Promises for the Battle
Just Thinking
I Was Just Thinking … About Encouragements to Pray
In Luke 18:1 Jesus said that we ought always to pray and not to give up. There are several features about this exhortation that bring much encouragement. 1. When we are faint and think that all we can do is give up, how encouraging it is to know that there is another way to go, … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About Resting Work
We all want rest for our souls, and we come to Jesus because he wants to teach us how to receive it from him. One part of his prescription for finding this rest reads, “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). Working heartily brings rest because it dispels the tension that … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About Working Rest
Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to learn from him, so that they might experience rest instead of travail in their lives (Matthew 11:28–30). But we may ask, What does Jesus prescribe in order for us to experience this “rest for our souls”? For one thing, he would tell us to give … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About the Springs of Life
A literal rendering of Proverbs 4:23 would be, “Above all that you guard, watch over your heart, for the springs of life issue from it.” It came as a shock, a surprise, when I realized that here God commands me to guard my heart with more concern than other valuable things: physical health, financial solvency, … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About “Keeping Myself in the Love of God”
In Jude, verse 21, I read the simple command: “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” This implies that God’s love for me remains constant and unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He loves me with an “everlasting love.” This command also implies that I can either remain in the sunshine of … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About Learning from the Mistakes of Others
An old saying goes like this, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from poor judgment.” But sometimes our poor judgment results in consequences that keep us from the learning what is necessary to developing good judgment. So, we would be wiser to “learn from the mistakes of others, because we will never live … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … About Instructions For Life
Wisdom is a priceless commodity which enables us to make the decisions that will build a foundation for rest, peace, and joy tomorrow. We ourselves lack the resources for knowing how to live wisely. But Christ has all the treasures of wisdom (Colossians 2:3), and God has made Christ to be our wisdom (1 Corinthians … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … Faith to Forgive
How easy it is to let anger, bitterness, and hatred rise in our hearts when we think we have been unjustly treated! Not only do we shape our sense of right and wrong to justify the ways we behave toward others; we also shape it to condemn the behavior of others who hurt us. Then, … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … Training In Godliness
Much is being said these days about how important regular physical exercise is for maintaining good health. According to statistics quoted in a recent Reader’s Digest article, it increases our life expectancy on the average of four years. But much greater benefits come from maintaining another kind of exercise program. Paul urged Timothy, “Train yourself … Continue reading
I Was Just Thinking … Star-Inspired Faith
This past summer I went back-packing in the Sierras with part of my family. For two nights we camped beside a lake at an elevation of about 9,500 feet. As one who lives in the middle of the seventy-mile-broad megalopolis of the Los Angeles basin, this campsite afforded my first chance in many years to … Continue reading
Promises for the Battle 