Life Without Jesus

3270) Meeting Jesus on a Greyhound Bus

By Eric Watkins (above), pastor of Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church in San Marcos, California (from November 2023 Christianity Today) ——————————————–      I was born outside the church—very far outside.  Neither of my parents were Christians when I was a kid.  We were a military family, my dad a Marine, and we bounced around several […]

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3261) A Great Temptation

From the Standing Strong Through the Storm daily devotion at:  http://www.opendoorsusa.org ———————————     Satan subtly promotes the attitude that says money, property, possessions, physical comforts, as well as worldly fame and honor are the most important things in life.  While God created all things and is the source of all we have, He does

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3250) Lost in the Wilderness

     Two men lost their way hiking through a dense forest in Montana.  It was a remote area, they were not recognizing any landmarks, and could not be sure if the direction they were going was leading them toward a road or further into the wilderness.      Late in the afternoon on the

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3245) “Take Over”

Adapted from The Person Reborn by Paul Tournier, 1966, pages 201-201. ——————————-      The value of a human life does not lie in the “rights of man,” a fundamental concept of modem individualism.  Rather, our rights come from God, who has given us our lives, and to whom we are accountable.      The concept of

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3239) Envy

By Stephen Witmer, posted July 1, 2018 at:  http://www.desiringgod.org      Envy is a stingy and demanding master.  It’s stingy because, unlike many other sins, there’s absolutely nothing pleasurable about experiencing it.  Most sins bait the hook: lust offers excitement and escape, greed promises wealth and pleasure, gossip promises power and participation in the inner

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3236) A Message in a Bottle (3/3)

     (…continued)  We live our whole lives in a life and death situation, every minute of every day we live in what the Bible calls ‘the valley of the shadow of death.’  That should change our perspective on the value of everything: what we spend our money on, what we pay attention to, and

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3235) A Message in a Bottle (2/3)

     (…continued)  This story is a parable on modern life.  Like the many messages floating in from the sea, we have on our radios, TVs, smart phones, and computers, an endless flow of information and entertainment, and the opportunity to read or watch or hear whatever we want all day long.  But the problem

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3234) A Message in a Bottle (1/3)

      In an essay entitled “Message in a Bottle,” Walker Percy asks the reader to imagine a group of people stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean (this simple meditation is loosely based on that scholarly essay).  The island is beautiful, the weather is great, and there is plenty of food

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3231) Ecclesiastes? Who Need It? (2/2)

     (…continued) Not everyone is fond of Ecclesiastes.  It is strange.  It is depressing.  It even gives ungodly and bad advice.  In the parable of Jesus, it is the fool who says, “Eat, drink, and be merry.”  But in Ecclesiastes that very advice is given by the teacher as the best way to live. 

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3230) Ecclesiastes? Who Needs It? (1/2)

     I read one time the true story of a college senior who sat alone in her room late one Saturday night, contemplating suicide.  At just 22 years old, Patti was tired of life.  She had already felt like she had tried everything, and was still sad and hopeless.  She could not find happiness.  She

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