“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say  to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.’ ” Matthew 18: 1-2 (NKJV) If you  sometimes attend a church other than your home church, nearly everywhere you go, you’ll find the children’s story- time to be a  regular part  of the worship service. It’s not a mere add-on. It is listed in the bulletin, and the people who tell the story come prepared, sometimes  with props and slides,  even a PowerPoint presentation, and lots of imagination and…

    “not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”  Ephesians 6:6 (NKJV)   When I was in elementary school, our class recited  what our teacher called gems, one of  which was “Health Is a Blessing.”  It was intended to make us children feel  thankful for our bodies and take good care of them. At a later age, I  grew to know that work is a blessing, providing me with the means for earning a living, but is also a virtue that gives meaning to my life and  helps me survive and flourish.   The book of Ephesians, from which our…

“Then Jesus said,  I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NIV) I like bread, good quality bread, of ccourse, but I welcome any bread. A couple weeks ago I went out of my way to drive a few miles  to a market that sells great tasting, nutricious bread.  When I got to the bread aisle, the shelf was completely empty, not one loaf of that bread was there. I turned away disappointed and bought a few other things. At the checkout counter, a woman came  and began putting her things…

“The Lord has appeared of old to me saying,  Yes, I have loved you  with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”  Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV) In our skeptical age,  even love  has been weighed in the balance by some people and has been found wanting. They don’t put much stock in love. Many think that love can’t last for a long time, at least, it definitely isn’t everlasting. But at the same time that there is this distrust of lasting love, many are seeking love in all manner of ways and  in all kinds of places. When they are disappointed in one place, they turn to another,…

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good  tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Matthew 7:17, 17  (NIV) Growing up on an island where there are fruit  trees of nearly every kind, I can remember setting out with  my childhood friends to pick fruit in  the bush. When we climbed a tree, we knew what we were looking for. The trees were there in their luxuriant foliage, but it was their luscious fruit that we were after. Mangoes are my favorite fruit, inviting in their yellow ripe skin, pungent aroma,  and  sweet, juicy…

“Now gentleness with contentment is great gain. For we brought  nothing into this world, and  it is  certain we can carry nothing out, and having  food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”  I Timothy 6:6-8  (NKJV) I think all of us want a settled, contented life, but it seems few people  have it, and most don’t have a clue how to get it. We hear the reports  about people being dissatisfied with their standard of living. Do you think Paul was being too brutally honest with the believers when he said  that if they had food and clothing they should be content?  At any rate, today’s readers of…

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3 (NKJV) Several words function as synonyms for heritage, among them  “inheritance,”  “gift,” “blessing,” and “reward.”  Most parents would say that all of these synonyms apply to them because they are grateful for their children. A reading of this short Psalm 127 shows that joy and protection are the two blessings that come from having children.  The occasions for joy are many, but in this graduation season,  it’s  easy to see the parents’ joy and  exhilaration  as they attend this milestone event in their children’s life.  And in the area of protection, I…

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) Experts are everywhere today, especially in this television and publishing era. They talk and write a lot,  telling  us everything, some of  which we already know and some  that we aren’t keen on knowing.. But when we  want something done with a high degree of competence, we usually seek out an expert in that area. I once read about  a set of experts I had never known existed,  perhaps because I never had any need for their services. Yet they are valuable, doing exceptionally competent work. They are art restorers, individuals who can take  a…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My  strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) This world does not like weakness.  You will never find even a devout Christian praying, “Lord, make me weak.” We tend to shun both weakness and the people who exhibit it.  The daily twin prayer  request  many of us make  is for “health and strength,”  the two ideas fitting together neatly  into our desire for  the good life. “Strong” and “strength” occur a lot in our prayers. Check on yourself for a week and see how true this is. Weakness is not part of the vocabulary of the work-a-day world either. It’s…

“Wait  on the Lord, Be of good courage And He shall strengthen your heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27;14 (NKJV) One reason we enjoy reading the psalms  is that they’re poetry. The New King James Version of Psalm 27  is written in verse form, emphasizing its poetic nature. However, our focus verse is far  more than lovely poetry; it lets us know  that waiting on God is important. Waiting. It’s not  something  we’re good at,  especially when we think we have an urgent need that’s not getting the attention we believe it deserves. There are endless numbers of times and places  where  our ability to wait gets…