All tests are temporary, limited in duration. 1 Peter 1:6 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Some tests end on earth, but all tests will end in heaven,...
Howard Rutledge came to appreciate his time as a POW in Vietnam. He wrote: “After twenty-eight days of torture, I could remember I had children but not how many. I prayed for strength. During long periods of enforced reflection it became so much easier to separate the...
God can make something good out of your mess. The test you’re experiencing will become your testimony. 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 says, “God comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings alongside someone who’s going through hard times so...
Each day has a pop quiz, and some seasons are like final exams. Brutal, sudden pitfalls of stress, sickness, or sadness. What is the purpose of the test? James 1:3-4 says, “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let...
In 1965 Howard Rutledge parachuted into North Vietnam and spent the next several years in a prison in Hanoi, locked in a filthy cell, breathing stale, rotten air, trying to keep his sanity. Few of us will ever face the conditions of a POW camp....
Dad, would you intentionally break the arm of your child? Of course not! Such an action violates every fiber of your moral being. Yet if you engage in sexual activity outside your marriage, you’ll bring more pain into the life of your child than a broken...
Don’t make matters worse by doing something you’ll regret. Years ago, a friend gave me this counsel: “Make a list of all the lives you would impact through your sexual immorality.” I did. Every so often I re-read it: Denalyn. My three daughters. My son-in-law. My yet-to-be-born...
Depression can buckle the knees of the best of us, and a pastor’s wife is no exception. Years ago my wife Denalyn battled depression. Every day was gray. Her life was loud and busy—two kids in elementary school, a third in kindergarten, and a husband who...
Whatever it is that’s troubling you, you’ll get through this. Cancel your escape to the Himalayas. Forget the deserted island. This is no time to be a hermit. Pray. Lean on God’s people. Be a barnacle on the boat of God’s church. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where...
God surrounds us like the Pacific surrounds an ocean floor pebble. He is everywhere: above, below, on all sides. We choose our response—rock or sponge? Resist or receive? Everything within you says Harden your heart. Run from God, resist God, blame God. But be careful –...