Jesus is our forerunner and our example. How did He build a strong foundation of who He was? A tiny eaglet fell out of his nest in a tall tree near a farm, and he landed in a chicken coop. He found himself surrounded by little chicks and thought they were his siblings. He grew up like them, learning to scratch for insects and peck at the seeds the farmer scattered in the barnyard. The young eagle’s wings and feathers... Read more
Regrets. I’ve had a few in my life. One painful memory has to do with a little girl named Meena. Meena was a beautiful 5-year-old living in Bombay. She had the biggest brown eyes. When the social workers first saw her, she was standing in six inches of sewer water. Meena was one of the thousands of children who survive by begging on the streets. No one knows if her parents abandoned her or simply died. Her life was sustained... Read more
True Christian suffering comes because we live for God and are serving the expansion of His kingdom. It is a positive sacrifice for the good of others. It is not a morbid, introspective act that one does to oneself to feel or become spiritual. No, I’m saying that if you really mean to follow Christ, you will not be at peace until the whole world knows of Him. You will pay any price to see others know the love of... Read more
Each one of us would be absolutely terrified if we were asked to walk along the edge of the Grand Canyon during a pitch-dark night without any light. After all, we could fall off the cliff and die. We might be more willing to do it if we had a travel plan and a bright light that would allow us to see every detail ahead of us. In the same way, we want to plan and control our lives while... Read more
When I was around 19 years old, I was in Patna, Bihar, a city in North India, along with my mission team. It was summertime, and there were several hundred of us young people gathered together. George Verwer of Operation Mobilization shared with us from Hebrews 4:1-2 (NKJV): “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as... Read more
Today is the International Day of the Girl Child. It’s a day for us to recognize all the potential girls have to be positive contributors and make a significant impact in the world around them. However, in many nations, just growing up as a girl is an extremely difficult and heroic feat. As Wendy Alsup wrote in an article for Christianity Today, “Even today, in many impoverished areas of the world, the mere words ‘it’s a girl’ can be deadly. The... Read more
“Run with Endurance,” says Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan I am always intrigued when I watch the start of the marathon. The runners appear to be in top physical shape and are determined to do their best and many determined to win. However, it’s a whole different story when I watch them 15 or 20 miles later. They look exhausted from the hot sun that beats down on them or miserable because of rain that makes their trail slippery. Some have... Read more
Unless we are praying and spending time alone with God, we really can’t understand what it means to follow Christ. We are deceived by thinking that dynamic preaching, a good worship service, special music, great choruses and an outstanding church program are where it’s all at. But they’re not. In the Bible one of the strongest agendas God has is to get people alone with Him. For example, Jacob ran 20 years or more. Finally, once God got him alone,... Read more
To be confronted with the reality that over 2 billion people are headed toward an eternity without Christ can be troublesome and uncomfortable to many believers. Why? Because, perhaps without realizing it, their desire is to enjoy their salvation, families, church fellowships, seminars and conferences without such a painful interruption. When the apostle Paul described to Timothy why the last days would be so difficult, his number one reason was: “For men will be lovers of themselves” (2 Timothy 3:2,... Read more
God is in no trouble. He does not need our service, time or talent. To think He does after one has heard the call of God often leads many young believers into wasted years of fruitless labor. In 1976, when God called me back into missions from the pastorate, one of my first excuses for not moving ahead in obedience was my pulpit. After all, I argued, this church is obviously being blessed, and “God needs me here.” How foolish!... Read more
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