The Greatest Peril Christians Face [Devotional]
When I was homeschooling my kids, a lesson in the writing curriculum we used talked about “the banana in the box.” The basic idea was to imagine that you got a box of “something” in the mail. For example, a box of books. And in that box, there also happened to be a banana. The…
Abounding Grace [Devotional]
I focused on giving in Chapter 22 of my book, By the Will of God and while we touched on the idea of being blessed in proportion to our giving, I want to focus a bit more in this post on God’s provision for your EVERY need. I’ve always thought of the above Scripture to mean…
Three Areas of Stewardship
“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” – 1Co 4:2 NKJV When we speak of stewardship, we generally think about how we manage our money, especially our giving. While money management and generosity are important, let me suggest it is only one of the areas of our lives in which we…
Godly Sorrow [Devotional]
It can be hard to speak the truth to people you love, especially when the truth makes them unhappy. The apostle Paul has a reputation for being a bit on the brusque side. Some may even think that he took pleasure in offending people. But this passage of Scripture makes it clear that even he…
Chuck Answers a Skeptic
I recently saw this question posted on Quora.com, a site that allows readers to ask questions and others to answer those question. Doesn’t a religion that takes a fundamental and literal approach betray a certain primitiveness, whether it is Christianity or Islam? What differentiates human beings from primitive beings is the ability to decipher metaphors,…
Holy Partnerships [Devotional]
This passage of Scripture gives good food for thought when it comes to the relationships in which we invest. Some Christians take this to an extreme and live on a compound, where they only associate with people who think exactly like them. Such an extreme is not only unhealthy; it’s also dangerous because it…
The Power of Reconciliation [Devotional]
A lot of Christians feel uncomfortable sharing their faith. I get it, I really do. You see, I’ve struggled with that myself. It’s not that I’ve been ashamed of being a Christian, as I am indeed openly Christian. (These devotionals aren’t written using a pen name!) But in spite of my openness regarding being…
The Compelling Love of Christ [Devotional]
There’s a common storyline that I’ve seen in movies and read in books. I’ve also come across real life examples, and my guess is that you have as well. What is it? The story goes like this: One person saves another person’s life, and from there on out, the person rescued is indebted to…
Well Pleasing to God [Devotional]
As believers, our focus should always be to live a life that is well pleasing to God. When it comes right down to it, the way to define success as believers isn’t whether or not we win a popularity contest, or have any success here on earth. But while the idea of pleasing God…
Persecuted but Not Forsaken
In the last devotional I wrote about the tendency that many Christians have to water down the gospel, either through softening aspects of it that may seem out of touch with modern times or else by downplaying hardships that continue or perhaps even increase after becoming believers. The passage of Scripture above is an…