• Christian Living

    Forgiveness

    It is not in our human nature to forgive. We are attacked, we defend ourselves; someone treats us unjustly and we want justice done to them; someone is mean to us and we want to hit back. Even as the event recedes into the past we keep it alive with fantasies of revenge. Yet Jesus was clear – extremely clear – that we need to forgive! And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (Mark 11:25)   Forgiving Others God has told us in no uncertain terms to forgive. It is true that God…

  • Christian Living

    God’s Soldiers

    I love this passage from F.B. Meyer on II Tim. 2:1-4. There is grace enough in Jesus for every need, but we must avail ourselves of it. We can expect nothing less than hardship, since life is a battlefield. Our one aim should be to please Him who chose us to be soldiers. In order to be all that he would have us be, we must avoid entangling ourselves in the conditions around us. We must resemble a garrison in the town where it is quartered, and from which it may at any hour be summoned away. The less encumbered we are, the more easily shall we be able to…

  • Prayer

    Our Prayers Never Die

    I’m reading the Rev. Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears. Terrific book. I’m finishing it up and loved the following passage from the next-to-last chapter, pp. 207-208. By the way Batterson is quite orthodox and I have taken the passage a little out of context, so ignore any “woo woo” factor. This is Christian doctrine at its best: “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Is. 55:11) All prayers are prophecies, and God Almighty seals them until…