A pleasant expression increases your face value.If society has a poor impression of Christians, it is no one’s fault but our own. We aren’t always a happy bunch. We spend too much time being critical, and far too little time being cheerful. Many of us walk around with an expression that looks […]

Thoughtful complements wear better than impulsive flattery.You are wary of insincere friendships, and we don’t blame you. So many people bring ulterior motives into a friendship. It is hard to know whether they are really interested in you as a friend, or whether they just want to get something from you or sell […]

Your ultimate comfort is knowing that God is with you.When small children fall and hurt themselves, they instinctively know what to do. They turn and run to a parent. Once a child is embraced in loving arms, the crying subsides and the pain is relieved. As an adult, you probably don’t fall […]

The more imporant the task, the more you need to examine your motives.
Why do you do what you do? Is it to please others and win their approval, or do you live to please God? And just how do you please God? By telling others about the Good News of Jesus.
Even when […]

You can’t enjoy the present if you fear the future.Part of the fun of a vacation is the anticipation. For months in advance you can be excited about what will happen in the future. But your future isn’t all filled with vacations. There are uncertainties ahead of you, and they aren’t as […]

It is possible for God to give you comfort without removing any of your difficulties.The easiest way to handle difficulties in your life is to change your perspective about them. Let’s face it. You are going to have problems. (We aren’t telling you anything that you don’t already know.) But you […]

A thick skin and a short memory are the best weapons agains unjust criticism.Few things hurt worse than criticism. A broken bone is painful, but it happens accidentally, and after a while the injury has healed and is forgotten. Criticism, however, is always intentionally inflicted. It is a personal attack. It […]

You might as well face God, because it’s impossible to get away from Him.God is loving, God is forgiving, and God is gracious. That’s why we can go to Him at any time for anything. King David wrote: “For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness […]

Anxiety is short-lived if we give it to God.What comes to mind when you think of addiction? Alcohol. Drugs. Chocolate. How about this one: Anxiety. Does it surprise you that we would consider anxiety to be an addiction? Well, it must be. Why else would people hold […]

Live somewhere between complacency and crisis.Let’s think for a moment about complacency. It has both good and bad connotations. On the good side, it conveys the sense of being satisfied with what you have. (And that’s how you should be.) But complacency also suggests that you are satisfied in staying where […]