As I was preaching Sunday I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. It is amazing how you can study all week long on a sermon, painstakingly write out the outline, and not see the real message of the point until you are in the middle of the sermon.
As I was preaching Sunday I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. It is amazing how you can study all week long on a sermon, painstakingly write out the outline, and not see the real message of the point until you are in the middle of the sermon.
You see He is the secret to victorious living. Whatever comes your way this week accept it not in bitterness, in pity, or regret, but rather with gratitude that God has trusted you with this challenge. Then go beyond the moment challenge to the momentous conquest.
Whatever the challenges you face this year, don't forget to pray.
In 1839 the Sultan of Turkey decreed that not a representative of the Christian religion should remain in the empire. Learning of this, Dr. William Goodell, an American missionary to Turkey, came home to his friend and colleague, Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, the first president of Robert College, Constantinople, with the sad news: "It is all over with us; we have to leave. The American consul and the British ambassador say it is no use to meet this violent and vindictive monarch with antagonism."
I read a story the other day that reminded me of Peter's admonition in 1 Peter 5:8.
A doctor and a lawyer tangled in a fender-bender on the highway. The lawyer came over to the doctor's car and said to the MD, "You look pretty well shaken up. Would you like a drink?"