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Give Your Best Anyway
Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease except they are in a state of nearness to Christ; for when they are away from Him, they lose their peace. The nearer to Him, the nearer to the perfect calm of Heaven; the nearer to Him, the fuller the heart is, not only of peace, but of…
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Divine Thoughtfulness
While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him. — Fyodor Dostoevsky It seems to be a fact of human psychology that when death approaches the human heart speaks its words of love to those whom it holds closest. There is no reason to suspect that it…
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God’s Greats
Many of God’s greats were small and unassuming, but their faith often gave them a kind of ferocious cordiality that could walk into any place and be absolutely at home. Is your faith as much at home in the quiet and comfort of home, surrounded by love and assurance, as it is in the raunchy…
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Purpose of Existence
I suspect very few of us think seriously enough about this life as our soul’s preparation for eternity. The pursuit of God in this life is not to minimize enjoying and experiencing this life to the fullest, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither” (C.S.…
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Prepare to Stand
The first of a series of eight 15 minute clips by Pastor Andrew Brunson, a missionary to Turkey for 20 years, about coming persecution. Brunson was falsely accused and charged of terrorism, and subsequently jailed in Turkey in 2016. He was eventually freed in 2018.
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The Me That I Am
He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. — Aeschylus If your life isn’t what you want it to be, it may be because…
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Starting Over
There are two kinds of Christians: Those who sincerely believe in God and those who, just as sincerely, believe that they believe. You can tell them apart by their actions in decisive moments. — Richard Wurmbrand How many times in your life have you thought to yourself, I wish I could start over. Maybe you…
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God’s Love
Whoever thinks that he understands the Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought. — St. Augustine of Hippo Concerning the crossing of the Red Sea in…
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Refined by Life
This psalm was written by David, probably when he was a king. He had been a shepherd, and he was not ashamed of his former occupation. — Charles Spurgeon Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He…
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The Imperfect Christian
I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity. — C.S. Lewis (God in the Dock) We can learn a great deal about Christian practice from St. Peter. He is…
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The Heavenly Vision
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” Ambrose Hollingworth Redmoon So how do we find the courage to do what we are otherwise afraid to do? We have to look beyond the fear. We have to keep our eyes on the goal, on…
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Where Are You?
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. — Psalm 143:10–11 We enter the wilderness purposefully for discipline and recentering … or we are ushered…
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Christian Survival Guide for A Secular Age
I’m in Moscow, a stone’s throw from Red Square. I’ve chosen this hotel, the Metropol, after reading Amor Towles’ 2016 bestseller “A Gentleman in Moscow,” where the novel is set. The Metropol, radiating old-world charm, does not disappoint. But the old man mounting the stairs at the hotel’s entrance, coming to meet me, does not…
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Learning To Be Alone
Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me. — John 16:32 It need not be said that to put conviction into action is a costly sacrifice. It may make necessary renunciations and separations which leave one feeling a strange sense both of deprivation and loneliness. But he who will fly as an…
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Add to Your Faith
Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things be in you and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Peter 1:5-7 Faith…
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The Line Between
If only it were all so simple. If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy…
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The Christian Life
I thank my God whenever I remember you, always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy, for your partnership in furtherance of the Gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete…
