Dr. Clarence Macartney, an early-20th-century minister and author, once related a story about a supposed meeting in hell.
Satan called his four leading demons together and commanded them to think up something that would trap more souls.
“I have it!” one demon said. “I’ll go to earth and tell people there is no God.” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
“Leadership is influence,” wrote J. Oswald Sanders, “the ability of one person to influence others. One man can lead others only to the extent that he can influence them.” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Few sins are more subtle—or more dangerous—than hypocrisy. It hides behind good deeds, dresses itself in righteousness, and fools everyone…except God.
“Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not,” once wrote the 19th-century Scottish minister George MacDonald.
This practice can be summed up in one word: hypocrisy. Wearing a mask. Pretending. Acting instead of being. In a twisted way, “Hypocrisy is an homage that vice pays to virtue,” suggested the French writer La Rochefoucauld. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
The late R. J. Stevens and his son Tim have done more to elevate the praise of God’s people than any two men I’ve ever known.
But their greatest contribution wasn’t just teaching music, how to beat time, or how to pitch a song. They reminded us of the why and the Who behind our praise. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
How would you feel if you were seconds from death—and someone pulled you back to life?
A man caught in a riptide was certain he was about to drown. Panicked and exhausted, he fought the current in vain.
An alert lifeguard spotted him, plunged into the surf, and battled the waves to bring him safely to shore. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder, Psalms
We love a good deal.
We wait for sales. Browse garage sales. Scroll online for discounts. From the chaos of Black Friday to after-Christmas markdowns and tax-free weekends, we’re wired to get the most for the least.
That’s the bargain-hunter mindset. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
In sports locker rooms, on ESPN, and across social media, debates often rage: Who’s the GOAT? Who’s the greatest of all time?
Names are thrown around, stats are compared, championships are counted, and lists are created.
It’s nothing new. I can remember as a teen in the early 1960s a young, brash Cassius Clay—who later became Muhammad Ali—boldly declaring, “I am the greatest!” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes another “new religion.” Recently, I read about one called “Yoism.”
Invented by a Massachusetts psychologist, Yoism is a system of beliefs based on the “open source” principle, in which the general public becomes the combined, creative authority and the source of truth. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
In his book, 10 Natural Laws of Time and Life Management, Hyrum W. Smith recounts an exchange with one of his seminar attendees during a break.
“You know, Hyrum, the stuff you’re teaching comes right out of the Bible.” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
In Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, Chuck Swindoll poses this scenario.
Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.” Everyone agrees. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
ThePreachersWord 