St. Francis is one of great heroes of the faith. He died in 1226. I’ve always been inspired by his example of humility, sincerity, love, poverty and charity. There’s a little known story about an interaction he had with someone named Friar Bernard. Apparently, Francis had a negative thought about the Friar. Upon realizing this, and … Continue reading Humility: He asked him to step on his neck
character
Trust in the jungle of unpredictability
Life can be chaotic. And volatile. And hard. That’s why friendship is so important. Christian ethicist Lewis Smedes wrote an article about the power of making a promise. He says that when you make a promise to someone, “You have created a small sanctuary of trust within the jungle of unpredictability.” I think that’s great … Continue reading Trust in the jungle of unpredictability
Dragged away
Unfortunately, temptation is often a part of life. Some people are tempted to over-spend or worry too much. Some are tempted to engage in habits they know dishonour God. Some people are tempted to laziness or excessive screen time. It really just depends on the person. Recently I was reading the book of James and … Continue reading Dragged away
The cardinal virtue
The cardinal virtue is humility. It stands opposite pride and ego. So the more you cultivate humility, with God’s help, the more you prepare yourself to be a more loving person. In fact, and just in case you need some extra motivation to cultivate humility in your life, check out James 4:6: “God opposes the … Continue reading The cardinal virtue
Unhealthy vs healthy “success”
Success is good, right? But what is “success”? A lot of people think of it in terms of career advancement, or money, or popularity. We can even try to be “successful” when it comes to our faith. We want to be successful at praying more or reading our Bibles or serving in a particular ministry or … Continue reading Unhealthy vs healthy “success”
Your impact can last
Being a person of your word—a person of integrity who does their best to do what they say they’re going to do—has a positive impact that can literally last for generations. Skeptical? Think of someone from your past who had a really positive impact on you—someone who was a person of their word, someone who … Continue reading Your impact can last
When you haven’t kept your word
For the past two days I’ve been talking about being a person of your word—a person who is honest and trustworthy. In Matthew 5:37 Jesus taught about the importance of speaking with sincerity: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” It’s a statement that … Continue reading When you haven’t kept your word
A light, even in your words
Yesterday’s devotional was about being a person of your word. I said that people who keep their promises keep track of their promises. It makes total sense. If you’re going to be a person who is trustworthy and who keeps their promises, you have to know what they are. You need to keep track of … Continue reading A light, even in your words
Can you remember what you promised?
Before the world of contracts and fine print, do you remember hearing about agreements that were made on the shake of a hand? Remember when someone could be trusted “at their word”? Nowadays, that seems rare. We live in an age of verbal mistrust. So many people break promises that it doesn’t even surprise us … Continue reading Can you remember what you promised?
Hypocrisy (on both ends of the spectrum)
“You’re a hypocrite.” Has anyone ever said that to you? It’s a nasty and unpleasant thing! A hypocrite is a pretender—someone who says they believe certain ideals but doesn’t actually live them out in their own life. Hypocrites were the people Jesus often railed against. But guess what? Regardless of your theological leanings, it’s easy to become one!
