Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us keep in our hearts a love for the truth and the crucified way, lest we be led astray by any of the deceivers around us.... Those who get grounded and settled in the truth will not be blown about by different winds of doctrine.

God's face should be the first we see in the morning when we open our eyes. His voice should be the first we hear with its benediction of love and grace. He should be the first to whom we speak, lifting up our hearts in praise and in supplication.

Do not say, "I can do nothing." If so, then you know nothing of Christ. Then you have no faith. For if you have faith, if you believe, then you "can do all things through Christ" who strengthens you. You can love Him and keep His commandments.

Jehoshaphat got too far from God and too close to Ahab. The same will happen to you and me unless we live continually in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Without His aid... sin does not appear so exceedingly sinful anymore.

As a rule, lukewarmness of spirit is so decent and well-behaved, that it chloroforms its victim and kills him without a scream of terror. This is what makes it so awfully fatal. While open sin slays its hundreds, nice, respectable lukewarmness slays its tens of thousands.

To rush forward in our thinking, speaking, and doing, demonstrates a lack of faith in God, and how little we perceive His presence and dominion over all things. It is true in a thousand different things that "he that believeth shall not make haste."

"I see," said the old man. "Faithful only as long as you think best? Last week you didn't take the grain to the mill because you were too busy. The smallest disobedience makes you untrustworthy, my boy."

Jesus lived with a life focused on one thing. What was that? Loving God, His Father.... There were plenty of other things Jesus could have thought about.... But Jesus didn't look at those things. His mind was set—focused—on something more wonderful.

"Haul all this mucky mess to the manure pile—through the front," Uncle Jerry said firmly. He walked toward the house. Tommy's heart sank. Uncle Jerry stopped and looked over his shoulder. "A man of character faces the hard work and conquers it," he said.