I have never known anyone to say, “My goal in life is to be a failure.” I have known those who seem to be directionless and are floundering in identifying a compelling purpose for their lives. Others may lack ambition and are satisfied just to get by; as long as life’s basic needs are provided […]

Growing up in church, I can remember being challenged to memorize Scripture; in fact, one Sunday School teacher would expect each class member to quote a new verse each week. Somewhere along in our adolescence we began to choose verses that were apparently meaningless and even nonsensical. One of my favorites in the KJV was […]

Contrary to the perception of many, Jesus never promised us a bed of roses. In fact, He alerted His disciples to the fact that: “In this world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). We readily succumb to the rational thinking of Jobʼs friends and advisors who attributed his suffering and misfortune to sin and punishment […]

I never got used to the funerals. Becoming president of the International Mission Board, I envisioned being singularly focused on mission strategy. It was a leadership role to equip and send missionaries to reach a lost world and challenge churches to provide the resources and prayer support needed. But being a large organization of more […]

There are many impressive characteristics of the Apostle Paul that are worth emulating–his passion, his bold witness, his persuasive wisdom, his compelling vision, etc. But one trait that has always amazed me is his phlegmatic personality. He had such a sense of Godʼs providence that nothing could shake his confidence or deter his commitment to […]

It would be surprising to find a Southern Baptist who has not heard of Lottie Moon, a 19th century missionary to China for whom the annual mission offering is named. She served for more than 40 years, adopting an austere lifestyle, and died of starvation when she shared her meager rations with the Chinese during […]

Why did Jesus tell us to go? After all there are many ways to take the gospel to the nations without actually going. We can send money to support national evangelists to reach their own people and near-neighbor cultures. We can send Bibles and literature to be distributed or sponsor radio broadcasts and other forms […]

Life is filled with decisions. Everyday we are processing information and sub- conscientiously deciding how to respond. Many people live in the present, spontaneously reacting to whatever is happening around them. Others tend to see the present as always leading to the future, aware that decisions in the present are a part of planning for […]

There is never a day one does not need the assurance of Godʼs divine guidance. It may be in major life decisions or in subtle and trivial issues that fill oneʼs day, but any Christian ought to be aware of how vulnerable we are to failure and mistakes in judgment when left to our own […]

Most Christians are quite conscientious about how they are to live. We have been nurtured to know right and wrong. We know we are to live righteous lives, love others, be faithful to gather for worship and even to tithe. We may not be as successful in efforts to fulfill those aspirations as we would […]