Gratitude is one of the most foundational components of authentic Christianity. It is the humility that recognizes that what God has done for us is undeserved. It gladly acknowledges, with an open heart and mouth, that everything we’ve received is from God. I have often said that I can tell you how proud a man is by how much or little he prays. But I can also tell you how proud a man is by how quickly or slowly he gives thanks—to others and, most importantly, to God.

“Whatever you fear, you will serve,” said Rebecca Pippert. If you follow this logic, you will see how completely your fears rule you. Fear drives your thoughts and actions. It controls your life. Proverbs speaks of one of these fears and its consequences:

To be holy is to be like God Himself—different from the sinful parts of the world; sanctified, our body and soul cleansed from the ever-present defilement of sin. We are not completely, outwardly holy (in the daily, practical sense) the moment we come to Christ. God sees us as completely clean, but we still live in a world that influences us. We can fail to live up to our new birthright.

The writer of Proverbs divides the world into two types of people: wise and foolish. He has much to say about both. A man is made wise by listening to the Lord and living his life in surrender to God’s will and way.

Everyone gets hurt. It can start early, with a parent, a friend, an enemy. It could be a classmate, a colleague, or an associate. We live in a fallen world, and one of the most devastating parts of our sinfulness is that we hurt each other, by things we say and things we do.

The writer of Proverbs divides the world into two types of people: wise and foolish. He has much to say about both. A man is made wise by listening to the Lord and living his life in surrender to God’s will and way.

It is the great tendency of man to live in the past. We love to recall some of our “best days,” when life was what we longed for it to be. As we get older, in fact, this increases. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves living there. But God is not merely the God of the past. His mercies are “new every morning.” He has more.

All of us face some measure of suffering in this life. It could be a physical challenge, a hard ministry task, an overwhelming and perplexing difficulty, a persecution for our faith, a deep burden, or simply the rigors of living a life of determined godliness. For some, this suffering is more intense. Paul was one of those who faced grave suffering in order to complete the task of the gospel that was entrusted to him. Yet, he was able to face it with courage and even joy. How?

Do you have what it takes? Do you worry about your inadequacy? Do you have an accurate assessment of your life? Have you found the secret of having confidence in any situation? Many people (perhaps most) are clueless about who they really are. One of the great secrets...

As we live in this fallen world, we encounter all kinds of sinfulness and its effects, both within and without. If we are not mindful, we lose hope as we suffer difficulties and trials. If we lose hope, we quit praying, thinking there is no use. And if we stop...

I have dealt with dissenters in the church for a good portion of my ministry, particularly during the first thirty years. Gratefully, since founding The Summit Church twenty-one years ago, I have not dealt with any of this in our church (so I now know it’s possible!),...

Every day, we make manifold decisions based on what we believe to be true. We must decide what voice we think offers the greatest reality: God’s Word or man’s? A Weather Prediction Paul was a prisoner of the Roman army and was headed for Rome. On the way, God...

When is a train free to run? When it’s on the tracks or off the tracks? On the tracks it can move at incredible speed, with perfect freedom, doing exactly what it was created to do. Off the tracks, it’s unable to run as designed. We were designed, as C. S. Lewis said,...

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father” (John 8:37-38 NASB). Jesus had a running...

“From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised” (Psalm 113:3 NASB). A dear friend of mine, Stottler Starr, who was greatly used of God, recently died of cancer. The last year of his life was a time of great suffering, yet he seemed...

The story of Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, told in 1 Samuel 1, is fantastic. Hannah was barren, and it broke her heart. Other things complicated this, robbing her of joy. But there is one verse that changed everything: “She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD...