God can and does impart greater gifts to those who are faithful while those who distrust him can only lose what they have. in The Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 8
01041 – Greater Gifts
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01037 – Mary is Everywhere
There is a reason Mary is everywhere. I've seen her image all over the world, in cafés in Istanbul, on students' backpacks in Scotland, in a market stall in Jakarta, but I don't think her image is everywhere because she is a reminder to be obedient, and I don't think...
01036 – Saved from What?
The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do.
01026 – The Kiss of Jesus
When you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you’ll know what is happening. Suffering, pain, humiliation and feelings of loneliness are nothing but the kiss of Jesus; a sign that you have come so close that he can kiss you. Never put on a long face. Suffering...
01020 – Listen for My Bell
Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind....
01019 – Praying When We Don’t Feel Like It
Our prayers offered when we do not feel like it are more acceptable than prayers offered at other times. When we pray because we feel like it, we are pleasing ourselves. By praying when we do not feel like it, we bring God not only the content of our prayer, but a...
01016 – Novice Preaching Experiences
I was fifteen years old when I felt called to preach. My home church pastor said that I should get as much experience as possible. Obviously, there was not a great demand for fifteen-year-old novices who were long on enthusiasm but short on skill. So, my pastor sent...
01015 – Seeing Other People as God Sees Them
In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were...
01011 – Children in Crisis
It is my experience that in modern times the care of children, particularly those in crisis, has been abandoned by the pastor. My concern for ministry to children has been growing for a long time. My first experience in clinical pastoral education was at a children’s...
01010 – Doing Nothing
“Being” means allowing God to lead even when opportunities have been postponed and the doors seem closed. That is exactly what happened to Paul. If he had not been forced to wait, he would have never heard the call to Macedonia. The same is often true for each of us....