Men of the Morning Prayer Line

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control.”  – Galatians 5:23 How many times have you said or done something and immediately wished you could take it back and have a redo? How many times have you seen the look of hurt on someone’s face and knew you were the one who put it there? Face it. You lost your cool. Or maybe you fell off the diet or alcohol wagon and indulged in that molten chocolate dessert and you feel like a failure. Your self-control button was turned off. It happens to the best of us. But you see, one of the keys to successful living is self-control. That means controlling our emotions, our desires, our passions, and yes, our tongues (what we say or post or comment). Self-control is about self-discipline. The Bible compares it to sports. It says, “Run your race to win. Everyone who competes in the game exercises self-control in all things.” Self-control is essential to success in sports, as well as in living. Let’s look at a few tips to help when our self-control is...

“I am the way. I am the truth. And I am the life. No one comes to Father except through me.” – John 14:6 For this moment of mediation let’s look at the second claim Jesus made about Himself, “I am the truth.” Many people believe in moral relativism – the idea that there’s no such thing as absolute truth. Yet Jesus is saying, He, Me, Jesus Christ, Savior, “The One Who Remains!” is the truth. In other words, Jesus is saying that truth is not found in knowledge, religion, or in philosophy, but in Him…a person. When someone says they don’t believe in absolute truth, I don’t think they even realize what they’re saying. For example, take math—are you saying that in Georgia 3+3 equals 6, but in California, 3+3 equals 5? Are they both true? Is it all relative to where you live? Obviously, that’s just ridiculous. What about the Law of Gravity? If there is no absolute truth, then when you drop something, are you saying that gravity might pull it down or maybe it will just stay suspended in the a...

“Encourage one another and build one another up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Have you ever heard the expression, “Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle you know nothing about?”  There’s a lot of truth to this statement.  For example, I was shocked almost a year ago when I heard about the sudden death of Chadwick Boseman, the star of blockbuster films such as Black Panther and 42. I had no idea that the 43-year-old actor had been battling colon cancer for several years. He had effectively hidden his diagnosis from the public eye. Even more remarkable is that his coworkers and yes, even his fellow Avengers, had no idea that he was suffering.   Boseman’s case is a stark reminder that people around us are often facing challenges that we’re simply unaware of.  Granted, it might not be a terminal health issue, but everyone’s dealing with something, for the unseen battles of life come in all shapes and sizes.     Are you fighting yo...

“Therefore, we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”  ---2 Corinthians 5:9 “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a Do you seek to please God or simply trust Him? I believe many of us would say that we desire to do both, but if you had to choose or focus on one or the other, which would it be? In pleasing God, we put ourselves in a “what must I do” frame of mind. It requires considerable effort to do those things that are “good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord.” Our way then becomes paved with good intentions, as we strive to please God. That word, strive, means “struggling in opposition” and that really sums it up. We are not perfect, and those imperfections and shortcomings will continue to follow us as long as we live.  “Trying to please,” in and of itself, becomes an ongoing challenge. Conversely, Scripture says to “cease striving” … to be still and know that God is God. Instead of all the manufactured effort, per...