When you read about Paul, Peter, Philip and others in the book of Acts, you see how their lives were marked by passion. They were full of zeal, enthusiasm and excitement, red-hot in following the Lord. . . . I believe the Lord desires for us to be the same way today. Even Jesus . . . focused on what His Father required of Him. And so must we—but not at the expense of wisdom. As somebody once said, “We... Read more

King David prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). When we think about everlasting life, our minds automatically fast forward to the day we die, enter heaven and live with the Lord forever. David’s request to “lead me in the way everlasting” does not speak about his future life in heaven but the... Read more

We are at a crossroads. The Lord has entrusted us with many souls who need to hear of His love. Let us then have ears to hear the plea of the Holy Spirit to live differently, keep eternity in mind, divorce ourselves from the world, guard what has been entrusted to us, work hard, teach others, endure hardship, stay pure, remain faithful and fulfill the ministry. In essence, we must be men and women of godly character, who, in the... Read more

When we have received a call from the Lord, our lives will bear the wonderful fruit of it—the fruit of assurance, ownership, pure motivation and seeking only the Lord’s approval. Assurance When you know God has called you, you walk in that assurance. No person or difficulty can deter you or make you turn back. You are certain that He who called you will be faithful. Consider Joseph as one example. He stayed assured of the promise of God even... Read more

Whenever I remember David’s prayer in Psalm 19, my heart is sobered: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me” (Psalm 19:13 KJV). We must not take the goodness of the Lord for granted or indulge the slightest sense of pride or self-congratulation. And we must never entertain thoughts like, based on my past actions, I have it made, or We can do it ourselves—all we need is some ingenious planning. Where we... Read more

When we know we have been called by God, we can have the assurance that, no matter what we may experience or the weaknesses we see in ourselves, He will equip us with everything we need to fulfill that call. The youthful Timothy was one called by the Lord, even though Scripture reveals that by the world’s standards he did not seem like an adequate candidate to take on the responsibility of the ministry. Timothy was a young man, weak... Read more

Timothy, who eventually took the place of the great Apostle Paul, was not only young, but prone to illness. He lived continually with the problem of physical infirmity. We know this because Paul said to him in 1 Timothy 5:23, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” You, too, may be living with physical deficiencies. Are you called to do something huge and significant but feel like saying, “My God,... Read more

There is no doubt in my mind that Simon Peter and his brother Andrew became the talk of all the fishermen around the lake of Galilee when they suddenly left their nets to respond to Jesus’ call: “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). We are greatly challenged by the willingness of these men to forsake all at a moment’s notice to join a new teacher whose ministry and future were unknown. But then... Read more