by Pastor Larry
DeBruyn for Spiritual Life
A Meditation
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:18-19, KJV
At one point or another in our lives, all of us have lived beneath our circumstances. At times, the sheer weight of life can “get us down.” I’ve felt that way, and I am sure you have too. The story is told of W.H. Griffith Thomas (1861-1924), a Bible teacher and theologian of a previous generation, who was walking down the street. Approaching a lady he asked her, “How are you faring today Madame?” to which question she replied, “Pretty well under the circumstances.” Thomas then responded, “What, may I ask, are you doing under the circumstances?”
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by Pastor Larry
DeBruyn for Spiritual Life
A Meditation on John 5:44.
Deep within the human psyche, in many ways tainted, twisted and perverted by sin, lays a powerful need to be accepted by others. All of us want to feel connected to those who accept us for who we are. But “peer pressure” can have a downside. In her best-selling book, psychologist-author Harriet Braiker called it, The Disease to Please. [1] This disease can plague those in Christian ministry. By the way, that’s all of us! But the need for acceptance and approval from others raises an important issue every true believer must deal with, and it is this: Do we do what we do for acceptance, approval, adulation, and applause from peers, or do we do what we do by faith for the glory of God?
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by Pastor Larry
DeBruyn for Spiritual Life
A Study of Ephesians 4:30.
One church named itself, “Happy Church.” All of us, I think we can confess, desire to be happy–to experience feelings of contentment, delight, enjoyment, and satisfaction. I would venture to say that if I asked you, “How many of you desire to be happy?” all of you would nod your head, “Yes!” The opposite being happy is the experience of grief–of being unhappy, of feeling sorrowful, agitated, oppressed, depressed, or sad. In the very depths of our souls, these two emotions, happiness and sorrow, seem to be in constant competition with each other. Most of the time, we are either glad or sad. We feel either up or down.
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