Abandonment, To Christ: William Borden's Consecration
In 1904 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, graduated from a Chicago high school a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia, the middle East, and Europe gave Borden a burden for the world's hurting pe ... read more
Abiding
These words of the Master warn against spiritual vagrancy, against intermittent consecration, against a spasmodic religious life. These are some people who visit Christ, and others who abide in Him. To the one class religion is a temporary expedient; to t ... read more
Abiding, In Christ: Story
When H. B. Macartney, an Australian pastor, visited Hudson Taylor in China, he was amazed at the missionary's serenity in spite of his many burdens and his busy schedule. Macartney finally mustered up the courage to say, "You are occupied with millions, ... read more
Abortion, Argument Against: When Christians Should Disobey
BreakPoint Commentary - November 2, 1998 Question Authority When Christians Should Disobey by Charles W. Colson A few years ago the journal "First Things" ran an article with a startling title: It was called "When the Court Should Not Be Obeyed". The ... read more
Abortion, Argument Against: When Christians Should Disobey
BreakPoint Commentary - September 16, 1998 "I Was Wrong" Making the Pro-Life Case by Charles W. Colson "When pigs fly!" That's what people say when they hear a claim they believe to be utterly impossible. And it's what you might say if someone sugge ... read more
Abstinence, Aesop's Fables: The Huntsman and the Fisherman
HUNTSMAN, returning with his dogs from the field, fell in by chance with a Fisherman who was bringing home a basket well laden with fish. The Huntsman wished to have the fish, and their owner experienced an equal longing for the contents of the game-bag. ... read more
Abuse, Abusive Remarks: Silence, The Best Answer
John Wesley one day remarked to Dr. Adam Clarke: "As I was walking through St. Paul's Churchyard, I observed two women standing opposite to one another. One was speaking and gesticulating violently, while the other stood perfectly still and in silence. ... read more
ACCEPTANCE
In "The Whisper Test," Mary Ann Bird writes: I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, croo ... read more
Accepted Time: He Almost Missed It
Evangelist Paul Rader has often urged a banker in New York State to receive Christ, but the man would not make the decision. One day the preacher sensed that God wanted him to go immediately and speak to him again. So he took a train to the town where the ... read more
Accidents: A Providential Blessing
One morning a Christian farmer in Rhode Island put two bushels of rye in his wagon and started to the mill to get it ground. On his way to the mill he had to drive over a bridge that had no railings to the side of it. When he reached the middle of this br ... read more
ACCOMPLISHMENT
Have you ever played pencil break? There is quite an art to the game. I
tried once. This is the main sport on my school bus. One day a little boy
said, "Mr. Woods would you play pencil break with me?" I said, "Sure. . .
only I don't have a pe ... read more
ACTION
n the movie "PAINT YOUR WAGON," Lee Marvin plays a philosophical drunk named
Ben Rumstead. During the closing scene, Ben Rumstead is standing in the rain
of a muddy street talking with the proprietor of a local store. The store
owner looks at t ... read more
Activity: You Help Yourself By Helping Others
A tourist lately, whilst crossing a mountain height alone, over almost untrodden snow, felt a drowsiness stealing over himself, to yield to which he knew would be fatal. As the night closed in the snowflakes fell thick and fast, and the freezing blast gre ... read more
Adaptable
ears and Roebuck is the best known name in American retailing. It's 103
years old. Roughly there are 875 stores. The Sears Roebuck catalog is one of
the traditions of American culture for the last century. 60 million Americans
hold Sears credit ... read more
Adultery, Forgiveness Of: Story
When a believer considers how much God has forgiven him, he is able to extend pardon to others no matter what they have done. A Christian husband found this to be true when his wife, who had become an alcoholic, told him of an affair she had had with his ... read more
Adultery: Morality Was Dead
In Rome for the first five hundred and twenty years of the Republic there had not been a single divorce; but now under the Empire, as it has been put, divorce was a matter of caprice. As Seneca said, "Women were married to be divorced and divorced to be ... read more
ADVERSITY
Since the Portuguese withdrew from Angola over twenty years ago, the country's
roads, bridges and transportation systems have fallen into disrepair while the
country engaged in civil war. Trucks sit beside the roads lacking the
replacement parts ... read more
Afflictions, Blessings in Disguise: The Oyster
OBSERVATION Are there people, or things, that get under your skin? If so, consider this poem about an oyster. THE OYSTER There once was an oyster whose story I tell, who found that sand had got under his shell; just one little grain, but it gave him much ... read more
Afflictions, Chastisements: The Pain Of Love
A lady visiting the Holy Land came upon a sheepfold located high on a hilltop. Her attention was drawn to one poor sheep lying by the side of the road bleating in pain. Looking more closely, she discovered that its leg was injured. She asked the shepherd ... read more
Afflictions, From God: God's Objective
The Christian Worker's Magazine tells about a young man who decided to grow peaches. He went all out, investing everything he had to develop an orchard. But disaster struck one spring when a heavy frost wiped out most of the peach blossoms. When Sunday c ... read more
Afflictions, From God: Romans 8:28 Illustrated In Tragedy
Professor E.C. Caldwell ended his lecture. "Tomorrow," he said to his class of seminary students, "I will be teaching on \reference{Romans 8}{Romans 8}. So tonight, as you study, pay special attention to \reference{verse 28}{Romans 8:28}. Notice what ... read more
Afflictions, Of Ministers and Prophets
A lady wrote to {Catholic Digest }recently to tell about her six-year-old grandson. Their pastor had died. A retired priest was temporarily serving as a replacement. One day he announced that the bishop would soon be sending the church a new young priest ... read more
Afflictions, Refining Influence Of: Restored By The Storm
Jessie Donadio, a 36-year-old Boston woman, became the victim of amnesia. For three months she wandered, but during a severe thunderstorm she suddenly remembered who she was and where she was from. A Cleveland, Ohio, police officer said that the storm jol ... read more
Afflictions, Refining Influence Of: Stepping Stones
Years ago a small group of Japanese believers were heckled and abused whenever they assembled to worship the Savior. But the persecutors could not shake the faith of the new converts. Each time the Christians gathered, the mob would throw stones at them, ... read more
Afflictions, Refining Influence Of: The Moment Of Withdrawal From The Crucible
A minister tells of witnessing the purification of a mass of silver, and reflecting on the parallel of the purification of many of God's children: The silver is put into a crucible and watched. The moment the smelter can see his face reflected in it, he ... read more
Afflictions, Refining Influence Of: The Tribulum
In the pictures of the ancient Roman method of threshing grain, one man is always seen stirring up the sheaves while another rides over them in a crude cart equipped with rollers instead of wheels. Sharp stones and rough bits of iron were attached to thes ... read more
Age, Need Not Hinder Achievement: Not Too Old
George Washington was 43 when he drew his sword under the historic elm at Cambridge as "captain general and commander-in-chief" of the Colonial forces. He was just the age of Julius Caesar when he took command of the army in Gaul, of Napoleon when he ma ... read more
Aggreeing, Together: Story
Whether in the church, the home, the job, or the local community it is difficult for two people to agree with one another on a controversial issue unless they study together.
Many years ago there lived an elderly couple named Tom and Ella. It happened ... read more
AGREEMENT
Why don't we all see things the same?
Bert Mercer tells about the old farmer who drank his first bottle of soda pop
while he was headed for the big city on a speeding train. After he took one swig, the train roared into a dark tunnel. The old man c ... read more
Aim, , Goals, Taking: Taking Aim
Did you ever see a company of soldiers going through their exercises? Well, if you have, you will remember that, after their muskets are loaded, the officer who is exercising them calls out, "Make ready -- take aim -- fire."
The aim of each soldier i ... read more
Alcohol: Better than Mastery
A poor old Negro was once a hopeless drunkard, and he tried again and again to get free. Others tried to help him, but he could not get rid of his drunkenness until he was converted. When he was converted there was a wonderful change, and someone said, " ... read more
Alcohol: He Got His Beer
One of our young men gave me the following experience. He said, "An old gentleman and a young man, who was the driver, stopped at Ringgold, Georgia, to get a lunch. They asked for a certain type of beer. They were informed the proprietor did not have thi ... read more
Alcoholism, A Disease?
Is alcoholism a disease? If it is. . . .
It is the only disease that is contracted by an act of the
will.
It is the only disease that requires a license to propagate
it.
It is the only disease that is bottled and sold.
It is the only dis ... read more
Altar
In the life of John G. Paton we are told that the custom of morning and evening prayer was ever maintained in his father's household. Until the day of his death, at seventy-seven, he failed not, and when the last day of his life came, he was heard repeat ... read more
Altar Call: A Gracious Response
A young couple came to the pastor just before the service and desired to be married. The pastor requested them to be seated in the congregation and stated that he would marry them immediately after the service. No one in the congregation knew of it. When ... read more
Ambition, Good: An Example Of Good Ambition
A student of Amherst College, soon after entering, put over the door of his dormitory room the letter V. Because of it he endured all sorts of ridicule and withstood questioning. But he paid no attention to either, nor would he disclose the secret of the ... read more
Ambition, Worldly: The Missing Stone
A man dreamed that when he died he was taken by the angels to a beautiful temple. After admiring it for a time, he discovered that one stone was missing. All was finished but just one little stone that was left out. He said to the angel, "What is this st ... read more
Angels: Cloud Lane
In one of the German art galleries a painting called "Cloud Lane" hangs at the end of a long dark hall. At first glance it appears to be a huge, ugly mass of confused color that is unattractive and foreboding. But when you look closer, you see portrayed ... read more
Angels: Ministering Spirits
The only child of a poor woman one day fell into the fire by accident and was so badly burned that he died after a few hours' suffering. The clergyman, as soon as he knew, went to see the mother, who was known to be dotingly fond of the child. To his gre ... read more
Angels: Protected By Angels
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. Wh ... read more
ANGER
Alexander the Great was on of the few men of history who deserved the
adjective "great." His biographer describes him as by nature fervently
passionate and impulsive. He was strong in his loves and his loyalties; and although hatred was foreign to ... read more
Anger, Revenge, Forgiveness, Aesop's Fables: The Farmer and the Fox
A FARMER, who bore a grudge against a Fox for robbing his poultry yard, caught him at last, and being determined to take an ample revenge, tied some rope well soaked in oil to his tail, and set it on fire. The Fox by a strange fatality rushed to the field ... read more
Anxiety, Forbidden: Almost One Day Old
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. In her book, CELEBRATE JOY!, Velma Seawell Daniels gives a striking new meaning to this familiar phrase. She tells of interviewing a man who had made a trip to Alaska to visit people who live above the Arct ... read more
Anxiety, Hurtful: Anxiety Hurtful
And what does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow, brother, of its sorrow; but, ah! it empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil, it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. It does not bless tomorrow, and it robs t ... read more
Apologetics, Need For
BreakPoint Commentary - October 12, 1998 A Good Book Is Hard to Find - The Fiction of Flannery O'Connor What great Twentieth-century writer said: "For me the meaning of life is centered in our Redemption by Christ and what I see in the world I see in it ... read more
Apostasy, Karl Marx: Karl Marx
At the request of his father, Karl Marx was baptized at 6 years old into the Evangelical Established Church. Marx's adolescent writings exhibited a spirit of Christian devotion and longing for self-sacrifice on behalf of humanity. Later at the Universit ... read more
Apostasy: Apostasy In Britain
John Wycliffe, John Knox, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, G. Campbell Morgan--what a notable list of Christian leaders from Great Britain! They established vital churches, publishing houses, and mission societies. In spite of th ... read more
Apostasy: Aroused the Hard Way
It is stated that when the terrible earthquake was raging in Charleston, South Carolina, a proud, worldly, dead congregation was in service. They were very formal, with never an amen or note of praise. But when the building began to shake and many were fa ... read more
APOSTASY: Go Out, Old Ship, Go Out
Go Out, Old Ship, Go Out
An old gentleman states that when he was a small boy, he lived on the coast. One morning after a great storm he saw an old ship stranded. The storm had blown her in, and she was badly damaged and deserted by her crew. He said t ... read more
Apostasy: The Degeneration Of Society
In the town of Delburne, Alberta, there is an old water tower, built in 1926. Now standing empty, the building has been bought by two men who want to turn it into a dining and cocktail lounge. Plans call for a bar to be built on the second floor. Somethin ... read more
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