Psalm 37 contains some of the most precious promises in the Word of God. But those promises coexist with some straight talk about the existence of evildoers. These words written 3000 years ago perfectly describe life in the 21st century. How should we bring together the blunt talk and the promises of God? Four considerations will help us.1. Ev…
In Psalm 37 David presents a very realistic view of the eventual destiny of all evildoers:1. They will soon wither like the grass (v. 2).2. They will be cut off (v. 9).3. They will disappear from the earth (v. 10).4. They will face a day of certain judgment (v. 13).5. They will be brought down by their own devices (v. 15).6. Their power will be utt…
Recently while reading through Psalm 37, I was struck by how frank David is about the evildoers in the world:1. They do wrong (v. 1).2. They often succeed in their wicked schemes (v. 7).3. They plot against the righteous (v. 12).4. They attack the poor and needy (v. 14).5. They are often wealthy and powerful (v. 16-17).6. They borrow and do not rep…
Regarding my skydiving adventure, a few questions and a few answers:Q: What in the world possessed you to do something like this?I turn 60 in September so our son Nick thought it would be a good idea to give me the gift of jumping out of an airplane. Q: Is this something you’ve wanted to do?Yes, it’s been on my “bucket list&r…
Yesterday we drove to Chicago for a KBM board meeting on Saturday morning. On our way we stopped in Pontiac (about 90 miles south of Chicago) to visit our new Anchor Book Depot. The depot is “new” to us because until recently, we stored the books in Chicago.When God opened the door to move the Book Depot to Pontiac, he also raised up tw…
“They would have had opportunity to return” (Hebrews 11:15).This ought to get our attention. Living by faith is a conscious choice. No one is forced to live like this.It is always possible to go back to the “old country.” There are always friends who will show you the way. And they will drive you themselves if you are afraid…
Several days ago H. B. Charles Jr. reprinted a poem by Portia Nelson called Autobiography in Five Short Chapters. In reading it for the first time, I was struck by its profound simplicity. It says a great deal in only a few sentences. Here it is . . .
Last night I happened to see this note on the kitchen windowsill at a friend’s house. I still remember the first time I heard about this prayer. Many years ago I had lunch with a man in Chicago who told me his life had been changed by this simple prayer. “As soon as I wake up in the morning, I say this prayer, and it has changed my atti…
Do you Facebook?If you don’t, you’re probably not reading this blog entry. As of March 2012 Facebook had over 900 million users, with that number expected to reach 1 billion in the next few months. One billion people on Facebook.That’s amazing and mind-blowing. When Facebook first started, it was mostly for college students, …
“Break the jar while those who go with you are watching” (Jeremiah 19:10).This is a visual warning of what God will do to Judah and Jerusalem. He will smash the nation so that it is broken into a thousand pieces.No one will be able to repair it.No one can avoid it.No one can stop it.Why?"They were stiff-necked and would not listen…