Worthy Words

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in...

So many people are unable to appreciate what God is doing for them today because they're still haunted by things that happened years ago. It serves a need to remain connected enough to the past that you remember what God has done for you, but you don't want to live in the past. You need to be focused enough on the future that you're moving in the direction God wants you to go, but you don't want to live in the future. You need to learn to live in today. This day, right now, where you are — this is all you have. Some people are never been able to get past the bitterness of divorce, or have never been able to pick up the pieces after a business loss, or have never been able to get over being treated unfairly, or have never been able to forgive themselves for something they did long ago. It is this kind of thinking that dissolves a spirit of gratitude. You have to accept the fact that the past is gone. It doesn't do any good to dwell on it. This isn't b...

Have you ever experienced times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible seem to have no benefit, that is, unless someone else is kind enough to apply them on your behalf? For example, it’s like when you’re thirsty but you’re too weak to make it to the fridge for a cool glass of water. Or like when a soldier gets wounded in battle he’s not thinking about the fact that there is a hospital staffed with a team of medical experts who can mend his wounds and ease his pains with medicines that will enhance his healing. No! What this wounded soldier is focused on is crying out “Medic, Medic, Medic!”   He knows the Medic is the one able to get him transported to the mash unit to have the procedures applied to him. That’s what it is like when your soul is wounded. The Bible points out that the Spirit of truth is the only one who can meet this need of yours and take the things of Jesus and apply them to you. “The Spirit of truth will glorify Me, because He will take from what...

Have you ever noticed that some people expect to be able to live according to a different set of rules? One of the weak witnesses of the church today is this concept of believers seeing other believers living one way and worshiping another. It simply comes down to a question of integrity. It is a question you must grasp—that all the rules that apply to everyone else apply to you as well. God saved you even though you weren’t perfect. God will use you even though you aren’t perfect. However, you must understand that even when God chooses you and uses you, that does not give you a personal exemption from holiness. The rules still apply to you. If you don’t get it the gap between the way things are and the way things ought to be will continue to get wider. What would it take for you to compromise your integrity? If you have a price, someone will pay it. The devil, your boss, your so-called friends, maybe even your family. If your integrity is for sale, someone will be willing to buy it. W...