Maintaining a Pure Heart in a Perverse World

While traveling in a neighboring state, I stopped by a grocery store one day at noon to purchase a lunch “on-the go.” Two men were standing by the checkout counter engaged in animated conversation about their favorite sports teams. One of the men looked vaguely familiar and the longer I heard him speak the more certain I was that I knew him. He had been an outstanding football player and something of a hero in his college days. I remembered reading of this man’s strong moral convictions, recalling that he had once addressed a large assembly of students from across his state on the importance of moral purity.

I was shocked to see and hear this man in the grocery store, talking loudly in language that was obscene, lewd and embarrassingly profane. Just to be certain, I called his name and asked if he was, indeed, the person I thought he was. He smiled and stuck out his hand which I shook with awkward reluctance. He was indeed the same man, but an altogether different person. Somewhere along the way he had lost his pure heart to a perverted world.

The world is constantly pressuring its inhabitants to give up any thought of moral purity. How can a believer in Christ maintain a pure heart in this perverse world? Keep Reading…

Standing Strong in the Storms of Your Life

In a worship service several months ago, I invited to the altar those in the congregation who were currently experiencing the “toughest times of their lives.” It would have been great to have prayed individually with those who came forward, but to my amazement,  the altar quickly became crowded from one side to the other. The experience reminded me that, at any given time, many people around us are facing great storms in their lives. My mother used to remind us that we should be nice to everyone, because everyone has problems. Just now, you may be facing a storm in your own life.

Storms are not simply reserved for times of economic downturn, or national unrest. At any given moment, strong winds can rock families as easily as finances, physical health as well as future aspirations. Solomon once wrote, When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation (Pr 10: 25). Solomon learned about life’s storms from experience as well as observation. He knew what it was to stand, and he also experienced the pain of falling. So what can we learn from Solomon about what it means to stand strong in the storms of life? And, what word of hope does the Lord have for you as you face your own, personal storm? Keep Reading…

Four Keys to Effectiveness

Recently I was speaking with a friend about the enduring impact seven different mentors have left on my life. While all but one of those mentors is now with the Lord, their lives, in some way, live on through those they touched while here on earth. Their energies were spent in an effective manner.

Are you genuinely effective at what you do? Notice that I didn’t ask if you were currently considered a success at what you do. Mere success always plays second fiddle to genuine effectiveness. Interestingly, the world would have you focus on success. But success is fleeting, while effectiveness lives on long after we have passed from the scene. The reward for effectiveness is not usually a medal but a ministry in the lives of others that endures. What is there of enduring value that are you solidly placing in the hearts of others?

Few people have been as effective as the Apostle Paul. Now, almost two thousand years after his brief earthly ministry, his shadow falls across those who name the Name of Jesus. Paul wasn’t shooting bottle rockets, but building the Kingdom of God. What were Paul’s secrets to effectiveness? Keep Reading…