • From New York – “Worker Dead at Desk for 5 Days” • From Japan – “Japan to Pay Widow of Man Worked to Death. • Sign in the store window: NO HELP WANTED. The celebration of Labor Day is another matter – Originally set aside to…
Breakfast is widely acknowledged as the most important meal of the day. I like it so much I sometimes eat breakfast food for lunch and even dinner. One morning, Jesus invited His disciples to join Him for a breakfast of fish and bread, cooked over open coals on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias…
I’ve preached to people who wanted to be a cool cat, but I’ve never preached to a cool cat that wanted to hear me preach. Some of you may have seen my post of this story on Facebook. Once posted, I received over 50 comments in the first twenty-four hours. I post it again here…
The bumper sticker read, “Life is fragile – handle with prayer.” There is no argument related to the fragileness of life. Read any church prayer list and see the results of fragile lives. We are fragile physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. So Christians pray – for Divine intervention, for strength, for wisdom, for discernment, for…
Every so often I run across a Christian leader who has lost the concept of servanthood. I try to picture this person taking a bowl of water and a towel and washing someone’s feet. That’s what Jesus did to demonstrate His servanthood (John 13:4-5). Most of the time, my mental image does not work. Some…