Few things have excited me as much as the current revival of prayer among God’s people around the globe. I am encouraged because the current interest is in the practice of prayer, as opposed to an interest in mere technique, or methodology. Prayer is an essential catalyst for spiritual awakening, a critical ingredient that is absolutely necessary.

This month, for instance, LifeWay Christian Stores will be featuring our newest CLC release of a book which first appeared on the market several years ago, A Passion for Prayer. (By the way, we would really appreciate you stopping by LifeWay to ask about the book. And please encourage  your friends to do the same!) After all, isn’t this what we so desperately need in this hour of history, a passion for prayer?

What is not so much needed is some new approach, or methodology, that will make the discipline of prayer “go down more easily.” Prayer is work, hard work, and that is why the disciple urged the Lord “Teach us TO PRAY…” Keep Reading…

Lately I’ve been taken by the number of supposedly born-again evangelicals who are simply wandering about.  Some are wandering in terms of their faith, or their family commitments, or what they perceive to be their future in their local church. Others are wandering about in regard to the doctrinal convictions that have guided their moral principles.  They have moved, by choice, into an arena where many things they previously held dear are now on the table. Since we hold our “beliefs” but our “convictions” hold us, it is now evident that these are people of many beliefs but few convictions. Unaware of the dangers that await them, they have moved into perilous waters. Professing themselves wise, they  now stand a good chance of becoming fools (Rom 1:22).

Scripture reminds us of the dangers inherent in simply “wandering about.” “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Prv 27:8). The translation for the word “wander” may not give the most accurate sense of the original. “Flee” is more often used, and it would better suit the meaning of this verse. Birds, especially female birds, by their very nature do not wander from their nests. To do so would not only imperil the bird, but it would also mean certain death to the offspring dependent on her. My friend and widely-acclaimed wildlife photographer, Ken Jenkins, tells me that on occasion he has found a female bird (such as a nuthatch, or a bluebird) frozen to death with its young, still-alive, beneath her wings. She refused to leave her nest!  Female birds away from  their nests are more likely to have been driven away by a predator, and will soon lose their lives in unfamiliar territory.

But what about  you and me? For us, wandering is more likely to be a choice. Perhaps that is why scholars have chosen to use that as the translation of the same word which, for the bird means to “flee.”  Here the better picture is of a man who has allowed the vicissitudes of life to move him away from his family, his moral principles, or his doctrinal doctrinal beliefs. What is so perilous about wandering away from your “home”? Keep Reading…

Although I was casually acquainted with Jeannie through a church we both attended, I never really saw her until the Fall of my senior year in college. It was love at first sight! I know it doesn’t happen this way often, but it’s true, and I proposed to her only six weeks later. There, by a big cottonwood tree, on the banks of the Ouachita river, I spilled out my heart to her, told her of my love, and asked for her hand in marriage.

Jeannie wanted to pray about it, of all things, later confessing that as a nineteen-year-old college sophomore, the thought of marriage scared her! Her response was telling. Jeannie’s recourse is always to pray before acting, a characteristic that she maintains to this day, and one that has saved us from more difficulties  than I can remember.

Three agonizing days later, Jeannie accepted my proposal and we went to visit with both sets of parents. (Marriage and family conferences were virtually unheard of in those days and I thank the Lord for overlooking the fact that we got a few things backwards!) Since the courtship had been so brief, and since we had younger siblings who needed a good example, we kept our engagement a delicious secret until I presented Jeannie with a ring (It cost a whopping $160, a fortune in those days, or so I  thought!) on top of Hot Springs Mountain that next Spring. A little over a year ago, I took Jeannie back to that mountain in Arkansas, where we sat and reflected on the incredible goodness of God.

Today, after yesterday’s celebration of our forty-fourth wedding anniversary, I am grateful for the treasure God has given me in Jeannie. Keep Reading…

The Christian’s life is not without its challenges. “In this world you shall have tribulation,” our Master has said (John 16:33). Jesus certainly faced severe circumstances, and then reminded His followers that “the servant is not greater than his master” (John 15:20). Sometimes the exigencies of life so work upon us that we ultimately find ourselves with depleted strength. If we have faced these challenges in our own strength, we will soon discover that our human reserves are spent.. Coming to the end of ourselves we will find that the only answer is spiritual in nature. We need to be “restored.

David’s depiction of himself as a simple, totally dependent sheep, includes the reminder that our Good Shepherd “restores our soul” (Psalm 23:3). This is a picture more understood by shepherds than the rest of us. Every shepherd knows that sheep are at their most vulnerable moment when they are also at their point of greatest potential. Heavy, perhaps pregnant, and with full fleece, a sheep can, in a moment of carelessness, suddenly find itself on its back. Such a “cast” sheep has no capacity to right itself in spite of all struggles. It is totally dependent upon the shepherds faithfulness to look for, find, and turn the sheep over, or “restore” it.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself in that position more often than I care to report. Maybe you find yourself there just now. If so, call out to the Great Shepherd of your soul, and depend upon Him for restoration. It was at such a moment in my own life some years ago that I wrote the following verses. Keep Reading…

A resurgence of atheism has captured considerable attention in the media recently. Of particular interest has been what some call a “new atheism.” New atheism is a position noted for more than its simple antipathy toward any type of theistic viewpoint; it calls instead for absolute intolerance of any belief in God, and the banishment of such belief by every possible means.

Atheism, of course is not new. But the “new atheist” pursues his viewpoint with a militancy rarely seen before. So it stands to reason that those of us who not only believe in God, but that the way to God is through His Son, Jesus, should have a ready response to this fresh challenge. I want suggest that you take a pro-active stance when confronted by any person who calls himself (or herself) and atheist.

“You seem to be an intelligent person,” you might say as you broach the issue, “so would you mind if I ask you seven questions about your position as an atheist?”

By the way, here is a good passage to keep in mind as you ask the following seven questions out of a heart of genuine concern. “The fool has said in his heart ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy: there is none that does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:1-3).

Now look at the questions that I believe you should ask in the following order: Keep Reading…

In several recent discussions with students, I’ve found myself absolutely astounded at the veritable “sea of immorality” through which they find themselves swimming on a daily basis. While the immediate blame may be placed upon the Godless use of media and technology, these students find it difficult to live “in” the world without the constant invitation to partake “of” the world. In earlier days people were normally forced to go outside the mainstream of society to practice blatant immorality. But today’s citizens, including students at a remarkably young age, have it served up to them regularly via something as seemingly harmless as their cell phones. Unfortunately, it is no different for adults.

Of course, the pull toward an immoral lifestyle is nothing new. Consider, for instance, the fifth chapter of Proverbs and its strong admonition to avoid an adulterous lifestyle. In the closing verses of this chapter we find the description of the man taken in adultery.

“For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He watches over all his paths. His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray” (Prov 5: 21-22).

I pointed these students toward what I have called the indications of immorality. Perhaps you are aware of someone who would benefit by contemplating what these verses tell us. Note the indications of immorality. Keep Reading…

Early Friday morning, July 30, 2010, Avery Willis stepped from this world and into the waiting embrace of Jesus. His death was actually no surprise to his friends and family. Nor was it a surprise to his Master who had already written the millisecond of Avery’s departure in His book even before Avery’s earthly conception. As a doctor friend of mine said recently, “No one, not even the finest physician, can prolong a man’s life one second beyond what God has written.” “All we can do,” he continued, “is assist in making his journey comfortable.”

Those of you who know me well, know that Avery’s life has had a profound impact on my own. We share the same birthday, although he had a ten year edge on me, and for over thirty years,  wherever in the world we were, we contacted each other on that date, February 21. But the impact of Avery’s death has been no less significant. In his death, I have witnessed what it means to “finish the course” (2 Tim 4: 7).

Let me explain. Keep Reading…

In recent weeks several close friends of ours seem to have entered that phase of life which presents them with their last opportunity for stewardship, the stewardship of death. Should that be the case, there will come the inevitable questions regarding the death of “good people.” After all, the reasoning goes, there are so many “bad people” around, and it just seems unfair for those to die whose lives have touched us in such positive ways.

It does us good, I think, to turn to God’s Word for the answer to questions regarding life and death. After all, God is sovereign in these matters, and He is the One who determines the eternal destiny of us all. It is in God’s Word that we encounter this astounding declaration: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps 116:15).

“How can this be?” we want to cry out. “How can it be precious for godly people to die? How can God look upon such an event and see great value in it?” Keep Reading…