Topic(s): Jesus

Near the main entrance to the Alamo there is a portrait with the inscription: “James Butler Bonham—no portrait of him exists. This is a portrait of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.” A portrait of another who died for freedom is missing as well. Jesus Christ died to free us from the captive forces of sin, yet no picture of Him remains. May we, His redeemed, bear the likeness of our Lord.

“...changed into the same image from glory to glory…” —1 Corinthians 3:18

The Gordian Knot

Topic(s): Jesus, Sin

A famous wagon once stood in the city of Gordium in Asia Minor. Its yoke and pole were tied with an intricate knot. It was said that whoever untied the knot would be ruler of Asia. Alexander the Great came, severed the knot with one stroke of his sword, and the Gordian knot became proverbial. We were bound by sin—no one could solve its tangle until Christ from His cross set us free with one stroke!

“...that ye may abound in hope” —Romans 15:13

Swept Under the Rug

Topic(s): God's Mercy, Sin

A man purchased a white mouse to use as food for his pet snake. He dropped the unsuspecting mouse into the snake’s glass cage, where the snake was sleeping in a bed of sawdust. The tiny mouse had a serious problem on his hands. At any moment he could be swallowed alive. Obviously, the mouse needed to come up with a brilliant plan. What did the terrified creature do? He quickly set to work covering the snake with sawdust chips until it was completely buried. With that, the mouse apparently thought he had solved his problem. The solution, however, came from outside. The man took pity on the silly little mouse and removed him from the cage. Sin will eventually awake from sleep and shake off its cover. Were it not for the saving grace of the Master’s hand, sin would eat us alive. —Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 4.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” —Isaiah 1:18; see: Job 14:4; John 8:34

If It Ain’t Broke...

Topic(s): Wisdom

In Portugal there is a monastery perched high on a 3,000-foot cliff. Accessibility comes via a terrifying ride in a swaying basket that is pulled by several strong monks. One American tourist became quite nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed the rope was old and frayed. In an attempt to find comfort for his fears, he asked the attending monk how often they replaced the rope. The monk’s response provided little help: “Whenever it breaks!” “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” can be a useful philosophy for some things, but preventive maintenance is far better than trying to repair a disaster.—Today in the Word, March 1992, p. 35

“...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” —2 Corinthians 6:2

All of Self, None of Thee

Topic(s): Faith, God, Priorities

John Maxwell has identified four levels of maturity for Christians. They are given in progressive order with the least mature viewpoint listed first:

1. I’m going to do what I want, regardless of any thought for God.
2. If God gives me what I want, then I will give Him what He wants.
3. I will give God what He wants, with faith that He will give me what I want.
4. I will give God what He wants, regardless of any thought for myself.

Many Christians spend the balance of their life at level two or three but the greatest joy is found at level four.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me“ —Matthew 16:24

J-O-Y

Topic(s): Joy, Jesus

Where does a person find joy? Possibly the best explanation comes from an acrostic using J.O.Y. The J represents Jesus, the Y stands for You, and the O signifies zero, or nothing. Joy is found when “nothing” comes between “Jesus” and “You.”

“...with joy unspeakable and full of glory…” —1 Peter 1:8